Procurement & Career Guidance
In corporate America, we often get stuck in legacy patterns of activity… we do it because the people before did it and people still want it.
It is hard to shake free of these patterns or at the very least, determine if they are still needed.
But one way to improve and validate your work is to talk to the people who actually consume your work… TALK TO YOUR CUSTOMERS!
Ever since legendary GE chief Jack Welch retired in 2001, GE has been looking to find the right business mix to regain investor confidence, said Holman Jenkins at The Wall Street Journal. It’s been a “plodding, slow-motion hunt,” and GE’s mess of businesses — light bulbs, wind turbines, insurance, and more — means the company “is unlikely to register buried problems until they are well advanced.” And boy does GE have problems, said Jim Cramer at The Street. Immelt’s mistakes were so grave that GE needs “the financial equivalent of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission.” Its insurance division charged “a pittance” for long-term care policies. Immelt also doubled down on power plants when the sector was in decline. Same with oil and gas, when “oil ran to $100” a barrel and was bound to fall.
https://theweek.com/articles/801447/ge-lessons-corporate-giants-decline
One way to deal with this situation is to “deal with the little things instead of the big picture,” says Barbara Pachter, business etiquette expert and author of the book, The Communication Clinic: 99 Proven Cures for the Most Common Business Mistakes. So instead of focusing on the fact that your boss is playing favorites, turn your attention instead on what you want that you aren’t getting. If you want a special assignment, do your homework, go in, and ask for it.
If there’s a career goal you’re trying to reach, tell your boss about it, and then ask advice on how you can get there. The most important thing is to be straightforward. Otherwise, it might not be that your boss is playing favorites, but rather they just don’t know what you want.
https://www.fastcompany.com/90245852/4-ways-to-deal-with-not-being-your-boss-favorite
Lead with trust rather than fear. Micro-managers may feel a pang of discomfort from not being able to look over their remote team’s physical shoulders and may be tempted to resort to other forms of surveillance to keep them on track. This is both uncomfortable and demotivating for remote teams. The futuristic dictators portrayed in pop culture keep a close eye and ear on their subjects, ultimately disincentivizing communication as whole. Technology should be used to empower employees to communicate more effectively and efficiently, not to track or monitor performance. Trust is paramount.
I believe the best way to create a sense of purpose in employees is to continually offer them opportunities to use their unique skills. And along these lines, a Namely survey confirmed that the most important factor leading to workplace satisfaction isn’t perks at all; it is a sense of purpose. In fact, 57 percent of employees surveyed desired “meaningful work” above all else. So, remind employees that you hired them for a reason: Their particular skill set fills an existing hole in your team. Then, get out of their way. Doing so will allow these new employees to bring their whole selves to work and will inspire their self-confidence more than programs or benefits ever could.
Photo by Wyatt Ryan on Unsplash
For example, if the UK followed the Norway model it would be a member of the European Economic Area (EEA) and remain bound by the EU procurement directives. By contrast, if the UK adopted something like the Swiss model of bilateral agreements with the EU (see here for more on the different models) then the EU procurement directives would not apply. However, the UK would very likely have an obligation under those bilateral agreements to put in place a similar regime.
http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=d035f483-bccb-46dd-ae53-8858d4e8b222
There’s no sitting down during these meetings; everyone stands up because it forces people to move and think a little faster, without the luxury of getting too comfortable. The best time of day to run these meetings is around 11:00 a.m. or 2:00 p.m., because this is when energy levels start to ebb. Part of your goal with a daily huddle is to boost those energy levels. You may even choose to run one from 10:55 a.m. to 11:02 a.m. and again from 1:55 p.m. to 2:02 p.m.
Also:
But there’s a formula that helps keep things brief and to the point. Every update is done the same way, and each business area answers the same questions:
- What are you working on?
- What were you working on last week?
- What are you stuck on?
- Is there anybody that you’re hiring?
The next phase involves the team sharing any missing systems and venting their frustrations. This is a time for people to speak up about an area that’s apparently broken or where they’re stuck. Bear in mind, this is not the venue to solve the problem. This is the space for people to address the problems they face.
TURBOCHARGE GOOGLE SHEETS WITH POWERFUL FUNCTIONS AND PIVOT TABLES
Sheets is way more than just a way to throw a quick table or list together. It has over 340 powerful functions, including dozens that other spreadsheets don’t offer, such as Google Translate, which lets you automatically translate one language to another.We’ve also designed Sheets to offer advanced pivot table functionality, including the ability to define custom Calculated Fields. And Docs and Sheets both support custom scripting and advanced API functionality via Apps Script, which is Google’s equivalent of macros. Basically, if your job entails a lot of number crunching, Sheets can handle it.
http://www.fastcompany.com/3061482/one-googlers-insider-guide-to-using-google-docs-at-work
Yes.. the video is very wee (“let’s save the world!”), but the upvote question feature is on point.
Enterprise software that was traditionally installed, configured, and implemented behind the firewall resulted in a large amount of “shelf ware”. This was partly due to conflicting priorities on IT organizations wherein projects got deprioritized resulting in shelved software, and partly due to software vendors offering incentives towards bulk purchase of these modules which take years of implementation. This resulted in a significant gap between the capabilities vendors introduced to the market and the consumption of the same by the user community.
However, “pay as you go” SaaS based delivery models are enabling companies to consume software in bite sizes and immediately start deriving value. SaaS delivery model is also easing the pain associated with upgrades. This goes a long way in ensuring user satisfaction. Satisfied users will demand and consume more innovation perpetuating a positive reinforcement cycle. This creates tremendous opportunities for supply chain professionals, especially those who like to explore newer frontiers.
https://blog.kinaxis.com/2016/07/great-time-supply-chain-professional/
Strategy isn’t just doing more.
Often, it means doing less. As Bob Shrum, Presidential campaign guru, once warned me “people in our business have a tendency to complicate common sense.” He was right. We throw in unnecessary processes, services that clients don’t need — all in the name of strategy. Harvard Business School’s Michael Porter said strategy is fundamentally about choices: You can’t be all things to all people.
Photo: Denys Nevozhai