Displaying All Posts in the Management category

Meetings 101: Always Bring Something to the Table

During family dinners in my household, we’d all bring an item from the kitchen to the table. None was exempt from this ritual. No matter who cooked dinner that night, everyone ended up contributing to the meal because of what they brought to the table. What they brought was incidental–the fact they brought something was what was important.

The same applies in a work environment–especially in meetings. We all have different things we bring to the table. What we bring often depends on the role we have in the organization or the area of expertise we apply every day to our work. None of these are really any different than setting a dinner table – every part of the meal is important.

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The 80/20 Rule Revisited

The 80/20 Rule can save massive amounts of time and energy when properly understood and applied. As with many observations described as rules, failing to understanding the operating principles underlying the 80/20 Rule leads can lead to some pretty academic debates about its veracity, which ultimately leads inaction.

Repopularized in Tim Ferriss’ The 4-Hour Workweek, the 80/20 Rule is a shorthand term for a series of observations made by an Italian political economist in the 19th Century, Vilfredo Pareto (hence the other name for the 80/20 Rule, the “Pareto Principle”). He noted that 20% of Italy’s population owned 80% of its wealth. He saw this reciprocal distribution play out in other domains: 20% of all of the pea pods sown in the ground produced 80% of the peas, for instance. But just how universal is the 80/20 Rule, and can you apply it in your work and life? Click Here to Read Article …

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Stay on Track With an Idea Embargo

So you’re about to launch. You’ve done a great job planning and executing this project. And you’re almost ready to unveil your baby to the world.

And this is when people start coming up with new ideas and suggestions. Often it’s a major decision maker such as your boss who thinks a new feature or two is needed. Do you rework everything? How do you consider everyone’s feedback and respectfully decline the advice? That all depends on many factors. In the end, you need to decide what’s the gain. And some of that advice comes from someone you can’t ignore.

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How to Get Ready to Be Promoted

Sorry you didn’t get the promotion. Who knew Larry over there had potential to be middle management?

I know you have the potential too. But it’s just not your time. When will it be your time? You need to take these steps first.

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Management Isn’t Just For Managers

In a cube farm, you typically hear the word manage when the boss comes around. The boss talks about needing to manage projects or employees or whatever else needs managing that day.

In many cases, you only see your boss when you fail to meet expectations, or they know that there is some deadline approaching. This also inspires fear in many employees because your manager only appears when something is wrong.

What if you had a different relationship? What about your peers? Do they know what to expect from you when you work together? All of these things require management. You need to manage your boss, your coworkers and your career.

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Create a Warm, Fuzzy Office Atmosphere (Without a Harassment Complaint)

A positive workplace atmosphere can be achieved with open office communication. Bosses may waste valuable time planning employee meetings or sending out e-mails that detail why employees matter to the company. While these gestures are nice, they often don’t work.

Using messaging systems is a great way to circulate information, but without detailed explanation, employees may never really absorb the information. Some communication strategies that focus on information, not communication, are ineffective when attempting to engage employees, Marcia Xenitelis, writer on Management-Issues.com, said in the article, “Change management and employee communication strategies.”
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How Not to Boost Employee Morale

Any company, regardless of size, must maintain an engaging internal culture to keep its staff motivated to perform. You have most likely heard plenty of friends and family members thank their particular deity just for keeping them employed, but even in these economic end-times, intra-office tension can cause recurring HR nightmares. Tension causes distraction, which causes glacial productivity. Bad productivity leads high-achievers to seek more promising work. This steady turnaround often results in your workforce resembling more of a remedial vocational training class than a proud and profitable organization.
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