Organisation Tips For The Mobile ExecutiveLearn Management Articles on management-info.biz. Organisation Tips For The Mobile Executive article will help answer your questions on Management Articles.We at management-info.biz specialize in Management Articles. Management Articles at management-info.biz provides the most up to date news and articles. If you have questions please do not hesitate to contact us.
Despite the fact that everyone sighs "How glamorous!", the life of the business traveller can actually be hell! Fighting international datelines, jetlag, airline food, hotel pillows filled with rocks, and the constant packing can turn an efficient, organised corporate commando into a bumbling mess. The situation can be similar for those whose car has to occasionally transform into a mobile office. The Road Warrior is a special breed: always on the move, always doin' it hard. (Although other people in your organisation may think you're doing it easy, always out of the office having a great time.) And yet the wise and experienced business traveller will, through trial and error, have developed a system to smooth the path. Hopefully. If you haven't, I offer this advice which will easily work for you.regardless of how your current organisation skills are. The Packing It's easy when you know how. Those who travel regularly for business can make life easier with a series of checklists. Make a comprehensive list of the items you know you'll always need, have it typed up and photocopied, and each time you head off, use it to facilitate the packing. Your basic list will include toiletries, underdaks, travel clock, clothing, spare shirts & ties, PJ's, fitness gear, etc. Check things off as you chuck them into the suitcase, and before you zip it up, throw the list itself in as well. It will prove to be invaluable when it comes home time - a double check mechanism to ensure that nothing is left behind. The Briefcase The checklist system still applies. List all the documents you will need to take, your Filofax, spare stationery and pens, stack of business cards, plus the essential hardware: Palm Pilot, Laptop, mobile phone, etc. Print the list and keep it handy, ticking items off as you pack them. If you plan to work on the aircraft, put the appropriate documents or reading material in your briefcase rather than the suitcase, for easy on-board access. It could be useful packing a series of folders marked To Read, Action on Return, To File, etc. If these are packed into your briefcase, it will simplify the organisation of paperwork generated on the trip. Of course, every business traveller carries an Expenses/Receipts envelope, right? Organisation is easy isn't it…when you know how. The Road Warrior This is the perfect opportunity to embrace the philosophy of the University on Wheels: plug in a CD or motivational tape and learn as you drive. If you add a portable cooler in summer and stock it with fresh fruit and healthy drinks, you'll arrive in tip top shape, full of energy to go get 'em! Keep essential files - logbooks etc. close so that you have fast and easy access should the mobile ring when you are rolling along. You may find that filing crates or archive boxes will keep your paperwork contained and easy to find. Divide your supplies into logical categories: one box for presentation aids and literature, another for personal items, and a third for files and documents. In such a small space, it is essential to have a place for everything, and everything in its place. Your Road Checklist will detail items such as: personal supplies including toiletries, moist towelettes, nibbles, water, change of clothes, sunnies, Aussie cossie, insect repellent, suntan lotion, umbrella and winter woollies (especially if you are driving around the state of Victoria, Australia). On the Move... It's a hard life, being constantly on the move, but the application of practical prompts and memory aids, such as the aforementioned checklists, will help you avoid the reinvention of the wheel each time you head off to parts unknown. The more you pre-plan, the smoother the trip, and the more satisfying the results - all with less stress. Now, doesn't that sound great? This is an excerpt from Lorraine's bestselling book "Get Organised-Get a LIFE! available from www.office-organiser.com.au Ringtone Media Studio. - The ultimate mobile media creation tool. Extremely popular! Earn 40% for a payout of $6.98 per sale! If You Misplace It.We Trace It. - Unique - volume driven - mobile phone protection, detection & recovery solution - worldwide. Guest post written by Stuart Ngai, Director of Technology Solutions, VERAX
It’s an investment that pays off Sure, everyone is very busy these days. And most IT managers have long days in addition to the constant bombardment of mobile messages. However, if you neglect to put a good effort to nurture your IT staff, it will come back to bite you in the form of low employee morale, low productivity, high turnover, and lack of innovation to name a few. Thus, preventive steps on a consistent basis is essential to keep a healthy workforce working for you. So take the time to nurture your valuable IT staff. Upper management buy-in is a must Now that you’ve been reminded of the importance of nurturing your staff, is that enough? My experience tells me that unless you also get your boss to recognize and help drive this important aspect of being a manager, it might be an uphill battle you’ll be taking all on your own shoulders. So do spend time to keep the benefits of training front and center with your boss amongst many “must do’s”. Having well trained IT staff will not only benefit both you and your boss in achieving and exceeding your deliverable objectives while creating a great work environment for all. The 10% allocation rule So you and your boss are persuaded. But how much should be set aside for investing in people without affecting your capacity to deliver? Well, many IT businesses tend to be cyclical and you should definitely take advantage of the downtime for training. But by default, use the 10% time allocation rule over the course of the year to ensure reasonable time is dedicated for your IT staff to up keep their skills. Now, that doesn’t directly translate to a 10% reduction in productivity. There are a number of ways you can afford to keep with the 10% rule without breaking your bank. So read on. Know strategic directions for your company and industry Great, your boss is on board and you’ve set a budget aside. What’s next? Well, just like you don’t get on a highway before deciding where you are going, you need to know the strategic focus of your company and trends in your industry before you start planning with your staff. As an example, I recently purchased a state of the art, air-thin laptop for my son for his university study away from home even though I know it doesn’t run all the fancy shooting games that he loves on his desktop at home. As a result, he now has a sleek laptop that’s the envy of his friends while he’s getting top marks because he doesn’t waste hours shooting at colourful pixels. Mean dad you say; may be. But he ends up ahead with his leading edge gadget while happy getting top marks in university – just have to borrow his friends’ clunky desktops for the occasional thrills. Likewise, as an IT manager, you need to know what’s good for your company and where the industry is heading before entertaining any training requests. Listen to your staff Now you are aware of the direction of your company and industry. Time to sit down with your staff to listen. Knowing everyone’s different, you definitely need to spend time listening carefully to the areas that they feel they need to beef up while you let them know the direction that’s important for your company and what you see as the important trends in your industry. Help them focus on some concrete and measureable goals so as to keep a focus on the objectives. Do encourage creativity from your staff in terms of learning style so to maximize the benefits based on your budget. To be continued next Monday. Share Your Thoughts How do you go about planning and managing training for your staff? Do you have any pointers or advice for others? Join the conversation in the AlignIT for Infrastructure and Development Managers group on LinkedIn. Stuart Ngai
Article Index: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 77 | 78 | 79 | 80 | 81 |
More Articles:1. Innovation Management – Innovation or Profit? By Kal Bishop Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be defined as consisting of a number of ideas, a number of diverse ideas and a number of novel ideas.There are distinct processes that enhance problem identification and idea generation and, similarly, distinct processes that enhance idea selection, development … Wedding Photographers Toronto 2. Employee Surveys: a Strategic Tool for Positive Change By Marcia Zidle Do you want to measure your workers’ level of satisfaction? Or change policies and procedures to make them more effective? Or find out if your supervisors are stuck in out-dated ways of managing? Good Idea! But how do you make sure you are getting reliable information to make sound management decisions?When it comes to conducting quality research, a pound of prevention is worth much more than one ounce of cure. Here are five steps to turn your employee surveys into a powerful strategic chan… 3. Project Management - The Traveling Product Manager By Luc Richard Various studies – and common sense – indicate that involving customers increases the likelihood that your product will meet customer requirements (I hope these studies weren't funded with my tax dollars!)Although the above statement sounds exceedingly obvious, the fact of the matter is many software projects lack customer input. Consider the following example:Week 0: Red, our friendly project mangler, is in charge of the next release of his organization's flagship product. For the past 3 month… 4. Modern Managers Need Leadership Skills By Mihaela Lica Managers and Leaders – Are They Synonyms?A manager is the person in charge of commanding and running a business or a project. Leadership deals with the interpersonal relations. Managing means planning, developing and organizing. In the contemporary society leadership qualities along with managing abilities are a must.One thing is so far clear: a leader is not a ruler or a despot. His role is to guide, to inspire, to communicate, to build trust and to direct toward the achievement of goals.Many… |
||||
Stuart Ngai, Director of Technology Solutions at