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Brains, Guts, and the Capacity to Act
(By Stephen Baum)
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Below is an article by Stephen Baum on traits in the character of
great business leaders:
Brains, Guts, and the Capacity to Act
What allows a leader to take the steps needed to solve a problem or
master a difficult situation? What keeps the desire to act from
being impetuous and uninformed, as in "ready, fire, aim" behavior?
The answer is that the capacity to act effectively and decisively is
a complex mixture of brain and gut, a combination I call threads in
thinking. It includes these qualities: ...
Office Politics the Right Way
Monday,
August 13, 2007
CBS News has an article from MarketWatch on how to effectively
approach office politics without sacrificing your integrity.
Do's:
- Align your actions with your goals.
- Build alliances.
- Learn from the people who succeed in your office. Each
organization has its own culture. The formula to success varies
depending on where you work.
- Leverage your strengths as opposed to only focusing on improving
your weaknesses.
Don'ts:
- Don't start strategically harmful relationships.
- Don't hold grudges when things don't go your way.
- Don't assume hard work is enough.
Making Office Politics Work In Your Favor, CBS News
The Path to Success for Managers and
Executives
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Ray Williams, from the Financial Post, shares advice on how to
succeed and move higher up the corporate ladder. Success is about
having the right attitude and making the right decisions.
Following are some tips that resonated with us:
- Take responsibility for managing your career.
- People will not care about how much you know until you show them
how much you care.
- Under promise and over deliver --> meaning: exceed expectations
if possible.
- Find a mentor.
This article is definitely worth reading. For the full article,
please click on the link below.
Admonishments Still Sting, No Matter
How Old You Are
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
BostonWorks.com has an interesting article on how it feels to be
"spanked" by one's boss... in an all-glass office, which made the
event "almost" public. The whole story started when the author sent
an accusatory e-mail to other members of the office, instead of
limiting it to the person it was addressed to. Regrettably for him,
the "victim" in this case was the boss's favourite.
As the author recounted the details of that day, we could literally
feel the mix of emotions that went through him. What is the lesson
from this story? Edit and re-edit your e-mails before clicking on
the "send" button... and, there often is a "hierarchy" amongst
employees.
Getting Too Comfortable at Work
Friday,
November 03, 2006
Two secretaries working for the Sweetwater City Hall were arrested
when they used a police database to run a background check on a
co-worker that they didn't like. The two women were caught on
camera committing this act.
According to the police, which intends to treat this as criminal
harassment, this started as the result of nasty office politics...
Getting too comfortable in the workplace or getting caught up in
nasty office turmoil is definitely not a good thing.
How to Fake It to the Top
Thursday, October 19, 2006
According to Rob Yeung, who recently released his new book titled
"The Rules of Office Politics," colleagues have a much bigger
influence on career promotion than hard work or talent.
In that regard, he stated:
"A lot of people like to think that their organisations are not
political and that they can get on without being political. But the
fact is that the most hard-working people do not make it to the top
— it's the politically savvy that get there."
"You have to learn to look at colleagues and consider what is
driving their behaviour. You have to understand their professional
and personal agendas."
Office politics has become trickier nowadays because of all the
consolidations that are taking place in the corporate world (mergers
& acquisitions) and because of the high turnover rate amongst
executives. How to operate in such a changing environment?
One of the tricks that Yeung suggests is to be attentive to other
people's personality, what they like and dislike. Playing the
office politics game correctly is essential for those with ambition.
How to Avoid Office Politics?
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Many of us don't like
office politics, but there are so little talk on how to actually
avoid getting involved in those "office tensions." Here are some
tips:
- don't wear a mask and try to be a "different person" depending
on the situations;
- try to be flexible and open-minded;
- be transparent and avoid hidden agendas;
- forget about "building an empire" and concentrate on the tasks
at hand; and
- avoid gossip, especially if you don't know if they are true or
not.
The key is to be yourself with your co-workers. Honesty and good
faith will carry you through the day.
Managing: How to Avoid Office Politics, Globe and Mail
Being Good at Office Politics Helps
Monday, May 22, 2006
Why am I not surprised? According to this short article, employees
rarely get promoted without developing strong political skills...
But look at it this way, although "office politics" often has a bad
connotation, it simply means to be able to influence others. Those
that are really good at office politics do so in a way that
accommodates others, and not otherwise. Create friends and allies,
not enemies.
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