Effective Strategies for Taking Over a New Project: A Comprehensive Guide for Managers
What do you do when you inherit a new project I have done this several times over my career, and I've developed a process that works pretty well. Immediately talk with all stakeholders Before you're on the project, you should identify the stakeholders and sort them
Smart Finance: Why a Salary Bump Shouldn’t Mean a Spending Spree - Navigating Long-Term Financial Decisions
I’ve seen folks get bumped up with a promotion (e.g., IC to a manager or senior manager to director) and then go out and buy a new house a few months after with their new salary. The issue is that you’re making a thirty-year decision (or hopefully
Why become a manager?
I’ve told people considering entering into management that if they want well-defined problems, know precisely what they need to do, and want to put the job on pause when they go home at night, don’t go into management. If you want to have interesting problems that vary all
A Manager's Guide to Defining and Supporting Career Paths
A career path is a person’s journey through their professional life, encompassing the various roles, experiences, and advancements they encounter along the way. It's a roadmap that guides one's progress and growth in their chosen field. Having a clear career path is more important than
Developing Your Management Playbook: Practical Strategies for Repeated Success
If you follow enough sports, you should be familiar with a playbook. It's a set of scripted actions that the team would take to accomplish a specific goal. Why is this reverent in a book for managers? Being a manager means you will run into the same situations
Business Travel Made Easy: A Manager's Guide to Seamless Team Trips
You'll likely travel for business. It’s easy if you’re flying solo. If you're traveling with your team, there are a few items to manage for each trip. You or someone can assist you with the travel prep. Other prep will depend on the experience
Don’t make a mistake and default to extra academic credentials.
I’d been a manager for several years and had my undergraduate degree in Computer Science and MBA. However, I still thought I was missing something to advance in my field, and I felt that missing thing was a PhD in Industrial Engineering. Truth be told, I was looking for
In-person events and resumes
I’ve attended several large job conferences in the past few years, and there were a few interesting observations to share. Paper handouts and resumes still are still a thing There’s something reassuring for job seekers about handing you their paper resume. Most are pretty standard, but a few
Align careers to people's interests and hobbies
It’s short-sighted to think hobbies don't have a place at work. People’s hobbies are what they're excited about, and you can use that to help your team. We had a hardcore cyclist who talked about cycling, knew all the good bike paths near the
Use Training As A Recruiting Tool
Every job will have new skills that employees need to learn or improve in their careers. Avoid thinking of training as the bare minimum of what they need to do but as the first step in getting better at their job and advancing their careers. Budget You need to determine
