The Intersection of Mediocre and Great
October 15th, 2008
I would like to pose a question. When exactly did the world start accepting mediocrity as more than just the norm - when did mediocrity become the positive exception to the rule?
I was thinking about this as I was asked how a recent flight was. I told them the flight was great - but what I really meant was that my flight was entirely uneventful. I got to the airport with plenty of time, did not have to wait very long to check my luggage, and was able to make it through security without having to be strip-searched or anything. I went right to my gate, got on my plane, and everything happened exactly the way it’s supposed to. Plane goes up, peanuts, diet coke, plane goes down.
So the question I started asking myself is what part of that experience was great? Read the rest of this entry »
What Employees Need to Succeed: Ability
March 23rd, 2008
Success is hard. Periodic success is actually pretty easy, most people can do it right every now and again, but really succeeding over and over again is difficult. What’s even more difficult? Leading a team to succeed. And if you are a manager, pretty much the only thing you are there for is to drive the success of your employees.
As I mentioned, in this series I will be writing about some of the things that your employees need to succeed. This post tackles the first: Ability.
Read the rest of this entry »
What Employees Need to Succeed: Intro
March 18th, 2008
A smart person I know taught me that a wise manager will surround himself with the people that will make his or her job easier. Fantastic advice right? But how do you know whether the people you have are the ones who will make your life better?
A manager’s success, and ability to sleep through the night, is due in large part to the success of his employees. To set your employees up for success requires that you give them all opportunity to do the work as best they possibly can.
Along these lines, I am working on a multi-part series, hopefully with entries to be posted at least every few days. The question I hope to answer is, “What do I, as a manager, need to provide to make sure my employees have the best chance possible for success?”
Stay tuned, we’ll have the first installment soon. If you have any initial thoughts, please do leave a comment.
Blog Success Tips to Apply at Work
March 4th, 2008
One of my favorite blogs (just added to the blogroll, as a matter of fact) had a great post today entitled 41 Blog Success Tips from 10 Years of Blogging You Can Learn Today. The author is Chris Garrett, who is a professional blogger and consultant in the UK. If you haven’t read chrisg.com, I highly recommend it.
Back to the topic at hand, Chris lists 41 blog success tips that he has learned over the years. As I read through these (realizing how much better I should be doing with my own sad little blog), I came to the conclusion that these tips are not just good blogging advice, but good advice for any marketer/manager/worker to follow as well. Read the rest of this entry »