What if we were to apply the practice of corporate succession planning to our political leadership system? Every Fortune 500 company in the U.S. has a documented succession plan that frequently covers everyone from the CEO down to Director-level positions. So, why would we leave what are some of the potentially most powerful jobs on the planet to chance?
If we applied succession planning to our political electoral system in the same manner as companies apply it to their leadership positions, then we would look for our next generation of President / Vice President candidates to come from Governor positions in the 5 – 10 states with the biggest economies or populations. The reason is that Governor positions are the jobs that most closely match the responsibilities of the President and VP. From there, we could make a logical chain of other job experiences that would prepare someone for higher positions. Each political party would look to "groom" an identified line of successors to take on the next level position, helping the potential successor gain the experiences needed to be successful at the next higher level.
While we're at it, I would also suggest that the "debates" not only cover the hypothetical "what would you do" questions to ascertain the candidate's position on a topic, but also ask them for examples of when they have had to deal with similar problems in their past. This would apply the concepts of behavioral interviewing to candidate vetting.
Of course, I'm not suggesting that our system be altered legally to prevent anyone from running for any position; that's the beauty of our democracy. However, I am advocating that our major political parties think about how they can best prepare their top candidates for the top jobs in our country. So, how about it Tim Kaine and Michael Steele? Call us when you're ready; we're happy to help!
Do you ever feel like you need an interpreter to keep up with the lingo in your office? Have you ever been in a conversation, pretending to understand what was just discussed, only to rush back to Google after the meeting to find out what the heck was going on?
If so, you’re not alone. Over the past 10 years, Webster’s has recognized thousands of new words, many having to do with technology or corporate-related trends. As long as no one calls me ’404′ I’ll be fine!
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So here’s a few phrases that I’ve heard recently:
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- “Can you send me that deck after the presentation?”
Deck, as in PowerPoint slide show.
- “That’s a hot potato and I didn’t bring my gloves.”
Used when someone is asked a hot topic question and prefers not to answer.
- "Depending on your available bandwidth, I’d like to have you take on a new project.”
Since when is time and energy measured in bandwidth?
- “Let’s take this discussion off-line.”
Used when a conversation relating to only two or three people begins to take over a group meeting. Especially used in conference calls.
- “We’ll take care of the low-hanging fruit first”
On a long list of things to do, low-hanging fruit is the easy place to start.
- PowerPoint Bunny
The person in a team who collects everyone’s hard work and research and creates a PowerPoint presentation.
What corporate speak have you heard?
How Much Detail Do I Need In Order To Effectively Manage My Project/Program?
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The amount of detail you need to effectively manage your project/program depends on the nature and complexity of your project/program. For larger, complex change efforts, you’ll likely need more detail in terms of time tracking and budget forecasts because several small variances in time or dollars can add up to very large amounts quickly. Therefore, you should set up a weekly time tracking capability that allows team members to enter and forecast their actual hours by task. Additionally, have each team complete a status report and enter their risks into a risk log so that they can be reviewed weekly. |
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