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Google’s eight rules to being a great boss
What are the most important thing in becoming the perfect boss? Google, of course, has the answer. Here’s the ranking.
1. “Be a good coach”
Provide specific feedback and have regular one-to-one meetings with employees. Also, offer solutions that are tailored to each employee’s strengths.
2. “Empower your team – don’t micromanage”
Give employees space to tackle problems themselves, but be available to offer advice.
3. “Express interest in your team members’ success and wellbeing”
Make new members feel welcome and get to know your employees as people.
4. “Don’t be a sissy: Be productive and results-oriented”
Focus on helping the team achieve its goals by prioritising work and removing obstacles.
5. “Be a good communicator – listen to your team”
Learn to listen as well as share information. Encourage open dialogue and pay attention to the concerns of your team.
6. “Help your employees with career development”
Employees want to feel like their efforts will be noticed and that their hard work is furthering their careers. Managers should make it known that they appreciate employees, want to help them, and that the work employees do for them will pay off.
7. “Have a clear vision and strategy for the team”
In addition to leading the team, keep everyone involved in developing and working towards the team’s vision.
8. “Have technical skills so you can advise the team”
Understand the challenges related to each project and be able to help your team members solve problems.
For the full story, click here: http://realbusiness.co.uk/hr/googles_eight_rules_to_being_a_great_boss
Budget 2011: Summary of announcements
Chancellor George Osborne has set out his plans to get the UK economy growing in his Budget. Here’s a summary of the announcements.
- a further one per cent cut in corporation tax from April 2011 to 26 per cent, falling to 23 per cent by 2014; with an increase in the bank levy from January 2012 to offset the benefit to banks
- changes to the Controlled Foreign Company rules in 2012, including an effective tax rate on overseas financing income of 5.75 per cent
- increase the rate of SME R&D tax relief to 200 per cent in 2011 and 225 per cent in 2012
- increase the rate of Enterprise Investment Scheme tax relief to 30 per cent from April 2011
- double the lifetime limit on capital gains qualifying for Entrepreneurs’ Relief
For the full article see here: http://realbusiness.co.uk/management/budget_2011_summary_of_announcements
How brands should be attracting fans and followers
In the scheme of things, social media marketing is still incredibly new, and what I find fascinating is the new trend of strategies that companies employ to create a following in social media. New tricks get old very, very fast as consumers wise up, or simply get bored.
What’s becoming evident is that gaining a Like, follow or check-in is becoming almost a game in itself, as companies try newer ways to get the all important trade from their consumers. I believe this is largely a result of the fact that as people become more comfortable with following brands online, we realise that we can only realistically follow so many, before they take up a large portion of our newsfeeds. So your Likes or follows become even more valuable both to you and the brand. The solution that many companies are looking at now, is what you can offer users that makes the action of Liking, a game or challenge in itself, beyond the content you actually offer them in the long run that would draw them to you.
Rewarding Likes
Porsche were there early with their stunt to reward Facebook Likes by pledging to engrave its fans’ name on a custom car. All you had to do to get your name on the car was Like the page. Then Heineken followed by celebrating 1 million Likes with 1 million hugs. Heinz has explored this most recently, when it decided to release a brand new flavour of Ketchup, only available through its Facebook page, which you had to Like first in order to purchase.
From a user point of view, this adds completely to the experience of following a brand. You’re not just following to get updates, you get your name on a car, a hug, and the chance to buy a bottle of ketchup. What’s interesting among these campaigns is that it’s not about rewarding fans through anything monetary, it’s about adding to the social experience. They can get something that no-one else can, and this is how hard brands now need to work, to get that all important Like.
Read the whole story here: http://thenextweb.com/socialmedia/2011/03/11/how-brands-should-be-attracting-fans-and-followers/
