August 2011 Archives

Last Day to Enter to Win a Free Course through SaratogaCollege.com (August 31, 2011)

Have you considered taking an online course but have been unsure of how they work? Give SaratogaCollege.com a try; we are drawing winners for a free online course that will begin either September 15th or October 1st for several lucky winners.

To enter the contest, visit

http://www.saratogacollege.com/contests

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In the summer of 2008, I took a course at UAlbany that taught me not only how to develop good online content, but also how to learn asynchronously. We engaged in discussions with each other in the class that took place over a several day period. The discussions were vibrant and carried on a feel that felt spontaneous, real-time, and productive.

In your training and development of your staff, consider the value of moving from a one-off course or training session to an internal discussion online, a discussion board, or a regular think-tank that doesn't necessarily decide or learn everything in one sitting.

With Peyton Manning's injury looking to sideline him for longer than expected, the Indianapolis Colts have more to worry about regarding succession plans than Apple does.

With Steve Jobs' change in role to a chairman, many have speculated that there will be a major shift with Apple. Given that in January he stepped aside temporarily, and that he and Apple have developed a number of great leaders over the past several years, Apple is in great shape to continue their great work, even in a future that may be without Steve Jobs.

However, in Indianapolis, their organization is totally about Peyton Manning. The Colts signed Kerry Collins to fill in in his absence, and already their has been internal mumbling that the Colts are in trouble. Their offense has been completely focused around Manning's ability to take charge and make adjustments, all with a rotating cast of supporting players. Without Manning and without a long-term focus on succession, the Colts face a major shakeup and possible decline.

The Colts' situation is a stark reminder of what many teams fail to assess, both in sports and in business; no one person should be the reason for success; their needs to be many players involved in order for success to be continual. This is why Apple will continue to shine and why the Colts face a sharp decline.

The recent sudden announcement of Steve Jobs' resignation as CEO brought about a great deal of speculation on the long-term prospects of Apple as an organization. Questions have been asked about whether Apple will continue to innovate, grow, and flourish in years to come.

History shows us that this is not the first time a leader has left an organization "before his time" and an organization survived without him. (Note: Mr. Jobs is staying with Apple as chairman of the board). With the loss of Walt Disney in 1966, Walt Disney World still came about and Disney continues to innovate and inspire today. I recall reading an article in the Orlando Sentinel about some of the plans Disney had for roads he developed in the 1960's were finally being put in place nearly 40 years later.

When a leader of vision truly succeeds, they bring about in those that surround them a great level of fire and desire to succeed and think differently as well. It's no surprise to me that Disney has been so successful, nor Apple; the presence of great leaders can be felt most often when they aren't around; it's the inspiration that they instill in others to keep the vision and mission alive that makes Apple (and Disney's) prospects so bright.

Braathe Enterprises' SaratogaCollege.com is running a drawing for a free course in Marketing, HR, or Project Management (or any future course we develop) to take place on August 31st.

If you've ever wanted to take an online class but never felt comfortable with the idea, winning this contest will show you just how easy it is to feel comfortable learning in an online setting. SaratogaCollege.com courses offer a unique learning experience for all levels of learners from those yet to earn a degree to those looking for an MBA refresher.

To enter the drawing, visit

http://www.saratogacollege.com/contests

I took my nephew to Red Robin on his vacation to visit me here in the Capital Region. I always enjoy the atmosphere there and people seem generally interested and excited to be working there.

Here are Red Robin's Core Values

Honor. - Unbridled caring for the Team, Guest and Company.

Integrity. - Doing the right thing!

Continually Seeking Knowledge. - Seek first to understand, then to be understood.

Having Fun. - Make the ordinary extraordinary and the mundane fun.

--- Simple, easy to understand, and easy to execute, these core values are integral to any organization. I find that many organizations strive to have too broad of a value system that is hard to understand and difficult to implement. If you can get honor, integrity, knowledge seeking and fun right, you can be as successful as Red Robin as well! In addition, the other values you wish to instill will naturally fall into place by having an honest team who walks their talk, has a great time doing what they do, and continually seeks feedback from both external and internal customers.

My nephew, like most children, has the unique ability to say what is on his mind without a filter. We were at his first concert a couple years ago when after a long, drawn out opening act that played without stopping for 20 minutes, he shouted out "You stink!" at the top of his lungs; the whole section agreed!

The reason they "stunk" to me (and him) was that the band didn't introduce themselves, didn't tell us what they were playing, and didn't engage the audience.

HR Recommendations for live performers (from experiencing some of the best)

1. Engage your audience (we are paying to be there, acknowledge we are there!)
2. Tell us what you are playing (we may buy it if we know what album its on or what the name of the song is.)
3. Take breaks between songs to give us a chance to applaud (or yell out You Stink!)

by Sarah Palmo, Braathe Enterprises Virtual Internship Program participant

In an article published on August 12, 2011, in the Business Review, the focus was on the opportunity for college students to take part in an internship with a growing company, Global Foundries. Global Foundries is located at Luther Forest in Malta.

Over the next couple years, Global Foundries wants to grow their internships. They recently had 1,000 students throughout the United States competing for 20 summer internship positions. These positions are in fields such as finance and engineering, and are located at the new operation in Malta, as well as California.

Global Foundries is offering an incredible opportunity to students who are close to graduating and want to gain experience in a specific field. Many of these interns may be offered positions within this growing company.

To read the full article, please click Here.

These past 8 months have been an amazing experience working with virtual interns from all over the United States. Recently, I added interns from around the globe.

I've found one of the biggest issues in virtual work is the trust and communication that needs to exist, developed and nurtured throughout the process. Each intern has their own unique way of doing work, and each has provided me with their own degree of productivity based on their skills, knowledge and abilities and their personality, interests and preferences.

I'm excited to be expanding this program this fall to add more project based interns as well as offering an online course free of charge to interns as a perk for being a part of the Braathe Enterprises Virtual Internship program.

For more information, visit http://www.braatheenterprises.com/internships

One of my colleagues today pointed out how disgusted she was when the guy at Dunkin Donuts wouldn't change his gloves after he made a tuna salad sandwich. It appears I'm not the only one affected by the tuna salad sandwich...

I've been driving around Albany disturbed by giant pictures of tuna salad and chicken salad sandwiches on billboards. I don't want my coffee and donuts anywhere near these sandwiches!

From an HR perspective, I often wonder if marketing departments of companies take into account the implications of their marketing campaigns on the people who have to work every day. I can only imagine the pain that employees have to go through to upsell or recommend the tuna salad sandwich or that have to face people like my colleague who are disgusted at the sight of tuna near their bagel with cream cheese.

How has marketing affected your team? I'll share more stories next week when I return from a few days away...

I've looked at many resumes over the years and there seems to be a trend in things I don't like to see. Here is a show list of things I think should be avoided on a resume

1. An unclear objective
2. The line "references available on request" - put references down if you have the space
3. A two page resume with tons of white space that could easily be fit on one page
4. Jobs or details that don't start and end on the same page
5. Too much white space between the name and the beginning of the resume
6. An email address like "hotguy44@gutcheck.com" or "babe4000@makemelookdumb.com" - use a first name last name email address
7. Job listings that don't have consistent verb tense
8. Too many gaps in employment
9. No explanation for inactivity if out of work for an extended period
10. Listing colleges without the classes taken

If you'd like me to take a look at your resume, feel free to send it for a confidential review to robert@galaconciere.com

Many people may tell you that you need to drop everything to start your own business. As evidenced in my own career and in those that I mentor, starting a business doesn't need to be the end of working for or with others.

Recently, two local students approached me about starting businesses. Both seemed very excited about their lines of business but knew that it would require a great deal of time and dedication. We have been working together on developing time management and resource management strategies to ensure they balance work and personal life as well the needs of their side businesses.

While both of these entrepreneurs want to eventually do the work they are doing full-time, they realize that it's best to let it grow naturally while keeping afloat through traditional employment.

If you are thinking of starting your own business and need that little push over the top, check out our Mentoring Through Intellectual Capital program

We've been contacted by many students of late who have already completed a degree from a traditional college who are seeking additional education but not necessarily another degree. Whether it be for lack of experience or the lack of credentials, these students have been seeking out alternatives to the traditional route of earning college degrees or credentials.

A recent case involved a student who already seeking post MBA courses who had a masters in another field but wanted to gain some marketing experience to help grow their consulting practice. We put them into our Modern Marketing Methods online business training course to help them promote their business

Another student approached us after working several years in the hospitality industry, and was seeking some practice in the field of Project Management. This student enrolled in our Intro to Project Management course and has put together a very solid Project Management Plan for their business.

For more of the offerings at Braathe Enterprises, visit our online business training and development website

One of the joys of teaching is the ability to access a multi-talented array of speakers in the Capital Region and beyond who are interested in sharing their wealth of experience with students.

In addition, it is truly a pleasure to see speakers coming out to local events who have the passion and energy to truly engage an audience and put a different perspective on events than we can do from within our own organizations.

As a member of the Capital Region based Consulting Alliance, many of my colleagues speak regularly on a variety of topics related to business, marketing, law and health care professions. I encourage you to view our Find a Speaker page for the Albany Capital Region area serving New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut as well as surrounding areas.

The past week has seen a flurry of activity as major league baseball teams have scurried around to find that one or two missing pieces they feel they need for a run to the playoffs. Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Cleveland and Texas proved to be some of the big players in this years trading frenzy. Many teams stayed out of the trading race this year as the cost of trading prospects was too high or there was no one on the market who was better than what the team already had in its minor league or major league rosters.

In business, when it's time for the holiday rush, a sales blitz, or other peak in business, it's often easy to get caught up in the game of landing that flashy new salesperson or hiring extra staff to get through a peak period.

Sometimes, the best solution for amping it up during peak periods is to value your existing staff even more; reward them with overtime, sales performance bonuses, or some other perks to give them the opportunity to meet the goals you seek. Indeed, sometimes right at home is where you can find the talents and people you are looking for outside.