March 30, 2011

Executive Update Edition 18

Doctors are urging regular breaks after a New Zealand study found a three-fold increase in the risk of blood clots for those who sit at computers or work desks for prolonged stretches. Those who sat for 10 hours or more a day at a desk or computer and those who sat for more than two hours without a break were found to be more at risk of life-threatening clots in the form of either deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolisms (PE). 

Applications are being sought from individuals in a management or leadership role for the 2011 NZIM Foundation Management Study Scholarships which will provide a seven-day study tour to Sydney from June 5-11, 2011.

While “traditional” leadership skills like strategic visioning remain important, leadership is equally, if not more, about inspiring people to follow you.

NZ Management magazine and global management consultancy Hay Group are launching this year’s search for our country’s most reputable organisations.

Marketing and management guru and the man who coined the term co-creation, Venkat Ramaswamy, is coming to Auckland next month. He is a globally recognised thought leader, idea practitioner, and an eclectic scholar with wide-ranging interests in innovation, strategy, marketing, branding, IT and the human side of organisations.

Further confirmation – if any was needed – that we operate in a business environment with an increasingly transient workforce comes from a survey released this week by workforce solutions company Kelly Services which shows that more than three-quarters of New Zealanders would be willing to relocate for the right job. What’s more, many would be prepared to move to another country in order to secure their preferred position.

This year’s Rugby World Cup will be a “hell of a lot more than just a rugby tournament”, says Martin Snedden, the leader charged with the challenge of making the event an outstanding success.

Most attempts at “brainstorming” are doomed. To generate better ideas – and boost the odds that your organisation will act on them – start by asking better questions.

“When you look at growth as a strategy, it becomes somewhat seductive, addictive,” says Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz. “But growth should not be – and is not – a strategy; it’s a tactic. The primary lesson I’ve learned over the years is that growth and success can cover up a lot of mistakes.”