29 August 2007 
Management Training: Etiquette for the Manager and Staff
How does a manager know if the employee can stand in for the boss, if the staffer will not stand up when he walks in?
Is standing when the boss comes in a sign of respect? Or brown nosing?
Your Business Blogger is noticing a most disturbing trend among some business clients. The younger employees do not, it appears, render proper subservience and groveling to their elder-better bosses.
This disturbs my sense of order and entitlement.
I continue to wonder,
Is good old fashioned boot-licking dead?
Cubicle Farm As I traverse cubicle farms across the fruited plain, I see entry-level staffer-drones toiling away. Plowing as straight a furrow as any dependable farm hand.
Yet some of these (very bright) hayseeds have yet to learn manners.
In the US of A the worker bees would continue typing and clicking away when the Manager and Your Observant Consultant would wander by and stand at the cube threshold.
The employee’s eyes would remain on the monitor — ears open to the boss — listening, we were assured, to the manager’s every instruction. The young employee would call this “multi-tasking.”
I call it rude.
On site in India I compare this ‘dis’ trend to the contrast of the warm glow Your Business Blogger would routinely feel when consulting in India.
Whenever the business owner enters a room. All work would cease. All would stand.
Then the boss would magnanimously, graciously invite the employees to be seated and resume their work.
Of course, no one moved. Until the owner left the room.
(There’s a lot to be said for the kiss up, kick down management style of the sub-continent.)
In India the employees would stand up.
In North America the employees don’t even look up.
The US Army, as usual, gets it right when dealing with rank:
The senior never thinks of it.
The junior never forgets it.
Whenever soldiers would cross paths, the junior would acknowledge the senior. If one is an officer the junior will salute the senior. And the senior will return the courtesy.
The private businesses who never had employees who were privates in the Army, think and behave as if everyone is equal.
Wrong.
There is far too much of this egalitarian nonsense in our culture. Much of it comes from the academy, where most nonsense originates.
At the University of Virginia where Charmaine earned her doctorate, the instructors are addressed as Mister. Not Doctor. Mr. Jefferson was a fan of fraternite and Voltaire and all things French.
Egalite run amuck.
But the manager and the ambitious young man, understanding the spirit of the times, knows that nothing changes in the human spirit. We all want to be appreciated.
Even the boss.
So the young future leader desiring to be a stand out, will stand up when the boss enters.
The young man will stand up when a lady enters the room.
The employee with integrity will take a stand.
Be a stand up guy.
And everyone will accuse you of apple-polishing.
But you will soon fill those boots everyone thought you were a-licking.
Management Training: Etiquette for the Manager and Staff
My partner, Bill Oncken was recently interviewed by The Hindu Business Line. Oncken’s theme was
What you know will not get off the ground without the active support of who you know.
But this can be a challenge. How does a manager know if the employee can stand in for the boss, if the staffer will not stand up when he walks in?
Is standing when the boss comes in a sign of respect? Or brown nosing?
Your Business Blogger is noticing a most disturbing trend among some business clients. The younger employees do not, it appears, render proper subservience and groveling to their elder-better bosses.
This disturbs my sense of order and entitlement.
I continue to wonder,
Is good old fashioned boot-licking dead?
Cubicle Farm As I traverse cubicle farms across the fruited plain, I see entry-level staffer-drones toiling away. Plowing as straight a furrow as any dependable farm hand.
Yet some of these hayseeds have yet to learn manners.
In the US of A the worker bees would continue typing and clicking away when the Manager and Your Observant Consultant would wander by and stand at the cube threshold.
The employee’s eyes would remain on the monitor — ears open to the boss — listening, we were assured, to the manager’s every instruction. The young employee would call this “multi-tasking.”
I call it rude.
On site in India I compare this ‘dis’ trend to the contrast of the warm glow Your Business Blogger would routinely feel when consulting in India.
Whenever the business owner enters a room. All work would cease. All would stand.
Then the boss would magnanimously, graciously invite the employees to be seated and resume their work.
Of course, no one moved. Until the owner left the room.
(There’s a lot to be said for the kiss up, kick down management style of the sub-continent.)
In India the employees would stand up.
In North America the employees don’t even look up.
The US Army, as usual, gets it right when dealing with rank:
The senior never thinks of it.
The junior never forgets it.
Whenever soldiers would cross paths, the junior would acknowledge the senior. If one is an officer the junior will salute the senior. And the senior will return the courtesy.
The private businesses who never had employees who were privates in the Army, think and behave as if everyone is equal.
Wrong.
There is far too much of this egalitarian nonsense in our culture. Much of it comes from the academy, where most nonsense originates.
At the University of Virginia where Charmaine earned her doctorate, the instructors are addressed as Mister. Not Doctor. Mr. Jefferson was a fan of fraternite and Voltaire and all things French.
Egalite run amuck.
But the manager and the ambitious young man, understanding the spirit of the times, knows that nothing changes in the human spirit. We all want to be appreciated.
Even the boss.
So the young future leader desiring to be a stand out, will stand up when the boss enters.
The young man will stand up when a lady enters the room.
The employee with integrity will take a stand.
Be a stand up guy.
And everyone will accuse you of apple-polishing.
But you will soon fill those boots everyone thought you were a-licking.
23 August 2007
BUSiness 100 syllabus for Northern Virginia Community College
Business Technologies Division
John Wesley Yoest, Jr. (Jack)
Adjunct Professor of Management
Northern Virginia Community College
Phone: 202.215.2434
NVCC phone:
Fax: 703-845-6009
Education:
M.B.A., George Mason University
B.S., Old Dominion University
BUS 100 Introduction to Business
Class room 360
Course Objective:
This course should provide the student with a broad overview of the components of business. It is meant to be an introductory course that exposes the student to the basic terminology of the business world by touching the areas of economics, marketing, management, and law, just to name a few. The course will help the student select their field of business specialization.
Text:
Business, Ninth edition. Pride, Hughes, and Kapoor. Houghton Mifflin Co., 2008.
Academic Requirements:
Tests: There will be four tests, as shown on the course outline. Tests will cover the reading material, classroom discussions, and terms relating to the material.
Current Event/Internet Assignment: Each student will be required to give a brief oral presentation on a current newspaper article, found on the Internet.
The presentation should be organized:
give the source of the article,
a brief overview of the topic, and
your opinion/reaction to the article.
At the conclusion of the presentation you will turn in a print out of the article, being sure to include the newspaper source, date, and Website.
Current Event grading scale:
1 Choice of article
2 Follow Directions
2 Organization
3 Overview/Reaction/Opinion
3 Presentation
1 Turn In
12 Total Points
Course Grading System:
A = 90-10
B = 80-89
C = 70-79
D = 60-69
F = 0-59
Test #1 19.5%
Test #2 19.5%
Test #3 19.5%
Test #4 19.5%
Current Events 12.0%
Participation 10.0%
Total = 100.0%
Even with the above structure, class participation and preparedness are extremely important — they could make the difference in a borderline grade.
BUS 100 Introduction to Business
COURSE OUTLINE
Introduction
Test #1
__________________________________________________
Test #2
__________________________________________________
Test #3
__________________________________________________
App. C Business Law
Test #4
Business Law Outline
Sources of Law
1. US Constitution
2. Statutory Law — Uniform Commercial Code (UCC)
3. Common Law
Public Law
Private Law — Product Liability
Contract Law
a) Requirements for a valid contract
b) Breach of contract
Sales Law — Warranties
Property Law — Real Property
Personal Property
1. Tangible
2. Intangible
Attendance:
Regular attendance of this course is expected. Failure to do so could have an adverse effect on the student’s course grade. Any class material and assignments missed are the student’s responsibility.
It is highly recommended that you exchange names and phone numbers with a classmate. Excessive absences, as defined in the college catalog, could result in the student receiving the grade ‘F’ for the course.
Testing and Grading:
Attendance at scheduled tests is mandatory. No make-up tests will be given without advance permission from this instructor. This permission will be granted only under highly unusual circumstances, which in the opinion of this instructor warrants such action.
Normally this instructor will assign only the grades of A, B, C, D, or F. Special grades such as W, I, and R will be assigned only in those circumstances prescribed in the college catalog. The grade of X (audit) must be initiated by the student and will be assigned only when the student has attended class regularly.
Failure to do so will result in the instructor issuing the grade of ‘F’.
Withdrawals:
Any student may withdraw from this course without academic penalty within the first 60% of the session. Initiation of the withdrawal is the student’s responsibility and the grade of ‘W’ will be awarded. The last day for withdrawal, without academic penalty, for this semester/session is _______________. Beyond this date dropping a course or failure to attend will result in the grade of ‘F’ except under mitigating circumstances. Documentation of these circumstances is required AND a grade of ‘W’ implies that the student was making satisfactory progress (passing) in the course at the time of the withdrawal.
Special Needs and Accommodations:
Please address with the instructor any special problems or needs at the beginning of the semester/session. If you are seeking accommodations based on disability, you should provide a disability data sheet, which can be obtained from the Counselor for Special Needs.
Cheating:
The following will be considered cheating in this course:
1. The giving or receiving of aid on any graded assignments or test without specific permission of this instructor.
2. The use of any material on a graded assignment or test other than those authorized by this instructor.
3. Talking or discussion of any kind during a graded test without specific permission of this instructor.
13 August 2007
Colin Powell: Trust the Element of Instinct
Last week Your Business Blogger took The Dude to The Leadership Summit simulcast by the Willow Creek Association.
Seminars of this nature are excellent overviews. It has been said that we don’t need to be taught as much as we need to be reminded.
If The (pre-teen) Dude needed to be taught, I certainly needed to be reminded.
To a point.
I didn’t need to hear the session with Jimmy Carter. No leader does. (But if the country ever needs a good roofer, Carter is ready…)
So we skipped Carter and went to Colin.
Colin Powell outlined his Powell Prinicples. One of my favorites is,
“Trust the element of instinct.”
Powell tells the Civil War story of General Grant in his siege of Richmond.
Grant was awakend by his staff, alarmed that the opposing General Robert E. Lee would be out flanking the Union line.
Disaster was about to happen. The staff feared that Lee would do great harm or at least escape to continue the fight.
General Grant instantly assessed this situation. Considered and thought, “Can this be?”
Grant determined that no, Lee would not be able to conduct such a maneuver. He dismissed his staff, rolled over and went instantly back to sleep.
And Grant was right.
Colin Powell says that Grant trusted his gut, his instinct that in the fog of battle and the necessity of making decisions with limited information, that instinct must be considered.
When Your Business Blogger was a young Army Officer, I had occasion to brief a General or two. I was constantly amazed at the Generals’ abilities to think 8 moves down the chess board of analysis. I was sometimes tasked to do more research. Or, if time did not permit, watch a senior flag officer make a decision based on my flimsy recommendations.
Every manager has been there. To make a decision on incomplete information. Right now.
Powell uses the shorthand word, calling this: trusting his instinct. Jack Welch called it trusting his “gut.”
I would submit that a more elegant and descriptive phrase would be from Henry Ford,
Experience and Judgement.
These are the two qualities for which every manager is, or should be hired.
There is no greater mistake a manager can make today than to make a bad hire.
Many factors were considered when you were brought on the payroll. Including your particular set of knowledge, skills and abilities.
And competence was certainly the first hurdle you cleared when you were brought on payroll.
But it wasn’t the real reason.
Henry Ford once said:
If you take all the experience and judgment of men over fifty out of the world, there wouldn’t be enough left to run it.
This doesn’t mean only post-fifty geezers have what it takes to run the world. It means that there are two necessary characteristics to lead and manage significant processes, projects, or people.
Ford suggests that experience and judgment are the only two reasons to hire anyone.
Ford, famous for the assembly line and interchangeable parts, knew that, in contrast, management talent was not a commodity. Management talent was, and remains unique.
No matter what your age, the emphasis in hiring — as hire-ee or hire-or, should be wisdom.
The ability to think.
You got hired for your experience and your judgment.
You can always outsource management training.
In your next hire, go thou and look for wisdom and judgement.
And trust your instincts per Powell’s Prinicples.