By Gerard M Blair

 Time passes, quickly. This article looks at the basics of Personal Time Management and describes how the Manager can assume control of this basic resource.

The "Eff" words

The three "Eff" words are [concise OED]:

• Effective - having a definite or desired effect
• Efficient - productive with minimum waste or effort
• Effortless -

seemingly without effort; natural, easy

Personal Time Management is about winning the "Eff" words: making them apply to you and your daily routines.

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By Gerard M Blair

 Presentations are one of the first managerial skills which a junior engineer must acquire. This article looks at the basics of Presentation Skills as they might apply to an emergent manager.

Introduction

Management is the art of getting things done. A Presentation is a fast and potentially effective method of getting things done through other people. In managing any project, presentations are used as a formal method for bringing people together to plan, monitor and review its progress.

But let us look at this another way: what can a presentation do for you?

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By Gerard M Blair

 Groups form a basic unit of work activity throughout engineering and yet the underlying process is poorly managed. This article looks at the basics of group work and suggests ways to accelerate development.

In the beginning, God made an individual - and then he made a pair. The pair formed a group, together they begat others and thus the group grew. Unfortunately, working in a group led to friction, the group disintegrated in conflict and Caian settled in the land of Nod - there has been trouble with groups ever since.

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By F. John Reh

We all get complacent sometimes. We have comfort zones. We do the things we enjoy, that feel good, that come easily. That's why many people surround themselves with people who agree with them, think like them, and support them. The CEO of a large company does not have that luxury.

In return for the outlandish compensation being heaped on them by the shareholders, the CEO must immerse himself or herself in the uncomfortable, the unfamiliar, the different opinion. Only in that way can they keep the company strong and growing. Only then can they earn what they are being paid. Only then can they, and their shareholders, avoid a debacle like Enron.

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By F. John Reh

We all get complacent sometimes. We have comfort zones. We do the things we enjoy, that feel good, that come easily. That's why many people surround themselves with people who agree with them, think like them, and support them.

Many mangers, and many companies, fail because they rely too heavily on the people like them and screen out those who disagree with them. One of the key management failure is curbing dissent.

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By F. John Reh

Most businesses are going through a rough period. The worldwide economy has been in a depression or a recession, depending on whom you ask, for many months. The recovery will come. For some businesses, the question is whether the recovery will come soon enough.

Do I have enough coming in or can I cut down on what's going out to keep the business going a little longer? Can I find ways to bring in more money? How can I reduce expenditures even more? If I do these things, how much longer can I keep the business afloat? Will that be long enough? How many months away is the recovery? The calculation is the same for the largest corporation as for the smallest individual shop owner. Some items may be more complex for the large corporation, requiring several accountants to track, but small shop owners use the same basic formula.

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By F. John Reh

Every year we go through the same budget cycle. Every year we have the same frustrations. And every year we end up with a budget that doesn't make sense. There is a better way.

The Usual Way

• Get the preliminary materials from the Finance Department with the necessary forms to complete and submit
• Complain that the forms really don't fit our department well, but we complete them and submit them, usually on time
• Wait while Finance does some magic and the budget comes back with a note from above to cut it by some unreachable number

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By F. John Reh

You've been fired.

You almost never hear that any more. Now it's usually a euphemism. We're downsizing. Your position was made redundant. We need to adjust our staffing level to current market factors. You probably know several others.

Whatever it's called, losing your job is usually a painful experience. It can be a little less painful if you know it's coming and you have a chance to prepare. Like other major life changes, there often are subtle warning signs that you can see it you just look.

A lot like getting dumped

If you have ever had a boyfriend or girlfriend dump you, you know the feeling. Here again we use euphemisms. "Growing in different directions". "Need my own space". "Not ready to get tied down". These are clues your relationship is in trouble. The signs that your job is in trouble are equally visible.

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Abstract This paper will deal with the risk management issues in a management consulting firm. After an outline of the strategic and operational issues in a typical management consulting firm I focus on a particular sales stage to show which implications it has not to take the time dimension into consideration in the forecasting process. It is all wrapped up in the conclusion, which also includes a few recommendations for management consulting firms Introduction

This article will deal with the risk management issues in a management consulting firm. Like most other businesses it is about balancing effectiveness and efficiency and I will later return to the relevant strategic and operational issues. Two facts distinguish a consulting firm from i.e. a production company: You cannot produce for stock and when an employee leaves the company he or she takes a large portion of the company's intellectual capital with him/her. If it is a fast growing consulting firm you have "resource utilisation"/"growth"/"profitability" dilemma on top of it that can be very hard to manage and certainly involves a lot of risk management issues.

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You would think that those who are fortunate enough to enjoy a Position in Leadership, would know how to get more productivity from their employees. Truth is........some Leaders just don't have a clue. Getting more from your employees is simpler than one might think. It requires no advanced or specialized education, nor can any amount of money buy it. It is simple........Just Use Your Common Sense!

Leaders.....you were once just an employee. Imagine how you felt when asked to carry out tasks that you were clearly overqualified to do. And what about all those long nights you had to stay late, because members of management didn't turn their report submissions in by the assigned deadline. Now you have your position in Authority as a Leader. Are you going to treat your employees as "just employees?" Or are you going to show Respect, Recognize Them For Their Time and Efforts, Display Effective & Efficient Leadership, and Show Appreciation For Your Employees and Their Hardwork?

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As the saying goes, "Knowledge is king". This couldn't be more true today's fast moving business climate. Knowledge Management is a key component in the information age for businesses to evaluate their Intellectual Capital and apply it properly innovate and compete with competitors.

What is knowledge management?

Knowledge management is the process that companies use to measure the value of intellectual worth of each employee in the company. In addition, it is a process that is used to evaluate and track key metrics related to intellectual assets the organization can use to create better services, products, and value to the shareholders of the corporation. The tools used to manage information and knowledge vary between organizations, but more and more organizations are hiring knowledge managers to manage the process for the business stakeholders. These managers leverage knowledge management systems that track, store, and index these information assets for reference by business managers and employees. A simple example of this is perhaps a business manager is looking for a specific product development skill set.

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When you want to get something done, eventually, you must be able to do it. Embarking on an enterprise often begins with only part of the abilities necessary to accomplish it - the endeavor could begin with a desire, a gift, or certain way things are put together, that initiates the effort. However, learning and organization tends to occur along the way as well, as the Vision alters or Breakdowns occur. It is at these moments - when we do not have the traction desire - that we become intensely curious about why what we had to commence the enterprise is not sufficient to complete it. So we begin a search inward of what abilities exist and what needs to exist.

This is a roadmap to unraveling where the abilities exist or are void. The capacity to get something achieved is a function of ability, which is having the sufficient interest, power, skill, or resources to accomplish an outcome. There are three key determinates of ability: Willingness, Structure, and Competency.

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Finding or Falling into a Career

How We Shape Our Own Futures

An Easy Recruit

Rising early this morning to write about recruitment and retention I had a flash back to seeing my eldest son the day he came home to tell me he was "recruited" to join the U.S. Army.Walking down the hall to turn on the coffee pot my memory of him those eight years ago is as vivid as if it was just yesterday. His large brown eyes were alive with excitement; he couldn't even come close to stop smiling in the weeks before departing for boot camp. His body was ready to go, go, go and there was no turning back. Michael knew what he wanted and was ready to show up "big" for his new employer.

Mike was an easy recruit for the armed services.

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The Role of the CEO in Succession Planning

You are the CEO of a well-managed credit union and you have just left a board meeting where you submitted your resignation. You start another job in 30 days and plan on relaxing and renewing with your family on the slopes around Tahoe, catching up on the latest novels, sleeping in and just hanging out. The board is surprised at the announcement of your sudden departure and prefers that you stay on and lead the credit union. However, they are comfortable that the transition will be smooth because a strategic initiative, for the past four years, has been to continually and systematically build an internal talent pool.

Five years ago you and your board agreed to assess the organizational talent to ensure that it meets with the aggressive future strategic direction of the organization. In a nutshell, you started Succession Planning. Your credit union was in a marketplace that called for innovative products and services delivered through multiple delivery channels. If you did not grab the market, it was ripe for other financial institutions, both traditional and nontraditional.

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Board Responsibilities for Succession Planning Does Second Place Count?

There is no second 'First Place." Once the baton is dropped in the leadership race . . . your credit union is at risk. The Purpose of your credit union is to Serve Your Members. Strategic Succession Planning is a critical step to serving that Purpose and mitigating unnecessary risk. If for any reason your CEO departs and you have not identified or groomed a "step in" or "drop in" candidate, your members are not being served. You have not adequately mitigated risk. This is not a gray area but very black and white.

There are many reasons why a CEO may no longer be available for work. Regardless of the reason; the board has a responsibility to have potential successors ready to serve.

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