The Cranky Middle Manager Show #316 The Final Cranky Show and the Future of Work with John Blackwell
Engagement over at Management Issues- and a reminder
Posted on 21. Jan, 2008 by Wayne in General
If you heard my conversation with David Zinger, you know that I’m already smelling the trend for 2008 is Engagement. We know it’s important- and heck I’m as guilty as anyone else about using the word.
I think you might like this article I just posted over at Management Issues about engagement between employers and employees and how much it’s like…well, an engagement.
And if long-distance relationships are tough, you have to communicate which leads me to remind you about our Webinar on the Evening of January 29th in the US, AFternoon of January 30 in Australia: Managing Remote Employees- Using Web Meetings to Keep Them Engaged. Drop me a line if you want to participate. The last one was a lot of fun… meet other CMM listeners from around the world and learn 4 tips for keeping your webmeetings less painful for everyone.
The Cranky Middle Manager 128 Slacker Manager David Zinger
Posted on 19. Jan, 2008 by Wayne in Podcast
The Cranky Middle Manager #128
2 Quick Announcements:
1) The new Cranky Middle Manager website is up and functional. Take a look at www.crankymiddlemanager.com
2) We have plenty of room in our webinar: “Managing Remote Employees- Using Webmeetings to Keep Them Engaged”.
9PM January 29th ( Central time, US), 2 PM January 30th (Melbourne Australia). No telephone dial-in, just get on line using Dimdim. Drop me an email to enroll and I’ll give you the details.
Show Notes
0:00 Welcome to the show. You’ll know quickly enough if this is the right place for you to be. We dedicate this episode to Eris… the Goddess of Strife. Wish I’d known about her when I was giving my last boss her nickname……..
3:50 The quote of the week is from Lao Tzu…. why do we care what others think? Because we do….. this one is for me.
4:30 Welcome David Zinger from his own blog as well as The Slacker Manager (full disclosure, they named me slacker of the month or something… I think it’s meant as an honor). He tells us a little about how he and Phil Gerbyshak came to run the joint.
8:00 What are the things his readers are most concerned about? Time management, of course, work life balance and dealing with tough employees. It’s hard sometimes to have a new take on things…that’s why he ( and we for that matter) bring in as many voices and perspectives as they can. The latest cycle is employee engagement… why does it matter and why should I stay the course?
13:50 What are some of the things companies do that dis-engage their employees from customers? The wrong program will do that… NOTE: Not everyone loves FISH! But what does connect people? Well, the single biggest connection is the human connection, which is you and me. Check out Jane Dutton’s research….
20:00 Some people are easier to energize- and stay energized by- than others to be sure. People’s engagement ebbs and flows naturally enough.
25:00 This week’s resources:
TED Talks.… we’ve plugged this one before but well worth checking out
The New Cranky Middle Manager Site and Other News
Posted on 16. Jan, 2008 by Wayne in General
Folks, at long last the new Cranky Middle Manager Site is up and live. Check it out at www.crankymiddlemanager.com.
You’ll find links, downloads, information about having me speak to your group or organization and other cool stuff and this is only the beginning.
Stop by, take a look, sign up for the newsletter and thanks for your patience. Also thank you to James Pitt who has earned his place in heaven by helping me get this far with both websites (he also helped with www.greatwebmeetings.com)
Don’t forget there’s still plenty of room in our January 29/30th (depending on where you are) webinar: “Managing Remote Employees- Using Webmeetings to Keep Them Engaged”
Drop me an email to register. We’ll record it and put it up on our new site…this time for sure.
The Cranky Middle Manager 127 Strategy and the Fat Smoker- David Maister
Posted on 11. Jan, 2008 by Wayne in Podcast
The Cranky Middle Manager #127
Hey everyone. The big CMM Webinar was such a success we’re going to do it again. We’re going to have the same topic at a different time so more of you can join us.
Topic: Managing Remote Employees- Using Webmeetings to Keep Them Engaged
Date: January 29th 9PM (US) January 30th 2PM (Melbourne Australia)
What you need: Just headphones or speakers… you can use your microphone to ask questions or participate via chat. We’ll be using Dimdim….
How to Enroll: Drop me an email and say you want to join the fun. This is a co-production of The Cranky Middle Manager and www.greatwebmeetings.com
Show Notes
0:00 Welcome David Maister back to the show. Today we’re going to dedicate the program to Captain James Lancaster- curer of scurvy, but you’d never know it because he didn’t have the connections. Building a network is one of those obvious things we need to do and often don’t. Which is kind of the point.
3:24 The quote of the week is from Kahlil Gibran- what exactly is the obvious????
4:45 Welcome back David Maister. He was with us back in Episode 41 and now he’s back with his new book Strategy and the Fat Smoker. What the heck is THAT all about? Well some things are obvious but hard….. that’s pretty much the theme today kids.
9:30 What are some of the things that are “obvious but not easy”? Self discipline doesn’t work real well without coaching and support. (Yeah, how’s YOUR new year’s diet doing?) How good a coach are you? David tells a story about his own experience…. lessons hard learned. Makes me feel better.
14:15 We take really well-trained smart people and put them in positions where they’re not so smart. It’s often not the smartest people that get on best. What wins in business is interpersonal skills, enthusiasm, energy…. technical skill doesn’t make the list.
17:39 One of the obvious things that I don’t do well is socializing with clients… but I know it’s gotta be done. David tells me to get over it….
21:25 He has a chapter called, “Most Training is Useless”…. sad but true. Training is the last thing you do, not the first.
David’s resources:
The No Asshole Rule- Bob Sutton
Made to Stick- Chip and Dan Heath
That’s it for this episode gang, don’t forget to vote for us on Podcast Alley or iTunes so the rest of the world can find us. Don’t let the weasels get you down.