The LuxMob Info Tags

As a manager, you’re expected to decide what needs to be done, gather the resources to do it, and then decide who does what.

Okay, managing is a little more than that, but it certainly does include setting goals, gathering resources, and delegating tasks.

Now, if you’re like many managers, there sometimes isn’t any clear line between the work you think you should do, and the work you think your staff should do.

In fact, you may not be a “pure” manager (is there such a thing?) in the sense that you are expected to do some of the “doing” as well as the “managing”.

For instance, you might roll up your sleeves and get behind the counter of your store now and again… you might go out on the road and sell at times… you might handle some of the consulting projects yourself… you might do a range of tasks that mirror those that your staff do.

Of course, you want to make the most of your time — and the time of the people who work for you — in order to generate the best possible results from your team as a whole.

So how do you decide who does what? How do you decide what you should do, and what your staff should do?

Now, you’re probably well aware that just because someone enjoys doing something it doesn’t mean they’re good at it… so I won’t insult your intelligence by suggesting that you allocate tasks purely on the basis of what people like to do.

On the contrary, your rationale may be: “whoever is best at doing a particular job should do it.”

Unfortunately…

Bzzzzzzz! Wrong — thanks for playing!

Sorry, I couldn’t resist.

I know — it seems logical that if you, or someone else — is better at a certain task than anyone else, then you or that other person should do it.

But many times this does not generate the most overall value!

I’m not going to bore you with theory, but there’s an economic principle called “comparative advantage” that, when applied to management, essentially says that when allocating tasks among people, each person should not do what they are best at, but what they are “most best” at.

In other words, each person should do the things that generate the most value for the group as a whole.

So, let’s say you run a consultancy. We’ll keep it simple and imagine you can do two things very well — you’re an excellent manager, and you’re an outstanding consultant. In fact, you’re better at managing and consulting than each of the consultants you employ.

Now, given that you’re the best consultant you have, you may be tempted to forego some of your management duties to spend more time consulting.

But before you do so… ask yourself: what is likely to generate the best overall results (as in revenues, profits or however else you measure results)?

Is it focusing wholly on managing, or doing less managing and more consulting?

The answer is, of course, that it depends on what you are “most best” at. If you’re better at managing than consulting — in the sense that for every hour you spend managing your team you indirectly generate greater results than what you generate for an hour you spend consulting — then you should spend all your time managing. Regardless of how much you enjoy consulting, and regardless of the fact that you’re better at consulting than everyone else in your firm.

The principle of comparative advantage equally applies to allocating and delegating tasks to everyone in your team… and outside your team too — for example, outsourcing.

In fact, it applies to allocating every kind of resource you have.

So I encourage you to use this approach — you might be amazed at how much more time it gives you… and how much better the productivity and performance of you and your staff.

Anna Johnson is the author of the How To Manage People System, which includes her controversial new book, How To Manage People (Even If You’re A Control Freak!) (ISBN 0-9775175-0-0). For invaluable advice on managing employees, claim your copy of Anna’s FREE 12-page report, How To Be An Outstanding Manager — The 8 Vital Keys To Managing People Effectively.

The technical communications profession involves a unique mix of technical and communication skills, which is not easy to find. Most managers have had the experience of interviewing and subsequently hiring a candidate who later turns out not to be the right person for the job. This situation begs the question of how to identify which candidate is a good fit for a given position. The answer is that there are five key activities that make the difference between a successful hiring decision and a not-so-successful one. We have all been on both sides of the interview, and this article will attempt to make you, the interviewer, more successful.

This article covers five key activities, including:

1. Writing a detailed job description
2. Making sure the setting/environment is conducive
3. Conducting a programmed interview
4. Using multiple interviewers
5. Considering testing

WRITING A DETAILED JOB DESCRIPTION

Probably the biggest mistake managers make is to be under-prepared, from the moment they write the job description. Because the job description encapsulates requirements for a given position, you must first have a good grasp of what the position entails, from personality traits to knowledge to skills and experience.

You may include any of the following qualifications in a job description:

* Years of experience (for example, three years of technical editing in a DoD environment)
* Degrees, certifications (for example, B.A. in English or Journalism)
* Physical qualifications (for example, a Web-design position might require color vision)
* Personality traits (for example, excellent communication skills or attention to detail)
* Specialized skills or knowledge (for example, ability to write JavaScript)

Ultimately, the job description is the inspiration for any subsequent interview, so defining the position in detail up front will make finding the right person for the job much easier. Plus, it will help the candidate understand whether the job is right for him or her.

MAKING SURE THE SETTING/ENVIRONMENT IS CONDUCIVE

The setting in which an interview takes place is important and can make the difference between a good interview experience and a bad one. The candidate deserves your full attention and you will be better able to make a decision if you are fully engaged without distractions. Make sure that, at a minimum, your setting entails the following:

* Quiet: Set your phone to “Make Busy” and do not take phone calls or allow interruptions. Make sure you are in a quiet place (for example, an office with a closed door or a conference room). If you are sitting behind your desk, move away from your PC and turn its volume to mute.

* Comfort: Show the candidate where the restrooms are and offer coffee or water if appropriate. If you have a drink, make sure you offer one to your candidate. Offer to take the candidate’s coat or identify a coat hook/rack.

* Time: Adhere to your schedule. If you are interviewing more than one candidate and/or have other meetings scheduled around the interview, make sure one appointment does not overlap the next. Neither of you should be forced to rush through the interview.

* Information: Give your business card to the candidate, so he or she does not have to struggle for your name and will have your name/address handy when writing a thank-you note.

* Invitation: Invite the candidate to sit down. Where the person sits will tell you a great deal, and this will make the person feel more comfortable.

The environment can make the difference between a good interview and a bad one. I once interviewed in an office that was once a closet. The four interviewers sat on the edge of the desk, while I sat considerably below them in a chair. It was intimidating to say the least and it taught me a lot about candidate comfort.

CONDUCTING A PROGRAMMED INTERVIEW

A programmed interview involves defining questions up front, along with acceptable answers, which will tell you whether a candidate possesses each of the qualifications for a given job. One important caveat: consult with your personnel department or manager and make sure you understand the EEOC guidelines as well as the kinds of questions you can and cannot legally ask. To conduct a programmed interview:

* Develop a list of standard questions you will ask all candidates.

* Make sure your questions are open-ended, but limited in scope. (For example, “tell me about a time you had conflicting comments in a document review and how you resolved it” or “tell me about a time you had a tight deadline and you were asked to increase the scope of a document.”)

* Identify a list of minimum acceptable answers. (For example, acceptable answers to the previous question might be “I would schedule a meeting with both reviewers and try to reach a consensus” or “I would work to gain a better understanding of both comments and identify a solution that would work for all parties.”)

* Ask a negative question so you can see how the person handles stress and conflict (for example, “tell me about a situation where you failed” or “tell me about a time when you disagreed with your boss”).

* At the most, you should talk only 25-30% of the time. By mostly listening and observing, you will gain maximum information about each candidate.

* Leave time for the candidate to ask questions. You will see whether the person is prepared and/or took time to research your company. A candidate who does not ask questions probably did not prepare adequately for the interview.

* Observe each candidate. Ask yourself whether each has a business-like presentation and whether they look the part of the job. I also like to see how well they can articulate their role on a given project. It is a bad sign when candidates seem unfamiliar with their own work.

As important as the tangible requirements are for the job, so are the intangible ones. Look for a firm handshake, direct eye contact, professional bearing, and appropriate clothing.

Understanding how to ask questions is very important and there are numerous references on the subject. Years ago, I was asked during an interview whether I planned to have more children. Of course, the question was an illegal one, but a surprising number of people still manage to ask similar questions. Being prepared and informed is the best way to avoid these pitfalls.

USING MULTIPLE INTERVIEWERS

Having more than one person interview a candidate increases your perspective. What you may see and what someone else may see can be quite different. When you are trying to choose between two very good candidates, a second or third opinion will make the decision more clear. You might consider having any of the following participate:

* Technical personnel (perhaps an engineer or programmer who may act as a subject matter expert)

* Other department staff (co-workers can provide excellent feedback as to whether they will feel comfortable with the candidate)

* Personnel staff

Although you may be the person with the ultimate hiring authority, you will find it very useful to be able to talk each candidate over with other people. You may find that they like a candidate you did not or vice-versa. In general, consensus hiring will produce better results than a unilateral hiring decision, so take their feedback seriously.

One manager I interviewed for this article uses a weighted system when considering a candidate: 30% skills, 30% personality, and 40% business-like presentation. In my own experience, the latter two are the greatest predictors of a candidate’s success. When candidates don’t work out, the reason tends to involve how they handle conflict or how well they communicate. You will, of course, need to develop your own system.

CONSIDERING TESTING

Although I have not yet used a test for candidates, I have certainly taken them as part of a job application and I am considering using them in the future. You cannot be sure the candidate shows you work they have actually done, but you will be able to see their work if you give them a test. Many companies develop their own tests. You may consider anything from a personality profile to a writing and/or editing test.

IN CONCLUSION

There is no boilerplate method or template that you can apply directly to your department, group, or company. However, you can use this process as a model to develop your own own process, guidelines, and interview questions. What you look for and what someone else looks for in a candidate are likely to be quite different. But by developing a process, defining the position, and nailing down your questions well in advance before interviewing candidates, you vastly increase the likelihood of a successful hiring decision.

About the Author

Need a technical writer? With a database of over 15,000 tech writers nationwide, we’re positive we have the ideal technical writing services for you. http://www.writingassist.com

Not everybody is lucky to own designer handbags, but they do
want to follow the trend and look fashionable. What they did is
then finding some replica handbags. Well, with much cheaper
price, sometimes you cannot look the difference between
authentic and replica handbags. Even a professional has trouble
telling the difference because they are now good.

Is it worth it buying replica handbags? Probably yes for those
who can’t afford the real thing because you get what you wanted
and can save hundreds of dollars. But you must know that
according to the International Anti Counterfeiting Coalition
(IACC) buying replica is the same as robbing the U.S. of more
than $200 billion a year. This kind of business is not
legitimate. Of course there are other more things, include the
safety and the connection with terrorists, gangs and organized
crime syndicates. Sure you don’t want this to happen.

Things You Should Know about Replica Handbags

So, here is a clue to help you finding the real thing, not the
replica handbags. Well, this is not a recommendation that you
must buy branded designer handbags, but only a way to help you
identified which one is replica and not. Check it out!

- When you see the price of the handbags are much lower than you
have seen before, that mean its replica handbags.

- See where the tag is coming from; if it said “Made in Taiwan”,
that’s definitely not real.

- Where it’s being sold. Authorized dealers for Chanel, Louis
Vuitton, etc. do not sell handbags out of the trunk of a car.

- If you walk down to Los Angeles’ Santee Street and New York’s
Canal Street, you can see replica handbags available on the
street.

- Replica handbags can be recognized through its flimsy
hardware, cheap leather and misspelled logos were a giveaway.

If you know that, how are you going to decide? Your decision is
in your hand! You can buy either replica handbags or the real
one, all depend on you. But if you want to know more, just look
inside the Internet to find more information about replica and
authentic designer handbags. Hope you will decide which the best
is for you.

Through online trading, you can easily buy or sell thousands of stocks. Orders are routed through the brokers online system to the particular stock exchange and executed within a few seconds, usually without any manual intervention.

Online investing is different from day trading. In day trading, an individual buys and sells shares in a very short period of time, within the same day in most of the cases, in order to gain from marginal movement in the securities.

Risks of Online Trading

If you are a new investor, you should be aware of the principles of investing, your investment goals and risk tolerance before entering into online trading. Being an online trader you may tempt you to trade very frequently or to be involved in over trading, which would result in increase in trading costs, complication in your tax related conditions and large losses.

Despite some limitations, online trading has improved the way stocks and other investment instruments, such as, bonds, mutual funds and currencies, are being traded, substantially, in the fast moving capital markets. So, should you should be a trader or an investor?

Being a Trader

Normally, short-term traders including day traders, who are also called market timers, do not gain profits from their investments consistently, since their investments are not based on the companies’ fundamentals. Short term traders sit in front of their computer terminals throughout the day to see the movement of the particular stock. Day traders usually buy stocks on borrowed money to make quick profits, however, they bear very high risks of losing money. If you are a day trader, you should risk that amount of money which you can afford to lose. Short term traders do not “invest” generally, since they are riding on the momentum on the particular stock, by seeing the charts. They do not research or look into the fundamentals.

Being an Investor

Investors generally look into the fundamentals of a particular stock, such as revenue growth, earnings growth, cash flows, debts and rate of returns etc, before investing into a company’s stock. Investors also take in to consideration the valuation of the stock very seriously. Long-term investors take minimum risks as they study the risk/reward ratio associated with securities thoroughly. They achieve their long-term goals regarding their investments. Investors who are on a long-term horizon generally do research on a particular stock or get expert investment opinion from investment bankers in order to gain maximum benefits with limited risks. They also look into the history of the returns from a particular stock.

Investors also follow investment strategies, such as, ‘top-down investing’ or ‘bottom-up investing,’ which are being used to find sectors which would yield above-average or premium results. In ‘top-down’ investing, an investor investigates into the prospects of a country’s economy and then decides about the particular sector before investing. In bottom-up investing approach, an investor is purely opportunistic and does research on various sectors of a particular economy and invests in as many sectors as possible without any restrictions.

Conclusion

Although you may find the value of your investment decline in the short term, investing with a long-term outlook will more likely lead to better returns.

Joel Arberman is the Managing Member of Stock Aware, LLC. We publish a free investment research and analysis newsletter and offer investor awareness services. Learn more at StockAware.com.

Owning your own business is difficult at times. Competition is greater because you have less “man power”, less products, and often times less money going into the business than what is coming out. At times, your product may not be selling well in your area, or may eventually become obsolete all together. If the success of your product depends on things such as say, the weather, then you may be slow for several months out of the year and this could cause financial difficulty.

Think about expanding your business through international trade. The idea of going
International may sound only possible for the “big dogs”. It may seem difficult, stressful, or even pricey. Not true. There are people all over the world in need of what you have to sell and reaching out to them is sometimes as easy as a phone call or the push of a few buttons on your lap top. Following are several hints to successfully expanding your business worldwide.

First, you may want to look at importing and exporting. Though importing, you could provide a greater variety to the product you’re selling with similar products from other countries. The buying or manufacturing of products from other countries may also be cheaper than production where you are. Also, the products that you import would be unique therefore your customers would be coming to only you for them. The are many advantages of exporting. The use or need for your product could become obsolete in your country after a few years especially if you are selling computer or data products; but it could be a new, hot commodity in another country.

Say your country is experiences a consumer drought, but in other countries their economy is booming! You want your product to be where the money is. As I stated before, if your product is weather or season dependant, exporting could benefit you during those several months out of the year when your product is not needed.

Consider adding mail order services to your present business. You can increase your selling power by using this method of selling which is favorable to international trade. The internet is a prosperous way that businesses are getting the news of their products worldwide. Use websites, online stores, and affiliate marketing strategies to obtain foreign business. The internet is not going anywhere anytime soon. And more and more people are jumping on to the whole idea of being able to shop at home. Get your product online so that it can be seen by people everywhere there is an outlet and electricity!!!

Becoming a licensing agent has its international trading benefits as well. You can earn royalties if you arrange for foreign corporations to manufacture and sell products from domestic companies. Most business owners have no idea the amount of money that they can make simply finding foreign buyers for domestic companies. On the flip side, you can earn fees from foreign companies for finding domestic corporations who are willing to buy their products.

As a single source supplier, Electro Tape Specialties ability to furnish a wide range of pressure sensitive tape products has enhanced the company’s value to distributors.
In addition to everything Electro Tape Specialties has to offer, the company now introduces a new website that promises a more attractive look and easier navigations. When corporations search for cable ties, duct tapes, packaging tapes, or stucco tapes, viewers will now find descriptions, features, and physical properties; everything a consumer needs to find what is best for their company.

http://www.electrotape.com

Mr. Green is a Article Distributor for Industrial Tape Distributor. Electrotape Specialities Inc. globaly supplies Grade A tape products.

If you enjoy quality Cantonese food, Cafe Evergreen is the place
to be in. This hip restaurant, whose contemporary décor is
perfect for Upper East Side, specializes in quality Cantonese
cuisine. They feature a vast range of fine dishes, including the
best Dim Sum to be found north of Chinatown. If you want a true
Chinese experience, do not miss their Five-course Gourmet or
Five-Course Seafood menus. They host their immensely popular Dim
Sum Brunch every Saturday and Sunday. But you do not have to
wait until the weekend, you can order their fabulous Dim Sum
every day. Cafe Evergreen is located on the Upper East Side of
Manhattan, where 69th Street meets First Avenue. They are open
seven days a week from 11.30 am to 10.30 pm. The Average main
course price you can get here is $20.00 and payment methods
include Cash, visa, Master card, American Express, Diners Club.

For more details visit
eats.com