Operational levels in Business and Military worlds?

Posted on March 12, 2013 by AnyaWorkSmart

I’ve already mentioned how Planning in Management is influenced by concepts devised in the Military. It’s natural, therefore, that today we usually divide Planning into three analytical levels with a strong military flavor: Operational, Tactical and Strategic (a clear example of a classical proverb that in the Military everything consists of three parts :-)). Continue reading →

“Who said I cannot be Scientist and Artist at the same time?” – From Ask Anya mails

Posted on March 5, 2013 by AnyaWorkSmart

Following post “Craftsman, Scientist or Artist – who are you? Three approaches to Expertise”

“You presented a very interesting approach to Expertise in defining the Craftsman, the Scientist and the Artist types, however I cannot say I entirely agree with these strict constraints. I consider myself a highly qualified craftsman: with so many years of expertise in my domain I have clearly mastered all the critical tools and techniques. Does that mean I cannot be a Scientist discovering new approaches or an Artist who brings his soul into everything he does?” Continue reading →

Emotional Decision-Making: is there such a thing?

Posted on February 26, 2013 by AnyaWorkSmart

I’m completely sure that everyone reading this article had a following frustrating experience at least once in their life: during an argument you present the other side with all the possible rational pros and cons of your respective positions, and your own position appears much more advantageous. However the other side doesn’t seem to care about you being objectively right, keeping on saying that “It still doesn’t feel right!” Continue reading →

Risk Assessment model – watch out for Biases!

Posted on February 19, 2013 by AnyaWorkSmart

In my post on Risk Awareness I promised to provide you with a comprehensive model for managing your risks, so here I am, fulfilling my promise 🙂

Successful managing of risks is based on their proper assessment, because the main decisions you’ll be making here would mostly be about dedicating resources for dealing with the risks. Knowing to assess the risks correctly will help you prioritize the investment of resources for each and every one of them. The model will help you Continue reading →

Raising awareness of Risk Awareness

Posted on February 12, 2013 by AnyaWorkSmart

Living in an uncertain world makes proper Risk Management critical for survival. In our age of frequent natural and man-made disasters, volatile markets and economic meltdowns, recognizing and targeting of possible risks is of Manager’s highest priorities. Continue reading →

Life without biases Part 1: Is it possible?

Posted on January 28, 2013 by AnyaWorkSmart

The events of the recent years have clearly shown the repercussions of bad decision-making, both on a personal level when people were buying things they cannot afford; on a corporate level when companies kept pouring money into unsuccessful projects, neglecting all kinds of efficiency monitoring; on the national level when whole countries Continue reading →

Disaster Management – when Bias strikes

Posted on January 24, 2013 by AnyaWorkSmart

Disaster Management – when Bias strikes 1 Disaster Management has one trait that distinguishes it from other fields of Management – its effectiveness is MEASURED IN HUMAN LIVES. Though many of us do not frequently have to provide decisions of the same significance, it’s interesting Continue reading →

Validating Skills on the interview – From Ask Anya mails

Posted on November 22, 2012 by AnyaWorkSmart

Following Post Thumb rule #1 for building your team

Question:

“I agree that ability to learn is really an important attribute. What would you consider a good indicator of this ability, i.e. how can you assess a candidate for that?”

Answer: Continue reading →

Communication skill: more or better?

Posted on November 8, 2012 by AnyaWorkSmart

We are all aware of crucial role communication skills play in any endeavor; they can bring back a failing project from ashes and make a successful one sink like Titanic in a blink of an eye.

There are numerous training resources out there that call for communicating more, trying to break down into bits and pieces what communication is and how it should be done properly. So why do we still struggle so much in conveying our messages when we want others to do something for us or, at least, to understand what we’re talking about? Continue reading →

Utilizing Data and Research in Management

Posted on November 1, 2012 by AnyaWorkSmart

Why would I choose to focus on this topic? It sounds so boring that I risk losing your attention already at the title.

But no, I haven’t lost my marbles. Lately, we’ve discussed at length the crucial role of the Manager in the Decision-making process, so it brings us naturally to the most crucial component of this process – the interpretation of information. Continue reading →