SparkPilot blog

How to create your own Infographic

Gavin McMurdo — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 18:05:48 +0000

I am always astounded by the creativity and simplicity of some of the visual representations that folks come up with. For these visual representations to work for me, they need to convey the information simply and allow me to absorb it in seconds. And then I came across this infographic on what makes a visual [...]

An uplifting manifesto

Gavin McMurdo — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 04:05:57 +0000

The Holstee Manifesto, an uplifting and inspirational document with download.

Passive Agressive Behavior

Gavin McMurdo — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 04:02:46 +0000

passive aggressive behavior described accurately and with style

Measuring success of our Leaders

Gavin McMurdo — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 02:28:36 +0000

Bill George quote - The criterion for measuring the success of our leaders should be how well they serve everyone that has a vested interest in the success of the enterprise.

Mother Hen at Work

Gavin McMurdo — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 05:12:36 +0000

I recently received a call from an ex-colleague, whom with I hadn’t spoken with in almost a year. She wanted to talk about an open position on my team, which surprised me because she did not have the skills that we were looking for. However, she wanted to talk about someone else who she knew [...]

Higher ethics = less $

Gavin McMurdo — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:50:56 +0000

Hmmmmm. Considering all of the bale outs and the increased diligence on keeping companies honest, it seems that higher ethics are not valued. At least that is according to this Harvard Business Review email. http://web.hbr.org/email/archive/dailystat.php?date=051412 Related Postsmoving into managementMeeting PurposeIs Passion a Key Element for Success?

Awesome Article about great management behaviors

Gavin McMurdo — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 02:24:53 +0000

I spent 5 minutes today reading an article by Geoffery James today. It is a clear & concise article titled 8 Core Beliefs that make extraordinary bosses Enjoy. http://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/8-core-beliefs-of-extraordinary-bosses.html Related PostsTrustSigns of Incompetent ManagersLearning to ride a bicycle

Budgeting

Gavin McMurdo — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 20:37:49 +0000

Budgeting………… over the years, I have seen budgeting become this massive effort instead of it being the simple step of applying financial quantification to an annual execution plan. So let’s go and look at the various opportunities for simplifying the process. Opportunity I Please do not merge the annual planning with budgeting process. People, they [...]

Freedom of Speech

Gavin McMurdo — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:41:00 +0000

I was raised in South Africa and as such I got to experience the apartheid era. I saw firsthand what affect discrimination and censorship had on the population and as a result I support the concept that everyone has the right to make their own decisions, even if those decisions will have a negative impact [...]

Mind Reader – Not! …….. speak & listen to communicate

Gavin McMurdo — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 23:13:12 +0000

A while back, I was asking a friend for guidance and she said something a not being a mind reader and therefore I needed to speak my mind. We laughed, stayed on topic and I communicated clearer so that she was able to understand me. I started thinking about this and noticed that when I [...]

Gavin McMurdo — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 06:35:50 +0000

Every time you are tempted to react in the same old way, ask if you want to be a prisoner of the past or a pioneer of the future – Deepak Chopra – Related Posts

Gavin McMurdo — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 04:58:27 +0000

“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t–you’re right.” -Henry Ford- Related PostsSilver Bullet

Awareness

Gavin McMurdo — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 04:34:24 +0000

In a previous post titled: Simple Approach / Plan for Change, I brought up Awareness as the first phase for change. This has been the stimulant for a number of conversations about what Awareness and requests for more clarity on the topic. I have been having lot’s of conversations with managers about how to get [...]

Introverts

Gavin McMurdo — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 16:45:48 +0000

Last week, a friend shared this article titled: Caring for Your Introvert and I though that I would share some of the highlights from my perspective: Introverts brains work differently, seriously, there is scientific research on this. Introverts find dealing with people tiring. It is not that they cannot do it, or do not like [...]

Hi-tech Company Org Charts

Gavin McMurdo — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 05:44:42 +0000

Many a true word is spoken is in jest and I had to laugh when I saw this post showing the Org Charts of some of the large hi-tech companies. The Org Charts Of All The Major Tech Companies (Humor) Related PostsLearning to ride a bicycleSigns of Incompetent ManagersTrust

Lesson Learned: Instructions and personality type

Gavin McMurdo — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 04:35:44 +0000

A while back, I lost a good friend and last week, I realized that some of my behavior must have been so irritating for him. For those that do not know me, I am a results orientated person, often referred to a Type A. My friend, let’s call him Curly, had his healthy streak of [...]

Simple Approach / Plan for Change

Gavin McMurdo — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 05:06:15 +0000

How to drive change in a predictable and reproducible manner has been a topic of discussion with three of my mentees. Why predictable and reproducible? The answer is simple, when you shock people, they tend to stop and evaluate what is going on before moving forward. So if our behavior is predictable, then we will [...]

PATIENCE

Gavin McMurdo — Thu, 19 May 2011 06:00:08 +0000

P A T I E N C E P=Positivity A=Attitude T=Tenderness I=Intuition E=Example N=No Negativity C=Caring E=Everlasting hugs Thanks for sharing this Jolene. Related PostsOptimistic MindsetMother Hen at Workfilling up the glass

Gavin McMurdo — Tue, 03 May 2011 05:04:44 +0000

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” -Martin Luther King Jr.- Related PostsQuote from Conan O’Brien’s Farewell Speech

Gavin McMurdo — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 18:58:01 +0000

Leadership becomes necessary to business and communities when have tough challenges to tackle, when they have to change theirs ways in order to thrive or survive, when continuing to operate according to current structures, procedures and processes no longer will suffice. -Ronald Heifetz- Related PostsIs it about the Leader or the Followers?Ready to [...]