The Oldest student in the world dreaming about his PhD.

The messiah of the company

Pillar of the company,

The manager directs
And guides the strategies of the company.

His purpose is not limited to providing incentives;

Because through his planning 
He allows employees to manage their emotions;

With relevant ideas can increase profit

Because he is desperate to avoid bankruptcy.

The manager by his skill

Faces competition

And therefore sets the company on the market.

The manager by expectations

Develop strategies for planning

Which are actions to achieve specific goals

Because according to Harold Geneen 
“Management manages by making decisions 
And by seeing that those decisions are implemented.”

The careerist: ‘Reognise what work provides and the needs it meets’

By Rhymer Rigby

Published: December 12 2010 17:02 | Last updated: December 12 2010 17:02

Managers are encouraged to keep staff engaged. But how do they stay engaged themselves? And can you turn round a job that has become boring to you?

Is my glass half full? “If you’re happy, you’re automatically engaged, so start by thinking about what makes you happy in what you do,” says Jessica Pryce-Jones, chief executive of iOpener, a workplace happiness consultancy.

Octavius Black, founder of Mind Gym, a performance consultancy, says part of the challenge in staying enthused is that work is where few people expect to find happiness: “However, studies show that many people are likelier to find happiness at work than not. You need to recognise what work provides and the needs it meets – it offers friendships, conversation and challenges.”

How do I boost my sense of engagement? An awareness of being part of something big is helpful, says Ms Pryce-Jones. But she adds: “A lot of what motivates you on a day-to-day basis is actually quite small.” Look for meaning in what you do: “It affects everyone from CEOs to janitors. You need to think about how you make a difference – who benefits from what you do.”

Mr Black says long-term personal objectives help: “Set yourself challenging goals. Just doing this may force you to reshape your role.”

Is there anything I can do outside my current role? Charles Woodruffe, managing director of business psychologists Human Assets says: “First ask [yourself] if you can expand your role or add to your professional development. Or you could look for engagement elsewhere in the company. Many organisations take social responsibility very seriously.”

Ms Pryce-Jones says improving engagement could even come from activities outside of the workplace that feed back into your job: “If you look at the volunteers who work on Linux, they put in enormous amounts of unpaid work and are very engaged in what they’re doing.”

Are there simple ways to jog myself out of a rut? “Do something, no matter how small,” says Ms Pryce-Jones. “One of the most important things for mental and physical well-being is a perception of control. It could be as simple as talking to someone you’ve never talked to before. You can also work on your confidence – as confidence is the precursor to action.”

Talk things over with others, says Mr Woodruffe, but: “If you’re in a group that’s stuck in a rut don’t join in with the grumbling groupthink.”

Should I cut my losses? “You need to ask if you can reframe your work as interesting and stimulating,” says Mr Black. “Are there obstacles you can remove? Work out what it is you dislike and if you can, change it. If you can’t, there’s no point and you need to move on.”

Or, as Mr Woodruffe puts it: “Don’t try to put a sticking plaster on a serious disease.”

A Frank Talk With You, Boss

LEADERSHIP January 19, 2010, 10:19AM EST

You're a bad manager who's driving us nuts, and here's what those of us who report to you want to tell you—whether you like it or not

By Jeff Schmitt

Welcome! I'm so glad you made it. Make yourself comfortable.

• View Slide Show

You're probably wondering why I invited you. You're in for a treat. You see, this is your annual review, the one your boss never gave you, the one that really matters.

Don't get up. This isn't going on your permanent record. It's just between us, one professional to another. In reality, I guess you could call this an intervention. As with any wake up call, I'm doing this because I like you. You have so many gifts. But you've lost your way. And frankly, you're doing more harm than good these days.

This is going to be hard to hear, but I'll say it anyway: People don't like working for you anymore. Go ahead, grumble, cross your arms, look away from me. But remember Tom—the guy who left for a promotion? He didn't want to burn any bridges. He really thinks you're a condescending _ _ _—well, I'll spare you the pejoratives. And then there's Kerry. It's no secret she's your pet. She has plenty to say, too, when she steps out of character. That's right, it's all an act, every day for years. Talk about commitment. She puts Robert DeNiro to shame.

Surprised? There's more where that came from. I'm just speaking up for those who can't. We understand how companies work. You'll still get away with everything. Always have, always will, fair or not. And maybe you don't care. But I'd like to think you're here for the right reasons. I'd like to believe you see us as more than a means to an end.

So where do we go from here? Well, you walked in a door; you can easily walk back out. I understand it's awfully easy for me to judge. And I know some people just aren't ready to look in the mirror. So you have a choice. You can go back to doing things the same way, praying they don't catch up to you. Or you can stick around—and maybe take something away from it. It's your call. You're still here? Oh, good. Click here to see the following 28 ways managers fall short. And then figure out which one you're guilty of.

Jeff Schmitt works in publishing in Dubuque, Iowa. His monthly column, "The Personal Touch," is published by Sales & Marketing Management magazine at salesandmarketing.com. His e-mail isjschmittdbq@mchsi.com.

Link:http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/jan2010/ca20100119_468226.htm?chan=careers_managing+your+team+page_top+stories

Communicating via Blog

You can evaluate something appropriately if you know it advantage and disadvantage. At the beginning of the semester, I was thinking that this blog is going to be difficult to manage. I was little bit worried about what I am going to post there and wondering about the importance of this blog. When I first posted my entire, I was happy to see my thought available to anyone who has my blog URL. It started getting interesting because the control that I have of posting and deleting any thing that I want. I can express myselself freely and communicate with people without difficulties.

 I think Professor Kurpis lunched here an interesting channel to learn more about the course material.  Having activities in class and then express yourself about what you learn from those activities increase the possibility to understand the material in depth. You can sometimes forget about the class lecture, but when you write something in your blog it is unforgettable because it is own thoughts. The blog effectively helped us to think about and share our ideas related to the different class activities. In addition to the class learning, you will be able to interact with people. When we posted our first entries I knew many students from their autobiographies and really benefited from the online interaction.

I think also it is interesting reading other people blog from time to time because they have some non assignments entries that are remarkable. From the prof’s blog, there are some management topics that give us some perspectives about management in the real world.  All those topics added to the class material provide us the tools to be a good manager in the future. 

Finally, it is a good opportunity for us to do well in this class because of controlling 20% of the final grade by just following the instructions, but it is up to us to make it worthy. In my opinion all business classes should require blog entries like this class to encourage students to express themselves. This is not a research profile, but a platform where you can be creative and simply express yourself. I guarantee that I will continue to post entries in my blog because I love it.        

                                                          

Hiring Employees, With Help or Without

Mark Sims, president of Fikes Products, was not sure if he was qualified to hire a new operations manager on his own.

By ADRIANA GARDELLA

Published: October 27, 2010

     FIKES PRODUCTS is a company of 30 employees that sells janitorial supplies and services to restaurants, retailers and other businesses. There are about 20 independently owned Fikes around the country. Mark Sims, 38, president and owner of the Kent, Wash.-based company, said last year’s combined sales for the two operations were slightly more than $4 million.

                    

THE CHALLENGE To make the high-quality hires that Mr. Sims needs to continue building his business — without the benefit of a human resources manager.

THE BACKGROUND Mr. Sims acquired the Puget Sound business from his parents after they retired in 2003. At the time, the company had just five employees. With his passion and talent for sales, Mr. Sims expanded, opening a branch in Portland in 2007.

Heading into 2010, he knew he needed help. He planned to hire an office administrator, two route drivers and a warehouse worker. Beginning in the third quarter of 2009, he toyed with the idea of hiring an operations manager who could handle some of the day-to-day tasks that were starting to drain him professionally and personally. “There was no one to take work off Mark’s plate,” said Dan Price, who is founder of Gravity Payments, a credit card processor, and has served as an informal adviser to Mr. Sims through their chapter of Entrepreneurs’ Organization. “A first senior hire is daunting for an entrepreneur,” Mr. Price said.

In fact, the prospect of carving out time to make hires was daunting to Mr. Sims. He recalled spending three days sorting through résumés when he could have been out getting business. With the unemployment rate high, the number of job applicants has surged, making screening all the more time-consuming. “I get résumés for driver positions from applicants who don’t even have a license,” he said.

In addition, Mr. Sims conceded that he did not have the best track record when it came to hiring. Last year, for example, he brought on employees who seemed “fine” but did not last. A driver he found on Craigslist wrecked a new vehicle. A new office staff member spent up to 30 percent of her workday on personal social media use, distracting others.

“Despite the economy, we aren’t attracting the quality candidates we’d hoped for,” said Mr. Sims, who lamented a “deteriorating work ethic” and said many candidates did not seem committed to building a career. “I want to get people excited about working here — even if we do sell toilet paper and Dumpster deodorizers.”

THE OPTIONS To find his operations manager and to fill the lower-level positions, Mr. Sims considered running ads and browsing résumés posted on state employment agency Web sites. At first glance, this seemed the least expensive way to go (Fikes can post ads on Washington State’s career and employment site free of charge). But after factoring in the time for culling résumés, Mr. Sims was less convinced that this was the best way to find candidates, particularly a strong No. 2.

His other option was to hire a recruiter, at least to find the operations manager. But Mr. Sims was not enthusiastic about spending that kind of money — typically 20 to 30 percent of the hire’s six-figure salary. He had worked previously with a recruiter who had charged much less ($1,500 per placement), but offered little value.

THE DECISION In consultation with Mr. Price, who had taken his own company to 53 employees, from 10, in the previous four years, Mr. Sims decided to use a recruiter to find his operations manager, beginning the process last November.

The agency began by interviewing Mr. Sims, who said he was surprised to realize during the conversation just how much he disliked operations. Once the agency understood his needs, it sent him the résumés of 12 candidates. Of those, Mr. Sims selected six and spent a day interviewing them back-to-back. He then ranked them and scheduled second interviews with the top two — a former chief financial officer and a former tech entrepreneur who had built a business from three to 35 employees before selling it.

Mr. Sims, Mr. Price and a human resources employee from Gravity Payments conducted second interviews at the agency. The process took half a day. Mr. Sims interviewed one candidate, while Mr. Price and his colleague interviewed the other, and then they switched.

Mr. Sims said the most valuable part of the process came when he and Mr. Price sat down afterward. “I think I might have made the wrong choice if left to my own devices,” Mr. Sims said. While both applicants were highly qualified, Mr. Sims said he was inclined to hire the tech entrepreneur who possessed strengths similar to his own, a person more focused on vision than tasks.

“I felt strongly that Mark needed day-to-day help with the financial and operational aspects of the business and not with management and strategy,” Mr. Price said.

link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/28/business/smallbusiness/28sbiz.html?pagewanted=1&ref=management

CONSCIENTIOUS/Dominant

Last week, we had a class activity on personality test. It was about finding who you are between Leader and Manager. At the end of the test we all found the personality that described us. I found myself as a Cd person. I was really surprised because the characteristics of conscientiousness accurately match with my personality trait. As mentioned C is a kind of person that pays attention to key directives and standards, concentrate on key details. That is exactly true to me. I am interested to see things in details than in general. When I have an assignment or any kind of work that I do beside school, I spend a lot of time because I like to see them in details.  Other characteristics of being C are checking for accuracy and analyzing performance critically. This is also part of my personality. Sometimes I think that I have a bad habit about checking things to find it correctness. Whenever time I have to do a work in any situation I check it many times before I close it. Sometimes it is a good thing to check because I find some mistakes that I have to correct before any further action, but there is a kind of wasting time when you find that everything is correct.

I feel comfortable of being type C personality and I don’t want to be another type for now. May be in the future I would be D because I have some characteristics of it. But the only thing that I wouldn’t have in D is making quick decisions. I think you have to think and analyze before making decisions otherwise you might likely make the wrong decision.

This kind of activity is helpful to figure out about people especially if you have to deal with them in a management situation. You will know what is the best way to use when interacting with them without having any conflict.  The more you know the better you can handle it. When you are a leader or manager for example, if you know the personality type of people that you are working with, it could be easy to deal with them without contradiction. In addition, this kind of activity is helpful not only in a management situation but also in any kind of relationship. When your personality trait matches with your partner’s personality trait, you could understand each other more than if you have divergence personality.