Management Diary The Quintessential Survival Guide in the Corporate Quagmire!

Management Diary


The Ultimate Reference For Managers And Wannabe's

Focus On the Prize


People talk to me about making personal and professional changes in their life. I hear comments about how hard they think it will be, concerns about their ability to be successful, pressure on themselves to produce results, etc.

Squeezing the Blood Out of that Old Turnip


I suspect all of you out there have someone that you rely on for insight and perspective - that wise old mentor that seems to have an unlimited depth of experience to draw from in helping you navigate life's little challenges. You know, those little parables and anecdotal tales that always relate perfectly that very problem you're trying to solve.

Effective Meetings - Quick Survey


Here's an easy quiz to check the health of your meetings. 1) Who leads your meetings? a) No one, b) Everyone, c) A facilitator 2) What happens to the ideas in your meetings? a) If we had to think of ideas, it would be work, b) We make fun of them, c) A scribe writes them on a chart pad 3) Are results obtained in your meetings? a) We eat all the donuts, b) And we drink all of the coffee, c) Yes! 4) Do your meetings have an agenda? a) Is that some kind of cabinet?, b) I saw one once in an article, c) Yes! 5) Who attends your meetings? a) We have bleachers to hold the spectators, b) The entire staff plus any homeless people in the neighborhood, c) Only those who can contribute 6) How long are your meetings? a) I'll let you know when this one ends, b) All day, c) An hour or less 7) During a meeting do you: a) Break a foam cup into bits, b) Prepare for the next meeting, c) Focus on the topic 8) How soon after the meeting do you issue minutes? a) If you think I want to publicize how much time we wasted, you're nuts, b) Within a few months or so, c) As soon as possible, if not faster 9) While someone is speaking, do you: a) Wonder about the strength of plastic foams, b) Plan a way to change the subject, c) Listen empathetically 10) What structured activities do you use in your meetings? a) We sit on chairs, b) Everyone leaves at the same time, c) Process tools designed to gather information, make decisions, and manage participation.

Best Practices Plan: Dissemination of a Great Idea


Good news spreads quickly News of the invention of the wheel must have traveled in every direction as quickly as horse or camel could run. Those who learned of its advantages over the litter and the sledge adopted it right away.

Toxic Bosses


What's everyone's favorite topic around the water cooler? Bad bosses! You know, the ones who make life in the office unbearable? Here are some of the more common varieties you'll find. 1.

The Boss Didn?t Understand Why His Staff Wasn?t Reading His Mind


Many people believe that everyone sees the world exactly the same way as they do. This is never true and was the source of much turmoil in Dr.

Make Change Easy - Get Involved!


There are wild variances in how much involvement organisations are brave enough to offer their people in change. From those organisations where they just 'tell' (sometimes by text message even!), to the most enlightened extreme, where they enable wholesale contribution to the change process.

How to Overcome Your Fear of Firing


OVERCOMING FEAR OF FIRING "It was obvious that this employee could not relate well to clients. But I could not bring myself to fire him.

Recognition: A Quick, Low-cost Way to Motivate Employees


Recognizing good performance through praise or other positive action is one of the simplest and most cost-effective ways to motivate people. It provides three major benefits:
  • It lets people know that their performance was valued, and increases the likelihood that they will continue to perform well.

    Innovation Management ? Raw brainpower versus experience


    Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation. There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be defined as consisting of a number of ideas, a number of diverse ideas and a number of novel ideas.

    Management Diary Articles - See index below:
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    MORE RESOURCES:

    Obama planning new package of economic aid (AP)

    President Barack Obama reports on the economy as the latest unemployment figures are released,  Friday, Sept. 3, 2010, in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington.  (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)AP - Eager to jumpstart the economy ahead of crucial midterm elections, President Barack Obama said Friday he intends to unveil a new package of proposals, likely including tax cuts and targeted spending, to spark job growth.



  • Obama promises more stimulus as unemployment edges up (AFP)

    US President Barack Obama speaks on the economy in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, DC. Obama said better-than-expected jobs data released Friday was positive, but said it was not good enough as the economy struggles out of the deepest slump in decades.(AFP/Saul Loeb)AFP - President Barack Obama promised a fresh slew of measures to boost the ailing US economy Friday after fresh data showed unemployment was again on the rise.



    Companies add 67K workers, but jobless rate rises (AP)

    In this Aug. 25, 2010 photograph, job seekers including Pat Mosher, third from left, fill out registration forms to attend a job fair in Southfield, Mich. On Friday, Sept. 3, 2010, at 8:30 a.m. EDT, the Labor Department issues the August unemployment report. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)AP - Private employers hired more workers over the past three months than first thought, a glimmer of hope for the weak economy ahead of the Labor Day weekend. But the unemployment rate rose because not enough jobs were created to absorb the growing number of people looking for work.



    Payrolls data offer ray of hope for recovery (Reuters)

    People wait in line to enter the City University of New York (CUNY) Big Apple job fair in New York, April 23, 2010. REUTERS/Shannon StapletonReuters - U.S. employment fell for a third straight month in August, but the drop was far less than expected and private hiring surprised on the upside, easing pressure on the Federal Reserve to prop up economic growth.



    A look at economic developments around the globe (AP)
    AP - A look at economic developments and activity in major stock markets around the world Friday:
    Obama says to address new economic ideas next week (Reuters)

    President Barack Obama delivers remarks on the latest employment statistics released on Friday, alongside Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner in the Rose Garden of the White House, September 3, 2010. REUTERS/Jason ReedReuters - President Barack Obama will outline new measures next week to boost the U.S. economy after August data on Friday showed again that jobs -- the central issue in November elections -- were being created too slowly.



    US services sector growth eases (AFP)

    The Institute of Supply Management(ISM) said its non-manufacturing index, based on surveys of purchasing and supply executives, fell to 51.5 -- the lowest level since January -- from 54.3 in July.(ISM)AFP - Growth of the key US services sector fell to its lowest level in eight months in August amid a weakening economic recovery, a survey report said Friday.



    Summary Box: Service sector growth slows in August (AP)
    AP - GROWTH SLOWING: The Institute for Supply Management said its service-sector index fell to 51.5 last month from 54.3 in July. The number indicates growth for the eighth consecutive month but it was the weakest pace since January.
    Service sector grows at slower pace in August (AP)

    In this July 30, 2010 photo, Rajni Gupta and her children Anooshka, 10, and Kiril, 7, leave Aeropostale after shopping for back-to-school clothes, in New York. The U.S. service sector, the nation's predominant job generator, expanded for the eighth straight month in August although the pace of growth slowed, according to a trade group survey. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)AP - The U.S. service sector, the nation's predominant job generator, expanded for the eighth straight month in August although the pace of growth slowed, according to a trade group survey.



    Broke youth anti-crime groups want federal cash (AP)

    In a Friday, June 4, 2010 photo, floor manager David Gonzalez, center, talks on the phone as Angel Delgado, foreground left, drink his soda while working at Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles. Organizations trying to prevent youngsters from joining gangs have been hit hard by the sour economy. Homeboy Industries, which employed ex-gang members as a way of keeping them off the street, had to fire more than 300 of its workers as donations and city subsidies plummeted. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)AP - A $1.6 billion congressional bailout of sorts could help financially flailing groups that fight to keep young people out of trouble, yet lawmakers are reluctant to take up the expensive proposal amid a sour economy and other, more pressing issues.



    Obama: jobs data 'positive' but not enough (AFP)

    US President Barack Obama(L), seen with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner in the Rose Garden at the White House, said better-than-expected jobs data released Friday was positive, but said it was not good enough as the economy struggles out of the deepest slump in decades.(AFP/File/Saul Loeb)AFP - US President Barack Obama said better-than-expected jobs data released Friday was positive, but said it was not good enough as the economy struggles out of the deepest slump in decades.



    Top Obama critic blasts 'job-killing' policies (AFP)

    House Minority Leader John Boehner, seen here in May 2010, said President Barack Obama should fire his top economic advisers and quit his AFP - President Barack Obama should fire his top economic advisers and quit his "job-killing" policies, the top House Republican said after US unemployment jumped to 9.6 percent in August.



    Campbell Soup profit beats Street but sales light (Reuters)

    Cans of vegetable Campbell's Condensed Soup are stocked on a shelf at a grocery store in Phoenix, Arizona, February 22, 2010. Campbell's Soup Co has been having a tough time getting its soups from the store shelf to the home pantry. REUTERS/Joshua LottReuters - Campbell Soup Co posted lower-than-expected quarterly sales and forecast sales growth for the new fiscal year below its long-term target as the world's largest soup company grapples with a weak economy.



    (AP)
    AP - Obama calls anew for Congress to pass legislation providing tax relief for small businesses.
    White House: August jobs report reassuring (Reuters)
    Reuters - The White House on Friday greeted a better than expected August employment report as reassuring news after a recent spate of "unsettling" economic data, and reiterated it was working with Congress to take additional steps to boost U.S. growth and hiring.
    Non-manufacturing sector slows in August: ISM (Reuters)
    Reuters - The U.S. non-manufacturing sector grew in August for an eighth straight month but at a slower pace than July and at a rate that was below expectations, according to an industry report released on Friday.
    Oil prices stage gentle rebound after US payrolls (AFP)

    Oil prices firmed on Friday as traders examined a better-than-expected payrolls report in the United States, the world's leading energy consumer.(AFP/DDP/File/Norbert Millauer)AFP - Oil prices firmed on Friday as traders examined a better-than-expected payrolls report in the United States, the world's leading energy consumer.



    Instant View: Payrolls fall by 54K, less than expected (Reuters)
    Reuters - U.S. employment fell for a third straight month in August, but the decline was far less than expected and private payrolls growth surprised on the upside, easing pressure on the Federal Reserve to prop up growth.
    Service sector spotlight shines on Germany, China (Reuters)
    Reuters - Global service sector surveys highlighted a growing divergence in economic recovery on Friday with a pick up in growth in China and Germany but slowdowns in Britain and Spain and an expected deceleration in the United States.
    Obama to comment Friday on jobless report (AP)
    AP - President Barack Obama will speak to reporters Friday after the Labor Department releases its monthly jobless report.
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