In September 2011, the American-based media provider Netflix announced that it planned to raise prices for its services and separate into two companies: a DVD mail order service it would call “Qwikster” and an internet streaming service that would retain the name Netflix. Customer response was almost immediate and extremely negative. Netflix estimates it lost […]
Read moreTHE “OPPRESSIVE” BOSS: MANAGING POOR MANAGEMENT
May 7, 2013 
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Almost all of us who have managed others over the years, have had to deal with a boss whose own management style and set of management skills left something to be desired. Managing up — as it is called — is relatively easy when one’s boss has a skill set, style, and personality similar to […]
Read moreRIGHT PEOPLE, ATTITUDE AND FOCUS = POSITIVE RESULTS
May 3, 2013 0 Comments
In 1995, Hollywood released its movie homage — “Apollo 13″ — to the US Space Program’s most daring space rescue. One scene in particular has remained with me ever since I first experienced it in the theater. As the crippled spacecraft’s crew battled long survival odds 205,000 miles above the earth, it suddenly became apparent […]
Read moreARE YOU THE RIGHT PERSON FOR YOUR JOB?
April 23, 2013 0 Comments
Many of the managers I have worked with over the years have never asked themselves if they were the right person for their current job. Having been selected for the position, they naturally assume they were the right choice. Others, however, perhaps less self-confident and self-assured, have let the “right person” thought enter their consciousness and […]
Read moreGENERATIONAL DIFFERENCES AT WORK
March 29, 2013 0 Comments
The March 24, 2013 edition of Businessweek contained an article by Marina Khidekel entitled “The Misery of Mentoring Millennials” (Etc. Section). Among the article’s highlights that caught my eye were the following: “For a new generation of workers, the idea of seeking out a single career confidant is as old-fashioned as a three-martini lunch.” “According […]
Read moreTAKING ADVANTAGE OF EMPLOYEE OPINION SURVEYS
March 23, 2013 0 Comments
The March 15, 2013 edition of the magazine The Week contained the following item from The Wall Street Journal on its Business news at a glance page: “A study by the American Psychological Association found that women report higher levels of work stress than men, “as well as a gnawing sense that they are under appreciated […]
Read moreASKING QUESTIONS: PERHAPS YOUR MOST POWERFUL MANAGEMENT TOOL
March 8, 2013 3 Comments
“I keep six honest serving men they taught me all I knew, their names were what and where and when and how and why and who“ Rudyard Kipling In an earlier article in this series entitled “Untested Assumptions”, I described such assumptions as one of a manager’s worst enemies. Acting on untested assumptions […]
Read moreTHE BOSS WHO PLAYS FAVORITES: MANAGING POOR MANAGEMENT
February 22, 2013 0 Comments
Almost all of us who have managed others over the years, have had to deal with a boss whose own management style and set of management skills left something to be desired. Managing up — as it is called — is relatively easy when one’s boss has a skill set, style, and personality similar to […]
Read moreTHE VALUE OF THE LONG VIEW
February 14, 2013 0 Comments
In a recent article, I encouraged managers to define a few, long-term “big ideas” or goals they intend to pursue over time. I did so, because I believe that is the best way for a manager to achieve a real sense of ultimate accomplishment that serves the long-term interest of the organization for which she […]
Read moreWANT A SENSE OF REAL ACCOMPLISHMENT? CHAMPION A FEW BIG GOALS
February 6, 2013 2 Comments
So many managers I talk with tell me that one great source of their frustration with the job, is obtaining a sense of accomplishment day-to-day. This is an experience I well remember and it never ceased being a challenge. The management job itself — with its never-ending onslaught of little, often unrelated matters confronting you – easily […]
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