Your knowledge stars or SMEs (Subject Matter Experts) are your most important assets when it comes to getting the information you need to fulfill your requirements documents or any other documents that are being written. They will supply you with all the information needed to understand the product or processes, and teach you to be …

Organizational Development Training Strategies: 3 Essentials “Where the hell have you men been,” asks the colonel in a 1981 Bill Murray comedy film, Stripes. (video) “Training, Sir,” he answers, drawing out the word “training” until it sounds ridiculous. And funny, of course. The troops, feeling responsible for their sergeant’s hospitalization and under the “emergent” leadership …

All managers aspire to be better leaders — but what is it that makes a leader effective? The Leadership Code offers five pivotal rules that lay out how the leadership game is played. How well do you apply them to your day–to–day actions? 1. Strategist–Leaders shape the future As a strategist, you must answer the …

The attitude “I don’t give a rip about my job” happens every single day. Is it happening in your company? Did you know that 5o% of workers today would rather be someplace else? And another 20% take out their frustration every day and may be doing more harm than good. What about your people? I …

Deleting posts once they’ve grabbed the public’s attention is a cardinal sin of modern crisis management Anyone experienced with social media crisis management can tell you, deleting a post after it’s become the center of public controversy is a major faux pause. Of course, that doesn’t stop an incredible number of well-known figures and organizations …

A recent encounter got me thinking about inter-generational interactions and communication in the workplace. As a volunteer usher at a performing arts organization, I was given the wrong sign in sheet by young millennial who was chatting away with another staff member. Later, it was brought to my attention, by the same person, who said …

Effective Communication Via Status Reports Format Writing status or progress reports are not fun, but are a necessity. It’s like going to the doctor for a checkup – it’s not fun to go, but it’s a must-do necessity to see if you are well or not. Status report formats are a way of communicating to …

“By and large, executives make poor hiring decision. By all accounts, their batting average is no better than .333. That means one-third of such decisions turn out right, one-third minimally effective and one-third outright failures. In no other area of management would we put up with such miserable performance” – Peter Drucker, leadership icon. Every …

Do your crisis management plans include being blackballed by the competition? So-called “black hat” tactics, often effective but unethical, or even illegal, ways of achieving goals, do exist in the world of PR and marketing. While, for the most part, reputable organizations have a policy of not putting shady tactics to work, employees looking to …

I recently finished a government grant proposal that had only a two-week deadline. Of course, it required many hours, day and night, and over the final weekend to complete. And, as you may have guessed, it was submitted at 2:00 am on Monday. It would be nice if I could take sole credit for this …