The Twelve Attributes of a Truly Great Place to Work by Tony Schwartz is a good article from The Harvard Business Review. The bottom line is the engagement level of employees while they are at work. This happens by
“addressing their four core needs — physical, emotional, mental and spiritual — so they’re freed, fueled and inspired to bring the best of themselves to work every day.”
Filed under workplace
Four Tips for Learning How to Program is a good article on learning. The four major points are:
The idea is that you try it.
Filed under Uncategorized
The old saying is true:
“You manage projects. You lead people.”
We teach “management” skills that are appropriate for projects, but get applied to people. We have a boatload of “managers” on all levels that are great with projects and terrible with people. But, they don’t know any better because they only know how to “manage.” That is what our schools teach. Doesn’t matter what field or area of expertise. “Manage”.
People are not projects. They (we?) are not managed. They are inspired. They are challenged. They are not managed.
Organizations should take a look at their organizations and retrain (or eliminate) “managers” no matter the level.
Get some leaders.
Filed under leadership
I flew out of Kansas City this past Wednesday on American Airlines Flight 322. After a delay because of weather, we took off. The first thing was that the plane was shuddering on take-off making the aircraft buzz. Next was the burning smell. Then, at 10,000 feet, it sounded like we hit a deer. There was a loud bang and a shudder. We turned around and made a rapid descent, being greeted by fire truck and emergency equipment on the runway.
Needless to say, it was tense. After landing the Captain was standing at the aircraft door. I asked him how many landings he had had to make like this. “Excluding simulators?” he asked. “One.”
I am glad that he had spent all that time practicing so that when there was a need for crisis management, he was ready.
Is your business ready if you “lost an engine”? Have you practiced what you would do in the event of a crisis? Your employees are depending on you.
Sit down, TODAY, and begin to write out your plan of action in case of a crisis, and then begin to practice it. At some point your business will need you to be ready.
Filed under tips
One of my favorite products from Google is Google Alerts.
Once you decide what word or phrase you want to track (and using Google’s Advanced Search feature, you can narrow your searches), you have a lot of options. Do you want to search all the internet, or just blogs (or other areas)? How often do you want to be updated? How many results in each email? Maybe you would rather have it as a RSS feed in your Feed Reader?
This is a great way to track mentions about you and your company, keywords in your field, as well as people in your field.
You do have to have a Google account (you mean you don’t have one?) but it is an easy way to keep up.
Filed under tips
How do you lead when you don’t have any “official” power? You can’t command, you can’t fire, people don’t even have to listen to you. So what do you do?
I have often found myself in this position. For years I have worked with organizations largely staffed with volunteers. They were there because they chose to be. And they could choose to leave tomorrow.
Now I find myself in places as a consultant/contractor. They are paying me for my advice, but they don’t have to do it. I can recommend processes and changes to accomplish the goals they desire, but those recommendations can easily be ignored.
So how do you lead in those times? My answer is you lead by influence – on the people you work with and the culture you work in.
I have been rereading Kouzes and Posner’s book The Leadership Challenge again, and I am struck by how often you can replace the word “leader” with “influencer”. If you change that word, their five key points become:
The last chapter tells how you can get to these five points. I recommend the book (and maybe I have been a little bit of an influence in your life today).
Filed under research
I am in the middle of two projects, both of them similar.
Project 1 – Building a Fence
During this winter our dog had puppies. While we are waiting for those who are getting them to pick them up, they need a place to run and play. So, I am fencing in some of my yard. It gives them a safe place to play. Otherwise, they take off to places they shouldn’t go. It gives them freedom within boundaries.
Project 2 – Writing a Social Media Policy
I am writing a social media policy as a part of some work for a client. They have various things in place – blog, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube – but are unsure how to use them because they don’t know what they can and can’t do. So, the policy gives them permission to be free to use these tools, within certain boundaries.
See the similarities?
Fences are not bad (though they may be put up with bad intent – a whole ‘nother story). They provide safe boundaries for activity. Social media policies are not bad (again, the “bad intent” thing can be there). They give your employees, volunteers, interns, etc. a safe boundary for activity.
Building fences and writing a social media policy each take work. But each can give you incredible benefits.
So go build a good fence.
Filed under tips
The temperature is in the upper 30’s this morning, which brings me to my problem: “Do I start a fire in the fireplace?”
This is not an exercise in aesthetics. It is a practical question. The front part of our house is heated by a wood burning fireplace. My office is in the front of the house. The temperature in this part of the house is cool but not unpleasant right now.
But the temperature is expected to drop. Will I be chilly? Will it really get colder?
So I have to make a decision about starting a fire.
A wood burning fire is a commitment.
Do I treat my daily projects the same way?
So I ask myself the question, “Do I really need to start a fire?”
Yes, I do. Think carefully, and you may see that you do, too.
Filed under tips
When we find articles and papers that we think will be good for reference, we bookmark them on Delicious. Now you can see on the right side the latest things we have discovered.
Feel free to share them yourself.
Filed under research
