First Item: Managing the avalanche
of post-holiday-break e-mail
The anticipation of holidays always comes with a smidgen of fear about the e-mail that will inundate us on our return. Web producer D. Keith Robinson suggests
the following approach on his blog To-Done:
Start by deleting all the spam and other items you don't need to deal with, such as news summaries.
Create two temporary folders to sort the e-mail: "Personal" and "work."
In each, make folders for the first three days you're back -- for example, "Monday," "Tuesday," and "Wednesday."
Speed through your e-mail and sort them into those folders, depending on whether they should be dealt with immediately or can wait. Some will be so important or easy that you will want to respond at this stage.
Schedule time to handle the sorted e-mail. Meanwhile, carry on your normal work and respond to incoming e-mails as they arrive, allowing you to be up-to-speed quickly while not overwhelmed and delayed by the backlog.
Marketing: Go with coupons at your peril -- no one likes a cheapskateThis is the season for sales and discounts but new research warns that companies have to be careful they don't make customers feel cheap. Laurence Ashworth of Queen's University and Peter Darke and Mark Schaller of the University of British Columbia found that test subjects were unlikely to use a coupon for a 10 per cent saving in a restaurant if they were in a situation where social impressions are critical, on a first date. They were, however, more likely to use the coupon if they could do so without being seen by the date, or if the waiter brought the coupon to the table, so they didn't appear to have gone to great lengths to attain the savings. In the Queen's Leaders Forum, Prof. Ashworth says when offering bargains, marketers should stress it's smart to save money and try to protect the consumer from looking cheap by offering wide selection rather than just bargains. To combat the negative association of coupons, consider giving a charitable donation if they are redeemed, or place the coupons on products so it doesn't appear the reason for the purchase.
Managing: An old-timer's guide to managing a young staff
If you're a baby boomer and a manager, here are the top 10 things to know about managing people between the ages of 19 and 34, according to business coach Susan Dunn on the Coachville site:
1. Unlike their parents, they don't plan on staying with one job or company throughout their career.
2. Nor will they sacrifice their family for their job.
3. They have a voracious appetite for technology and learning.
4. They look for security from within, not from the institution.
5. They want promotions based on performance, not longevity.
6. They have loyalty to the team, not the organization.
7. They challenge authority and don't wait to be told what to do. You must earn their respect; they don't grant it just for a title.
8. They expect their employers to hear what they have to say, and want to understand the big picture of the organization and how that influences their environment and growth.
9. They are creative thinkers, independent, skeptical, and results-oriented.
10. They are less motivated by overtime pay and more by personal job satisfaction.
Power Points: Researching R&D, watercooler TiVo etiquette and more
REAL COST OF R&D: A Booz Hamilton Allen study found no relationship between R&D spending by large corporations and the primary measures of economic or corporate success. However, while spending more does not help, spending too little will hurt.
Source: Strategy + Business
TIVO RULES: Office etiquette now requires you to refrain from chattering about last night's TV shows because with the growing popularity of TiVo you don't know who watched live and who will be tuning in later, columnist Jason Fry says.
Source: The Wall Street Journal
MARKING TERRITORY: As registration costs continue to fall, businesses are stampeding to scoop up Internet domain names. As well, companies with trademarks registered in the European Union states are now eligible to apply for an .eu domain.
Source: The Kiplinger Letter
TESTING: On arrival at a hotel, check any appliances in the room you plan to use the next morning -- iron, alarm clock, hair dryer -- to avoid unpleasant surprises before a major meeting.
Source: Selling
DANGEROUSLY SIMPLE: Google official Marissa Mayer says "Google has the functionality of a really complicated Swiss Army knife, but the home page is our way of approaching it closed. It's simple, it's elegant, you can slip it in your pocket, but it's got the great doodad when you need it. A lot of our competitors are like a Swiss Army knife open -- and that can be intimidating and occasionally harmful."
Source: Fast Company
Harvey Schachter