Archive for August, 2008

Show them the money

Published
by
Karen Grant
on August 27, 2008
in Workplace
. 7 Comments

For some, the scariest topic in workplace conversation starts with the letter $. So, at the risk of creating panic, should companies share financial information with their staffs?

I say yes. In eight years of experience with two companies practicing open book management, I’ve found that the more people know, the better they are at their jobs. Business decisions seem less arbitrary, and less threatening. Reasons for making or postponing necessary purchases are better understood. People feel they are part of the picture instead of being a puzzle piece, creating an environment where the best ideas can come from people who previously weren’t even asked the question.

Interested? Consider the following rules of the game: Be honest. Don’t share salaries. Get your staff involved. Be consistent in what is presented, and how. Ask for feedback. Answer questions. Keep it simple. Accept that some people will tune out. And be prepared to share the bad news along with the good.

Does OBM instantly change everything for the better? No. But it takes what is, to many, an elusive frightening beast and puts it in a cage. It may be no less scary, and it may bite you if you’re not careful, but at least you know exactly what it looks like, and where it is.

Big-picture questions for the presidential candidates

Published
by
Bruce Hetrick
on August 20, 2008
in Economics, Healthcare, Lifestyle and Politics
. 10 Comments

Dear John and Barack:

Over the next two weeks, if all goes as planned at your conventions, you’ll become the only two people on the planet with a serious shot at the presidency. We’re talking 50/50 odds on becoming leader of the free world.

So far, the campaign has gotten bogged down in issues du jour: gasoline prices, when to get out of Iraq, putting Putin in his place, and the silliness of who’s the bigger celebrity (you both are and you know it).

Don’t get me wrong: These things matter in the short run (well, all but the celebrity tit-for-tat). But the reality is, the specific issues will change while you’re in office. So I’d prefer your take on the bigger picture. I’ve gotten it down to six questions:

1. What will make us more respected in the world, war-making or peace-brokering, and how will you move us in that direction?

2. How will your administration help rebuild our economy with new kinds of jobs for a new kind of world (one based more on advancing ideas, science and technology and less on making stuff)?

3. How will your administration do a better job of educating our citizens so they’re more employable over their lifetimes, and so our nation is more competitive in a global economy?

4. What will your administration do to better protect and preserve people’s health and more affordably treat illness?

5. What will your administration do to help clean up the environment at home and worldwide?

6. What will you do to ensure that the “tyranny of the majority” never trumps individual civil liberties?

Those are my questions. Fellow bloggers: Please weigh in with yours.

Inbox full

Published
by
Ryan Heath
on August 13, 2008
in Communications and Workplace
. 7 Comments

Just when I’m getting in the groove on a project, there it is—an all-too-familiar pop-up announcing an e-mail in my inbox: Google Alert, Today’s Headlines, Meeting request. They just keep coming, each declaring its utmost importance and demanding immediate attention. But what can I do? Ignore e-mails from clients, bosses, colleagues? That’s not too smart.

With laptops, PDAs and cell phones, e-mail can find us anywhere, anytime and anyhow. Processing the daily barrage of incoming information has become a part-time job for many Americans. One study by business research firm Basex found that e-mail interruptions account for roughly 28 percent of the workday for someone in a knowledge-based industry. More and more you hear about professionals who can’t go five minutes without checking their inboxes, who take their laptops to bed, who are mentally unavailable to friends and families even when they’re not at work.

I’m happy to say I’ve been able to manage a successful career so far without owning a PDA or constantly checking e-mail at home. The way I see it, signing off allows me to recharge mentally and focus on big-picture thinking instead of the tedium of e-mail.

A handful of major companies have experimented with “No-e-mail Fridays.” What if we all followed suit, shutting off our PDAs and closing our inboxes at least one day a week? I’ll bet the world wouldn’t come crashing down—someone with an emergency can always pick up the phone. But the real question is: could we handle the silence?

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