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Quick and easy tricks to sharpen your focus

Lisa Mulcahy Business Management, Services & Risk Management

Concentration — it's the key element you need in order to do your very best work for your organization. Yet, even the most dedicated managers can get distracted from time to time. Between those emails you think you must answer right this second, the unexpected fire on a project you needed to put out an hour ago, or responding to pressing questions from your staff, your attention is being pulled in many directions. Want to reboot your focus immediately, so you can do an amazing job on that important report or presentation that's waiting on your desk?

There is no such thing as instant coffee

Hank Boyer Business Management, Services & Risk Management

You and I have been born into an accelerating world. Travel that took a week by horseback two centuries ago is now competed in a few hours in the air-conditioned comfort of your car. Just 10 years ago, the two-hour meeting you had in the next time zone that required flights and overnights is now completed in two hours, plus two minutes for the setup and tear down of a GoToMeeting session. Email, smartphones, internet, Skype, social media…everything is happening faster and faster. We’ve become so used to speed that we actually believe there is something called instant coffee.

Tough love for an association in need of help

Robert C. Harris Association Management

I stopped by a long-established association this summer. They told me they used to have 27 on staff, but they’re down to three people now. Out front by their office building were two signs. The association’s name and next to that, "For Sale by Owner." Inside is a boardroom with 26 upholstered leather chairs. In the parking lot is a notice, "Reserved for Chairman of the Board." The association celebrated its centennial anniversary recently. The website heralded "100 years of service." Nothing promoted the association’s vision or strategic direction.

Surprising things to do if you are let go

Catherine Iste Business Management, Services & Risk Management

Even when we see the writing on the wall, being terminated is a challenge few of us are prepared to face. For most, the natural responses swing between putting our heads down and trying to get through it as quickly as possible; and trying to craft elaborate ways to seek revenge against the perceived perpetrators. Neither are in our best interest. Instead, consider these options if you are ever let go.

How to stop losing your best people to your competition

Roberta Matuson Business Management, Services & Risk Management

Recently, I was speaking with an owner of a recruitment firm who told me a story about a 26-year old tech worker who his firm just poached. The candidate wasn’t actively looking for a new opportunity and seemed satisfied making an annual salary of $450,000. In less than two weeks, the tech worker received and accepted an offer from a competitor, which included a 44 percent pay increase and the opportunity to work directly with the CIO. Here are some things you can do to ensure this doesn’t happen to you.

2 strategic intangibles critical for terminations

Catherine Iste Business Management, Services & Risk Management

Terminations can be tricky, especially in employee-friendly states like California. And although there is no shortage of advice on best practices for reducing the risk of wrongful termination claims and other associated legal challenges, we still get it wrong often. In many cases, this is because, in addition to all the checklists, forms and steps to implement a termination, we often forget the personal side. Here are two strategic intangibles critical to a more successful termination in any state.

5 tips for a more productive project team

Deborah Ike Business Management, Services & Risk Management

It’s one thing to be able to create an extensive project plan, charter, budget, and dashboard. The skill set required to lead a project team that’s cohesive and productive is quite different. Project management involves a mix of hard and soft skills, and you’ll need to know when to use each tool in your project manager toolbox at a given time. Here are five tips based on my experience. Unfortunately, some of these I learned from doing wrong at first.

Better ways to brainstorm with your team

Lisa Mulcahy Business Management, Services & Risk Management

When working on your approach to an important project, there's nothing better than bold, original creative thinking. Yet as a manager, you understand that brainstorming with your team members can sometimes be a hit-or-miss prospect. It's sometimes too easy for the more outgoing members of your staff to dominate the discussion, which means other people's valid ideas get overlooked. Also, there may be times when your group just doesn't feel as creative as they could be.

3 tips for hiring general counsel

Catherine Iste Business Management, Services & Risk Management

Every organization can benefit from a formal relationship with general counsel. But how do you know what type of general counsel to get? Are they all the same? Should they be staff or on retainer? What about personality: should they be the same or serve as checks and balances to the team? Getting clear on the reasons it is good for the organization, the purpose the attorney will serve, and the associated costs are necessary steps to ensure a proper vetting process and a successful partnership going forward.

5 mistakes leaders make when it comes to promoting high potentials

Roberta Matuson Business Management, Services & Risk Management

There are two moments that stand out in the minds of experienced leaders. They are the first time they promoted someone into management and the day they had to tell that person, "Things aren't working out." But what is most troublesome to these leaders is the fact that they know, deep down inside; this person never had a chance. Here are five common mistakes leaders make when it comes to promoting high potentials and what you can do to avoid making the same mistake twice.

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