This just in from the University of the Obvious:
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Bernie May
What do you think is an essential skill for good managers? E-mail me bernie@practicalmanagers.com and share!
Monthly Archives: September 2010
Top 40 Leadership Blogs
If you’re a leadership geek, or you just want to source some good reading on leadership for your own self-improvement, check out:
The Top 40 Leadership Blogs
Strategy and Execution
Good entrepreneurs find strategic opportunities.
Results.com Event In Edmonton Oct 20
Focus on Execution & Lead Your Market
Speaker: Simon Mundell
How well is your business executing?
CEDA International & RESULTS.com are pleased to bring Simon Mundell to Edmonton. In his 90 minute seminar, undertand how you can be profitable in these unique times of uncertainty, and grow your market share. Simplifying your business strategy and making execution your number one priority are your keys to success.
Specifically he will cover:
- The five key pillars of business execution
- Defining a strategy that will get real traction
- Establishing a vision for your business that inspires your staff & customers
- Engaging your people to execute your strategy
- Keeping the whole team accountable
- Establishing a ‘cadence’ that guarantees focus on your strategic priorities
He will also include real-world examples (local, national and international) of businesses that have recently achieved impressive and robust growth, and increased their value.
Defend Your Calendar, Define Your Life
Clients I work with come to Results.com because they want to grow their business, but something is holding them back. Like their sales isn’t keeping up with operations & service, or operations isn’t keeping up with the sales & marketing. They can do the work but don’t have it, or they have lots of work but can’t execute it.
They’re busier than a one-armed paper hanger trying to wallpaper two different rooms at once. They stagger out of the office at the end of the long day, not sure what they got done but certain that things aren’t going to be much different tomorrow. How do we make sure that we can spend some time, any time, making the changes that need to be made?
One of my clients has taken to blocking time in his own calendar. This will usually work, unless you live in a culture where co-workers ignore what’s already in your calendar, or the closed office door, because naturally whatever they’re working on is the most important thing right now.
My advice to him, and a technique I’ve used: hide. If you’re office is empty people assume you’re in a meeting anyway, and you are. A meeting of one.
If this sounds a little much, try de-fragmenting or batching your schedule. Just like we don’t wash every shirt as it hits the laundry basket, why would we stop what we’re doing every time an e-mail pops into our in-basket? This video from Fast Company explains:
Work Smart: Defrag Your Calendar by Batching Tasks
In order to move your business, life, or job forward 1) be clear on what your priorities are, 2) have a clear action plan (who does what by when with which resources) for those priorities, and 3) take control of your calendar.
Posted in calendar, effeciency, effectiveness
How to Change When Change is Hard
Turns out that self-control is an exhaustible resource. We only have so much of it, which explains why after a long day of focusing at the office we might come home and snap at a spouse or have one drink too many.
This might be why making one change at a time is longer lasting. It just takes the self-discipline and self-confidence to choose what’s most important.
Posted in change, engagement, self-awareness
Tagged change, change managemen, leadership
Learn More About Emotional Intelligence
If you want to learn about EI and how to coach yourself, why your co-workers are lacking it, and why there’s so much of it on “The Office”, check out the TalentSmart’s white papers.
Don’t think EQ is important. Just ask Micheal Hurd, the former chief of Hewlett-Packard. Running a company takes more than operational moxy and cost-cutting.
Posted in behaviour, emotional intelligence, relationships, self-awareness
Tagged emotional intellignece
This is Broken
It’s an old video, but a relevant topic. So relevant my wife and I watched it in bed this morning.
Yes, that’s wrong too somehow.
Embrace Failure, Reject Fear
My friend and former co-worker over at White Noise is also a comic improviser and all-round amusing fellow. He’s come up with a list of improv rules that also, surprise surprise, apply to life (and business).
- Accept all ideas
- Make your partners look like geniuses
- Focus on the here and now – be in the moment
- Just listen and react to what was said or done
- You have to understand why you’re playing the game
- Just decide and do something
- Embrace failure, reject fear
- When in doubt, have fun
p.s. If you want to see Karl (and me) in action, check out our Hoser Tribute on YouTube.
Keeping Employees without Cash
What makes an employee a key employee? We can figure this out by asking the right questions: how replaceable are their skills, and how likely are they to leave?
Once we know how are key employees are, then what? Throwing more money at the problem doesn’t usually work, because money isn’t the problem. Retention is about more than money. At least more money doesn’t always do the trick.
What does the trick? “Praise from one’s manager, attention from leaders, frequent promotions, opportunities to lead projects, and chances to join fast-track management programs are often more effective than cash.”
Leadership, and opportunities to lead.
