What workers do on their sick leave days

 

APRIL 2, 2012 Monday More Men than Women Are Ashamed of Their Wages 26% of men but just 17% of women say their friends would feel badly for them if they knew how much money they really earned, according to a survey of 5,000 people by theFIT, a web site of recruiting-technology company Bullhorn. Not only are women less ashamed of their salaries, they also report working longer days and working more on vacation than men, and they're less likely to take a sick day under false pretenses, the survey says. Source: What Workers Really Do on Sick Days

Mentees, listen more, talk less

 

APRIL 3, 2012 Mentees, Make Listening Your First Priority It might be tempting to use your mentoring sessions to impress your mentor—someone who can potentially advance your career. But, most mentors are put off by protégés who do more self-promoting than learning. Listen to your mentor, show humility, and make it clear that you take the counsel seriously. When you get feedback, don't respond with, "Yes, I already knew that." Restate the advice in your own words to make sure you've got it right, and ask questions to clarify. Mentors will often test you by gauging how you respond to feedback; and the better you are at receiving it, the more of it you will get. Today's Management Tip was adapted from Guide to Getting the Mentoring You Need.

4 elements of an elevator pitch

 

APRIL 4, 2012 Wed

Use Your 118 Seconds Wisely

The average length of an elevator ride in New York City is 118 seconds. If you use that as a guide, it means you've got less than two minutes to deliver a winning elevator pitch for your amazing new idea—wherever you are. Start by grabbing your prospect's attention in the first few seconds. Convey who you are and describe what your business offers. Focus on what's in it for the person you're pitching. Be sure to describe exactly what separates you from everyone else that sells the same product or service. If you hook her in, you might get to continue the discussion when you arrive at her floor.

Today's Management Tip was adapted from "Why You Need a Better Elevator Pitch" by Jeffrey Hayzlett.

Pay cut is better than sacking job

 

APRIL 4, 2012 Wed

The Pay Cut: A Good Tool for Managing Bad CEOs

Corporations are increasingly likely to use pay cuts to respond to poor CEO performance, and for good reason: In a study of 927 instances of 25% pay cuts from 1994 to 2005, a team led by Huasheng Gao of Nanyang Technological University in Singapore found that companies' median stock return goes from minus 8% in the pay-cut year to plus 10% in the subsequent year, and return on assets improves as well. Corporations are twice as likely to impose sharp pay cuts as to dismiss poorly performing CEOs, the researchers say.

Source: CEO pay cuts and forced turnover: Their causes and consequences

Projects & pulse meetings

 

MAY 9, 2012 Use Pulse Meetings to Track Projects As a project manager, you need to actively monitor progress to keep your team on the right path. One way to do that is to hold short pulse meetings where team members share brief status updates on their activities. These can be held face-to-face or virtually. Limit the meetings to 10 minutes and discuss only the tasks started or finished since the last. If the team identifies any problems or risks, don't try to solve them then and there. Schedule a separate working session with the appropriate people to resolve the issue. Hold pulse meetings on a weekly basis unless your project is in crisis mode. Then, you'll need to take the pulse more often. Today's Management Tip was adapted from Guide to Project Management.

Time to review goals & need to drop a few !

 

MAY 8, 2012

Know When to Give Up on Your Goals

Setting goals and sticking to them is important. But you should also occasionally reevaluate your goals. Quitting isn't fun, but sometimes it's necessary. Here are two warning signs that it might be time to abandon your goal: Your goals have adverse consequences. If you've committed to going to the gym every morning but find that you're too tired to be productive the rest of the day, something needs to give. In these cases, adjust the goal itself or at least how you go about achieving it. Your goals impede other objectives. Most people have several goals — getting healthy, spending time with family, making more sales calls, etc. If one of your goals is preventing you from reaching another one, decide which is more important.

Today's Management Tip was adapted from "When to Give Up on Your Goals" by Dorie Clark.

To split CEO or not to . In M&A game

 

APRIL 9, 2012 Monday  Companies Do Worse If They Split the CEO and Chairman Roles Under Pressure Companies that bow to investor pressure and split the CEO and board-chair positions, rather than allowing the CEO to hold both jobs, tend to fare worse than comparable firms on a number of metrics, says a team led by Aiyesha Dey of the University of Minnesota. For example, companies that make this change under pressure are associated with returns on assets that are 1.8% lower than companies that switched without pressure and 3.4% lower than control firms, on average. The findings contradict the view that board-leadership structures are created to meet the self-serving needs of CEOs and that splitting the roles will lead to performance improvements, the authors say. Source: To split or not to split?

focus on problem. Not on your passion

 

APRIL 10, 2012 Tuesday  Focus on a Problem, Not Your Passion When it comes to careers, we're told to follow our passions. But you might find greater satisfaction if you work on big problems. Whether it's an issue in education, health care, climate change, poverty, or technology; figure out how you can contribute to a solution. Choose a problem that you care about — even personally — and let this dilemma be your compass. Get out of the office, meet people who are affected by the problem, and connect with those working in this area. Doing so shifts your attention from yourself to others. By becoming less focused on yourself, you might become happier with your work. Today's Management Tip was adapted from "To Find Happiness, Forget About Passion" by Oliver Segovia.

How to deal with harsh critics

 

APRIL 11, 2012 Wednesday,

Take Harsh Criticism in Stride

Whether it's an office rival or a well-intended colleague, someone will likely say something punitive or hurtful to you at some point in your career. When it happens, remember: Don't respond right away. Resist the temptation to snap back. There is no use in getting angry or creating a nasty paper trail. Take time to cool off and then reply cordially. Determine if you're overreacting. Ask yourself whether the comment was really that bad. Sometimes a thoughtful offer to help can seem like an insult. Forgive, but remember. Don't hold a grudge, but keep in mind that if you are ever asked for a reference about the person, you can give a frank answer.

Today's Management Tip was adapted from "How to Deal with Critics" by Dorie Clark.

Debt burden lifting - increases consumer sales

 

MAY 1, 2012 Tuesday  U.S. Consumers' Debt Burden Is Shrinking Writeoffs, foreclosures, and low interest rates have driven Americans' debt obligations down from 14% of disposable income in 2007 to 10.9% at the end of 2011, the lowest point since 1994, according to The New York Times. Consumers thus have more money to spend on other things. That may be one reason for the recent strength in retail sales, the newspaper says. Source: Debt Burden Lifting, Consumers Open Wallets a Crack

Marital Status & managerial attitude towards risk

 

APRIL 11, 2012 Wedneday  Single CEOs, Wishing to Seem Attractive, Take Bigger Risks Companies run by unmarried CEOs appear to invest more aggressively and take greater risks — their investment level is 10% higher, on average, and their stock-return volatility is 3% greater than that of other firms, say Nikolai L. Roussanov of The Wharton School and Pavel G. Savor of the University of Pennsylvania. The numbers are consistent with evidence that single men take on greater risk than their married peers in hopes of being more attractive to potential mates, the researchers say. Source: Status, Marriage, and Managers' Attitudes To Risk

Every employee is your brand ambassador !

 

MAY 1, 2012 Turn Your Employees into Company Advocates Loyal, passionate employees benefit a company as much as dedicated customers. They stay longer, work more creatively, and go the extra mile. So how do you turn employees into advocates for your company and its work? Throw out the annual employee survey. They're unwieldy and unreliable. Survey employees often, but just ask a few simple questions. Try: How likely would you be to recommend this company to a friend as a place to work? How likely would you be to recommend the company's products or services to a potential customer? Give employees unfiltered customer feedback. When frontline employees hear directly from customers they respond. Positive feedback inspires them to keep up the good work. Criticism often motivates them to improve their performance. Today's Management Tip was adapted from "Transform Your Employees into Passionate Advocates" by Rob Markey.

younger peeps use more medicines in US

 

APRIL 17, 2012 Drug Prescriptions Rise for the Young, Fall for the Old New health-care guidelines allowing young people to remain on their parents' insurance until age 26 are the reason behind a 2% rise in prescriptions for young adults in the U.S. between 2010 and 2011, according to a New York Times report on a study by the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics. At the other end of the age scale, prescriptions for patients 65 and older declined by 3.1%, apparently because seniors were rationing their care in the face of rising costs and fixed incomes. Source: Americans Cutting Back on Drugs and Doctor Visits

Taking feedback

 

APRIL 18, 2012 Wednesday

Keep Your Cool When Getting Feedback

No one likes to hear that they aren't performing well. Yet, everyone can improve. Next time you receive constructive feedback, do these three things: Relax. It's understandable to be nervous during a feedback session. The other person holds all the power. Accept this imbalance and be easy on yourself. Expect to be surprised. You're likely to hear something that you weren't aware of. Perhaps something was a bigger deal than you thought, or something you thought was resolved wasn't. Don't be defensive. Even if you disagree, hold your tongue. Instead of defending yourself, ask questions. Once you've cooled down, you can always follow up.

Today's Management Tip was adapted from "How to Keep Your Cool During a Performance Review" by Robert M. Galford.

mental health recovery of people who lost jobs

 

APRIL 18, 2012

A Person's Mental Health Gradually Improves in the Weeks After a Layoff

The mental health of people who are unemployed takes a hit at first but gradually improves over 10 to 12 weeks, according to a team led by Connie R. Wanberg of the University of Minnesota. After that, it drops slightly if rejections continue to pile up. 72% of the 177 participants in the study found employment within the 20-week span of the research.

Source: Study of unemployed job-seekers yields new evidence of how success resides within individuals themselves

Young consumers switch media 27 times in a hours

 

APRIL 20, 2012 Friday

Younger Consumers Constantly Switch Sources When Using Media

When they're reading online articles or consuming other types of media products, people in their twenties tend to switch from source to source much more often than older people do, according to an Advertising Age report of recent research. The digital natives in the study switched "media venues" about 27 times per nonworking hour, compared with just 17 times for people who grew up reading articles on newsprint and using knobs to change channels. Consumers' media hopping undermines the value of the traditional storytelling structure of beginning-middle-end, the study suggests.

Source: Study: Young Consumers Switch Media 27 Times An Hour

getting the mentoring you need

 

APRIL 23, 2012 Monday End a Mentoring Relationship Before It Dies It's easy for a mentoring relationship to outlive its worth. You get into a groove, you enjoy the stimulating conversations, and you're learning. But sometimes you have to move on to move up. Set goals and assess whether you have achieved them. Once you have, it might be time to find a new mentor to help you with your next set of challenges. Thank your mentor for all her help and ask permission to use her as a reference when you're scouting for the next one. Keep in touch with your past mentors even after the relationships officially end. Today's Management Tip was adapted from Guide to Getting the Mentoring You Need.

Feeback to high performers & star employees

 

APRIL 24, 2012 Tuesday

Even High Performers Need Feedback

Some managers assume their star employees don't need feedback. They're clearly doing a good job and they don't need to improve, right? Wrong. Even your top performers need input to stay engaged, focused, and motivated. Frequently give your stars both positive and negative feedback. Tell them how much you appreciate their good work. Identify and share development areas, even if there are only a few. Talk with your stars about how they might achieve the next level of performance. And, don't miss the opportunity to solicit input on how you are doing as a manager. Ask questions such as "How can I help you improve?" or "What can our organization do to support your great work?"

Today's Management Tip was adapted from Guide to Giving Effective Feedback.

Role clarity in USA Govt jobs

 

	APRIL 27, 2012 Friday The Cure for Workplace Misery: A Manager Who Cares About Your Development 60% of U.S. government employees studied by Gallup say they don't clearly know what's expected of them at work. That's because a lot of government workers are stuck with lousy managers, according to Jim Clifton, Gallup's CEO. If an organization hires managers who care about employees' development, workplace misery magically disappears, Clifton says. Source: What Makes Workplaces Miserable

Executive compensation , USA Vs China

 

APRIL 30, 2012 Top U.S. Execs Earn 17 Times What Their Counterparts Make in China The average combined salary and bonus for top corporate executives in the U.S. is about 17 times higher than the comparable figure for China, say Martin J. Conyon of Lancaster University and The Wharton School and Lerong He of SUNY Brockport. If equity-based pay such as stock options is included, the multiple jumps to 42 times. One possible explanation: There is a more active market for superstar senior executives in the U.S., the authors say. Source: Executive compensation and corporate governance in China

Frenemies at the work place

 

MAY 4, 2012 Monday  How to Reach Your Enemy Having enemies in the workplace is often destructive. Ideally you should try to work with your rival instead of against him. But if your collaborative efforts fail, try one of these strategies instead: Find a common ally. Seek a third party whom your enemy trusts. A common ally may convince him of the benefits of working with you. Wait for the right time. Sometimes people need time and space before they can see your side. Put off communication until the right opportunity presents itself. Recognize when to go elsewhere. The effort of converting a rival is sometimes so great that you're better off focusing your energy on another relationship. Today's Management Tip was adapted from "Make Your Enemies Your Allies" by Brian Uzzi and Shannon Dunlap.

Pause - the best part of speech

 

MAY 7, 2012

Use the Power of Pause When Speaking

Whenever effective public speakers end a sentence or phrase, they usually pause. This gives listeners time to absorb their words. Nervous presenters often do the opposite: The stress of being in front of an audience causes them to speak faster and faster, rushing past the pauses. Whether you're speaking to a large group of strangers or a small room full of colleagues, give your audience a moment to take in your information. Create a pause by dropping your voice at the ends of your phrases instead of raising it, which avoids the dreaded "Valley Girl" effect. Concentrate on dropping your voice and you'll not only sound more authoritative, but you'll add those essential pauses.

Today's Management Tip was adapted from "When Presenting, Remember to Pause" by Jerry Weissman.

Low skills Muslims earnings in Europe & USA post 9 / 11

 

	MAY 10, 2012 Thursday  Muslims' Earnings Suffered After 9/11, Even in Europe After the September 11 terrorist attacks, the earnings of low-skilled Muslims in Germany fell 6% relative to the pay of similarly employed non-Muslims, say Thomas Cornelissen of University College London and Uwe Jirjahn of the University of Trier in Germany. Their study of data through 2004 shows that skilled Muslims' wages were unaffected, however. Prior research has shown that 9/11 was associated with a 9% to 11% decline in relative earnings of Arab men in the U.S. Source: September 11th and the earnings of Muslims in Germany—The moderating role of education and firm size #earningsurvey #socialresearch

Mexico , highest Coke drinkers

 

JULY 31, 2012 Tuesday

Mexico Is Tops in Per-Capita Drinking of Coca-Cola Products

At 728 eight-ounce servings per person in 2011, Mexico leads the world in per-capita consumption of beverages made by the Coca-Cola Company, according to the Wall Street Journal. The U.S. was in second place at 403, followed by Spain (287) and Germany (190). Coke beverages are unavailable in only two countries: North Korea and Cuba. #business #businessstats #marketresearch

Source: Coca-Cola's Currency Is Its Resilience

unattainable role models are threatening

 

AUGUST 6, 2012 Monday

Why a Female Scientist in a Pink Dress Is No Hero to Girls

Adolescent girls' plans for taking college math drop if they're shown feminine-looking women excelling in technological fields. After 11- to 13-year-old girls heard about women who were successful in science and wore dark-colored clothing, their expectations of taking math averaged 5.57 on a 1-to-7 scale, say Diana Betz and Denise Sekaquaptewa of the University of Michigan. But when girls learned about science-achieving women who wore makeup and pink clothes, their expectations of taking math fell to 4.04. Feminine-looking scientists may seem a rare breed to gender-stereotyping adolescents, and past research suggests that unattainable role models aren't inspiring, they're threatening. #psychology #socialresearch

Source: My Fair Physicist? Feminine Math and Science Role Models Demotivate Young Girls

USA and TV Cable TV cord cutting

 

AUGUST 9, 2012

Are Americans Ready to Cut the Cord on Cable TV?

The U.S. cable TV industry lost more than 400,000 subscribers in the second quarter of 2012, according to a Sanford C. Bernstein estimate reported in the Wall Street Journal. The figures are fueling speculation that American homes are "cutting the cord" on cable TV in favor of free or cheap alternatives such as services from Amazon, Netflix, and YouTube. #businessresearch #consumerbehaviour

Source: Evidence Grows on TV Cord Cutting

East Germans hold strong egalitarian views

 

SEPTEMBER 18, 2012 Ex-East Germans Retain Strong Egalitarian Views on Gender Roles People from the former East Germany are 28 percentage points more likely than former West Germans to believe that it's good for children to have working mothers, and 22 percentage points more likely to disagree that wives should stay home, say Stefan Bauernschuster and Helmut Rainer of the University of Munich. The findings show that decades after reunification, socialism-inspired attitudes about sex roles strongly persist among former East Germans and that the gap in egalitarian beliefs between East and West has only widened, the researchers say. #genderroles #genderissues #socialresearch #communism Source: Political regimes and the family: how sex-role attitudes continue to differ in reunified Germany

Preparation for presentation

 

DECEMBER 11, 2012 Tuesday

Before a Big Presentation, Brainstorm

A big presentation is only as good as the message it delivers. Once you know what you want that message to be, you need to create the right supporting content to reinforce it. Start by sitting alone with a blank piece of paper. After you've done some initial brainstorming on your own, bring together a group to help clarify your argument. Encourage them to put half-baked or embarrassing ideas out there. Treat every idea as valuable. Have someone facilitate and record the ideas so the discussion can move quickly. If it slows down, people will start to question and censor themselves. Take the seeds of ideas that came from the rapid-fire group session and then do another round of quiet brainstorming on your own to further hone ideas.   #presentationskills

Today's Management Tip was adapted from the HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations.

online customer feedback

 

MAY 11, 2012 Friday  Respond Thoughtfully to Online Customer Feedback Whether you're a small company or a Fortune 500, customer feedback matters. But it can be tough to navigate online feedback. Which reviews are valuable and which are unreliable? Consider the following when dealing with the negative ones: Seek a solution. Post a response and offer a way to turn the situation around. Always extend an olive branch if you can. Don't treat all comments equally. Anonymous reviews should never receive the same attention as authored comments. Invite comments. If you're open to hearing input, you're more likely to hear positive things. Create forums for discussions about products or services, allow customers to post video testimonials, and keep social media lines open.  #customerservice #customerexperience #feedback #customerfeedback #onlinefeedback Today's Management Tip was adapted from "What Angie's List Knows About Customer Reviews" by Angie Hicks.

Most stressful & least stressful jobs pay the same . Unfair, huh ?

 

APRIL 24, 2012 Tuesday

Jobs That Are Highest and Lowest in Stress Pay About the Same

The least and most stressful jobs in the U.S. pay almost the same wages, according to an annual rating by jobs site CareerCast. The least stressful is medical records technician, for which you stand to earn $32,350 on average for maintaining data that's used in treatment, billing, and statistical surveys. The most stressful is enlisted soldier, which pays an average of $35,580 for tasks ranging from fighting wars to serving food.

Source: The 10 Least Stressful Jobs of 2012

Voluntary consumer choice to eat less

 

APRIL 25, 2012 Wednesday One Way to Get Consumers to Eat Less: Offer Smaller Portions Up to 33% of people ordering at a fast-food Chinese-style restaurant in the U.S. accepted an explicit offer to be served smaller portions of starchy side dishes, according to a team led by Janet Schwartz of Tulane University. Those who accepted the smaller portions didn't compensate by ordering higher-calorie entrees. Activating consumers' self-control in this way was more effective in reducing diners' intake than mandated calorie labeling, the researchers say. Source: Inviting Consumers To Downsize Fast-Food Portions Significantly Reduces Calorie Consumption

working with colleagues u dislike !

 

APRIL 26, 2012 3 Ways to Handle a Colleague You Dislike Working with a difficult person can be distracting and draining. Next time a colleague irritates you to no end, try these three things: Manage your reaction.  If someone annoys you, don't focus on his behavior. Focus on how you react, which is usually the only thing you can control. Keep it to yourself.  Emotions are contagious, so complaining about a co-worker can bring everyone down. And it can reflect negatively on you. If you must vent, do it outside the office. Work together. It's counterintuitive, but by spending more time together you may develop empathy for your colleague. You might discover reasons for his behavior: stress at home, pressure from his boss, etc. Today's Management Tip was adapted from "How to Work with Someone You Hate" by Amy Gallo.

A rise in retractions prompts calls for reform

 

APRIL 26, 2012 Science-Journal Retractions Rise Tenfold in a Decade The number of retraction notices published annually in Thomson Reuters' online database of scientific papers rose from about 30 in the early 2000s to more than 400 in 2011, while the volume of publications rose by only 44%, according to a Nature article reported in The New York Times. Science may have become a winner-take-all game that encourages researchers to cut corners, says Arturo Casadevall of Albert Einstein College of Medicine, editor in chief of the journal mBio. Source: A Sharp Rise in Retractions Prompts Calls for Reform

3 tips for introverts to network

 

APRIL 27, 2012 Friday Introverts: Network in Your Own Way Networking is essential to thriving in business. But if you're an introvert with a natural aversion to groups and talking with strangers, what can you do? Try these things: Focus on individuals. Group interactions can drain introverts. Spend your networking time having one-on-one conversations. Rethink how you reach out. Introverts often hesitate to introduce themselves, but social media makes it easier. Reach out via LinkedIn, Twitter, and even Facebook to people before events. This pre-introduction may put you at ease. Re-energize. Take time between networking events to recharge. Take a walk or find 30 minutes alone. Today's Management Tip was adapted from "An Introvert's Guide to Networking" by Lisa Petrilli.

Elevator pitch

 

APRIL 30, 2012 Monday  Perfect Your Pitch Elevator pitches aren't just for start-ups. They are helpful in job interviews, networking events, presentations, or any time you need to quickly explain your case. Instead of stumbling when asked, "What does your company do?" prepare an effective pitch that outlines win-win goals and launches a deeper relationship. Grab the listeners' attention with a smart hook, and then convince them of the mutual benefits you could provide.  End by suggesting a follow-up and converting a chance meeting into an opportunity. Speak in terms your audience can relate to. And communicate with the passion that comes from knowing that this opportunity may never come again. Today's Management Tip was adapted from Guide to Persuasive Presentations.