SUSAN M. TAYLOR - THE IMPORTANCE OF EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP IN BUSINESS

In an increasingly competitive business environment, it is important that a business have effective leaders to show the way. Such leaders must be able to communicate effectively and motivate the team to achieve the organizational goals.

In her years of experience working in senior leadership at various government agencies, Susan M. Taylor knows that effective leaders can provide many benefits to an organization. The lack of good leaders can slow the growth of a company, and employees might lack direction and motivation to succeed. Good leaders set a vision and communicate it to employees.

Traditionally, leadership was focused on ensuring the organization delivered on time. However, with a changing business landscape, leaders have to ensure their businesses are agile, strong and dynamic to handle challenges. Businesses that adapt to shifts have strong leaders at the helm; people who stay on top of industry changes and are emotionally intelligent.

Good leaders know the importance of delegation. They identify the strengths of each employee and make full use of the talent in the building. Leaders are not expected to know everything, but rather know how to surround themselves with the right people for every role.

In order to lead their organizations to the promised land, top leaders in the organization may have to embody various roles. It’s often necessary to be involved in various capacities so that the leader can monitor progress. A good leader brings the best out of the workforce while motivating them to achieve their personal goals.

Susan M. Taylor is an accomplished professional with nearly three decades of experience in procurement. She’s previously worked at the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), where her work was recognized with 5 major awards and performance bonuses.

Susan M. Taylor – Member Notre Dame Alumni Club

Susan M. Taylor – Member Notre Dame Alumni Club: Susan M. Taylor is a procurement expert who has spent 22 years in senior leadership roles as a procurement advisor to various agencies in federal government, including the Department of Defense. She has shown excellent leadership skills and uncanny ability to retain the procurement workforce by encouraging employees to seek higher education and thus create opportunities for upward mobility. She also provides her staff with regular training programs to provide them with opportunities for growth.

SUSAN M. TAYLOR - BEST PRACTICES IN MANAGING CONTRACTS

Effective contract management is crucial for companies that seek to maintain a competitive advantage in all areas of their operations. Organizations that have established a solid contract management framework are able to save millions of dollars and gain an advantage over their competition. Susan M. Taylor, an experienced executive, knows that good contract management practices are essential to the success of a business.

Good contract management works to ensure that the customer is satisfied with the commodity being procured. One way to ensure customers are happy is to gain their input through satisfaction surveys. These surveys help to capture the performance of the contractor and notify them when client expectations are not being met. Additionally, procurement officials and advisors can use the information to improve on future contract management.

Disputes are common when two unique entities work together under a contract. To ensure disputes don't negatively affect the flow of supplies, both parties are encouraged to develop a success plan with the aid of a neutral facilitator. The facilitator helps the parties to identify the shared objectives and seek peaceful means to resolve any issues that might arise after the contract has been implemented. The process results in parties developing an agreement that lays out the roadmap for success.

It is equally important that procurement and finance officials involved in the process are aware of their roles and responsibilities. This helps to ensure that prompt payment is made and that individuals don’t overstep their mandate or abuse their positions, especially if large sums of finances are involved.
Susan M. Taylor has served in the Senior Executive Service (SES) as Deputy Chief Procurement Officer for the Dept. of Veterans Affairs, leading 2,800 contracting officials nationwide in the award of billions of dollars in contracts annually to support veteran hospitals.

SUSAN M. TAYLOR - HOW TO GIVE A GOOD SPEECH

As a decorated senior executive in federal procurement and contracting, Susan M. Taylor is regularly invited to speak at conferences, forums and professional meetings nationwide. While it may come naturally for her to speak in front of large crowds, it takes a while to get used to giving good speeches. Professionals who aspire to be respected for their knowledge and skills can build a name for themselves by being good speakers.

Here’s how you can give inspirational speeches that leave everyone wanting to hear more.

Read from a script
Unless you can memorize everything you want to say, it’s a good idea to have a script to read from. Having a speech prepared enables you to stay on point and articulate the main issues clearly. And since you might not see any errors in your work, have a trusted friend, colleague or family member proofread your speech.

Short and simple

While you might want to elaborate on the key points in your speech, try not to go on and on about a particular subject. Prepare an interesting point that brings out the key theme and isn’t full of filler material.

Let your passion show

A lot of professionals would love to be in a position to address their peers on the big stage, so show you appreciate the opportunity by letting the audience see you are passionate about the subject. Sometimes, it doesn’t really matter what you say, but rather how you say it.

Susan M. Taylor is an executive leader in federal government procurement who works well with both acquisition and program management staff. She has 29 years of experience working in the federal government, 22 of which were in senior acquisition management positions in both DoD and civilian agencies.

Tips for Beginner Tennis Players

Tennis is a very enjoyable sport that can be played leisurely and competitively. The movement and technique are very natural to your body although there are certain technical aspects of the game that every beginner tennis player will struggle with. Here are three tips that every beginner level tennis player should consider when taking up tennis.

•          It isn't a bad idea to invest in tennis lessons. There is only so much that you can read online and practice yourself or with your friends, but if you want to improve as a tennis player, it's best to take some classes. Having a knowledgeable teacher work on technique and movement with you will go a long way in improving your overall tennis skills. Tennis lessons don't have to be expensive, and you can take up to five as a crash course of you want.

•          Learn the lingo that is used on a tennis court. For example when someone says “love” that means zero, points go up from 15 to 30 to 40, when you are tied at 40 it is called “deuce,” all matches are played in set and to win a set you need to win six games.

•          Learn the different names for the strokes. Forehand is a swing that if you are right handed, is when you open up your body and swing from your right side, and the opposite if you are left-handed. Backhand is when a right handed players swings from the left side of his or her body. A serve is how you put the ball in play, a drop shot is when you hit a ball that lands right in front of the net on your opponent's side, and a lob is when you lift the ball over the head of our opponent.

Susan M. Taylor has been playing tennis for close to 40 years.

Three Things Every Puppy Needs to Know After Three Months of Training

Puppies are a bundle of joy to a household, however, training the will be exhausting and frustrating at times. No matter what though, you cannot give up because the training process will tighten the bond between you and your dog and it will be rewarding for both of you. Here are three things every puppy should know or start learning by the age of three months and older.

·         Your puppy needs to be able to inside a gate or your house when the door is open, and only go through when you tell him or her to do so. This is important because it teaches your dog to not run away, but it also teaches your dog to not chase you when you are leaving and to not chase other dogs or animals. This has much to do with respect as well.

·         Teaching your dog the word "quiet" is important depending on your dog. Some dogs have the tendency to bark often and at everything. It's okay for your dog to bark because it is a natural instinct. However, you should train your dog to not bark at every person who walks by your house. Teaching your dog "quiet" will prevent this behavior.

·         Teaching your dog the words “give” and “drop” are important. Like most training tips, this has a lot to do with teaching your dog to respect you. Those words could also be important for safety reasons as well.

Susan M. Taylor has years of experience training and breeding dogs. In 2003 and 2004 she was the owner of the No. 2 nationally ranked female Bearded Collie.