Business
Microsoft Office kills productivity (part 1)
The future of productivity In addition to my day job (as the CISO of a large multinational manufacturer), I do a tone of pro-bono work with startups. My goal is to share my knowledge and expertise and hopefully help these crazy entrepreneurs start something that becomes massively successful. Even though many of these startups are on the cutting edge of technology, most still rely on old productivity paradigms that have plagued us for the last 30 years. Microsoft Office kills productivity Reflect on your current productivity workflow.
Do honesty and integrity have place in today's workplace?
[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“1500”]Image by Marilyn Peddle used under creative commons license [/caption] Spend enough time working with board level executives and the question you will see the most often is "what defines a leader?" What are the qualities organizations should look for when choosing a leader or develop in their rising stars? The simple answer is that a leader must: Be a visionary Have integrity, honesty and values in line with the company Have the ability to motivate employees even when times are though Be a change agent (and create a culture where constant change is rewarded) Trust is job one A leader must quickly and without any doubt be trusted by his/her people.
Build an efficient self managing team
[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“400”]Image by Uitleg & tekst used under creative commons license [/caption] “Take chances, make mistakes. That’s how you grow. Pain nourishes your courage. You have to fail in order to practice being brave.” — Mary Tyler Moore “In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is.” — Yogi Berra “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” — Mahatma Gandhi What do these 3 quotes mean?
You just got laid off. Now what?
[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“2500”]Image by Keoni Cabral used under creative commons license [/caption] In most companies, layoffs are seen as an "easy" way to cut costs. The process for the terminated employee and HR is anything but easy. In this article I will be discussing what to do if you are laid off. The truth is that most employees that get laid off are caught off guard. Very few of them actually expected it and the immediate feeling most will experience is a feeling of losing control.
The era of title inflation is upon us
[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“2448”]Image by William Tun used under Creative Commons License [/caption] When creating a new position, my management team spends a lot of time thinking about the position, the responsibilities and expectations. We turn these thoughts into a clear and detailed job description and then at the very end tag it with an appropriate title. I firmly believe, job titles should accurately reflect your position, role and responsibilities. Titles have become important for most professionals as they convey your position during your career.
Monotasking is the new productivity hack
[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“1000”]Image by John Ragai used under Creative Commons License [/caption] I wrote an article called an end to multitasking in 2011 (Link). It explains why multitasking is actually bad for productivity. So you should stop multitasking.
David Allen : How To Hack Your To-Do List
David Allen is the master of masters when it comes to simple and efficient productivity hacks. His Getting Things done is the no questions asked ultimate reference to handling your day to day work overload properly and elegantly. Epipheo interviewed him about how to manage your to do list... It's also a 2 minute primer on GTD. Worth watching. Related Articles: The four truths about Getting Things Done (GTD) Tickle your way to better organization The Getting Things Done Workflow (GTD)
7 tips to make email more acceptable
[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“900”]Image by Rene Schwietzke used under Creative Commons License [/caption] The only thing that saps productivity out of an organization more than meetings (Link) is email. Has email ever helped you become more productive? Email has outlived its usefulness and has become the ugly drunk uncle no one wants to acknowledge or deal with. Assuming you have to live with email in the workplace, here are 7 tips to help make it a little more bearable: Start with the end in mind - Before writing your email, ask yourself what it is you want as an outcome to this email and decide if email is the right mechanism.
5 secrets for more efficient meetings
[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“640”]Image by Nguyen Hung Vu used under Creative Commons License [/caption] Everyone loves meetings... Right? Of course you do. Nothing is more enjoyable than meeting 6 other people to go through a 120 slide powerpoint presentation in a far flung conference room. Fun ... Fun ... Fun ... Joking aside, meetings are a necessary evil in the business world so productivity junkies are always testing new strategies to make them more effective. After 20+ years of searching, the core tenets for efficient meetings can be boiled down to a measly 5 bullets and have the main title of "
Google is Canada's most influential brand
Ipsos Reid has released their "Top 10 most influential brands in Canada" list (link) . The survey was conducted in December and polled 5008 Canadians. Ipsos Reid used their mathematics magic to massage the results which they claim are +/- 1.6%, 19 times out of 20. The top 10 most influential brands in Canada are: Google Facebook Microsoft Apple Visa Tim Hortons YouTube President's Choice *NEW in 2013* Walmart MasterCard *NEW in 2013 3 companies that didn't make the top 10 list but that had considerable improvement in their positioning this year (compared to last year) are:
Telus CEO is paid in shares not cash
Nothing says confidence in oneself and ones company more than a CEO heavily compensated in company shares. The President and CEO of Telus, Darren Entwistle, will once again be paid in shares rather than cash (5th year in a row). In a recent press release it states that Mr Entwistle is agreement to share only compensation because of his confidence in Telus' short, medium and long term performance. It also shows a clear alignment between his personal priorities and those of his Telus shareholders.
Refresh app is a basic people intelligence tool
Business people are constantly meeting new people. The more you know about the people you are meeting the less awkward it will be and the more successful your meeting will likely be. Best practice recommends you conduct a Google (LinkedIn, Facebook, etc) search on everyone you will be meeting but what if you don't have the time? This is where a tool like Refresh shines. It will do all of the heavy lifting and give you a personalized person briefing within minutes.
What should your 2013 raise be?
Most employees over-estimate their value to their company and therefore expect too much of a raise. In 2012, the typical raise was between 1.9 – 2%. Highest performers seem to receive around 4%. What does this mean? It means you should set realistic raise targets so you’re not disappointed when your boss gives you that raise letter. The best thing you can do is to continually touch base with your boss (over the year) to ensure your evaluation of your performance is in-line with your boss’ evaluation.
Do more than your boss expects
Many colleagues I have coached overestimate their worth to the company and almost always think they are underpaid. The key message is that your company pays your salary to do your job. You only deserve a raise if you are performing to a higher level than that expected from your boss. To add value to your boss (and become raise worthy), make your boss’ life easier: Ensure you deliver on all of your commitments on time and to the exact expected quality Keep your boss updates on the items you are working on for him/her Volunteer to take on additional more challenging responsibilities Be attentive to issues experienced by your boss and come up with creative ways to solve them (even if it isn’t your job) Make yourself indispensable and a raise will usually follow.