The 50 best business blogs
Some of the biggest corporations have been forced to review company policy after campaigns by bloggers. Internet blogs are taking on big corporations and winning.
TIMES Online (the magazine) have listed the 50 best business blog for 2007 in an good article from Rhys Blakely.
You will say, 2007 = old news, and you may be correct, but I feel that if we had to recompile a TOP 50 list for 2008, it will look quite similar... anyway it seems that this list is a work in progress, so it could be up-to-date.
Labels: best, blog, business
The Art of Delegation ~ Quick Guide
A good booklet to read, even if you are an experienced manager...
If you want your business or organization to function properly, at some stage you will need to delegate a part of your work. This means handing over some of your authority and control to someone else and making sure that all goes well.
Please find a quick end-to-end guide to delegation of a specific task:
I. Introducing the task to be delegated is an essential part of the process...
How to do it?
3 basic points that need to be covered:
(1) What you want doing.
(2) Why it needs to be done.
(3) How it fits the overall picture
II. Setting the Standards
People who are taking on tasks need criteria against which to measure their performance.
You set standards by considering four basic elements:
(1) Quantity
(2) Quality
(3) Time
(4) Costs
III. Reporting Progress
Ahhh... sorry for that, delegating a task is not only to fully explain the task and ensure the individual knows how to perform it (see previous post). Delegating also includes in general a component of reporting upon progress...
You will need to make a jointly-agreed plan of how the delegated task will be monitored.
IV. Summary
Delegating always needs to be carried out in a systematic and structured way. It is a bit like building a house of cards. If the base is not firmly and solidly constructed, the edifice cannot stand up for very long.
I had to reach page 39 to finaly understand the cover of the book ;-)
Good Luck!
Labels: delegation, management, manager, method, task, technique
How to teach someone ~ 4 magic steps
I'm interested to share with you today a basic technique I personally use for years to teach someone something I know... The reason I write this to you now, is that I saw this common-sense method written on a book I've just finished to read... You will say: "yes, obvious buddy", but sometime it's good keep in mind those 4 steps in a conscious manner in order to make sure, not only you've shared the relevant information needed to accomplish a given task, but also to ensure the individual indeed know how to perform it in the future (meaning, at the end of the day, less re-work in your side).
So, here are the promised magic 4 steps:
1. Show how it is done in the normal way
2. Repeat it sloooooowly, explaining what you are dooooooing
3. Get the individual to do it while you talk him or her through the process; and only then...
4. Get them to do it on their own
That's it. Simple, isn't it?
BTW ~ those are basics you need to use at some point when you delegate a new task to someone to make sure he is capable to handle the task in a satisfying manner and guarantee the results...
Labels: basics, delagation, learning, teaching, technique
PMI Certifications ::: PgMP - PMP - CAPM - OPM3
It's sometime not clear from the
PMI site which kinds of certifications are available and for who...
When the PMI sends you the hard copy of your PMP certificate, a CD is included in the kit with a couple of documents on it... One of them is the certification Program Brochure where the different certifications are described. Please find the list below with a short explanation:
Labels: CAPM, certification, management, OPM3, PgMP, PMI, PMP, project
Guide to Competitive Intelligence
As discussed in the past in this blog,
accurate competitive intelligence can be an invaluable asset to make correct strategic decisions for your business.I've found an interesting
article on CI last week written by Jason Agard.
We can call it a good start if you want to better understand h
ow to find business intelligence about a competitor or to run a business background check on a potential client.
PMP certification - Useful Links - Free Mock exams and additional valuable information...
I've cleared the PMP exam last month. I wanted to share with you some useful links that have helped me to prepare myself.
Here it is:
- PMP Exam
- PREPAREPM: PMP Preparation Site
- PMP Sample Questions
- Scientific Calculator
- My Study Guide for PMP Exam - Memorize Formulas
- Project Management Formulas
- PMI Online Registry
- Global Knowledge Project Management Training
Feel free to contact me if you need additional information, I will be glad to help.
Bonne chance !
Labels: certification, exam, PMI, PMP
BoomeRang Effect! < New Trend in Hiring >
Hello All,
I've listened to a interesting podcast from
manager-tool last week about a new trend in hiring.
This cast describes how to increase your chances of re-hiring someone who has left your organization. They’re called Boomerangs!
There really IS a war for talent going on today. Demographics are in many ways working against us, reducing the labor pool, as well as changing the nature of work and the relationships “employees” have with their “employers”. Frankly, it’s harder than ever - and will KEEP GETTING HARDER - to find and hire high caliber associates.
One effective technique is hiring former employees, or “Boomerangs”. 20 or 30 years ago, it was unheard of. The reasons then seemed to make sense … but now?
This cast will tell you what to do with Boomerangs.
Enjoy it!
This is an excellent opportunity for me to thank Mike and Mark on their incredible work.
Yohan
Labels: hiring, HR, manager, tool, trend
Be RemarKable! Seth Godin Hits again...
Seth Godin is a bestselling author, entrepreneur and agent of change.
Godin is author of seven books that have been bestsellers around the world and changed the way people think about marketing, change and work. The titles of these books are: Permission Marketing, Unleashing the Ideavirus, The Big Red Fez, Survival is Not Enough, Purple Cow, Free Prize Inside, and All Marketers are Liars, Small is the New Big, The Dip, and his latest book Meatball Sundae.
Seth is a renowned speaker as well. He was recently chosen as one of 21 Speakers for the Next Century by Successful Meetings and is consistently rated among the very best speakers by the audiences he addresses.
Seth was founder and CEO of Yoyodyne, the industry's leading interactive direct marketing company, which Yahoo! acquired in late 1998.
He holds an MBA from Stanford, and was called "the Ultimate Entrepreneur for the Information Age" by Business Week.
Look at this video... this guy is remarKable...
