Management Matters

When Godin uses the word 'remarkable', he's applying the word's most literal definition; things that are worth making 'remarks' about. In many ways, the following clip is a product demonstration. Yet, here am I, sharing it with tens of thousands of people, for free. Now that's remarkable! (Quite literally.)

The role of entrepreneurship in corporate strategy goes far beyond trying to get innovative products to market or gaining an edge over your competitors. It helps to set the culture of an organisation that affects staff retention, engagement and productivity. So how do we motivate our employees into adopting this new culture?

Australian business are upbeat about the future -- or, at the least, they are putting on a brave face. The latest MYOB Business Monitor reveals that 74% of businesses reported revenue levels the same as a year ago, or higher.

Voice mail is the most frequently called number, according to an ambitious report by The Full Circle Group, an Australian telecommunications cost management firm. And the best to time to make a business call is not 10am on a Tuesday.

In this podcast, Garry and Leon talk about the surprising growth in Australian GDP and soaring gross operating profits. Confidence among Australian farmers has reached a two and a half year high with rising commodity prices and winter rains. But unemployment is rising and companies are paying out less with dividends.

In his previous article, Roger La Salle challenged innovation practitioners to examine the rate of return on their innovation investment. Here, he explains how to set a time scale to obtain this return: "If you can have an early win with innovation then you can be sure more budget will be forthcoming and still greater achievements can be obtained." To find the low-hanging fruit (and the lowest risk) for your startup, the best place to begin is with Process Innovation.

One question – Where do you do your best thinking? – received the most surprising answer. Only around 10% of people responded “at work”. Consider this: people are paid to think, and are required to spend a lot of time at work, yet work is not the place where they think well.

This week’s podcast is abuzz with news about China. Leon and Garry discuss China’s overtaking Japan to become the world’s second biggest economy and the implications for Australia.

The average value of large fraud cases in Australia remains well above $2 million, despite the total value of large frauds decreasing in the last six months, according to a recent report.

Leon and Garry talk about the business fallout from the election, particularly for the telecommunications industry. But whoever gets to be government will inherit a sluggish economy.

Networking isn’t about making a quick sale or converting people. It’s about building the foundation for a strong and powerful relationship. Focusing mainly on the sale is a great way to alienate!

While the future shape of Government in Australia is still undecided, sufficient trends are emerging to enable IT managers to undertake some reasonable scenario planning. This is certainly not a time to sit around waiting for an answer, as the news is not all bad for government IT.

Nigel Marsh is the bestselling author of Fat, Forty and Fired and Overworked and Underlaid and the Regional Group CEO of Young and Rubicam Brands for Australia & New Zealand. In this presentation from TEDxSydney 2010 in May, he makes four observations about finding work life balance. Apparently it involves having sex four times a day (and walking the dog).

The following clip takes the job application process to another level. The work of a Monash student and aspiring Junior Project Manager, it was submitted to Pollenizer and posted for all to see on YouTube. It was soon after spotted by MitchelLake and posted on the recruitment outfit's homepage. What's the moral of the story?

Corridor combat: when two people who are not getting on well at work – pass each other in the corridor – each smiles at the other while muttering silently “F… you”.

In this podcast, economist Sinclair Davidson looks at the latest unemployment figures. He says the rise to 5.3% is not as bad as it seems because it shows the job market is picking up with more people looking for work.

I can’t believe how many times lately that I’ve spoken to business owners who claim that their product or service is one of the best in their field. And I believe them. I have absolutely no doubt that they are right. But then when I ask them how they position their pricing, they tell me they choose to set their pricing level in the middle of the market range. Why? It doesn’t make sense.

In this week’s podcast: Garry and Leon talk about the RBA holding interest rates at 4.5%. Despite that, evidence suggests that inflation is building a head of steam and economists expect interest rates of 5% by the end of the year. Plus, more on housing prices, the mining boom, and Optus’ advantage over Telstra.

A lot of work goes into securing that new job, getting to know the customer, understanding their needs, explaining your services and how you operate, etc. No business will succeed without acquiring new customers, but are you focusing enough on retaining your existing customers?

For about US$400, almost anyone can buy appropriate scripts and after about four hours of working through the instructions, be fully set up as a cyber criminal. Scary stuff.