Forget lean and mean. Try lean and kind
Is your business lean and mean? We hear that phrase a lot, but Toronto-based business consultant Donald Cooper finds it offensive.
Yes, businesses should be lean. But too many are mean to their staff, to their suppliers, to their customers, and to the environment, and he finds that wrong-headed. He suggests trying lean and kind. Donald Cooper Corp. Newsletter
Call a 'time in' to get a boost
In many sports, players can call time outs when they are overwhelmed or need to regroup. Blogger Sibyl Chavis recommends that when you feel like you're on autopilot and just going through the motions, you should call a "time in" – a 60-second break to relax, recharge, and enjoy some silence. This can come at work, in the shower, at a stoplight, or waiting for an elevator. Lifehack.org
Need a new mantra? Look no further
Try this motto: Most mistakes can be corrected. Letter To A New Manager
Free apps to tally cost of meetings
Janine Popick, CEO of San Francisco-based marketing firm Vertical Response, suggests you consider two free software apps that calculate how much money you are spending in a meeting based on the assembled crew: Meeting Ticker or Effective Meetings. Inc.com
Special to The Globe and Mail
Harvey Schachter is a Battersea, Ont.-based writer specializing in management issues. He writes Monday Morning Manager and management book reviews for the print edition of Report on Business and an online work-life column Balance. E-mail Harvey Schachter
Harvey Schachter