Loc’s Blog

This article is based on the following book:
The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork
“Embrace Them and Empower Your Team”
John C. Maxwell, author of ‘The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership’
Published in Nashville, Tennessee by Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2001
265 pages

To achieve great things, you need a team. Building a winning team
requires understanding of these principles. Whatever your goal or
project, you need to add value and invest in your team so the end
product benefits from more ideas, energy, resources, and perspectives.

Read the rest of this entry »

ORIGINAL SOURCE HERE

26th March 2009

I was reading a polemic if entrepreneurs should, or not, get an MBA and I would like to put forth my idea about the matter.

We are always learning and will continue until dead. There is always something that could be improved and, to figure out, knowledge will facilitate the process.

I agree that many entrepreneurs develop their business skills with blood, sweat and tears, as I did. I co-founded two high tech start-ups and, after 25 years of “bloody times” and two companies, I decided to get my MBA.

In theory, having a couple decades of experience in running a business, I should already know almost everything about business management and development. But, actually, getting the MBA, I learned, rooted and improved a lot of processes and knowledge that I was already using, and also, I learned a lot of new things (state-of-the-art techniques, theories, new writers, new strategies, new “gurus”, and so on). I learned all that, even being a compulsive reader of everything about management, strategy, globalization and entrepreneurship, and had read hundreds of books about the matter, before deciding to return to school. Read the rest of this entry »

ORIGINAL SOURCE HERE

2nd April 2009

Well I can’t resist writing again and again about this favourite life and success topic…persistence.

Persistence could communicate different meanings to different people, depending upon how it is interpreted, imaged and communicated – but by far it is the most singular differentiator and determinant for success in any endeavour. Just pick up any literature in goals and success – a Brian Tracy, Robin Sharma, Tony Robbins or a Brian Mayne – and be sure that this is mentioned.

And persistence is not about those huge and impossible tasks which we need to sweat it out to do. It is just having the mental strength and ability to ‘persist’ in doing that simple task that would lead to some accomplishment, set as a goal in one’s life.

To be just able to spend 30 minutes a day, consistently, in developing or nurturing a life skill, would lead to an achievement that would still be great and big enough to make a life difference. This could be hard exercising if one looks at a physical goal, writing 2 pages a day if it is a career and passion goal, or spending 30 minutes uninterrupted with spouse and son/daughter if it is a family goal. While it might appear to be a small thing at the outset, the key challenge here would be consistency – doing it everyday sans a break, and at the same time, and most important, in a ‘positive mental frame’. Read the rest of this entry »

By Scott Berkun, June 1, 2006

In part one, I covered getting started, why managers are different and other essentials. Here in part 2 we get into tactics you need for the first few weeks.

Getting acclimated

Survival training of any kind teaches you one thing: before you act, know where you are. Say, for example, I dumped you, blindfolded and dehydrated, in the Swiss Alps. Your first move wouldn’t be to run around, tripping over stones, yelling orders at sheep. Instead you’d be best be served by figuring out how to remove that blindfold and get your bearings. Only then could you possibly find the direction most likely to provide you with shelter and drinking water (or at least some Swiss chocolate. Yum).

When you become a manager, even in an organization you’ve worked in for years, the landscape changes because of your new managerial status. Before you throw orders around and correct the mistakes of manager’s past, stop, look and listen. Observe what is happening today, right now. Talk to the people you’re working with and ask them what they see happening that you should be working on in your first weeks, especially the most experienced and respected people on your team. See what concerns or ideas they have that perhaps went unheard before. If nothing else, start building relationships from day one with those that work with and for you. Watch the clock in these meetings: make sure you spend more time listening to them than talking. If they ramble, ask them for recommendations. If they have nothing to say, invite them to follow up if they wish, but move on: there’s a lot to do. Read the rest of this entry »

By Scott Berkun, January 25, 2006

The central mistake new managers make is egoism. On the surface, the change is all about you: you’ve been promoted, you have a new job title, you have a new office. Perhaps you’ve been waiting for this change for some time, while watching peers or friends get promotions, and now finally you feel you’ve received the respect you’ve earned. Congratulations! But be warned: how or why you became a manager has little to do with doing the job well. The sooner you recognize how different success as a manager is from success as worker, the better off you’ll be. Good managers are rare (how many have you had?): so if you’re new to the game, and would like to be a good one, this essay is for you.

Why managers are different

On the day your job title includes “manager” others depend on you. They will look to you for leadership, guidance, or advice. They may rely on you for career direction and job security. You have more influence on their happiness, and success than most people in their lives. All this is what makes the transition to management a challenge: even if you are currently the most important programmer, marketer, or designer in an organization, there are new stresses and responsibilities you’ve never faced. The psychology and responsibility of managing others is complex and should be taken seriously. Read the rest of this entry »