Our bass player struggles at times. There; I said it.

He still sometimes refers to fret number instead of note (“do I play a 3 or a 5 there?”) and gets flustered occasionally when we speed up past about 120 beats per minute. It’s perfectly normal. You see, he’s only been playing for a year and a half, and in the band we play in, no one else has less than a decade on his instrument. I’ve got two decades; our drummer, almost three.  Jay’s got a ton of natural talent, strong hands, and a terrific work ethic.  He’s going to be a great bassist. We all know it.

All he’s missing is time on the instrument, and there’s no shortcut for that.

What I’ve noticed about Jay in the past two years are the phenomenal strides he’s made as a musician in a supportive environment. It’s easy to forget at times that the “big chunks of getting better” come early, not late, in our careers, and they come only when we feel like we’re in an environment in which mistakes get made and can be safely corrected.  Jay’s gotten better – a lot better – since his first tentative steps jamming in my basement studio, in part because of a clear message the rest of us have sent him.  What we’ve told him, in essence, is “you’re new to this; you’re important to us; we’re going to wait for you and be there for you.”

He knows that we’re going to raise our expectations as we go – but there’s no point in starting off with those expectations. All they’re going to do is frustrate him, discourage his continuing efforts to practice and improve, and ultimately cost us a good guy. We didn’t try and do a stage show for almost a year after we began; it just wasn’t the right setting for him. Letting him slowly come along in basement jam sessions was a better environment for him to learn his craft. But once he gained his confidence, and improved his performance, he’s been fantastic in live shows.

Making Music at Work

I see this same concept executed well – and, sometimes, executed poorly – at the leading organizations I consult with as a solution delivery executive with Aristeia. Companies recruit top talent from prestigious universities around the country, but all too often forget who they’re bringing on board: kids. They’ve done it all, on paper – but never when it mattered. Do we need new collegiate-age hires to come up the curve quickly? Yes. Do we also need to be patient with them as those “big chunks of better” manifest themselves? Yes.

We also need to recognize the moments when they’re ready to take a step, and allow them to take it safely.

I’ve brought this idea to a number of client organizations, where our engagement team has worked with HR to institute ‘jam sessions’ for new hires. They’re provided with a forum of mentor executives within the organization and encouraged to research and present a topic of potential interest to the organization – a new product concept, an assessment of a key competitor, an overview of an existing process with recommendations for improvement. They’re then given the floor to make their presentation with all the accoutrements; often, the boardroom is scheduled for the event, and lunch is provided. The only rules are that criticism can only be constructive, and anything that needs to be discussed in greater depth is done offline. It’s a safe environment.

The results for our clients have been fantastic. Everyone wins; young employees get valuable face time with senior execs, and they’re less nervous about presenting ‘for real’ down the line if they’ve seen those executives and answered their questions in a less formal setting several times before. Execs get to meet some of the company’s brightest young stars early in their career and develop mentoring relationships with them. And, every now and again, a presentation that was supposed to be a ‘trial run’ turns out to be something of real interest and importance to the organization – a product idea gets enacted, a process gets re-engineered, et cetera.

Practice Makes Perfect-ish

The presenter is almost always asked to be  a part of that team working on the project, in a ‘safe’ role. The time involved in preparing a presentation is minimal in the scope of the employee’s week, generally just a few hours’ time scheduled out to work on it, and the process also encourages new hires to meet and interact with other members of the organization in different operational areas.

Talent grows and flowers; it evolves, breathes, and expands. It’s not a shrink-wrapped commodity that’s switched on at a certain point in our lives and remains at a steady state. Carl Jung wrote that “…great talents are the most lovely and often the most dangerous fruits on the tree of humanity. They hang upon the most slender twigs that are easily snapped off.” As we recruit and hire new employees for our organizations, these are important concepts to keep in mind. Rush a new hire along too quickly in the never-ending quest for productivity and improvement, and we risk gaining nothing from his or her tenure. Carefully managing our new human resources and bringing them along at a comfortable pace, however, ensures years – perhaps decades – of productive, creative service.

What steps are you taking in your organization to ensure that your young recruits are protected from harsh elements in the beginning stages of employment? How are you mentoring them with a sense of safety and encouragement? What else is needed to insure that your organization is providing the proper environment for professional and personal growth? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

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———————————————————————-
Dave Mayer is EVP & Executive Director of Aristeia, Inc.
He can be reached at david.mayer@aristeia-corp.com

Image Source: alispagnola.com, riversidemusic.com

Hoy en día puede definirse la Ética como aquella especialidad de la filosofía que, a través de la reflexión racional, metódica y sistemática, pretende buscar y formular los criterios de acción universalmente válidos (no arbitrarios) que permitan que el género humano como tal, se realice y se perfeccione en su convivencia mutua.

Definir a un líder puede ser difícil, pero cuando hablamos de liderazgo todos presuponemos que nos referimos a una persona que tiene una idea clara de lo que quiere, que sabe comunicarlo y que logra que lo sigan en la consecución de su visión . También suponemos que deberíamos hablar de personas inteligentes, eficaces, y principalmente que posean valores que uno comparte. En definitiva, que nos llevarán al éxito (sea lo que esto sea).

Quizás “compartir los valores del líder” sea lo más importante. Parece improbable que alguien siga a una persona que no respeta, que no le parezca íntegra, comprometida con su misión, pero sobre todo que no comparta los valores culturales y sociales propios y del medio al que uno pertenece.
A los efectos de tener una visión clara es menester interpretar correctamente el presente. Esta cualidad del líder es la que abre la puerta a la necesidad de conocer mas a sus seguidores..

El Director, Gerente o Jefe en una organización utiliza distintos tipos de recursos, materiales, económicos y humanos para lograr los fines de la empresa. El líder sabe que cuenta con recursos pero que su principal recurso son las personas que hacen a la organización. Esta pequeña gran diferencia, hace que la perspectiva cambie totalmente. Un recurso no siente, no razona, no se enferma, no tiene problemas en su hogar, no se cansa, no tiene crisis al llegar a determinada edad. Con un recurso no interactúo, no razono, ni converso.
El líder debería reconocer como principal valor de su organización a su personal y como tal, el mismo, pasar a ser central para la concreción de su visión.

Les propongo releer el texto reemplazando la palabra lider por político.
Continuara…

So it’s a big day for Alcopop…  Well it was yesterday really, but unfortunately a hangover registered after a 7am boozy finish in a club with swimming pool (surely a mistake for smashed revelers) and the pains of British rail transport rendered it not at all so. I digress – but today is the day, the good ship Alcopop takes its first tentative steps into music management.

It’s been something I’ve been thinking about for a long time, sure the music industry is all about being able to diversify at the moment, and it is with no little delight that, together with the charming Joe from Idle Hands Management (Talons/ Aspen Sails), we have decided to take on the mighty Stagecoach.

You no doubt know all about them already, but just in case you don’t, Joe has lavishly summed up – They’ve played with the likes of The Wombats, Phoenix and Frightened Rabbit. Radio play has been strong so far from Radio 1, 6Music, XFM and NME radio. They’ve had tracks used on Skins and on the forthcoming series of Gavin and Stacey. And last but not least, they have a celebrity fan in Radio 2 presenter and X Factor host Dermot O’Leary.

Things are in place, plans are being planned – and you will be seeing a lot of these chaps in 2010. The year, so I have heard, of the Alcopop!

Any managment or label enquiries.. Do get in touch!

When Irene Rosenfield the CEO of Kraft Foods(KFT),the worlds second largest food company and the largest Food company in North america unveiled a surprising bid for cadbury(CBY) over the Labor day weekend,i was hoping that the Cadbury Management would happily  take the offer in the backdrop of a market in consolidation mode and the overall dipping operating margins.

The Initial offer was that for each CBY share,KFT proposed to give 300Pence in cash and 0.2589 KFT share.The total share capital of CBY being around  $16.8 Billion.The KFT offer was at a premium of 26%.The CBY management had turned down the offer,stating that the offer did not show the true value of the company and that it did not want to merge with the “slow growing” Conglomerate business model of Kraft.

The analysts feel that Kraft is Overpaying for Cadbury.Warren Buffet,who incidentally is a major stakeholder in KFT has warned Irene against overpaying .

Based on the proposed price of 745 pence per ordinary share or approximately $50 per ADR, CBY needs to deliver top line growth of 10% and EBITDA margins of 27% each year from 2010 to 2014 to justify the purchase price. Historically, CBY’s organic top line growth has been in the range of 4-6% and its EBITDA margins have declined from 22% in 2004 (peak) to 15% in 2008 (trough). It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to conclude, it will be very hard for CBY to achieve those lofty operational assumptions in the future to deserve the purchase price. If we boldly assume all the projected $625 million annual savings will come from Cadbury and be realized, CBY’s standalone EBITDA margin will increase by approximately 8%, still falling short of the implied 27% margin, based on its profitability track record from 2006 to 2008 (17%, 16%, and 15% respectively each year). In other words, even if the annual cost savings assumptions are realized, it is likely that Kraft is still overpaying for the projected cash flows CBY can bring to the table.But this is from an analyst point of view.These numbers are purely from a valuation perspective and does not take in to consideration the potential revenue growth due to their strategic fit in the new markets.The Finance guys like to believe that 2+3 is 5.I defer with them here as 2+3 could be 7 if you have operational and marketing synergies.

For Kraft it makes Business sense for this acquisition as it is a strategic move to enter in to new Developing markets like India and other countries where kraft still does not have any presence. In the wake of a flat top line kraft needs to enter new markets to have a Global Foorprint.Markets like India,which has long been untouched by kraft needs to be revisited considering the growing economy and value conscious consumers.Unique segments is  already available for Kraft to target especially the Convenient meals section with most of the Young families under the double income group.Some of the Local players are already present in this segment.With cadbury already having a huge presence here and with a mature distribution channel  kraft would have the ideal partner for the next wave of growth.

Kraft Management should pursue this hard and should never feel that they are overpaying.Ofcourse the greatest challenge which kraft will have to manage is integrating the new unit with its business.But then historically they  have a good record of integrating brands to their portfolio.

I know Companies especially system integrators,including mine, will be closely watching this,as there is huge business for them once this merger happens.Lets wait and watch.I have a gut feeling that this will happen.

Meanwhile INDIA get ready to taste the OREO’s and RITZ.

When an employee in any organization is not able to speak and express his ideas, the problems he notices will never be fixed, and might be ignored by the management team, having as consequence that these problems become a bigger threat to the employees in the organization.

 Managers need to let know their employees that there won’t be negative consequences when complaining about any problems, at the same time it is necessary to let them know that any feedback they put on the table will be considered and that it will be left forgotten by the management team, this way you will encourage your employees to tell you the problems they perceive and will be willing to give their proposed solutions. The more proposals you have the easier will be to get to a better solution.

 The more you keep your employees quiet the bigger the problems will be. Communication channels are fundamental in any organization, managers need to be willing to receive any type of feedback, negative or positive, and be able to process it in a constructive way, that will allow a grow in the trust among employees.

 Managers also need to let know their employees that they want to hear from them, that they want to hear their concerns and what solutions they propose; this will allow the employees feel in control, and at the same time will create a better work atmosphere.

In these difficult economic times, many companies are facing difficult decisions, decisions that include cutting budgets, letting people go and finding creative ways to save money or reduce expenses.

 When the personnel working in the company is well capacitated, and the system in which he works in allows him to develop himself to the point where loyalty to the company persist no matter what, these companies have a lot more easy perspective on how things are going, inclusive in these hard times, because having the support of the employees will generate a better image for the company and the costumers will notice it, and will develop the same loyalty.

 If the company treads his employees as if they were the most important factor in the company, because they are, the success of the company will be given by itself, no matter how big the company is they can always tread their employees in a way that would make them give that extra step to make the company be the best one in the market.

 Training, communication channels, empowerment, are some basic tools that need to be expressed to every employee, to make them feel a part of the purpose of the company will create a bigger commitment from them to make things better.

 Team work plays an important role in this, if you want a successful company, team spirit is a must, they must be able to support each other and be willing to make everybody grow, to make sure everybody is getting the same opportunities, and if not, find ways to solve any existing problem, taking into account the necessities of your employees would allow to make the system work better.

 In short, you employees are the most valuable capital you have in your books, so take care of them because they will take care of you.

Companies can sometimes put so much pressure on an individual that will make them explode and leave, when you give your middle line managers all the responsibilities but at the same time you don’t empower them to make critical decisions when facing problems, it is more that obvious that you are going to have a problem.

 As a general manager sometimes it is easy to set up goals, for the different teams inside the company, but what happens when establishing these limits you go beyond what is a realistic limit? Or when you are not able to account for some technical problems beyond the control of the middle line managers and have as a result not reaching the estimated goals? Are you still going to punish that manager for not being able to reach the goals? What procedure should be taken?

 When you are asking your middle line managers to take care of the production lines, of meeting the established goals, of setting up the way the production line is going to work, in dealing with the problems the employees may have in the company; you need to provide these middle line managers with the right tools to have the job done, other way you are making their job so difficult that it is frustrating, instead of lower employees looking forward to take a similar position you are making them go away from that position.

 When you don’t empower your middle line management to take critical decisions and make them an integral part of the goal achievement, you are letting them know they are not really a part of the team, by ignoring them they never will be willing to take an extra step to make things better for the company.

 At the end this is going to have a cost for the company, any middle line manager leaving will mean that the company is going to have to spend money trying to find a replacement, and this means spending money, money that could be saved if you give the right tools to your middle line managers to do their job.

ما زلنا نتابع معك عزيزي القارئ الكريم، هذه الوقفات المباركة في مسيرة العلم والعمل، ومطابقة الجانب الإسلامي، وهو التوحيد، مع الجانب الآخر من شخصية الإنسان (الإداري)، ومقارنة أوجه الشبه، واستنتاج الروابط التي تجمعهما، أو الأهداف والنتائج التي تكون جسوراً بينهما. ولا يخفى على كل ذي بصيرة أن العقيدة التي تشكل عصمة الإنسان عن الانزلاق في مهاوي الزلل والانحراف، أو تقيه مصارع السوء والانهيار في مستنقعات المعاصي، والشرود عن جادة الطريق المستقيم، تشكل لدى الإنسان المسلم، حصناً منيعاً، وسواراً محيطاً، وحصانة داخلية عظيمة، تنأى به دائماً عن الولوج في أبواب الغواية، وتصحح له مساره كلما اعوجّ عن جادة الهداية، أو شرد عن درب الرشاد ..

ولذلك كان التركيز الأعلى للدين الإسلامي على سلامة هذه العقيدة، والعمل على تصفيتها دائماً من الشوائب، وتنقيتها من العيوب والمثالب، وهو ما جعل الرسول الكريم صلى الله عليه وسلم يقضي ثلاثة عشر عاماً في مكة يعالج اعوجاج عقائد الجاهلية لدى البشر، ويقيم فيهم الفكر العقدي السليم، الذي يساير الفطرة، ويواكب العلم والعقل معاً. ومرة أخرى يدعونا الحديث لكي نعرف كيف تكون هذه العقيدة الصحيحة نبراساً هادياً في عالم الإدارة، ومشكاة مضيئة للعاملين في شتى ميادين علوم الإدارة الواسعة، كمثل تلك التي تبحثها مجلتكم هذه مجلة ابداع ..

إن العقيدة السليمة كما أسلفنا تواكب الفطرة، وتستخدم العقل السليم للوصول إلى حقائقها ودقائقها، وتسرج العلم في ظلمات الجهل، وذلك لهدف واحد يسعى إليه الناس جميعاً، وهو الوصول إلى الحقيقة، وامتلاك أفضل وأيسر الطرق والأساليب للتعايش مع الكون من حولنا، والناس المحيطين بنا، ولذلك لم تكن العقيدة الحقيقة أهلاً إلا لمن أعمل عقله، واستخدم بصيرته، واستنفد جهده وتفكيره. وعندما يريد الإنسان أن يُعمل عقله لتتكون له العقيدة السليمة، المتكاملة من جميع الجوانب، لابد له – من دون ريب – أن يتعامل مع عقول أخرى لدى الناس، لينتفع بما لديهم، ويتبادل الفكرة معهم ..

وهكذا شأن الإنسان دائماً، يسأل عن مالا يعرف، ويدفعه فضوله لتعلم ما يجهل.. غير أن التعامل مع عقول الآخرين، لا سيما المثقفين منهم لابد له من قواعد سليمة، فكم يخوض الناس في جدل لا يخرجون منه سوى بزيادة الجهل، واضطراب المعاني، وتعقد الأمور ..

وهذه القواعد المنطقية في التفكير مع الآخرين أفرد لها علماء الإدارة أبحاثاً واسعة، وخصصوا لها كتباً ودراسات كثيرة، فوضعوا أسس التفكير المنطقي السليم، واهتم علماء آخرون بسيكولوجية التفكير المنطقي، والطبيعة الإنسانية، واستنتجوا قواعد التعامل مع الجمهور، وفنون مشافهة الآخرين، وقواعد المناظرة ..

بل ذهب بعضهم أبعد من ذلك فاكتشف علوم البرمجة العصبية، وبحث الآخرون في العقل الباطن والقدرات الكامنة، واهتم آخرون في جوانب المعرفة والثقافة، فاكتشفوا قدرة الإنسان على سرعة التعلم والمذاكرة، فحاضر بعض العلماء في القراءة التصويرية، أو القراءة السريعة، حسبما يحلو لكل منهم أن يصطلح على فنه، ولا مشاحة في الاصطلاح.. وأخيراً أسس باحثون ومهتمون معاهد ومراكز للتدريب، وهكذا دارت عجلة الحضارة على رحى حاجة الإنسان لتصحيح شيء ما بداخله، ونحن لا نرى هذا الشيء إلا عقيدته الداخلية، التي يسعى دائماً وأبداً للوصول بها إلا سدة الكمال، وغاية الإتقان.. وفي هذه الزاوية نتابع معكم بقية للحديث في العدد القادم عن سبب رغبة الإنسان المستمرة في تحصيل العلم، وصلته الوطيدة بالعقيدة السوية ..

د. طارق محمد السويدان

قد يستغرب القارئ الكريم من عنوان هذه الصفحة، وتأخذه الأفكار يمنة ويسرة عن أبعاد هذه العلاقة الغريبة بين الإدارة التوحيد، ولكن لن يطول – إن شاء الله -التأمل حتى يحصل على إجابة شافية بقراءته لهذه السطور القليلة القادمة .

إن الإدارة هو علم وفن يبحث في كيفية التعامل مع الآخرين للحصول على استجابات جيدة منهم، والهدف منها     تسخير جميع الطاقات البشرية والمادية لتحقيق هدف ما لمنظمة أو شركة أو جهة ما، وفي سبيل ذلك تبذل جميع الإمكانيات المتاحة لتحقيق هذا الهدف المنشود.

ولما كانت الإدارة علماً يبحث في سلوكيات المرء وكيفية تطويعها للحصول على أعلى مردود منه، فإنه لم يرقَ أي نظام أو فكر عالمي بهذا المجال إلى فكر الإسلام، ذلك الفكر الذي استطاع أن يحصل من المرء على أعلى مستويات الطاقة والإنتاج، وذلك بإقناعه بفكرة واحدة لا نظير لها.. هي فكرة التوحيد.

إن الإنسان المسلم الموحّد يستمد حافزه على البذل والعطاء من الله عز وجل، كونه هو المُنعم والرازق، وهذا الاعتقاد يدفع المسلم إلى الانصراف عن التعلق بأسباب الدنيا من إدارته أو مصدر رزقه أو أجره الشهري، والتعلق بخالق الأسباب الذي يعطي بغير حدود. إنه لو قدّر لأي منظمة أن تعثر على الحوافز الكفيلة التي تجعل موظفيها يزيدون من إنتاجيتهم وعطائهم، لكانت ستبذل في سبيلها أموالاً وإمكانات كثيرة، غير أن ذلك كله سيتحصل لهذه المنظمة إذا عثرت على أشخاص يمتلكون الدوافع والحوافز الذاتية النابعة من قناعاتهم الشخصية، والتوحيد والعبودية لله تعمل على هذا الجانب من شخصية الإنسان.

إن التوحيد عبارة عن سلسلة طويلة من الحوافز والدوافع التي تشكل في مجموعها منظومة رائعة الاتساق والتوازن في مجتمعات فاضلة، فإقرار التوحيد يربط كل أعمال الإنسان الجيدة بجزاء أخروي كبير لا يقارن مع الجزاء الدنيوي، كما أنه يربط كل عمل مشين بعقوبة أخروية لا تقارن بعقوبة الدنيا، وكمثال بسيط على ذلك قوله صلى الله عليه وسلم: "رحم الله عبداً سمحاً إذا باع، سمحاً إذا اشترى، سمحاً إذا قضى، سمحاً إذا اقتضى" رواه البخاري.

.

وهكذا تجري تعاليم الإسلام جميعها بناء على هذا المقصد السامي. والتوحيد يضبط سلوكيات المرء والموظف والعامل، ويجعله يتعامل مع الأمور بأمانة وإخلاص وإتقان، لشعور داخلي دائم بمراقبة إلهية لتصرفاته وأعماله. إن أعلى درجات النجاح الإداري ? كما يعرفه العلماء ? هو وجود الحافز الذاتي، وليس ثمة أعلى من حافز من التوحيد الذي يمتزج بصميم كيان المرء ويخالط مشاعره ويملأ قلبه في كل لحظة، وهكذا تنجح الإدارة نجاحاً لا مثيل له إذا اقترنت بالتوحيد..

وللحديث بقية. د. طارق محمد السويدان

Realizar todo por sí mismo es un error. Delegue las tareas y observará los buenos resultados.

Evite ser manager 'monopolista'

Un dirigente monopolista es aquel que quiere hacerlo todo por sí mismo y no recurre al inmenso caudal de recursos que tiene a su disposición. ¿Existe posibilidad para que un manager así alcance el éxito hoy? Muy pocas.

En la actualidad, los mercados están saturados de productos y servicios distintos que compiten entre sí y por tanto se necesita de muchas cabezas pensantes dentro de una empresa, una sola no basta.

Sin embargo, muchos dirigentes pretenden continuar con sus operaciones sin delegar y tratando hacer todo por si mismos, o como dirían los ingleses “do it yourself“.

En realidad el mensaje del dirigente que adopta la actitud acaparadora es poner el futuro de su empresa en manos de la “improvisación“, para muchos, el camino más directo al error.

El diccionario de la Real Academia Española de la Lengua (RAE) define: “improvisar, hacer una cosa de pronto, sin preparación alguna“. Y nótese que este término posee la misma raíz etimológica que la palabra “impru-dencia“.

Consecuencias del enfoque ‘monopolista’

Cuando un manager descarta los recursos de gestión existentes y opta por el enfoque “no necesito a nadie, lo hago todo por mi mismo“, se enfrenta a múltiples consecuencias negativas, entre ellas:

1. Desperdicio de tiempo, esfuerzo y dinero de su empresa, repitiendo las mismas pruebas que miles de empresarios han hecho antes que usted y han demostrado que estaban equivocadas.

2. Incrementar de forma exponencial la posibilidad de adoptar decisiones equivocadas, que acarrean más desperdicio de tiempo, esfuerzo y dinero.

Nota Original: Evite ser manager ‘monopolista’

Fuente: Altonivel.com.mx
www.altonivel.com.mx

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The present economic situation calls for difficult decisions, companies see the need to look for ways to survive in the current markets, markets that show no sign of getting better, uncertainty is the predominant word in the financial markets, this uncertainty makes some decision even harder, given the constrained financial market, the easiest solution for a lot of companies is lay off the people that has been working for them, and perhaps this is not the best solution.

 When laying off people sometimes you are letting go the best human capital that you have, the rule that the first ones to leave are the last ones that got hired, perhaps is the worst solution you could ever do, a lot of this new people comes with fresh ideas, and it’s not influenced by the bad attitudes that might be present in the company, and sometimes a lot of this new employees left other job offers with the idea that working for this specific company was the right choice, and in the end can turn out to be the worst one.

 There is also the psychological effect that layoffs have in the remaining staff; it can be difficult for some of the employees to see some of the people they considered friends, just to go away with no job and no idea what’s going to happen next, this can lower the morale of the employees and make them wonder who is going to be next. At the same time the public image of the company can be affected, since letting people without a job cannot be seen as a good thing to do from the company.

 There are always different choices, but no matter what, layoff comes as the first choice for everyone, perhaps because is a fast and somehow easy solution, also it doesn’t require to be really creative when implementing, perhaps that’s why a lot of people think about it, because it doesn’t require from them to use their imagination and look for more ways of succeed trough hard times, every leader in the organization has this job, and this job requires to be creative and always look for the best choices for the team.

When you are the head of the team, the leader, the person in charge of getting things done, there are basically two ways on how you can get things done, the first one you can use your authority as the head of the team and force everyone in that team or under your command to do things, whatever the activities is, or the second one is via a more friendly approach, as a servant leader, a leader that is there to guide and motivate, that empowers people to do things and be able to take their own decisions.

 The second approach will always bring better results, even in the case of mistaking, there is the capability to learn from mistakes, also when the leader perceives there are some troubles he has the capability to act and help solve the problems. This system also opens the door to trust, by empowering people the leader is trusting they can so the job, and he also has to make sure that he is for them when the questions a raise or when some guidance is necessary.

The right development of trust makes a feeling that everybody is equal in the team; this brings more comfort for the members and creates a better environment in the team. At this point the leader is capable of noticing what are the needs of the team and looks for ways to satisfy these needs, in order for them to perform their job better.

In some cases the operating system within the company may go against the better performance of the team, or in some point affect one or multiple members of the team, here is necessary to look for ways of solving this, perhaps looking for different ways to implement the current system, or if possible making a substantial change in the system, after all, if the system is affecting one team the probability that is affecting another is high.

The leader has to realize that the members of the team trust him, and also trusts that he knows what to do in certain circumstances, given the confidence they have in their leader they will certainly do what the leader says, but it is also very important for the leader to get feedback from the members of the team, a diversity and open dialogue must exist at all times, this would make better decisions, in which every member of the team feels he is a part of such decisions.

Went to my new therapist today and it was good. Her name is Ellen and I liked her. She reminded me of someone I can trust – a bit older than me which is good b/c I can never really take advice from a 20 yr old. They are soooo annoying. LOL

Why do I need therapy? Why wouldn’t I? I need it to stop being so angry. I have to learn  how to direct my anger into the right channels. There are times when to be angry and how to express the anger, which is where my problems lie.

Long and short of it – I was battling all my life on the defensive between two angry parents and an extended family of angry crazy people all trying to screw each other over to gain fortune. Being Armenian is no fun. It’s a culture full of richness but of pain and sorrow and anger. I’m tired of being angry. Too much of my time is wasted on it and I’ve been retarded by it. I’m an emotional retard unable to sustain long lasting relationships mostly ending them before they “hurt me”.

Words are all I have to — push you all away. In this year in which I banked on being rich and turned out to be my worst financial year – I managed to alienate close to about 20 people – all of whom pissed me off in some way or fashion – while I remember what you did – I forgive you but I won’t forget.

That is just the way it is until it changes – until I change – which, I fully intend to do. I don’t want back on Planet Earth again and plan to get it right this time.

—Bonju Patten

There are several ways of getting information about the customers that every company has, at the same time there are different variables to be considered when understanding analyzing the customers. The real challenge is what to do with this information and how to use it.

 Many companies develop massive marketing strategies for their customers, looking only at the big numbers and making a massive approach to the customers they have, but there are others that are making a much closer approach to their customers based on the personal information they have about them, trying to understand their specific needs and how to cover them.

 In making this specific approach is necessary the intervention of all personnel involved in the company, this approach means a more dedicated customer service that makes the customers feel special when they deal with the company, in this matter a reward program towards the employees is necessary, they are the face of the company and should be rewarded when they provide an excellent customer service that is going to have as a result that a customer returns more than once.

 Understanding the human nature of the customers is a key factor, they all enjoy better service, and if the company is willing to provide it, the customers will respond by showing loyalty to the company.

 It is not about the money you spend, is about the service you are willing to provide.

When a person is in control, usually is able to exercise some kind of power, this power can have some psychological changes in how people behave, among this changes is the idea of a supreme tough, making the individual believe that he is always right, at the same time this individual is able to isolate him or herself from reality, and he achieves this by making his/her closest circle of people from that than will not contradict his ideas or wont disagree with any proposal.

 By closing themselves from an external reality they are able to create one of their own, one that exist only in their imagination, that later on is supported by an illusion of unanimity from the people around them.

 Balance of power is more than a necessity a demand in diverse organizations and work teams, even that there is only one boss, equilibrium is required, be open to hear ideas different or contraries to the ones that the boss has is necessary, this will enable a better discussion and open the door for new alternatives.

 To prevent this power person, it is necessary for the all organization to take action when they start recognizing the problem, this can be done by encouraging values within the organization and encouraging independent thought. Also communication plays an essential role, to provide with feedback, positive or negative, is going to help the group to create a healthy relationship among the members, and also this will minimize the power on only one person.

 This power disease must be avoided, or at the end the company, team members and all involved will have a unlikely end, openness and dialogue must rule in any organization, also good leaders must learn to listen and keep quiet, giving their comments only after everybody has spoken.

This week, The Economist said something shocking: Departing bank bosses weren’t venal, they were useless.

My thoughts exploded like a box of fireworks meeting an accidental match.

Why do the English smirk quietly at the “cock up” theory of management?

Why is it that the English assume that it is better to be an incompetent boss than a competent thief?

I think – I may be wrong – that we think incompetence does not imply disloyalty. “He is really on our side after all”.

But, is “cocked up” management loyal?

But, is rubbish management loyal – to you and me?  I want you to follow this argument.

“Bank bosses” aren’t “the boss.” They have bosses above them, who in English law are called the Board of Directors. The Bank bosses are employees. So why did the boss’ boss allow him (or her) to be incompetent, consistently, over a long period of time.

The inescapable conclusion, sadly, is that they don’t care about managers do to us.  That is why I prefer a competent thief.  They were never on my side.  They didn’t pretend to be.

An incompetent manager, and worse a whole chain of incompetent managers from bottom to the very top, hurts me 3x over.

#1  I suffer from their bad management. The company loses money and we lose our jobs.

#2  I am bullied into following bad working practices on their say-so.

#3  Everything I do is tainted by their incompetence.  Instead of working on what works, we work on what doesn’t work and it backwashes through the system distorting promotions, training, selection, recruitment, education.  The end point is that we have nothing to show for our efforts and we detest each other.

When the boss’ boss says incompetence is OK, provided you are a mate of mine, there is loyalty, but it is not to us.  We should be shocked.  Deeply.

Do you trust your employer any more?

The Economist might be vaguely amused by it all, but fortunately, the people have noticed.  Elsewhere, in the same issue or within a week, The Economist reported that the tables have turned and fewer than 1 in 4 people trust their employers.

I am heartened.

Rants are pointless.  What are we going to do?

I hate ranting.  When I am irritated,  I like to work through it and come up with a plan of action.

This is what I am going to do.

#1  Stop relying on chains-of-command to know best

Writer, Paolo Coelho, tweets.  If you are on Twitter, follow him.  It is him, not a ghost writer. Yesterday, he put out a Confucious Clone:  Only a fool follows the crowd.  Wise people make up their own minds.  If I am involved in something, I want to know what is going on.  I want to see the accounts.  I want to know that I can ask questions.  And I want answers.  Or, I depart.

#2  Audit my filters

I will never know or understand everything and like everyone else, when I am a “noobe”, I rely on my friends’ judgements.  But the more filters I understand, the better.  Each month, I will take one filter that is important to me, and systematically research the questions I should be asking about say, the fuel that goes in my car, the milk I drink, or the way the local town council is elected.  I won’t wait for a crisis before I start to think.  I’ll do my upgrades systematically.

#3  Celebrate trust

And then I will celebrate trust.

Not mindlessly.  I’ll actively recommend what works and tell people the criteria I use.  They’ll gain from my filters and I’ll gain from their feedback.  (I’ve found when I tell people why I trust someone, they tell me why they do, or don’t, as the case may be.)

I’ll learn more – but that goes under #2.  My real goal will be to spread trust – to celebrate that we have something to trust and to learn to trust trust again.

What I want from The Economist

And from The Economist, I would like to see some better reporting.  I appreciate the writing, but for wit I can go to Radio 4.  From The Economist, I want information that leads to action.

I don’t want to hear gossip about the ‘good and the famous’.  I really don’t care.  I don’t do the celebrity thing.

Having lived in a country that was prone to bragging to the point they would brag about being modest, I learned an important distinction between bragging and celebration.  Bragging says look at me – but when you try to join in, you get knocked back.  Celebration is an invitation.

I want my news organized for action.  Tell me something I can do something about.  Don’t erode my trust further by pretending something is OK when it darned well isn’t!

Some people claim to have the magic formula for leadership, they say their method is the best way to do things, or perhaps that they offer the newest innovation in managing employees and at the same time get the best performance from them. But the truth is that you have to be really skeptical to this formulas, you need to check the basis for this new methods, are they real?, Do they have real good basis? Or are they just saying something I want to hear?.

 Sometimes in trying to implement new ideas it is necessary to get external help, this with the idea to get a new perspective on how things are being done, and to find new ways to do things. Unfortunately in looking for an outside perspective we found just “advisors” that tell us things we already know but I a way that sounds better, but they never give us a real solution to the problem, they only give suggestions, suggestions one as manager already had in mind but wasn’t brave enough to implement them.

 There are also new “tendencies” for management, new ideas or concepts that claim to be the new trend, and sometimes they indeed represent new ways of doing things, but a lot of times the problem with this new ideas is the theoretical basis behind them, before applying all this new ideas it is very reasonable to take a look at the background and look for flaws, this is a very reasonable idea if you are to implement this new idea, especially if this is going to represent a cost to your company, the questions should be, is it going to help me improve my company?, Am I going to be able to see the right results?, Is there an empirical basis backing up this new idea?, Is it really fit for my company? Does it feel right to take this direction?

 Applying new management ideas is not easy, and you have to be careful when you do apply them and communicate the right idea to your employees, make them feel this is the right path to take and make them feel part of the decision, that way everybody wins, and I think that is the idea of the game.

l'ennesimo suicidio a france telecom

giuro! quando ho letto la notizia ho sentito i brividi su per la schiena. roba che nemmeno l’ispettore derrick è capace di farmi provare.

Jurg

William C. Taylor & Polly LaBarre, Harper, 2006

So, I got invited to speak “on-stage” at BIF 5.  The moderator of the session was Bill Taylor the author of this book.  I thought I should read it to see what perspective he would bring to the interaction.

The premise of the book is that it takes mavericks to win in today’s fast past innovation driven world.  The old rules and timelines do not apply.

The successful mavericks are in the game for something larger than just a living.  They want to change something, they want to transform something.  It is a passion, a cause, it has an impact.  It still could be financial, but it is usually more.  They stay true to that passion even when it is “easier” or financial better to move in another direction or take on a new “opportunity.”

They develop a new “language” or way of talking about their work such that it transcends normal “competition.”  They are not fighting anyone, they are transforming everyone!  Eventually, people cannot imagine them not being in the space now, where no one was before!

They figure out how to balance a wide openess for ideas with a narrow focus on what they will do.  The openess for ideas extends beyond their organization, and in fact they proactively seek out new sources and interactions for these ideas.

They recognize that what they are doing is playing out on a larger stage of the lives of their people.  They make sure that what they are doing is fun, and that it is contributing to the larger good.  They recognize their own part in this dynamic and lead with transparancy.

They get their customers in on the “crusade.”  They link up with their customer’s passion.  This changes advertising to conversation, marketing to dialogue.  In the long run it is better to have the customers passion than their money.

Likewise, their employees are also on the same crusade.  The people with this passion are attracted and bring others, and then they are selected for that passion.  Once on board they ooze the culture to one another on all conversation, trappings and idiocincracies.

Overall – I found the book comfortable.  It is one of those things that seems obvious after it is said.  It encouraged me that the path I am following is not really that radical but has been blazed well by others.  It also reminded me of things I need to pay attention to more regularly, even under the pressure of the “urgent”

Of course, I love to have a giant bowl of ice cream at night, but something has gotta give!

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