The Globe and Mail - Monday Manager

Turning a company inside out

Harvey Schachter — Sun, 17 May 2009 16:30 EDT

CEOs run companies. But that simple three-word summation of their role leaves much to be interpreted. Management sage Peter Drucker clarified it once with what at first might seem a complicated prescription, but is actually quite thought provoking and crisp: “The CEO is the link between the Inside - Follow link to read full post

Making better use of air miles

Harvey Schachter — Sun, 17 May 2009 16:28 EDT

Travel columnist Scott McCartney, in The Wall Street Journal, offers the following tips to make your business trips more rewarding when flying: Plan for trouble: Always have a backup plan of where you will stay if you miss a connection or are stranded by a storm. Have hotel phone numbers in your cellphone - Follow link to read full post

Understanding online search

Harvey Schachter — Sun, 17 May 2009 15:56 EDT

For most people, search means Google. But to be an effective marketer, you need to know a lot more, consultant Eli Goodman explains in an interview with Larry Chase's free online newsletter, Web Digest For MarketersFor most people, search means Google. But to be an effective marketer, you need to know - Follow link to read full post

Power Points

Harvey Schachter — Sun, 17 May 2009 15:51 EDT

The answer is a question A common saying at Toyota is: “The basic unit of knowledge is a question.” Timeback Management Blog On the flip side Communications consultant Rick Sloboda suggests featuring on the back of your business card your mission or service. This will set you apart from - Follow link to read full post

Kill the cockroaches

Harvey Schachter — Mon, 11 May 2009 08:23 EDT

Bad Subject The subject of the meeting has the words "committee," "focus group" or "task force" in it. Those activities are rarely a good use of your time, so avoid the meeting. Eye On Others You are planning to attend only because of who else is attending, since you don't want to miss out on anything - Follow link to read full post

Managing: Spot the uncoachables

Harvey Schachter — Mon, 11 May 2009 08:22 EDT

Managers these days are supposed to act as coaches and mentors, helping others to improve performance. But celebrated executive coach Marshall Goldsmith, in a Harvard Business School blog, advises that some people aren't coachable. Here's how he says you can spot them: She doesn't think she has a problem - Follow link to read full post

Leadership: Junk the metaphors

Harvey Schachter — Mon, 11 May 2009 08:21 EDT

In her nearly two decades watching management, Financial Times columnist Lucy Kellaway has seen the following metaphors used by business gurus: Music: The company is the orchestra, the leader the conductor. Or teams must act like jazz musicians. Sport: Football, baseball, soccer, rowing - seemingly - Follow link to read full post

Power Points

Harvey Schachter — Mon, 11 May 2009 08:17 EDT

In the hot seat Could your chair be improved? Serial entrepreneur G. L. Hoffman thinks so, by adding heat like the seat in his car, an iPod connection, the ability to recline for a nap, and colour changes to signal your mood to colleagues. JobDig.com Fly by night When he helped to start Intel, Andy - Follow link to read full post

Strategy: Leading change for the better

Harvey Schachter — Mon, 4 May 2009 08:03 EDT

In 1996, Harvard University professor John Kotter published his classic work on change management, Leading Change. At the time, his research revealed that only 30 per cent of change programs succeed, and so he laid out eight steps that are at the core of much of today's change management. Yet a 2008 - Follow link to read full post

Marketing: Blowing the whistle on tweets

Harvey Schachter — Mon, 4 May 2009 07:59 EDT

Some of Tom Davenport's MBA students at Babson College, when asked to devise an IT strategy for Welch's grape juice, suggested a Twitter initiative. He gave them a point or two for being au courant with the latest social messaging craze. And to their credit, they suggested it was a low-risk, low-return - Follow link to read full post