July 23, 2007

"SENDING THE RIGHT MESSAGE"

I'm working on a new book which I hope to announce soon. It is entitled, "Morphing Into the Real World - The Handbook for Entering the Work Force," the purpose of which is to educate our youth in terms of making the transition from the safety of Mom and Dad and schools, to the bitter realities of the real world. One of the key points I make time and again in the book is that people act on perceptions. These perceptions could be based on reality or on something imagined. In other words, we may perceive a situation correctly or incorrectly; right or wrong.

As a communications major, I understand the importance of how we transmit signals to others, thereby affecting their perceptions of us. This can be done verbally, through writing and body language, the type of actions and decisions we make, and even our physical appearance. I spend a lot of time in the book discussing the importance of these forms of communications. For example, our youth are now wizards at electronic communications devices (e.g., cell phones, text messaging, e-mails) yet are having severe problems with simple interpersonal communications, such as greetings and common courtesy, conducting a presentation or giving a speech, interviewing, or holding a simple conversation. "Networking" to Generation X and Y means text messaging, not socializing as a group. It should therefore come as no small wonder that professional, civic, and fraternal societies are experiencing a decline in membership.

In terms of body language and actions/decisions, I discuss the importance of conveying the proper signals, as well as the impact of proper grooming and dress. Let me give you an example, I know of an Army PFC who liked to drive around his military base in his pickup truck and proudly displayed a Confederate flag on the back. Over time he noticed many of his friends graduated to Sergeant while he remained a PFC. He didn't understand this as he thought he was smarter than the others. Someone finally pulled him aside and told him to get rid of the Confederate flag, which he reluctantly did. Shortly thereafter though, he was made a Sergeant. In other words, he finally learned the hard way of the importance of cultivating the proper image.

One thing that is hard for our youth to grasp is the significance of our dress. Offices have become rather lax in their dress codes, perhaps overtly so. When I discuss this issue with young people I tell them that our dress sends some very powerful messages. More than anything, it is a sign of respect to the people we are coming in contact with, be it a boss, a coworker, a customer, or a vendor. If someone dresses sloppily, they are basically saying, "I really do not care about you." It also says a lot about our personal self-esteem. Today, there is a big push for companies to promote teamwork and, because of this, they are rethinking dress code policies, some even going so far as to institute uniform programs.

Such lessons are simply not being passed on to our youth properly, all of which are having an adverse effect on their socialization skills in the workplace and questions their credibility as professionals. In order for them to succeed in the work place, it is necessary they master these simple communications skills. Regardless of the technical skills they possess, it will not help them alter the perceptions of the people they come in contact with daily. Simple communications will.

If you would like to discuss this with me in more depth, please do not hesitate to send me an e-mail.

OUR BRYCE'S LAW OF THE WEEK therefore is... "No amount of technology will be able to alter the perceptions of our coworkers, our managers, our customers, our vendors, or our friends and family."

"PRIDE" METHODOLOGIES FOR IRM

Friends, the "PRIDE" Methodologies for Information Resource Management (IRM) is a common sense solution for Enterprise Engineering, Systems Engineering, Data Base Engineering, and Project Management. The methodologies include defined work breakdown structures, deliverables, and review points that promote quality and the production of industrial-strength information systems. Building information resources is a science, not an art form. Our methodologies clearly explain the concepts that govern them, which remarkably, is derived from engineering/manufacturing practices. Now you can get these acclaimed methodologies for free at our corporate web site at: http://www.phmainstreet.com/mba/pride/

MY "PET PEEVE OF THE WEEK" IS "YOU CAN PUT YOUR EYE OUT THAT WAY"

A couple of weeks ago we celebrated Independence Day in America, complete with fireworks. This reminded me of when I was a youth and enjoyed setting off fireworks myself. I always found the instructions printed on fireworks rather amusing which said simply, "Put on ground, light fuse, run away." I didn't know exactly where they wanted me to run away to, I had already been to the circus, so I just stood back a few feet and watched the firecracker explode.

Fireworks drives mothers crazy, and I wish I had a nickel for every time I heard my mother warn me, "You can put your eye out that way." I think this was the standard warning for just about anything I did, be it riding a bicycle, playing baseball, swimming, running, or breathing. It is the first cardinal rule each mother must learn in order to bear children. I wasn't alone either, all of my friends' mothers admonished them with this same expression regularly. So much so, that we thought our mothers had formed a conspiracy or some secret society for the sole purpose of maintaining our eyesight.

The power of mothers is rather interesting. Years ago, Jay Leno commented that mothers had the uncanny ability to sniff out just about anything, even better than a bloodhound, such as your secret copy of Playboy you kept stashed away in your bedroom. Back before the Iraq war started, he said we should not have wasted time sending in a team of UN delegates to look for weapons of mass destruction since they never found anything. Instead, they should have sent in a team of mothers who would have pulled Saddam Hussein out by the ear and cleaned up the situation right away. It would have probably saved us all a lot of grief.

Mothers are full of little axioms they use to keep us in line, but I have to think, "You can put your eye out that way," has to be their favorite with "Stop it or you'll go blind" coming in a close second.

Such is my Pet Peeve of the Week.

"BRYCE'S IS RIGHT!"

Folks, a couple of years ago I started to include my "Pet Peeve of the Week" in these "Management Visions" podcasts. They have become so popular that I now syndicate them through the Internet and they are available for republication in other media. To this end, I have created a separate web page for my writings which you can find at phmainstreet.com Look for the section, "The Bryce is Right!" Hope you enjoy them.

AND FINALLY...

I received a response from a DD in Atlanta, Georgia regarding last week's essay, "How well are we preparing the next generation?"

D.D. writes:

"I agree totally that these items should be taught in school.

However, I was never taught these things at school or at home. It meant that my first couple of jobs were not successes.

And yes, I learned in the school of "hard knocks," but I learned these items quickly after a couple of failures that raised a "cognitive dissonance" between what I believed and reality.

But it did not lead to my "demise". It simply delayed my success until I made the adjustments in my mid 20's. And yes, I had difficulty surviving, but I did survive as this new generation will.

These kids are not different from us baby boomers. They will learn through failure just as us "spoiled" children learned.

As for teaching these subjects in school, each of the subjects you mentioned could be taught as part of the regular curriculum, integrated as practical applications and case studies of applying math and English. However, even the most careful instruction and grading will not keep these kids from having to learn the key lessons the hard way in the real world.

As a matter of fact, some of these "video games" are teaching them a lot about being reliable as a leader, climbing a hierarchy, working as a cooperative part of team, associating with heterogeneous workers, setting and accomplishing goals, practical project, managing time, negotiating, and other skills.

This training is far beyond anything I got as a child. Definitely more than I learned by taking out the trash and mowing the lawn.

It is also teaching them computer skills and how to work in the virtual world of the Internet. This is much more important than learning the names of "cumulous clouds" and the capital of Kansas.

The rote memorization and regurgitation of useless facts that they get so they can pass these tests for the "No Child Left Behind" program is well illustrated in that game "Are You Smarter than A 5th Grader." The reason the adults don't know the answers to these questions is that they haven't used this knowledge since they were 5th graders. These kids should be learning the things they will need to know as adults, not some academic collection of information that they can find out on Google whenever they (rarely) need the information."

Thanks for your comments.

Keep those cards and letters coming.

MBA is an international management consulting firm specializing in Information Resource Management. We offer training, consulting, and writing services in the areas of Enterprise Engineering, Systems Engineering, Data Base Engineering, Project Management, Methodologies and Repositories. For information, call us at 727/786-4567. For a complete listing of my essays, see the "PRIDE" Special Subject Bulletins section of our corporate web site.

Our corporate web page is at:

http://phmainstreet.com/mba/

Management Visions is a presentation of M. Bryce & Associates, a division of M&JB Investment Company of Palm Harbor, Florida, USA. The program is produced on a weekly basis and updated on Sundays. It is available in versions for RealPlayer, Microsoft Media Player, and MP3 suitable for Podcasting. See our web site for details. You'll find our broadcast listed in several Podcast and Internet Search engines, as well as Apples' iTunes.

If you have any questions or would like to be placed on our e-mailing list to receive notification of future broadcasts, please e-mail it to timb001@phmainstreet.com

For a copy of past broadcasts, please contact me directly.

We accept MP3 files with your voice for possible inclusion in the broadcast.

There is no charge for adding a link to "Management Visions" on your web page, for details and HTML code, see the "Management Visions" web site.

Management Visions accepts advertising. For rates, please contact yours truly directly.

Copyright © 2007 by M&JB Investment Company of Palm Harbor, Florida, USA. All rights reserved. "PRIDE" is the registered trademark of M&JB Investment Company.

This is Tim Bryce reporting.

Since 1971: "Software for the finest computer - the Mind."

END

May 7, 2007

"HIRING THE RIGHT PROGRAMMER"

Finding a good programmer can be a difficult task. Often times you will come across a candidate who interviews well and appears to have impressive credentials, yet you discover too late that he is simply not as proficient as you thought he was. Now you have someone you will either have to eventually eliminate or invest considerable money in to bring him up to speed (or both). What to do? True, you should probably improve your interviewing skills and learn to read between the lines of a resume, but there are a few other things you can do.

Basically, there are three things you, as a manager, want to know about a new employee; his background (job history), his knowledge, and how well he will adapt to your corporate culture. His background should be revealed by the interview, his resume, and any references he might have, but determining his knowledge and adaptability to the corporate culture is a little trickier.

CORPORATE CULTURE

I have discussed the importance of corporate culture many times in the past; in particular, see: No. 28 - "Understanding Corporate Culture" - June 13, 2005

Basically, in order for any employee to properly function and succeed, it is imperative that he is able to adapt to the corporate culture. If not, the culture will reject him and the employee will become an outcast. Before we can evaluate the employee's adaptability though, we should understand our own culture first. For example:

• What are the corporate ethics? Do you value honesty and integrity or are you a politically charged environment with considerable backbiting, finger pointing, piracy, and other questionable office tactics?

• Do you commonly seek "quick and dirty" solutions or do you operate more as skilled craftsmen?

• How rigid are your operating policies, e.g., dress codes, hours of operations, conduct, etc.?

• What are interpersonal relations/communications like in your office; e.g., speech, form of address, decorum, cooperation, etc.?

• What form of management do you practice; dictatorial with considerable supervision or do you empower your employees to make decisions?

Ascertaining a candidate's adaptability will be primarily based on your observations of the candidate during the interview.

SKILLS & PROFICIENCIES

A candidate's resume will say one thing, but you may be looking for something else. As part of the interview, you may want to ask the candidate to complete a Skills Assessment which lists the skills pertaining to your area and his level of competency (proficiency). After the candidate has completed the Skills Assessment, it should be compared against his resume in order to look for discrepancies.

In terms of pertinent skills, the programmer should be able to list the languages he knows, including computer control languages and tag languages, operating systems, DBMS architectures, and the various development tools he is familiar with.

KNOWLEDGE

Now, more pointedly, you need to know if the candidate truly knows how to program or not. College degrees, certificates, and participation in trade groups are important, but you need to convince yourself the person has substance as opposed to facade. Samples of work are useful, but then again, are you sure the person actually produced it? We have always found it useful to provide a simple programming test for the person to verify he knows what he is talking about. He can either substantiate his knowledge through a test or he cannot. The test should be designed in such a way as to reveal the person's general knowledge as well as to demonstrate he has the skills he claims.

CONCLUSION

Testing is an invaluable means for determining if candidate qualifications as stated in resumes are legitimate. Basically, it helps differentiate between facade and substance. Some Human Resource departments frown on such testing, others welcome it. For programmers, I consider it vital. Frankly, you have better things to do than waste time on someone who is not truly qualified for the position. Remember, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

OUR BRYCE'S LAW OF THE WEEK therefore is... "A resume is either an accurate description of a person's capabilities or demonstrates how well someone can write fiction."

MY "PET PEEVE OF THE WEEK" IS "SPRING CLEANING"

Whenever someone brings up the idea of "Spring Cleaning" it conjures up an image of people stuck in cabins during the winter and need to clean out their shack after hibernating inside for several months. But basically, Spring Cleaning is used to force us to get organized. There are a lot of us who are just plain slobs who tend to act like pack-rats and collect a lot of debris, be it at home or in the office. Spring Cleaning, therefore, is intended to clean up the flotsam and jetsam around us. And I think this is important, particularly in offices.

There are those who believe a sloppy desk is indicative of a brilliant mind. Baloney. A sloppy desk is indicative of a pigpen and the person is disorganized and undisciplined. Too often people use a cluttered desk to give the illusion they are being overworked and use it as an excuse for being late on a project. For managers who have been around the block a couple of times, a cluttered desk doesn't fool anybody anymore. In our office, we would tell our programmers to subscribe to the military concept whereby you either work on something, file it, or throw it away. If we need more file cabinets, we'll get them, but let's not let our desks become pigpens. To enforce this rule, we would periodically go through the office at night and throw all of the debris on the desks into the garbage. You do this a couple of times and people finally take you seriously. Keeping a clean and orderly workplace can have a dramatic and positive effect on the demeanor of your office workers and they will start to behave more professionally.

People still practice Spring Cleaning at home as well. You see signs of it by the many garage sales in the Spring where people circulate their junk to other people who recycle it around the neighborhood. I tend to believe there is a certain amount of junk we simply rotate from one household to another, so why bother with the garage sales? Let's just play musical chairs with it. Better yet, why don't we just dispose of it once and for all?

I remember my Scottish grandmother in Buffalo, New York was a big believer in Spring Cleaning. Every year she would lead the family in cleaning the house like Atilla the Hun. Beds would be turned, rugs taken out and beaten, windows washed inside and out, silverware polished, kitchen and bathroom floors and fixtures scrubbed, etc. You get the picture; she was very thorough. But she wouldn't stop with inanimate objects, to her way of thinking "Spring Cleaning" also meant cleaning up the family. To this end, once a year she would brew a pot of tea made from Senna Leaves, a very powerful herbal stimulant laxative. I guess she figured it was needed to clean out the toxins in our system, and as anyone in our family can testify, it works, perhaps too well. Not long after drinking a cup of this tea, your system would be flushed of impurities right down the toilet, perhaps hours at a time. It was rather brutal. This stuff was so strong, it would even clean the dirt from behind your fingernails and the wax from your ears. Small wonder Spring Cleaning conjures us a bad image in my mind.

As a result, I tend to keep things orderly and tidy all the time as opposed to waiting for a Spring Cleaning. Maybe that is what my grandmother was trying to teach us all along. Nonetheless, I haven't had a cup of tea in years.

Such is my Pet Peeve of the Week.

"PRIDE" METHODOLOGIES FOR IRM

Friends, the "PRIDE" Methodologies for Information Resource Management (IRM) is a common sense solution for Enterprise Engineering, Systems Engineering, Data Base Engineering, and Project Management. The methodologies include defined work breakdown structures, deliverables, and review points that promote quality and the production of industrial-strength information systems. Building information resources is a science, not an art form. Our methodologies clearly explain the concepts that govern them, which remarkably, is derived from engineering/manufacturing practices. Now you can get these acclaimed methodologies for free at our corporate web site at: http://www.phmainstreet.com/mba/pride/

AND FINALLY...

I received an e-mail from a Q.B. in Minnesota regarding my recent "Pet Peeve" on "Weathermen."

Q.B. writes -

"Yes, being a weatherman is an odd career choice. How often can one find a career where you can be downright wrong MOST of the time and still keep your job?"

Thanks Q.B. for your comments.

Again, thanks for your e-mail. Keep those cards and letters coming.

MBA is an international management consulting firm specializing in Information Resource Management. We offer training, consulting, and writing services in the areas of Enterprise Engineering, Systems Engineering, Data Base Engineering, Project Management, Methodologies and Repositories. For information, call us at 727/786-4567. For a complete listing of my essays, see the "PRIDE" Special Subject Bulletins section of our corporate web site.

Our corporate web page is at:

http://phmainstreet.com/mba/

Management Visions is a presentation of M. Bryce & Associates, a division of M&JB Investment Company of Palm Harbor, Florida, USA. The program is produced on a weekly basis and updated on Sundays. It is available in versions for RealPlayer, Microsoft Media Player, and MP3 suitable for Podcasting. See our web site for details. You'll find our broadcast listed in several Podcast and Internet Search engines, as well as Apples' iTunes.

If you have any questions or would like to be placed on our e-mailing list to receive notification of future broadcasts, please e-mail it to timb001@phmainstreet.com

For a copy of past broadcasts, please contact me directly.

We accept MP3 files with your voice for possible inclusion in the broadcast.

There is no charge for adding a link to "Management Visions" on your web page, for details and HTML code, see the "Management Visions" web site.

Management Visions accepts advertising. For rates, please contact yours truly directly.

Copyright © 2007 by M&JB Investment Company of Palm Harbor, Florida, USA. All rights reserved. "PRIDE" is the registered trademark of M&JB Investment Company.

This is Tim Bryce reporting.

Since 1971: "Software for the finest computer - the Mind."

END