Author: admin (Page 1 of 3)

National Guard launches ‘Adventures’ app

June 28, 2011 / admin

You just received a call, there’s massive flooding in your region and a state of emergency has been declared. The destruction of the flood is spreading and people are scrambling to safety. The President has made the decision to send units to the scene. Your commanding officer has just informed you that you will lead your unit to the front line to help make critical decisions needed to bring structure to a chaotic situation. Are you ready to serve your country when needed?

This is one example of a relief mission that can be found in the newly created application from the Army National Guard. The brand new application has an interactive game environment that was designed to highlight the many decision making and leadership tasks that lie within the service. The program, titled Adventures, integrates with Facebook Connect and puts the user in a personal decision based mission like the one in the story above. Men who play action style war video games will have their mental sharpness tested as they make important decisions which will directly impact the mission.

Adventures is based on the popular Choose Your Own Adventure style of books and will allow users to make real-time decisions that control the outcome of various missions. This interactive experience exposes users to the many different jobs and roles available. It also showcases the pride developed as a Soldier in the National Guard.

Your Career

10 Questions to Ask Yourself When Succession Planning

June 28, 2011 / admin

When building and maintaining a business, not many owners have the time (or feel like they have the time) to think about what will happen to their business once they have retired or sold it.

However, business succession planning is crucial to where your business is headed. Putting a proper succession plan in place ahead of time will not only help of your company’s health now, but down the line too.

But before making a succession plan, let’s start with the first step. You need to reflect on your ultimate goals, personally and professionally.

Here is a list of 10 important questions to ask yourself before and during the succession planning process:

1. What would make you leave the business?

With the retirement age rising, many people are choosing careers that they enjoy and can see themselves doing for a long time. So what would make you leave your business?

Retirement, family, travel, new business opportunities? List out some of the main reasons you can see yourself leaving the company. Perhaps, you were interested in making a quick buck by building up the business over a few years then selling it, like so many of today’s e-based businesses are doing. Even at that, you want to go out with a “Bang” and ensure you get the right buyers. For this, you need a good succession plan in order.

2. Is this business your life’s goal or accomplishment?

Starting your own business demands constant hard work and effort. Think back to when you first decided to take this giant leap. Did you expect to see your company where it is now? Are you proud of where you are today? How much is this business a part of you?
These are again some deep and important questions to ask yourself as your response to them will help you determine which potential successor could really share your vision and fill your dedicated shoes.

3. What is your business worth?

Your company has a dollar value, but is this enough for you? If your company has intrinsic value than you may need a higher price tag to make the sale worth it for you. It’s key to start by speaking to finance advisors who have experience in your industry to help you determine a price that would be suitable to you and the buyer.

4. Who can handle your business?

Assuming you want your business to prosper after you have handed it off, who has the skills and knowledge that you have to run it like you do? Is there anyone internally who could fill your shoes?

Then again, you have to be prepared for the fact that a successor may not run the show your way. But this doesn’t mean they don’t have something else to offer. One of the prime keys to success in business is the ability to adapt, evolve and handle change.
Don’t just look for another you, think about important qualities you want in a successor. Vision, imagination, loyalty, dedication… Look at the big picture.

5. Will you have regrets?

It’s hard to know what our future selves will be like, but when it comes to questions of regret, you need to think really hard and examine all the possibilities. The last thing you want to do is regret a decision as important as leaving the business. Again, assess your professional and personal goals and ensure they are being met when you make this big decision in your career.

6. How long will you stay involved with the company after the sale? Will you stay involved?

Maybe you can’t completely detach from your business and that is more than okay. But planning your involvement post-sale is an important factor that needs to be discussed throughout the proceedings and carried out accordingly to prevent any issues in the future.

7. What kind of training will you offer?

There are many ways to train your successor, but the way to get the best results from the person is to train them over a longer period of time rather than throw them into it last minute. This is a major aspect of succession planning. Being prepared.

Keeping documentation of processes and anything involving how your company works will help your successor understand how you operate the business. But reading about policies and procedures is only one part of it. Perhaps consider them training in many positions at different levels at the company so they really understand the inner workings of the business.

8. Will you be comfortable with radical changes?

As mentioned, your successor may attempt to make some significant reformations to your business model. Can you stomach this, even if it differs from your original view of the business? If not, your hunt for the right successor will have to continue.

9. Will you want to retain minority ownership as an investment?

If so how much control will you attempt to exert? Remember that it can be hard to control yourself if you have run this business for years.

10. Will you start another business like this or are you looking for another path?
After the sale of your business, you might feel at a loss after such an important and consuming part of your life is gone. However, a new business or career may give you stronger direction and purpose.

Ask yourself these important questions. They will not only help you in planning your succession, but with your career aspirations overall.

Your Business, Your Career

4 Ways to Make a Good Impression at Your Company’s Theme Party

June 14, 2011 / admin

There are standards to approaching your traditional Company Theme Party, but first, recognize how awesome it is for your corporation to even have one. Typically, parties are of the holiday variety — a Christmas shindig or 4th of July get-together, and that’s it. If you’re lucky enough to have a type of party celebrating either the New Year, or maybe the anniversary of the company, by wearing ‘costumes,’ by all means, get creative with it.

We’re not talking about Halloween, though — although that is an idea. Rather, skip the candy giving and make it a private party with your company by focusing on movie costumes. Nice theme, right? So, that’s what you get to work with — here’s a list of some of the best ways to make a good impression, using movie costumes.

• Dress Like James Bond

Being that Agent 007 has a certain flair for the dramatic and can also party respectfully, it matches well with some of the most important tips to good office partying. For one, he’s not going to drink himself to death and plaster himself to the wall (remember, this is an “office party”). All he needs is his dry martini — shaken, not stirred.

• Twin Costumes Are True Enjoyment

Typically, spouses are often ignored at the office party. Let’s change that. This is supposed to be about fun. If you’re going to a theme party handled by your business, go with your spouse in a dual costume getup. Hansel and Gretel, Neo and Trinity from “The Matrix,” Smokey and the Bandit, Rocky and Bullwinkle, or Tom and Jerry. You’ll involve your spouse more with your own office doing that.

• Don’t Go Overboard

This is still your office, so make sure you don’t make your costume such that everyone has to ask who you are. This means no dressing up as King Kong, Godzilla, the Predator, an Alien, or even Optimus Prime. Keep it simple — no masks, lay off the makeup, and go for clever and quaint such as Dirty Harry, Blondie from “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly,” or even Batman would suffice (letting the mask slide, of course).

• Pop Culture Works Well — Like John Dillinger

In other words, don a simple modern fedora and a black suit and tie, and you’re basically a historical gangster like Dillinger, or Lucky Luciano, or Bugsy Siegel. There’s a certain flair to this look, and it presents a quality style your whole office would probably enjoy. Not to mention, it’s attractive. However, keep it professional! A themed office party, while a lot more fun than most office parties, needs to avoid the personal as well as the alcohol (hence trying out a James Bond outfit).

Have fun with it! It’s about cinema. It’s about style. It’s about making a statement to your colleagues that you know how to have fun in a classy way, supporting your office environment and being the life of the party. Just remember — shaken, not stirred.

Uncategorized

Being a WAHM (work at home mom) is the new black: Tips for Productivity Management

June 8, 2011 / admin

It seems everyone’s doing it – or trying to. A work-at-home mom, or dad, is now the in thing to be! Although many feel that this is the best way to have it all, it can become a difficult juggling act. Between managing the kids’ activities, running a household and doing a million and one favors for people who think you have unlimited time because, after all, you’re at home all day, finding time to actually work can be harder than you think. To become a successful WAHM, try to add a few of these productivity management strategies to minimize the interruptions and actually get a little work done:

Learn to Say No – and Mean It

Somehow, the working mom has forgotten how to say this important little word. To others, WAHM status means that you should be able to pick up their packages, let in the repair man, and water their plants. After all, you’re home all day. What else do you have to do besides lounge around watching your soaps? Don’t feel guilty about telling them you just can’t fit it in – or better yet, ask them to do YOU a favor!

Get Off the Phone!

This might mean turning the ringer off and shutting down the cell phone, but staying on the phone for non-business purposes is a big time killer. How often does your mom, your sister, your BFF, or your not-so-BFF keep you tied up discussing their drama-of-the-day? If you add it up, this could amount to half your workweek. Let them know you care. Book a lunch date. Just get off the phone!

Work When it’s Best for You

By getting out of the 9-to-5 rut, you’ve set yourself free to work at any hour of the day. If you’re an early riser, get up before the kids do and take advantage of your most productive hours. Likewise, there’s nothing wrong with night-owls who stay up and work until the wee hours of the morning. You’ll enjoy your day and get more done when you listen to your body’s natural rhythm.

Stop Procrastinating

If you never manage to get certain things done, try a few ways to end the procrastination. Some people get more done if they make a list and check things off as they do it. For others, it works better if they do the hardest things first. Remember that sometimes it’s just a matter of getting started. Once you get on a roll, you’ll be amazed at how much you can actually get done.

Get Organized

Have you ever noticed how much better you feel when your home or work area is well organized? Make a habit of straightening up every night and putting everything back in its place. While no one expects a perfectly spotless house all the time, this little habit will keep things under control and let you start your day in the right frame of mind. While you’re organizing, don’t forget to assign a few chores to your kids and partner.

Before you know it, your WAHM lifestyle will be more productive than ever. What’s your favorite WAHM tip?

Your Career, Your Workplace

6 Advancements That Free Us From Routine Days at the Office

June 1, 2011 / admin

If you’re an average American, then you spend 46 hours working every week, which adds up to 2,392 hours a year; and if you started working right after graduating from a four-year college at age 21, and plan to retire at the average age of 62, you will dedicate close to 100,000 hours of your life to work.

If you work in an office, that’s nearly 100,000 hours behind dreaded, bland cubicle walls (give or take a few thousand spent at the water cooler). But since you can’t give up work, why not just give up the office, instead? With a plethora of new technological innovations; like clear wireless internet, cloud services and mobile technologies, working outside the office is not only easier but more encouraged by businesses.

In a recent survey, 62% of businesses were favorable to employees working remotely, while 75% considered it a more accepted way of working. So the time is ripe to break free of the monotony of the office, sitting in your cubicle staring at your Employee of the Month Award from 1991. Instead, check out these seven advancements that can get you started working from anywhere you want.

1. WiFi

In cyberspace, WiFi just may be sliced bread – that is, the biggest thing all following technology gets compared to. It has single-handedly killed cables, letting users connect to the Internet wirelessly and helped spur the proliferation of laptops, thus making it possible to get online and work from nearly anywhere. This is why some national restaurant and retail businesses offer free WiFi to lure in customers. You can work in an active setting among bustling consumers at:

McDonald’s
Starbucks
Panera
Caribou Coffee
Barnes & Noble

Meanwhile, some cities provide free municipal wireless so that you can find a park bench and turn a whole city into your co-workers. They include:

Raleigh
Houston
Seattle
Denver

But if you don’t live in one of those advanced-thinking cities, or you hate Starbucks, you can make your very own WiFi hotspot. Wireless carriers like Verizon and T-Mobile offer small portable WiFi hotspot boxes that link to satellites to provide Internet access to multiple computers in a specific area. You could technically car pool and head to the woods, mountains, beach, lake or bar and start working.

2. Netbooks and Laptops

It doesn’t seem practical lugging around office equipment so that you can work outside the office. Fortunately, netbooks and laptops have been advanced to the point of weighing next to nothing while rivaling and even exceeding in power anything you have sitting on an office desk.
In fact, a variety of netbooks and laptops weigh under three pounds (less than the human brain needed to operate it) for easy portability. Yet, they still pack a punch featuring storage space upwards of 2GB and powerful Intel processors.

3. Mobile Desktops

What if you can’t bring your office computer with you? How will you access all of the necessary data and applications to work? The solution is mobile or remote desktops. By virtualizing your office desktop, you can access it, and everything stored on it, from anywhere. That means jumping on a hotel-lobby computer and pulling up company reports or working in bed on your personal computer at home.

4. Web-Based Apps

But aren’t there just some things that have to be done in an office? What about meetings or project planning? With the many web-based apps available today, your boss may have to get used to seeing employees wearing pajamas, sweat suits or nothing at all to meetings. Web and video conferencing apps like Skype and GoToMeeting allow users to see, speak and present information to each other, even when everyone is scattered across the globe.
Meanwhile, cloud computing office suites like Google Docs make it possible to create or tweak a variety of documents, from text pages to spreadsheets, all online. You don’t need an office computer with a bunch of software, but rather only one that can link to the Internet.

5. Solar Chargers

If the sun is shining outside you have yourself a free outdoor office power source. Why let a low battery send you scurrying back into the office when you can power back up with the sun’s rays? Available in portable rolls, solar chargers connect to variety of devices and convert the power of the sun into electricity. You can feel good being out of the office and environmentally friendly.

6. Ergonomic Outdoor Office Furniture

Not all advancements that’ll get you far away from the office involve computer chips or electro-magnetic waves. To complete the office experience in a very un-office setting, you still need office furniture.

Taking portability to a whole new level, unique retailer Hammacher Schlemmer sells a retractable director’s chair that easily folds into a messenger bag – great for when searching for a place to set up camp or office. Meanwhile, selling on Amazon is an adjustable desk that can fold into a compact position and features a vented surface to keep your laptop from overheating.

CONCLUSION

New technology has pushed a lot of things towards extinction, from courier mail to books. With advancements discussed above, the office just may be next. Either way, it has certainly created a variety of avenues for getting the heck out of the office, but still staying productive.

Your Workplace