|
| Wednesday, April 25, 2007 |
| Good Management Is Predictive Management Not Reactive Management |
Many managers believe that their job is to resolve problems that arise. While that is true, it is only the lesser part of the job. More importantly, a manager's job is to prevent problems. This is the difference between reactive management, which solves problems as they occur, and predictive management, which tries to prevent many problems from arising in the first place.
Reactive Management
Reactive management deals with problems as they come up. It is a management style that is much admired for its ability to quickly get the resources back into production, whether those resources are machines or people....
If you are good at reactive management, you are:
* Decisive and able to act quickly,
* Able to find the root cause of events,
* Creative and able to develop many solutions,
* Innovative and able to find new ways to solve problems, and
* Calm and in control in the midst of a "crisis".
Someone who is good at reactive management is able to remain calm, quickly analyze the problem, and find its root cause.
Management TheoryEnsure your career success. Find out more about NUS programs!
www.execed.nus.edu/google
The Top Three MistakesCompare your list with this one of the top three mistakes leaders
makeChristianityToday.com/leaders
Rather than getting lost in the symptoms, they are able to think up many possible solutions, some proven and some new, and select the best choice. They are equally quick at implementing the solution to resolve the problem.
A reactive management style clearly is a desirable skill set for a manager to have. By quickly solving problems they are able to get the people and/or machine quickly back to work and productive again. However, it's not the best style. Managers should concentrate on improving their ability in predictive management as well.
Predictive Management
Predictive management focuses on reducing the number of problems that require reactive management. The more problems that can be prevented through predictive management, the fewer problems will need to be solved through reactive management. If you are good at predictive management, you are:
* Thoughtful and analytic,
* Not likely to go chasing after the current panic,
* More aware of the important than the merely urgent issues,
* Able to identify patterns in data and patterns of failures,
* More focused on "why" did something go wrong, rather than "what" can be done to fix it, and
* Able to keep the big picture in mind when working through the details.
Someone who is good at predictive management is sufficiently detached that they can identify the conditions that lead to certain problems and can implement procedures to reduce or eliminate the problems. Rather than being concerned about the immediate problem, they are able to relate current conditions to earlier information and predict when problems might arise.
A predictive management style is an important ability for a manager to have. The more problems that can be prevented through predictive management, the fewer resources will need to be spent on reacting to problems that have arisen. Predictive management does not replace reactive management, but it reduces the need for it.
Getting Better At Predictive Management
How does a manager get better at predictive management? The best way is practice. Focus some time every day on predictive management and on developing the skills listed above. Here's an example of practicing the predictive management behaviors so you can get better at it.
* Schedule a meeting with yourself so you can block out a half hour of time. [li[Close your door. Set your phone on do-not-disturb. Turn off your cell phone and pager.
* Pick the problem that has been the biggest headache for your organization. Then allow yourself to just think about it.
o When did it happen most recently?
o What caused it?
o What warnings or indicators did we have before it happened?
o What did we do to fix it?
o What could we have done to prevent it?
o What can I do now to reduce the chances of it happening again?
* Start monitoring the warning signs you noted above.
* When those signs next appear, apply the previous solution before the problem gets big. [li[Evaluate the results and adjust as needed.
The more you practice predictive management the better you will be at it. You will still need your ability in reactive management, but just not as much. Your resources will be used more on getting things done than on fixing problems and you'll have more time to think about and prevent more problems from arising.
More Information:
www.management.about.com
Read more!
|
posted by proletar @ 9:08 AM  |
|
|
|
|
| Beware of Optimism from Company Management |
Aside from company-specific issues at Yahoo! (YHOO), the main takeaway from the search giant's poorly received first quarter earnings report should be to take what management says with a grain of salt. Yahoo! stock soared from the high 20's to the low 30's after CEO Terry Semel went on the record saying how great its new online advertising system, Panama, was going to be. Obviously, when investors saw poor results and a lackluster outlook from the company, they felt blindsided.....
Why would Terry Semel be so optimistic when the numbers didn't reflect that optimism? Because he's the CEO. Management always sees the glass half-full. Many of them believe it is their job to be company cheerleaders. Very few executives refrain from trying to spin anything to be as positive as they can. Investors need to keep that in mind. Don't go out and buy a stock just because you saw the CEO on television and he or she was bullish.
It can be hard to ignore that sometimes. After all, if you watch shows like Jim Cramer's Mad Money, these guys are always brought on camera to defend their company against negative press or to hype their next big thing. A lot of these people are pretty darn good at telling their stories.
Since management will often spin the truth, does that mean that investors should dismiss everything a CEO or CFO ever says? Absolutely not. This is how I would judge these comments. Don't just take what they say as gospel. Managers should earn your trust. Carefully monitor what they say over an extended period of time and compare that to what actually happens.
If you follow this logic, only managers that tell the truth and consistently understand their businesses should earn your trust. Armed with this knowledge, namely a management's track record talking to investors, you know who to listen to and who to dismiss as merely a cheerleader.
Successful investing is not easy. If you could just watch TV and make money like Jim Cramer says, everybody would be rich. However, we know that doesn't work. After all, most professionals can't consistently beat the market. If you want to be in the small group that does, be skeptical when company management teams start telling you how great things are unless you have reason to believe they know what they are talking about.
Article By:
Chad Brand
More Information:
http://seekingalpha.com
Read more!
|
| posted by proletar @ 9:01 AM |
|
|
|
|
| Lessons from the Lemonade Stand: 101 Common Sense Management Tips |
In short, the tricks you learned as a child when you first embarked on an entrepreneurial endeavor with your own lemonade stand, still hold good in today’s cutthroat business world. Lemon
For those of you who’ve forgotten your first management lessons, here’s a back-to-basics primer to bring to the fore the principles and rules that really matter.
Self before service is the key here – Manage yourself first…
1. Open yourself to accept constructive criticism; learn and grow, not only from your mistakes, but from the mistakes of those around you too.
2. The buck stops with you – be prepared to accept responsibility for the actions of those working under you, especially when the issues concern your entire team.
3. Ignore the naysayers. Remember the story of the frogs in the well? If you don’t…Two frogs fell into a dry well and the other frogs took it for granted that they would die in there. When both attempted to jump their way out, the frogs outside discouraged from expending their energy on a hopeless task. Listening to them, one frog gave up his attempts. But the other made it out through his determination and single-mindedness. When asked how he made it in spite of the negative attitude of his fellow frogs, the survivor replied that he was deaf, and that he had thought the other frogs were cheering him on as he tried to get out of the well. Shows what a profound effect a positive outlook can have.
4. Understand that you are unique and different from other managers, and that is a good thing. Each industry demands different skills and varying aptitudes, which is why you should try to become more adept at your job rather than emulating another manager’s MO.
5. Ethics matter, both personally and in all your dealings. There are no caveats or strings attached to this rule, either you’re honest or you’re not.
6. Take risks – but make sure that they are calculated and not foolhardy. Toeing the safe and secure line never got anyone spectacular results.
7. Identify and grab opportunities before they slip through your net and jump back into the ocean of prospects. The Disney movie “14 Going on 30” has a remarkable dialog where one of the actors holds up a pumpkin seed and asks a class of teenagers what they see. When they state the obvious, he says, “You see a pumpkin seed, but I see possibilities.” The best managers see opportunity where others see nothing.
8. No issue is entirely about you, the whole team counts. Think more of “we” and less of “I”, and you'll have an environment conducive to success.
9. Manage and control your baser emotions like anger, hatred, envy and libido. Leave them behind when you come in to work each day. Remember that your behavior sets the tone of the office. The more professional you are, the more professional your team will be.Libido
10. There’s always room for improvement, no matter how good you, or others, think you are. Learning and the pursuit of knowledge are like exploring the deep trenches in the oceans – they reveal new nooks and crannies each time you make the dive.
11. Fine-tune your powers of persuasion and negotiation – these qualities work wonders when you’re trying to wheedle resources and perks for your department from the senior management or in crisis-management situations.
12. Learn to step in and take control when things begin to get out of hand; if the going is smooth, let things be, don’t wade in and muddy the waters.
13. Know when to press ahead with more steam and when to apply the brakes and pull back. Some situations demand an aggressive winner-takes-all attitude, while others would work better if you played the subtle cat-and-mouse game.
14. Know that stress is good, at a certain level and at certain times, to get your adrenaline flowing and to pump you up. But too much of stress too often can cause toxic reactions in your body.
15. Don’t attempt to dazzle your subordinates with bombastic buzzwords and unintelligible jargon. The simpler the better, to get your point across.
16. Watch your back – there are as many enemies around as there are friends. Positions of responsibility tend to come with the associated baggage of envy, hatred and prejudice.
Time and tide wait for no man – Manage each moment …
Clock 17. Get more out of 24 hours; plan more than you think you can do each day, if you manage to get all your tasks done, there’s no greater sense of achievement.
18. Well begun is half done, the early bird catches the worm – they may be the most repeated clichés, but they do have more than a modicum of truth in them. Set your alarm clock earlier by a half hour, beat the rush hour traffic, get some work done before the rest of the office files in, or just use it to organize and plan the rest of your day.
19. Organize and manage your schedule, harness the right tools (your phones, PDAs, computers, etc.) to help you get your tasks done faster and better, and set your priorities.
20. Stick to schedules and routines, boring though they may be. Routines work wonders to improve productivity.
21. Do quality work; what matters is not the fact that you spend more than 12 hours at the office every day, but the results you have to show for those long work days. Measure your output, not the time expended, in doing tasks.
22. Focus your energies on the things that matter – a trivial office rivalry does not need your attention, the hiring of new staff does.
23. Get the most out of meetings, draw valuable insights from them and precent them from being a waste of time.
24. Identify your “time-stealers” and eliminate or reduce their effect on your daily routine.
25. Punctuality is next to godliness when you are a manager. Never keep people waiting, be on time for appointments and meetings.
26. Respond to your correspondence within a reasonable time span – unanswered mails and unreturned phone calls can spiral out of control if not taken care of within 24 hours. Present
27. Do only what is necessary – wrap the gift with colorful crepe paper if the standards demand it, but make sure the bow on top is absolutely necessary before you spend time affixing it.
28. Know your limitations – both in your time and your abilities. Assume responsibility only for those things that you can do and learn to say a firm no to unreasonable demands on your time.
The human side of resources - Master the art of managing men…
29. Make a difference to your employees as their leader, stand out from the crowd, by virtue of your body language and actions.
30. When the occasion demands it, lead by example. Get down and dirty and do the most distasteful tasks; show your subordinates that no job is too demeaning.
31. Instruct rather than order – you’ll find your commands are better received and carried out.
32. Include your staff in your plans, let them know why they are doing the things they do, and how they are contributing to the growth of the organization.
Fence 33. Delegate, delegate, and delegate some more. Your job is to manage, not to do. Tom Sawyer did it most effectively when he managed to coax his friends, not only into whitewashing his fence, but also into paying for the privilege of doing so. The art of delegation is one of the most desirable skills in an efficient manager.
34. Keep your eyes and ears attuned to the sight and sound of creative and innovative ideas; you never know when the mail-room boy might have a brainwave that could revolutionize the way you conduct your business.
35. Criticize in private, praise in public, and you’ll be hailed as a fair and kind manager.
36. Equip and arm yourself with the best in the business – hire those most suited to handle the quirks of your business.
37. If you think you’re the king of the (office)ring, come out of your castle and roam around your subjects so that you seem more approachable to them.
38. Don’t micro-manage; establish guidelines and see that the work gets done within these parameters.
39. Motivate your staff – extrinsic and intrinsic rewards work equally well. Be quick to praise work well done, show your appreciation in cash or kind. Tie up performance to salary and increments.
40. Be flexible but firm in your dealings. There’s a thin line between the two and good managers know how where to draw it.
41. Admit your mistakes and be open to suggestions.
42. Create synergy – where the whole is greater than the sum of the individual parts. You can achieve more through a team effort rather than by each employee working on his/her own. Building and motivating teams is an important managerial duty.
43. Establish firm pecking orders and delineate tasks and responsibilities.
44. Make sure your orders and instructions are received and understood clearly. There is no room for ambiguity here.
45. Gain your employees’ trust and respect; obedience and conformance to your rules will automatically follow.
Balance 46. Get your staff to strike a balance between boring and interesting tasks; they often tend to focus on jobs that grab their attention while neglecting the more routine ones.
47. Maintain an air of professionalism; firing someone is never easy, but when it has to be done, don’t get personally involved.
48. Avoid comparisons between your employees like the plague, not unless you wish to foster a climate of envy and oneupmanship.
49. Know that each of your employees is different – you can’t dish out the same treatment for the Gen X crowd and the older employees.
50. Make sure your subordinates stick firmly to deadlines; offer no slack except under adverse circumstances.
51. You’re working with and managing human beings, not machines. Which is why it’s imperative to understand the different behavioral dimensions and act accordingly.
52. Foster an organizational culture that your employees can relate to, with just the right mix of formality and sociality.
53. Take a very small share in the pie of success and the largest piece in the cake of blame.
54. In a troubled situation, ferret out the troublemaker and get rid of him before getting the rest of the rest back on the right track.
55. Be empathetic to your employees’ personal problems; they affect the quality of work produced.
Make every penny count - Managing money pays…
56. Set up a realistic budget at the beginning of every fiscal year, with adequate amounts earmarked to address contingencies and emergencies.
57. Don’t be penny wise and pound foolish – save costs where they matter the most. Look at the far horizon rather than just the immediate savings realized. When you compromise on the quality of tools and resources used, you end up paying more in the long run. Coins
58. A dollar saved is a dollar earned – spend only when it’s really necessary.
59. Manage and coordinate your cash inflows and outflows so that you are not left holding unpaid bills too long; you don’t want the creditors knocking down your doors or harassing you at all hours of the day or night.
60. Find alternative sources of finance – business loans are sometimes necessary.
61. Stay true to your contracts to avoid legal hassles and litigation issues that cause a significant drain on the company coffers.
Just do it – Managing tasks takes talent…
62. Haste makes waste – so take time to do it right the first time. It costs less to perform a task the first time than to redo it.
63. Make quality a top priority, even in the smallest and most insignificant operations. You don’t want to be faced with the snowball effect. Remember the “For the want of a nail” lesson? A whole country is lost because a simple nail was not available in the right place at the right time. Snowball
64. Be prepared – that’s not just the motto of a boy scout, it applies to managers too. Equip yourself with the tools and resources needed to complete a job before you start work on it.
65. Promise less, deliver more – that will impress your higher-ups and your clients.
66. Never forget Pareto’s principle which states that 20 percent of things count for 80 percent of the results. Focus more on that 20 percent to improve productivity.
67. Emphasize on getting to the goal, not on the ways that get you there, as long as those paths are morally, legally and ethically acceptable.
68. Maintain records of all your actions; history can prove invaluable in the course of your growth, both for planning and troubleshooting purposes.
69. Break up large tasks into smaller, more manageable sub-functions.
70. Putting off and procrastinating on uninteresting tasks does not make them go away – the sooner you get them done, the better.
71. Avoid complacency – review methods used to perform tasks from time to time and come up with more effective ways to do them.
Sourcing sources – Manage resources resourcefully…
72. Do more with less – make quality rather than quantity count.
73. Assign equipment and tools wisely according to the project, team or individual that needs it the most.
74. Invest in technology, not the latest and most innovative, but the applications and machinery that suit your organization’s needs.
75. Update your tools as and when needed; don’t get stuck with obsolete stuff that’s good only for the junk pile.
They are the reason your business exists – Manage customers confidently…
King 76. Remember that your customer is the king – you can say it over and over again or just forget about it, it’s still true. Treat him/her accordingly.
77. Impress them not just with goods and services, but with value added to your offerings. Differentiate your products from those of your competitors and watch your customers coming back for more.
78. Never promise the sky when you know you can’t make good on your pledge. Only guarantee what you can provide.
79. Focus more on retaining and enhancing relationships with existing customers rather than soliciting new ones.
80. Provide your customers with effective channels to communicate with you – appropriate feedback mechanisms will prove invaluable in improving your business.
81. Maintain accurate, up-to-date and value-added customer data. Harness this information, remember special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries, and instill loyalty in your customers.
82. Segment your customers and design marketing campaigns accordingly. They’re not all birds of the same feather.
83. Follow up on sales with effective after-sales services.
Change is inevitable - Manage critical and chaotic crises…
84. Be prepared for change; nothing in this world is permanent, and a laidback, complacent attitude will just not cut it. Don’t fight change, go with the flow. Chaos
85. Control change, don’t let it control you.
86. Adopt a predictive, not reactive, managerial style. Anticipate troubled times and establish backup plans for them accordingly to ensure continuity of operations when disaster strikes.
87. Conduct mock fire drills – test your contingency plans from time to time to determine their efficiency.
88. Fix what’s broken instead of wasting time and energy on trying to pin the blame on the person responsible for the mishap.
89. The acid test in a crisis is to rise above the stormy waters when all around you are sinking. Rudyard Kipling puts this point across effectively in his poem IF, “If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you…”
90. Identify the positives that can be salvaged from even the most negative situations.
91. Be quick to adapt according to the situation, change plans on the spur of the moment if the need arises.
92. Stay tuned to external factors that affect what goes on inside your business. Volatile political situations, environmental aspects, social and cultural changes – all have a significant impact on the way you manage your operations.
Aims and aspirations - Manage objectives objectively…
93. Dream big, think mountains, only then can you achieve at least molehill success.
94. Dreams alone are not enough, you have to work to make them come true. Chart out a course of action that will get you closer to your goal each day.Aim
95. And it’s not sufficient to just plan and strategize, you have to implement your designs. Put that plan into action, it’s the daily grind that matters in the realization of the dream.
96. Know who matters and who does not, and what matters and what does not. Acquaint yourself with the right people who can assist you in achieving your target faster and more effectively.
97. Be careful of who you use as stepping stones on your way to success; they may turn out to be your stumbling blocks some time in the future.
98. Identify factors that are critical to your success and prioritize them over all else.
99. Keep an eagle eye on the competition – you certainly don’t want them stealing a march on you.
100. Monitor results achieved, compare them against benchmarks and standards set, and take corrective actions where there are negative differences.
101. Put in place an R&D plan, encourage innovation and creativity to stay ahead of the demand for newer and better products and services.Pillar_1
The art of management cannot be understood and learnt in just a day – it’s a process that encompasses your lifetime. It involves all the tricks of a circus - from juggling numerous responsibilities to performing a balancing act on the highwire in the most precarious of situations. New skills are picked up faster through experience than from book knowledge, so make the most of each incident, positive or negative, and go from strength to strength in your journey as a manager.
More Information:
www.businessintelligencelowdown.com
Read more!
|
| posted by proletar @ 8:57 AM |
|
|
|
|
| Leadership and Management Success Tips |
Job Interview Match Dance
People forget that the purpose of a job interview is not just to get the job. Sound strange to you? It’s not. You go to a job interview to discover whether your talents, abilities, interests and direction are a good fit for the job, the company, and the company’s mission.
During a job interview, you have the chance to present yourself professionally. Sometimes, if all else is a good match, you are selected for the job. Sometimes, the company’s needs and your strengths are not a good match. The job interview is the right time to discover this.
Smart Candidates Turn Down Second Job Interviews
Being exactly who you are – your best professional self - during a job interview is critical. Let your personality, interests and abilities shine through during the job interview.
The Top Three MistakesCompare your list with this one of the top three mistakes leaders makeChristianityToday.com/leaders
Job interviewAce your interview - get helpful do's and don'ts in our prep guide!
www.wetfeet.com
NUS Executive EducationAchieve your strategic objectives through global executive programs
www.execed.nus.edu/google
Provide the information needed for the employer to find out that you are a great match for the job – if you really are. Recently, two candidates turned down the opportunity to participate in a second job interview with a client company. Rather than feeling badly about it – they were both excellent candidates – I called each of them to discover why they ad turned down a second job interview. (A candidate who turns down a second job interview is rare indeed, and I wanted to know why.)
The first candidate, who currently works in advertising, said that she had participated in interviews at several companies. After learning about the job of an HR Assistant, she decided to pursue a different position within business for her work. She has eliminated both advertising and human resources as current career choices.
The second candidate, after learning about the benefits and career paths available in a smaller company, decided to stay with her major-sized employer. Sadly, locking on golden handcuffs at age twenty-five, and despite the fact that her career interests were more congruent with the smaller company, she eschewed the opportunity to retain her benefits and stay in her little box on the big organization chart.
Both candidates made good choices within their current understanding of themselves. The company is pleased that the managers did not invest months of work in training only to have the employee leave for a different opportunity. The employer was also happy he will not need to start over again in an employee search any time soon. (The company found the “right” employee during the next interview.)
This is an example of the interview process working well for both the candidate and for the company. When the appropriate match between talents, interests, direction, and abilities is missing, both the company and the candidate need to run - don’t walk – to their next interview.
More Information:
www.humanresource.about.com
Read more!
|
| posted by proletar @ 8:50 AM |
|
|
|
|
| Tips for Selecting a Good Fleet Management Company |
Businesses and organizations that use vehicles in their daily operation should consider utilizing the services of a full-service fleet management company. A good fleet management company can assist with all facets of an efficient vehicle program.
Organizations who allow a fleet company to administer their vehicles are actually out- sourcing the management of their fleets in an effort to improve efficiencies. Too often, a company employee, who was hired specifically to handle other duties such as human resources, is assigned the duties of a fleet manager.....
As a result they usually perceive their fleet management responsibilities as secondary in importance, and generally lack the expertise and background to run the fleet as efficiently, and cost effectively as possible.
This can be very costly. By incorporating the services of a full-service fleet management company, a fleet manager can stay on top of the latest vehicle programs being offered by the various manufacturers. This can result in significant savings on the acquisition price of an organization's vehicles.
A full-service fleet company should also offer direct manufacturer vehicle purchasing, leasing or financing, maintenance and accident management, and a universal fuel card. It should also offer complete licensing and registration services, and complete monthly reporting to monitor all fleet expenses.
The fleet manager can also learn when it's best to acquire new vehicles. Also a fleet company can assist in the disposal of retired units to assure that the highest market value is obtained.
Available to any member of AAHSA, Allstate Leasing and Fleet Management will provide any organization, who is interested, a complete analysis with recommendations without any obligation. There are man ways to maximize efficiency, and minimize expenditures regardless of fleet size.
Allstate Contact
Bob Johnson - Regional Manager
Allstate Leasing and Fleet Management
888-799-1091
More Information:
www.aahsa.org
Read more!
|
| posted by proletar @ 8:47 AM |
|
|
|
|
| 7 Management Tips That Can Make a Good IT Staff Great |
You can have the best-qualified information technology staff with the hottest technical skills, but without good management, it's unlikely they'll perform at the top of their game.
IT management consultants and CIOs from both small and large companies offer their best-practices management techniques to get the most from your IT team.
1: Empower Your Employees
Give employees a role in making decisions and let them implement their ideas....
"IT people are happiest when they feel they are making a significant contribution to the organization," says David Luce, CIO of Rockefeller Group International, a commercial real estate company in New York City. "Make people feel more involved by zeroing in on business processes, so that they feel part of it in the work that they do."
2: Create a Learning Environment
Promote personal and professional growth. "It's important for technology people to feel that they have an opportunity to grow," says Nancy Markle, a veteran CIO who formerly worked for Arthur Andersen of Chicago and Fannie Mae of Washington, D.C.
If possible, offer training and career-planning opportunities so they can develop their strengths and satisfy interests. This can build stronger loyalty than just giving raises. "The typical bonus or pay raise has a motivating effect for about 48 hours," says Stephen Pickett, CIO of Penske, a transportation services company in Reading, Pa.
3: Evaluate Frequently
Review your employees' performance more often than once a year. Many Japanese companies require personal evaluations every six months, points out John Stevenson, CIO of Sharp Electronics of Mahwah, N.J. "It's a tremendous tool that helps us get in touch with each person's motivations and what makes them happy," Stevenson says.
4: Build a Team
Don't just give orders, but try to have the IT staff work together as a team. "IT people are experts in their field. They don't like to be subject to arbitrary control," says Naomi Stanford, a business transformation consultant at SiloSmashers, an IT management consulting company in Fairfax, Va.
When an IT team works well together and accomplishes its goals, the personal and professional satisfaction becomes a reward in itself and a great motivator for the next project, Stanford says.
Especially in small businesses, the entire company should function as a team; managers need to be willing to pitch in personally to finish a project, says Christopher Downs, senior vice president at New Resources Consulting, an IT management consultant in Milwaukee.
"Show your staff that you're willing to work supportively to ensure their collective success," Downs says.Downs recalls when, as an IT manager, he was in charge of rolling out new PCs to more than 500 salespeople at 19 sales offices. Time was short, resources were scarce and Downs had to train all the salespeople as well. His boss offered to go to sales offices to help with the training. "Tell me where you need help," said his boss. "I'll work for you that week."
5: Encourage Communication
»"There is no such thing as too much communication," says Alain Benzaken, vice president of technology for TheLadders.com, an Internet job placement firm in New York. "Technology people don't tend to communicate too well, but it is one of the skills we look for in our hiring interviews."
Ask for employees' opinions, and help them learn to speak in business terms rather than technical terms. "This helps [IT staff members] to become more business-oriented, to think like a business person and to talk the language that business people speak," Markle adds.
Most important, the CEO and IT manager need to be able to communicate easily with each other. CEOs should be able to rely on their IT managers to help them understand what they need to know about technology.
"If you're not comfortable talking about technology with your IT manager, then either get your IT manager a coach or get yourself a different IT manager," Markle says. On the other hand, CEOs need to be willing to go the extra mile to understand technology, at least on a basic level.
6: Ensure Alignment
»Make sure IT staff understand how technology actually meshes with the business' mission and strategy. Have IT employees work with users in different parts of the company, perhaps even doing a user's job for a day, Stanford suggests. When giving your IT staff an assignment, describe it in terms of the associated business goal: Raise productivity by 20 percent, for example. This helps them recognize their strategic role in the company, Stanford says.
7: Watch Their Backs
Protect your IT people from the encroachments of people seeking technical help. Make sure managers in the company don't swamp the IT team with unreasonable demands, Benzaken says.
Article by:
By Steven Flax
More Information:
www.biztechmagazin.com
Read more!
|
| posted by proletar @ 8:41 AM |
|
|
|
|
| Time management tips |
If you’re reading this, it’s a fairly safe bet that you’re in need of time-management tips[1]. On the other hand, the idea of a blogger giving time management tips is problematic, to say the least. Undaunted by this contradiction, I’m going to offer a few. The details reflect my main activity, which is academic research but may be more or less adaptable to other kinds of jobs.
First, the best way to avoid a piled-up in tray is to deal with jobs immediately, either by doing them, or by deciding never to do them.....
This won’t work for every kind of job, but the more types of jobs you can handle in this way, the better. So to implement this tip you need a way of classifying jobs. One way is by the time they are likely to take (see tip #2). IF you take this approach you can decide to do all 5-minute jobs immediately, or not at all. I prefer to focus on discretionary jobs where an immediate decision not to take the job is feasible. For an academic, refereeing for journals is like this. I try to deal with requests for referee reports in the same week I get them. If I have free time, and the job looks straightforward on a first reading, I try to do it within two days. Editors who are used to waiting for months really love a quick turnaround like this, and I live in hope that it will build up good karma for my own submissions. If I can’t manage a report within a week then, unless the paper looks to be very important, or I am obligated to the journal in question, I reply immediately that I’m not available. Editors usually don’t mind this, especially if I can suggest someone else.
My second tip is that the average 5-minute job takes about half an hour. This is an example of asymmetric risk. If all goes well, I might do a five-minute job in three minutes, saving a bit of time. But when things go badly, a job that should have taken five minutes cascades into a series of tasks that chew up an hour or more. The person you had to call doesn’t work there any more and when you eventually find their replacement it turns out that you’re missing some crucial piece of documentation, and while you’re searching for it the computer crashes and so it goes on. So, if I’ve accumulated 8-10 jobs that ought to take 5 minutes each, I find that setting aside an entire morning is usually realistic.
My third tip is particularly relevant for people prone to distraction, which obviously includes all of us here. My core business is producing academic journal articles (and the occasional book). In this business, it’s easy to drift along, reading lots of interesting stuff, making notes, and imagining you are making progress, but not actually getting anywhere. So in homage to Taylor and Stakhanov, I discipline myself by setting word targets. I try to write 500 to 750 words of new material every day. 500 words a day might not sound much, but if you can manage it 5 days a week for 40 weeks a year, you’ve got 100 000 words, which is enough for half a dozen journal articles and a small book. So, that’s my target. If I haven’t written enough one day, I try to catch it up the next day and so on. Blog posts don’t count, of course, though occasionally I can get myself an easy day by reworking blog material into academic output. This may sound crass, and it’s not appropriate if you’re a creative genius, but it works pretty well for me, and I think would work well for others in similar circumstances.
Complete Information:
www.crookedtiber.org
Read more!
|
| posted by proletar @ 8:35 AM |
|
|
|
|
|
