I’m trying to explain what the fantastic charts at the Go Big Always blog are about and why you should look at them, but it’s tough. I’ve copied one of them here to give you a peek. They are funny, clever, insightful, irreverent, iconoclastic — in short, they really hit the mark in many ways. It only takes a couple of minutes to view them all, so check them out!
Archive for the 'Management' Category
Great Charts, Great Insights
Posted by Ted Hopton on July 10, 2008
Posted in Human Interest, Humor, Management, Metrics, Statistics, Strategy, Technology | No Comments »
Sam Donnellon: Jimmy Rollins’ act of contrition
Posted by Ted Hopton on June 6, 2008
I don’t often write here about sports stories, but I like stories that have a good message, and this one does. If you’re not a Phillies or baseball fan, Jimmy Rollins is a superstar shortstop who won the Most Valuable Player award two years ago. Yet in yesterday’s game he failed to run hard to first base, thinking the ball he’d hit was going to be easily caught for an out. When the ball was dropped, he had squandered a chance to be on second base instead of first.
The story here is not baseball or sports — it’s about taking responsibility for your actions no matter who you are. It’s also about management — Charlie Manuel yanked Rollins out of the game as punishment, sending a clear message about accountability. And then it’s about how you act when you get chastised publicly.
He took his medicine. Jimmy Rollins took his benching yesterday like a man, like a teammate, maybe even like the leader he purports to be.
Posted in Human Interest, Leadership, Management, Sports | No Comments »
IM Proves Useful In Reducing Workplace Interruptions
Posted by Ted Hopton on June 4, 2008
I’ve long had mixed feelings about instant messaging during the workday. Clearly, there are times when it turns into a time waster. Still, it’s much easier to “kill off” an IM discussion and get back to work than it is if you’ve wandered over to someone’s desk to ask for something.
Social etiquette requires you to make some small talk, inquire about your colleague’s interests, etc. In other words, in person (and on the phone) we should — rightly — interact with peers in a friendly, personal way, because that’s the right way to act. But that’s not terribly efficient, and if you can get the info you need, instead, through a 30-second instant message chat and then get back to work with a quick, “thx so much, ttyl” then I can see Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Management, Technology, Web 2.0 | No Comments »
Simple Words of Praise
Posted by Ted Hopton on May 2, 2008
I just sent a quick, nice email to someone’s boss, letting her know how impressed I am with this colleague who reports to her. It took me thirty seconds to write and send.
How often do we take the time to do such things? I know I don’t do it as frequently as I should.
Yet, the ripple effect of that 30-second task will spread out in many ways. That boss has a moment of pride about her direct report. She shares that with the person I wrote about, and they share a moment of pride together that helps strengthen their relationship. The subject of my praise feels gratitude toward me for singling her out for praise to her boss.
My relationship with both of them Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Human Interest, Management | No Comments »
Struggling to Evade the E-Mail Tsunami
Posted by Ted Hopton on April 20, 2008
Email can bury anyone’s efficiency. I confess I am not good at keeping up with it, myself. So I read this article in the NYT hoping to learn some new ideas for coping.
Eventually, someone will come up with software that greatly eases the burden of managing a high volume of e-mail. But in the meantime, we perhaps should look to the past and see what tips we might draw from prolific letter writers in the pre-electronic era who handled ridiculously large volumes of correspondence without being crushed.
I found one of the suggestions quite amusing, yet at the same time so obvious: “a secretary.” I recall when every manager where I worked had an administrative assistant. And I watched as the number of those positions dwindled and more and more Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Human Interest, Management, Technology | No Comments »
Preserving a Forest and a Philosophy
Posted by Ted Hopton on April 19, 2008
A Costa Rican trek served as a metaphor for the difficulty many executives are having as they transition from niche marketers to big-business men.
Posted in Costa Rica, Environment, Ethics, Innovation, Management | No Comments »
Sprint to Pesky Customers: “Scram”
Posted by Ted Hopton on April 19, 2008
Sprint dumped 1000 customers who were calling 40 to 50 times more than other customers, specifically about issues that could not be resolved (e.g., billing disputes). Did the company do the right thing?
Posted in Call Centers, Customer Sat, Customer Service, Management, Media | No Comments »
Accomplishment and Pride of Ownership
Posted by Ted Hopton on April 15, 2008
I love the feeling of completing a major project. After all the pressure that’s built up, the anxiety about the looming (or missed) deadline, and the mental exhaustion from staying focussed on multiple or complex critical success factors — well, the sheer relief is a pleasure.
When you can look at the end result and feel proud of it, knowing it’s darn good, that’s even better. I don’t know about you, but it’s moments and feelings like these that keep me going as much as anything else. Hey, don’t take away my paycheck, but if people think it’s the money that gets me to really push myself hard, then they just don’t understand me.
And I know I’m not alone. There’s plenty of research to back up Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Human Interest, Leadership, Management | Tagged: accomplishment, Leadership, motivation, ownership, pride, projects | No Comments »
Every Encounter Counts
Posted by Ted Hopton on April 4, 2008
What does it mean to be customer-centric? Is it enough to have a cool slogan like “Every Encounter Counts” and that makes you focussed on your customers? Of course not. Slogans don’t interact with your customers. People do.
Slogans are useful when people understand them. But since they are so short and simple, different people may interpret differently how to act on them. Lots more has to happen besides printing the slogan on coffee mugs and sending them to all employees. A culture has to be built over time, and it’s hard work.
When a customer complains about how your company has treated them, how do you respond? Do you generate a series of internal emails among the players involved, in which it gets explained how the company didn’t really treat the customer badly? Or do you Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Customer Sat, Customer Service, Leadership, Management | Tagged: complaints, customer satisfaction, Customer Service, customer-centric | No Comments »
When Good People Leave the Company
Posted by Ted Hopton on March 25, 2008
What do you think when good people leave your company? Of course, good people leave companies every day, and it’s well documented that career mobility is the norm now: my father’s lifetime career with one employer rarely happens anymore.
When one person leaves for sunnier shores, it’s something to applaud. “Good for you, and best of luck with your new opportunity!” That’s what I said to a direct report who took a new job recently, and I meant it. I’m struggling to replace her, but that’s the way the work world operates and I understand and support her advancing her career.
But, to use an overused term, where is the tipping point? When two people leave within a short period of time, do you assume it’s a coincidence? When three leave, perhaps it’s just a confluence of unrelated factors. So when do you start to question why you are still here when so many of the people you respect Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Career, Leadership, Management | Tagged: Career, morale, turnover | 1 Comment »
