Saturday, March 25, 2006

what's on your mind?

Our operations class is taught by various professors based on their areas of expertise. Of the 4 or 5 professors that have taught, Corey Billington was one that proved to be popular with most students. Corey came from HP, where he ran the supply chain, then purchasing. What makes his lectures special are not limited to his extensive knoelwedge of purchasing or supply chain, but the practical management experience he brings to the table.

For those of us with some people management experience, and those who are going to manage teams, the management tools or advice he offers, are applicable immediately. You know, MBAs prefer practical stuff over things like WACC calculation or absorbtion accounting.

The topic discussed yesterday was on layoff skills. Well, a pretty passionate dicussion, as you can imagine. Some of us have been through it (including myself), and have seen plenty of bad examles! So, here is what Crey has to offer. Prepare, prepare, prepare! So when the time comes, you just execute the plan. The moment you know that it might be coming, take your staff aside, and ask them, in a private setting, would you have a preference. Some people might just tell you that they would prefer to take the package. It's better than not asking, and have someone be unhappy, because he/she wanted the package but did not get laid-off, while the person who got laid-off is also upset because he/she didn't want to leave.

If course, there's more complexity (that is why you go get an MBA to get a full explaination). For example, someone asked: "Would you really want to tell your boss your mind is somewhere else?" The answer: "come on, the average adult thinks about sex 6 times a minute, do you really thinkg your mind is at work?" The witty comments make his lecture just so much more enjoyable!

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