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Class of 2013: Master These 15 Simple Skills from Dave Kerpen Which of the 15 skills do you think are the most important to master? Which ones have you mastered? Which ones would you like to master?

Courtesy of: ej4 Do you agree? What is your top employee complaint?

Root Inc., a strategy execution consulting company, shared the results of a survey conducted by Kelton titled “ America’s Workforce: A Revealing Account of What U.S. Employees Really Think About Today’s Workplace .” The America’s Workforce study found: • Employees feel discouraged: More than half (54%) of employees have felt frustrated about work. • Manager/employee relationships need improvement: Only 38% strongly agree that their manager has established an effective working relationship with them. • People don’t understand strategic direction: 40% say they don’t get the company’s vision or have never seen it. • Innovation is being stymied: Nearly 67% of American workers can name at least one thing that would prevent them from taking any kind of risk at work. • Big picture contributions missing: Only 43% of workers say they feel accountable for the company’s revenue, profit, or growth. • Not leading by example: Just 26% of workers strongly agree that managers embody the values they expect from their employees, only 39% say their manager understands his/her role at the company, and 40% strongly feel their managers understand their company’s strategy or goals. • Collaboration across teams is tough: Just 27% strongly feel they can depend on outsiders to fulfill their duties when working with other groups. • Training isn’t relevant: 26% report they don’t have any training available to them right now, and the 62% who do have training available believe it is either somewhat or not at all applicable to their jobs. The study also revealed some positive news and opportunities for companies to capitalize on: • Finding the bright spots: 56% feel their company is better at identifying what works well instead of fixing processes that are not working. • Training can make a difference: Workers with training available to them recently have felt committed (48% vs. 39%), happy (45% vs. 37%), and excited (30% vs. 14%) about work. • Glimmers of hope: 43% of workers said they felt happy about work at some point in the last month. In this video, Root's President, Rich Berens, discusses why this report is important to managers. What can managers do to improve their relationships with employees?

A study, What do Corporate Directors and Senior Managers Know About Social Media , was conducted in April 2012 by the Conference Board and the Rock Center for Corporate Governance at Stanford University . The results were published last October. The study found that CEOs are regular users of social media both for personal and professional use. They actively use Twitter. But, they passively use social media, such as blogs, videos, and discussions. In other words, CEOs read blogs, watch videos, read discussion boards and rating sites. Companies appear to be relatively unsophisticated when it comes to formally gathering data from social media and incorporating them into corporate strategy, operational plans, and risk management. Directors and executives do not request this information nor rely on it for decision making. However, those who do rely on this information find it useful in pursuing corporate objectives. The findings suggest considerable opportunity for companies that develop a reliable infrastructure for capturing data from social media and distilling them into an actionable, usable form for corporate decision makers. The authors of the report recommend companies engage in the steps below. Assess your current capabilities Determine how social media fits with your strategy and business model Map your company's KPIs and risk factors to information available through social media Implement a "listening" system to capture social media data and transform it into metrics Develop formal policies and guidelines for employees, executives, and directors Consider the legal and behavioral ramifications Read the attached report. Should managers actively engage in social media? Explain. Is a company doomed if it does not use social media? Explain.

Most people won't become an entrepreneur or even a manager because of their fear of failure. But, everyone has self-doubt - even successful entrepreneurs and managers. If you have ever struggled to accomplish a goal, Kyle Maynard's story will encourage you. Most of the problems you have faced do not come anywhere near the problems he has faced. Watching this video and reading his book, No Excuses , will inspire you. Kyle faces challenges without "excuses." What goal have you been putting off because of self-doubt? How has Kyle's story motivated you to want to accomplish the goal?

This holiday season, more people than ever before will shop online using their smart phones, tablets, and computers. In this video, John Stewart , Chief Security Officer at Cisco shares the information people need to stay safe online this holiday shopping season. He says, "Nearly half of all shoppers in the United States will find gifts online this holiday season and while this trend is convenient, it opens the door to major security threats." What concerns do you have about shopping online? Were your questions answered?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) publishes the Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) which provides information on what workers do; working conditions; education, training, and other qualifications; pay; job outlook; similar occupations; and sources of additional information, for 341 occupational profiles covering 85 percent of the jobs in the economy. One of the occupation groups in the OOH is management . One of the management occupations is top executive . They devise strategies and policies to ensure that an organization meets its goals by planning, directing, and coordinating operational activities of companies and public or private-sector organizations. Most top executives have at least a bachelor's degree and many have a master's degree in business administration. They have relevant work experience and have been promoted from lower level management positions. The median pay in 2010 was $101,250. BLS lists important skills needed by top executives. They are listed below. Communication skills. Top executives must be able to communicate clearly and persuasively. They must effectively discuss issues and negotiate with others, direct subordinates, and explain their policies and decisions to those within and outside the organization. Decision-making skills. Top executives need decision-making skills when setting policies and managing an organization. They must assess different options and choose the best course of action, often daily. Leadership skills. Top executives must be able to lead a successful organization by coordinating policies, people, and resources. Management skills. Top executives must organize and direct the operations of an organization. For example, they must manage business plans, employees, and budgets. Problem-solving skills. Top executives need problem-solving skills after identifying issues within an organization. They must be able to recognize shortcomings and effectively carry out solutions. Time-management skills. Top executives must be able to do many tasks at the same time, typically under their own direction, to ensure that their work gets done and that they meet their goals. "Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, 2012-2013 Occupational Outlook Handbook , [September 30, 2012 accessed] [ http://www.bls.gov/ooh/ ]" Look at the other management occupations at http://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/home.htm . Which one interests you? What did you find interesting about the position?

Terry Leahy , CEO of Tesco for 14 years, was voted "Britain's Most Admired leader" by Management Today for five years in a row. Tesco, one of the world's three largest retailers, is a multinational supermarket chain headquartered in the United Kingdom. Leahy offers the following ten words in his book, MANAGEMENT In 10 Words published by Random House Business Books 2012. TRUTH: "Organisations are terrible at confronting the truth. It is so much easier to define your version of reality, and judge success and failure according to that. But my experience is that truth is crucial both to create and to sustain success." LOYALTY: "Winning and retaining loyalty is the best objective any business - indeed, any organisation - can have. The search for loyalty has, at its heart, an age-old idea: you reward the behaviour you seek from others." COURAGE: "Good strategies need to be bold and daring. People need to be stretched as they can do more than they think. Goals have to cause excitement, and perhaps just a little fear. Above all, they need to inspire, and present an organisation with a choice: have these great ambitions, or remain as you are." VALUES: "Strong values underpin successful businesses. They give managers a sheet anchor, something that holds their position and keeps them from being smashed against the rocks when caught in a storm. Values govern how a business behaves, what it sees as important, what it does when faced with a problem." ACT: "Intention is never enough. Plans mean nothing if they are not effectively enacted." BALANCE: "A balanced organisation is one in which everyone moves forward together, steered in the right direction, without being overrun by the juggernaut of bureaucracy." SIMPLE: "Change in any fast-moving, fast-growing company is not easy. My solution is quite simple: to make things simple. Simplicity is the knife that cuts through the tangled spaghetti of life's problems. LEAN: "Sustainable consumption depends on desiring goods and services that use fewer natural resources. By thinking lean, we can go green - and do more, for less." COMPETE: "Competitors - and the act of competition itself - are great teachers. Don't wait for your competitors to come over the horizon. Seek them out." TRUST: "Trust is the bedrock of leadership. When people trust you, they feel that their interests are safe in your hands, and they have confidence in your vision, ability, judgement, drive and determination to see things through." Which word do you think is most important for managers? Why?