What is it about meetings that brings out the worst in otherwise reasonable and intelligent people? Is it an opportunity to childishly engage and disrupt others? Or perhaps it's a chance to demonstrate animalistic dominance. Who knows.
All I do know is, for companies to operate effectively, executives, managers, and key employees need to know how to run effective meetings. Meetings are how conflicts are resolved and plans are agreed upon. They are how critical strategic and operating processes are developed, managed, and to some extent, executed.
Conversely, ineffective meetings result in lost productivity and frustration. They can also be a sign of a dysfunctional workplace, which can result in operating failure.
In my experience technology managers and executives are so inept at conducting effective meetings you'd think it's rocket science or a rare genetic trait. I have no idea why that is. ... Read more
What do you get when you mix Al Gore, global warming, whacky environmentalists, skyrocketing oil prices, lots of venture funding, and irrational exuberance? An alternative-energy bubble.
What, you don't believe that there's an alternative-energy bubble? Then you're just not paying attention. It may not be the biggest bubble in the history of technology--yet. And it may not be ready to burst--yet. But it's a bubble, all right. All the signs are there.
In solar energy alone, hundreds of millions of dollars of venture funds have been poured into the likes of Nanosolar, SoloPower, OptiSolar, HelioVolt, eSolar, SolFocus, Solel, Miasole, GreenVolts, Hydro Green, Infinia, Sopogy, Cyrium, SkyFuel, BrightSource Energy--the list goes on and on.
All the usual suspects are in the game: big-name venture capital firms, investment banks, private-equity firms, energy companies, technology companies, individual investors, a new batch of investment companies focused primarily on energy, and even a hedge fund or two.
There are lots of recognizable names, as well, including Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Microsoft founder Paul Allen, and Sun Microsystems founder and ex-Kleiner Perkins partner Vinod Khosla.
... Read more
(Credit:
Steve Tobak)
If you could push a button to lose weight, would you do it? Sure you would. That's why diet and nutrition crazes are so popular.
If you could take a pill and improve some part of your physique or become smarter, would you take it? Of course. That's why we see so many ads on TV and the Internet for that kind of crap.
What? Too smart to believe a pill can really do those things? That's cool. How about signing up at the local health or fitness club. Or buying self-help books. We're joining clubs and buying books in record numbers. But we're still not getting any thinner or happier.
Our society is obsessed with quick fixes. But that doesn't change the sad fact that quick fixes don't work. And nowhere is that more evident than in the workplace.
According to a publication from the Centers for Disease Control's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health called "Stress...at Work": "The nature of work is changing at whirlwind speed. Perhaps now more than ever before, job stress poses a threat to the health of workers..."
The report goes on to quote a number of studies:
According to Northwestern National Life, 40 percent of workers report their job is "very or extremely stressful" and one-fourth of employees view their jobs as the No. 1 stress in their lives.
According to the Families and Work Institute, 26 percent of workers report they are "often or very often burned out or stressed by their work."
According to a survey by Yale University, 29 percent of workers report they feel "quite a bit or extremely stressed at work."
The data is sobering, if not downright depressing.
(Credit:
Steve Tobak)
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that there are currently about 146 million workers in America. That means at least 40 million of you are really stressed at work. Is it comforting to know you're not alone? No? Then you're probably not going to like this either. There's no quick fix. If there were, you'd all be doing it and the numbers would be going down instead of up. I mean, that's what a quick fix is, right? Quick.
Still, there is hope. The technology industry employs a technique called the scientific method. We postulate ideas--based on observation--then test them to see if they're true. A painstaking, iterative process, to be sure. But it works. When you troubleshoot problems with your computer and other gadgets, you're employing the same method, although you might not realize it.
You can employee the same logical methods in resolving the workplace issues that are stressing you out. But first you have to give up the quick fixes and make a real commitment to deal with and resolve your issues. You can't just go through the motions.
You can start by checking out these posts to see if any of the subjects resonate with you. No, they're not quick fixes, but as I said, there really aren't any. These posts offer insight and methodical steps that will set you on the right path.
1. Are you creating your own workplace stress?
2. Recognizing and preventing burnout
3. How are you doing?
4. Dealing with workplace conflict
5. How to manage a crisis, any crisis
6. The back-to-work blues
7. Conquering your fear of public speaking
8. Why you need to take risks
9. The secret to finding a great job
10.Do you have a dysfunctional workplace?
Bottom line
When you're trying to deal with workplace issues, the three most important things to realize are:
1. Nobody has all the answers.
2. There are no quick fixes.
3. By employing an intelligent, methodical approach, you can get to the bottom of whatever it is that's stressing you out and can initiate changes that will help.
Trust yourself; you can do this.
I've got a question for you: How are you doing? Sure, of course you're fine. Here's a follow up: How do you know you're doing fine? Tougher question, huh?
What's that, you have a question for me? Why am I asking these inane questions?
Because, when people ask us how we're doing, we respond automatically. I'm fine, we're fine, everything's fine. After all, if we engaged everyone in a rant about the gory truth, nothing would ever get done.
But it doesn't stop there. We don't even engage ourselves in a dialogue about the gory truth, and for much the same reason. We're too busy "living."
The truth is that seemingly simple questions can actually be pretty loaded, so loaded that we'd sometimes rather not know the answer. We have all these sayings about leaving well enough alone. Why upset the apple cart? Why open a can of worms? Don't fix it if it isn't broken. ... Read more
Quick, by a show of hands, how many of you have workplace stress? Almost everybody, great.
Now, how much of that stress do you think is self-imposed? What, no hands?
Well, I'm not surprised, but you may be in for a shock.
You see, most people make their own stress. Why do they do it? How should I know? I'm not a shrink. I'm just here to tell you that a lot of it is self-imposed.
... Read more
My last post - Don't be a sucker when it comes to stocks - ruffled quite a few feathers among investors of a certain stock. There were comments and emails - mostly calling into question my journalistic integrity - but a few of them also told detailed stories about the company's situation. That's today's topic.
Just like people, every company, every stock, has a story, and everybody tells it differently. In each story there are facts, an anecdote or two, and of course, opinions. Some of them are so fascinating that people write articles, entire blogs, or even books about them.
But when you're considering joining or investing in a company, or buying a product, how do you know which stories to believe? Everybody's famous in the Internet age, so how do you know what information to base your decision on. It's harder than you think. ... Read more
Over the years, I've noticed something lots of techies have in common--they like things to be black-and-white. Sorry if that offends you, but in my experience, it's true.
Unfortunately, the real world is gray. Like it or not, living and thriving in a gray world, especially a gray workplace, involves negotiating. None of us are born with negotiating skills. We have to learn them. This will help.
Here are five things you need to know to negotiate effectively. They'll help you in all your work-related relationships - with peers, managers, subordinates, customers, vendors, everyone. They'll help you to negotiate better compensation packages, promotions, and even exit packages.
Who knows, they may even help to improve your personal and personal business relationships. After all, so much of family and business life involves negotiating. ... Read more
One Sunday night, when I was a kid growing up in Brooklyn, my dad noticed I was acting a little moody. "What's the matter, sonny boy?" That's what he called me sometimes. I think it's from an Al Jolson song.
"Ah, you know, I've got school tomorrow." I whined. "Weekends are great, but they're too short."
"You know what?" he replied, "I still feel that way about work." ... Read more
How many of us have driven home in anger, after a frustrating day at work, and declared to our spouse or the nearest person who will listen, "I can do that incompetent jerk's job way better"? The incompetent jerk is, of course, the boss.
At that point you have three options:
Option 1: Realize that you're full of hot air and do nothing.
Option 2: Quit and go to work for somebody else.
Option 3: Try to get your boss' job.
This post will give you three tips for accomplishing Option 3. Just to be clear, I don't mean getting your boss fired and you getting promoted in his or her place; I mean getting a promotion to that job level, either at your company or elsewhere.
I've done it lots of times. Sometimes it works out; sometimes it doesn't. Six years ago, I was so frustrated with my CEO that I responded to a call from an executive recruiter. Before long, I was CEO of an optical networking company. This was the opportunity I was looking for, a chance to see if I really was better at my boss' job than he was.
Seven months later, my company went bankrupt, a victim of the dot-com bust. True story. ... Read more
It's hard to imagine your career going anywhere unless you can deliver an effective presentation. Unfortunately, most technology industry folks seem to be missing the presentation gene. How can I generalize like that? Because, I've been watching them struggle for a quarter of a century.
Why they're so deficient in this regard, I have no idea. But they stand there, like they're glued to the floor, with their 90-slide presentation with a dozen bullets and sub-bullets and a book of text on each slide. Then they complain that executives and salespeople make all the money.
Look, a presentation is a rare opportunity to make an impression that might impact your future. It can be a gateway to big things ahead, but it can just as easily be a roadblock to professional growth. As for becoming a project leader, manager, or executive, good presentation skills are a requirement.
I've seen presentations that were so inspiring I left the room with adrenaline squirting out of my ears. A great presentation can change your life. From the presenter's perspective, connecting with an audience, communicating your vision and passion for a subject, well, it's a beautiful thing. ... Read more
