Business Intelligence

This was a very interesting read that we can all learn from:

The Google Enigma

Five Essential Skills to Overcome Defensiveness and Build Successful Relationships

by James Tamm and Ronald Luyet (12700)

In today’s networked world, being able to add value by collaborating effectively with others has gone beyond being nice to have to become a new business imperative. The collaborative capital of a company is now of equal importance to its intellectual and financial capital.

Significantly, collaboration cannot genuinely be mandated from the top. Instead, it must begin within the mind-set of the individual and then work its way out into the organization as a whole. The five essential skills of collaboration are the personal skills around which sound productive collaborative relationships are built.

So what it is about this methodology that is radical? Radical collaboration works from the inside out rather than being imposed from on high. It requires that an individual have the right mind-set to begin with, then moves outwards into individual relationships and from that base this collaborative intent then moves into team and organizational settings. Unless you master and integrate the five skills of radical collaboration at a personal level first, you’ll be unable to use them in a group setting with any degree of success.

Radical Collaboration

From Effectiveness to Greatness

by Steven Covey (11800)

The 8th habit of highly effective people is: “Find your voice and inspire others to do likewise”.

This latest habit is not an add-on to the original seven habits, but represents another dimension of effectiveness which will enhance the performance of each of the other seven habits.

The 8th Habit: Find your voice and inspire others to do likewise

1. Dependence (Private Victory)
   • 1. Be proactive
   • 2. Begin with the end in mind
   • 3. Put first things first
2. Independence (Public Victory)
   • 4. Think win/win
   • 5. Seek first to understand, Then to be understood
   • 6. Synergize
3. Interdependence
   • 7. Sharpen the saw

The 8th Habit

How to Make More Money, Rock Your Career and Revel in Your Individuality

by Christine Comaford-Lynch (25000)

There’s really no point doing the same thing as everyone else when it comes to business. If you’re looking for a bit of exhilaration and a genuine adrenaline rush, consider becoming a business renegade instead. Step outside the cookie-cutter mold and inject more of your own personality and values into what you’re trying to achieve in your career. There’s money to be made in business if you become a renegade, whether you strike out and become an entrepreneur or remain an intrapreneur in someone else’s company.

Renegades bring to their careers a level of passion and commitment that is awe inspiring. Renegades also cut through the rules that stop everyone else from getting things done and build something great. They have fun while at the same time doing some very impressive things. If you genuinely want to get ahead of the pack, don’t try to fit in. Stand out. Do things that resonate with your desire to achieve awesome things rather than ticking the boxes and waiting patiently until you retire before you give yourself permission to enjoy life.

In short, rock your career by embracing the way of the renegade. If all else fails, at least you’ll have a lot more fun.

There are ten rules for Business Renegades:

1. Choose an impowering illusion since everything’s an illusion anyway.

2. An MBA is optional but it’s essential that you have a GSD (Gets Stuff Done)

3. Welcome really painful problems: they get people to open their wallets.

4. Build your own power and prestige rather than borrowing someone else’s.

5. Get good at handling failure because you’re going to get lots of practice.

6. Learn how to network so you can create some great joint ventures.

7. Don’t look for someone else to follow, take full responsibility for your own life.

8. Never stop working on capital acquisition and how to fund your plans.

9. Resign as general manager of the universe and do the stuff you love.

10. Find meaningful ways to give something back, you’ll feel better for it.

Rules for Renegades

Discover the Choices That Will Take You Beyond Your Talent

by John Maxwell

If talent alone is enough, then why do you and I know highly talented people who are not highly successful?

–John Maxwell

The fact is that as long as there are people in the world, there will always be a large pool of raw talent available. If you genuinely aspire to stand out from the crowd, then there are thirteen choices you need to make in order to maximize your own personal talents:

1. Belief: Belief lifts your talent
2. Passion: Passion energizes your talent
3. Initiative: Initiative activates your talent
4. Focus: Focus directs your talent
5. Preparation: Preparation positions your talent
6. Practice: Practice enhances your talent
7. Perseverance: Perseverance sustains your talent
8. Courage: Courage tests your talent
9. Teachability: Teachability expands your talent
10. Character: Character deepens your talent
11. Relationships: Relationships influence your talent
12. Responsibility: Responsibility strengthens your talent
13. Teamwork: Teamwork multiplies your talent

Life is a matter of choices, and every choice you make makes you. What will you do for a career? Who will you marry? How much education will you get? What will you do with today? But one of the most important choices you will make is ‘who will you become!’ Life is not merely a matteer of holding and playing a good hand as you would hope to do in a card game. What you start with isn’t up to you. Talent is God-given. Life is playing the hand you have been dealt well. That is determined by your choices. Talent plus right choices equals a talent-plus person. The talent-plus people are the ones who maximize their talent, reach their potential, and fulfill their destiny. I hope you will steer yourself in the right direction and make right choices that empower you to become a talent-plus person, build upon the foundation of your abilities, and live your life to its fullest potential.

–John Maxwell

Talent is Never Enough