Category Archives: Management Tips and Tricks

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Dropbox Projects Reveals How Successful Teams Collaborate

Harvard Business Review

We know a lot about how teams collaborate face-to-face, with regard to leadership, communication, conflict resolution, and other areas. But less is known about how groups work together virtually. As more and more collaboration happens in digital settings, it’s critical to understand best practices for working in such spaces.

To address this question, we studied the virtual interactions of research teams at universities around the word on Dropbox, analyzed how the collaborative dynamics related to performance and developed a list of best practices that organizations can use on any file-sharing platform to improve team performance.

HBR.org The Harvard Business Review click the link to read the rest of the story.

What have you found works for your teams?

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Streamline Your Workflow by Assigning Tasks to Days of the Week

The idea is pretty simple: Rather than shift your focus throughout the day, group together similar tasks so that you can streaming completing them.  … So I might always do one type of task on Mondays and Wednesdays, and another on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Perhaps you reserve all your in-person meetings or site visits for Wednesdays or Fridays. …

LifeHacker.com click the link to read the rest of the story.

Have you tried this method?  Did it work for you?

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The Surprising Power of Simply Asking Coworkers How They’re Doing

When people feel like they belong at work, they are more productive, motivated, engaged and 3.5 times more likely to contribute to their fullest potential, according to our research at the Center for Talent Innovation.  … Our study substantiated existing evidence that exclusion is a growing issue. We found that more than 40% of those we surveyed are feeling physically and emotionally isolated in the workplace.

HBR.com (Harvard Business Review) click the link to read the rest of the story.

How often do you ask your teammates how they are doing?Join the conversation on our Facebook Page!

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Why We’re Bad at Estimating Time (and What to Do About It)

If you understand the reasons why we tend to underestimate how long tasks will take, you can take steps to avoid the pitfalls of the planning fallacy and start forming more realistic estimates. …

To avoid the negative consequences of underestimating—at both work and in life—you have to make an effort to stop estimating using intuition only. And the best way to do that is to use an estimation technique: an exercise designed to help you form more realistic estimates.

The following six estimation techniques are all designed to help you avoid underestimating when you’re trying to determine how much time a task will take.

Zapier.com click the link to read the rest of the story.

Were the estimation techniques discussed helpful?Join the conversation on our Facebook Page!

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The Best Mind Mapping Software in 2019

Mind mapping is a creative exercise that begins when you write down a central idea or theme, then draw lines that branch out into new “nodes,” each with a new word or idea that’s related to the first. … Mind mapping is a creative exercise that begins when you write down a central idea or theme, then draw lines that branch out into new “nodes,” each with a new word or idea that’s related to the first.

Zapier.com click the link to read the rest of the story.

Have you used mind mapping tools, before?Join the conversation on our Facebook Page!

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Fake meeting request from the boss steals passwords

Called to a meeting with the CEO? Don’t be so sure.

A widespread phishing campaign is targeting executives across a number of industries with messages asking to reschedule a board meeting in an effort to steal logins and passwords.

ZDNet.com click the link to read the rest of the story.

Has your office received on of these yet?Join the conversation on our Facebook Page!

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4 Things Managers Need To Know About Data

Data has been called the new oil and for good reason. While as recently as a decade ago our ability to use data effectively was limited by technology, today our access is nearly unlimited. New platforms like Hadoop and Spark allow us to analyze hundreds —or even thousands — of databases at once. … Many managers pride themselves on being “data driven,” but that’s a fairly meaningless term. Data, by itself, tells you nothing. That’s why the first thing … to do is ask the right questions, form hypotheses and use data to test them.

Forbes.com click the link to read the rest of the story.

What story is your data telling you?Join the conversation on our Facebook Page!

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The market for cyber-insurance is growing

A survey in 2018 by KPMG found that only a fifth of it bosses thought their firm was well prepared for an attack. … The market is most developed in America, says Robert Hannigan, one of those ex-gchq bosses, thanks in part to Californian laws passed in 2003 that compel firms to confess to large data breaches.

The Economist click the link to read the rest of the story.

Is you firm covered by cyber-insurance?Join the conversation on our Facebook Page!

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Windows 7 migration warning: Plan now to avoid security worries later

Malware can spread much more easily on obsolete platforms, warns security body. With less than a year until the end of Windows 7 support, don’t get caught out. …Keeping software up to date is one of the most effective ways of keeping your networks and devices secure, it said in a blog post: “This is why planning your upgrades far in advance is especially important.

ZDNet.com click the link to read the rest of the story.

Have you planned the upgrade with your techs yet?Join the conversation on our Facebook Page!

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How to Debate Ideas Productively at Work

Arguing could be a very good thing — perhaps the key to their success —  if they could train people to do it in a healthy way.

Research tells us that cognitive diversity makes a group smarter. Two heads are, indeed, better than one, and many heads are even better, especially when everyone is willing to share their expertise and opinions.

HBR.org click the link to read the rest of the story.

How do you make sure your office has healthy debates?Join the conversation on our Facebook Page!

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Free Online Whiteboard for Small Teams

Collaborate as a Dream Team — All of you — managers, designers, developers, coaches, marketers and other talented professionals — work together to build great things. Team members are all different and speak many “languages” — data, pictures, spreadsheets, tasks, charts and more. RealtimeBoard combines all these pieces in one place to let your team or whole organization collaborate beyond formats, tools, locations and timezones.

TheRealTimeBoard.com click the link to read the rest of the story.

Could your team use a good Real Time Whiteboard?Join the conversation on our Facebook Page!

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How to Develop Better Habits in 2019

How long are you going to wait before you demand the best for yourself?” …

The writer James Clear talks a lot about the idea of “atomic habits” (and has a really good book with the same title). An atomic habit is a small habit that makes an enormous difference in your life.

Medium.com click the link to read the rest of the story.

What micro habit can you add to your daily ritual that could become a game-changer?Join the conversation on our Facebook Page!

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Digital Transformation: What Not To Do

What’s standing in the way to digital transformation? The Insight survey identified the top five barriers to achieving success. They are legacy IT infrastructure (64%), data security (60%), technology silos (59%), budget (54%), and competing priorities (53%).

These identified obstacles may help some organizations create a better roadmap to success by helping them to anticipate the problems they may encounter along the way.

informationweek.com click the link to read the rest of the story.

Have you started a digital transformation of your business? Lessons Learned?Join the conversation on our Facebook Page!

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6 STEPS TO REPAIR CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS

First, it’s happened to all of us (and we’re here to help).

Second, it is impossible to understand all the contextual and environmental factors that led to the customer disengaging. It is easy for founders to believe they are the singular point of failure (which is exacerbated by processing the event of loss by themselves in an echo-chamber). The reality is that this is often not the case.  And third, some customer relationships cannot be repaired. Be OK with this.

Here are the six battle-tested steps I shared with the founder whose business had been impacted.

philhsc.com click the link to read the rest of the story.

Could any of these suggestions have helped you recover a former customer?Join the conversation on our Facebook Page!

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How to drastically simplify your workflow and get more done

“Life is simple,” wrote Confucius, “but we insist on making it complicated.”

Good advice … and timely.

In fact, Retired Navy SEAL officer and “Extreme Ownership” co-author Jocko Willink recently identified simplicity as the key to not just to effective leadership, but success itself.

The trouble is that we’re terrible at simplicity.

BusinessInsider.com  click the link to read the rest of the story.

How could you simplify your work day?Join the conversation on our Facebook Page!

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How Do Customers View Businesses After a Data Breach?

Nothing can be quite as devastating to a business’s customer base than a data breach.

How do customers perceive businesses after a data breach? What was once a highly-trusted, well-regarded company could be quickly downgraded to an untrustworthy, irresponsible company after a data breach.

RevisionLegal.com  click the link to read the rest of the story.

If you have been breached, what did it cost your firm?Join the conversation on our Facebook Page!

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19 Daily Habits That Make You Less Productive (And What to Do)

What follows are 19 daily unproductive habits, and solutions to replace them with productive habits.

These are prioritized from the most distracting things that constantly put people in a reactive versus proactive state, to more granular things that can supersize and sustain productivity.

SearchEngineJournal.com  click the link to read the rest of the story.

What habit did you choose that made the biggest difference in your life?Join the conversation on our Facebook Page!

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10 Must-Read Books That Will Make You Ridiculously Productive

While there isn’t a perfect productivity formula for everyone, the 11 reads below will inspire you to create your very own process that works for getting more stuff done—and enjoying every day more in the process.

ProductHunt.com  click the link to read the rest of the story.

Have you read a book book on productivity, lately?Join the conversation on our Facebook Page!

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Great Companies Obsess Over Productivity, Not Efficiency

Business leaders often think of “efficiency” and “productivity” as synonyms, two sides of the same coin.

When it comes to strategy, however, efficiency and productivity are very different. At a time when so many companies are starved for growth, senior leaders must bring a productivity mindset to their business and remove organizational obstacles to workforce productivity. This view differs substantially from the relentless focus on efficiency that has characterized management thinking for most of the last three decades, but it is absolutely essential if companies are going to spur innovation and reignite profitable growth.

Harvard Business Review  click the link to read the rest of the story.

Could this help your company?Join the conversation on our Facebook Page!

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Cognitive Bias: How Your Mind Plays Tricks on You and How to Overcome That at Work

Cognitive biases are common thinking errors that hinder our rational decision-making.  We don’t always see things as they are. We don’t simply glean information through the senses and act on it; instead, our minds give that info their own spin, which can sometimes be deceptive. The inner experience is not always in perfect sync with what’s going on in the outer world.

zapier.com click the link to read the rest of the story.

How do you overcome confirmation bias?Join the conversation on our Facebook Page!

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What computer networks are and how to actually understand them

Whether you are new to the world of development, or have been building things for a long time — or even if you’re a person who just likes computers and uses the internet daily — you’ve got to know the basics of networking and specifically Computer Networks.  If you like digging more into servers, their security, and how you connect to your servers from a remote client, all of this requires some knowledge of computer networks and their components. I have tried to cover most of the topics concerning computer networks in this article.

freecodecamp.org click the link to read the rest of the story.

Do you know the basics of what your computer network is?Join the conversation on our Facebook Page!

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Want to Lead? Learn to Ask the Right Questions

Have you ever walked away from a sales meeting wondering what you could have said differently to a potential client? Or do you feel as though you’re only wasting your breath trying to convince your employees to believe in a new initiative or direction? Are you tired of telling your children to clean up their rooms? Convincing others can’t come from you—it has to come from them. How does this happen? Learn to ask the right questions.

BigThink.com click the link to read the rest of the story.

What questions lead you to where you are?Join the conversation on our Facebook Page!

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Need More Hours Every Day to Grow Your Business? Then Quit These 7 Time Wasters

Successful founders know how to manage their time well. They make room for work and play, limiting their stress levels by staying focused on the things that matter. When they run into unexpected obstacles, they don’t need to rearrange their lives to tackle the problem.

Entrepreneur.com click the link to read the rest of the story.

What can you cut out of your day?Join the conversation on our Facebook Page!

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The 10 Best Note Taking Apps in 2018

Note taking apps can store your notes in the cloud and sync them across multiple devices. As long as you have the internet, you have your notes. Second, note taking apps have search functionality. In a matter of seconds, you can find whatever notes you need, even if they are years old. Third, the best note taking apps let you snap pictures and save them as notes, upload files, record audio, and clip pages from the web. I’ve never seen a paper notebook that lets you dictate notes using your voice, either.

Zapier.com click the link to read the rest of the story.

Do you use one of these apps?Join the conversation on our Facebook Page!

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The Decision Matrix: How to Prioritize What Matters

Not all decisions need the same process. Sometimes, trying to impose the same process on all decisions leads to difficulty identifying which ones are most important, bogging us down and stressing us out.

FSblog.com click the link to read the rest of the story.

Do you spend too  much time on the wrong decisions?Join the conversation on our Facebook Page!

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The power of culture: how to hire and attract amazing people

Talented people want to work in organizations that make an impact. They want to change the world — even just a little. And there are many ways to become world class.

JotForm.com click the link to read the rest of the story.

Are you attracting the talent your company deserves?Join the conversation on our Facebook Page!

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We’re terrible at planning our time. Here’s how to fix it

When researchers studied groups who had made implementation intentions like this, they found they began work on the task sooner, experienced fewer interruptions, and were better able to judge how long future similar tasks would take them.

Fastcompany.com click the link to read the rest of the story.

Have you tried the implementation method?
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Cybersecurity Starts at the Top

The truth is that the threat posed by cyber security breaches is both acute and avoidable. The key to mitigating it is to understand that cyber security isn’t simply a technology issue; it is also an urgent strategic issue that should be at the top of the agenda for every board and management team.

LiveMint.com learn more here

How seriously do you take Cyber-Security?
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