1. Be in the right place at the right time. (Luck.) 2. Know the right people, and be friendly with them. (This is called sucking up. Do it the right way, and management will like you. Do it the wrong way, and management will despise you.) 3. Don’t be afraid to tell people when they [...]
Most companies find themselves in a situation where they don’t know what they don’t know, but even the ones with an adequate understanding of the problems are stumped when they consider where to begin fixing them. For this reason, performing a rigorous self-assessment is the first step toward helping you move into the next phase [...]
We need to start forgetting things. And we need to start soon. We computer users spend a lot of time learning new things: new operating systems, new troubleshooting techniques, new hardware, new software, new versions of old software, and so on. This is part of what keeps things exciting and invigorating, of course. There’s always [...]
Talking straight doesn’t mean you have to make others defensive. People get uptight when their control is removed or when their self-esteem is under attack. When you speak up, use clear, descriptive language. Avoid words such as “always” and “never” — even if you are complimenting someone. It’s a no-brainer that it’s infuriating to say [...]
Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place, and I don’t care how tough you are. It will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me or nobody is gonna hit as hard [...]
The number one reason some people get more work done faster is because they are absolutely clear about their goals and objectives and they don’t deviate from them. A major reason for procrastination and lack of motivation is vagueness, confusion, and fuzzy-mindedness about what you’ve supposed to do and in what order and for what [...]
Corporate culture has long been a vital, if elusive, element of a company’s success. Cost-cutting and entrepreneurial cultures, for example, have been credited for the long-term success of many companies. Conversely, culture clashes have been blamed for merger and acquisition failures and incompatible employees. But just how corporate culture can be measured is still a [...]
When a change-management consultant interviewed a group of workers, he realized they didn’t understand the impact of returned shipments. After that meeting, the consultant placed a pickle jar in the middle of the shipping department floor. For every successful shipment, management placed a quarter in the jar. For every shipping error, management removed $10. The [...]
Innovation is one of those words that can mean different things to different people — indeed, if you ask a group of your colleagues to write a sentence or two about what they mean by the term, you should expect a lot of variety, for example: A new idea. A really great new product. Something [...]
Under pressure to hit immediate performance targets, many managers inflate earnings, often by cutting expenditures. In a recent survey of 401 top financial executives by Natalie Mizik and Robert Jacobson, 80% said they would decrease spending on “discretionary” activities like marketing and R&D to meet short term goals. It’s true that this kind of shortsightedness [...]