A Graduation Gift for College Seniors: Jobs
This weeks Bloolmberg Businessweek features an article that makes the job market for recent grads look better, at least in some industries. I am hoping, perhaps somewhat optimistically, that this will transcend into the legal market.
The article highlighted a recent graduate in electrical engineering, who has been trying tried to find an internship during the recession. He delayed graduation, took pre-med classes, and ultimately applied to law school. As those of us recent law school graduates know, the tough economy brought a shocking number of people to law schools. In most parts of the country, the market cannot sustain the number of graduates, and many law school graduates from last year remain jobless. Ultimately, the young man in the article was able to find a job in the technology sector.
The article says that 2011 graduates face the best job market for new grads since 2008. However, the article describes that the growth is concentrated in finance, energy, and technology. I will be curious to see if this growth will affect the legal job market, arguably one of the sectors with the highest unemployment rate for recent graduates. I also heard last week on NPR that there are an increase in job listings from employers. I believe this was an Oregon specific statistic. However despite this increase, the unemployment rate has not decreased. This makes me think that people who are already employed are making lateral or horizontal changes, while people without jobs, remain unemployed.
This article was also interesting in that it listed some specific companies that are hiring. Of note, Zynga and Facebook will be hiring about 130 college grads, 35% more than last year. I find that college grads that are flexible in where they live after graduation have a quicker success rate in finding a job. It is more difficult when one is limited to a specific geographic area. Based on this article, I will be interested to see how the job market shapes in the next year or so for recent graduates.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Friday, April 1, 2011
Philosophy Friday
"Find a job you love, and you'll never work a day in your life." Confucius...or at least I think it was Confucius who said this.
This is a philosophy to live by, but it is easier said than done. Given the nature of the current U.S. economy, and the high rate of unemployment, many people may be forced into jobs that they don't enjoy. In terms of efficiency theory, this is not a good practice. Unhappy workers are notoriously inefficient. They are often oppositional to management, especially when management wants to induce change. The quality of unhappy workers is often lower, and they do not work as hard, nor are they motivated to work any more than they absolutely have to.
I know that given financial circumstances and employment demand that it may not be possible to find a dream job right off the bat. But, I encourage readers to make a 5-10 year plan.
Write down your dream job, and/or write down 10 qualities that you would love in a job. For example, flexible hours, client interaction, creative thinking, lots of writing, public speaking/no public speaking, employee management, etc. Write down whatever you value. Pay may be a motivating factor for you, but I encourage you to think of other things that are intrinsic motivators, as opposed to extrinsic. Intrinsic motivators are those that come from enjoyment in the task itself and exist within in you, the individual. Extrinsic motivators are those that come from outside of the individual such as rewards, pay, promotions, grades, coercion or punishment. Focusing on intrinsic motivators will lead to more happiness and more motivation.
Even if you can't immediately find the job that you love and will make you most happy, work on a plan to eventually move into that position based on your above criteria. Work on things at your current job that are in line with you long term dream job goal. Write those things down, and then put them into your resume so that when you have the opportunity to change jobs, you are prepared. I am a fan of a five year plan. In five years, you may not be in your ultimate dream job, but you will be on your way and moving closer. Plans should be evaluated frequently and evolve.
Happy Friday. Think about what motivates you. Work toward that in your professional and personal spheres.
This is a philosophy to live by, but it is easier said than done. Given the nature of the current U.S. economy, and the high rate of unemployment, many people may be forced into jobs that they don't enjoy. In terms of efficiency theory, this is not a good practice. Unhappy workers are notoriously inefficient. They are often oppositional to management, especially when management wants to induce change. The quality of unhappy workers is often lower, and they do not work as hard, nor are they motivated to work any more than they absolutely have to.
I know that given financial circumstances and employment demand that it may not be possible to find a dream job right off the bat. But, I encourage readers to make a 5-10 year plan.
Write down your dream job, and/or write down 10 qualities that you would love in a job. For example, flexible hours, client interaction, creative thinking, lots of writing, public speaking/no public speaking, employee management, etc. Write down whatever you value. Pay may be a motivating factor for you, but I encourage you to think of other things that are intrinsic motivators, as opposed to extrinsic. Intrinsic motivators are those that come from enjoyment in the task itself and exist within in you, the individual. Extrinsic motivators are those that come from outside of the individual such as rewards, pay, promotions, grades, coercion or punishment. Focusing on intrinsic motivators will lead to more happiness and more motivation.
Even if you can't immediately find the job that you love and will make you most happy, work on a plan to eventually move into that position based on your above criteria. Work on things at your current job that are in line with you long term dream job goal. Write those things down, and then put them into your resume so that when you have the opportunity to change jobs, you are prepared. I am a fan of a five year plan. In five years, you may not be in your ultimate dream job, but you will be on your way and moving closer. Plans should be evaluated frequently and evolve.
Happy Friday. Think about what motivates you. Work toward that in your professional and personal spheres.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Tuesday Newsday
Bloomberg Businessweek recently featured an article entitled, "Keeping Women On the Job in India." The article discussed the increasing programs that Multinational Companies are offering to women employees in India. For example, companies such as Google, Ernst &Young, Boehringer Inelheim, Wipro and Infosys are offering on site nurseries, flexible schedules, taxis so women can leave work quickly to attend to personal matters, on-site day camps when school is out, sabbaticals, extended maternity leave and enhanced training. I thought this was an especially interesting progression given that India, as the article reports, has one of the lowest rates of female participation in the labor force compared to other BRIC countries.
Ernst & Young made an exceptionally good point in the article. The company pointed out that they have spent a lot of money training these employees prior to their having children. The company has invested resources, so it is in the company's best interest to provide employees incentives to stay. I completely agree. The costs associated with employee turnover with regard to training are exponential. If more employers calculated the true costs associated with employee turnover versus offering more accommodating work environments that would encourage employee retention, I firmly believe that employers would choose providing various accommodations. Exceptional employees are hard to come by, and when a company finds one, it is important to do what they can to retain that employee even if it involves making changes to the work environment. Additionally, providing a work environment that employees enjoy, generally breeds more efficient work practices.
Ernst & Young made an exceptionally good point in the article. The company pointed out that they have spent a lot of money training these employees prior to their having children. The company has invested resources, so it is in the company's best interest to provide employees incentives to stay. I completely agree. The costs associated with employee turnover with regard to training are exponential. If more employers calculated the true costs associated with employee turnover versus offering more accommodating work environments that would encourage employee retention, I firmly believe that employers would choose providing various accommodations. Exceptional employees are hard to come by, and when a company finds one, it is important to do what they can to retain that employee even if it involves making changes to the work environment. Additionally, providing a work environment that employees enjoy, generally breeds more efficient work practices.
Monday, March 28, 2011
The Celebrity Apprentice
Spoiler Warning: This post will discuss The Celebrity Apprentice that first aired Sunday March 27, 2011. I will discuss who was fired.
In my opinion, each episode of NBC's Celebrity Apprentice, just gets better and better as the season continues. Last night's episode was no exception. Mr. Trump tasked the teams with designing a web commercial for telecommunications company ACN. I was impressed with both teams' commercials as well as the management styles of team leaders Lil Jon and NeNe Leakes. Ultimately, the men were rewarded for the risk they took in delivering a more comedic commercial than has been the traditional ACN style. The women stuck with a traditional appeal to emotional heart strings. Thus, one woman from the women's team had to be fired.
While NeNe and Marlee Matline criticized Latoya Jackson for being a follower, it was ultimately Dionne Warwick who Mr. Trump fired. Let me say, IT WAS ABOUT TIME. For the last couple of weeks Dionne did not seem to be working as hard as the other team members. In last night's episode, NeNe critized Dionne for leaving the task early. At the end of the night, the entire team went to the editing room to work on the finished commercial product. Dionne made a statement about how she was going to go home. NeNe made some joke about how Ms. Dionne wanted to go home, and everyone laughed. I took the laughter to mean that everyone thought that Dionne leaving prior to the task's completion as inappropriate. Despite this discussion, the self-proclaimed matriarch of the woman's team decided to leave early.
In the board room, Mr. Trump questioned Dionne. Dionne alleged that she asked NeNe, team leader, if she could leave early. I don't remember Dionne asking Nene, and this is also what NeNe portrayed to Mr. Trump. Ultimately, Dionne was not fired for leaving early, but because she challenged Mr. Trump to fire her. As Mr. Trump explained, no one challenges him to fire them and gets away with it. As Dionne was leaving after being fired, NeNe went to Dionne to say goodbye and gave her a hug. Dionne called NeNe a coward. To me, Dionne generally had a poor attitude and lacked a strong work ethic; Mr. Trump made the right decision.
Dionne's leaving the task early got me thinking about work place etiquette and when it's appropriate for salaried employees to leave the office for the day or even a break. In the situation with Dionne, it seemed obvious that it was an inappropriate time to leave. When there is an impending deadline, an employee should not leave prior to the task's completion. This was especially obvious in this situation because all of the other team members were up late working.
A related issue to this is whether employers of salaried employees should expect their employees to work a certain number of hours per week. Speaking solely to this issue as an effective management practice, my answer is no. Requiring salaried employees to work a certain amount of hours breeds inefficiency. For example, if one employee can finish a week's tasks in 35 hours and it takes another employee 50, the employee that finishes early should not be required to stay for an additional minimum hours. At the same time, the slower employee should expect to work that week until all assigned tasks are finished. Employees should be evaluated by their efficiency in completing tasks, not by how many hours a week they work. Just because an employee is in their office does not mean they are efficiently working. Employers should give employees their work with regard to tasks to complete not in terms of hours of work.
At the same time, quality is an important factor. In the above example with the 35 hour employee v. the 50 hour employee: the 35 hour employee should not be considered efficient if he or she is producing a below quality work product. Employers should engage in dialogue with employees about the quality of work product expected and if an employee is quickly doing work, but it is not up to quality standards, this is not any more efficient than the employee who takes 50 hours and does quality work.
In my opinion, each episode of NBC's Celebrity Apprentice, just gets better and better as the season continues. Last night's episode was no exception. Mr. Trump tasked the teams with designing a web commercial for telecommunications company ACN. I was impressed with both teams' commercials as well as the management styles of team leaders Lil Jon and NeNe Leakes. Ultimately, the men were rewarded for the risk they took in delivering a more comedic commercial than has been the traditional ACN style. The women stuck with a traditional appeal to emotional heart strings. Thus, one woman from the women's team had to be fired.
While NeNe and Marlee Matline criticized Latoya Jackson for being a follower, it was ultimately Dionne Warwick who Mr. Trump fired. Let me say, IT WAS ABOUT TIME. For the last couple of weeks Dionne did not seem to be working as hard as the other team members. In last night's episode, NeNe critized Dionne for leaving the task early. At the end of the night, the entire team went to the editing room to work on the finished commercial product. Dionne made a statement about how she was going to go home. NeNe made some joke about how Ms. Dionne wanted to go home, and everyone laughed. I took the laughter to mean that everyone thought that Dionne leaving prior to the task's completion as inappropriate. Despite this discussion, the self-proclaimed matriarch of the woman's team decided to leave early.
In the board room, Mr. Trump questioned Dionne. Dionne alleged that she asked NeNe, team leader, if she could leave early. I don't remember Dionne asking Nene, and this is also what NeNe portrayed to Mr. Trump. Ultimately, Dionne was not fired for leaving early, but because she challenged Mr. Trump to fire her. As Mr. Trump explained, no one challenges him to fire them and gets away with it. As Dionne was leaving after being fired, NeNe went to Dionne to say goodbye and gave her a hug. Dionne called NeNe a coward. To me, Dionne generally had a poor attitude and lacked a strong work ethic; Mr. Trump made the right decision.
Dionne's leaving the task early got me thinking about work place etiquette and when it's appropriate for salaried employees to leave the office for the day or even a break. In the situation with Dionne, it seemed obvious that it was an inappropriate time to leave. When there is an impending deadline, an employee should not leave prior to the task's completion. This was especially obvious in this situation because all of the other team members were up late working.
A related issue to this is whether employers of salaried employees should expect their employees to work a certain number of hours per week. Speaking solely to this issue as an effective management practice, my answer is no. Requiring salaried employees to work a certain amount of hours breeds inefficiency. For example, if one employee can finish a week's tasks in 35 hours and it takes another employee 50, the employee that finishes early should not be required to stay for an additional minimum hours. At the same time, the slower employee should expect to work that week until all assigned tasks are finished. Employees should be evaluated by their efficiency in completing tasks, not by how many hours a week they work. Just because an employee is in their office does not mean they are efficiently working. Employers should give employees their work with regard to tasks to complete not in terms of hours of work.
At the same time, quality is an important factor. In the above example with the 35 hour employee v. the 50 hour employee: the 35 hour employee should not be considered efficient if he or she is producing a below quality work product. Employers should engage in dialogue with employees about the quality of work product expected and if an employee is quickly doing work, but it is not up to quality standards, this is not any more efficient than the employee who takes 50 hours and does quality work.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Social Entrepreneurism
One of the focuses of the efficergize process is value. Traditionally, value means profit. However, my idea of value can take many forms beyond traditional profit. Value in the efficergize process means anything that is worth something to the target consumer or public. Thus, social entrepreneurism is inevitably correlated to efficergize theory. Social entrpreneurism focuses on social value, as opposed to traditional profits. Social entrepreneurism is an up and coming force, and I believe that business will have to increasingly focus on social value in additional to traditional profitability measures. Indeed, many believe that focusing on social value can lead to traditional profitability.
One social entrepreneur that I have been following for some time is Muhammad Yunus. Yunus is founder and manager of the Grameen Bank and won the Nobel Prize in 2006. The Grameen Bank is a microfinance organization that extends microcredit to those, mostly situated in rural areas, who would normally not be able to garner a traditional loan. The loans do not require collateral. Thus, credit is extended to many in rural areas who would otherwise not be able to get a loan. You're likely familiar with the old saying, you need money to make money. Well the extension of microcredit allows those who would not otherwise be able to find the money to start businesses to be self-sustaining to do so.
I have been noticing social entrepreneurism's increasing presence. I invite readers to think about and discuss where they see social entrepreneurism.
Follow up reading:
http://www.pbs.org/opb/thenewheroes/whatis/
www.grameen-info.org
One social entrepreneur that I have been following for some time is Muhammad Yunus. Yunus is founder and manager of the Grameen Bank and won the Nobel Prize in 2006. The Grameen Bank is a microfinance organization that extends microcredit to those, mostly situated in rural areas, who would normally not be able to garner a traditional loan. The loans do not require collateral. Thus, credit is extended to many in rural areas who would otherwise not be able to get a loan. You're likely familiar with the old saying, you need money to make money. Well the extension of microcredit allows those who would not otherwise be able to find the money to start businesses to be self-sustaining to do so.
I have been noticing social entrepreneurism's increasing presence. I invite readers to think about and discuss where they see social entrepreneurism.
Follow up reading:
http://www.pbs.org/opb/thenewheroes/whatis/
www.grameen-info.org
Monday, March 7, 2011
The Celebrity Apprentice
I have a guilty pleasure: reality television. I particularly enjoy Celebrity Apprentice. I am particularly excited about this season because of the phenomenal celebrities participating. Of note, Star Jones, Nene Leakes, Meat Loaf, Gary Busey and Lil Jon. Prediction: This will be explosive. To quote Donald Trump, "The circus is in town, and you are looking at the ringmaster." For a little break from my more academic posts, I hope to review each episode of The Celebrity Apprentice this season. However, I hope to tie in some business analysis and theory application into my review and recap of the episode.
Spoiler Warning: I will disclose who gets "Fired," so do not read any further if you have not seen the season premiere of The Celebrity Apprentice.
This week's task: sell pizza to raise as much money as possible for charity.
The Contenders
The Men: Team Backbone
Lil Jon: rapper, producer
Favorite Quote: "I cannot be associated with nothing lame." (This was in reference to some of the team names suggested).
David Cassidey: Star of The Partridge Family
Richard Hatch: Winner of the first series of Survivor, and spent time in federal prison for tax evasion
Favorite Quotes: "I'm always willing to be project manager...always."
"I think they're already confused, and it shows." (Referring to Latoya Jackson's inability to remember what the women's ASAP acronym stood for).
Gary Busey: Academy Award nominee (seriously) and regular star on Walker Texas Ranger
Favorite Quote: "Get in here and buy a pizza for $100, and I'll take out your garbage for a week."
"I am the peperoni prophet, and prophet is spelled P-R-O-F-I-T." This might be my favorite quote of the night.
One of my favorite quotes from the episode from Donald Trump came in reference to Gary Busey, "Gary, you're a piece of work."
Jose Canseco: former Major League Baseball star
Favorite Quote: "He's like a tyrant...I guarantee if we get into an argument all hell is going to break loose" (Referring to Richard Hatch and his "management approach."
Mark McGrath: singer of Sugar Ray
Meat Loaf: legendary recording artist
John Rich: Country Star
The Women: Team ASAP
Star Jones: lawyer and TV personality
Favorite Quote: I would rather get a hug from (dog) than have to take a Xanax. Admittedly, this is a paraphrase, but the quote was very similar. Apparently, Star's dog is a therapy type dog for her and she takes the dog everywhere, including to compete on The Celebrity Apprentice.
Lisa Rinna: Dancing With the Starts Contestant (uggh, I mean Soap Star)
Favorite Quote: While holding pizza dough, "this feels like a breast implant."
Nene Leakes: star of Real Housewives of Orange County
Niki Taylor: supermodel
La Toya Jackson: Singer and Sister of Michael Jackson
Hope Dworaczyk: American Model and Playmate of the Month
Marlee Matlin: Academy Award Winning Actress
Favorite Quote: "I didn't hear it," referring to Gary Busey's phone ringing in the boardroom.
Dionne Warwick: American Singer and Actress and U.N. Global Ambassador
By far, the best thing about this season so far is the dynamic celebrity cast. Although, I am a bit surprised by Mr. Trump's choice in Richard Hatch. I remember a couple seasons ago that Mr. Trump fired Khloe Kardashian because she had a DUI. Meanwhile, Hatch has spent time in federal prison for tax evasion.
The women quickly stepped up and nominated Star Jones as Project Manager. The men nominated Richard Hatch to be Project Manager. As indicated by my favorite quote of his, he is not afraid to step up to a challenge. Although, I have seen from previous seasons of The Apprentice that it is not always wise to volunteer to be project manager on the first task. One does not fully know the dynamics of the team, how individual players operate, or the strengths of each team member. Mr. Trump sometimes tells what the project will be about, before the teams must select a project leader. However, this time, he did not announce the task until after the leaders were selected. If I were competing, I think I would wait to step up as leader until after I knew what the task was. However, volunteering early does show initiative and leadership.
Richard's leadership skills are already in question. Other teammates quickly described him as controlling and aggressive. Micromanagement is never a positive management style to pursue. I would have recommended that Richard assess the various skills his teammates possessed and then assigned tasks accordingly. I have seen previous Apprentice contestants be fired, for failing to delegate. Efficient and productive delegation is an important management trait.
Star's strategy seemed to be to put all of the other women in charge of making pizzas, while she worked on marketing. The other women viewed this as Star not liking to get her hands dirty. I am a firm believer in leading by example. Star should have had someone else help her with the "graphic design" in order to finish it more quickly. There seem to be several artistic women that might be more suited to a graphic design project than Star Jones. Then, Star would have been done earlier to chip in and help with "the dirty work."
Lisa Rinna told Star Jones that the printed material looked great; then to the camera Lisa said the materials were useless. In a professional setting, it is never productive to blatantly lie. If Lisa did not like the materials, she should have either said nothing, or politely told Star that she did not like them. If she chose to politely tell Star, she should have specifically stated why she did not like printed materials and related it to the task. For example, "the text is in a font that is hard for me to read." By not saying anything about the materials, she creates a potential situation of triangulation. She looks disingenuous. This will inevitably work against her in the board room. Although, I was surprised to see that the marketing materials were not mentioned at all in the boardroom. Probably, because the women's team won.
Star tasked Dionne Warwick with running the debit/credit card machine. This was a mistake. Dionne couldn't grasp how to do it quickly, which resulted in a huge line. This was an operational flaw for the women. If I was in Star's place, I would have asked the women if any of them had retail experience, computer experience, or had specifically used this type of machine before. To me, it did not appear that Dionne was very computer savvy, and perhaps someone with more computer hands on experience would have been more efficient in this position.
Star decided to close the doors to the pizzeria early. This was a questionable decision given that she and her teammates were not able to make a delivery where a "sizable donation" awaited. The forsaken donation turned out to be $35,000. Mr. Trump inevitably decided to donate the $35,000 to the American Red Cross, Niki Taylor's charity, since Niki Taylor was named by Star as ASAP's best player.
There was a lot of discussion of Richard "striking" or pushing David Cassidey. If this did in fact happen, where were the cameras and why did they not show this happening. If this did happen, it is completely unacceptable, but I am just curious as to why it wasn't documented. Donald Trump actually thought it was interesting that David Cassidey even mentioned Richard brushing his arm. Mr. Trump seemed to think that most men would not make an issue of this like Cassidey did.
The boardroom was en fuego from the get go. Jose and Richard got into a yelling match over whether Richard pushed David Cassidey. Jose called Richard a liar and Richard called Jose unintelligent. I don't recommend getting into a yelling match with your co-workers; it's unprofessional (shocking, I know). Although, it made for great TV.
Richard brought Jose and David back into the board room for the final discussion in front of Mr. Trump. Ultimately, Mr. Trump let David go. He reasoned that David did not have as much fight in him as Jose and Richard. I agree with Mr. Trump that David Cassidey would not make a strong leader; however, I do not think that Richard Hatch is an effective leader. The team does not like Richard Hatch, but sometimes Mr. Trump keeps around disfavored contestants. As Ivanka Trump said in this episode, it does not matter whether the team likes the leader, it matters whether Mr. Trump, Ivanka, and Don Jr. like the leader. This is an important lesson to learn. While it is always better to get along with all of your colleagues, the most important relationship to maintain is that with one's supervisor.
I think Mr. Trump's quote at the beginning of the show sums things up, "The circus is in town, and you're looking at the ringmaster." I look forward to future episodes this season.
The Winning Team: ASAP
You're Fired: David Cassidey
Spoiler Warning: I will disclose who gets "Fired," so do not read any further if you have not seen the season premiere of The Celebrity Apprentice.
This week's task: sell pizza to raise as much money as possible for charity.
The Contenders
The Men: Team Backbone
Lil Jon: rapper, producer
Favorite Quote: "I cannot be associated with nothing lame." (This was in reference to some of the team names suggested).
David Cassidey: Star of The Partridge Family
Richard Hatch: Winner of the first series of Survivor, and spent time in federal prison for tax evasion
Favorite Quotes: "I'm always willing to be project manager...always."
"I think they're already confused, and it shows." (Referring to Latoya Jackson's inability to remember what the women's ASAP acronym stood for).
Gary Busey: Academy Award nominee (seriously) and regular star on Walker Texas Ranger
Favorite Quote: "Get in here and buy a pizza for $100, and I'll take out your garbage for a week."
"I am the peperoni prophet, and prophet is spelled P-R-O-F-I-T." This might be my favorite quote of the night.
One of my favorite quotes from the episode from Donald Trump came in reference to Gary Busey, "Gary, you're a piece of work."
Jose Canseco: former Major League Baseball star
Favorite Quote: "He's like a tyrant...I guarantee if we get into an argument all hell is going to break loose" (Referring to Richard Hatch and his "management approach."
Mark McGrath: singer of Sugar Ray
Meat Loaf: legendary recording artist
John Rich: Country Star
The Women: Team ASAP
Star Jones: lawyer and TV personality
Favorite Quote: I would rather get a hug from (dog) than have to take a Xanax. Admittedly, this is a paraphrase, but the quote was very similar. Apparently, Star's dog is a therapy type dog for her and she takes the dog everywhere, including to compete on The Celebrity Apprentice.
Lisa Rinna: Dancing With the Starts Contestant (uggh, I mean Soap Star)
Favorite Quote: While holding pizza dough, "this feels like a breast implant."
Nene Leakes: star of Real Housewives of Orange County
Niki Taylor: supermodel
La Toya Jackson: Singer and Sister of Michael Jackson
Hope Dworaczyk: American Model and Playmate of the Month
Marlee Matlin: Academy Award Winning Actress
Favorite Quote: "I didn't hear it," referring to Gary Busey's phone ringing in the boardroom.
Dionne Warwick: American Singer and Actress and U.N. Global Ambassador
By far, the best thing about this season so far is the dynamic celebrity cast. Although, I am a bit surprised by Mr. Trump's choice in Richard Hatch. I remember a couple seasons ago that Mr. Trump fired Khloe Kardashian because she had a DUI. Meanwhile, Hatch has spent time in federal prison for tax evasion.
The women quickly stepped up and nominated Star Jones as Project Manager. The men nominated Richard Hatch to be Project Manager. As indicated by my favorite quote of his, he is not afraid to step up to a challenge. Although, I have seen from previous seasons of The Apprentice that it is not always wise to volunteer to be project manager on the first task. One does not fully know the dynamics of the team, how individual players operate, or the strengths of each team member. Mr. Trump sometimes tells what the project will be about, before the teams must select a project leader. However, this time, he did not announce the task until after the leaders were selected. If I were competing, I think I would wait to step up as leader until after I knew what the task was. However, volunteering early does show initiative and leadership.
Richard's leadership skills are already in question. Other teammates quickly described him as controlling and aggressive. Micromanagement is never a positive management style to pursue. I would have recommended that Richard assess the various skills his teammates possessed and then assigned tasks accordingly. I have seen previous Apprentice contestants be fired, for failing to delegate. Efficient and productive delegation is an important management trait.
Star's strategy seemed to be to put all of the other women in charge of making pizzas, while she worked on marketing. The other women viewed this as Star not liking to get her hands dirty. I am a firm believer in leading by example. Star should have had someone else help her with the "graphic design" in order to finish it more quickly. There seem to be several artistic women that might be more suited to a graphic design project than Star Jones. Then, Star would have been done earlier to chip in and help with "the dirty work."
Lisa Rinna told Star Jones that the printed material looked great; then to the camera Lisa said the materials were useless. In a professional setting, it is never productive to blatantly lie. If Lisa did not like the materials, she should have either said nothing, or politely told Star that she did not like them. If she chose to politely tell Star, she should have specifically stated why she did not like printed materials and related it to the task. For example, "the text is in a font that is hard for me to read." By not saying anything about the materials, she creates a potential situation of triangulation. She looks disingenuous. This will inevitably work against her in the board room. Although, I was surprised to see that the marketing materials were not mentioned at all in the boardroom. Probably, because the women's team won.
Star tasked Dionne Warwick with running the debit/credit card machine. This was a mistake. Dionne couldn't grasp how to do it quickly, which resulted in a huge line. This was an operational flaw for the women. If I was in Star's place, I would have asked the women if any of them had retail experience, computer experience, or had specifically used this type of machine before. To me, it did not appear that Dionne was very computer savvy, and perhaps someone with more computer hands on experience would have been more efficient in this position.
Star decided to close the doors to the pizzeria early. This was a questionable decision given that she and her teammates were not able to make a delivery where a "sizable donation" awaited. The forsaken donation turned out to be $35,000. Mr. Trump inevitably decided to donate the $35,000 to the American Red Cross, Niki Taylor's charity, since Niki Taylor was named by Star as ASAP's best player.
There was a lot of discussion of Richard "striking" or pushing David Cassidey. If this did in fact happen, where were the cameras and why did they not show this happening. If this did happen, it is completely unacceptable, but I am just curious as to why it wasn't documented. Donald Trump actually thought it was interesting that David Cassidey even mentioned Richard brushing his arm. Mr. Trump seemed to think that most men would not make an issue of this like Cassidey did.
The boardroom was en fuego from the get go. Jose and Richard got into a yelling match over whether Richard pushed David Cassidey. Jose called Richard a liar and Richard called Jose unintelligent. I don't recommend getting into a yelling match with your co-workers; it's unprofessional (shocking, I know). Although, it made for great TV.
Richard brought Jose and David back into the board room for the final discussion in front of Mr. Trump. Ultimately, Mr. Trump let David go. He reasoned that David did not have as much fight in him as Jose and Richard. I agree with Mr. Trump that David Cassidey would not make a strong leader; however, I do not think that Richard Hatch is an effective leader. The team does not like Richard Hatch, but sometimes Mr. Trump keeps around disfavored contestants. As Ivanka Trump said in this episode, it does not matter whether the team likes the leader, it matters whether Mr. Trump, Ivanka, and Don Jr. like the leader. This is an important lesson to learn. While it is always better to get along with all of your colleagues, the most important relationship to maintain is that with one's supervisor.
I think Mr. Trump's quote at the beginning of the show sums things up, "The circus is in town, and you're looking at the ringmaster." I look forward to future episodes this season.
The Winning Team: ASAP
You're Fired: David Cassidey
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Taylorism's Relevance in the Modern Organization
Picture from Wikipedia.
As a person with an interest in efficiency theory, I have been fascinated with Frederick Taylor's principles for a long time. Every once in a while I think about Taylorism and its relevance to the modern organization. I propose that that relevancy of Taylorism correlates to the economy. This post will discuss how Taylorism can be used in the modern organization, and how certain aspects of Taylorism may not be relevant due to economic circumstances.Many of Taylor's principles stemmed from concern of soldiering. Soldiering occurs when people purposefully perform below their capacity. I like to think of soldiering as purposeful inefficiency. Frederick iterated four causes of soldiering.
First, men were subject to heckling from peers if they were too productive. I find this first cause to be moot in the modern work place and given the economy. In this economy, people strive to find more ways to be efficient and more productive because there is a surplus of human capital to take over for an inefficient worker.
Second, Taylor believed soldiering occurred because of concern over elimination of work opportunities. In other words, people performed below their capacities because more efficient work would lead to the need for fewer workers. If one worker could get the job done that two workers were currently doing, the less efficient worker would be eliminated. I find that this principle is not sustainable in terms of economic principles. All workers would have to have an agreement to not work to their capacity; which runs the risk of one worker performing better than everyone else, and reaping the rewards as well. In other words, if one person competes to achieve more productivity while everyone else agrees to not work to capacity, the efficient person will be rewarded.
Additionally, if management reduces all employees who are not the most efficient, at some point diminishing returns will kick in. One single worker can only be worked so hard before their inputs do not produce the level of expected outputs. Because of the economic realities behind this cause of soldiering, I believe that this cause of soldiering is not very prevalent in the modern organization.
Third, Taylor believed soldiering occurred because of lack of incentive for productive work practices. Unlike the above two causes of soldiering, this cause is still prevalent, and something that efficiency theory can work to reduce or eliminate. All employees must be motivated in order to reach optimal efficiency levels.
Fourth, Taylor attributed soldiering to too many non task-specific work principles. I have seen this have a negative effect on employee efficiency. For example, supervisors may get a great marketing idea and have employees engage in marketing techniques instead of job related duties. For example, a lawyer who is told by a supervisor to visit neighboring unrelated retailers to market the firm. This detracts from employee efficiency, as it would usually be more efficient for a marketing employee to engage in this practice.
Taylorism's notions of soldiering are still relevant in the modern organization. Reducing soldiering will lead to increased efficiency. Although, Taylor's third and fourth causes of soldiering seem to be more prevalent in the modern organization than the first two given today's economic market.
Source:
Taylor, Frederick Winslow. The Principles of Scientific Management. Mineola, New
York: Dover Publications, 1998. (originally published in 1911).
Friday, February 25, 2011
Philosophy Friday: Success
Philosophy Friday posts will feature a personal philosophy of mine or something inspirational.
The difference between competency and efficiency is success. Competency is one's ability to complete a task. Efficiency is the ability to complete a task successfully. Success depends on one's individual goals for the task. I recommend defining success by personal or organizational values.
The difference between competency and efficiency is success. Competency is one's ability to complete a task. Efficiency is the ability to complete a task successfully. Success depends on one's individual goals for the task. I recommend defining success by personal or organizational values.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
To Do or Not To Do-That's Today's Blog Question
Personal organization is the foundation of efficiency.
Whether you're seeking to achieve efficiency personally or within an organization, it is necessary to have a strong personal organization system.
A to do list is a good start to getting organized. To do lists can be made in different formats. I like to use a weekly to do list. If I have a lot of things to do in one day, or specific tasks to accomplish on a particular day, I will make a daily to do list out of my larger weekly to do list. A weekly lists helps me see all of the things that need to be done, and I organize them into an efficient plan on Sunday night or the beginning of the week. I also like to schedule certain tasks into my planner for certain times of the day, to make sure the task gets done. For example, if I want to exercise at a particular time, instead of just writing exercise on my list, I schedule it into a specific time spot, such as from 6-7 a.m.
To do lists are helpful because writing tasks down ensures that you won't forget them. Also, if you check off your tasks as you do them, it helps you to feel a sense of accomplishment and to visually see what you have done in the day. Even better, if you have your to do list in your actual planner, you will be able to keep a record of what you have accomplished. So, if you question later whether you did a particular task, you will have a record of it right in your planner. It is also helpful to write things into the list because you can organize the order in which you do the tasks to be as efficient as possible. I like to put my list into categories. For example, you can do all household cleaning chores at one time; all paperwork at one time; all phone calls at one time; all emails at one time, etc.
As additional tasks come up during the week, I evaluate the time frame in which they need to be accomplished. Tasks that need to be done this week are added to this week's list in their appropriate category. Future tasks are put into my planner. I use an Uncalendar for my planner. I will feature how I use the planner in a later post.
The question is: when is it better to put the task on a to do list and when is it better to just do the task?
My general rule is that if it will take longer to write the task down than to actually do the task it is better to do the task as you think of it. Tasks that will take more time should be written down. There are exceptions. For example, if you are at home and think of a short work related task, that cannot be accomplished at home, then you will have to write the task down. I have developed my own short hand to use in my planner, so that I can write tasks down quickly. This helps eliminate the time it takes to make a list and allows me to put tasks quickly into my planner to organize them into a meaningful system for task completion.
Whether you're seeking to achieve efficiency personally or within an organization, it is necessary to have a strong personal organization system.
A to do list is a good start to getting organized. To do lists can be made in different formats. I like to use a weekly to do list. If I have a lot of things to do in one day, or specific tasks to accomplish on a particular day, I will make a daily to do list out of my larger weekly to do list. A weekly lists helps me see all of the things that need to be done, and I organize them into an efficient plan on Sunday night or the beginning of the week. I also like to schedule certain tasks into my planner for certain times of the day, to make sure the task gets done. For example, if I want to exercise at a particular time, instead of just writing exercise on my list, I schedule it into a specific time spot, such as from 6-7 a.m.
To do lists are helpful because writing tasks down ensures that you won't forget them. Also, if you check off your tasks as you do them, it helps you to feel a sense of accomplishment and to visually see what you have done in the day. Even better, if you have your to do list in your actual planner, you will be able to keep a record of what you have accomplished. So, if you question later whether you did a particular task, you will have a record of it right in your planner. It is also helpful to write things into the list because you can organize the order in which you do the tasks to be as efficient as possible. I like to put my list into categories. For example, you can do all household cleaning chores at one time; all paperwork at one time; all phone calls at one time; all emails at one time, etc.
As additional tasks come up during the week, I evaluate the time frame in which they need to be accomplished. Tasks that need to be done this week are added to this week's list in their appropriate category. Future tasks are put into my planner. I use an Uncalendar for my planner. I will feature how I use the planner in a later post.
The question is: when is it better to put the task on a to do list and when is it better to just do the task?
My general rule is that if it will take longer to write the task down than to actually do the task it is better to do the task as you think of it. Tasks that will take more time should be written down. There are exceptions. For example, if you are at home and think of a short work related task, that cannot be accomplished at home, then you will have to write the task down. I have developed my own short hand to use in my planner, so that I can write tasks down quickly. This helps eliminate the time it takes to make a list and allows me to put tasks quickly into my planner to organize them into a meaningful system for task completion.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Tuesday Newsday
I have decided that on some Tuesdays I will feature news stories relating to this blog that I find interesting. Below the links to the articles, you will find my commentary about the article and how the article might relate to business practices and theories.
1) Fortune, Conan 2.0
I found this article interesting in light of yesterday's post regarding efficient use of social media. Conan O'Brien has successfully used social media to make a comeback. Part of the article discusses the various social media forms that Conan uses. What is even more interesting, is that social media was working for Conan on some level without him even having to do anything. In other words, fans drove a marketing campaign for Conan through social media forums. Betty White similarly benefited from a fan driven facebook campaign to get her to host Saturday Night Live. The article also discussed generational marketing. I also found this interesting and hope to feature more about generational marketing and generational dynamics in the organization on future posts.
Customer based marketing is one of the great benefits to social media that business and individuals alike can take advantage of. If you develop enough fans on social media bases, your fans will potentially market your products and services for you. Historically, this was called "word of mouth" marketing or a referral. Social media gives "word of mouth" a whole new meaning as the mouth takes the form of blogs, tweets, facebook posts, fan groups, etc. This is a tremendous benefit for businesses as it is exponential free marketing. At the same time, a disgruntled customer can proliferate their dissatisfaction about a business just as easily as a fan. In light of this, businesses should work to engage customers more to garner their feedback before the customer can express dissatisfaction on social media. For example, ask the customer about their experience at the time of checkout. If the customer is dissatisfied, they have the option of venting this to the business, instead of on social media. I think that if customers feel like the company has actually heard the customers' opinions, they are less likely to seek sympathy on other forums. Additionally, businesses should emphasize customer relationship management. Keeping customers happy is especially important in light of social media.
2) Bloomberg Businessweek, Business Plan Contests: Where Are the Women?
This article focused on disproportionate number of men compared to women at entrepreneurial competitions. The article reported that formal statistics are not kept, but women represent at most 20% of entrants. As a female entrepreneur, I found this to be interesting. I have to say though, that while I was in MBA school, I did not participate in any entrepreneurial contests. Lack of time was the main reason that I did not participate; as I was also attending law school at the same time. The article discussed historical gender roles as contributing to fewer women participating. For example, the article reported, quoting an expert in entrepreneurship, that women are not generally assumed to be the primary breadwinners. It also reported that women are less likely to join organizations that engage in competition. I thought this was interesting, although I personally have never been averse to competition. The article reports that women make up over half of graduate students. However, the article did not clarify whether this statistic referred to all types of graduate school students, or whether this statistic was MBA specific. It it is my understanding that there are still more men in MBA programs than women, although I have not verified this with a source. I am also curious about the percentage of women in entrepreneur specific concentrations within MBA programs. I wonder if you compared the percentage of women in entrepreneur concentrations, if participation in the contests would still be disproportionate? Readers: what do you think?
1) Fortune, Conan 2.0
I found this article interesting in light of yesterday's post regarding efficient use of social media. Conan O'Brien has successfully used social media to make a comeback. Part of the article discusses the various social media forms that Conan uses. What is even more interesting, is that social media was working for Conan on some level without him even having to do anything. In other words, fans drove a marketing campaign for Conan through social media forums. Betty White similarly benefited from a fan driven facebook campaign to get her to host Saturday Night Live. The article also discussed generational marketing. I also found this interesting and hope to feature more about generational marketing and generational dynamics in the organization on future posts.
Customer based marketing is one of the great benefits to social media that business and individuals alike can take advantage of. If you develop enough fans on social media bases, your fans will potentially market your products and services for you. Historically, this was called "word of mouth" marketing or a referral. Social media gives "word of mouth" a whole new meaning as the mouth takes the form of blogs, tweets, facebook posts, fan groups, etc. This is a tremendous benefit for businesses as it is exponential free marketing. At the same time, a disgruntled customer can proliferate their dissatisfaction about a business just as easily as a fan. In light of this, businesses should work to engage customers more to garner their feedback before the customer can express dissatisfaction on social media. For example, ask the customer about their experience at the time of checkout. If the customer is dissatisfied, they have the option of venting this to the business, instead of on social media. I think that if customers feel like the company has actually heard the customers' opinions, they are less likely to seek sympathy on other forums. Additionally, businesses should emphasize customer relationship management. Keeping customers happy is especially important in light of social media.
2) Bloomberg Businessweek, Business Plan Contests: Where Are the Women?
This article focused on disproportionate number of men compared to women at entrepreneurial competitions. The article reported that formal statistics are not kept, but women represent at most 20% of entrants. As a female entrepreneur, I found this to be interesting. I have to say though, that while I was in MBA school, I did not participate in any entrepreneurial contests. Lack of time was the main reason that I did not participate; as I was also attending law school at the same time. The article discussed historical gender roles as contributing to fewer women participating. For example, the article reported, quoting an expert in entrepreneurship, that women are not generally assumed to be the primary breadwinners. It also reported that women are less likely to join organizations that engage in competition. I thought this was interesting, although I personally have never been averse to competition. The article reports that women make up over half of graduate students. However, the article did not clarify whether this statistic referred to all types of graduate school students, or whether this statistic was MBA specific. It it is my understanding that there are still more men in MBA programs than women, although I have not verified this with a source. I am also curious about the percentage of women in entrepreneur specific concentrations within MBA programs. I wonder if you compared the percentage of women in entrepreneur concentrations, if participation in the contests would still be disproportionate? Readers: what do you think?
Monday, February 21, 2011
Efficient Use of Social Media
There is no doubt that using social media provides many personal and business benefits. However, it can be distracting and lead to inefficient practices. These are my tips for using social media for its benefits, while also keeping its distractions at bay.
1) Check email and social media once per day and set a time limit.
An intended quick trip to facebook, myspace, twitter or other social media can lead to hours of distraction looking through photos, status updates, clicking on other friends, etc. Set aside a time to log into your social media each day for a good look. This will allow you to connect with friends and business contacts, find out what's going on, and move on with your other tasks. Give yourself a specific amount of time you will spend on social media, such as 10 minutes, and then leave it behind until the next day.
If you tweet, or post status updates throughout the day for business purposes, continue to do this. It can be a great way to let clients and colleagues know what you are up to professionally. Many think of it as an alternative to the traditional business newsletter. Although, I recommend being mindful of how much time you are spending on the status updates. If you do not know how much time you are averaging on social media updates, keep track of your use on a typical day, and evaluate whether that amount of use is contributing to your efficiency. When you go to make a quick post, do not be tempted to browse pictures, other statuses, etc.
Develop a similar policy for email, but it may be more difficult to put a time limit on email, as I do recommend responding to all email within a timely manner. The timeliness required for your email may depend on the subject of the email or the nature of your business. I recommend a once per day email habit for work too; however, this may not be feasible in your industry. For example, if your boss expects an immediate reply to email, you should follow your boss' instruction. If the subject of the email is time sensitive, by all means, you need to get it to the recipient within the time frame. For emails that are not time sensitive, check and respond to emails once a day. If you you have a mix of emails where some are time sensitive and others are not, you can just handle the time sensitive tasks, and wait to do the others until your next scheduled email time. You might also consider other mediums for time sensitive issues as well. For example, if you need something from a colleague in a prompt manner, an instant message or text may be beneficial. Although, overuse of instant messaging can be distracting too, and that is why I recommend it for only immediate or pressing issues.
The reason I advocate for a once per day approach is that logging into your accounts and responding to emails can distract you from other tasks. For example, a quick after lunch check of email may lead you to discover a lengthy request. The request could easily be handled the following day; however, you are tempted to address it now, making you deviate from your other planned tasks.
2) Handle all emails at one time.
This is a subset of the first tip. I recommend making a list of all of the emails you need to do, and do them all at one time. Make a list, and check them off as you go. Doing them all at one time is more efficient than sporadically emailing through the day. I also recommend making a list of all phone calls that you need to make, and doing those at once too. If you think of people you need to email throughout the day, put it on a list, and then email them at your designated email time the next business day (unless it is something that must absolutely be dealt with before your next scheduled email time).
3) Link all professional social media sources.
The key word here is "professional." If you have personal social media accounts, and the content of those accounts are questionable for viewing by your business contacts, do not link your account. If you are using the social media accounts for primarily business purposes, link them together. This way when you tweet, the tweet will load to your facebook. If you have a blog and a facebook business page, link the two, so your blog posts will show up on facebook without extra posts. The goal is that you only have to physically manipulate one social medium, but that the action will show up on multiple accounts. This is efficient because you are multiplying your visibility with just one act.
4) An old fashioned phone sometimes saves time.
Most of the time, social media, texting, instant messaging saves time. It is also useful because it creates a record of correspondence. However, if you are coordinating detailed plans that would likely involve multiple emails back and forth; it might be easier to pick up the phone and talk to the person you are arranging with. This seems like common sense, but I notice it is practiced less and less. Most of my correspondence happens electronically. Although making a phone call seems like it will take more time, one phone call is probably quicker than multiple emails. When making detailed arrangements, it may lead to less confusion because you can immediately ask follow up questions to the person you are arranging with.
These are just a few tips for using social media effectively for your personal and business use. Social media is a tremendous benefit, if you know how to manage your accounts in an efficient way.
1) Check email and social media once per day and set a time limit.
An intended quick trip to facebook, myspace, twitter or other social media can lead to hours of distraction looking through photos, status updates, clicking on other friends, etc. Set aside a time to log into your social media each day for a good look. This will allow you to connect with friends and business contacts, find out what's going on, and move on with your other tasks. Give yourself a specific amount of time you will spend on social media, such as 10 minutes, and then leave it behind until the next day.
If you tweet, or post status updates throughout the day for business purposes, continue to do this. It can be a great way to let clients and colleagues know what you are up to professionally. Many think of it as an alternative to the traditional business newsletter. Although, I recommend being mindful of how much time you are spending on the status updates. If you do not know how much time you are averaging on social media updates, keep track of your use on a typical day, and evaluate whether that amount of use is contributing to your efficiency. When you go to make a quick post, do not be tempted to browse pictures, other statuses, etc.
Develop a similar policy for email, but it may be more difficult to put a time limit on email, as I do recommend responding to all email within a timely manner. The timeliness required for your email may depend on the subject of the email or the nature of your business. I recommend a once per day email habit for work too; however, this may not be feasible in your industry. For example, if your boss expects an immediate reply to email, you should follow your boss' instruction. If the subject of the email is time sensitive, by all means, you need to get it to the recipient within the time frame. For emails that are not time sensitive, check and respond to emails once a day. If you you have a mix of emails where some are time sensitive and others are not, you can just handle the time sensitive tasks, and wait to do the others until your next scheduled email time. You might also consider other mediums for time sensitive issues as well. For example, if you need something from a colleague in a prompt manner, an instant message or text may be beneficial. Although, overuse of instant messaging can be distracting too, and that is why I recommend it for only immediate or pressing issues.
The reason I advocate for a once per day approach is that logging into your accounts and responding to emails can distract you from other tasks. For example, a quick after lunch check of email may lead you to discover a lengthy request. The request could easily be handled the following day; however, you are tempted to address it now, making you deviate from your other planned tasks.
2) Handle all emails at one time.
This is a subset of the first tip. I recommend making a list of all of the emails you need to do, and do them all at one time. Make a list, and check them off as you go. Doing them all at one time is more efficient than sporadically emailing through the day. I also recommend making a list of all phone calls that you need to make, and doing those at once too. If you think of people you need to email throughout the day, put it on a list, and then email them at your designated email time the next business day (unless it is something that must absolutely be dealt with before your next scheduled email time).
3) Link all professional social media sources.
The key word here is "professional." If you have personal social media accounts, and the content of those accounts are questionable for viewing by your business contacts, do not link your account. If you are using the social media accounts for primarily business purposes, link them together. This way when you tweet, the tweet will load to your facebook. If you have a blog and a facebook business page, link the two, so your blog posts will show up on facebook without extra posts. The goal is that you only have to physically manipulate one social medium, but that the action will show up on multiple accounts. This is efficient because you are multiplying your visibility with just one act.
4) An old fashioned phone sometimes saves time.
Most of the time, social media, texting, instant messaging saves time. It is also useful because it creates a record of correspondence. However, if you are coordinating detailed plans that would likely involve multiple emails back and forth; it might be easier to pick up the phone and talk to the person you are arranging with. This seems like common sense, but I notice it is practiced less and less. Most of my correspondence happens electronically. Although making a phone call seems like it will take more time, one phone call is probably quicker than multiple emails. When making detailed arrangements, it may lead to less confusion because you can immediately ask follow up questions to the person you are arranging with.
These are just a few tips for using social media effectively for your personal and business use. Social media is a tremendous benefit, if you know how to manage your accounts in an efficient way.
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