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July Workshops:
Managers & Management
Consultant Cynthia Bardenburg presented the Managers and Management
workshop at AmCham premises on July 4-8, 2004.
The workshop examines effective management, without which no organization
can survive and succeed.
Executive Secretary to Office Manager
Consultant Cynthia Bradenburg presented the Executive Secretary
to Office Manger workshop at AmCham premises on July 6-8 and July
13-15, 2004
The workshop aims to enable participants to:
• Establish a vision for their future role
• Review current skills, and assess development needs and
future goals
• Explore ways to broaden the scope and responsibility of
their job
• Identify the many roles of office manager and switch from
one to another
• Apply the notion of “thinking outside the box”
to idea generation and problem-solving activities
• Define problem-solving and decision-making and apply the
steps in each process
• Regain control of time and life by applying strategies to
deal with scheduling and delegation
• Communicate effectively using persuasive and positive communication
• Practice becoming effective information providers
• Plan, organize and participate more effectively in meetings
Project Management for I.T. Professionals
Dr. Moustafa El Azhary presented the Project Management for IT Professionals
workshop at AmCham premises on July 5, 7 and 8, 2004.
The workshop looks at the unique challenges of managing IT projects
and offers a roadmap to success. Content is based on the nine project
management knowledge areas defined by the Project Management Institute
(PMI).
Powerful Telephone Skills
Consultant Azza Shaaban presented the Powerful Telephone Skills
workshop at AmCham premises on July 11-12, 2004.
The workshop covers:
• Telephone courtesy
• Achieving clearer communication
• Using answering machines and other technology
• Making telephone use more efficient
Interactive Skills
Consultant Sherif El Attar presented the Interactive Skills workshop
at AmCham premises on July 11-13, 2004.
The workshop aims to identify and analyze verbal behaviors and ensure
personal effectiveness in communication.
Analysis and Interpretation of Financial
Statements
Dr. Hussein Eissa presented the Analysis and Interpretation of Financial
Statements workshop at AmCham premises on July 11-13, 2004.
The workshop is designed to increase participants’ understanding
of financial statements. It looks at the users of financial statements,
sources of financial information, the classification of financial
statements, and the common tools and techniques of financial analysis.
Managing Organizational Change
Consultant Yasser El Far presented the Managing Organizational Change
workshop at AmCham premises on July 18-20, 2004.
The workshop aims to enable participants to identify:
• Major external forces responsible for organizational change
• The process of planning strategic change
• How to overcome resistance to change
• The three organizational development (OD) techniques and
the conditions under which OD is most effective
Sales and Marketing Acquisition and Retention
Consultant Ahmed Kamel presented the Sales and Marketing Acquisition
and Retention workshop at AmCham premises on July 25-27, 2004
The workshop aims at developing professional people who understand
their contribution towards making their companies successful. Participants
gain a good understanding about customers and the ways to make them
loyal which will help to maximize profits for their companies through
high customer service levels and high satisfaction.
Mastering Marketing
Consultant Ahmed Kamel presented the Mastering Marketing workshop
at AmCham premises on July 28-29, 2004.
The workshop aims to:
• Show that marketing is continuing to grow in importance
for all types of communications and in all kinds of organizations
• Help employees to understand and appreciate marketing and
their roles in it, as well as to review how marketing works
Time Management and Life Control
Dr. Ahmed Hosny presented the Time Management and Life Control workshop
at AmCham premises on July 25-27, 2004.
The workshop aims to enable all
participants to:
• Identify priorities and set valid, achievable goals
• Identify procrastination, indecision, disorganization, stress,
fatigue and fear and determine how to handle them
• Identify and eliminate time wasters: unwanted visitors,
telephones calls and unproductive meetings
• Use S.W.O.T. analysis, creative thinking and brainstorming
techniques for maximum effectiveness
Professional Presentations
Consultant Heba El Sousy presented the Professional Presentations
workshop at AmCham premises on July 27-29, 2004.
The workshop aims to enable participants to communicate their messages
effectively to interested audiences using different media and techniques.
A professional development system worthy of imitation
Granite Rock Company of Watsonville, Calif., has won the coveted
Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award for the way it develops
and trains its employees. Its system for professional development
is one that many companies would be wise to study:
• Step 1: The employee meets with his or her manager, and
together they come up with a plan for the following year: what the
employee will be doing, what training he or she will need to succeed,
the skills the employee will be trying to develop, and so on.
• Step 2: This “plan of action” is then presented
at a managerial roundtable. Once it is accepted by the roundtable,
it becomes the employee’s working professional development
plan. Important: The plan does not go into the employee’s
“file” as a basis for evaluation. The plan is not intended
to be used for evaluation – Granite mangers don’t want
to confuse professional development with job evaluations.
• Step 3: During the year, the employee and the manager meet
every quarter to review progress, make changes and modify the career
development plan. Because of this ongoing work, the plan is a basis
for constant employee improvement.
Adapted from the Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
Reprinted with permission from the Manager’s Intelligence
Report, www.ragan.com (800-878-5331)
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Interpersonal Art and Skill
In The Art & Skill of Dealing With People, Brandon Toropov
offers practical advice on how to maintain productive relationships
with four kinds of people. How to spot them:
• Lone Rangers have great faith in their abilities,
but often overcommit. They’re self-directed, goal-oriented
and persistent. They like working alone and take deadlines
seriously.
• Sharpshooters resemble Lone Rangers, but enjoy applying
their technical knowledge to a problem and relish finding
holes in others’ work.
• Professors share Sharpshooters’ talent for technical
detail, but their strong suit is developing policies, procedures
and systems, which they see as the only way to keep everyone
productive.
• Cheerleaders, like Professors, are reluctant to rub
anyone the wrong way. They’re optimistic and outgoing,
have a time-sensitive focus and thrive on teamwork.
Here are a few of Toropov’s tips for dealing with the
four types:
• Winning respect from those who report to you. Emphasize
how much you appreciate Lone Rangers’ hard work, and
mention specific examples of what they’ve done that
impressed you. Go out of your way to praise Sharpshooters
for “finding holes” that have led to positive
changes in work processes.
• Selling your ideas. Tie the idea to a compelling deadline
Cheerleaders must interact with others to meet. Ask Professors
to isolate some aspect of the idea they can “improve”
and then implement for others.
• Handling problem employees. Give Lone Rangers a specific
improvement goal to reach in a specified time period. Then
back off. Ask Professors to develop a series of tests and
measurements of their performance in a specific area and to
report the results to you regularly.
• Disagreeing with the boss. To win over Sharpshooters,
tactfully stress parts of your proposal that are more accurate
and error-free than what the boss wants. If your boss is a
Cheerleader, emphasize any portion of your plan that’s
likely to produce greater workplace harmony.
Source: The Art & Skill of Dealing With People, by Brandon
Toropov, Prentice Hall,
240 Frisch Court, Paramus, NJ 07652 - $14.95
Reprinted with permission from the Briefings Publishing Group,
www.briefings.com (703-518-2337)
Not sure whether or not to hire? Use temporary workers to
find out
One of the most common managerial mistakes is to hire people
when you really don’t need to. Before you hire someone
full-time, put a temporary worker in the position first. This
is sound strategy for four reasons:
1. You get immediate assistance. A temporary agency will provide
you with someone who has the skills to help you out immediately.
You get immediate help without the burden of benefits.
2. You don’t have to worry about lay-offs. If the work
goes away, the temp goes away.
3. You can use temp assignments as tryouts. Rather than interview
for months to find the right person, bring temps in and watch
them work. You can often find excellent full-time workers
this way.
4. You avoid discipline problems and unqualified workers.
If someone doesn’t work out, all you have to do is call
the temp agency and ask that they be replaced. You don’t
have to worry about firing someone in today’s lawsuit-happy
environment.
Adapted from Smart Hiring, by Robert W. Wendover (Small Business
Sourcebooks)
Reprinted with permission from the Manager’s Intelligence
Report, www.ragan.com (800-878-5331)
Use employee comments to make yourself a
better manager
Smart managers can learn a lot by listening to off-the-cuff
comments from employees and co-workers. They can also learn
a lot just by paying more attention to themselves. Use these
tips to become a better manager:
• Watch how people act around you. Do people consistently
avoid making eye contact with you in the hallway? Do people
stop talking when you walk up? Is there an ongoing “joke”
about you that employees and co-workers are always making?
These little hints and clues can give you a good indication
of how people feel about you as a boss or a co-worker.
• Conduct a “relation audit” of yourself.
Think about your past and present relationships with friends,
family and co-workers. Do a lot of your relationships tend
to fizzle out? Do you carry on lots of feuds or long-running
arguments with people? Are people close to you very hesitant
to criticize you? Try to remember specific comments people
have made about you, and look for common themes and threads.
You should be able to identify traits about yourself that
you can improve.
• Conduct casual focus groups. Ask employees and co-workers
questions to uncover what kind of impression you are making
on them. Ask for positive and negative feedback; ask people
point-blank what they like most and least about you. Don’t
get angry when people point out your faults. Use their criticism
to become a better manager.
• Take a long look at yourself – literally.
Spend a few minutes in front of a mirror giving yourself a
once-over. Personal appearance plays a big part in how others
perceive you. What do your clothes, hair, shoes, jewelry,
pen and other “accessories” say about you? Pay
attention to detail. Do you have expensive shoes that are
always scuffed and dirty? Do you wear nice shirts –
with frayed collars? Pay attention to detail, so people focus
on you and not your appearance.
Adapted from Selling Power
Reprinted with permission from the Manager’s Intelligence
Report, www.ragan.com
(800-878-5331) |
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