The Cranky Middle Manager Show #312 The Future of the MBA Ken Starkey
The Cranky Middle Manager Show 108 Obvious Management- Jim Dale
Posted on 24. Aug, 2007 by Wayne in Podcast
The Cranky Middle Manager Show #108
Hello all. Welcome to another edition of the show. Management is tough, that’s obvious, but there are very few secrets- the things you have to do are obvious… doing them is tough. Today we talk to Jim Dale, author of The Obvious- all You Need to Know in Business. Period. Bold claim…..
On this show, we believe there are four disciplines managers must master to be great. You can find out more by buying my e-book and supporting the show. Purchase The 4 Disciplines of Highly Effective, Leadership Exhibiting, Project Nailing, Cheese Moving Managers at the CMM Store.
Show Notes
0:00 Okay, so the quest for National Middle Manager Day ain’t going so swell. No wonder, Middle Management is like your prostate……. but we won’t dwell on that now. The secrets to good health, like the secrets to business are no secret, dare we say they’re obvious…..
This show is dedicated to Oreste Baratieri... who holds the distinction of having suffered the worst defeat of any European army in Africa. There were some fairly obvious mistakes made… so why make them? Peer pressure, hubris and well, the Italian army….
4:17 The quote of the week is from George Bernard Shaw….. the obvious is sometimes the hardest to deal with.
5:15 Welcome Jim Dale, author of The Obvious. All you need to know is business is a pretty big claim. The lessons learned don’t always get absorbed when they should. No magic
7:34 First obvious lesson- work is a verb so get to it.
9:06 When did these obvious lessons dawn on him? Lessons are learned the hard way- failure is hard earned. We drag Thomas Edison and Babe Ruth into the conversation. Failure is the best teacher there is.
12:20 Every job is sales, live with it. Warning, you may even hear some good things about the sales folks in this conversation, but let’s face it- no matter what you do you’re selling something.
15:53 You have to love a book that freely uses the term weasel, just like we do on this show. While his chapter, “A weasel is a rodent” is zoologically untrue, it does make a point about using jargon and euphemism.
20:13 The obvious way out of Middle Management is to take on the crappiest jobs in the company. Solve the problems no one else wants to tackle and you’re a hero.
23:15 Imagine that you work for you….. what behaviors do you exhibit that you’d hate? Gossip is a big one
28:47 Jim’s Resources- basically plug something in and follow the strings on the web and see what happens. Smart man, he digs this show.
Who Wants to be a Middle Manager???? USA Today wants to know
Posted on 24. Aug, 2007 by Wayne in General
Recent guest Dan Coughlin (Episode 99) was featured in a USA Today.com article: “Who Wants To Be a Middle Manager?”. Good on ya Dan. Check out the whole article here….
Dan is also the guest columist in the August issue of the Cranky Middle Manager Newsletter answering the immortal question: When do you know enough is enough and it’s time to get another job?   To receive the newsletter, just email me and put Subscribe in the subject line.
Don’t you love it when we help discover tomorrow’s big media stars?
Cranky Middle Manager Meets The Podtalk Divas
Posted on 23. Aug, 2007 by Wayne in General
Back in April or May or sometime in the mists of time, I went to Podcamp NYC and met a lot of very cool people. Among them were Tammy Munson and Wendy Cooper, hostesses of The Podtalk Divas podcast.
I was honored to be the featured guest this week. If you’re interested in the ins and outs of the podcasting game, or give a rip about how the Cranky Middle Manager Show and The Working Week came to be, check out my interview. We had a blast and they are way too flattering about me and the show(s).
I am grateful to everyone who helps spread the word about The Cranky Middle Manager Show… always available for interviews, comments, bar mitzvahs……. basically, i’m a cranky media whore… I”m so ashamed……… but the interview was fun. Thanks ladies!
Help a REMARKABLE Effort August 22- and get cool stuff.
Posted on 22. Aug, 2007 by Wayne in General
For sheer brazenness you have to love future CMM guest Kevin Eikenberry. Yes, we’ll be talking to him next month about his new book, Remarkable Leadership. But simply appearing on this humble effort isn’t enough for Mr Ambitious…. oh no… he wants to unseat Harry Potter. here’s how he plans to do it:
On August 22, anyone interested in his book, “Remarkable Leadership” and buys it will be eligible for dozens of e-books and other cool stuff absolutely free. Check this out:
http://www.remarkableleadershipbook.com/campaigns/bonus.asp
Not only will you get his book, Remarkable Leadership, but you can help make history. Heck, have a ball.. you might even see a familiar e-book in that mix (hint hint hint).
Look, you know I”m going to recommend the book, and give you links to it, this is your chance to really score. And you only get the cool stuff if you order anytime August 22, 2007.
Check out the book and watch for Kevin’s CMM interview in Late September or early October. Thanks for helping make internet marketing history!
If you need more convincing, check out this youtube clip…. he’s even recruited his daughter in the campaign… Shameless, but cool.
Good luck Kevin, talk to you soon!