There are 3 things I want to tell you ...

 

JUNE 19, 2012 Tue Use Three-Part Lists to Communicate Lists of three are an old trick of effective persuasion. They distill any message into key takeaways. These lists work because most people can remember three things, and three of anything sufficiently provides proof of a pattern. Next time you need to deliver an important message, divide it into three parts. You can openly announce your three-part list, as in "There are three things we need to do to get our bottom line back into the black," or it can be more subtle, as in "We have the best product on the market. We have the best team. Yet we did not make the sales target." Today's Management Tip was adapted from "Learning Charisma" by John Antonakis, Marika Fenley, and Sue Liechti.

Commuting stresses more women than men

 

JUNE 19, 2012 Tue Commuting Stresses Women More than Men The stress of commuting is 4 times greater for women with preschool-age kids than for men with children of that age, according to a team led by Jennifer Roberts of the University of Sheffield in the UK.  In general, women tend to be more distressed than men by time wasted getting to and from work, all the more so if errands such as food shopping are added to the women's trips. Women who are unaffected by the daily commute fall into three categories:  ( a ) single with no children, ( b ) able to work flexible hours, and (c )  reliant on partners who are responsible for the bulk of child care. Source: Commuting Stresses More Women Than Men

setting sales targets based on last year . Good ? Bad ?

 

JUNE 20, 2012 Wed For This Year's Budget, Don't Rely on Last Year's Numbers When developing a budget for the coming year, the previous year's numbers loom large. Even if you challenge every assumption and explore every figure, you're likely to come up with numbers that only slightly vary from the last year. That's because those numbers anchor you, unduly influencing you. Instead of being tied to history and convention, come up with another anchor, one based on a different set of facts. Define a set of non-historical criteria. Look for objective competitor data, such as headcount or other benchmarking. Then, build a model based on these criteria. Ask: if we didn't know how we performed this year, but only relied on these objective criteria, what targets would we set? Use that model's output to challenge the status quo. Today's Management Tip was adapted from "Re-Anchor Your Next Budget Meeting" by Dan Lovallo and Olivier Sibony.

pricing basics

 

JUNE 21, 2012 Thu Set Prices that Benefit Everyone Pricing shouldn't be used to extract the maximum value from every transaction. Customers can feel the squeeze from these practices and may even lash out. Instead, create shared value with customers by using the following pricing principles: Focus on relationships, not transactions. Use pricing to communicate that you value your customers as people, not as wallets. Put a premium on flexibility. Resist the urge to set rigid prices. There is no "right" price. Instead, design pricing so it can change in response to shifting consumer needs. Be fair. Make sure your prices meet customers' expectations and that the pricing process is clear. Be transparent about the rationale behind your prices. Today's Management Tip was adapted from "Pricing to Create Shared Value" by Marco Bertini and John T. Gourville.

Effects of exercise on women's earnings

 

JUNE 21, 2012 Thu

Women Get a Bigger Wage Boost from Exercise than Men

Frequent exercise boosts wages, but the increase is much more pronounced for women than for men, according to Vasilios D. Kosteas of Cleveland State University. Women who exercise frequently earn 11.9% more, on average, than women who don't—a premium that's approximately equal to the effect of 1.8 additional years' schooling. For men, the wage benefit of frequent exercise is 6.7%, equivalent to about 1.3 years more school, Kosteas says. The findings are consistent with the hypothesis that beauty and fitness matter more for women's wages than for men's.

Source: The Effect of Exercise on Earnings: Evidence from the NLSY

3 tips to get into your zone

 

JUNE 22, 2012 Friday

Get Into the Zone

Everyone aspires to get into "the zone," or the mental state where you do your best work. Next time you're trying to achieve peak performance, remember these three things: There is no zone for new activities. When you start a new task, you're not going to find flow. Getting in the zone requires activating the subconscious part of the brain, which is simply inaccessible when you are trying something for the first time. You need the right environment. Figure out the settings that facilitate your flow — be it a crowded coffee shop or a quiet library — and work in them whenever possible. Emotions are key. Being in the zone requires finding the feelings that allow your subconscious to take over. Music can help activate these emotions. Find songs, albums, or artists that put you in the right mood and block out distractions.

Today's Management Tip was adapted from "How to Get into Your Zone" by James Allworth.

biz networking

 Business Networking Tip .

" Be Yourself at Conferences ( with no titles or status )"

" Conferences can make even the most outgoing person nervous.

In such a socially intense environment, it's easy to have a mini identity crisis:

Who am I? Why would people want to talk to me?

Forget those worries and be yourself.

Resist the urge to drop a name or spout off your credentials, e.g., you have a fancy title or you've had work published.

Instead, get to know people as people, free of titles and status. Let them get to know you in the same way.

Sure, it's nerve-wracking to introduce yourself without immediately identifying your role.

But try asking open-ended questions and getting personal.For examples, sk your fellow conference attendee what she's enjoying about the conference, or even how far she traveled to get there.

Month of birth and children's health in India

 

JUNE 25, 2012 Monday  Children Born During the Monsoon Are Stunted and Sicker Poor children born during the monsoon in India are smaller and more sickly than children born in the fall and winter, say Michael Lokshin and Sergiy Radyakin of the World Bank. In a study of children up to the age of 3, the researchers say these infants and toddlers are 0.5 to 0.8 standard deviations less healthy—an effect comparable to what would happen in other poor countires if supplemental nutrition programs were taken away. The monsoon's heavy rains bring a multitude of diseases, the authors point out. Source: Month of Birth and Children's Health in India

To take up the job or not

 

JUNE 27, 2012 Wednesday,

Should You Take the Job?

Deciding whether to accept a job offer can, and should, be a difficult decision. Before you say "yes," evaluate the situation carefully: Shape the offer beforehand. During the interview, be clear on your expectations and desires about the job. This increases the likelihood that the offer includes what you want most. Do your research. Find out as much as you can about the organization, its future prospects, the culture, and your new co-workers. Think through your other prospects. You'll likely receive your first offer when other employers are still considering you for a position. Be realistic about what is likely to come down the line.

Today's Management Tip was adapted from "Accept the Job Offer or Walk Away?" by Amy Gallo.

Ways of Corporate Whistle blower

 

JUNE 27, 2012 Wednesday

Vast Majority of Whistleblowers Talk to the Company First

Of all employees who take action in response to their companies' perceived wrongdoing, just 2% first go outside the organization to report misconduct, according to a study by the Ethics Resource Center, a think tank. The rest try first to address the wrongdoing internally. While many companies deride whistleblowers as self-aggrandizing, employees typically go to the government or media only if the perceived violation is substantial and the company has been slow to respond.

Source: Just What Is a Whistleblower?

Creativity unlocking

 

JUNE 28, 2012 thu

Make Creativity a Habit

Creativity is an essential skill for navigating an increasingly complex world. And yet the path to innovative thinking can be surprisingly simple. To improve your own ingenuity, practice the following: Reduce stress, but not too much. Being overly relaxed won't get your creative juices flowing. Embrace an in-between emotional state, neither complacent nor stressed out. Get out of the office. Walk to work, take public transportation, wander about to see how real consumers behave and spend their time. If you never take the time to fill your creative well, you'll have nothing to contribute. Let your mind wander. Studies show that day dreaming stimulates a unique mental state. You'll connect dots in new ways when you allow your mind to roam.

Today's Management Tip was adapted from "Creativity Lessons from Charles Dickens and Steve Jobs" by Anne Kreamer.

Art of story telling and connecting

 

JUNE 29, 2012 Friday

Connect with Your Audience

Great speakers help listeners understand, relate to, and remember a message by telling stories and using analogies. Narratives make messages more engaging and help listeners connect with a speaker. Even if you're not a born storyteller, you can share personal stories that help illustrate your message and why it's important. By comparing your central point to a familiar image or experience you can immediately connect with your audience, conveying an entire experience in a few words.

Today's Management Tip was adapted from "Learning Charisma" by John Antonakis, Marika Fenley, and Sue Liechti.

Latinos as entrepreneurs in USA

 

JULY 02, 2012 Monday

U.S.-Born Are Half as Likely to Start Businesses as Immigrants

Native-born Americans are half as likely to start new businesses as immigrants, and among U.S. natives, whites are the only major demographic group to show a decline in its share of all new entrepreneurs from 1996-2011, according to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. The Latino share of new entrepreneurs during that period rose from a little more than 10% to 22.9%, reflecting increased entrepreneurship among the group as well as a growing share of the U.S. population. The Asian share of new entrepreneurs also rose substantially, but remains modest at 5.3%. The African American share increased slightly.

Source: New Business Startups Declined in 2011, Annual Kauffman Study Shows

Job scope for Law grads in USA

 

JUNE 29, 2012 Friday  More Law Grads Take Jobs That Don't Require Law Licenses Only 66% of the jobs landed by 2011 U.S. law-school graduates required a law license, the lowest rate since the National Association for Law Placement began tracking that metric in the 1980s, according to the Wall Street Journal. With the job market for lawyers showing increasing weakness, more than a dozen lawsuits have been filed in the U.S. in recent months accusing law schools of misleading prospective students by advertising that a high percentage of their graduates were employed, without specifying whether the jobs required a law degree, the Journal says. Source: With Profession Under Stress, Law Schools Cut Admissions

risk mitigation

 

	JULY 02, 2012 Monday  Encourage an Open Discussion of Risk You can monitor and control preventable risks — such as those resulting from employees' actions or breakdowns in routine operational processes — by setting rules and using standard compliance tools. But, rules often can't prevent strategic and external risks, neither of which you have much power over. To deal with these kinds of risks, encourage managers to openly discuss them. Use tools, such as maps of likelihood and impact and help team leaders envision risks through scenario planning. Then engage them in finding cost-effective ways to manage those potential risks that can't be avoided by regulation alone. Today's Management Tip was adapted from "Managing Risks: A New Framework" by Robert S. Kaplan and Anette Mikes.

Helping others will give U more time

 

SEPTEMBER 24, 2012 Monday  Out of Time? Give Some Away It's counterintuitive but true: Spending time helping others leaves you feeling as if you have more time, not less. Research shows that giving to others can make you feel more "time affluent" and less time-constrained than if you choose to waste your extra time or spend it on yourself. Next time you need a break from a busy day, don't do something mindless like surf the web. Sure, you might enjoy it, but it won't make you feel any less pressured. Instead, pick an activity that helps someone else: Bring your co-worker a cup of coffee or edit your daughter's school essay. What's even better is that duration doesn't matter. Whether you give away 10 minutes or an hour, you still end up feeling less constrained. Today's Management Tip was adapted from "You'll Feel Less Rushed If You Give Time Away" by Cassie Mogilner.

Leadership & Motivating

 

JULY 27, 2012 friday  Choose the Right Leadership Approach When you manage a team of people, adapt your leadership style to meet each person's needs. In general there are four types of approaches: directing, coaching, supporting, and delegating. Depending on the level of your employee's competence and commitment, choose which will work best. When your direct report is learning new skills, be directive. Define tasks clearly and check progress to make sure he's not faltering. Use periodic coaching when your employee is learning new skills but needs the freedom to make mistakes and learn from them. Be supportive, encouraging highly competent employees who lack confidence. With employees who are both highly motivated and experienced, delegate tasks. In all cases, your responsibility is to find the balance between hand-holding and empowering. Today's Management Tip was adapted from the Harvard ManageMentor Online Module: Leading and Motivating.

Conflicts in team work allocation

 

JULY 04, 2012 Wednesday

With Teams, Clarify Each Person's Skills

Team members don't need to see eye-to-eye on every issue. But unhealthy conflict can arise when teams misunderstand each others' skills – for example, when a team member is overlooked for a role he thinks he is most qualified to do. Here are three ways to prevent this sort of disagreement: Be aware of perceptions. Know that people will always hold varying opinions of each other's expertise. Being sensitive to this may help you avoid conflict. Communicate your rationale: When assigning a task or asking someone's advice, be explicit about why: "I'm asking for your input because of your knowledge of X." Explaining your thinking may keep people from feeling slighted. Encourage people to speak up: Tell people to ask questions when someone else gets an assignment they thought they were better suited for.

Today's Management Tip was adapted from "Manage Your Team's "Dissensus"" by Heidi K. Gardner.

Variably pay - effect on black & white employees

Friday 06 July 2012 

Whites Have Benefited More from Pay-for-Performance Jobs

The rise of "pay for performance" has fueled earnings inequality in the U.S. by boosting wages at the high end of the spectrum, but a close look shows that it has had a much bigger effect on whites than blacks, say John S. Heywood of the University of Wisconsin and Daniel Parent HEC Montreal. Whites earn 31% more when they take pay-for-performance jobs, but the differential for blacks is only 12%. The reasons may have to do with high-wage blacks' apparent preference for government jobs, which are less reliant on bonuses, the researchers suggest.

Source: Performance Pay and the White-Black Wage Gap

Hidden skills of your most reliable people

 

JULY 09, 2012 Monday

Take Care of Your Most Reliable People

Most people have someone they can count on when they need something done — and done right. But when you value someone's reliability, it's easy to overlook other strengths. Here are three ways to further develop your most dependable people: Keep track of assignments. Make sure that you're not loading them up with extra tasks just because you know that they'll do them. Reward them. Give them time to work on projects they value personally. The autonomy and appreciation strengthens their bond to the company and increases the chances they'll stick around. Watch them closely. You know you can take the hands-off approach with conscientious employees, but closely observing their work will give them a chance to display their strengths.

Today's Management Tip was adapted from "The Hidden Skills in Your Most Reliable People" by Art Markman.

Professionals Feel Unethical Behavior May Be a Necessary Evil and Have Knowledge of Workplace Misconduct

 

JULY 24, 2012 Tuesday  Many Financial Pros Feel Pressure to Compromise Ethics 30% of financial services professionals say their compensation or bonus plans create pressure to compromise ethical standards or violate the law, according to a survey in the U.S. and UK conducted for the law firm Labaton Sucharow. 22% of female respondents say they'd face retaliation if they reported wrongdoing in the workplace, compared with 12% percent of male respondents. Source: Professionals Feel Unethical Behavior May Be a Necessary Evil and Have Knowledge of Workplace Misconduct, According to Labaton Sucharow Survey

more men enter fields dominated by women

 

JUNE 7, 2012 Thu Men Are More Willing to Take "Pink-Collar" Jobs The proportion of registered nurses in Texas who are male rose from 8.4% to 10.5% between 2000 and 2010, a sign that men are encroaching on female-dominated occupations in the U.S., according to The New York Times. Jobs such as nursing and teaching offer financial stability and good quality of life, and now that gender stereotypes are eroding, men are more willing to enter what used to be known as "pink-collar" jobs. Source: More Men Enter Fields Dominated by Women

Presentation tips

 

JUNE 8, 2012 Friday

Show Your Audience Your Passion

In presentations, excitement is contagious. If people in the audience sense you care about something, they are more likely to care too. Here are three tactics for winning over your listeners: Use an animated voice. Vary the volume of your voice so your emotion comes through. Whisper at appropriate moments or rise to a crescendo to drive a point home. Match your facial expressions. The expression on your face reinforces your message. Listeners want to see — not just hear — your passion. Make eye contact and don't be afraid to smile or laugh, when appropriate and genuine. Make gestures. A fist can reinforce confidence and certitude. Waving a hand or pointing can help draw attention.

Today's Management Tip was adapted from "Learning Charisma" by John Antonakis, Marika Fenley, and Sue Liechti.

Company culture & business growth - start ups

 

JUNE 11, 2012 Monday  Grow Your Company Without Sacrificing Culture Every company wants to grow. But growth often brings some hiccups, especially when it comes to organizational culture. If you're growing fast, here are two ways to keep your culture intact: Spend a lot of time communicating. If people are unhappy, don't try to squelch their anger. Instead, identify the loudmouths. Spend time listening to them, not interjecting your own thoughts. That way, you can learn more and solve their gripes. Measure culture. It's tough, but not impossible. Use internal surveys or interviews to get a baseline. Find out why people enjoy working at your company and what they value. Use this information to monitor what matters most to your employees. Today's Management Tip was adapted from "How Start-Ups Can Maintain Company Culture While Growing" by Karen Rubin.

minimizing employee theft misbehavior

 

JUNE 13, 2012 Wednesday  Keep Your Employees Honest You can't anticipate every conflict of interest employees might encounter. But, you can increase the likeliness that employees act in the company's best interest if you provide clear guidelines. Try using the following tools: The Mission. A well-crafted mission statement serves as a "true north" for all employees to follow. Make sure all employees understand it. The Values. What values should guide your employee's behavior toward customers, suppliers, fellow employees, communities, and shareholders? Being clear about this can help employees avoid putting the company's reputation at risk. Culture. A strong corporate culture clarifies what is not allowed. Emphasize the codes of conduct relating to conflicts of interest, confidential information, bribery, discrimination, and harassment. Today's Management Tip was adapted from "Managing Risks: A New Framework" by Robert S. Kaplan and Anette Mikes.

Waitress Tips and Red dresses - correlation

 Psychology, Consumer Behaviour , Research . 

JUNE 20, 2012 Wednesday .

" To Get Bigger Tips, Waitresses Should Wear Red " 

Research Finding : 

Male diners give bigger and more frequent tips to waitresses wearing red T-shirts than to those wearing black, white, blue, green, or yellow T-shirts . 

 There's no such effect from female customers, however, a finding that aligns with research suggesting that red increases women's attractiveness to men. 

Place of Research : 

The study was conducted in France, where tips are generally included in the bill and additional tipping is considered optional. 

40.7% of male diners in the study provided additional tips to waitresses, compared with 33.1% of females. 

Underlying Reason ? 

Unconsciously, men want to be noticed by attractive waitresses, the researchers say.

Source: Clothing Color and Tipping: Gentlemen Patrons Give More Tips to Waitresses with Red Clothes

Research by :  Celine Jacob and Nicolas Gueguen of the University of Southern Brittany.

Courtesy : Harvard Business Review . 

Car owner selling psyche

 

JULY 09, 2012 Monday  Much-Loved Products Often Sell for Less, Not More It's usually assumed that a person who is attached to a possession will demand a premium when it's sold, but the opposite often happens. The number of car owners who would consider selling their car at a 15% discount increased by 46% if a prospective buyer professed an interest in restoring cars as opposed to stripping them, say Aaron Brough of Pepperdine University and Mathew Isaac of Seattle University. Greater attachment on the seller's part leads to greater sensitivity to the buyer's usage intentions. Source: Finding a Home for Products We Love: How Buyer Usage Intent Affects the Pricing of Used Goods

The Effect of Red Background Color on Willingness-to-Pay: The Moderating Role of Selling Mechanism

 

JULY 23, 2012 Monday  The Color Red Makes You Push for a Better Deal When people were shown online details about a vacation package against a blue background, their average "best offer" was $712, but it was $684 when the information was presented against a red background, say Rajesh Bagchi of Virginia Tech and Amar Cheema of the University of Virginia. The research participants were implicitly competing against the seller to get the best deal, and exposure to red induces greater aggression. Red has the opposite effect in auctions, where greater aggression makes people willing to pay more in order to best other bidders, the researchers say. Source: The Effect of Red Background Color on Willingness-to-Pay: The Moderating Role of Selling Mechanism

Stratetic importance of Devil's advocates , naysayers, critics

 

JULY 24, 2012 Tuesday

Don't Dismiss Critics of Change

Not everyone will be excited about change. People who resist are often perceived as inflexible obstacles to overcome . But don't think of them simply as barriers to success. While some people do undermine change efforts, it is shortsighted to think everyone will, or even want to. Try to understand why people are resistant. Ask what they are concerned about and listen to their criticism. Doing so may uncover valid concerns that need to be addressed. Put everyone's perspectives to use and make resisters a part of the solution

Today's Management Tip was adapted from the Harvard ManageMentor Online Module: Change Management.

DEI ,& LGBTQAI +

 

Thu 20 April 2023 

Be a Better Ally to Your LGBTQ+ Colleagues

Workplace discrimination and exclusion remain significant challenges for many workers who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ+). As a colleague, how can you move past performative allyship and toward the real thing? It requires three simple but powerful steps.

(1) Be accepting. 

Acceptance is the foundation of authentic allyship. Your language, demeanor, and behaviors need to demonstrate that you accept and validate LGBTQ+ individuals’ gender and/or sexual identities.

(2) Take action. 

Acceptance is insufficient without actions to back it up. Seek out opportunities to learn more about LGBTQ+ issues, both in your workplace and your broader community. And speak out against anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination, whether it takes the form of interpersonal bias (e.g., a coworker making an offensive comment) or systemic bias (e.g., a workplace dress code that discriminates against gender-queer individuals).

(3) Have humility. 

Listen more than you speak, and keep the focus off of yourself in discussions of LGBTQ+ issues. To develop a deeper humility, ask yourself: When issues of diversity and inclusion come up in the workplace, am I truly listening, or am I more interested in managing others’ impressions of me?

This tip is adapted from “Research: How to Be a Better Ally to the LGBTQ+ Community,” by Jacqueline M. Chen and Samantha Joel

Delivering unpleasant, difficult messages

 

Wed 26 April 2023

Gracefully Deliver a Difficult Decision to Your Team ! 

( unpleasant converssations ) 

It can be difficult to tell your employees about a tough decision that will negatively impact them. Whether you’ve decided to cancel a project or are conducting layoffs, here’s how to deliver tough news in an honest, respectful, and compassionate way.

(1)  First, don’t bury the lead. 

When you make the announcement, state the news clearly and at the top of your message. Obscuring or sugarcoating it will only make the experience more difficult for your team. 

(2) Next, after delivering the news, take a pause.

 Give your team a moment to digest what you just told them, and don’t ramble to fill the silence or avoid eye contact. 

(3) Then, take responsibility. 

You could say something like, “I know this is a lot to take in and comes as a shock to many. I will take a few minutes to explain how we came to this decision. I don’t expect you to agree with our conclusion. But I owe you an explanation of how we got here.” 

(4) Finally, take time to show empathy, acknowledging the impact of the decision and the emotions people might be feeling. 

Close with an invitation for both conversation and support.

This tip is adapted from “How to Communicate a Tough Decision to Your Team,” by Joseph Grenny