DCO Weekend Reader – 10/10/08
The web is a vast repository of opinions, commentary and occasionally, wisdom. Here’s a selection of the best articles I read over the past week.Â
If you would like to recommend an article, blog or book, please leave a comment with your suggestion. Weekend Reader is a regular feature here at DCO, and you can read past Weekend Readers here.
A light week, without the density of value from last week.  That doesn’t mean these aren’t good articles; but if you didn’t get a chance to read through last week’s crop, there were some exceptional ones.Â
I think the must-reads this week would be Marshall’s guidelines for influencing upper management and the thought provoker on what entrepreneurship is really about. But if you only have time to follow one link, please check out Kiva.org and consider getting involved in this world-changing initiative.
Personal Excellence & Leadership
- These are challenging times for businesses. Sure, you’re a great leader. But doesn’t something in the back of your head tell you to adjust your style to match the current environment? Here’s some fundamentals to keep in mind during these turbulent times.
- Yes, yes, all of us know by now there is a difference in leading versus managing. Here’s a nice article breaking down the difference along four attributes: Competencies, Knowledge, Experience, and Personal Attributes.
“The great majority of people tend to focus downward. They are occupied with efforts rather than results. They worry over what the organization and their superiors ‘owe’ them and should do for them. And they are conscious above all of the authority they ‘should have’. As a result they render themselves ineffectual.” - Peter Drucker
- With that quote, our old friend Marshall Goldsmith kicks off a list of ten guidelines to do a better job of influencing your upper management. Personally, I find #1 and #4 are the ones I see others forgetting most often, while as an old technician I have to constantly monitor myself on #3.
Thought-Provokers
- How to deny distractions and be more productive. Enough said? Good pointers and a quick read.
- The role of persistence in achieving your goals. Again a quick read on a point we always need reminding.Â
- A sad reason to write a post, but thought provoking ideas nonetheless, on what we worship (and how it affects us).
- A thoughtful article on what entrepreneurship is really about. Like I’m fond of saying, the lessons in this post can easily extend well beyond entrepreneurship.Â
For Fun
 For fun this week, I’m not posting a game. You’re probably too busy for that anyway. Instead I’m going to send you to a site that can be fun and rewarding at the same time, is a great example of socially-responsible entrepreneurship, and gives you the opportunity to change the world. Well, at least a little part of it. Kiva.org’s tagline is “loans that change lives”. If you have never heard of Kiva then you really need to take the time to read what they are all about. Basically, their model is to allow you to make micro-loans to entrepreneurs, usually socially disadvantaged, around the world. The average loan size is around $450 and the repayment rate is over 98%. I have not personally loaned on the site yet, but I plan to soon.Â
Enough of me talking. If, like me, you consider yourself fortunate to be where you are financially and professionally and are looking for a way to give back, check out Kiva. Once I do, I’ll give you a writeup on the experience. If you get there before me, please send me an E-mail with your thoughts and with your permission I’ll post them here.
Tips, Tricks & Resources
- Okay, we all intuitively know (or assume) that personal networking is the best way to get that new job. However, we’ve all probably run into an HR gatekeeper or gotten disqualified because our resume scan didn’t pop the proper keywords. Take heart, and read this article breaking down “the numbers” on personal networking with respect to career management. I especially like the stat that says “86 percent of human resource departments and 61 percent of search firms DO NOT post jobs with salaries over $200,000; they rely on referrals and networking”.
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Comments
No comments yet.
Leave a comment