Management Blog

Leadership, rock star style

Rock stars and highly successful business leaders have more in common than you might think, a recent BusinessWeek article argues.

According to the story, both groups have a range of traits in common including flexibility, the ability to adapt quickly and crowd pleasing performance skills.

However, maintaining these skills takes a lot of hard work.

While talented musicians might make an incredible performance look easy, much of this magic is the result of a thirst for learning and an unwavering dedication to practice.

With this in mind it's suggested both novice and experienced leaders continually build their knowledge and remember to practice their performance skills to avoid going stale.

Pay rises on the agenda

A new CareerOne study indicates over two thirds of workers expect a pay rise within the next twelve months, Smart Company reports.

According to the study, 47 per cent of employees said they required a salary boost of at least five percent in order to cope with the impact of inflation.

The study also looked at worker's understanding of tax breaks. In this area it found many people are not embracing tax benefits that can reduce their tax payments.

Around 60 per cent of those surveyed said they did not salary package, 45 per cent didn't know what salary sacrificing meant and over 50 per cent were unaware of tax deductible items.

Time to stretch

A joint UK/New Zealand study claims workers who sit at their desks for more than three hours at a time without stretching may double their risk of experiencing deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

Researchers say the risks associated with DVT due to seated immobility at work are as high as those associated with long distance air travel, management-issues reports.

It's suggested anyone who sits at a computer for the majority of their working day should take the time to do the same leg and foot exercises that are recommended for long haul fights.

In addition, workers are advised to take regular breaks away from their desks to walk around.

Lie detectors set to identify sickies

Reports out of the UK suggest lie detectors could soon be used to catch out workers who take sickies.

According to The Daily Mail, a number of British firms have started using lie detector systems that analyse a person's voice when they call in sick.

During the call the system performs thousands of checks to identify changes in a caller's voice that suggest they are under pressure and therefore most probably lying.

News of the sickie lie detector comes at a time when sick leave is costing Australian businesses $2.56 billion a year, The Daily Telegraph reports.

Mobile spam on the rise

Just when you thought spam couldn't get any more annoying, reports from the US show an increasing amount of junk mail is migrating to mobile phones.

According to The International Herald Tribune, telco executives and consumer groups are seriously concerned about the amount of unwanted text messages being sent to mobiles.

It's claimed mobile phone spam has the potential to be more problematic than email spam, as it is more invasive and can seriously affect productivity.

Just how big is the problem? Commentators say US consumers will receive 1.5 billion unsolicited text messages this year, a figure that's nearly double the amount received in 2006.

Australian competitiveness gets noticed

Australia has rated well in a study of the world's most competitive countries, Smart Company reports.

The World Competitiveness Yearbook, which is compiled by international business school IMD, ranked Australian seventh in its competitiveness table.

The position is an improvement on last year's listing which ranked Australia as the world's 12th most competitive country.

In addition to competitiveness, the nation was recognised for its resilience to economic cycles, political stability, education standards and awareness of socio-economic reform requirements.

Bonding is a Web 2.0 balancing act

When it comes to building relationships at work it helps to share personal stories, however offering too much information can be a career killer, Forbes advises in an article on workplace bonding.

Social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace are of particular concern in this area as they are becoming an increasingly common way for colleagues to communicate.

While New Rules at Work author Barbara Pachter says it's beneficial to connect with colleagues, she warns social website users to consider the consequences of their banter.

For example, the article asks: "Do you want your boss or a potential boss to see images of you making out with your significant other or reading that blog post about your credit card debt?"

Building business creativity

Creativity isn't just for artists; it's an asset businesses can use to drive innovation provided managers are in tune with their workers emotions, according to HBS Working Knowledge.

The article rejects the idea that creativity is a magical entity, claiming instead that it's a learnable attribute provided a person is motivated to build their creativity abilities.

The article's authors also identify a link between emotion and creativity, claiming positive emotions result in high levels of creative output.

It's suggested managers can foster creativity at work by being in tune with their knowledge workers' thoughts, perceptions, emotions and motivations – all forces that directly affect creativity.

When it's okay to bring the kids to work

Office spaces for freelancers and 'third place' workers that incorporate childcare facilities are an emerging trend in the US, Springwise reports.

Trendspotters say businesses like Silicon Valley's Cubes&Crayons provide fully equipped office spaces and childcare for free agent workers with children aged between 3 months and five years.

Cubes&Crayons members pay US$149 annually and pay US$13 per hour for childcare. To create a sense of community, members must volunteer at the centre for around four hours a month.

Online job hunting wins out

The Australian workforce's love affair with the internet has been proven yet again in a recent worldwide study of online job hunting, Smartmanager reports.   

The Kelly Services global survey indicates 54 per cent of Australians found their current job using the internet as opposed to more traditional methods such as newspapers or word of mouth.

The study also looked at reasons why job candidates thought they were successful; 41 per cent said 'attitude and personality' won them the job, 38 per cent said experience was their key advantage.