What’s good management? Scott Adams framed the discussion of management in his famous Dilbert Principle, when he said, “it takes less brains to be a manager than to be the people who are managed.”[i] Adams also said that it took more brain horsepower to write a complicated data encryption algorithm than to write daily status …
Even the best executives have a hard time navigating change. Andrew Grove, Intel Chairman says, “Let’s consider a group of competent CEOs. They’re good people. They have been selected and trained to do a particular task well. Now, you change their environment so that their skills are no longer relevant. The more adept they were …
Al Dunlap, also known as ‘Chainsaw Al and Rambo in Pinstripes,’ recently authored Mean Business. Dunlap slashed 11,200 jobs at Scott Paper and reduced half of the workforce at Sunbeam. He believes the marketplace is brutal and the proper response is triage. He advises for example that if a turnaround is necessary then the company …
Be a teacher and a coach Zigzag in a career to find new challenges Innovate and innovate again Welcome change Work for social justice Commit to lifelong learning Cope and find balance in work and life[i] [i] “What’s Fast,” Fast Company, December, 1998, p. 16.
The 1980s decade was the decade of conspicuous consumption. Madison Avenue’s messages over the last ten-year’s stressed the virtue of accumulating stuff. How many flashy clothes do we need and fast cars can we afford? How many gadgets do we need? The ‘less is more’ ethic is becoming more prevalent. Experiences, travel, creativity, free time, …
“After decades of wholesale neglect, companies are finally facing the fact of pathetic white-collar productivity and realizing that they need to organize work in a fundamentally new way … They (white collar workers) need to rethink the very nature of work. If they’re going to work in the future, they must be able to demonstrate …
What are companies doing to keep their Brand U workers happy and loyal? Companies in this acutely difficult job market don’t want to lose key people because of ‘burnout.’ Companies are experimenting on how to alleviate workaholic burnout. They are limiting work to 40 hours a week, providing ‘get a life’ counselors, and discouraging employees …
The Internet has become a powerful symbol of society’s expectation about the future – a future of fast-moving, disruptive technology that is shifting the terrain not only in business, but also in politics and culture. New York Times
This broader idea behind corporate responsibility is that senior management has a commitment to the welfare of their stakeholders beyond creditors and shareholders, specifically to employees, suppliers, and to the community. We all want to work for great and fair organizations. As more power shifts to employees and to contractors, we have more options for …
What’s your customer’s or employer’s business and work model? It may follow the Handy/Hutchins model or be some variation. Critical questions to ask your employer or customer are: Are you or your process part of your organization’s inner, middle, or outer rings. If your process is not part of the organizational core, then what’s the …