http://managerthoughts.com/blog Managent, Carreers, Operations, Small Business Sun, 16 Sep 2007 00:51:56 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Whenever you have a presentation of a project, your business or services, some basic aspects have to be carefully considered. A common error is to have a sequence of slides that is applied to any situation or audience, and is presented mechanically without a direct connection to your primary objective. Here are ... http://managerthoughts.com/blog/2007/09/16/10-tips-for-your-presentations/ Since I have a business portal (in Portuguese) and a few blogs, I regularly receive requests to help out in researches, career tips and even college homework. I believe this is natural and always try to help whenever I can. Nevertheless, it’s incredible that a considerable portion of ... http://managerthoughts.com/blog/2007/06/11/want-help-sure-just-learn-how-to-ask/ An incredibly important trait for any manager or entrepreneur is positive attitude. Optimistic people influence others and have more energy to reach their goals. I’m talking about “down to Earth” optimism, from people who know the problems they face but believe that they can overcome with ... http://managerthoughts.com/blog/2007/05/29/the-power-of-positive-attitude/ Today I was invited by Jim Strout from Managing Leadership to participate in the “My Business Life Lessons” tag that was started by Dave Prouhet from Business Advice Daily. It’s a great idea to get this blog back on track, since I’ve been absent for the last few weeks… Here’s ... http://managerthoughts.com/blog/2007/05/04/a-few-things-that-ive-learned/ The entrepreneur’s personality is one of the decisive factors in the results of a new business. Generally speaking, it is important to have confidence in your skills and have passion for the business. Nevertheless, there are traps that can turn confidence into something negative for the entrepreneurial activity. The ... http://managerthoughts.com/blog/2007/04/02/confidence-and-faith-in-entrepreneurship/ One of the most present activities on anyone’s professional life is communicating. This is not new, but there are still many that seem to worry exclusively about technical and other management skills in their careesr, and forget the importance of communicating correctly. In communicating, choosing the correct medium is crucial. ... http://managerthoughts.com/blog/2007/03/20/choose-the-right-communication-medium/ If you are planning to start a new business or expand your activities, preparing a business plan is an obligation, not an option. This position seems somewhat radical, but maybe you’ll agree with me if you see the business plan not as a formal document to convince investors, but as a ... http://managerthoughts.com/blog/2007/03/10/don%c2%b4t-run-from-the-business-plan/ A few days ago I was having a chat with a friend (who is a consultant) about the “occasional” consultants that are invading the market. I gave the subject some thought and decided to write a few lines about it... What makes a person start a consultancy practice? I ... http://managerthoughts.com/blog/2007/03/01/are-you-a-real-consultant/ Imagine this scenario: you have recently started your own business and already have some clients. Even though they still do not generate your dream income, they are loyal to you and the relationship with them is running smoothly. Growth is not very fast, but it is constant and ... http://managerthoughts.com/blog/2007/02/19/don%c2%b4t-leap-if-you-can%c2%b4t-see-where-you%c2%b4ll-land/ Mark Stevens at Unconventional Thinking gave us some wise thoughts on the lack of mystery in marketing nowadays. He mentions the song “Hey Jude”, by the Beatles, and how there was a lot of mystery around who the lyrics were about. This mystery helped to feed the ... http://managerthoughts.com/blog/2007/02/10/mystery-in-marketing/ A friend of mine got to a leadership position a few months ago, but he was telling me that he didn’t feel comfortable yet as a leader, and he wasn’t sure if his leadership was on the right track. After discussing the situation with him for a ... http://managerthoughts.com/blog/2007/02/03/are-you-the-leader-you-want-to-be/ Few people outside Brazil know about this, but the City of São Paulo prohibited any type of outdoor ads throughout the city. After reading Danny´s post on Beyond Madison Avenue I decided to prepare my own ideas relating this case to management issues, so I finally had a chance ... http://managerthoughts.com/blog/2007/01/30/sao_paulo_outdoor_ads_management_lessons/ Most small businesses still do not engage in large scale improvement programs (for example, Six Sigma), normally because they do not think that such tools are needed for their smaller operations, or because they believe costs are prohibitive, and those initiatives should be left for larger corporations. I have some different ... http://managerthoughts.com/blog/2007/01/26/improvement-programs-in-small-businesses/ One of the most difficult tasks for people nowadays is time management. There’s always too much to do, and the feeling that time is not enough haunts us constantly. Although I do not have a complete and magical time management toolkit that will transform your life, I can ... http://managerthoughts.com/blog/2007/01/24/use-your-time-wisely/ A lot is discussed about the characteristics of a good salesman and his importance to the organization’s success. I believe that it's true, the sales activity is probably one of the most important for an organization, especially for small and medium businesses. Nevertheless, the sales activity should be considered in ... http://managerthoughts.com/blog/2007/01/20/small-businesses-what-are-you-doing-to-surprise-your-customers/ Do you want some top-notch consulting for free? It’s simple: listen to your customers’ complaints. Of course it would be better if complaints were not necessary at all, but if something is bothering him, the best thing that can happen to your business is when the customer ... http://managerthoughts.com/blog/2007/01/16/thank-god-for-grouchy-customers/ OK, I know that leadership can’t really be measured. But then, how do you differentiate leadership skills between two professionals? When you say that someone is a great leader, what are you implicitly measuring? We can simplify the leadership equation by giving it two simple characteristics: quantity ... http://managerthoughts.com/blog/2007/01/12/measuring-leadership/ Information is almost a commodity nowadays. Everything you want to learn can be found in the internet, in your local bookstore or in the hundreds of course options available out there. Those who, like me, like to read a lot about management in general, have surely noticed ... http://managerthoughts.com/blog/2007/01/08/getting-information-is-easy-using-it-wisely-isn%c2%b4t/ We love talking about exceptional leaders and their teams working efficiently together towards the greatness of the company. Yes, that’s a situation that every organization wants, and should do its best to get as close as possible to it. Nevertheless, the reality is not that pretty. What ... http://managerthoughts.com/blog/2007/01/05/professional-stupidity-mistakes/ I was reading Jim Kukral´s Keep it Simple in 2007 article in MarketingProfs, commenting on the new buzzword for 2007: Simplexity. I fully agree with Jim on the “Duh!”, and I began thinking how this relates to management. Well, in fact, most of the successful tools, theories ... http://managerthoughts.com/blog/2007/01/03/in-management-simple-is-not-easy/