Business articles
Showing page 48 of 79 - There are 2359 Business articles
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Offshore this! (outsourcing tech support overseas)
- So I call my telephone company and someone picks up 15,000 miles away. I asked the rep where she's from. She said, "I am from Mary-Land sir. How may I give you excellent service today?" The accent was? American... in a high society 19th century ultra-polite sort of way."Mary Land?" My brain's editing booth could not screen the snickers in time."Yes sir? this ...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - A leadership screw driver: the 90 day improvement plan
- I was talking with first-line supervisors in a utility company about how to deal with poor performing employees."You've gotta put the screws to him!" suggested one supervisor to his colleague who was having trouble managing one particular poor performer."I've put so many screws to him he's dead weight!" the supervisor replied.We all knew what "putting the screws to him" meant ...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Know your client - the first rule of business coaching
- Whilst the very best coaches have undertaken independently accredited training and or have years of experience with clients, new self-assessment questionnaires are coming available which is evolving coaching into a far more focused activity. And that is to the benefit of coach/client relationships for the following reasons:- Key Areas Results from assessments enable the coach...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Recruitment - pick people who think
- Old style management doesn't encourage personal mind control, employees aren't encouraged to think. That was certainly the case when I started work back in the bad old days however it's still prevalent in many businesses today.It's evident in many of the organisations that I work with that there's a culture of - "I'm the boss - I tell you what to do - you don't question it."The succe...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Recruitment - what youre really, really looking for
- Imagine that you're a sports coach and you need a new player on the team. Would you walk up to someone in the street and say - "I want you to come and play for my team. I'll train you to become the best player in the country." Sounds a bit ridiculous doesn't it?What you'd probably do is watch players in other teams. On the other hand, you might decide to find some young player that you coul...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Recruitment - do you know what youre looking for?
- The time will come when you'll need to interview someone to join your business or your existing team. If you work in a large organisation then this could be someone from inside the company. You might even be the owner of a small business and about to start your first employee. Whatever the situation, you're going to have to make a decision about whether this person is suitable for the job or not....
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Creativity management - the value of being prolific
- When asked his secret to success, the author Graham Green said that it was down to his always writing 500 words a day. There are real reasons why this philosophy rings true:a) The single best creative product tends to appear at that point in the career when the creator is being most prolific ? quality of output is closely related to quantity.b) In the early stages, relative lack of e...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Management consultants, creativity, innovation
- Most firms have intelligent, capable, knowledgeable managers who are very good at day-to-day problem solving. So why do they need management consultants? There are occasions when consultants bring in specialist competencies, but if that is not the case then their value only really lies in their outside perspective - their ability to frame break from the "company way" and their ability to...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Quick tip - effective meetings have smart goals
- The first step in planning an agenda is to identify the goals for the meeting. Properly done, goals have five S M A R T characteristics. They are:Specific. The goal must tell exactly what will be accomplished. For example: During the next hour we will find at least three ways to reduce defects on Unit #4 by 10%. This states exactly what the group will work on. Vague goals can cause you to l...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Quick tip - effective meetings begin with goals
- Goals are critically important for the success of a meeting. You must know what you want so you can ask for it. And the participants need to know what you want so they can help you get it. Without goals, a meeting becomes a journey without a destination.Unfortunately, many meetings are called without goals. So, you hear people say, "Well, what do you want to talk about?" This is s...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Quick tip - effective meetings earn a profit
- Most people treat meetings as a free resource that can be used to deal with any issue. As a result, huge amounts of time and money are wasted on trivia.A meeting is a business activity (not a social event) and should be designed to earn a profit. Here's how.1) Calculate the cost of the meeting by multiplying the number of participants (N), their labor rate (R), and the length of the ...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - The walmart cult
- The CultBecoming a part of the Cult, consists of being recruited a member of the cult, as a person that can be relied on to assume responsibilities and accomplish all or almost all things requested.Depending upon the position you hold and the person that you are attached to the most, any position can be engaging and can be so different from any other experience that you have had prio...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Encouraging behavior that gets results
- You're the boss, and you have every reason to feel good about your organization.You've built a great team.You've put strong players in every spot.You have clearly defined procedures for every part of the business.You have incentive, safety recognition, and bonus programs.But something doesn't seem quite right.Somehow, there seems to be a sense of unease. Y...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Executive performance -- whos to blame for incompetent managers?
- A recent article in the Wall Street Journal raised the question: Who's to blame for inept managers?The answer, of course, is the superiors who hire or promote them -- but not because they intentionally select or retain poor performers. Every leader knows that his or her own success depends on putting the right people in the right positions. It's easy to blame a manager's poor performance on...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Miracle max on market breakthroughs
- Successful enterprise building requires seven elements. These are:1. People, who are the source of the creative ideas which drive the enterprise' s innovations;2. Financial Resources, to fund the transformation of these ideas into market breakthroughs;3. A Coherent Business Philosophy, from which the enterprise sets its course;4. Capable Leadership, in order to properly...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Rethinking workplace security: how the rules have changed
- The workplace has traditionally been a dangerous place. Very early in mankind's history perils emanated from the place and type of work they performed. Long before industrialization, men mined precious metals, gems and fuel in the form of peat and coal hidden beneath the earth's surface. Extracting these materials brought with it the risk of cave-ins and being buried alive. Moreover, the quest for...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Collaboration: 3 keys to keeping your documents from getting lost in the shuffle
- Often, collaborating documents in a team or in a business can feel like a complex sports play gone wrong. The ball gets passed off to the wrong person, dropped, or even lost. In addition, most document collaboration happens electronically. We are always told to save and resave these electronic documents, but it gets to the point that we can't even keep track of which draft we're on. Not to ment...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Cultural differences: making it work virtually
- Working virtually adds a whole new dimension to the phrase "cultural differences". It immediately becomes apparent how different people around the world work, live and network.The barriers have been lifted. We can now work "real time" with people around the world, assisting and serving from thousands of miles away in a flash. What is commonly not considered is the fact t...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - The fairness of office politics... integrity and political motivation!
- I hear many complaints daily about the "unfairness" of politics in corporate America. Employees say that their managers "lie" or issue "personal attacks" against them. Indeed, based on the pure ideals that we are taught as a child, this might appear to be the case. However, the corporate culture is not the "real world" in which we live out our personal lives. Each corporate culture is its own worl...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Creating a vision ? bringing your dreams into reality
- Do you have some goals you want to achieve or dreams you want to fulfill? A useful tool in reaching the outcomes you desire is the creation of a vision, which can be short or long-term. I recommend writing down specifics to add clarity and focus.What is a vision?Here's one definition by Thomas Leonard."It is a state or outcome that a person can see naturally and th...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Focus on the prize
- People talk to me about making personal and professional changes in their life. I hear comments about how hard they think it will be, concerns about their ability to be successful, pressure on themselves to produce results, etc. The anticipation (what you imagine or assume will happen) of the experience can be daunting enough to deter a person from taking the first step! How often does the anticip...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Allan kempert discovers that truly all you gotta do is ask
- A year or so ago, I met Allan Kempert. Allan was the Quality Assurance Supervisor for a metal stamping company in Ontario, and just completed Norman Bodek's book, The Idea Generator, Quick and Easy Kaizen. As Allan explains, he couldn't put the book down because it was such a simple approach and he knew that it was going to empower the employees at his place of employment. In fact, Allan had tears...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Bye-bye boring meetings! make yours remarkable!
- It's the middle of the night. You've woken up with a brilliant idea on how to improve the way your business product is delivered to your customers. You scribble it down and can't wait to share it with your co-workers during your morning meeting.The appointed hour arrives and you get your idea onto the agenda. Unfortunately the meeting proceeds without focus and at the speed of really good k...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Lead to succeed: the seven essential steps to work leader success
- In my book "You're In Charge?What Now?" I use a mnemonic to describe the seven essential steps to work leader success. The mnemonic is "L.E.A.D.E.R.S" and each of these letters represents an essential step. While I have simplified the elements of leadership into seven words, the essence of my message is that being an effective, peak-performance work leader is simple, but not easy....
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Sarbanes-oxley and section 404: old dog, new teeth
- The failures we have seen in the quality and integrity of financial reporting in corporate America are clear evidence that something was awry. It is the responsibility of corporate boards, managements, public accounting firms and regulatory agencies to put confidence back into the financial statements issued by our society's most significant entities. Although some would argue that Sarbanes Oxley ...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Is your business ethical?
- Ethics - in a profession or trade - is that branch of philosophy which studies the principles of right and wrong in human conduct.Is your business ethical?What I mean is "Does your business do the right thing when faced with that decision?" It's a simple question, which many businesses struggle with. I just don't understand the struggle part?I have worked for companies that be...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Comparing ancient programs from the east to modern programs like stephen covey.
- Comparing Corporate and Personal goal attainment programs that have developed over thousands of years with those of modern day legends such as Covey - "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People"In the 1990s Stephen Covey's name became famous through the publication of the "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People". As many know the "7 habits" are not a group of ne...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Year 2010: permanent employees no longer required
- Jack Welch joined a conference that was held in Duke Fuquay Business School where he was invited to promote his new book called "Winning". He told audience about how culture is important in a company. Culture builds integration and integration guarantees better products and services for customers. In GE's 1994 annual report his statements were no different. "Boundaryless behavior?&q...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Preparation: your companys best defense in case of catastrophe
- You've hung out your shingle and are ready for business. But what if something unforeseen were to occur? Is your business truly ready for all that being in business entails? It only takes one catastrophic event to adversely impact a once thriving business. Recent world events: 9/11 destruction of the World Trade Centers and the Pentagon, the tsunami in Asia, along with other natural disasters act ...
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- 2007-11-13 22:16:19 - Change behaviors, change performance
- Every organization is looking for the holy grail of performance enhancement, that one thing that, if it were changed even slightly, would push the productivity of a company way beyond the current level.Over the years there have been many solutions offered to the performance conundrum, from process improvement and process re-engineering to rightsizing and quality initiatives. All of which ha...