Chronicles from a Caribbean Cubicle
New Thinking from Framework Consulting
This link is a good one — the top 100 HR bloggers in the world.
The information is extremely useful,and covers all aspects of Human Resource Management. Perhaps one day there will be a Caribbean equivalent.
I am going through each one to see which one(s) I could add to CaribHRNews.
This is one of those solutions that could be particularly effective for our regional conferences, given the high cost of travel from one country to another.
Also of interest on that page are the results of a survey done on HR Trends.
Hopefully, there will be a conference next year, as it seems to cover some useful information.
I am a recent convert to the idea of using an editor, but once I got my ego out of the way, it has turned out to be a wonderful addition to my virtual staff.
My first editor came from elance.com It turns out that she went to the same university with me, but I have not met her, and neither have I spoken to her on the phone. She has worked for me on different projects for almost a year now, and I don’t recall whether she ever told me which city she lives in.
I recently also started working with a local editor, who I also met on the internet, but this time through her blog. She happens to be editing this blog for me, and is doing a great job in fixing the typos that creep in from time to time. We are yet to meet in person.
It’s been great working with them, and they have become indispensable to me, in helping to shape the words that have been coming out faster than I can write.
I recommend them, and their services, and they are becoming typical of the kind of relationships that are needed in this age to get work done. In other words, a professional who is limited to only working with people in flesh and blood is likely to be limiting themselves severely, and not know it.
Consulting Project Consultants: None at the moment
Administrative Non-Consulting Positions:
1. Web Designer (part-time): We are looking for someone to refresh and monetize the Framework blogs. We also want to use GoogleAdwords advertising to advertise the website in key places.
Job Description: Preferably living in Jamaica, the Web Designer must have a working knowledge of html and php and display a high standard of work, plus a healthy regard for due dates.
Volunteer Positions:
2. HR Researcher (part-time): We are looking to expand CaribHRForum, the online community sponsored by Framework, to a wider audience of professionals, and to include more students across the region. We also want to gather more pertinent information for the benefit of our members, and to launch initiatives that deepen the participation of the HR community across the region.
Job Description: This individual will support CaribHRForum, an online community, with key information. Good internet skills are needed, as well as sound research skills and a great attitude. The work will be done virtually, and the researcher may reside in any country that allows them to use high speed internet service on their own computer.
3. Contributing Writer (part-time): We are looking to collaborate with other business writers in publishing FirstCuts, The One Page Digest and this blog, Chronicles from a Caribbean Cubicle. Interested writers should become familiar with past issues, and with the general style of writing and topics of interest before deciding their interest-level.
4. Thought Partner – Time Management (part-time): This position is for someone who has read our time management blog and likes the ideas enough to have some different, original ones of their own. Read the 2Time Mgt blog here: http://2time.wordpress.com
Send email to me fwade99@
I recently read an article in the Harvard Business Review that spoke to the idea of “Creating a Signature Experience” for employees.
The idea is simple — what do employees experience as they work within the company?
I have worked as a consultant to several, and can think of a few examples of companies that left me with strong impressions. A few were so “strong” I have vowed never to do business with them again — this as a paid contractor.
For employees, some companies create the experience of chaos. Others are stingy. Some are challenging, with high standards. In others, anything goes.
I don’t think that any one experience is necessarily better than another, but I do get the impression that few companies actually give much thought to the experience they are creating for their employees.
This is too bad, as a good reputation leads to good people being hired, and vice versa. Also, some business results are better achieved by certain corporate cultures than others. For example, a culture of accountability is always a good thing — never bad.
Companies need to define the experience and its various drivers if they are serious about the destination they are headed in.
I think it would be a great idea if companies in Jamaica were to outsource their customer service. Apart from the hotels (which give service to tourists and rely on Jamaican pride as an essential component) our service levels are low.
In a prior post I explained that there are three kinds of service: Tourist Service, Friend Service and “Res’ a Dem” Service.
I think that many companies would benefit from simply outsourcing their service to a company that could
There are too many places in Kingston selling expensive goods while delivering service that just does not make the cut. If I were interested in running this customer service business, I would probably partner with a security company (they have experience hiring a lot of people on contract) while developing a method of hiring people who have the ability to give good service.
Actually, the same company would do well in Trinidad and Barbados, where the same problem pertains.
Follow this link to the latest issue of FirstCuts: http://urlcut.com/FirstCuts15
In an earlier post, I mentioned this idea I have of a promisphere.
To take the idea a bit further, I have been wondering: what is the cost of a promise that falls through the cracks?
In other words, what happens when a promise is broken, by virtue of it being ignored, forgotten, or misplaced?
The follow-up question is simple. If companies found a way to improve the degree to which promises were kept, what difference would that make to the bottom line?
To answer the first question:
These seem to be the main costs of a lack of promise management.
The way I would fix that with some magical technology is that I would have a device hanging around my neck that detects whenever a promise is made. This “promise-keeper” would record the promise, the due date and the accountable person. It would automatically remind the person at regular intervals, and also send a request for an update whenever I wondered for just a
moment what the latest update might be.
In other words, I would not have to worry about promises. This system would do all the work for me.
Of course, others might find it to be a pain, because it would offer a perfect way to remind both of us when a promise was due. I would be able to accept hundreds and thousands of promises.
Unfortunately, such a system does not exist.
But Promisystem does, and is well on its way to becoming a magical way to keep track of promises.
Recently, I made a proposal.
On ChangeThis.com I recently proposed that the old methods of thinking about time management as a bunch of little tips is bankrupt, and that a new paradigm is needed.
The cool thing is that if you are impressed by the proposal I submitted (reproduced below), you can vote on it. If the proposal gets enough votes, then I will be asked to “Write a Manifesto” which they will post on the site. (There is no cost or payment involved.)
So, should I “Write this Manifesto?” — let the world know and follow these steps, if you’d like:
1. Read the “Proposal” below
2. If you like it, vote for it by clicking here to be taken to the site and then click on “Yes, write this manifesto.” Then pass on the link to others so that they can vote on it also.
3. If you LOVE it, visit the 2Time blog that outlines the 11 Fundamentals of 2Time Management
4. If you go beyond loving it, let me know by sending me an email — francis@fwconsulting.com or by leaving a comment on the 2Time blog.
I will post the outcome after October 19th, when voting closes.
Here is “The Proposal”
On Time Management: Toss Away the Tips, Find the Fundamentals
Author(s): Francis Wade
There is a stew of tips floating around on how to improve one’s time management skills, confusing the professional who is trying to become more productive.
However, neither a professional basketball player nor a concert pianist becomes great by learning a bunch of tips. Instead, their expertise comes through practice, learning, coaching and reflecting on the fundamental techniques they learned at the very beginning.
To witness Michael Jordan sinking free-throws, or Leonard Bernstein practising scales, is to know that their public triumphs were won long before the bright lights were turned on. Working professionals have never been taught the fundamentals of time management, and are stuck chasing after the latest tips and coolest gadgets.
Imagine MJ chasing after the latest sneakers…
What are the unalterable, fundamental elements of time management? How can they be learned? How can they be practiced? How can they be coached? How can they be perfected?
The Answer Is…
Remember, if you like it, vote for it by clicking here, and then on “Write this Manifesto” and pass on the link to others so that they can vote on it also
CEO: “We need a social networking site in this company to enhance our CRM efforts and to enable knowledge sharing.”
VP-HR: “A what?”
Last year, a friend of mine shared with me the fact that he was joining a new company that specialized in social networking in companies.
I had an idea of what he meant in theory. I thought I knew what Facebook, MySpace and the all the rest of these sites were all about.
That is, until I joined Facebook — and I was amazed. Not only did was it interesting, and addictive, it actually fills an important business need that I have always had to stay in touch with a large number of people.
I discovered that it makes the effort easy, efficient and that it saves ALL sorts of time. It has not only come, it is bound to stay.
Now, what my friend said to me makes perfect sense. Facebook, and social networking sites are coming to companies near you. And the larger the company, the more it is needed, especially for those companies in the region that are geographically dispersed. Here is a link to the company he works for: SmallWorldlabs.com
For the HR professional, it is a good idea to get into the swing of things NOW, before the conversation listed above happens. In fact, it would be a good idea for HR professionals across the region to pioneer the idea and demonstrate some leadership in implementing a tool that will be taken as a requirement (I think) in just a few years time.
To folks on CaribHRForum — this is a great application that we could use to deepen our current level of networking. People have often asked me for a list of contact information for people on CaribHRForum and it just does not exist. Their idea was that if they visited another country it would be great to arrange to have lunch with a member here and there.
Great idea! A tool like Facebook would be quite helpful to all of us, even if only a half were to use it.