As an interim communications / marketing manager I have a mantra that I frequently use in the companies that hire me. When a member of the team advices for example a campaign that is expensive and from previous efforts we know it is not very effective, I react: "If this was your own company, would you pay for that campaign?"
Have you ever been working on something and needed your manager to make a decision? You ask them. And then chase them. And chase again.
Without an answer, you can’t move forward because you don’t know what course of action is best – or what they would want you to do. So the task stalls, and in the worst cases, doesn’t pick up again.
This is a real problem for lots of people at work, and there are four main reasons why it takes so long to get a decision. When you understand these, you can work around them and help your manager get what they need so that you can get your answer and everyone can get back to work.
Mind mapping isn't a new phenomenon, in fact, it's been around for at least 30 years already. However, it's a technique that's often underused in blogging. It's one of the best ways to get information across to your reader in a fun and easy to understand way. Here's how to create them, and how to use them when you're blogging.
Does your project have clear objectives? I hope so: these should be written into the business case and Project Charter. Having objectives is crucial to knowing what it is you are trying to achieve and whether you are on track to get there or not.
You don’t have to have the job title of ‘Project Manager’ to find yourself working on a project these days. Lots of people have responsibility for initiatives, big and small, that are essentially projects. You have to clarify your objectives for...
Ask a project manager what’s going on with their project and they will probably pull up a Gantt chart to show you.
A Gantt chart (named after Henry Gantt who introduced the idea) is made up of horizontal bars visually representing task durations. The longer the task, the longer the bar. The dates are at the top so you can quickly see when work is due to happen.
There is nothing inherently wrong with Gantt charts. They are well-used and loved by many, they show the big picture for a project and they are visual so they work well for people at all levels.
I read somewhere that by 2020 video will account for a staggering 75 % of mobile data traffic. Four times as many consumers would prefer to watch a video about a product than to read about it. When you open a newspaper, chances are you come across an infographic. Websites of newspapers use more and more interactive...
Whether you’re managing a multi-million dollar project or planning out what needs to be done for a visit during the holidays, the chances are you work with task lists. Whether you call them To Do lists, activity lists or something else, you’re probably familiar with using them at work and in your personal life.
Flexible working, off-shore resources and virtual teams mean that today’s managers spend more time not sitting with their team members than with them.
There’s a degree of trust involved when you can’t see what your virtual colleagues are doing. Are they prioritizing the right tasks? Are they going to get the work completed on time?
What Movember shows - and actually what companies can learn form it -is that having a great story, working for a good cause, building a strong brand (not just a fundraiser, but a foundation for men’s health), designing a creative campaign, inspiring a social movement will lead to great success. Movember is number 55 on the top 100 NGO’s in the world.
I’m sure you’re aware of ‘strategic alignment’ as one of the top management topics at the moment. We are hearing about it everywhere. All it means is making sure you are doing the right work – business as usual and projects – to help you deliver your strategy. In other words, focus your efforts on the right activities.
It’s not very complicated on paper, but in practice it’s a lot harder to get right. In this article I’ll give you a 7-step approach, inspired by the work of Steve Butler, to help you and your team go from a strategy on paper to a work environment that actually delivers what you want.
Do we actually need creativity at our workplace? It’s the most controversial topic I’ve ever faced in my blogging career. And when I asked my colleagues whether they knew any unusual ways to unleash creativity, most of them surprised me with these generalized phrases: ‘Creativity? It’s just a job. You come and do what you’re said to and that’s all.’ or ‘Creativity is for you, writers and designers, sales managers shouldn’t unleash anything’.
Managing a project is a very serious job and when we think of the term Project Management, it always sounds very technical (and challenging!). To run or manage a project, you are required to plan, initiate, implement and monitor the progress of a team to achieve goals.
Every job comes with its own set of challenges and difficulties. But what are the biggest problems we face as project managers? Here are 6 of the most common problems that project managers face and how can they be avoided or resolved.
A prompt list is a shortcut to remembering certain items and today I’ve got a prompt list for you to help you understand the external context of your business strategy.
Whether your business is big or small, knowing where you are going is key to success, and your strategy is a big part of that.
This prompt list is helpful for mindmapping the factors that might influence the success or failure of your strategic initiatives.
Being a start-up comes with all kinds of opportunities that other, more established companies may not have access to. However, it also comes with its own challenges and obstacles to success. Here's ten of the biggest problems your start up may face, and how to avoid them.
No one likes long goodbyes, but quick goodbyes are often even harder to come to terms with - particularly when the person scarpering out of the door is a customer.
Customers come and go - that’s a fact of business - and it should never be assumed that the most loyal will hang around forever. That mindset only leads to complacency and, before you know it, long-standing clients will leave without so much as a parting wave or regretful glance over the shoulder.
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