Teaching Introduction to Business

"It’s easy for leaders to become a little too focused on the task at hand. They’re rushing from meeting to meeting, solving problems and reporting on deliverables, trying to be efficient and make sure everyone stays on task," writes Joel Garfinkle (photo, left) in an article at Smart Brief.

"Sometimes, in that strive towards efficiency, the human connection with the team can be lost.

"Does it matter? If responsibilities are getting done and everyone knows what they’re supposed to do, what’s the difference? If the only interactions you have with employees is to assign tasks or get status updates, you may be missing out opportunities to build positive work relationships and take your team to the next level. If you want to build relationships instead of just have interactions, read on about how taking just a little time can be the key to getting ahead."

"We needed to find a way to turn the page. We set about defining the company culture: who we are and how we show up for one another. Unsurprisingly, since we’re a tech company that makes it easy to conduct surveys, we sent a survey to ask what our employees thought. The result was a list of five employee values: Be accountable. Trust the team. Prioritize health. Listen to customers. Celebrate the journey. These are aspirational, but it was important that they align with how people at SurveyMonkey actually work together. They had to be more than just slogans we painted on the wall."

"Tom Peters reflects on a half-century spent studying management."

Elliot Begoun (photo, left) reports on the topic at SmartBrief.com.

"Making mistakes is a great way to learn tough lessons, but can be costly in terms of time and resources."

"Instead, take this wisdom from someone who's been there."

According to Helen Rothberg (photo, left), "Over the past 25 years, I've coached a mix of executives in for profit and not-for-profit companies like Kellogg's, Monsanto, SoCalGas, Newark City Government, The United Way, IBM, and AT&T. I've been in board rooms with people fretting about decreases in market share, swirling about regulatory agencies, and agonizing about visions for a tomorrow they don't quite understand. Along with getting paid to calm their nerves, there are a few common themes I've noticed that keep popping up that are helpful for everyone, from the C-Suite to the junior staffers."

"Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos released his annual letter to shareholders on Wednesday. It's a must-read missive filled with pearls of management philosophy and leadership lessons from the guy who created a $430 billion juggernaut."

Read more . . .

Also see: Here Are Some Lessons Businesses Can Learn from the United Airlines Fiasco

Introduction to Business Textbooks offers more information for instructors.

See on Scoop.it – Business in Action, Online Magazine Supplement

A new study sheds some light on what your boss's John Hancock might say about his personality. The findings, released by the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina, indicate that for CEOs, the bigger the signature, the bigger the ego, and the higher the likelihood that he or she is a narcissist.

 

See on www.huffingtonpost.com

"It's not every day you'll see CEOs getting their hands dirty, working side by side with the rank-an-file.

Here are 13 ways of knowing whether you’re a poor manager:

1. People are afraid of you. In some workplaces, managers are feared even by employees who don’t know them — because their reputations precede them. If this is you, there’s a high probability that you aren't good: no ifs, ands, or buts about it. . . .

Read full article.