Manager Tools

I've been listening to a podcast called Manager Tools. I really appreciate the advice that they give out (for free!) but sometimes it really irritates me too.

For instance, the most recent cast I listened to is from September 2005 (seriously, the cast is so good that I decided to go back to the beginning and start from there) titled "Got Email?"

Four actions are identified as necessary for managing your email.

1. Check email three times a day.
2. Schedule the time on your calendar to check.
3. Don't answer email while someone is standing in front of you.
4. Use filters to automatically sort email.

My company relies heavily on email. Way too heavily. I'm a culprit too, but I've found that if I don't email it, I later don't have "proof" that I did said action. The recommendation is to have face time or utilize voice mail. If I did that, I'd seldom accomplish anything since people are much more likely to check and respond to emails.

As much as I enjoy the podcast, I wonder, as a non-manager, how can I implement some of the ideas that I do like? It is frustrating.

My other problem with face-to-face meetings is the recommendation of some "chit-chat" about family and life outside of work. I used to be in a spot where one person did this, right before unloading his request. It felt more like buttering up -- Look at me, I'm the nice guy that cares about your family! -- instead of building a relationship.

Maybe it was me. Maybe my perception is screwy from my years of emailed messages.

But it is definitely food for thought. And some day, I just might find myself in a position to make some changes.

Patry Francis Day

One of the coolest things about writing is the way the community jumps together in time of crisis. Patry Francis has some very serious health issues, so the writing community has banded together to promote her book today -- The Liar's Diary.

I read The Liar's Diary last year at the urging of a friend and loved it. There's lovely reviews at Writer Unboxed, The Refrigerator Door and The Lipstick Chronicles, among others. Pop over to one of them more information. Better yet, help Patry out and buy it.

Managing Smart

Best Buy has implemented some work principles that I could really get behind. Or make me want to work for them.

Smashing The Clock

At most companies, going AWOL during daylight hours would be grounds for a pink slip. Not at Best Buy. The nation's leading electronics retailer has embarked on a radical--if risky--experiment to transform a culture once known for killer hours and herd-riding bosses. The endeavor, called ROWE, for "results-only work environment," seeks to demolish decades-old business dogma that equates physical presence with productivity. The goal at Best Buy is to judge performance on output instead of hours.

It makes sense on so many levels that it is scary. It would involve trust. It would involve meaningful measurements. The potential is enormous. I know of a few employees who would appreciate the flexibility of working after their kids are in bed and during their school hours.

I applaud Best Buy for realizing that not every job means that you need to have your butt in a chair for 40 or more hours a week.

Rate Yourself

One of the really difficult things in a work place is rating yourself. I'm good at Excel. I'd consider myself an intermediate to advanced user, but honestly, what does that mean?

This device -- Aaron's User Scale found at XL-Logic.com -- defines intermediate, advanced, expert, novice, etc. for the HR set. Or anyone who needs to answer the question, "If someone says they know MS Excel on their resume, what questions can I ask them to determine their level of expertise?"

Intermediate is defined as follows:

• Knows what a Pivot Table is and how to build one.
• Knows what an addin is and how to install one. (Hopefully they've installed the Analysis Toolpack!)
• Understands and can use the AutoFilter feature.
• Can record a macro and use it later.
• Can successfully edit/modify simple recorded macros.
• Most users who claim to know Excel very well fall into this category.

My co-workers would call me an expert, but I don't fit Aaron's definition (nor do I think I should):

• Can build addins for distribution and widespread use.
• If you can think it, they can build it with Excel.
• Most likely, a disturbed individual who spends too much time thinking about spreadsheets. :-)
• A true expert knows the strengths & weaknesses of every single one and has probably had to build some new ones that were not available.

I won't even go into the Guru category. I don't want to be that kind of person.

Running Late

ABC News ran a story about people running late and the expense. My gut response was "Duh."

A recent survey found 15 to 20 percent of the U.S. population is "consistently late," especially when it comes to work.

Chronic lateness isn't just annoying — it's expensive. American CEOs are late to eight out of every 10 meetings, according to a 2006 survey by Proudfoot Consulting. And when CEOs are late by 10 minutes every day, it costs the U.S. economy $90 billion in lost productivity.

Then I thought about a few of the meetings that I attend at my day job. I can't post what I'd like to say. It would be a "career limiting move" or CLM as one friend has dubbed them.

Then I thought, "holy crap. How much are these people making? Can't they afford an assistant like Van Wilder has in Taj?"

I need a life.

via J-Walk

Women Get Paid Less

Not really a rock your world headline, but Jory Des Jardins' angle is.

Digging deeper, Babcock found that, of the graduates surveyed, 57 percent of the men negotiated for a higher salary, but only 7 percent of the women did. And of the graduates who did negotiate, they increased their salaries 7.4 percent--nearly an identical discrepancy to the difference between men's and women's salaries.

Women ask for less. Jory goes on to explain why that is. It's more than men holding us back or women not just asking for more. The discrimination starts at our desks.

Neale, the co-author of Negotiating Rationally and Power and Influence in Organizations is a full-fledged negotiation expert who has studied the conditions under which they are most effective.

And data shows that hiring managers are likely to be more turned off by women who ask for more money than by men who do. But get this: FEMALE hiring managers are more turned off by it than men.

This could be because women may be imposing their own issues with asking for more money onto female candidates, Neale says. But with this reality in mind, how do women get what they need out of negotiations?

Note: Jory has the links to the originals. Click through to her article for more.

It's a great eye-opener, especially if you are negotiating a new job or a raise.