Dated but amusing: The Executive Coloring Book.
[HT: Tom Macmahon ]
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Blogger Problems
There have been Blogger problems today. They've inhibited posting; turning the fastest computer into a Commodore.
More later as soon as I finish this game of Pong.
More later as soon as I finish this game of Pong.
The Martyrs
Her co-workers didn't take on as many assignments as she thought they should. She shouldered the extra work and said nothing, but she felt their failure to volunteer was a character flaw.
He went to meetings where others took positions that he regarded as ethically questionable. He never challenged them, however, because he thought the transgressions were self-evident and the associates must have known of his opposition.
She hunkered down and did extraordinary work, achieving a productivity record which she thought should speak for itself. In the meantime, far less competent peers who knew how to publicize their accomplishments were promoted over her.
He deeply cared about the development and advancement of his employees and often sacrificed his own training needs so others could be sent to workshops. As a result, his training background was less impressive than those of peers who neglected their employees.
She avoided conflict and complaints. Rather than enhancing her reputation, she later learned that one executive quipped, "She couldn't trigger an electric door." She quietly seethed as complainers were given special privileges.
He was dedicated to excellence. His boss was dedicated to getting things done. His quest for excellence was seen as low productivity.
He and she were two of the nicest, most talented, individuals you could hope to meet. Later, when they retired at levels far below what their ability merited, people who knew of their quality quietly wondered, "How did the organization ever pass over that person for promotion?"
He went to meetings where others took positions that he regarded as ethically questionable. He never challenged them, however, because he thought the transgressions were self-evident and the associates must have known of his opposition.
She hunkered down and did extraordinary work, achieving a productivity record which she thought should speak for itself. In the meantime, far less competent peers who knew how to publicize their accomplishments were promoted over her.
He deeply cared about the development and advancement of his employees and often sacrificed his own training needs so others could be sent to workshops. As a result, his training background was less impressive than those of peers who neglected their employees.
She avoided conflict and complaints. Rather than enhancing her reputation, she later learned that one executive quipped, "She couldn't trigger an electric door." She quietly seethed as complainers were given special privileges.
He was dedicated to excellence. His boss was dedicated to getting things done. His quest for excellence was seen as low productivity.
He and she were two of the nicest, most talented, individuals you could hope to meet. Later, when they retired at levels far below what their ability merited, people who knew of their quality quietly wondered, "How did the organization ever pass over that person for promotion?"
67 and Sailing: Once More Around The World
Writing in The Telegraph, Sir Robert Knox-Johnston, 67, reflects on the challenge of a solo yacht race around the world:
This is the ultimate sailing challenge, the equivalent of climbing Mount Everest. Only 165 people have sailed this course solo - about a twentieth of the number that have climbed the world’s tallest peak.
It is a mean, cold, inhospitable place and stinging freezing water hitting the eyes at storm speeds causes temporary blindness for minutes. Here are the largest waves, frequently over 27 metres, created by the strongest winds; with sea water temperatures affected by Antarctica fractionally above freezing.
In the frequent storms the sailor cannot take rest as a mountaineer might in similar conditions because this is when the boat needs constant attention. So why go there? Simple, it is because it is the toughest challenge open to any sailor - and far better to do something hard and have the satisfaction of a real achievement.
This is the ultimate sailing challenge, the equivalent of climbing Mount Everest. Only 165 people have sailed this course solo - about a twentieth of the number that have climbed the world’s tallest peak.
It is a mean, cold, inhospitable place and stinging freezing water hitting the eyes at storm speeds causes temporary blindness for minutes. Here are the largest waves, frequently over 27 metres, created by the strongest winds; with sea water temperatures affected by Antarctica fractionally above freezing.
In the frequent storms the sailor cannot take rest as a mountaineer might in similar conditions because this is when the boat needs constant attention. So why go there? Simple, it is because it is the toughest challenge open to any sailor - and far better to do something hard and have the satisfaction of a real achievement.
Totten Goes Storm Chasing
Michael J. Totten, travel writer extraordinaire, is storm chasing on the Navajo reservation.
Great photos and commentary.
Great photos and commentary.
Asking for I.D. from Job Applicants
The West Virginia Employment Law Letter examines the legal dangers of asking to see an applicant's driver's license before making a conditional job offer.
Wimp Update
Do some people begin to lose I.Q. points when they become school administrators?
Officials at an elementary school south of Boston have banned kids from playing tag, touch football and any other unsupervised chase game during recess for fear they'll get hurt and hold the school liable.
Recess is "a time when accidents can happen," said Willett Elementary School Principal Gaylene Heppe, who approved the ban.
Read the entire story here.
[HT: Dave Barry ]
Officials at an elementary school south of Boston have banned kids from playing tag, touch football and any other unsupervised chase game during recess for fear they'll get hurt and hold the school liable.
Recess is "a time when accidents can happen," said Willett Elementary School Principal Gaylene Heppe, who approved the ban.
Read the entire story here.
[HT: Dave Barry ]
Heads on Public Display
The drug lords at war in central Mexico are no longer content with simply killing their enemies. They are putting their severed heads on public display.
In Michoacan, the home state of President-elect Felipe Calderon, 17 heads have turned up this year, many with bloodstained notes like the one found in the highlands town of Tepalcatepec in August: "See. Hear. Shut Up. If you want to stay alive."
Many in Michoacan's mountains and colonial cities are doing just that: They are tightlipped, their newspapers are censoring themselves and in one town, 18 out of 32 police officers quit saying they had received death threats from drug smugglers.
Read the rest of the US News and World Report article here.
[One of the great untold stories of our time is the heroism of honest law enforcement officials who have to confront threats like these.]
In Michoacan, the home state of President-elect Felipe Calderon, 17 heads have turned up this year, many with bloodstained notes like the one found in the highlands town of Tepalcatepec in August: "See. Hear. Shut Up. If you want to stay alive."
Many in Michoacan's mountains and colonial cities are doing just that: They are tightlipped, their newspapers are censoring themselves and in one town, 18 out of 32 police officers quit saying they had received death threats from drug smugglers.
Read the rest of the US News and World Report article here.
[One of the great untold stories of our time is the heroism of honest law enforcement officials who have to confront threats like these.]
Do CEOs Matter?
Writing in Fortune, Justin Fox examines the impact of corporate CEOs. An excerpt:
Do CEOs really matter? Back in 1972, an article by Stanley Lieberson and James O'Connor in the American Sociological Review contended that the identity of the chief executive mattered far less to corporate performance than which company he ran and which industry it happened to be in.
Ever since then, management scholars have been arguing about whether Lieberson and O'Connor were right. I think it's fair to say that the consensus now is that they weren't--CEOs do matter. Two interesting recent papers on the topic available online, for those of you who like footnotes and advanced statistics, are "The Good, The Bad, and the Lucky: CEO Pay and Skill," by Robert Daines, Vinay B. Nair, and Lewis Kornhauser, and "How Much Do CEOs Influence Firm Performance--Really?" by Alison Mackey.
But it's also fair to say that academic research does not reveal CEOs to be the corporate superheroes we often portray them as in the business media. Consider the recent study of "superstar CEOs" by Ulrike Malmendier of the University of California at Berkeley and Geoffrey Tate of the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, who found that companies run by top executives who won awards handed out by the business press between 1975 and 2002 consistently underperformed the market after being honored. Malmendier and Tate argue, in part, that CEOs who are anointed as superstars neglect their jobs.
Do CEOs really matter? Back in 1972, an article by Stanley Lieberson and James O'Connor in the American Sociological Review contended that the identity of the chief executive mattered far less to corporate performance than which company he ran and which industry it happened to be in.
Ever since then, management scholars have been arguing about whether Lieberson and O'Connor were right. I think it's fair to say that the consensus now is that they weren't--CEOs do matter. Two interesting recent papers on the topic available online, for those of you who like footnotes and advanced statistics, are "The Good, The Bad, and the Lucky: CEO Pay and Skill," by Robert Daines, Vinay B. Nair, and Lewis Kornhauser, and "How Much Do CEOs Influence Firm Performance--Really?" by Alison Mackey.
But it's also fair to say that academic research does not reveal CEOs to be the corporate superheroes we often portray them as in the business media. Consider the recent study of "superstar CEOs" by Ulrike Malmendier of the University of California at Berkeley and Geoffrey Tate of the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, who found that companies run by top executives who won awards handed out by the business press between 1975 and 2002 consistently underperformed the market after being honored. Malmendier and Tate argue, in part, that CEOs who are anointed as superstars neglect their jobs.
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