Posts

Which does your organization resemble?

/0 Comments/in /by

Which does your organizaiton resemble? (source: Bonker's World)

It is critically important to understand how your own organization functions. Do you think that an Apple employee will have a different experience than one from Oracle, for example.

Does your organization have no discernible structure as implied by the diagram of Facebook?  Is there a very neat and tidy hierarchy like Amazon or a very complex, multi-connection structure like Google?  Or do you work in a “dog-eat-dog” organization where business units are pitted against one another for resources, customers and revenue?

As an employee, working in each of these organizations is vastly different experience.  You’d better understand the playing field– organizational intelligence is the key.

Facebook in the Office?

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Facebook in the office?  This is a very complex issue.  And the answers will very by your role, position, company and industry.  One thing is very clear, however, and that is . . .

Facebooking as a professional is different than Facebooking as a student.  

A recent survey conducted by Fierce, Inc. that included more than 800 executives and employees in multiple industries found:

  • nearly one in three employees have witnessed or know of a coworker reprimanded for an inappropriate FB post
  • nearly 40% of employees engaged in some form of inappropriate communications such as gossiping or flirting Read more

Who is on your team?

/0 Comments/in /by

Most successful people will say that networking has played an important role in their success.  I would challenge anyone who says that his or her success was completely self-determined.  Your professional network is a critical factor in your career success.  Actors, athletes, artists and musicians, entrepreneurs, scientists, architects, educators, politicians, lawyers and doctors can all benefit from a solid professional network.

Your professional success is a team effort . . . the question is, “who is on your team?”

Your team, or professional network, includes Read more

Everyone Has Something to Contribute

/1 Comment/in , , /by

In her Wall Street Journal Online article, Reverse Mentoring Cracks Workplace, Leslie Kwoh writes about “reverse mentoring” whereby older, more experienced employees are paired with younger employees who serve as their mentors.  This approach can be especially helpful to teach older employees about the latest technology such as Skype and iPhone apps and popular social media tools such as Facebook or Twitter.  The article cites several Fortune 500 companies that have successfully implemented reverse mentoring programs including GE, Ogilvy & Mather, Hewlett-Packard Co., Cisco Systems Inc. Read more

Downsides of Digital Conflict Resolution

/1 Comment/in , , /by
In his recent HBR blog post, Anthony Tjan,  CEO, Managing Partner and Founder of the venture capital firm Cue Ball and vice chairman of the advisory firm Parthenon, discusses the downside of using email for “digital conflict resolution” and highlights three of the problems that often result from pressing <SEND>.
1. It is hard to get the EQ (emotional intelligence) right in email.
2. Email and text often promote reactive responses.
3. Email prolongs debate. Read more