Tag: Public Speaking

Posted on

News You Can Use: 11/9/2016

sn_lantern_vincent-guth

  • Why CIOs should take mentor programs seriously

    Wood takes a structured approach to mentoring. He and his senior team meet regularly to identify high potential people who, with the right coaching, could advance to the next stage in their careers. “Whether they are on a technical or a management track, we identify those people who are doing well in their current jobs, but could also do a job one or even two levels up,” says Wood. “We put those people into a formal mentoring program, but we also make it clear that if anyone else wants to be a part of the mentoring program, all they have to do is raise their hand.”

    http://www.cio.com/article/3132019/careers-staffing/why-cios-should-take-mentor-programs-seriously.html

  • What is takes to be a great boss

    The point is, you can be the nicest guy in the world who treats his employees like gold. But, if you and your team are not cutting it in the eyes of your company and its stakeholders, I don’t care how likable, friendly, giving, sharing, approachable, communicative or empathetic toward your employees you are, you’re still a lousy boss.

    If, on the other hand, you challenge your employees to excel at their jobs and lead your team to exceed expectations on a consistent basis, you’re probably well on your way to becoming a great boss.

    https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/284153
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  • 3 Steps to a Well-Structured Presentation

    We ourselves have written thousands of presentations and business documents in our careers. And, in our experience, the most important step is what we call “hanging the document.” In simple terms, you need an outline. However, this can’t be just a list of random points. The document has to have a structure. It has to hang together in a way that makes your point as clearly as possible.

    https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/282260

  • 4 reasons why nobody is looking at your presentation

    When you deliver a presentation in the form of a story, it becomes more relatable and helps your audience develop an emotional connection with the material. This in turn coaxes memory into action. What’s more, using images to metaphorically support the story you’re telling can reinforce that effect even further. When your listeners feel connected, they’re not only more likely to remember, they’re more likely to take action.

    https://www.fastcompany.com/3064802/how-to-be-a-success-at-everything/four-reasons-why-nobodys-paying-attention-to-your-presenta

  • Why Visionary CEOs Never Have Visionary Successors

    After running Microsoft for 25 years, Bill Gates handed the reins of CEO to Steve Ballmer in January 2000. Ballmer went on to run Microsoft for the next 14 years. If you think the job of a CEO is to increase sales, then Ballmer did a spectacular job. He tripled Microsoft’s sales to $78 billion and profits more than doubled from $9 billion to $22 billion. The launch of the Xbox and Kinect, and the acquisitions of Skype and Yammer happened on his shift. If the Microsoft board was managing for quarter-to-quarter or even year-to year-revenue growth, Ballmer was as good as it gets as a CEO.  But if the purpose of the company is its long-term survival, then one could make the argument that he was a failure as CEO, as he optimized short-term gains by squandering long-term opportunities.

    https://hbr.org/2016/10/why-visionary-ceos-never-have-visionary-successors

Photo: Vincent Guth

Posted on

News You Can Use: 9/8/2016

sn_buildings_Rikki Chan

  • 3 Examples of When Being Cheap Is Costly for Your Business

    Your employees are critical to the success of your business. Their skills affect the quality of your products or services. And since they interact with customers, clients and vendors, they are the ambassadors of your company. You get what you pay for. Investing more money in your employees can help avoid damage to your business reputation.

    If you need additional help in the future, you can bring in some entry-level workers, knowing you invested in a core staff with knowledge and skills to train them. In fact, fewer well-paid employees can often do the jobs of many lesser-paid ones.

    Moreover, it is very costly, both in real dollars and opportunity costs, to retrain employees. Be willing to pay a bit more to hire and retain people with core shared values and great work ethics.

    https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/281195

  • How to give a great research talk

    https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/academic-program/give-great-research-talk/
  • How To Build A High-Performance Sourcing Department

    There are times when sourcing staff can feel overwhelmed with work. If a sourcing leader sees their staff drowning in a high req load; it would be a good idea for that leader to roll up their sleeves and help their employees out. Not only will the employee respect their manager’s success at filling reqs; this approach can help reduce the turnover of over-worked sourcers. To quote Vince Lombardi, “Leaders are made, they are not born. They are made by hard effort, which is the price which all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.”

    http://www.eremedia.com/sourcecon/how-to-build-a-high-performance-sourcing-department-part-5-leading-by-example/
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  • Why Middle Managers Are Secretly the Superheroes of the Workplace

    Managers already have considerable control over employee engagement efforts. We don’t see any reason for this trend not to continue, especially with the number of middle managers working in the U.S. and around the world (The Economist reported in 2011 that Lloyd’s Banking Group would layoff 15,000 middle managers — which begs the question how many they had in total).

    https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/280573

  • 7 Steps to a Perfectly Written Business Plan

    Whether you’re sharing your plan with an investor, customer, or team member, your plan needs to show that you’re passionate, dedicated, and actually care about your business and the plan. You could discuss the mistakes that you’ve learned, the problems that you’re hoping to solve, listing your values, and what makes you stand out from the competition.

    https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/281416

Photo: Rikki Chan

Posted on

News You Can Use: 8/17/2016

sn_chains_Joey Kyber

  • Filler Words Like “Um” Aren’t All Bad, and Can Be Used to Your Advantage

    But, according to the experts, there’s still a right and wrong way to use them. Fraundorf recommends you try to use only a few when you talk, noting that too many can make comprehension harder. And Steven D. Cohen, assistant professor of communication at the University of Baltimore, suggests you use “like” and “I mean” as fillers instead of “uh” or “um.” People tend to be more forgiving of words that suggest contemplation as opposed to words that draw attention to a loss for words. Cohen also points out that filler words used in the middle of a sentence are less likely to be noticed, and a silent pause may be the best form of filler if you’re looking to have a dramatic impact on your listeners. If you want to read more on the benefits of filler words, check out the link below.

    http://lifehacker.com/filler-words-like-um-arent-all-bad-and-can-be-used-t-1784468757

  • Don’t Follow Your Passion by Mike Rowe
  • Brainstorming Is Dumb

    The old brainstorming method infiltrated the American workplace over half a century ago, after an advertising executive named Alex F. Osborn coined the method in the 1940s. As companies all over the country adopted the method, psychologists started to wonder: Does brainstorming actually work? Many scientific studies later, they had their answer: a resounding no. Study after study found that people who use this group technique produce fewer good ideas than those who ideate alone.

    But there is an alternative that works better:

    Over the past 20 years, researchers have discovered a collection of group techniques that they’ve found are more effective than both brainstorming and working alone. One of the best ones they’ve devised is brainwriting—it’s a kind of like brainstorming, except that group members write their ideas on pieces of paper instead of sharing out loud. People then pass those sheets of paper around the group and read each other’s ideas while they continue to write down their own ideas. This method allows the kind of group interaction that’s constructive (i.e., sharing ideas and building on them), while avoiding the pitfalls of face-to-face brainstorming.

    http://www.fastcodesign.com/3062292/evidence/brainstorming-is-dumb

  • 7 Ways to Cut Travel Expenses

    Small savings add up when it comes to long funding rounds and weeks at a time being spent on the road. For example, say that you and your partners need two hotel rooms, for a total of 21 nights, across various cities. Saving just $25 per hotel room per night will equal savings of $1,050. That’s a significant amount for a fledgling startup.

    https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/279734

  • Supply chain profile: Daniel Myers

    Q: What are some of the biggest changes you’ve seen during your career?

    A: I have seen us move in the industry from a siloed [view] to sharing information. We call my division the “integrated supply chain” because breaking down divisions is the secret to business success. We’ve got to be consumer-driven and optimize the total value chain to succeed, moving from silos to a focus on common metrics. The Information Age allows you to do that.

    Q: What hasn’t changed?

    A: The focus on having leaders of integrity who can build trust and “followership.” You can sense when you have a great leader because people want to be there. That’s true for all generations; Millennials want to work for something greater than money—they want to work for something they’re proud of.

    http://www.dcvelocity.com/articles/20160810-supply-chain-profile-daniel-myers/

Photo: Joey Kyber

Posted on

News You Can Use: 3/9/2016

  • ‘CEOs’ to build on $2B in acquisition savings

    Rung named 11 category managers on Feb. 25 to bring 10 commodity buying areas under better control by conducting spend analysis, market research, financial and supply chain risk analysis, and using this information to develop strategic plans specific to the category with clear metrics and outcomes.

    http://federalnewsradio.com/acquisition-policy/2016/03/ceos-build-2b-acquisition-savings/

  • How to Advance In Your Career Without Becoming A Workaholic

    Getting involved in projects doesn’t mean you have to say yes to everything. “Successful professionals often fear saying no or not being seen as a team player,” says Sherwin. But the key to getting ahead is actually setting boundaries and being strategic about the things you say yes to. Saying yes to a project that may give you a leadership role, for example, may help you to hone your leadership skills that you don’t get a chance to use in your current role.

    http://www.fastcompany.com/3057356/lessons-learned/how-to-advance-in-your-career-without-becoming-a-workaholic

  • A Beginner’s Guide to Post-Merger Integration Sourcing

    Given time and resource limitations within the procurement organization, it is often preferable to phase sourcing efforts. Starting with Indirect initiatives can yield some quick wins. Requirements in this space tend to be similar across companies, and generally involve fewer constraints, simpler specs and qualification procedures, and greater opportunities from increased volumes. Indirect categories typically provide shorter time to realization, to the satisfaction of the c-suite and shareholders. This is why categories such as professional services, travel, or IT and telecom should be prioritized.

    http://spendmatters.com/2016/03/01/a-beginners-guide-to-post-merger-integration-sourcing/

  • Don’t let perfection be the enemy of the good…
  • Talk Isn’t Cheap: 8 Questions to Ask When You’re Booked as a Speaker

    Finally, the most important question is: What do the organizers want out of this? Are you there to solve a problem that you’re unaware of? It’s really important that they set the stage for you, so you can kill it on stage. You don’t have to change up your whole talk to cater to a specific audience. You can make tiny little tweaks that make your remarks feel more customized to the audience, and to the goals of the conference coordinator.

    http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/270091

  • 6 Ways to Encourage Autonomy With Your Employees

    The freedom of choice is a key element to autonomy, but too much choice can be detrimental. That’s why those who think autonomy means there are no boundaries are in error. In fact, firm boundaries — and a system to hold people accountable for results — are essential for autonomy to flourish. Within clear boundaries, people are empowered to determine how they will accomplish the tasks they are given.

    http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/254030

  • The Simple Thing That Can Totally Transform Time-Suck Meetings

    First and foremost, identify your objective, says Neal Hartman, management senior lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management. “Be critical about paring your agenda,” he says. “List key items that need discussion, a vote, or whatever other action is appropriate.”

    http://www.fastcompany.com/3057361/how-to-be-a-success-at-everything/the-simple-thing-that-can-totally-transform-time-suck-meet

Photo: Daria Nepriakhina

Posted on

News You Can Use: 12/23/2015

sn_xmastruck_Louis Magnotti

  • What unscrupulous attorneys do to win and how to fight back

    Selectively reading

    This goes to contracts. Taking contract clauses out of context, reading them without punctuation, inserting lines that aren’t in the agreement, and making clauses up are all tactics I’ve seen used in negotiations.   Make sure you read along with the attorney and before entering a negotiation you know every major clause nearly by heart. You need to have a good grasp of the case as well so you understand the core elements of the case otherwise you can get maneuvered into agreeing to items that seem minor, but turn out to be pivotal to your effort.

    http://www.cio.com/article/3016783/legal/what-unscrupulous-attorneys-do-to-win-and-how-to-fight-back.html#tk.rss_all

  • Brevity Is the Secret to Pitches That Nail It Every Time

    We start our pitches with a 30-second introduction that covers who we are and just a couple bullet points why we’re credible. Beyond that, the focus is on delivering a tight, concise presentation about our product. Investors’ eyes glaze over when teams talk too much about themselves. Get to the point quickly.

    Use clean, well-designed slides, and always be prepared with more in-depth financial projections and analytics in case they ask.

    http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/253879

  • There’s More Value in Your Attitude Than Your Bank Account

    If you wake up every day intent on being happy and exuding happiness, success will follow. Strahan’s latest book is “Wake Up Happy: The Dream Big, Win Big Guide to Transforming Your Life”
  • MBA grad uses SCM knowledge to combat HIV in Cameroon

    Muffih said his day-to-day duties in the capital city of Cameroon, Yaounde, include improving stock management systems, coordinating with other partners, and capacitating health workers to develop accurate forecasting and efficient supply chain systems for HIV commodities. He said he is still learning a lot on the job, but his experiences at SAU have helped him cope with the demands and responsibilities of his career.

    https://web.saumag.edu/news/2015/12/16/mba-grad-uses-scm-knowledge-to-combat-hiv-in-cameroon/

  • Should You Work From Home?

    The main question to ask yourself is why you want or need office space. How will you weight the pros versus the cons? Which things are more important to you? If there are cons that are important to you, are there ways to mitigate the negatives? For example, if working at home would make you feel isolated, could you deal with this by attending networking events and working at a local coffee shop at least some of the time?

    http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/253932

  • Societal Damnation 50: Talent Tightness

    It’s not all about money, and that goes double for top talent, but that being said, money is a factor, and if your competition is offering 20%, 30%, and even 40% more, that’s a little hard to turn down. Especially if they are also offering flexible hours, training, course reimbursement for any course taken on the employee’s own time where the employee gets a minimum / passing grade, etc. So if your training budget is still 0, your corporate policy still mandates being in the office from 9 to 5 (even though your suppliers are in a time zone 9 hours shifted and this means everyone would be working 11 hours any day a supplier has to be consulted), and there are pay ceilings in effect from 5 years ago, the chances of getting anyone talented to join your Procurement department are slim to none, with an emphasis on none.

    http://sourcinginnovation.com/wordpress/2015/12/15/societal-damnation-50-talent-tightness/

  • Top 5 reasons agile is a good idea

    Perfection is not required to stay on track. As just mentioned, if something is overlooked, it isn’t the end of the world. I ran a $1.2 million software implementation project for a large government entity while at a professional services organization. The dev manager overlooked something very critical which resulted in a large amount of rework which used up all of the budget when we were only 60% through the engagement. It ultimately resulted in the cancellation of the entire engagement. What a waste. This is an extreme example and agile would not have saved that project, but in the agile world, if something is omitted from a sprint, it can go in the next functional rollout. No high costs, no big rework.

    http://www.cio.com/article/3014972/project-management/top-5-reasons-agile-is-a-good-idea.html#tk.rss_all

Photo: Louis Magnotti