Tag: CIO

Using Laptops or Smartphones in Meetings

Using smartphones — or worse, laptops — during in-person meetings diminishes productivity, is disrespectful to others and decreases your brainpower. Yes, scientific evidence indicates that multitasking makes people less intelligent.1 When you are  doing something unrelated on your phone or laptop in inappropriate situations (e.g. during business meetings), you lose out because you become oblivious to the environment, people, and… Continue reading Using Laptops or Smartphones in Meetings

What I Learned During the Hacking Attacks of August 28, 2013

One of the most important lessons that was reinforced to me during the Aug 28th hacking attacks on Melbourne IT, the domain registrar for the Web sites of The New York Times, Twitter and many others was the importance of human relationships, personal networking and real-time communications during an emergency situation. In this article, I’ll mention… Continue reading What I Learned During the Hacking Attacks of August 28, 2013

Maker’s Schedule (For Managers Too)

The following memo from a department head to staff is an example of how to implement a productive maker’s schedule at your workplace. This approach recommends starting with baby steps, evaluating results and making changes accordingly. Dear Colleagues in the Technology, Project Management and Product Teams, Executive Summary:1 We are implementing a maker’s schedule starting… Continue reading Maker’s Schedule (For Managers Too)

HR Classification and Discretionary/Business Job Titles for Makers, Managers and Leaders in Technology

This article presents an organization system and policy for job titles of maker, manager and leader roles in technology staffs. Separate job titles for HR classification and discretionary/business use are used at many technology organizations, ranging from medium-sized, innovative and fast-moving companies to large, established and enterprise technology companies.1 This is a well-established practice that balances HR requirements with the rapid pace of innovation and change in job… Continue reading HR Classification and Discretionary/Business Job Titles for Makers, Managers and Leaders in Technology

5 Productivity Tips for Executives in Leadership & Management Roles

Here are 5 productivity tips for executives in leadership & management roles. Each tip involves the number 5. Every morning (or the night before), make a prioritized list of the top 5 things you plan to accomplish that day. These are your must-do tasks for the day. At the day’s end (or when making the… Continue reading 5 Productivity Tips for Executives in Leadership & Management Roles

Your Brain At Work (Book Review)

Let me tell you a story about my friends Emily and Paul. Emily and Paul were struggling in their demanding jobs and in managing their busy family life raising young children at home. Emily, a marketing manager at a company, had recently earned a promotion to VP and was finding it challenging to supervise the… Continue reading Your Brain At Work (Book Review)

Case for a Consistent, Comprehensible & Cost-Effective Vacation Policy

This article makes a case for having a vacation policy that is simple, sane and standard across the organization. Some organizations have unnecessarily complicated vacation policies that require a lot of labor and time to implement, manage and support exceptions for. That is substandard because such vacation policies are costly for the organization, they distract from… Continue reading Case for a Consistent, Comprehensible & Cost-Effective Vacation Policy

Product Maintenance vs. New Development on Web Sites, Mobile Apps and Other Digital Products

Maintenance of a digital business product (e.g. a Web site, mobile app, or software) refers to the work that includes modifications made after delivery to production to fix bugs, address compliance/security issues, or improve scalability/performance These modifications can be to the product’s software code, configuration, documentation, hardware, or surrounding network. Maintenance is often contrasted with… Continue reading Product Maintenance vs. New Development on Web Sites, Mobile Apps and Other Digital Products

Management & Technical Career Growth Tracks (v2)

This second version of the diagram illustrating technical career tracks reflects the following updates since version one: A product management track is now included. (Future updates may include other tracks like design, editorial and marketing.) There is no longer a contributor-level position on the people-management track. This is because most organizations do not have an… Continue reading Management & Technical Career Growth Tracks (v2)

Productive Business Meetings

Here are some suggestions for making business meetings more productive, efficient and effective. Based on readers’ feedback, I have split this article into the following separate blog posts. Use these Posted Signs for Productive Meetings in your meeting rooms and offices Consider using this template for requesting a meeting Consider using this format for your weekly… Continue reading Productive Business Meetings