How to calculate operating profit or EBITDA?

Do you know how to calculate EBITDA and how important this financial indicator is for your company? Check out more information about it!

Indicators play a totally vital role in the control of a enterprise. That is why information what EBITDA is and a way to calculate it is incredibly vital. This financial indicator, being of such importance, has no exception inside the measurement area of groups’ financial fitness.

Besides knowing what EBITDA is, you also need to recognise what it is for and the way to use it on your making plans. Thus, you will have extra statistics approximately the enterprise and you will be able to make more strategic management choices.

Do you want to recognise what EBITDA is, the way to calculate it, and why this economic indicator is essential for your business enterprise? Continue reading this post!

What is operating profit for?

Operating profit or EBITDA is an indicator used to measure the financial performance of a business. When used by managers, it is possible to identify the company’s ability to pay for its operations and generate cash flow   .

As you have seen, EBITDA does not consider data related to interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization from the analysis. This is because, even if these costs are relevant or impact the business figures, they are not part of the company’s direct activities.

Therefore, the most important function of EBITDA is to reveal the company’s ability to generate positive responses from its direct operations. It can reveal a business’ ability to generate profit, without considering information that does not interfere with this.

For this reason, in addition to business management, EBITDA is widely used to measure the performance of businesses with shares on the stock exchange. Many investors use this calculation to compare the profitability and efficiency of competing companies.

When a business has a positive EBITDA, it is a sign that it is well managed and is making a profit from its core operations. However, if the indicator is negative, this could be a warning sign. To have a clearer view and make better decisions, it is worth evaluating other company indicators.

How important is this financial indicator for your company?

You have already learned that calculating EBITDA allows you to assess whether your company is efficient and profitable. It shows the company’s ability to pay expenses and generate cash in the future. This is also a relevant indicator for checking the performance of businesses with debt.

After all, EBITDA can show that a company in debt may have a high level of ability to make a profit in the future, when its finances are in order, for example. Therefore, calculating EBITDA allows a business manager to identify threats and project its cash flow.

The EBITDA of businesses in the same segment is also crucial to evaluate. Thus, the entrepreneur will be able to compare the performance of his business with that of his competitors. In this way, it will be possible to understand the position of his company in the market.

How is EBITDA calculated?

So you now know what EBITDA is, why it matters, and how important it is. Next, you should learn how to calculate this number so you could apply it on making choices.

The EBITDA calculation follows the following formula:

EBITDA = net operating profit + depreciation + amortization

Therefore, to calculate your company’s EBITDA, you need to find the net operating profit. This is the net income minus the expenses that companies have with their activities and the costs of the goods they trade.

This is a very important calculation for the company — as it is usually declared in the income statement (DRE). This report presents the main activities of the business and reveals central business figures.

To find the net operating profit, you need to calculate this indicator and then add it to the account. The formula is as follows:

Net operating profit = Net sales revenue – Cost of goods sold – Operating expenses

But be careful when interpreting the data. Since EBITDA disregards some important information, it cannot be the only indicator used in the analysis. Although it serves to obtain specific data, the indicator does not consider the company’s entire financial situation.

In this case, it is also valid to base yourself on other indicators — including those that consider taxes, debts and investments. With a more complete analysis, it will be possible to draw better conclusions to support business decisions.

What is excluded in the EBITDA calculation?

Although they are part of the business result, loans, tax discounts, interest payments or investment profitability are removed from the EBITDA calculation. But do you know why they are excluded from the formula?

The reason is the importance of knowing exactly how the company’s final activities are in relation to its main operations. When considering the profitability of investments, for example, the production deficiency that the business is determined to execute can be hidden.

Therefore, analyzing the EBITDA calculation allows us to directly understand the efficiency linked to business activities. This provides essential data for planning changes or maintaining processes in the company.

Although it is often discussed in relation to large companies, EBITDA is also essential for micro and small businesses. After all, you need to understand whether your business is achieving good results from the sales of its products and services.

What is it, what is it for and how to set up your DRE?

Understanding what DRE is is essential to correctly prepare this statement and take advantage of the benefits it can offer. Check it out!

Monitoring your enterprise’s financial outcomes is critical for making choices which might be aligned along with your planning. It is likewise vital to attend to the employer’s figures to lessen risks and keep away from threats that could have an effect on its operations. In this feel, it is really worth understanding what DRE is.

After all, that is one of the maximum comprehensive reports for reading the scenario of your business. By providing the information, you’ll have a wide view of the organization’s prices and income. For this purpose, it is crucial that you know the way to put together this record.

What is DRE?

The income statement ( DRE ) is a management report whose main function is to present the company’s results vertically. Through it, it is possible to understand the composition of the company’s profits and costs in a given period.

Therefore, the document lets in you to element the company’s internet overall performance, indicating all inflows and outflows as they arise. This manner, you may have a more entire view of the business’s operational and non-operational effects.

What is the DRE for?

Just as essential as understanding what the DRE approach is understanding the importance of this report. In exercise, this is a tool that allow you to apprehend your enterprise’s monetary consequences.

Through this record, you’ll be capable of perceive whether or not the commercial enterprise has made a earnings or a loss. After all, having a excessive turnover is not enough to make sure that the employer’s finances are wholesome.

Since this document is presented vertically, it permits you to pick out ability bottlenecks and areas for interest. For example, you can find out while your company began to suffer losses or which financial actions had the best effect on effects.

Therefore, the DRE is vital for extra entire and records-based totally financial management. In addition, the document is part of the corporation’s accounting responsibilities. Therefore, it additionally serves to preserve the regularity of your business.

What are the risks of not having a DRE?

Despite its importance, not all entrepreneurs and managers prepare the DRE as they should. However, this situation can generate negative impacts, affecting the company’s overall results.

The losses of not having a DRE involve, firstly, the failure to comply with an accounting obligation. By law, all companies — except MEIs (individual microentrepreneurs) — must prepare a DRE every calendar year, together with the balance sheet . Therefore, failure to generate this report may result in sanctions, such as the payment of fines.

There are also losses in terms of management. With the DRE, it is possible to delve deeper into the company’s finances and identify problems and threats. Failure to do so, on the other hand, means that you are left without essential information to maintain the company’s financial health.

Therefore, not preparing this report makes it more difficult for you to manage your business finances, which can harm your profitability and competitiveness. In the case of small and medium-sized companies, this can be crucial for survival in the market.

How to set up your DRE?

Now that you know what the DRE is and why it is important to prepare this report, it is worth understanding how to prepare the statement. To do this, you need to know the structure and what information the document should contain.

Below, check out the main elements that must be included in the DRE!

(=) Gross revenue

Gross revenue corresponds to the sum of the profits that the company obtained in the period under analysis. It considers income from product sales and other sources of income.

(-) Deductions and taxes

Next, there is an indication of the discounts offered, sales returns and the taxes that apply to them.

(=) Net operating revenue

After deducting gross revenue, you will be able to arrive at the net operating revenue — but it is different from profit, as you will see.

(-) Cost of sales

The next item of information on the income statement involves sales-related costs. These include expenses for products sold, raw materials, and services provided. Therefore, this step includes the expenses the company has to manufacture or sell products and to provide services.

(=) Gross operating income

By deducting the costs of sales, we arrive at the gross operating result. This is also called gross operating profit and indicates how much the company was able to generate from its production activities.

(-) Operating expenses

Next, operating expenses, such as fixed and administrative costs, must be deducted. Sales costs, such as commissions paid, must also be deducted.

(-) Net financial expenses

Next, financial expenses, such as interest and possible fines, are discounted. This category also includes the payment of certain fees, such as taxes that are levied on certain financial transactions.

(=) Operating income before income tax and social contribution

With the previous discounts, it is possible to arrive at the operating result before Income Tax (IR) and Social Contribution on Net Profit (CSLL). It is also called net operating result, gross profit or contribution margin.

(-) Payment of IR and CSLL

In the next phase, the provision to pay the IR and CSLL due is calculated, considering the company’s tax classification. The discount applied, therefore, adds the amounts relating to the two taxes.

(=) Net result for the year

Finally, the last line of the DRE shows the net result for the year. This is where you will know whether, after the entries and exits recorded, the company made a profit or a loss.

To facilitate the assembly of each of these steps, it is interesting to rely on technology. With financial control software, it will be easier to record all the information and generate the report, favoring the analysis of the company over time.

Gross revenue and net income: what is the distinction and the way to calculate it?

Do you know how to calculate your company’s gross revenue and net revenue? Understand the differences between them and how to identify the numbers in your business!

Knowing a company’s financial indicators is essential to understanding its current situation and facilitating decision-making. In this sense, knowing how to calculate gross and net revenue is crucial for managers.

Knowing about them allows you to visualize the financial health of the business and understand the results it has achieved. At the same time, it is important to note that there are significant differences between both concepts.

Read this article to understand what gross and net revenue are, the differences between them and how to calculate them in your company!

What is gross revenue?

Gross revenue represents the total financial amount that entered a company’s accounts from the marketing of its products and services over a given period.

It is linked to the organization’s core business and must be included in the income statement (DRE). Therefore, gross revenue represents the revenue obtained by the organization in the period analyzed.

Because of this, gross revenue is a relevant concept for evaluating a company’s finances. After all, it shows the amount of resources that are entering the cash register and whether current efforts have generated the expected returns.

Furthermore, gross revenue is calculated based on predetermined intervals — such as monthly, quarterly or half-yearly. In this way, the comparison between the information can be used to identify opportunities and risks for the company, such as those related to the seasonality of sales .

What is net income?

Net revenue, on the other hand, includes the resources that actually belong to the company. This is because they are calculated by applying deductions to gross revenue to find the company’s “clean” amount in a given period.

There are several deductions that affect the amount. In relation to taxes , the main ones are:

  • Social Integration Program (PIS) : tax used to raise funds to finance unemployment insurance, benefits and participation in the revenue of agencies;
  • Tax on the Circulation of Goods and Services (ICMS) : applied in the states on the transportation of goods and certain services;
  • Contribution for Social Security Financing (COFINS) : is federal in nature and serves to finance Brazilian social security.

Taxes like these are levied on companies’ revenues — that is, on their gross income. In this way, they reduce the amount of money that will be available to businesses after the sale of their products and services.

In addition to taxes, other factors impact an organization’s revenue. There are aspects such as customer returns and discounted sales. Therefore, these should also be included in the calculation of net revenue.

What is the difference between them?

Now that you understand the concepts of gross and net revenue, it is worth knowing the differences between the two. While gross revenue considers what came into the cash register from the company’s core business, net revenue only calculates what was available to the organization.

As you can see, there is no way to know what the company’s net revenue was over a given period without first knowing its total revenue.

Furthermore, another difference between them is the information that can be generated for decision-making. For example, gross revenue can be used to visualize the company’s sales efforts.

When it is high, it can be a sign that work is on the right track. When the number is low, managers can understand that it is time to adopt new approaches in planning.

In turn, net revenue generates information that relates to the period after that moment. That is, when gross revenue is high and net revenue is low, there is an indication that there were many discounts on the company’s revenue. Therefore, it may be interesting to find out the reasons for the low performance.

If net revenue is lower due to high discounts, managers can think of new logics for pricing services, for example. Therefore, both concepts generate different insights for company planning.

How important are the two concepts in the company?

As you have seen, there are significant differences between the concepts of gross and net revenue. However, both are valuable elements for the company’s financial and accounting management.

Decision-making, for example, is a process made easier by understanding the two concepts. As you already know, knowledge about each one can provide specific insights into the organization’s needs.

Furthermore, gross and net revenue are important indicators for attracting investors to the company. This is because they evaluate the financial elements of the organization before making transactions with it — both on the stock exchange and outside of this environment.

How to calculate them in the company?

So far, you’ve learned the main elements of a company’s gross and net revenue. Now it’s time to learn how to calculate each of them.

Check it out!

How to calculate gross revenue

The first value to be calculated is gross revenue, since net revenue depends on this number. The formula is:

Gross revenue = Volume of products or services sold x Unit value

In other words, to find it, you need to know what the company’s sales were during the period and the price of each product. Multiplying the numbers will show the total amount that entered the cash register — or its revenue.

How to calculate net income

Once you have identified your gross revenue, you can calculate your net revenue. The formula will be:

Net Revenue = Gross Revenue – Deductions

Then, separate all the deductions that will affect the company’s revenue. Consider taxes, discounts applied at the time of sale, returned products and other discounts.

This way, you will be able to see how much money is left after all the discounts. To get the most out of both numbers, compare their evolution over the periods to identify trends, opportunities and risks.

How to calculate your business’s net profit?

Do you want to understand what net profit is, how to calculate it and the importance of this financial indicator for any business? Keep reading!

What is net profit?

Net earnings is a monetary indicator that pertains to the coins generation as a consequence of the operation of a commercial enterprise. It is received from the difference among the organization’s total sales (the whole thing it received) and its general prices.

In this way, net profit analyzes everything that the business actually earned. In other words, what money is left for the company , after deductions for expenses, costs to maintain the operation and taxes.

Costs are all direct expenses related to the production of the business , such as the salaries of production employees and the costs of raw materials. Expenses are all other expenses that are not directly linked to the services or products offered, such as electricity bills, internet, commissions, etc.

How important is this indicator for my business?

You’ve already seen that net income is vital for analyzing the financial fitness or fulfillment of a commercial enterprise. This indicator lets in you to realize how your money owed are doing and makes it simpler to decide, for instance, on investments for business growth.

A good net profit also helps to maintain a positive cash flow . After all, the data allows you to see whether the company is making enough profit to maintain or grow. On the contrary, if it is experiencing losses or constant reductions in profit, it may mean that its management is not appropriate.

Given this result, you can reorganize your business’ finances and make more strategic decisions. If you notice negative performance, one solution may be to reduce costs and expenses or change the prices of your services and products .

Knowing your profit, you can still build an emergency fund or plan improvements for your business. Hiring more employees, purchasing new products or renovating your business are some possibilities.

With a good level of profit, there is more financial organization and there is no need to resort to loans. Your company will also have greater security in times of crisis. That is why it is so important that the net profit of your business is calculated and managed correctly.

How to calculate net profit?

To correctly calculate net profit, all fixed and variable expenses must be identified. In practice, the formula is described as follows:

Net Profit = Total Revenue – Costs – Expenses (fixed and variable)

So, to calculate this, you must take the total revenue (monthly income) and subtract the costs and expenses (fixed and variable). Examples of expenses and costs of a company’s operations are:

  • employee salary;
  • commissions;
  • payment of suppliers;
  • rent;
  • raw material costs;
  • insurance;
  • taxes;
  • energy, cell phone, internet, water bills, etc.;
  • employee benefits;
  • credit card fees;
  • partners’ pro-labore;
  • marketing;

Although the calculation is not complicated, there is a lot of information considered in the formula. Therefore, it is necessary to regularly monitor your cash flow to help analyze the identifier.

With this care, you will be able to better manage your company’s finances and make effective decisions. One tip to help with this process is to rely on technology, using a system to facilitate financial control.

How to interpret the results obtained from this indicator?

Now you know how to calculate net profit and how important it is for managing your business. But how do you interpret the result? First, you need to make sure you are using reliable data in the formula.

It is necessary to record and control all movements in your cash flow, as this is the only way to obtain accurate results. Otherwise, the net profit result will not be realistic, which could cause numerous problems for management.

Keep in mind that making decisions based on false results can lead to wrong choices. For example, the company could appear to have a healthy budget when, in reality, it is running at a loss. This flaw in the analysis would affect management and could cause problems for the business.

In addition to using reliable data, you must know how to interpret the results obtained from the calculation. To do this, it is worth considering the entire context, such as the current market situation, results from other periods, internal changes, among other factors.

From this, you will be able to analyze the net profit in a broader way to draw conclusions about the results. In this process, it is valid to use other financial indicators of prices, revenue, debts, etc.

What is it, what is it for and how to calculate the break-even point?

The ruin-even point is an important calculation for economic making plans, which suggests the minimal amount of income for a company to not incur losses and varies according to each corporation. Find out what it’s far and the way to calculate it!

Do you understand what the smash-even factor is? It is a easy calculation which could substantially make a contribution to financial planning and to figuring out the health of a commercial enterprise. However, no longer all entrepreneurs are acquainted with the concept or recognize a way to practice it.

It is critical to maintain in thoughts that any business have to try to maintain manage of its price range, be prepared and recognize exactly what the income goal is. And all of these techniques can benefit from this calculation!

But what is the damage-even factor? Continue analyzing to recognize the which means of this indicator, as well as the way to calculate it and how the result impacts budget. Check it out!

What is the break-even point?

The term refers to a mathematical calculation that identifies how much a company needs to sell in order to avoid losses from its operations. Reaching this level means that all capital inflows are sufficient to cover outflows, including taxes and other expenses.

In other words, the indicator assumes that the company’s profit is zero. If the business reaches this balance, it means that it is able to pay for itself. When it exceeds the indicator, revenues exceed costs and there is a profit.

In this sense, the break-even point is variable, since each company has its own production costs and specific expenses. For this reason, you must learn how to calculate it correctly.

It is worth noting that there are different types of break-even point. Although the most common is the so-called accounting one , there are also financial and economic ones .

Understand the differences between them!

Accounting breakeven point

It identifies the amount of revenue needed for the company to cover all its expenses. This calculation is valuable for finding out whether the company is generating profits.

Financial breakeven point

The difference with the financial calculation is that this does not consider losses such as amortization, depletion and depreciation, even though these factors can reduce profit. This is because there are managements that include these items as costs inherent to the enterprise.

Economic breakeven point

Unlike the financial model, the economic model considers elements such as amortization, depletion and depreciation. It also includes the opportunity cost in the calculations. For this reason, it is considered the most complete calculation among the three.

How important is this indicator in business management?

Now that you know what it is, you’ve probably realized how important it can be for business management and financial planning .

After all, it is from this calculation that the manager finds out whether the company is making a profit and what the minimum quantity of products that need to be sold is to avoid losses.

Furthermore, it is an essential indicator for budget planning. This is because it can be used in financial projections. If you are looking for investors, this can be a crucial factor in obtaining the desired resources.

What’s more, the break-even point can be used as an indicator to organize sales targets. For example, if it is necessary to sell 500 units of the product just to pay off debts, it is possible to establish realistic targets for the salespeople.

Another important insight provided by this calculation is that it allows you to identify which products are selling the most and the least. This way, you will be able to better organize your product pipeline and focus your efforts on selling certain items over others.

Finally, by integrating the financial break-even point with technological solution, it is possible to have better control and monitoring of sales, revenue, expenses and finances in general.

Which formula to use?

After understanding its importance, it remains to know the formula to perform the calculation. It works like this:

Break-even Point = (Fixed Cost / Revenue – Variable Cost) x contribution margin.

To understand this in practice, consider an example. Imagine a company that sells T-shirts at a price of R$20 per unit. The cost of fixed expenses, such as salaries and rent, is R$3,000 and the cost of variable expenses, such as raw materials, is R$10 per unit.

In this example, the contribution margin is R$10 (R$20 of revenue – minus R$10 of fixed and variable expenses). Then, to obtain the break-even point, simply do the following calculation:

Breakeven Point = (3000 / 20 – 10) x 10

Breakeven Point = 3000

This means that the company will need to sell 3,000 units of t-shirts to break even and avoid losses. Therefore, this calculation makes it easier to plan and make decisions in the business, aiming to ensure profit and continued sales.

How do I interpret the result of this indicator for my company?

As you saw in the practical example, through calculation it is possible to find out the minimum quantity of products that need to be sold. This is a way to have more security so as not to end the month in the red.

But to do this, you need to know how to interpret the indicator’s result. In this sense, consider that the lower the result of the calculation, the better the company’s situation. This is because the break-even point would show that fewer products need to be sold to cover costs.

And in addition to indicating the minimum quantity of products to be sold, it also allows you to have an idea of ​​how many sales need to be made in order to make a profit.

In addition, there are other points of attention that you should consider in your interpretation. Among them:

  • the break-even point is calculated according to sales projections;
  • the lower the result, the lower the risks involved in the business;
  • the lower the result, the higher the company’s costs with variable expenses compared to fixed expenses and costs.

How to quickly adapt to a new team in a new job

Adapting quickly to a new team in a new job may seem challenging, but it is essential to your professional success.

6 steps to stand out from the start in a new job

It is the goal of every professional who wants to build a successful career to start off on the right foot in a new job. However, the critical question remains: how can you guarantee that you will be noticed and appreciated from the first few days working there? Isn’t that a little too much to ask? There are probably some effective techniques which can help you present a good image of yourself.

Getting into a new workplace is not an easy thing and it also has its advantages. Little things such as assessing how the employees interact and integrate in the business and social aspects stand out. At such times, the recurring question in the mind is: “What can I do to appear valuable but not too obvious?”

In this article, you will learn crucial measures that will help you to stand out from the rest from your first day at the new workplace. Everything from how you carry yourself to how you do your work daily will be suggested in the form of tips so that you step out brimming with confidence. So let’s get started!

How to stand out from the start in a new job.

Making an impact can be tough for most people; however, when you know the right approach to take, making an impact right at the start won’t be a problem.

Below, you will find essential tips to make a good impression, gain the trust of your team and quickly become a standout professional. Let’s discover these strategies and put them into practice!

1 – Understand the company culture

Understanding the company’s culture is the primary step towards ensuring that you do not get lost in a shuffle in the very beginning. There is the way people work in every organisation and it would be beneficial for you to study that too.

This encompasses the manners in which people interact, the manner in which projects are carried out as well as the professional dressing code.

For more creative firms, it would be advisable to be proactive and present yourself as one who can offer fresh ideas during brainstorming sessions, although it is not an absolute requirement. In a more formal setting, one has to maintain formality and respect and follow hierarchies that have been set.

This focus will help you avoid a blunder and help them know that you are a team player. After all, nobody desires to be the “fish out of water” do they?

2 – Be proactive

Being proactive is one of the fastest approaches to stand out from the begin. Instead of anticipating tasks to come back to you, take the initiative!

See what can be executed and provide assist. This demonstrates obligation and dedication to the employer’s goals.

Imagine you’ve simply arrived and understand that a colleague is beaten or has an urgent delivery. Offer to assist with a number of the paintings.

This attitude will show that you are willing to contribute right away. And of course, remember that proactivity also means knowing how to listen and learn from those with more experience. It is the perfect balance between taking action and absorbing knowledge.

3 – Invest in a good relationship with the team

Success at work goes far beyond technical skills. Having a good relationship with your team can be the difference that makes you stand out from the start.

From day one, be friendly, genuine and approachable. Say hello to everyone, join in conversations and show interest in what your colleagues are doing.

A simple example is asking someone how they’re doing on a particular project. In addition to creating bonds, this shows that you’re committed to the collective success.

Another critical point is to always be open to comments. Knowing the way to receive constructive complaint and working on improvements is important for expert boom. Remember: superb relationships open doors and make it less complicated to evolve.

4 – Maintain a professional attitude

From day one, maintaining a professional demeanor is essential. This includes being punctual, dressing appropriately for the environment, and of course, communicating clearly and respectfully.

Remember: in the early days, everything you do is being closely watched. Even small details, like your tone of voice in meetings or how you handle deadlines, can make a good (or bad) impression.

Your professional demeanor is the calling card you present to your new colleagues and leaders. When you conduct yourself appropriately and in line with the company culture, you quickly build credibility. And credibility is the first step to standing out from the start in a new job.

5 – Show interest and willingness to learn

Showing curiosity is a great way to stand out. Show that you are interested in understanding how things work, from the processes to the tools used.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions — it’s much better to ask than to make mistakes due to lack of understanding. Asking questions also shows humility and genuine interest.

Additionally, observe how your colleagues work and interact with them about ongoing projects. This not only shows that you are engaged, but it also helps you create valuable connections.

Remember: anyone who wants to grow within the company needs to be eager to learn. And the more you learn, the more prepared you will be to face new challenges.

6 – Deliver results from the start

New jobs are often seen as a settling down phase, but there is nothing wrong with achieving results without delay. In fact, it is one of the best practices to get yourself noticed.

Try to find an opportunity to help from the very beginning, even if it’s in minor ways. Work hard with everything.

So, if you can see there are some processes that you think can be improved (read as expedited) or if there are some activities that are of higher urgency, jump straight in. By delivering quality work in the initial stages, you are sending the message that you are hardworking and can get the job done.

This also enhances your standing and can help you in obtaining more promotions and opportunities within the firm. There is a saying – don’t put all your eggs in one basket, but this is a scenario where it applies that all those who provide value at the outset are to be taken notice of.

If you want to stand out in the crowd, then it is important that you understand the staff and the firm well enough – be observant, be proactive, display enthusiasm. Making these strategic moves aids in paving an effective career path.

Leadership, do you know how to gain your team’s trust?

All professionals in leadership positions have one challenge in common: gaining the trust of their team. Achieving this feat is not an easy task, but it is essential for all the gears to work and for successful results to appear. So, how can this happen?

Nowadays, the image of a leader is very different from what it was a few years ago, isn’t it? In the past, the idea of ​​a “boss” as someone authoritarian, who held all the knowledge and power, was the rule. As a result, employees didn’t have much space and often just followed orders according to the decisions of their boss.

However, there is no longer any room for this professional profile. Leadership needs to be different, after all, collaborative, purposeful and light-hearted teamwork can take companies much further. To achieve this, leaders need to act in a truly strategic manner to win over their teams and see productivity and engagement increase.

So, if you want to find out how to do this and bring employees to your side, check out six valuable tips below.

Gaining your team’s trust: how to achieve this feat?

1 – Look inside: first of all, work on self-confidence

How can you expect people to trust you if you don’t trust yourself? The process of gaining other people’s trust is a real mirror exercise. You need to believe in yourself and have conviction so that others can see it when they look at you.

Therefore, start this journey by exercising self-confidence. For this stage, having the help of a psychotherapist can be an excellent idea.

2 – Be a true professional example

You’ve probably heard the saying “do as I say, not as I do,” right? However, you absolutely cannot let that out of your mouth if you want to be an admired and trusted leader.

Good leaders teach by example and thus become inspirations for their teams. They show that they know how to do things, that they can solve problems, that they have valuable skills, that they know how to teach and, because of all this, they are a safe haven. Someone that employees can count on at all times and who will help them whenever necessary.

3 – Don’t let the hierarchy “go to your head”

Remember the image of the old “boss”? This is the exact opposite of a trustworthy leader. So don’t let hierarchy “go to your head.”

Being in a leadership position is a great and admirable achievement. However, in a corporate organization, all employees are essential and contribute to the company’s goals, each with their own responsibilities and skills. You are not special or better than your team because you are a leader.

Therefore, think of a collaborative management model that combats this stereotype. Listening to and accepting criticism is healthy. You don’t need to micromanage your employees, as they all have unique knowledge and can contribute significantly to the team. Instilling a sense of community is the best way to come up with revolutionary ideas and find success.

4 – Invest in empathy and active listening

Along the same lines, it’s much easier to trust someone who listens to you and has empathy for you, isn’t it? For this reason, these two soft skills are essential for today’s leaders.

By paying real attention to the professionals on your team, you build a professional relationship with them and change the concept of hierarchy present in the team. You will continue to be a leader, but as a great example, and not as a person with the stereotypes of coldness, calculation and impersonality.

5 – Create closeness: show interest, offer feedback and recognize the team’s work

Active listening and empathy are the first steps to creating even greater closeness, something that will make employees trust you. Another way to develop this relationship is to get to know the professionals in more depth, taking an interest in their technical skills and also their lives outside of work.

This way, it will be much easier to think about development plans, delegate tasks and offer feedback in a targeted and personalized way, which improves the entire work environment. As a result, you will also be able to recognize the team’s work much more easily and objectively, and who doesn’t like being recognized, right?

6 – Be as transparent and communicative as possible

Finally, don’t forget about transparency and communication. You will often be the bridge between your team members and the company’s management, so being transparent about decisions and strategies whenever possible will change the way you are perceived.

6 Common Early Career Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

We all know that making a mistake is not a big deal, because it is part of being human. Someday you will have to mess things up no matter what you do. Although it is an inescapable truth that even in one’s work, it is indeed true that there are certain blunders which are common in the initial stages of one’s career and they can be avoided.

Most mistakes made by their young and inexperienced peers are obvious. Well, as many people have walked that path before and have made such mistakes, participating is hard to resist. Now, there is no need to tread the same tracks. One can simply learn from the failings of others and begin with a more favorable outlook.

Therefore, for those who want their professional career to start on a positive note and move forward with almost no setbacks, the points mentioned below list mistakes which should instead be shunned.

Common Early Career Mistakes: 6 Mistakes to Avoid

1 – Not establishing a career plan

When thinking of achieving your long-term career goals, there is a need to prepare a plan, irrespective of how ambitious someone is. Also, one should start making such plans right from the beginning of their career.

Due to the circumstances people may be in, many may neglect to create a career plan on the assumption that it is not their problem or concern. However, that depends on the company, and if there is no such company plan, their career documents remain. This approach is misguided – if you have not set yourself this vision, how do you intend to guide yourself through decision-making at work?

It does not matter what your current occupation is or what stage your career is at; forecasting is the first gauge to success. This way, an individual appreciates the breadth of their field, sees their targets and goals, and aligns them with support systems to achieve them, and has a clear direction of what to take next.

Final suggestions; it is worth remembering that updates are also necessary and not dangerous; there is no ban on changing your thoughts or reading directions in the middle of the route. In the end, what’s more crucial is the target and the seriousness one portrays towards their career.

2 – Ignoring the importance of networking

Many young professionals treat networking, which is the cultivation of professional relationships, as something outdated, artificial and inefficient. However, none of this is true.

In a country as socially connected as US, having good contacts is essential to achieving your professional goals. By getting close to people in the same field, who inspire and instigate you, you will have the opportunity to exchange knowledge, participate in debates, learn about selection processes, be recommended and vice versa. And this exchange is valuable, especially when we think long term.

Today’s interns are tomorrow’s leaders, aren’t they?

3 – Neglecting the development of soft skills

When starting a career, improving your technical skills is essential for your growth. However, many young people forget that these skills are not enough to guarantee a successful career. In addition to technical skills, you also need behavioral skills.

We are talking about the famous soft skills, which are skills that reflect the way you approach work. They complement hard skills and are highly valued by companies, which have already understood that good employees need emotional qualities to perform excellent work.

Some examples of soft skills are:

  • Curiosity;
  • Organization;
  • Objective communication;
  • Flexibility;
  • Leadership;
  • Critical sense;
  • Resilience;
  • Proactivity;
  • Empathy;
  • Teamwork.

4 – Not understanding the difference between personal and professional relationships

Leaving college and entering the job market can be a shock in many ways, and one of them is relationships.

As we’ve already mentioned, having good professional relationships is an essential part of career development. However, professional relationships are not the same as the personal relationships in our lives.

So, be professional. No matter how close you become to your colleagues, maintain an appropriate posture, use common sense when sharing details about your professional life, be careful about assuming that everyone is your friend, avoid gossip in the workplace and remember that everything you do is being watched.

5 – Entering meetings unprepared

Being in lower-level positions, such as interns and junior analysts, can make many professionals not understand their role and importance in a team. You may believe that, because you are just starting out on your journey, you don’t need to prepare for meetings where you will just observe the conversations, for example.

However, this is a big mistake. The more you prepare, understand the situation, and get to know the company culture, the sector, and the area, the more you will be able to absorb and learn in all scenarios, even without actively participating in the debates.

6 – Being arrogant and believing that you already know everything you need to know

Similarly, it is also common for many young professionals to have a certain arrogance. They believe they already know everything they need to know, ignore boundaries, let valuable learning opportunities pass them by, and forget that there is a reason they are still in lower positions.

Therefore, be humble in your professional life. This will give you new eyes to observe your surroundings and open many doors for your career. For example, when you understand that you still need to learn more and delve deeper, you can invest in a specialization and take a big step.

6 Strategies for Maintaining Confidence After a Mistake at Work

Everyone makes mistakes in their work; this is a hard truth that everyone has to accept. But even with this knowledge, can you easily come to terms with the fact that you made a mistake at work? Probably not, and that’s completely understandable. While on probation, a blunder isn’t the end of the world for you. With this in mind, it’s crucial to understand what you should do to rebuild your confidence after an error is made at work.

We know that it may sound rather unlikely to have strategies that will prevent you from making performance-damaging errors. Yet, with those strategies in hand, you’ll be able to turn what may seem like a tragedy into something positive.

So, do you want to learn all these strategies that allow you to cope with mistakes in an entertaining manner? If the answer is yes, then continue to read this article. There are 6 simple steps to ensure that you’ll have no self-doubt throughout the process and that you’ll keep your eye on the prize.

Maintaining Confidence After a Mistake at Work: 6 Tips

1 – Solve the problem: take responsibility, apologize and find a solution

The first step is to resolve the problem that was created. When you make a mistake, it is essential to take responsibility for it, apologize to those involved, and work to resolve the situation.

This way, you will minimize the negative effects of the issue and show yourself, your colleagues and managers that you are capable of reversing the problem and have the skills to get all the locomotives back on track.

2 – Talk to your managers and colleagues about the situation to get feedback

After working through the case, do not forget to consult your colleagues and the leaders regarding the case. Request comments, engage them in a discussion about the case, and do not worry about being open; hoping that other professionals’ empathy and active listening will allow them to be accommodated and to view the case differently.

This is an exceptional opportunity to tackle the issue directly and at the same time understand new angles of it. Your colleagues may mention aspects that had not drawn your attention and were the reasons for the mistake. This will assist you in understanding your actions better and help you avoid committing similar mistakes.

However, they can also show you how you got things right during the process, explain issues that were perhaps beyond your control, and highlight positive points that emerged as a result of this crisis.

All of this can calm you down and make the “post-mistake” experience easier.

3 – Analyze the whole scenario and reflect on what led you to the error

Have you been able to talk to other professionals about the case? Now is the time to sit down with yourself to understand everything that happened.

With more calm and kindness, review your steps, see where the problems started, analyze your performance and understand why the mistake happened. This way, you will have more clarity about the nature of the error, understanding that it is just a point in your trajectory, and not a summary of your professional profile.

4 – Remember all the other times you got it right and were successful

So, be sure to remember all your other career successes. All the times you were praised, received excellent feedback, were promoted, received raises, were a role model, inspired colleagues, did impeccable work and surpassed yourself.

It can be hard to understand, right after a mistake, that it doesn’t define you professionally. However, by putting it into perspective alongside all your successes, it can be easier to absorb reality and feel lighter about the situation.

5 – Be kind to yourself and your journey

The last points should have already shown that it is not worth feeling like “the worst professional in the world” because of a mistake, right?

So, remember to be kind to yourself. As much as it may not be pleasant or cool to make mistakes, they will not define you. Your journey is about much more than just the few missteps along the way, and it deserves all the love and respect that only you can give it.

6 – See mistakes as opportunities to grow and learn more

Now that you know that mistakes are normal and no one is immune to them, how about using this experience as fuel?

Therefore, to avoid future mistakes, you can commit to learning more and growing professionally, acquiring new knowledge and skills that will strengthen your performance and reduce the chances of errors.