Nurturing Creativity in Business... my poem... final words.

I am the Manager.

Prioritizing priorities one at a time.

A phone call, leads to a question.

What's my decision?

Better make it quickly.

Yesterday's opportunity turns into tomorrow's tasks.

Who will get it done?

Mike, Sherri and John fit the bill.

With the team at work,

can they see the vision?

Communication, progress, more communication.

Done.

Next please.

Communication via Blog

The Blog component of our management class was valuable, and an interesting way to reflect.  However, I do feel that it created some unnecessary extra work at times, and it's much harder to remember to do it when you don't have to actually "turn it in" on it's due date. (I guess that helps with time management skills? :-)

1.  I didn't like that we were required to comment on classmates' blogs.  I think it should have been encouraged, or maybe required to comment on just one other person's blog... not three or five.  I think that because the comments were required to earn points, the conversation was sort of redundant and elementary at times.  It got a little boring reading "I agree with him/her..."  Maybe it would have helped to give more guidelines for the comments, as you did for the actual entries.

2.  The blog was absolutely effective in getting me to think about class activities and share my perceptions.  It was actually more valuable than the class discussions after the activities in this sense.  The questions you asked for the assignments were truly thought provoking and helped make the concepts stick, because I had to reconnect with the concepts in terms of my own experience.

3.  Sure...  However (and please don't take this personally), I prefer Harvard Business Review for supplementary management reading.

4.  Honestly, I prefer tests.  The blog did not offset my anxieties.  I have little time outside of work and attending class to do this kind of writing.  So the idea of having more busy work was actually more stressful for me.  For something that was worth that much of my grade I would have preferred to analyze case studies and get a little more in depth with the concepts.  (I'm probably the only student who would suggest this... It's not likely to be a popular idea amongst my peers)

5.  I may start a new blog to post my ideas.   I don't think I'll continue with this one.  I do think that having a blog that reflects your ideas about your industry and environment could be a great self marketing tool in the business world.  I would like to predict that people's blog url's will be listed under their email addresses on their resumes soon enough.  Anything that will create an edge in the job market in today's economy is a plus.  Also, if your potential future employer is going to "Google" you anyway, you might as well give them something interesting to read.

As a final note, I think you should keep the Blog concept for the class, but instead of commenting on other classmates' entries, you should set up a discussion forum with specific questions about the students' experiences with class activities.  I think with the discussion taking place in one centralized location, it could have become much more interesting/lively.

The ABC's of DISC

I am absolutely the D high C that the DISC said I am.

If I could be a different type it would probably be a D high I.  I would like to possess more of the Influencing traits, and keep the Dominance.  Generally I am alright with dealing with people (at least I think I am), but I think I could make a more favorable impression with others in certain business situations.  I've had some recent feedback that indicated a high level of rigidity when responding to others at work.  While they understand that I'm working to accomplish a specific result, I have to understand that they may take it personally.  I think that I can improve my "I" skills with lots of work, but I don't think that they will ever come completely naturally.  I don't naturally view people optimistically, and I usually only want to deal with other people and groups if I know it's going to benefit another goal that I have.  I can understand that others might not view these characteristics as favorable, but I don't really care and I don't really want to totally change that about myself.  However, I would like to make it less noticeable to others.

It's definitely helpful to know the management types of others to better understand where they're coming from.  Someone like myself can generate conflict easily in interpersonal situations without meaning to.  So, in order to avoid it I have to watch how I'm interacting with my colleagues on an individual basis.  It's definitely not a good idea to deal with everyone in the same way.  Again, a challenge for me.

In the survival scenario we discussed in class, I would have wanted a D to be the group leader.   Specifically because they seem best with dealing with challenges and quick decision making, as well as causing action.  These traits would have been necessary for group survival in that situation.

Vision

Vision #1

I would like to achieve a certain level of financial success by the time I'm 25.  Right now I'm 23.  More clearly defined, I want to be earning somewhere between $150,000 and $200,000 per year.  These numbers are important to me specifically to support my other visions.  I will need to be earning at least that much in yearly salary to accomplish what I want to over the next ten years.  I plan to do this by creating new opportunities for myself at work.  Specifically, using my roll in product development to work my way into receiving sales and delivery commissions, and larger bonuses.  I will earn my income based on performance instead of depending on yearly base salary increases.  I am already working my way into this and would rather not disclose further information on "how" I'm doing it.

Vision #2

I will earn my MBA in Marketing from a top university.  To get here, I first have to complete my bachelor's degree.  I also have to work for a few more years to gain more in depth experience and proven success in my current position of product development and strategic planning at a small company.  I will also have to get high scores on my GMAT, which I plan to take immediately after I graduate from Baruch.  I will also have to figure out how I will finance it without going into too much debt.  The ideal situation would be to pay for it with a combination of my own savings and contributions from my employer.

Vision #3

I want to travel to many places around the world.  All I need is time and money to do this.  Some of the traveling will happen before my Master's degree, some after.  If I accomplish Vision #1 this shouldn't be too much of an issue.  The key here is however, that I don't want this travel to have anything to do with business.  So I will have to work out some serious vacation time... which will probably be the biggest challenge.

Vision #4

I want to open high end restaurants in resort locations, in at least three different countries.  I want them to be extremely successful.  This would require using my previous experiences to create a comprehensive business plan and secure financing for at least the first location.  Probably the other two as well, to reduce my liability.  It will be my point of self-actualization when I see this success.  

Decision Making

Though not true to my nature (I usually Compete to Win), during the class decision making process I started with Accommodation, gradually moved into Avoidance, and at the end I Compromised.

Accommodation:  Though the issue of raising my test grade was important to me, I figured it was just as or more important to others in the group.  So I listened actively, conversed amongst my neighbors and made a couple of comments.  I thought about suggesting that we have a group leader, but someone jumped up to the front of the class and started directing the conversation and writing on the board.  At this point it was clear that we as a class generally shared the same opinions and objectives, so I decided to sit back and observe rather than jump in.  I also wasn't feeling particularly competitive after just coming from work and being generally exhausted.

Avoidance:  As people started to debate and voices started to raise I withdrew.  Again, I was tired, and the drama scene was getting a little over the top for me.  I had faith that the group would come up with something that would make my grade better in some way, which was a good enough outcome for me... so I figured there was no real loss in letting them run with it.  Annoyed, and generally bored by the commotion, I tuned out the conversation.

Compromise:  When it was time to vote on our decision, I looked at the options the group had come up with and participated in the vote.  We had very little time left, and I figured it was an opportunity to make some kind of positive contribution to the outcome, as well as voice my opinion without a tedious verbal debate.

Generally, from what we learned in class, I think the best way to have handled this would have been to assign small groups so that everyone would have a chance to Collaborate.  It would have been good for me to suggest this to the class at the beginning if I had thought of it.  Overall I, and I imagine many of my classmates who aren't the competing types in a large classroom, would have participated more.  In turn, providing the class with more options that we were comfortable with in a shorter period of time.  It may have even taken some of the annoyance factor out of the process.

Planning

I wasn't in class on the day of the egg assignment because I stayed lated at the office to work on a project that I'm managing.  Luckily, I have something to writ about that's relevant to the Planning Process.

Specifically, I had a vision for a new product offering for our firm and my CEO liked the idea.  After reading my proposal (product outline and development plan, financial projections, etc.) he gave me the "go ahead, a budget, some team support and cut my projected time frame down a little bit (to put the pressure on).  

So far I have gone through 4.5 of the five steps of the planning process.  Basically I've completed all parts of the plan except for evaluating the results.  I plan to start the evaluation process on Thursday, March 26, 2009.  On this date I plan to use a panel of five people (guinea pigs) to test the product and give me feedback.  The five people I have chosen represent five different types of potential customers.

Since this is Version 1.0, and the product is an e-learning application, I am looking at the product as an ever-evolving work in progress.  Right now, the goal is to get it "launchable" and to a level where we can sell it to high-end clients.  We have differentiated ourselves significantly with this new model, and are confident that even though upgrades can be made we can still be competitive in a high-end market.

The only Step I had a hard time with was Step 3.  In starting this process I had to terminate the relationship with the first web developer that I hired, which cost me over a week of valuable time.  The big problem was that I didn't have a backup developer... A valuable lesson was learned here:  I should have spent more quality time evaluating all possible scenarios.

It wasn't too big of a loss in this case.  Someone recently reminded me though, "Your first loss is your cheapest."

Management Problem

Currently, my biggest management problem comes from lack of time and resources. I work about 50 hours per week and attend school in the evenings (either 3 or 4 classes, depending on the semester). Then, there are the necessities of life, such as sleeping, running errands and keeping a house together; and if I plan on staying sane, exercise and minor social activities should fit into the schedule on occasion.

Managing this workload, my time, energy and money is extremely difficult, and I have to constantly use my problem solving skills throughout the day and night in order to get everything done efficiently and at a level of quality that I’m happy with. Somehow I’ve been quite successful with it over the past couple of years, if you define success as achieving short-term goals and getting closer to achieving long-term goals. However, many people think I’m crazy, and that I can’t possibly be living an enjoyable life. So here’s where I’ll say, without getting too philosophical, that it’s all about perception, and one’s priorities and choices; and for now I get the most satisfaction in life from running it this way.



Biggest Obstacles

Work – I love my job, which has kind of turned me into a workaholic. This is especially true when I’m working on an interesting project that I’m passionate about. I would stay at the office for at least 12 hours per day if I didn’t have to go to school right now. I also have to juggle wearing many hats at a small company and dealing with a large number of both internal and external clients. As I take on new responsibilities, it becomes increasingly difficult to find someone who is willing and capable to take on some of the things that I don’t need to be focusing on anymore; yet another time management issue. All in all, there is never enough time in the day to feel satisfied with how much I’ve accomplished.

School – I basically end up rushing to class in the evenings, and usually getting there late because of something keeping me at work late. I do my homework/studying in the middle of the night, which tends to get in the way of sleep.

Life – I’m just grateful that I have friends and family who understand me and can still appreciate me even though I don’t spend much time with them. I really need to find better ways to stay in touch. Thank god for facebook, text messages and email. Without these things I’m pretty sure I would fall off the face of the earth. Other issues in this category would be the loads of money I spend every month on eating out, laundry service, dry cleaning and taxis. I simply don’t have time or energy on any given day to shop for groceries, pack a lunch, and sit in the laundromat for 2 hours… and unfortunately it becomes necessary when I’m rushing to class to hop in a taxi instead of relying on a subway these days.

Solution?
Everyone thinks I should take it down a notch; maybe not take so many classes or not devote so much of myself to my job, but I truly believe there’s a way to do it all. Generally, I can do it all. The big issue here is the fear of the domino effect. Everything is balanced, and even though it’s difficult to stick to at times, I’ve worked out a pretty good system by learning how to prioritize, multitask and delegate as effectively as possible in the given situation. What hits me hard are the little curveballs that get thrown at me, such as my apartment’s roof caving in, or my web developer bailing out on me mid-project. When things that call for unplanned resource allocation occur, everything else suffers in one way or another. I need something to fall back on; maybe a better network or foundations, but I’m not quite sure how to materialize these things at this point.

A brief intro...

My name is Alexandra Shaffer, and I've been asked to create this blog by my Management professor at Baruch College this semester. Hopefully I'll be able to add something of value to the topic, and fellow managers out there.

A little bit about me... I'm currently attending Baruch College for a BBA in Industrial & Organizational Psychology, while working full time for a Human Resource Consulting firm. I like to challenge myself and strive to be innovative in the process. I enjoy creating new things, as well as taking old products or concepts and updating or improving them. I like planning out projects and carrying them through to completion.

I'm interested in theories of management, leadership, human behavior, goal setting and accomplishment. My short term career goals are not particularly fascinating, but ultimately, I would love to own and operate my own high end restaurants one day. I'm a foodie above most things - and I think I would thoroughly enjoy combining that with business experience and creativity... I also don't mind the long hours if I'm enjoying it.

If you were wondering, I came up with the title for my blog while reading what I found to be a timely quote:

"The best way to predict the future is to create it. " - Peter F. Drucker