Excelle

h4. Name: Kim Diorio Role / Company: Assistant Principal, Guidance, Curriculum & Instruction, Palo Alto High School Location: Palo Alto, California 1. How did you get where you are today? While working hard towards achieving my own goals, I’ve managed to surround myself with people who are very encouraging, supportive, helpful and honest. When you’ve developed that kind of support system, ...

h4. The Idea in Brief You've spent months coaching that employee to treat customers better, work more independently, or get organized—all to no avail. How to make better use of your precious time? Do what great managers do: Instead of trying to change your employees, identify their unique abilities (and even their eccentricities)—then help them use those qualities to excel in ...

Is your critical feedback building up employees — or tearing them down? h4. The Idea in Brief That dreaded moment has come: You're delivering critical feedback to an employee. Despite your best efforts, the conversation is a disaster: tempers flare, the employee gets defensive, your relationship grows strained. What happened? Like most managers, you probably inadvertently sabotaged the meeting — preparing ...

h4. The Idea in Brief Ask new managers about their early days as bosses, and you'll hear tales of disorientation, even despair. As Hill points out, most novice bosses don't realize how sharply management differs from individual work. Hampered by misconceptions, they fail the trials involved in this rite of passage. And when they stumble, they jeopardize their careers and inflict ...

When I was starting out in the white - collar world, it was a very different social environment from the typical workplace of 2007. We talked about work, work, work, with a little personal gossip thrown in now and then. From time to time, we'd say something like "I saw a good movie this weekend." People didn't bring their personal lives ...

h4. Name: Margaret Lee Role / Company: Manager, Location Strategy, Sun Microsystems Location: San Francisco, California 1. How did you get where you are today? I've held many positions that have led me to where I am today, though at the time there didn't seem to be any correlation from one job to another. You learn a lot from every job, ...

Still think men are the most powerful force in each sector of the job market? Think again. According to a recent report by the US Department of Education, women are earning more degrees, filling more positions, and making higher salaries in several fields which have traditionally been ruled by men - and that's only the beginning. == == Related Links == ...

h4. 1) *+Salo LLC+* Industry:Senior-level finance/accounting staffing, Minneapolis +Amy Langer+ _Began:_ 2002 _Initial Investment:_ $100,000 _2002 sales:_ $55,000 _2006 sales:_ $32.1 million _Biggest Challenge:_"By hiring the right management team and building a strong infrastructure, I can focus on the longer-term strategic aspects of growing our business." _Best advice:_"By hiring the right management team and building a strong infrastructure, I can focus ...

h4. Name: Rachel Cho Role / Company: Rachel Cho Flowers Location: New York City, NY 1. How did you get where you are today? I grew up helping my mother at her flower shop during holidays and vacations and always had a appreciation for beauty and flowers. After gaining work experience in various industries, such as marketing, fashion, and health and ...

h4. Name: Celia Saino Role / Company: Product Marketing Director, Google Location: Mountain View, CA 1. How did you get where you are today? Peter Lynch wrote that he invests in what he knows. This strategy has worked for me in picking companies. I work at Google because after I evaluated one of their products, I felt like I was looking ...

Name: Amy Posey Role / Company: Manager, Human Capital, Deloitte Consulting LLP Location: San Jose, CA 1. How did you get where you are today? I've traveled a lot, lived many places, absorbed the world around me. I've worked hard. I have also learned a lot about people that's important. I started out as a secondary teacher and take a lot ...

h4. Introduction Exceeding expectations is Amy Langer's business. When she and partner John Folkestad, 40, first wrote the business plan for Salo LLC, a senior-level finance and accounting staffing company, they anticipated sales of about $9 million by their third year in business--no small feat. "Most of our advisors [told us], ‘These projections are unreal. No small business does this,'" recalls ...

h4. 11) *+Pinnacle Petroleum+* Industry:Petroleum products, Huntington Beach, CA +Liz McKinley+ _Began:_ 1995 _Initial Investment:_ $150,000 _2002 sales:_ $20.9 million _2006 sales:_ $120 million _Biggest Challenge:_"Proving the company's legitimacy was key. Once you acquire one good flagship account, you are on your way. A supportive banking relationship can provide instant credibility as well." _Best advice:_"Accounts Receivable management is critical. For that ...

h4. 21) *+MNJ Technologies Direct+* Industry:Computer hardware/software, Buffalo Grove, IL +Susan Kozak+ _Began:_ 2002 _Initial Investment:_ $500,000 _2002 sales:_ $4 million _2006 sales:_ $34 million _Best Advice:_"In your business plan, take whatever you think your budget needs to be, and double it. Don't be too conservative in what you think your [startup] costs will be." _Inspiration:_"We started MNJ because we are ...

h4. 31) *+Perfect Power+* Industry:Solar electric design/installation, Phoenix +Lynn Paige+ _Began:_ 1998 _Initial Investment:_ $10,000 _2002 sales:_ $62,000 _2006 sales:_ $3.1 million _Biggest Challenge:_"Our biggest challenge is making sure our team sees the goal as we grow and change in an industry that changes every day." _Success Secret:_"Have an end goal in mind everyday, with every project." Top of Page h4. ...

h4. 41) *+Powertek Corp.+* Industry:Business/IT solutions, Fairfax, VA Nancy Scott, Samar Ghadry _Began:_ 2001 _Initial Investment:_ $25,000 _2002 sales:_ $611,000 _2006 sales:_ $7.8 million _Biggest Challenge:_"The biggest initial challenge was to get people to trust our ability to do good as a newcomer. We overcame this by conveying to potential customers that we were a quality organization, and then living up ...

Think you’d make a great free agent? Author and entrepreneur Joline Godfrey believes that choice could be right for you. In her book Our Wildest Dreams: Women Entrepreneurs Making Money, Having Fun, Doing Good, Godfrey writes about all kinds of women who’ve gone out on their own—everyone from Anita Roddick of the Body Shop to two female crane operators in the ...

Ten years ago, there were few consultants. Those who were consultants most often worked for the large, well-established consulting firms. Today, however, consulting has become a quickly growing profession, advantageous for both the consultants and the companies who engage them. h4. A Consultant's Advantage Once you've established yourself as a consultant and built a solid reputation, you are free to pick ...

h4. 1. Crying in Meetings I think it’s about time we realized that no matter how bad a performance review or brutal a boss, it’s never worth smudging our eye makeup. Plus it freaks people out. h4. 2. Candy on Your Desk It doesn't need to be your responsibility to ensure that everybody in the office is sugared up. And this ...

The dollar’s down, and the offshoring of supply chains continues apace. The stock market is volatile, but has been trending up through most of 2007. The housing market and the mortgage industry have seemingly hit bottom. All in all, consumers aren’t sure what to think. Given this mixed economic picture, what will 2008 hold for salespeople looking to change jobs or ...