Many people working in large companies speak business-buzzwords as a second language. Business language is full of pretty meaningless words. I Don’t Understand What Anyone Is Saying Anymore article tells that the language of internet business models has made the problem even worse. There are several strains of this epidemic: We have forgotten how to use the real names of real things, acronymitis, and Meaningless Expressions (like “Our goal is to exceed the customer’s expectation”). This would all be funny if it weren’t true. Observe it, deconstruct it, and appreciate just how ridiculous most business conversation has become.
Check out this brilliant Web Economy Bullshit Generator page. It generates random bullshit text based on the often used words in business language. And most of the material it generates look something you would expect from IT executives and their speechwriters (those are randomly generated with Web Economy Bullshit Generator):
“scale viral web services”
“integrate holistic mindshare”
“transform back-end solutions”
“incentivize revolutionary portals”
“synergize out-of-the-box platforms”
“enhance world-class schemas”
“aggregate revolutionary paradigms”
“enable cross-media relationships”
How to talk like a CIO article tries to tell how do CIOs talk, and what do they talk about, and why they do it like they do it. It sometimes makes sense to analyze the speaking and comportment styles of the people who’ve already climbed the corporate ladder if you want to do the same.
The Most Annoying, Pretentious And Useless Business Jargon article tells that the stupid business talk is longer solely the province of consultants, investors and business-school types, this annoying gobbledygook has mesmerized the rank and file around the globe. The next time you feel the need to reach out, touch base, shift a paradigm, leverage a best practice or join a tiger team, by all means do it. Just don’t say you’re doing it. If you have to ask why, chances are you’ve fallen under the poisonous spell of business jargon. Jargon masks real meaning. The Most Annoying, Pretentious And Useless Business Jargon article has a cache of expressions to assiduously avoid (if you look out you will see those used way too many times in business documents and press releases).
Is Innovation the Most Abused Word In Business? article tells that most of what is called innovation today is mere distraction, according to a paper by economist Robert Gordon. Innovation is the most abused word in tech. The iPad is about as innovative as the toaster. You can still read books without an iPad, and you can still toast bread without a toaster. True innovation radically alters the way we interact with the world. But in tech, every little thing is called “innovative.” If you were to believe business grads then “innovation” includes their “ideas” along the lines of “a website like *only better*” or “that thing which everyone is already doing but which I think is my neat new idea” Whether or not the word “innovation” has become the most abused word in the business context, that remains to be seen. “Innovation” itself has already been abused by the patent trolls.
Using stories to catch ‘smart-talk’ article tells that smart-talk is information without understanding, theory without practice – ‘all mouth and no trousers’, as the old aphorism puts it. It’s all too common amongst would-be ‘experts’ – and likewise amongst ‘rising stars’ in management and elsewhere. He looks the part; he knows all the right buzzwords; he can quote chapter-and-verse from all the best-known pundits and practitioners. But is it all just empty ‘smart-talk’? Even if unintentional on their part, people who indulge in smart-talk can be genuinely dangerous. They’ll seem plausible enough at first, but in reality they’ll often know just enough to get everyone into real trouble, but not enough to get out of it again. Smart-talk is the bane of most business – and probably of most communities too. So what can we do to catch it?
2,608 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
”Älä peittele, vaan naura ensin itse” – Vaikeat vuodet opettivat Mato Valtoselle, että salailu ei kannata – Yksi konkurssi harmittaa häntä edelleen
Mato Valtonen oli mukana musiikkialan yrityksessä, josta povattiin isoa menestystä.
https://www.yrittajat.fi/uutiset/ala-peittele-vaan-naura-ensin-itse-vaikeat-vuodet-opettivat-mato-valtoselle-etta-salailu-ei-kannata-yksi-konkurssi-harmittaa-hanta-edelleen/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Luovuttaminen tekee tilaa seuraaville onnistumisille
https://www.hs.fi/mielipide/art-2000009372626.html
Uuden edessä onnistumiselle tulisi etukäteen olla selkeät kriteerit. Jos ne eivät täyty, pitäisi vastaavat kriteerit olla myös pyyhkeen heittämiselle kehään.
REKRYTOINTIKONSULTTI Siobhan O’Keeffe, 25, antoi peräänantamattomuudelle kasvot juostuaan keväällä 2019 Lontoon maratonin katkenneella pohjeluulla.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Näin pyydät palkankorotusta ja saat sen
https://tyopaikat.oikotie.fi/tyontekijalle/artikkelit/nain-pyydat-palkankorotusta-ja-saat-sen
Oikeasta palkkatasosta huolehtiminen on yhtä tärkeää kuin pitää kiinni ammattitaidostaan ja osaamisestaan. Siksi palkkaneuvottelua kannattaa ehdottaa aina kun tehtävät ja vastuualueet laajenevat.
Neuvottelutaitoon erikoistuneen investointipankkiiri Sami Miettisen mukaan palkkaneuvottelussa pätevät periaatteessa samat lainalaisuudet kuin muissakin neuvotteluissa. Se on hyvä muistaa, jos rahasta puhuminen tuntuu jotenkin kiusalliselta.
Ennen palkkaneuvottelua Miettinen kehottaa pohtimaan, kuka on yrityksen todellinen päätöksentekijä. Tekeekö päätöksen palkankorotuksesta ihminen, jonka kanssa neuvottelu on sovittu, vai hänen esimiehensä tai kenties yrityksen HR- tai toimitusjohtaja? Jos päätöksentekijä on eri kuin neuvottelukumppani, hänen täytyy myydä ajatus esimiehelleen.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Too many cooks? The challenges and benefits of working with multiple teams
https://www.taiste.fi/post/too-many-cooks-the-challenges-and-benefits-of-working-with-multiple-teams?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=promotedpost&utm_campaign=website&utm_content=toomanycooks&fbclid=IwAR06n1lDC0GeVN0SoQsUFd_gcuHDIVvYx6TvB0edWmAZSoxMGKvk3Bxo9D8
The bigger the digital project, the more common it is to have multiple teams from different companies working together. In this article, UX Designer Tiina Viljakainen shares her experiences with such situations – using the work we did for Suomen Kuvalehti as an example.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.solita.fi/en/blogs/lost-in-transformation-how-to-succeed-in-a-hazy-journey-called-change/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://kollega.fi/2023/02/miten-taltuttaa-vitkuttelu/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Pääkirjoitus|Kolumni
Journalismi kehittyy kerronnasta kokemukseen
Uutinen ei ole valmis, kun faktat on kerrottu. Mitä tulee niiden jälkeen?
https://www.hs.fi/paakirjoitukset/art-2000009384349.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
Miksi työssä uupuminen on niin yleistä? – Lue merkittävimmistä syistä ja poimi 5 tehokasta keinoa estää uupumista
https://www.lahitapiola.fi/yritys/vakuutukset/yrittajan-vakuutukset/miksi-tyossa-uupuminen-on-niin-yleista
Uupumuksesta on tullut aikamme vitsaus. Erään arvion mukaan joka neljäs suomalainen työssäkäyvä kokee uupumusta. LähiTapiolan ja Elon asiantuntijat kertovat, miksi työssä jaksamisen ongelmista on tullut niin valtavan yleisiä. Poimi viisi keinoa siihen, miten uupumista voi estää tehokkaasti.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid04X731ZuCpW1fzsQcHaEYTNmbKaHZneWNm5NQzDx5ej3DLp6wPPJ92fedqVVxVoKKl&id=100029105723642
Valtaosa organisaatioista kärsii nyt työntekijäpulasta ja #HR-johtajaselvityksen perusteella arvoilla ja vastuullisuudella on tärkeä rooli sen suhteen, mikä työyhteisö kiinnostaa, missä viihdytään ja mistä halutaan pois
Jukka Saksi havaitsi 30 syvähaastattelun ja valmennuskokemusten perusteella 5 keskeistä kipupistettä, jotka liittyvät arvojen ja vastuullisuuden johtamiseen.
1⃣ Organisaatiolla ei ole nimettyjä arvoja
2⃣ Arvot eivät toteudu työyhteisön arjessa
3⃣ Vastuullisuus nähdään vain kierrätyksenä
4⃣ Organisaatiolta puuttuu vastuullisuusohjelma
5⃣ Ei jaeta yhteistä tulkintaa arvo- ja vastuullisuusilmapiiristä
https://johtajaonmedia.fi/hr-johtajaselvitys-5-arvojen-ja-vastuullisuuden-sudenkuoppaa/
Tomi Engdahl says:
A document circulated by Googlers explains the ‘hidden force’ that has caused the company to become slow and bureaucratic: slime mold
https://www.businessinsider.com/google-document-bureaucracy-slime-mold-staff-frustration-2023-1?utm_campaign=tech-sf&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&r=US&IR=T
As Google has swelled in size to over 186,000 workers, many of its employees and even its CEO have complained that the company has become too slow, too bureaucratic, and not productive enough.
They’re common symptoms of any company as it grows, but an internal Google document
Tomi Engdahl says:
Työelämän yksipuoliset ideaalit hukkaavat inhimillisiä resursseja. Miten auttaa ujoja yksilöitä tunnistamaan omat vahvuutensa ja rakentamaan itseluottamustaan kykyjensä varaan, pohtii Päivi Häkkinen Itä-Suomen yliopistosta. Itä-Suomen yliopisto – University of Eastern Finland (UEF) VAPAA LUKUOIKEUS
https://www.mustread.fi/artikkelit/onko-ujoudesta-tullut-synti-josta-pitaa-tehda-parannus/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Founder who sold his startup to Google says the company has lost its mission, is mismanaged and has no sense of urgency
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/02/15/founder-who-sold-his-startup-to-google-says-the-company-has-lost-focus.html#Echobox=1676476504
KEY POINTS
A former Google employee said the technology giant is inefficient, plagued by mismanagement and paralyzed by risk.
Praveen Seshadri joined the company at the start of 2020 when Google Cloud acquired AppSheet, which Seshadri co-founded.
He said that though he was welcomed and treated well, he left Google with an understanding that the “once-great company has slowly ceased to function.”
A former Google
employee said the company has lost its way, writing in a recent blog post that Google is inefficient, plagued by mismanagement and paralyzed by risk.
Praveen Seshadri joined the Alphabet-owned company at the start of 2020 when Google Cloud acquired AppSheet, which Seshadri co-founded. He said in the blog post Monday that though he was welcomed and treated well, he left Google with an understanding that the “once-great company has slowly ceased to function.” He left in January, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Seshadri argued it’s a “fragile moment” for Google, particularly because of the recent pressures it is facing to compete with Microsoft
’s artificial intelligence initiatives. Seshadri said Google’s problems are not rooted in its technology, but in its culture.
“The way I see it, Google has four core cultural problems,” Seshadri said. “They are all the natural consequences of having a money-printing machine called ‘Ads’ that has kept growing relentlessly every year, hiding all other sins. (1) no mission, (2) no urgency, (3) delusions of exceptionalism, (4) mismanagement.”
Instead of working to serve customers, Seshadri argued most employees ultimately serve other Google employees. He described the company as a “closed world” where working extra hard isn’t necessarily rewarded. Seshadri said feedback is “based on what your colleagues and managers think of your work.”
Seshadri said Google is hyper-focused on risk and that “risk mitigation trumps everything else.” Every line of code, every launch, nonobvious decisions, changes from protocol and disagreements are all risks that Googlers have to approach with caution, Seshadri wrote.
He added that employees are also “trapped” in a long line of approvals, legal reviews, performance reviews and meetings that leave little room for creativity or true innovation.
In its last employee-wide survey, which CNBC reported on last March, workers gave the company poor marks in being able to execute, which they said contributed to the bureaucracy that bogged down the company’s ability to be innovative.
Seshadri said Google has a chance to turn things around, but he doesn’t think the company can continue to succeed by merely avoiding risk. He argues that Google needs to “lead with commitment to a mission,” reward people who fight for “ambitious causes” and trim the layers of middle management.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.ilmarinen.fi/tyokyky/mielenterveys/mielenterveyden-hairioita/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.firstbeat.com/fi/blogi/mita-stressi-on-ja-miten-sita-voi-hallita/?utm_campaign=FI%20Social%20Posts%20General%202023&utm_content=236599383&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&hss_channel=fbp-857643741041522&hsa_acc=371657763355564&hsa_cam=23853307351200023&hsa_grp=23853307351280023&hsa_ad=23853307351340023&hsa_src=fb&hsa_net=facebook&hsa_ver=3
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.varma.fi/ajankohtaista/uutiset-ja-artikkelit/artikkelit/2021-q3/testaa-ja-kehita-liikeideaasi-business-model-canvas–tyokalun-avulla/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Miksi ohjelmistoala tarvitsee diversiteettiä? Tsekkaa Codeon toimarin valaiseva kirjoitus aiheesta!
#DEI #futureofwork #leadership
https://ohjelmistoebusiness.fi/blogi/ohjelmistoala-tarvitsee-lisaa-diversiteettia/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Britanniassa kokeiltiin neljän päivän työviikkoa: Läpimurto hyvinvoinnissa ja tuloksissa
https://www.iltalehti.fi/talous/a/f1e2a9ca-d857-43bf-b3eb-94484ccac98c
Tomi Engdahl says:
A global house-price crunch is coming. It won’t blow up the financial system. But it will leave a cohort of people with wrecked finances and start a political storm
A global house-price slump is coming
It won’t blow up the financial system, but it will be scary
https://www.economist.com/leaders/2022/10/20/a-global-house-price-slump-is-coming?utm_campaign=a.io_fy2223_q4_conversion-cb-dr_prospecting_global-global_auction_na&utm_medium=social-media.content.pd&utm_source=facebook-instagram&utm_content=conversion.content.non-subscriber.content_staticlinkad_np-houseprice-n-nov_na-na_article_na_na_na_na&utm_term=sa.lal-sub-5-int-currentevents-politics&utm_id=23852509992360064
Over the past decade owning a house has meant easy money. Prices rose reliably for years and then went bizarrely ballistic in the pandemic. Yet today if your wealth is tied up in bricks and mortar it is time to get nervous. House prices are now falling in nine rich economies. The drops in America are small so far, but in the wildest markets they are already dramatic. In condo-crazed Canada homes cost 9% less than they did in February. As inflation and recession stalk the world a deepening correction is likely—even estate agents are gloomy. Although this will not detonate global banks as in 2007-09, it will intensify the downturn, leave a cohort of people with wrecked finances and start a political storm.
The cause of the crunch is soaring interest rates: in America prospective buyers have been watching, horrified, as the 30-year mortgage rate has hit 6.92%, over twice the level of a year ago and the highest since April 2002. The pandemic mini-bubble was fuelled by rate cuts, stimulus cash and a hunt for more suburban space.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Adidas just lost a legal battle with designer Thom Browne over whether it’s OK to sell products with stripes
https://www.businessinsider.com/thom-browne-wins-lawsuit-against-adidas-over-stripe-designs-2023-1?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=insider-sf&r=US&IR=T
Tomi Engdahl says:
Valtion- ja suuryritysten johtajien poskettomia palkkioita perustellaan poikkeuksellisella kyvykkyydellä. Kyseessä on myytti, jonka turvin eliitti jakaa karkkeja toisilleen, Hiilamo kirjoittaa.
Heikki Hiilamon kolumni: Onko johtajan työ oikeasti 28 kertaa arvokkaampaa kuin alaisen?
https://yle.fi/a/74-20019253
Valtion- ja suuryritysten johtajien poskettomia palkkioita perustellaan poikkeuksellisella kyvykkyydellä. Kyseessä on myytti, jonka turvin eliitti jakaa karkkeja toisilleen.
Vuonna 2021 Postin pääjohtaja Turkka Kuusisto sai palkkaa 910 993 euroa. Kuukausipalkaksi muutettuna tämä tekee noin 73 000 euroa. Samaan aikaan postinjakajan palkka oli reilut 2 600 euroa kuukaudessa. Miten on mahdollista, että postissa pääjohtajan aika on liki 28 kertaa arvokkaampaa kuin rankkaa ulkotyötä tekevän postinjakajan aika?
Syynä ei välttämättä ole pidemmät työajat. Lehtihaastattelussa pääjohtaja kertoi(siirryt toiseen palveluun), ettei häntä saa häiritä työasioilla kello kuuden jälkeen illalla eikä viikonloppuisin.
Tomi Engdahl says:
I’ve made $210,000 in less than 2 years selling spreadsheet templates on Etsy. Here are 5 easy-to-follow tips for making sales.
https://emily-mcdermott.medium.com/how-ive-made-280k-selling-spreadsheets-on-etsy-51b0759a9465
Emily McDermott sells spreadsheet templates on Etsy for Google Sheets and Excel.
According to McDermott, people don’t have to be experts in Excel to start this easy side hustle.
She breaks down five steps beginners should take to make their Etsy shops stand out.
In under two years, I’ve made CA$280,600 or around $210,000 on Etsy selling spreadsheet templates for Google Sheets and Excel.
I’m not a spreadsheet expert by any means, but I do know how to find digital products that are in demand and will help people to save time on something that would typically take them much longer to do.
1. I use eRank to find low-competition, high-demand keywords on Etsy
If you’re opening a new shop or if your shop hasn’t had many sales yet, the fastest way to gain traction is by making something a lot of people are searching for, but that not a lot of people are selling yet.
2. Once I have these keywords, I make more than one listing per keyword
Instead of trying to sell just one “bookkeeping template,” for example, I would list a few different variations of one.
3. I keep each template simple and focused on saving people time
You don’t need to make anything complicated for people to buy it, trust me. People are searching for a done-for-them spreadsheet because they want to save time on something that would take them longer to do themselves.
4. I know that people want to buy a solution that they don’t want to make themselves
If you look on Etsy, you’ll see that spreadsheets tend to sell for a higher price, from $4 to $40, versus printable PDF templates that sometimes sell for just $1. It would take customers a lot more time and skill to make a spreadsheet, so they are more likely to pay a premium for it.
5. I focused on a niche and built an email list around it
If you focus on a niche, like bookkeeping or wedding planning, you can get repeat customers back to your shop the next time they need a template.
I focused on a niche and sent everyone a link to join my email list with their order. It took me a while to see the value in this, but a few months in I sent an email to my list and made $800 that day.
Here are some ideas for spreadsheet templates you can sell on Etsy:
Wedding planners
Bookkeeping templates
Habit trackers
Cleaning checklists
Personal budgeting templates
Debt payoff trackers
Life planners
Investment trackers
Tomi Engdahl says:
Why Brand Guidelines are Essential for Your Company’s Success?
https://beluna.ee/en/branding/why-brand-guidelines-are-important/
As a business owner, you’re constantly looking for ways to improve your company’s performance, increase its profitability, and maintain a competitive edge in the market.
One way to achieve these goals is by developing and implementing comprehensive brand guidelines for your company.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Kolumni: Neljän päivän työviikko paljasti oikeiston moralismin – Kaikkien pitäisi tehdä töitä mieluiten vähän liikaa
Oskari Onninen
Haluaisin poliittisen vasemmiston, joka puolustaa viiden päivän työviikkoon pakotettuja, ja oikeiston, joka kannustaa mukavaan elämään ja laiskottelun arvostamiseen, kirjoittaa Iltalehden kolumnisti Oskari Onninen.
https://www.iltalehti.fi/kotimaa/a/945af311-62f7-4531-af47-3f6e4e40b08d
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nearly 40% of software engineers will only work remotely
https://www.techtarget.com/searchhrsoftware/news/365531979/Nearly-40-of-software-engineers-will-only-work-remotely
Hired’s annual software engineering study found that remote work is now a competitive hiring differentiator. It also found that younger engineers are at a greater risk of layoffs.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Koodareilta tiukka linja: jos tähän vaatimukseen ei suostuta, työpaikka menee vaihtoon
Jori Virtanen3.3.202311:50|päivitetty3.3.202311:51TYÖELÄMÄTEKOÄLYETÄTYÖOHJELMOINTI
Saavutetuista eduista ei tingitä.
https://www.tivi.fi/uutiset/koodareilta-tiukka-linja-jos-tahan-vaatimukseen-ei-suostuta-tyopaikka-menee-vaihtoon/d80f0d50-baaf-4c03-812f-8db791dae03a
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://trineria.fi/okr_malli_osallistaa_ja_jalkauttaa_strategian_tekemisen_tasolle/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Joku suuttuu aina – minkä sidosryhmän sinä olet valmis suututtamaan?
https://ellunkanat.fi/nakemys/artikkelit/joku-suuttuu-aina-minka-sidosryhman-sina-olet-valmis-suututtamaan/?utm_source=meta&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=MTH_riskeille&hsa_acc=1672879892992565&hsa_cam=6325953714988&hsa_grp=6329034022788&hsa_ad=6329041170188&hsa_src=fb&hsa_net=facebook&hsa_ver=3&fbclid=IwAR2wqnVqY8XuaNEwUkdXx2p-C3acZVabdylsb39gsaP1jd1L3lbIaITnozE_aem_Aa2hXriN0pL7St_Jk9jqfDDnLgTP8nxcZuUsAvfb6n4ZxSbkyU3AR4TyliJKoNS-06lVpgQBsvjS_3Vw9Bi5ntpVI7a2DVA6hGJkjkhBExdHcRURvsdPA2yy6aCjrv_27XY
Tomi Engdahl says:
”Vastuullinen yritys” ei enää tarkoita mitään – näin yrityksesi saa inflaatiosuojaa löperöltä vastuullisuuspuheelta
ELINA PALKAMA | 14 JOULUKUUN, 2022
Mistä tänä päivänä tunnistaa vastuullisen yrityksen? Ja miten viestiä yritysvastuusta sortumatta viherpesuun? EU:n uusi kestävyysraportointidirektiivi asettaa pian yhä useammalle yritykselle vaatimuksen raportoida omia kestävyysvaikutuksia ja -riskejä. Nyt yritysvastuu kannattaa viimeistään ottaa agendalle. Blogissa Kaskasin asiantuntija analysoi yritysvastuun kriteerien kehitystä ja jakaa neljä vinkkiä parempaan vastuullisuusviestintään.
https://kaskas.fi/fi/vastuullinen-yritys-ei-enaa-tarkoita-mitaan-nain-yrityksesi-saa-inflaatiosuojaa-loperolta-vastuullisuuspuheelta/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apua, small talkia! 6 englanninkielistä ilmausta, jotka menevät monelta suomalaiselta yli hilseen https://www.is.fi/menaiset/vapaalla/art-2000009464030.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
I’m the former VP of HR at Microsoft. Here are 4 red flags to watch out for when applying for a job.
https://bit.ly/3z07XfA
Chris Williams is a former VP of HR at Microsoft and a podcaster, consultant, and TikTok creator.
He says that potential employers should be willing to give specifics on pay and benefits.
Williams also says you should notice if the recruiting process is complex or cumbersome.
I’m a former VP of HR for Microsoft and a leadership advisor who has seen a lot of hiring in my 40-plus-year career. These are some red flags I’d warn any job-searcher to look out for during the interview process at a company — and why they’re so important.
1. Any hint of complicated bureaucracy
When they reach out, you’ll certainly respond quickly. Do they reciprocate? Are they responding to emails promptly? Does it take days to get answers to the smallest of questions? Weeks to schedule follow-ups?
Certainly, this can be a sign of an overworked recruiter. But it also can be a sign of a disorganized mess, or a deeply complicated recruiting process with lots of oversight and many hurdles. Both are concerning.
2. A secretive hiring process
When you ask about the hiring process, the answers should be clear: “We will do two rounds of interviews, the last one with the hiring manager. They will then meet with the team for a decision. I expect this process to take three weeks total.”
If you get vague answers and mystery about how the process works that means one of two things: they want to hide the process from you for some reason, or it’s a mess, and they haven’t the slightest idea how it’s going to play out. Either is a red flag.
3. Avoiding specifics like pay and benefits
Another red flag is if your hiring managers are not forthcoming about the pay or benefits of the job. Do they avoid questions about specifics? Are there aspects of the job they’ll only discuss “if and when you’re made an offer”?
Yes, pay is always a negotiation. There are plenty of columns with advice on how to play that game and who should blink first. Being cautious about discussing pay is not necessarily a red flag, that’s just part of hiring.
What is a red flag, though, is the complete unwillingness to discuss pay ranges, benefits, remote vs. in-office requirements, and other basic conditions of the job.
Withholding that information until you get an offer is a bad sign. They likely want to surprise you with something negative. Or worse, they don’t want their weak position broadcast to the larger job market. Both are concerning.
What you want to see is open, genuine responses from people you want to work with, and who want you to work with them. If what you get is a wall of secrecy, that ‘s something to be concerned about. Good employers are happy to share plenty of information with their prospective hires; it’s a sign of respect and starts a potential working relationship off on the right foot
4. Messy recruiting
Second only to their work with customers, recruiting is among a company’s most important outward-facing views. It’s their face to the world of work, and to potential employees.
If the company’s presentation to you, someone they would love to have join them, is complex, labored, or secretive, that speaks volumes. And that should be a huge red flag about the company overall.
Finally, if you walk out of an interview feeling anything other than “I really want to work with these people” that’s a red flag all its own. Trust your gut. If you aren’t feeling it within the first hour, imagine what the following months or years will feel like.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Four economists found scores of banks that share some of the characteristics that contributed to SVB’s failure.
Why 186 Other Banks Could Go The Way Of Silicon Valley Bank
https://www.forbes.com/sites/petercohan/2023/03/20/why-186-other-banks-could-go-the-way-of-silicon-valley-bank/?sh=7c229b7658ee&utm_campaign=socialflowForbesMainFB&utm_medium=social&utm_source=ForbesMainFacebook
There were no new bank failures over the weekend. But the global banking system is not in the pink of health.
There are two reasons for continued concern:
A March 13 study by four economists reveals that 186 banks are at risk of “impairment” of $300 billion worth of insured deposits.
A March 19 New York Times report reveals that the Federal Reserve began warning Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) of financial risks in 2021 — over a year before it cratered — yet SVB management did nothing. What’s more Moody’s warned SVB’s management of an imminent downgrade about a month before it announced its emergency capital raise.
Shares of First Republic BankFRC -6% are trading well below where they were after it received $30 billion in deposits from other banks on March 16. It seems only a matter of time before more rot in the banking system comes to light.
I learned something new about why SVB failed. Here is my latest Six Whys analysis:
Why did the FDIC take over SVB? SVB could not find a private institution willing to acquire the bank in time.
Why was SVB unable to find a buyer? A rapid outflow of deposits — totaling $42 billion on March 9 alone, about a quarter of the bank’s total deposits — was complicating the sale process.
What prompted the rapid outflow of deposits from SVB? SVB surprised investors on March 8 with an announcement that it took a $1.8 billion loss on its $21 billion portfolio of treasury securities and borrowed $15 billion. Since 94% of SVB’s deposits exceeded $250,000, the FDIC did not insure them — thereby boosting incentives for depositors to flee.
What prompted SVB to raise capital at such a high cost? In February 2023, Moody’s told SVB that it was preparing to downgrade its credit rating.
Why was Moody’s poised to downgrade SVB’s rating? SVB’s deposits and the value of its bond portfolio had fallen sharply.
Why had SVB’s deposits and the value of its bond portfolio dropped? As the Fed raised interest rates, technology stocks lost value, the IPO market dried up, venture capital firms stopped providing startups with more capital to fund their losses, startups began withdrawing their deposits to fund operations, and the higher interest rates cut into the value of SVB’s lower yielding securities.
Why 186 Other Banks Could Go The Way Of Silicon Valley Bank
Four economists found 186 other banks share the characteristics that contributed to SVB’s failure.
In their paper, “Monetary Tightening and U.S. Bank Fragility in 2023: Mark-to-Market Losses and Uninsured Depositor Runs?,” the co-authors concluded that if a mere 50% of those uninsured depositors decided to withdraw their funds, 186 banks and “potentially $300 billion of insured deposits” would be at risk.
The key factors these banks share with SVB are:
A relatively high level of uninsured deposits — e.g., over $250,000; and
A significant drop in the value of government bonds and mortgage-backed securities due to interest rates that have risen from about 0% to nearly 5% in the last 12 months.
The interplay of these factors contributed to SVB’s failure in a way that could put other banks in financial trouble absent a capital infusion or other rescue. According to USA Today, SVB held mostly U.S. government bonds, which dropped in value because they paid a lower (below 2%) than current (more than 4%) interest rate.
At the same time, SVB customers — many money-losing startups — were withdrawing their deposits to cover payroll because the shutdown of the IPO market caused venture capitalists to stop funding the startups’ cash burning operations.
In addition, SVB’s high level of uninsured deposits made many depositors eager to withdraw their money at the slightest hint of trouble. “Only 1% of banks had higher uninsured leverage. Combined, losses and uninsured leverage provide incentives for an SVB uninsured depositor run,” according to the co-authors’ paper
The highly-concerning report revealed that management ignored further communications by the Fed to fix what ailed SVB. “Last autumn, staff members from the San Francisco Fed met with senior leaders at [SVB] to talk about their ability to gain access to enough cash in a crisis and possible exposure to losses as interest rates rose,” reported the New York Times.
Why on earth did the SVB executives ignore the Fed’s warnings? Why did SVB’s board not act on behalf of shareholders and depositors and replace management with executives who would repair SVB?
Tomi Engdahl says:
Productivity tips from Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Steve Jobs
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/11/productivity-tips-from-elon-musk-jeff-bezos-steve-jobs-and-more.html?utm_content=Main&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook#Echobox=1679578435
Research has shown that most managers believe meetings kill productivity: 65% of senior managers say meetings keep them from completing their own work, according to a survey from Harvard Business School and Boston University, and 71% of 182 managers surveyed said they find meetings to be unproductive and inefficient.
When it comes to meetings, Jack Dorsey has a non-traditional approach that he believes speeds up the critical thinking process, as Resume.io points out.
“Most of my meetings are now Google doc-based, starting with 10-minutes of reading and commenting directly in the doc,” Dorsey tweeted in 2018. “This practice makes time for everyone to get on same page, allows us to work from many locations, and gets to truth/critical thinking faster.”
“Writing is more inclusive,” Sinofsky said. “It is easier to contribute, doesn’t reward bullies and bulls—ers, and allows for contemplation.”
Elon Musk starts his day with his most critical work and schedules the rest of his day based on priority.
“Focus on signal over noise,” Musk said at the University of Southern California Commencement Speech in 2014. “Don’t waste your time on stuff that doesn’t actually make things better.”
One of the ways he does this is by eliminating as many meetings as he can.
“Excessive meetings are the blight of big companies and almost always get worse over time,” the CEO shared in a letter to employees regarding productivity in 2018. “Get rid frequent meetings, unless you are dealing with an extremely urgent matter.”
If you must have a meeting, Musk says “be certain [you are] providing value to the whole audience.” Musk also advises his employees to “walk out or drop off a call as soon as it is obvious you aren’t adding value.”
It’s important to make “high-quality, high-velocity” decisions, according to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. That’s because “speed matters in business,” he said in his 2016 letter to shareholders.
“Most decisions should probably be made with somewhere around 70 percent of the information you wish you had. If you wait for 90 percent, in most cases, you’re probably being slow.”
In fact, whether you make the right decision can actually be less important than making one quickly, according to Bezos.
“Many decisions are reversible, two-way doors— for those, so what if you’re wrong?”
You need to be good at quickly correcting bad decisions, he said, but “if you’re good at course correcting, being wrong may be less costly than you think, whereas being slow is going to be expensive for sure.”
As Resume.io points out, Steve Jobs believed a key to productivity is knowing when to say “no.”
“Focusing is about saying ‘no,’” the late Apple co-founder said during the company’s 1997 Worldwide Developers Conference.
“Focus means saying ‘no’ to the hundred other good ideas,”
In fact, billionaire Warren Buffett shares Jobs’ mindset, once saying “the difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say ‘no’ to almost everything.”
Many successful people from Dorsey to hedge fund billionaire Ray Dalio make meditation part of their daily routine.
It is also one of Bill Gates’ favorite productivity habits. “It’s a great tool for improving my focus,” he said in his Gates Notes blog in 2018.
The Microsoft co-founder, who meditates “two or three times a week, for about 10 minutes each time,” said that meditation teaches him “how to pay attention to the thoughts in my head, and [gain] a little bit of distance from them,” improving his concentration.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Tarinakokemuksella jäät asiakkaan sydämeen
https://www.jco.fi/palvelumme/tarinakokemuksella-jaat-asiakkaan-sydameen/
Olipa kerran…
…brändi joka ei herättänyt tunteita. Asiakkaat eivät pysähtyneet yrityksen viestin äärelle.
Kilpailussa menestyminen oli vaikeaa, vaikka tuote oli kunnossa. Yritykseltä puuttui erottuva tarina, jonka äärellä asiakkaat viihtyisivät.
Sen pituinen se. Tämä tarina oli tämän yrityksen loppu.
Onneksi tämän esimerkin ei tarvitse olla sinun yrityksesi tarina.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Tässä blogissa esitämme frameworkin, jonka olemme Knowit Experiencella kehittäneet organisaation digitaalisen asiakaskokemuksen maturiteettitason arvioimiseen. Tekstin lopusta voit ladata whitepaperimme, jossa frameworkia avataan vielä tarkemmin.
https://we.knowit.fi/experience-fi/framework-organisaation-cx-maturiteetin-arvioimiseen
Tomi Engdahl says:
Six Verbs That Make You Sound Weak (No Matter Your Job Title)
Sometimes it’s the smallest words and phrases that shape how you’re perceived around the office. Here are a few to watch out for at every level.
https://www.fastcompany.com/40523559/six-verbs-that-make-you-sound-weak-no-matter-your-job-title
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.hurja.fi/blogi/mita-kettera-ohjelmistokehitys-tarkoittaa-hurjalla/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.prh.fi/fi/tavaramerkit/tavaramerkin_hakeminen/tavaramerkin_hakeminen_ulkomailla/eun_tavaramerkki.html
https://www.prh.fi/fi/kaupparekisteri/yritystennimet/aputoiminimi.html
https://euipo.europa.eu/ohimportal/fi/search-availability
https://www.bocoip.com/palvelu/tavaramerkki/?gclid=CjwKCAjw5dqgBhBNEiwA7PryaK5VtkcCBKRS956e-TVzdBF5zzRc_7h-poLE0-pA2f7Q5Cb_WWFUMxoCRDMQAvD_BwE
https://yrityksen-perustaminen.net/aputoiminimi/
https://www.holvi.com/fi/holvipedia/aputoiminimi-rekisterointi/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.admanager.fi/blogit/nain-teet-hyvan-display-mainoksen?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=b2b_vk_admanager&utm_content=nainteetdisplay_blogi&fbclid=IwAR3h53l4f9lVj8kSy9AkPTVvCG_ftPykv98MJkyOvGoXvm0UYy2MmIj3X2Q
Tomi Engdahl says:
ENGLANNIN KIELI MARKKINOINNISSA – NOKIA ARENA ON ANGLISMI, NOKIA-AREENA SUOMEN KIELTÄ
https://vapaaverbaalikko.com/2023/03/17/englannin-kieli-markkinoinnissa-nokia-arena-on-anglismi-nokia-areena-suomen-kielta/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.shopify.com/blog/56441413-the-beginners-guide-to-facebook-custom-audiences
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://ellunkanat.fi/mth-riskeille/
Tomi Engdahl says:
I was VP at Google for 10 years. Here’s the No. 1 skill I looked for at job interviews—very few people had it
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/07/former-google-vp-shares-no-1-skill-she-looked-for-at-job-interviews-that-people-rarely-had.html#Echobox=1680826308
During my 10 years at Google as a VP, there were weeks where I would spend up to 40 hours conducting job interviews. So to make things easier, I always had one skill that I looked for in candidates before anything else: self-awareness.
Sure, your experience and skills matter, but they can be learned. And when someone is highly self-aware, they’re more motivated to learn because they’re honest about what they need to work on. They also relate better to their colleagues and managers.
Plus, it’s a rare trait: Research shows that although 95% of people think they’re self-aware, only 10% to 15% actually are.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Epäiletkö saavasi huonompaa palkkaa kuin kollegasi? Kohta voit olla oikeutettu korvauksiin
https://yle.fi/a/74-20025014
EU-direktiivi auttaa tilkitsemään sukupuolten välistä palkkakuilua. Jatkossa esimerkiksi palkka on kerrottava ennen työhaastattelua, jotta palkkatoiveissaan vaatimaton ei jää jo kättelyssä muista jälkeen.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Merkit, etteivät työkaverit arvosta sinua
Mehiläisen johtava organisaatiopsykologi kertoo, miten arvostusta työelämässä voi kehittää.Näkymätön kollegoille
Töllin mukaan arvostuksen puute on yleistä.
– Pääosin ihmiset kuitenkin kokevat, että ainakin joku tai jotkut arvostavat. Ei voi sanoa, että suurin osa ei koe arvostusta, hän lisää.
Töllin mukaan harmillisen moni kokee kuitenkin ainakin arvostuksen vajetta. Se näyttäytyy hänen mukaansa monella eri tavalla.
Arvostus lähtee lähikollegoista.
– Osa kokee, etteivät muut pidä yhtä taitavana tai eivät pidä niin sanotusti hyvänä tyyppinä. Se voi olla tosi raskas kokemus, Tölli sanoo.
– Ihminen voi kokea, että on työpaikalla näkymätön.
Tuolloin ihminen kokee, ettei ole osa porukkaa.
– Se on dramaattinen kokemus ihmiselle, jos hän kokee, ettei voi tulla nähdyksi. Sitä kuitenkin on onneksi aika vähän.
Arvostuksen puute voi Töllin mukaan olla myös hienovaraisempaa vähättelyä.
– Ei oteta kunnolla mukaan, ei kysytä mielipidettä, Tölli sanoo.
https://www.iltalehti.fi/tyoelama/a/bc7b7855-45dd-40b1-9e05-f1dbee36bb46
Tomi Engdahl says:
How To Effortlessly Defend Yourself In An Argument
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nS9W-wlJHPA
Tomi Engdahl says:
Hannah Murphy / Financial Times:
A look at “the flattening”: tech companies laying off middle managers to improve efficiency and cut costs after hiring them in droves during the pandemic boom
‘The flattening’: tech sector calls time on middle managers
https://www.ft.com/content/21ccfe54-88f2-4360-a67e-d3fe1e7df1e5
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://blog.netprofile.fi/thoughts-and-prayers-mita-toimitusjohtaja-voi-oppia-valkoisen-talon-puheenkirjoittajilta
Tomi Engdahl says:
Näillä vinkeillä varastat huomion kotibileissä – stand up -koomikko Niko Kivelä kertoo, miten tulla paremmaksi tarinankertojaksi
https://yle.fi/a/74-20027923
Parhaat tarinankertojat vetävät väkeä ympärilleen kuin magneetti. Mistä johtuu, että toiset osaavat tarinoida niin hyvin ja miten se oikein tapahtuu? Stand up -koomikko Niko Kivelä kehottaa kiinnittämään huomion muutamaan asiaan
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.cloudnow.fi/5+yleisinta+it-ongelmaa
Tomi Engdahl says:
Steve Mollman / Fortune:
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says the “technology is not yet good enough that people can be full remote forever, particularly on startups”
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says the remote work ‘experiment’ was a mistake—and ‘it’s over’
https://fortune.com/2023/05/05/openai-ceo-sam-altman-remote-work-mistake-return-to-office/