The Find: Got a complex business problem? Of course you have to run the numbers, but one author argues that you should also sit down with a pen and paper and spend some time doodling. The Source: An interview conducted by venture capitalist Guy Kawasaki with Dan...
Most managers believe that relentless execution--the efficient, timely production and delivery of offerings--is vital to corporate performance. Execution-as-efficiency is important. But focusing too narrowly on it can prevent your company from adapting effectively to change. ...
Idea Champions recently conducted a poll to discover which catalysts spurred its clients' brightest ideas. While many of them involved solitary activities or reflection, two of the top five -- brainstorming with others and collaborating with a partner -- reveal the power of team ideation in sparking creativity. A third...
You know the guy on your team who's always pushing back against unusual ideas? The gloom-and-doomer who's convinced that if it's different, it must be wrong? Could be he's just afraid of not succeeding at a new endeavor. Here's some food for thought to convince him that...
How can you condemn cheating in a game where the players are expected to "steal" bases? David Jacobson has done a remarkable job in researching and writing this week's business of baseball feature package, talking about salaries, the revenue sharing model and the MLB's legally sanctioned monopoly...
What happens when you want to introduce change in your business? Let's look at a typical example. In many companies, a big change is discussed in meetings and memos for weeks or months by the top team. They eventually reach a decision, prepare a presentation and call all the staff...
For a bit more Friday fun in the teamwork theme, check out another "mission" perpetrated by those rascals at Improv Everywhere. It's two fabulous! by CC Holland
If you don't delegate, you won't actually kick the bucket. But there are times when doing it all by yourself makes you feel like you're ready for an early grave, right? It that sounds like you, executive coach Leila Bulling Towne has some advice on how to hand off and...
Allow me to go on a rant today. As a journalist, I've been following with a combination of interest and dread the new trend of outsourcing copy editing to India. It's a cost-cutting measure, of course. But it's the most patently idiotic thing I've heard in ages. ...
Managers who manage their time well not only get more accomplished, but they also set the tone for employees to be more proactive about their own schedules. Melissa Raffoni, author of the Harvard Business Review article "Are You Spending Your Time the Right Way?", shares techniques that will help you...
Too often, participants in performance appraisal meetings seem awkward and uncomfortable. To some extent, that's unavoidable - it's always a bit awkward for one person to deliver a formal assessment of the quality of work performed by another. But following some simple suggestions can eliminate a lot of the awkwardness...
You know what we do at BNET: provide information, advice and insight -- plus a little entertainment -- to you, the redoubtable manager battling every day to make your team, your organization and yourself more successful. We hope we've been useful to you. Judging by our growing...
A New York magazine article about a public scene-making collective called Improv Everywhere had me applauding the chutzpah and the sheer team-leading genius that allows groups of people in New York City to work together seamlessly to create unusual (and in some cases, awe-inspiring) public performance pieces. Here's a...
Globalization is reshaping our modes of thinking and ways of behaving and fostering national cultural changes in many societies. In the age of globalization national cultures, regional cultures, organizational cultures, and so on do not seem to only collide with each other; they are inspiring each other, learning from each...
Whether you're the CEO, a middle manager, or the guy doing data entry in a windowless cube, when the economy is bad, work sucks. But does it have to? Over the last two months, I've been investigating what happens during a downturn to make everyone's job harder. ...
An interesting conundrum came up recently in Randy Cohen's column, The Ethicist, that bears on our post Tuesday regarding the role of human resources in workplace ethics. In the wake of the recent California Supreme Court Ruling that recognized the right of same-sex couples to marry, a reader writes into...
If your team has just made a royal mess of something, the last thing you probably want to do is throw a party. But approaching disaster with a sense of humor can do more to restore your team's confidence than a stern lecture or a freak-out fit. ...
Many corporations invest in so-called "team building" video productions to fan the flames of employee enthusiasm. Some are good. Some are bad. And some -- well, some are Ernst & Young. As one Web-industry pundit put it, "This is either the best SNL sketch or worst corporate video ever...
Think the venerated Robert's Rules of Order are the last word for running meetings? If you're not satisfied that you're getting everyone on the same page, maybe it's time to ditch parliamentary procedure and try a different approach. Lawrence Susskind, who wrote "Breaking Roberts Rules," says parliamentary...
A friend of mine is having a problem with a member of his team. This employee (we'll call him Ned) is an hourly worker who has been fudging his time sheets while arriving late and leaving early. He isn't getting his work done by the required deadlines,...
