How to Build New Habits?
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, habit is a settled tendency or usual manner of behavior. Therefore, establishing certain actions (the ones that we considered good) as a habit has several advantages, including greater efficiency in the action (through repetition and constancy), and the benefits from the repetition of actions that we consider good. According to…
History of Quality Programs
Total Quality Control, Lean Manufacturing, Zero Defects, Total Quality Management, Total Productive Maintenance, Theory of Constraints, Six Sigma, are probably the best-known Quality Programs, but for those less involved, there may be some confusion between them. With this in mind, I made a historical summary with the main characteristics of each one.
6 Practical Tips to Increase the Effectiveness of Corporate Training
Training, in addition to its original function of developing employees’ skills, works as an excellent motivation tool, and is one of the pillars of the formation of Organizational Culture. Therefore, we must give it attention, trying to do it in the best possible way; mainly, because teaching adults (andragogy) is not the same as teaching…
How to Scare Away a Customer
How to scare away a customer? Simple. Make mistakes, and waste every opportunity to correct the mistake and surprise the customer. Yes, making mistakes is human, and it can happen. But, obviously, this can harm your customer, generating discontent. However, more often than not, it will not be the error itself that will determine the…
The Long Tail Strategy
Chris Anderson was born in London, but as a child he moved to the United States, where he graduated in Physics. He started his career as editor of the scientific magazines Nature and Science. In 1994, he started working as an editor for The Economist magazine, where he stayed until 2001, when, then, he started…
Policy for the Use of Smartphones in Organizations
The use of smartphones became increasingly popular, according to the 29th edition of the Annual Survey of the Use of IT, from the Getúlio Vargas Foundation, and coordinated by Prof. Fernando S. Meirelles, the number of smartphones in use in Brazil reached 220 million in May 2018. In addition to the obvious communication facilities, this…
The Importance of Ethics in Organizations
Albert Camus, French philosopher and writer, said that a man without ethics is like a wild animal loose in the world. In Organizations, there is a growing concern about the ethical stance of its employees (and it must be), because the damage caused by the lack of ethics in business can simply destroy a company’s…
Generations Over Time
“Every generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it.” George Orwell – British writer, best known for his book “1984”. Defining Periods When it comes to defining the period of generations, there is no absolute consensus. For example, the Merrriam-Webster…
15 Questions to Ask in Your Job Interview.
The moment of the interview is, without a doubt, a crucial moment, where you have to demonstrate your skills, give confidence to those who interview you, but, at the same time, try to understand the characteristics and peculiarities of the new opportunity. To facilitate this moment, I list, next, 15 questions that can help you…
Discipline is Freedom!
Renato Russo, lead singer of the Brazilian band Legião Urbana, wrote, in the last verse of the lyrics of the song “Há Tempos”, the following words: “Discipline is freedom, Compassion is strength, Being kind is having courage” – a free translation from the original in Portuguese: Disciplina é liberdade, Compaixão é fortaleza, Ter bondade é…
The Pygmalion Effect on the Workplace
Pygmalion is a character in one of the books of the mythological work Metamorphoses, by the poet of ancient Rome, Ovid. Pygmalion was a king of Cyprus and a sculptor, and, disappointed with women, had decided to be celibate. However, after sculpting a statue of a woman he considered ideal, he fell in love with…
The Peter Principle and How to Avoid Failed Promotions
The Peter Principle is a concept that says that, in a hierarchical system, every employee tends to be promoted until he reaches his level of incompetence, and was created by Canadian educator Laurence J. Peter, author of the book entitled The Peter Principle: Why Things Always Go Wrong, published in 1969, co-authored with Raymond Hull.
The Dunning-Kruger Effect and The Impostor Syndrome
“The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.” This is a phrase from the character Touchstone, from playwright Willian Shakespeare’s “As You Like It,” and it represents very well two concepts of psychology which we can find, of course, in the corporate world: the Dunning-Kruger Effect,…
The Jevons Paradox
The Jevons paradox was described by the English economist William Stanley Jevons in his book “The Coal Question”, published in 1865. In his analysis, the author noted that advances in the efficiency of steam engines, which provided a lower consumption of coal to produce the same amount of energy, led, however, to an increase of…
The Innovator’s Dilemma
Even companies that have good management but always seek to innovate their products within the same standards can fail precisely because they do not innovate outside the standards. If the industry had focused solely on developing VHS technology, it would never have come to DVD. This is the core concept of Harvard Professor Clayton Christensen’s…
The Good Management, Naturally, Displeases Some People!
That’s it! A good manager is not the one who acts to please, but rather, is the one who does what is right. Sometimes your decisions can please some, sometimes not. When a manager establishes discipline, requires compliance with procedures, demands professionalism, asks for competence, demands commitment, receives results and give feedbacks, this will certainly…
The 7 Steps of Change Management
At another time, I wrote about how to create a culture that supports change, and which basically consists of a good team of leaders from the Organization, and a robust training program, both (leadership and training) working to implement the change that is desired . But, the change management process as a whole can be…
When Less Is More in Marketing!
Offering various consumer options may not be a good strategy. Have you ever been in doubt which shampoo to choose. See the options that a renowned brand offers on the supermarket shelves: restoration, hydro-cauterization, fall control, hydration, extreme smooth, defined curls, strength and reconstruction, hydra-vitamin curd, extreme shine, rejuvenating repair, smooth and silky. Easy to…
Key Questions to Ask Before Closing Strategic Planning!
Often, an effort put into productive meetings and discussions to create an Organization’s strategic planning may not have the desired effect, simply because it does not address 3 fundamental issues: reasonableness, objectivity, and communication. To ensure that these points are met, we must ask 3 questions before we consider finished the elaboration of the strategic…
The 3 “GEN” Principle for Problem Solving
Toyota is famous for its production system, known worldwide as Lean Manufacturing, and among its many facets, the 3 “GEN” principle (or philosophy, as Toyota itself refers) is a very interesting aspect, and deserves to be incorporated into the day-to-day activities of the Organizations. The 3 “GEN” are:
The Commandments of Quality
My experience of more than 13 years of management in the industry has shown me that there are some commandments that must be obeyed within an organization, so that we can get the much desired (and more than ever, necessary) quality. I will list them, as follows:
Your Posture Says More Than You Think!
Your body posture tells more about you than you think. This is because, your body posture not only influences others, but, yourself. Posture is something so important, but so often neglected.
10 Reasons Why Project Delay!
One of the most common problems in an Organization is the delay in projects. Here are 10 important causes of project delays: #1 – Weak Management: One of the main causes, undoubtedly, is poor project management, caused by lack of experience of the project manager, or even by incompetence. To avoid this, we must seek…
Succession Plan
The Succession Plan is a strategic tool that allows the identification and preparation of professionals from within the Organization to possibly occupy key positions in case of need. Before we talk about what to do, let’s see what not to do when it comes to Succession Plan.
Expert Insights Within Management