Economists on what is basically a diversity and equality issue--Gender growth

From the World Economic Forum, 2014
http://webcasts.weforum.org/widget/1/davos2014?p=1&pi=1&a=53309

This is something to behold...so thanks to the BBC.  Much of it resonates with me, and almost as much of it bugs me.  Women as, almost definitionally, peacemakers would be something that bugs me. Not that women aren't, but there's more to women than warm hugs, and I think too often the discussion stalls on the special softness that women bring to business--a disservice in my books.  They get past it...brilliantly in many cases.

Moving away from the stereotypes of women; and onto the facts that there's half the population that simply shows up less frequently in the workforce, especially in leadership is important to me.  They cover the gamut and I was riveted by every question and each response.

• Sheryl Sandburg is the COO of Facebook, 
• Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, the Executive Director of UN Women, 
• Christine Lagarde, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund
• Carlos Ghosn, Chairman and CEO of Nissan and Renault

These are heavy lifters I've been reading about in the last two years of looking at business practices-

Please comment if you feel likewise, or differently- I like hearing different viewpoints on the matters these five have discussed (I'm including the reporter)

I liked Christine Lagarde's challenge to not call men and women members of the opposite sex...and then her deferent beginning, "If you'll allow me...".  She says it's a battle that we all need to fight, and win, in the world's best interest; but then proceeded to set women and men in opposition with "as good/ better at" etc...kind of language-- which is when I get ruffled.  What would happen to our discussion if we simply said "women make excellent managers" etc... A push for excellence, regardless of gender, seems like a more appealing argument to me.  And they get there--

I really liked Ghosn's point on education, coaching, mentoring, of girls and women--along with the agreements from the rest of the panel.  Measurement, and accountability come up too, which is always something I cheer over. At 30 mins in, or so, he brings it back around to diversity--more diverse=stronger companies and stronger countries.

Cheers...

The "non-example" of a great person to work with...on the playground it's a "see ya, wouldn't wanna be ya!"

http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140410232741-1124086-10-rules-of-an-incompetent-professional?trk=tod-home-art-list-large_0

He begins, and is really quite specific...

I’m positive you’ll recognize someone close to you who appears to be a true professional but who, in reality, isn’t anything more than an unqualified beginner. These are, in my opinion the most important rules:

1. “Blame others”: whatever happens, there will always be someone who can be blamed for things that go wrong, however much responsibility, or lack of, they have. In the slang of useless people, this rule is called “passing the buck” or saying “the dog ate my work“.

2. “Steal and use the achievements of others”: which is essential for getting to the top, whilst those at the bottom never stop complaining about our incompetence. In the slang of the useless, this is called “taking all the credit“.

3. “Deny having done anything”: even though you’ve been caught on film committing the worst possible crime, deny it all. It could always be thought that it’s a complex plot created by your worst enemy to question your honesty.

4. “Don’t face up to things and avoid making statements”: never try to defend yourself if you’ve done something bad. You will be accused of things that you hadn’t even thought of. It’s better to avoid making statements and mention a brief: “I haven’t done anything, this is a plot against my honesty and good name”.

5. “Look for false witnesses to back up the lie”: there is always an absent-minded friend, one of those who’s dying to be at your side, who will be willing to state anything, and back up our tale. It’s important to have some to hand.

6. “Get others to make statements for you”: if there is no other alternative, and rule 4 can’t be applied, it’s much better to get others to do it for you. In addition to the witnesses from the previous rule, try to get people who are fairly simple to make statements for you; they’ll end up boring everyone to death.

7. “Get a lawyer to make statements for you”: once the previous point has been exhausted, it’s best to get a lawyer to respond with excuses and contradictions.

8. “Invent a Saintly role”: if ultimately we have to say something, it’s important to have created a story that elevates us to the level of Holy Spirit and makes everyone believe that under no circumstances would we be capable of such acts.

9. “Throw stones at the enemy”: someone wants to back us into a corner? However saintly they are, they will always have a dark side. Look for it and hit them hard until no doubt remains that the person is worse than the devil.

10. “Invent a conspiracy”: if someone has backed us into a corner, and we haven’t been able to take them down, there is no other alternative than to plot a conspiracy, using a smoke screen. The most common stories are those that involve the abuse or harassment of women, because they always manage to attract nonsensical parrots.

I enjoy talking about positive things, but sometimes it’s important to mention bad practices, because whether we like it or not, they are the first thing we have to avoid. None of these rules have come from the Internet or a book. I have experienced them all first hand, in trials and attacks, and they have helped me to detect what I call human cockroaches. I always recommend the fantastic book by Fernando Trías de Bes, “El libro negro del emprendedor”-The entrepreneur’s black book-, which talks of the huge mistakes that many entrepreneurs make, and believe me, you learn more from mistakes than from success. Following Fernando’s lead, shortly I’ll be able to publish “El libro negro del coach” -The coach’s black book- (or that of the politician, banker, whichever profession you prefer), because there is no lack of examples of incompetent people.

Be careful because lately ignorant people appear to be having great success.

Conference Calling Etiquette... I like this video-a lot!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYu_bGbZiiQ

This is especially important for the work I do at a distance...I'll be building in all this information into my practice!

A journalistic giggle, and a reminder to be original and specific

From the Washington Post--now, I would have loved to have seen these all strung together in a super-cliche, but I'll take their list and enjoy it nonetheless!  I'll suggest taking a minute to enjoy the article's title as well--

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/opinions/wp/2014/02/27/the-outlook-list-of-things-we-do-not-say/

Identifying journalistic cliches has become a favorite Washington parlor game. But might it not also open a rare window onto the struggles of writers and editors trying to think outside the box?

Over the past few years, some colleagues at The Washington Post and I have played our own parlor game, assembling a list of verbal crutches, stock phrases, filler words, cliches and perpetually misused expressions that we should avoid in The Post’s Sunday Outlook section — or at least think hard about before using. The list received some attention last year on the media blog Romenesko, triggering many more nominations and additions.

Below is the latest, expanded version, with twice as many entries. Feel free to suggest new entries (or arguments for why something should be taken off the list) in the comments section, or tweet at us: @CarlosLozadaWP or  @PostOutlook. We’ll keep adding to it.

And believe me — this is not your father’s list of journalism cliches.

The Outlook List of Things We Do Not Say

At first glance (or worse, “at first blush”)

As a nation (or worse, “as a society”)

Upon deeper reflection (why not reflect deeply from the start?)

Observers (unless referring to people actually sitting around watching something)

[Person] is not alone (from anecdote to generalization, we get it)

And [someone/something] is no exception

Pundits say (or “critics say”)

The American people (unless in a quote)

The narrative (unless referring to a style of writing)

Probe (an uncomfortable substitute for “investigation”)

Opens/offers a rare window (unless it is a real window that is in fact unusual)

Begs the question (unless used properly – and so rarely used properly that it’s not worth the trouble)

Be that as it may

If you will (actually, I won’t)

A cautionary tale

Needless to say (then don’t say it)

Suffice it to say (if it suffices, then just say it)

This is not your father’s [anything]

[Anything] 2.0 (or 3.0, or 4.0…)

At a crossroads (unless referring to an actual intersection)

The powers that be

Outside the box (describes creative thinking — with a cliche)

A favorite Washington parlor game

Yes, Virginia, there is a [something]

Christmas came early for [someone]

Chock full (“full” is just fine by itself)

Last-ditch effort (unless ditch-digging is involved)

Midwife (as a verb, unless involving childbirth)

Cue the [something]

Call it [something]

Pity the poor [something]

It’s the [something], stupid

Imagine (as the first word in your lede)

Time will tell if [something]

Palpable sense of relief (unless you can truly touch it)

Plenty of blame to go around

Rorschach test (unless it is a real one)

Turned a blind eye

Underscores

Cycle of violence (unless referring to a particularly vicious Schwinn)

Famously (if readers know it, you don’t need to tell them it is famous; if they don’t know it, you just made them feel stupid)

The Other (or “otherize,” “otherization” and other variations)

Effort (as a verb)

Table (as a verb, as in “table the talks”)

Shutter (as a verb, as in “they shuttered the factory”)

Gestalt/Zeitgeist

Orwellian (unless discussing George Orwell)

Machiavellian (unless discussing Niccolo Machiavelli)

Gladwellian (never)

What happens in [somewhere] stays in [somewhere]

Oft-cited

Little-noticed

Closely watched

Hastily convened

Much ballyhooed

Shrouded in secrecy

Tipping point

Inflection point

Point of no return

The [anything] community

The devil is in the details

A ragtag army (or ragtag militia) h/t @tomricks1

A tale of two [anything] h/t @dsorbara

Ignominious end

Tightly knit (unless referring to actual knitting)

In the final analysis (especially as beginning of a final sentence/paragraph)

Ultimately (same as above)

At the end of the day (same as above)

Who lost [insert country here]?

Punditocracy

Twitterati

Commentariat

Chattering classes

White-shoe law firm

Well-heeled lobbyists

Skittish donors

Byzantine rules (unless referring to the empire in the Middle Ages)

Rise of the 24-hour news cycle (it’s been a while)

Not so fast

Remains to be seen

Tenuous at best

Or so it seems

Burst onto the national political scene

For now (especially at the end of a sentence set off by a dash; all it does is negate everything that came before)

Tectonic shifts (unless real ones)

Feeding frenzy/feeding the frenzy

Double down

Game-changer

[Anything]-gate (especially if you’re writing in The Washington Post)

In the wake of [anything] h/t @fritinancy

Dons the mantle of

A portrait emerges h/t @jialynnyang

In a nutshell

The social fabric (or “the very fabric of our democracy/nation/society”)

Hot-button issue

Face-saving compromise

Eye-popping

The argument goes

The thinking goes

Contrary to popular belief

Intoned

The new normal

The talk of the town (unless referring to the New Yorker section)

It couple (or “power couple”)

Paradigm shift (in journalism, all paradigms are shifting)

Unlikely revolutionary (in journalism, all revolutionaries are unlikely)

Unlikely reformer (in journalism, all reformers are unlikely, too)

Grizzled veteran (in journalism, all veterans are either grizzled or “seasoned”)

Manicured lawns (in journalism, all lawns are manicured)

Wide-ranging interview (in journalism, all interviews range widely, even if they don’t)

Rose from obscurity (in journalism, all rises are from obscurity)

Dizzying array (in journalism, all arrays make one dizzy)

Withering criticism (in journalism, all criticism is withering)

Predawn raid (in journalism, all raids take place in the predawn hours)

Nondescript office building (in journalism, all office buildings are nondescript)

Unsung hero (in journalism, all heroes lack music)

Sparked debate

Raised questions

Ironic Capitalization Implying the Unimportance of Things Others Consider Important

But reality/truth is more complicated (in journalism, we oversimplify, then criticize the oversimplification)

Scarred by war (unless referring to real scars)

War-torn

Trading barbs

Shines a spotlight on [something] (unless there is a real spotlight that is shining)

[Something] is no panacea

[Something] is no silver bullet

Political football

Political theater

More than you think (how do you know what I think?)

Less than you think (how do you know what I think?)

Not as much as you think (how do you know what I think?)

You guessed it (how do you know what I guessed?) h/t @jfdulac

Shifting dynamics (code for “don’t hold me to this”)

The situation is fluid (code for “I have no idea what is going on”)

Partisans on both sides

Charm offensive

Fallen on hard times

On thin ice

Poster child

Going forward

Creature of Washington

Official Washington

A modest proposal (this was written once, very well, and has been written terribly ever since)

Stinging rebuke

Mr. [Anyone] goes to Washington (unless a reference to the actual movie)

The proverbial [something] (Tacking this in front of a cliche doesn’t excuse it, just admits you used it knowingly)

Fevered speculation

Iconic

How did we get here? (code for “here comes the b-matter”)

But first, some background (code for “I know more than you do”)

Growing body of evidence

[Anything] on steroids (unless you cover professional sports) h/t @crowleyTIME

Resists easy classification/categorization

Increasingly (unless story proves something is in fact increasing)

Tapped (as substitute for “selected” or “appointed)

Any “not-un” formulation (as in “not unsurprising that you’d use that cliche”)

Wait for it

There, I said it

And here’s the kicker

See what I did there?

Worth sharing...a little bit on generation, a little bit on tech, and a lot on being aware

While it's never clever to pigeon-hole the people in the office, there is something to be said for an awareness of archetypes.  This posting does a fair job of identifying some of the newer archetypical characters you can find around the office, or on their way to the office...or at the office, but not exactly fully engaged with the corporeals around them.  I get a spelling flag on that last one, which I usually find entertaining, and this is no exception- I'm sticking with "corporals" because I hope the word makes the point about being human at work- in the corporate setting.

It's good to embrace technology, it's another thing to always prioritize the digital versions of whomever you need to deal with in the day.  Pay attention to the "corporeals" around you, because not only is it good manners, it's making good connections at work as well.  Those corporate people are the ones you will be working with at time, sometimes, more than others, and if being on the phone/BB/email/call makes you give others the finger--hold on! I mean the index finger that signals the person in front of you 'can take a number'-- you're not likely endearing yourself to anyone.

So where are you in these archetypes?  As you consider whether or not you're on the list, also consider how you're seeing others...From www.workintelligent.ly

To meet the demands of today’s changing workforce, business leaders need to understand that a one-size-fits-all workforce just doesn’t cut it anymore.

Whether you want to blame the launch of Facebook in 2004, the 2007 introduction of the iPhone or the boom of cloud technologies in just the past few years, it’s hard to ignore the fact that offices – and the people who fill them – are operating differently than they ever have before.

Just look around and you’ll see different demographics of employees driven to reach their goals in a variety of different ways. In some cases, their workstyles may be far from familiar to your methods or experiences as a leader. But this is the talent that’s helping you and your company succeed, so it’s critical that you understand how employees in today’s new world of work operate – not just by themselves, but how they collaborate with other types of workers.

We’ve identified five different types of workers intermingled across offices today. Some personas you recognize. Others sound familiar. Some, you may have only been warned of. And while people are complex and may not fit neatly into one of these buckets, these personas should help guide you as you work to better understand today’s changing workforce.

ALWAYS-ON MILLENNIAL

Millennials. Generation Y. By now you’ve heard the names and are beginning to understand how this oft-described “entitled” group is impacting the workplace. Simply put, they’ve tapped into different workplace and social abilities that no other generation before them has. These workers are seen as being the most technological and social media savvy, but also perceived as being difficult to work with, or even lonely. Of course, this stereotype is usually far from the truth. This is a dynamic and important group that company leaders need to observe and engage with, as millennials are moving up the ranks quickly. In fact, 87% have already elevated to decision-making roles in just the past five years – by far the highest of any generation during this time. Millennials believe their ideas can fundamentally change the way things are done and they aren’t afraid to push innovation forward. Good leaders should recognize that this group is a treasure trove of creativity, waiting to be tapped to help connect you with your customers.

ON-THE-GO MOBILE PRO

Nearly 30 percent of employees are what Forrester Research calls “anytime, anywhere workers” – those who work from multiple locations with multiple apps and devices. These are employees rarely seen at the office, but when they are spotted, it’s with a mobile device glued to their hand. Digital labor is no longer a trend but a reality, meaning companies need to adapt, adopt andinvest in the right tools and technologies to support their needs of an ever-growing mobile staff. These tools should include the infrastructure and workflow processes that allow these digital workers to access, share, and transform the data that they, and their coworkers, rely on to stay connected and get the job done.

INTRAPRENEUR

Employees who behave like an entrepreneur within the confines of their existing role are often referred to as intrapreneurs – those who provide surprising or unexpected value to their companies in a way that capitalizes on new business opportunities.Often responsible for product innovation, Intrapreneurs are an emerging segment of the workforce that aren’t afraid of stepping up to the plate and taking charge. While some companies might see this as a practice that doesn’t fit their culture or organizational structure, others believe in the value it brings to engaging employees and ultimately, retaining them. Intrapreneurs are risk takers who aren’t afraid to take chances and shake things up within an organization. Despite their bullish outlook, management still needs to take a top-level approach at fostering an environment in which these workers can thrive, or risk losing them to more agile companies.

THE DATA ANALYTIC

Often seen as introverts, it’s finally time for the analytic personality to shine – not that they necessarily want to. The office analytic sees figures, stats and data as an essential element to any project or task – a perfect fit for today’s data-centric and interested corporate world. That doesn’t mean these workers are quiet pushovers, however. Instead, they are forceful users and believers in the value of data-backed evidence. These workers are the office advocates who ensure your company references its data footprint to make proper and smarter decisions regarding future spending, technology or strategy.

SEASONED INCUMBENT

Seasoned incumbents – those employeeswho have been in the workforce long enough to remember the days before computers – understand that work is work and not necessarily a place to engage one’s personal life and interests. These might be the veteran office accountants who sit down each day, punch numbers and track spending in a familiar, but perhaps inefficient ways because they are intimidated, confused or just have no interest in their company’s newly implemented technologies. Investing in technology – and more importantly, technology education – will help employees better understand and embrace new, innovative processes that can positively impact the outcome of their work.

Who needs words about teamwork/conflict/communication/solutions when you have this??

Books for study-some of the more recent ones.

         This is a selected stack, the recent ones from which I've been studying and writing.  I thought I would include them, and if anyone is interested-contact me, and I'll share my opinions on each.  Some are livelier than others.  Some are way livelier than others. 

         Some are more basically about people, which I have translated into business applications on the theory that we are still, fundamentally, people while we are at work-so what happens in life happens in work life as well.  Of these, a few of my favourites are Social Intelligence, Drive, The Happiness Project, and Flow - all shown below.  I am missing the ultimate though, and that's Difficult Conversations, which was written in 1998 by Patton, Stone, and Heen.  It gets special recollection as the one that captured my interest so easily; I have used the insights ever since, as I found they explained and dealt with communication brilliantly.  I even used it as a model of communication and created group activities to see how it resonated with others.  It did.  It's not just me...