Better Projects: BASF: Lessons From German Marketing

Better Projects: BASF: Lessons From German Marketing

Developing Effective Leadership #pmot

To be an effective leader you do not necessarily need to be in a position of hierarchy. It is also possible to lead by example from a position of equal status within a peer group.

A suggested definition - Leadership means being influential on things that matter

There are 3 core issues which face any group or organization:-

• The ‘ends’ or strategic problem – what direction should we go in to maximize potential. (what path should we take)

• The ‘means’ or tactical problem – how can we follow the path which has been chosen.

• The maintenance problem – how do we maintain good working relationships whilst pursuing the organizations aims.

This view of leadership has three important implications.

1) A leader is not necessarily someone who has formal authority over the group or organization but someone who influences how the group understands the core issues and how these should be tackled.

2) A group may have more than one leader. Leadership may be focused (one or two) or dispersed (a greater number)

3) To tackle the ‘ends’ and ‘means’ problems of a group the leader needs knowledge of the wider environment and how it is likely to impact on the group.

Leadership is all about exerting “acceptable influence” In most situations persuasion is the most acceptable form of influence and effective persuasion depends on knowledge and expertise.

A key part of leadership is focusing people’s attention on the issues which the leader considers important. You are much more likely to do this if your deeds match your words.

To be an effective leader the following roles need to be deployed:-

• Initiator - The leader has to bring the problem to the group in the first place.

• Ambassador – The Leader often represents the group to the world around it.

• Standard Setter – It is to the Leader the group looks to get its standards.

• Focus – Groups need a center, a source of inspiration.

Above all the leader needs Integrity – without this key attribute confidence within the group will be lost and the seeds of dissatisfaction will be sown.

Effective Leadership is never easy but being aware of these key traits can only help.

TV manufacturer pulls plug.....

T.V manufacturer Toshiba pulled the plug on Britain's T.V manufacturing capability last week moving their production to Poland and making 270 British workers redundant in the process.

Once upon a time we manufactured lots of TV's in Britain and now there are none. Toshiba has gone the same way as Bush, Pye, Grundig and numerous others.

But should we really care ? While it is of massive concern to the individuals who have been sacked they will eventually find other jobs, although that will be difficult in the current climate. But, overall, should we care anymore than we care that people in Britain once worked in Cotton Mills, or went down mines at the age of 12.

Should we care anymore than in a quaint nostalgic fashion in the same way we care that we once made valves, or Cathode Ray Tubes, or we once dragged ploughs by hand and ate cheese and onions for lunch washed down with a flagon of Ale.

Maybe we should focus on the future and think about how we support a thriving and innovative electronics industry based on design and quality. There are hundreds and thousands of Innovative companies in the U.K who don't actually make much here. They do however provide thousands of high quality engineering jobs and deliver fantastic products which the consumer can buy for less than a weekly grocery shop.

Capitalism is a competitive, evolutionary system which, despite its problems, feeds, clothes and houses the vast majority of its Citizens at standards unsurpassed by any other system so far.

If you want to feel nostalgic about British TV manufacture keep that thought in mind next time you visit your High Street to buy your new TV set.

Project Managers are right Mytherers #pmot

There is a word which is used in this part of the world (Manchester, Lancashire) which I've not heard anywhere else. It's myther i.e to myther (to pester, to irritate, to annoy)
Someone who is irritated is said to be mythered and the irritant is described as a "right mytherer"

To be effective as a Project Manager you need to be a "right mytherer" you need to myther the team to get things done on time, you need to myther your suppliers and subcontractors to deliver on time, you need to myther your customer to close out the product spec, you also need to myther your boss for additional resource. You will probably need to myther other departments for their input and you will definitely need to myther your IT department from time to time.

That's why good Project Managers are "right mytherers", at least in this part of the world.

10 million followers guaranteed...

No thanks, I don't want 10 million followers, I don't want to know how I can make millions working from home, I don't want to look at your "naughty pics", I don't want to look at your family photos, I don't want to know what you did with your partner last night or what you'll be doing with him/her tomorrow. I don't want to know about "affiliate marketing programs" or what you had for breakfast. I don't want to know about your stock tips or any of your other money making scams - Thank You. PHEWW !!!

What I do want to hear about are, your interesting quotes, your Project Management tips, your interesting BLOGS, any REAL business opportunities, your philosophy, your views on current affairs, musings about life in general, management theory, business thinking, new scientific development, economic theories, views on the markets, art projects, nice places to visit, human development, man's enduring spirit, space exploration, psychology, new ways of thinking, Globalization, how we can connect across the globe to create a better world.......

AND I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANOTHER THING ABOUT TEETH WHITENING !!

why #weloveNHS

Anyone who reads this Blog will find more articles including the Stars & Stripes than the Union Jack.
We Brits don't tend to shout about our own country much and those residing in other countries may misunderstand this and think we're not very patriotic or enthusiastic about our own country and it's achievements.

The speed with which the #weloveNHS campaign has been adopted on Twitter demonstrates just how much we do care. To hear our beloved National Institution described as "Evil" by some Moose shooting Loon ignited the campaign immediately. People from all spectrum's of society started sporting the #weloveNHS Twibbon and posted support for the NHS.
The NHS represents all that is "Great" about Britain - our sense of justice and fairplay, our care for our poor and elderly, our determination and sense of community. The underlying principle that healthcare should be free of charge at the point of use.
Yes the system has its faults, which system doesn't, but the strength of support for the NHS reminds us of all that is good about the UK.

That's why we love the NHS.

Greedy bankers & other phenomenon....

In his book "The Decisive Moment", which explores the workings of the human brain, Jonah Lehrer describes a number of Psychological experiments exploring the nature of the sympathetic brain. In one experiment two participants were paired and one was given $10. This person was then asked to divide the money as he liked. The only rule was, that if the offer was rejected, both participants got nothing.

The results surprised the organizers. They expected the proposer to offer the other participant a couple of dollars but in reality the division was nearly always 50/50.

The experiment was repeated many times in different locations but always with similar results. The proposer was sympathetic to the receiver's feelings and knew that if the offer were deemed to be unfair it would be rejected and both participants would leave with nothing.

The experiment was then repeated with the recipient in a different location out of sight of the donor.

The result was dramatically different. The donor now offered a significantly lower amount to the donor, his sympathetic response was significantly impeded.

Could this phenomenon go some way to explaining the greed and excess of those at the top of the banking system who's members clearly inhabit a different world to the rest of us.

When did you last see your CEO ?