Friday, August 25, 2006
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
You've got baggage....
Reclusive genius spurns math prize
these are kinds they make movies on...
Monday, August 21, 2006
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Monday, August 14, 2006
Multi-tasking or food for ADHD?
Saturday, August 12, 2006
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Wealth of Knowledge!
- Sustainability - Made to Break
- Design - Idealized Design
- Retirement - Principles of wealth management
- Five lessons from "Must-Win Battles" - Lessons from successful & failed journeys
- Success to failure - Three factors that can change success to failure
- The Omnivore's dilemma - Natural history of four meals
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Tasseomancy
Nature is supreme; as such it is not strange we expect certain traits in individuals we hire for positions. A little gray hair, stern voice & a firm grip will go a long way. Although people are people, each of them speaks their very own unique lingo, they act different, they offer different responses to situations.
The task of reading and interpreting their behaviors can be daunting. Understanding when they need help, what kind of help, how to offer and approach them for help is an art. I have wondered if we couldn’t have a tasseomant in every office that read the tea leaves of every employee just to make the managers life easy. Do we call it performance review by any chance?
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Squeezing the lemon
I think hiring is by far the most difficult task in ones career? In my personal experience I have found it to be more difficult than making multi million dollar and sometimes multi billion dollar choices for corporations. It is not just identifying the candidate, but asking them the right questions, evaluating their responses and finally making the critical ‘go’, ‘no go’ decisions on the right cultural fit, right skill set, the right attitude, the energy, passion and much more. Yet another element of challenge is the urge to satisfy a short term business need or developing a leader.
I remember hearing staggering statistics on investments organizations make in developing leaders that way too often result in a regretted loss to another organization worse yet to a competitor and yet that’s not the worst scenario… try inheriting a dysfunctional team and misfit individuals only to be told ‘it is what it is’, now work it out. I call it, ‘Squeezing the lemon’. Talk about tough calls!
Alls not lost though, there is hope. I have always believed, ‘until there is hope there is life’. Squeezing the lemon is tough, but with a positive attitude and a passion to succeed there is a way. Here is what I have found works.
- Partner at every level with the team/members and their bosses
- Train the team, even if they don’t see any immediate value
- Keep trying, trying, trying and trying to show them the light
- Provide specific solutions not constructs
- Communicate to build trust
- If nothing else works make a firm, decisive and clear impression by firing the trouble makers/misfits!
Tough choice for Europe - GMO or no GMO?
A virus with a charge
Harnessing the power of genetically modified viruses.
http://resourceinsights.blogspot.com/2005/06/europes-gmo-trap.html
http://www.gmofree-europe.org/
http://www.foeeurope.org/GMOs/Index.htm
http://www.i-sis.org.uk/ESRG.php
Monday, August 07, 2006
Career elasticity of growth & movement
During a recent review I noticed similarities between the elasticity of demand curve and careers. As marketers we never price brands on the inelastic part of the curve, because it would be stupid to leave money on the table. We are taught to be sensitive to thresholds where consumers question the benefit and price of the brand (the value). Lastly we learn to pay special attention to the gap between our price and that of our closest competitors.
I decided to apply the same principles to my career and mapped the career elasticity of growth!
what goes around comes around
Workers, place your bets from Business Week.
If you remember my posting "Some of my interesting bookmarks" from June 2006
Friday, August 04, 2006
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you – What about CANDOR?
Most people are smart and intelligent but sometimes too intelligent for their own good. That’s when things back fire, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”; if you say good things about my project I will say great things about yours! Is this a cultural thing? Can our corporate cultures fix what our religious, societal cultures have indoctrinated us with? I certainly think so! The legendary Jack Welch of GE said it once reward people and behaviors that align with objectives and values and punish the ones that don’t. This applies as much to the top performers as the bottom dwellers in every organization.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
In Search of Courage
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Organization & controls
Internal control:
BRANDING (equity, quality & packaging) – First & Second moment of truth!
o What is my equity? How would someone describe me? & Competition
o How do people perceive me? What is my image like? & Competition
o How do I project myself? & Competition
o My messages, how I speak, the people I associate with, how I look, what I wear? & Competition
SKILL, TALENT & GENIUS
o How I lead & develop my team? & Competition
o How are my results I deliver & my communication? & Competition
o Capabilities I possess? & Competition
o Capacity I have? & Competition
o Time I manage, work I prioritize? & Competition
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
o How I lead & develop my team? & Competition
o My commitment to my people, my community, my fraternity? & Competition
External control:
OBJECTIVITY
o Mentors as my board of directors
o Strong partners, coaches as my investors & bankers
Let’s get cracking!
bad PR... you think?
A little extreme but effective career/personal espionage.
That Girl Emily