As we enter the last quarter of 2014, I’m reminded of a story by Mike Greene that I read recently in the Business Journals (check it out here). Paraphrasing, the story went something like this: A man walked into an old country store late one afternoon. As he wandered around looking at the merchandise, he…
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“If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be ‘meetings.” – Dave Barry Surveys over the past 12 years have repeatedly confirmed Dave’s sentiment. On average only two of every three hours spent at work are…
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Have you ever received an appointment request for a meeting that you knew was going to be unproductive? Nothing was accomplished the last time this team met; the only thing that was decided was that we needed to meet again. What a waste of time! Meetings are not free, even if everyone is local and…
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About a year ago, a friend of mine introduced me to a weekly podcast from Manager-Tools. In each cast, Michael Auzenne and Mark Horstman share some of the lessons they’ve learned about how to be a more effective manager. These are actionable techniques rather than purely theoretical concepts. I regularly listen to one of their…
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[This is part four in a series of posts about how to effectively transition to your new role after being promoted.] Series Outline So I Got Promoted, Now What? Stop Doing Your Old Job Employ the Same Successful Tactics Get to Know Your Peers Get a Trusted System Manage Your Email Manage Your Calendar Start…
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[This is part three in a series of posts about how to effectively transition to your new role after being promoted.] Series Outline So I Got Promoted, Now What? Stop Doing Your Old Job Employ the Same Successful Tactics Get to Know Your Peers Get a Trusted System Manage Your Email Manage Your Calendar Start Having…
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[This is part two in a series of posts about how to effectively transition to your new role after being promoted.] Series Outline So I Got Promoted, Now What? Stop Doing Your Old Job Employ the Same Successful Tactics Get to Know Your Peers Get a Trusted System Manage Your Email Manage Your Calendar Start…
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“In a hierarchy every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence.” That’s the premise of Dr. Laurence Peter in his 1969 book, The Peter Principle: Why Things Always Go Wrong My first thought when I read a statement like that is: I wonder if Dr. Peter worked in a hierarchy and if so…
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Think about your responsibilities at work for a minute. How many do you have? Can you even name them all? As technical professionals, we have a myriad of responsibilities This is especially true in today’s economy when so many of us are being asked to do more with less. It’s easy to get caught…
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Have you ever taken a sip of sweet tea only to discover that it was soda instead? Eeww! What an eye-opening experience! Don’t misunderstand; I like soda. But when I’m expecting sweet tea, the normally pleasant taste of the carbonated beverage is face-wrenchingly awful. Thus, the importance of expectations. What To Expect? When working with…
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