What Can American Idol Teach You About Business?
Well, folks, as luck and ratings would have it, it's time for yet another season of that train wreck of reality TV, American Idol; the show that attempts to separate the talented from the terrible and brings them all into your living room each week for you to enjoy. Get ready to call in and cast your vote for who should be applauded and who should be muzzled. How fortunate we are to be living in a time when we can judge our fellow man via text message. And don't forget your judges, ladies and gentlemen, the flaky Paula Abdul, the canine-obsessed Randy Jackson (somebody get this guy a dog), and the perpetually nasty, Simon Cowell;
How Do You Keep Your Best Employees From Flying the Coup?
Before becoming a full time entrepreneur (or ontamanure, as my daughter calls me) I worked my share of jobs and had my share of bosses. Some of the jobs I enjoyed, some I did not. The same is true for the bosses. Some were decent folks who treated me with the same respect I gave them while others would have been better suited running a concentration camp. I shouldn't complain, though, because it was the worst boss I ever had who ultimately motivated me to start my own business as a way of escaping the shackles of employment. In a previous column I talked about how the management style (and personality) of the person in charge plays a big part in the employee turnover rate.
Learn to Avoid Ugly Baby Syndrome
Last week we talked about creating a "Startup Plan" for your new business idea. To catch you up, a Startup Plan is a detailed list of tasks and subtasks that must be completed in order to get you from the initial idea stage to opening day and beyond. Starting a new business without a Startup Plan is like traveling a winding road at high speeds with a blindfold on: it's exciting for a mile or two, but you will quickly slam into an assortment of unforeseen obstacles without ever reaching your final destination. Even if you survive the ride, you'll always regret the journey. The very first step on any Startup Plan should be to conduct market research to validate your idea.
Expert Strategies For Hiring the Best Employees
A few years ago I wrote a column in which I compared managing employees to herding cats: just when you think you have everyone organized in a happy little group and going in the same direction one cat breaks from the herd and heads off to do its own thing. Then another cat falls out of line, then another, then another. Finally two more cats ask to go home sick and three others just wander off after lunch, never to be heard from again. Do you think managing employees has gotten any easier since that column was written? Have cats gotten any more obedient? The truth is, managing employees is the easy part: attracting (or finding) qualified employees is the really hard part.
Management - The Hurry Sickness And Some Recommended Cures
Ever notice how the pace of business has sped up and intensified? How you're never able to catch up and feel on top of things? . That you constantly feel under stress and never relaxed? That work isn't as fulfilling as it once was? Well, living in a "pressure cooker" is no fun - even for the carrots and potatoes. The Hurry Sickness You've been there. Too much work, too many assignments, and deadlines that are too short. These pressures will ultimately take a toll on your happiness, and your physical and mental well-being, unless you can figure out a way to effectively deal with them. Perhaps you remember hearing that "balance in life" is most important;
Of Big Mac s, Economics, and Us
Economists deal with economic systems in both local and global environments. They work to predict the future and explain the past. The work economists do impacts all of us but, like many technological and academic disciplines it is difficult to explain their work in terms understandable to those who are not in their field. Seeking to make Exchange Rate Theory and the concept of Purchasing Power Parity digestible by comparing the buying power of world currencies "The Economist" magazine created an index listing the price of McDonald's Big Mac hamburger in U.S. dollars around the world. They picked this iconic sandwich as their common denominator because it is the same product all over the globe so the easily comparable price takes into account land values, construction costs, labor rates, energy costs, and the price of ingredients including, of course, that special sauce.
Yes Men and Leadership - You Don t Sing Along at the Opera Do You?
One thing every leader has to come to terms with is those in their inner circle who are nothing more than yes men. Why is this such an issue, well because if someone will not tell you what they think or allow you the insight to their observations, experience and knowledge and only go along with everything you say, then you are getting absolutely no value out of their extensive resumes. In that case one has to ask two questions; Why did you hire them in the first place? Why are you paying so much for this top talent? Let's face it you have put together a team to win, you are the leader and you need the strength of your team to get you through the challenges, the competition and the hiccup in the economy.
Retaining the New Employee
Keeping your talent is one of your main responsibilities as a manager... you are measured by your ability to handle this important function within the company. Losing people doesn't have to be inevitable even for positions that traditionally have large turnover. This is such a broad subject because each person has different needs within the work environment. So how do you as their manager satisfy all those needs in order to meet your business objectives? I hope you have followed strong recruiting methods and have located the right talent for the job. Now you want to incorporate your new team member quickly and most efficiently.
7 Steps For Dealing With a Procrastinating Manager
You've asked for the report three times already and it still hasn't materialized. You're reaching the end of your patience. What can you do (besides blowing a gasket) to move along a manager that is intent on procrastinating. Here are the 7 steps I find most useful: 1. Make sure it's them, not you... :) Sometimes a manager's 'procrastination' is actually just confusion, as a result of unclear instructions in the first place. Make sure when you're briefing your manager that they understand the issue clearly, and what you're expecting of them. Ask them to summarize the content of your discussion back to you and check they are on the same page.
Dramatic Rise in 2008 CPI Will Have Substantial Impact in Office Lease Costs in 2009
In February 2009 office tenants across the US will receive bills for the increase in the CPI from the last year, and monthly increase bills for one-twelfth of the anticipated increase for 2010. This is expected to be the largest increase in office rent in America in twenty years. Most office leases contain provisions allowing the landlord to increase annual rent costs to tenants based on the increase in the Consumer Price Index, or some index akin to the CPI. These adjustments usually occur in the first few months after the end of the year and come in the form of demand for payment in February or March.