Management Unleashed – Knowing your Competitors This article was first published in Business Times on 13 April 2019 By John Bittleston Two weeks ago, this column recommended rethinking who our suppliers are. It is also important to re-identify our competitors. Normally in business we see these as the companies who offer products or services that…
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Management Unleashed – Treasuring your suppliers This article was first published in Business Times on 30 March 2019 By John Bittleston Suppliers and competitors are two vital parts of your business. Most organisations regard them as potential antagonists, ready to create costs or impel narrowed margins in a battle that could only be described as…
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Management Unleashed Article 6 Terms and conditions of employment – creating your culture This article was first published in Business Times on 16 March 2019 By John Bittleston “All wages, bonus payments and prerequisites given to an employee as payment for work done are published in every office building, every factory and every warehouse.” I…
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Management Unleashed Article 5 Hiring and firing This article was first published in Business Times on 2 March 2019 by John Bittleston While building Cerebos Pacific Ltd. I was networking at an exceptionally boring drinks party, networking, I suppose. I met an interesting man who worked in Malaysia, had a background of innovation, had made…
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2019 Series Management Unleashed Article 4 Reward and Punishment This article was first published in Business Times on 16 February 2019 By John Bittleston How should you pay people? As little as possible needed to retain them? As much as possible – without bankrupting the business – to stop them leaving? Both these require judgment…
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2019 Series Management Unleashed Keeping, motivating, empowering your team This article was first published in Business Times on 2 February 2019 By John Bittleson You have hired as diligently as you know how. Here’s how to make a success of your choice. That work begins before your new recruit comes onboard. As soon as the…
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Management Unleashed – Assembling the best team This article was first published in Business Times on 19 January 2019 By John Bittleston The mantra that ‘your people are your most important assets’ is nowhere more dishonoured than when hiring. Two criteria dominate this activity – qualifications and experience. Both are valid for making a simple,…
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Management unleashed – Refreshing your people management This article was first published in Business Times on 5 January 2019 By John Bittleston Previously, management worked on the principle that people perform best when they are organised. On production lines, in military establishments, for worldwide logistics, this remains the case. Order created by hierarchy is simple,…
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Question Time with Mentor John – Diversity at the workplace Diversity at the workplace makes good business sense. Research shows that companies with a more diverse workforce perform better. Diverse teams typically are more innovative, and a range of different perspectives leads to more creative decision-making. What are the dangers of having a uniform group…
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Question Time with Mentor John – Ready… Get set… Motivate! Anyone who’s tried to convince a moody teenager to do household chores will realise that getting someone to do something they don’t want to do is an uphill task. Your employees are not moody teenagers but motivating them to give their best can still be…
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