Monday, September 18, 2006

Google and Apple "in talks" about iTV

Google and Apple "in talks" about iTV by ZDNet's Garett Rogers -- Last week I wrote about the likelihood of Google and Apple working together on iTV (the codename for an Apple product set to be released in Q1 '07). As it turns out, my speculation might not be too far off -- according to Newsweek, Marissa Mayer says the two companies are "in talks"."Is it possible [...]

Focus on Problems VS Focus on Solutions

1) When NASA began the launch of astronauts into space, they found out that the pens wouldn't work at zero gravity (Ink won't flow down to the writing surface). In order to solve this problem, it took them one decade and $12 million. They developed a pen that worked at zero gravity, upside down, underwater, in practically any surface including crystal and in a temperature range from below freezing to over 300 degrees C.

And what did Russiansdo........................................??






The Russians used a Pencil!!!

2) One of the most memorable case studies on Japanese management was the case of the empty soap box, which happened in one of Japan's biggest cosmetics companies. The company received a complaint that a consumer had bought a soap box that was empty. Immediately the authorities isolated the problem to the assembly line, which transported all the packaged boxes
of soap to the delivery department. For some reason, one soap box went through the assembly line empty. Management asked its engineers to solve the problem.

Post-haste, the engineers worked hard to devise an X-ray machine with high-resolution monitors manned by two people to watch all the soap boxes that passed through the line to make sure they were not empty. No doubt, they worked hard and they worked fast but they spent whoopee amount to do so.

But when a rank-and-file employee in a small company was posed with the same problem, did not get into complications of X-rays, etc but instead came out with another solution.

He bought a strong industrial electric fan and pointed it at the assembly line. He switched the fan on, and as each soap box passed the fan, it simply blew the empty boxes out of the line.

Moral of the story:

Keep It Simple.
Always look for simple solutions. Devise the simplest possible solution that
solves the problem. Learn to focus on solutions not on problems.

"If you look at what you do not have in life, you don't have anything"
"If you look at what you have in life, you have everything"

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Grab Your Audience Fast

SEPTEMBER 12, 2006

Viewpoint
By Carmine Gallo

Grab Your Audience Fast
You literally have just a few seconds to make an impression on your business audience when you deliver a presentation. Here's how

It's presentation season, when thousands of company executives around the world will be pitching products, services, or companies to a wide range of audiences—at investor and analyst conferences, trade shows, sales meetings, and conventions. The majority of these presentations will be boring, convoluted, and uninspiring. Most presentations flop out of the gate because they fail to answer the key question on the minds of listeners: Why should I care?

In an interview in the March, 2003, issue of O: The Oprah Magazine, talk-show legend Oprah Winfrey offered this advice on public speaking: "A powerful beginning and ending will stick with your listeners. What's the most important message you want to leave your audience with—and why should they care? Every listener instinctively wants to know one thing: What's in it for me? The greatest public speakers are those who work at making their addresses both interesting and relatable." Oprah gets it. Make yourself interesting from the start. You can't afford to have your audience lose interest in those first few moments.

You literally have just a few seconds to make a lasting impression—from as little as two seconds to 90 seconds, depending on which study you cite. Regardless of the exact time, it's fast. Let's leave it at that. Given that fact, it's important that you make a strong, emotional connection with your listeners with your first few words. And those first few words should grab your listeners by getting them involved with the content of your presentation.

MONSTER MOMENT. I once had the opportunity to interview Monster.com founder Jeff Taylor. At the time, Taylor was giving anywhere from 30 to 70 speeches a year on topics ranging from entrepreneurship to employment. As a speaker, I found Taylor to be exciting, captivating, and consistently inspiring. That's because Taylor understands the power of a strong opener. Sometimes, he gets an entire audience chanting a mantra in unison. Other times, he'll involve the audience by asking them to physically do something in order to set up the theme of his speech.

For example, in his talks about innovation, Taylor will ask the audience if they believe they are true innovators. Of course, many people will nod their heads. He then takes off a shoe and asks his audience to do the same. Then he points out the true innovators, or "early adopters," those who removed their shoes immediately; the "massive middle" representing most consumers; and finally the "laggards." Taylor will then ask the innovators and the laggards questions.

I am not suggesting you do something as bold as to ask people to take off their shoes at your next presentation. Taylor has a lot of experience speaking before crowds of several thousand people, and his audiences expect him to be a little outrageous, to push the envelope. They don't necessarily expect that type of opener in your next staff meeting. But they do expect you to grab their attention by giving them a reason to listen, a reason to care.

REASON TO CARE. Make a positive impression on your listeners by giving them a reason to care about your message. Let them know that the next 20 or 30 minutes will be valuable for them. Last year, I worked with the vice-president of sales for a well-known high-tech company. His goal in preparing for the company's annual sales meeting was to motivate his sales team about the state of the company and its new products. This particular executive had planned to begin the presentation by outlining a very long agenda. (It's worth mentioning here that Apple (AAPL) Chief Executive Steve Jobs, considered to be one of the most charismatic pitchmen in corporate America today, never starts with an agenda slide. He gets right to what the audience wants to hear.) (see BusinessWeek.com, 4/6/06, "How to Wow 'Em Like Steve Jobs")

Anyway, back to our VP. The agenda was long. After several minutes, I began losing interest. This wasn't the way to motivate his team, I thought. So I asked him to tell me what he really wanted to say. He thought about it for a moment and said, "Well, this year is shaping up to be the best year in our company's history. We just signed the largest retail agreement in our history and not all of my salespeople know the implications of it, and for most of my sales guys, this will be the most lucrative year of their careers." And with that he not only grabbed my attention but gave his listeners a reason to listen. The agenda slide was out and his new opener was in.

The goal of most presentations is to lead the listener to some sort of action: buying a product, scheduling a follow-up call to learn more, visiting a Web site, investing in a company, or doing whatever it may be. The more memorable the message, the easier it is to act upon.

Make your message memorable by grabbing the attention of your listener right out of the gate. Give them a reason to care!
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Gallo is a Pleasanton (Calif.)-based corporate presentation coach and former Emmy Award-winning TV journalist. He's the author of the book 10 Simple Secrets of the World's Greatest Business Communicators. Visit him online at www.carminegallo.com

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

社會生活中十二大著名法則

一、 馬太效應
二、 手錶定理
三、 不值得定律
四、 彼得原理
五、 零和遊戲原理
六、 華盛頓合作規律
七、 酒與污水定律
八、 水桶定律
九、 蘑菇管理
十、 奧卡姆剃刀定律
十一、 二八法則
十二、 錢的問題
--------------------------------------------------------------
一、馬太效應
《新約‧馬太福音》中有這樣一個故事,一個國王遠行前,交給三個僕人每人一錠銀子,吩咐他們:「你們去做生意,等我回來時,再來見我。」

國王回來時,第一個僕人說:「主人,你交給我們的一錠銀子,我已賺了1 0錠。」
於是國王獎勵他10座城邑。

第二個僕人報告說:「主人,你給我的一錠銀子,我已賺了5錠。」
於是國王例獎勵了他5座城邑。

第三個僕人報告說:
「主人,你給我的一錠銀子,我一直包在手巾裡存著,我怕丟失,一直沒有拿出來。」
於是國王命令將第三個僕人的一錠銀子也賞給第一個僕人,並且說:「凡是少的,就連他所有的也要奪過來。凡是多的,還要給他,叫他多多益善。」

這就是馬太效應。

看看我們周圍,就可以發現許多馬太效應的例子。
朋友多的人會借助頻繁的交往得到更多的朋友;缺少朋友的人會一直孤獨下去。
這是個贏家通吃的社會,善用馬太效應,贏家就是你。

對 企業經營發展而言,馬太效應則告訴我們,要想在某一個領域保持優勢,就必須在此領域迅速做大。當你成為某個領域的領頭羊的時候,即使投資回報率相同,你 也能更輕易的獲得比弱小的同行更大的收益。而若沒有實力迅速在某個領域做大,就要不停地尋找新的發展領域,才能保證獲得較好的回報。

二、手錶定理
手錶定理是指一個人有一隻表時,可以知道現在是幾點鐘,而當他同時擁有兩隻表時卻無法確定。兩隻表並不能告訴一個人更準確的時間,反而會讓看表的人失去對準確時間的信心。

你要做的就是選擇其中較信賴的一隻,盡力校準它,並以此作為你的標準,聽從它的指引行事。

記住尼采的話:「兄弟,如果你是幸運的,你只需有一種道德而不要貪多,這樣,你過橋更容易些。」

如果每個人都「選擇你所愛,愛你所選擇」,無論成敗都可以心安理得。

然而,困擾很多人的是:他們被「兩隻表」弄得無所,心身交瘁,不知自己該信仰哪一個,還有人在環境、他人的壓力下,違心選擇了自己並不喜歡的道路,為此而鬱鬱終生,即使取得了受人矚目的成就,也體會不到成功的快樂。

手錶定理在企業經營管理方面給我們一種非常直觀的啟發,就是對同一個人或同一個組織的管理不能同時採用兩種不同的方法,不能同時設置兩個不同的目標。甚至每一個人不能由兩個人來同時指揮,否則將使這個企業或這個人無所適從。

手錶定理所指的另一層含義在於每個人都不能同時挑選兩種不同的價值觀,否則,你的行為將陷於混亂。

三、不值得定律
不值得定律最直觀的表述是:不值得做的事情,就不值得做好。這個定律似乎再簡單不過了,但它的重要性卻時時被人們疏忘。

不值得定律反映出人們的一種心理,一個人如果從事的是一份自認為不值得做的事情,往往會保持冷嘲熱諷,敷衍了事的態度。不僅成功率小,而且即使成功,也不會覺得有多大的成就感。

哪些事值得做呢?一般而言,這取決於三個因素。
1、價值觀:
關於價值觀我們已經談了很多,只有符合我們價值觀的事,我們才會滿懷熱情去做。

2、個性和氣質:
一個人如果做一份與他的個性氣質完全背離的工作,他是很難做好的。如一個好交往的人成了檔案員,或一個害羞者不得不每天和不同的人打交道。

3、現實的處境:
同樣一份工作在不同的處境下去做,給我們的感受也是不同的。

例如,在一家大公司,如果你最初做的是打雜跑腿的工作,你很可能認為是不值得的;可是一旦你被提升為領班或部門經理,你就不會這樣認為了。

總結一下,值得做的工作是:符合我們的價值觀、適合我們的個性與氣質,並能讓我們看到期望。

如果你的工作不具備這三個因素,你就要考慮換一個更合適的工作,並努力做好它。

因此對個人來說,應在多種可供選擇的奮鬥目標及價值觀中挑選一種,然後為之而奮鬥。「選擇你所愛的,愛你所選擇的」,才可能激發我們的奮鬥毅力,也才可以心安理得。

而 對一個企業或組織來說,則要很好地分析員工的性格特性,合理分配工作,如讓成就欲較強的職工單獨或牽頭來完成具有一定風險和難度的工作,並在其完成時給 予定時的肯定和讚揚;讓依附欲較強的職工更多地參加到某個團體中共同工作;讓權力慾較強的職工擔任一個與之能力相適應的主管。同時要加強員工對企業目標的 認同感,讓員工感覺到自己所做的工作是值得的,這樣才能激發職工的熱情。

四、彼得原理
彼得原理是美國學者勞倫斯‧彼得在對組織中人員晉陞的相關現象研究後得出的一個結論;在各種組織中,由於習慣於對在某個等級上稱職的人員進行晉陞提拔,因而僱員總是趨向於晉陞到其不稱職的地位。

彼得原理有時也被稱為「向上爬」原理。這種現象在現實生活中無處不在:一名稱職的教授被提升為大學校長後無法勝任;一個優秀的運動員被提升為主管體育的官員,而無所作為。

對 一個組織而言,一旦組織中的相當部分人員被推到了其不稱職的級別,就會造成組織的人浮於事,效率低下,導致平庸者出人頭地,發展停滯。因此,這就要求改變 單純的「根據貢獻決定晉陞」的企業員工晉陞機制,不能因某個人在某一個崗位級別上幹得很出色,就推斷此人一定能夠勝任更高一級的職務。

要建立科學、合理的人員選聘機制,客觀評價每一位職工的能力和水平,將職工安排到其可以勝任的崗位。

不要把崗位晉陞當成對職工的主要獎勵方式,應建立更有效的獎勵機制,更多地以加薪、休假等方式作為獎勵手段。

有時將一名職工晉陞到一個其無法很好發揮才能的崗位,不僅不是對職工的獎勵,反而使職工無法很好發揮才能,也給企業帶來損失。


對個人而言,雖然我們每個人都期待著不停地升職,但不要將往上爬作為自己的惟一動力。與其在一個無法完全勝任的崗位勉力支撐、無所適從,還不如找一個自己能游刃有餘的崗位好好發揮自己的專長。

五、零和遊戲原理
當 你看到兩位對弈者時,你就可以說他們正在玩「零和遊戲」。因為在大多數情況下,總會有一個贏,一個輸,如果我們把獲勝計算為得1 分,而輸棋為-1分,那麼,這兩人得分之和就是:1+(-1)=0。這正是「零和遊戲」的基本內容:遊戲者有輸有贏,一方所贏正是另一方所輸,遊戲的總成 績永遠是零。

零和遊戲原理之所以廣受關注,主要是因為人們發現在社會的方方面面都能發現與「零和遊戲」類似的局面,勝利者的光榮後面往往隱藏著失敗者的辛酸和苦澀。從個人到國家,從政治到經濟,似乎無不驗證了世界正是一個巨大的「零和遊戲」場。

這種理論認為,世界是一個封閉的系統,財富、資源、機遇都是有限的,個別人、個別地區和個別國家財富的增加必然意味著對其他人、其他地區和國家的掠奪,這是一個「邪惡進化論」式的弱肉強食的世界。

但20世紀人類在經歷了兩次世界大戰,經濟的高速增長、科技進步、全球化以及日益嚴重的環境污染之後,「零和遊戲」觀念正逐漸被「雙贏」觀念所取代。人們開始認識到「利己」不一定要建立在「損人」的基礎上。通過有效合作,皆大歡喜的結局是可能出現的。

但從「零和遊戲」走向「雙贏」,要求各方要有真誠合作的精神和勇氣,在合作中不要耍小聰明,不要總想佔別人的小便宜,要遵守遊戲規則,否則「雙贏」的局面就不可能出現,最終吃虧的還是自己。

六、華盛頓合作規律
華盛頓合作規律說的是:一個人敷衍了事,兩個人互相推諉,三個人則永無成事之日。多少有點類似於我們「三個和尚」的故事。

人與人的合作不是人力的簡單相加,而是要複雜和微妙得多。在人與人的合作中,假定每個人的能力都為1 ,那麼10個人的合作結果就有時比10大得多,有時甚至比1還要小。因為人不是靜止的動物,而更像方向各異的能量,相推動時自然事半功倍,相互牴觸時則一事無成。

我 們傳統的管理理論中,對合作研究得並不多,最直觀的反映就是,目前的大多數管理制度和行業都是致力於減少人力的無謂消耗,而非利用組織提高人的效能。換言 之,不妨說管理的主要目的不是讓每個人做到最好,而是避免內耗過多。21世紀將是一個合作的時代,值得慶幸的是,越來越多的人已經認識到真誠合作的重要 性,正在努力學習合作。

邦尼人力定律:一個人一分鐘可以挖一個洞,六十個人一秒種卻挖不了一個洞。

合作是一個問題,如何合作也是一個問題。

七、酒與污水定律
酒與污水定律是指,如果把一匙酒倒進一桶污水中,你得到的是一桶污水;如果把一匙污水倒進一桶酒中,你得到的還是一桶污水。

幾 乎在任何組織裡,都存在幾個難弄的人物,他們存在的目的似乎就是為了把事情搞糟。他們到處搬弄是非,傳播流言、破壞組織內部的和諧。最糟糕的是,他們像果 箱裡的爛蘋果,如果你不及時處理,它會迅速傳染,把果箱裡其它蘋果也弄爛,「爛蘋果」的可怕之處在於它那驚人的破壞力。一個正直能幹的人進入一個混亂的部 門可能會被吞沒,而一個人無德無才者能很快將一個高效的部門變成一盤散沙。

組織系統往往是脆弱的,是建立在相互理解、妥協和容忍的基礎上 的,它很容易被侵害、被毒化。破壞者能力非凡的另一個重要原因在於,破壞總比建設容易。一個能工巧匠花費時日精心製作的陶瓷器,一頭驢子一秒鐘就能毀壞 掉。如果擁有再多的能工巧匠,也不會有多少像樣的工作成果。如果你的組織裡有這樣的一頭驢子,你應該馬上把它清除掉;如果你無力這樣做,你就應該把它拴起 來。

八、水桶定律
水桶定律是講,一隻水桶能裝多少水,完全取決於它最短的那塊木板。這就是說任何一個組織都可能面臨的一個共同問題,即構成組織的各個部分往往決定了整個組織的水平。構成組織的各個部分往往是優劣不齊的,而劣質部分往往又決定整個組織的水平。

「水 桶定律」與「酒與污水定律」不同,後者討論的是組織中的破壞力量,而「最短的木板」卻是組織中有用的幾個部分,只不過比其它部分差一些,你不能把它們當成 爛蘋果扔掉。強弱只是相對而言的,無法消除。問題在於你容忍這種弱點到什麼程度。如果它嚴重到成為阻礙工作的瓶頸,就不得不有所動作。

如果你在一個組織中,你應該:
1、確保你不是最薄弱的部分;
2、避免或減少這一薄弱環節對你成功的影響;
3、如果不幸,你正處在這一環節中,你還可以採取有效的方法改進,或者轉職去謀另一份工作。

九、蘑菇管理
蘑菇管理是許多組織對待初出茅廬者的一種管理方法,初學者被置於陰暗的角落(不受重視的部門,或打雜跑腿的工作),澆上一頭大糞(無端的批評、指責、代人受過),任其自生自滅(得不到必要的指導和提攜)。

相 信很多人都有這樣一段「蘑菇」的經歷,但這不一定是什麼壞事,尤其是當一切都剛剛開始的時候,當上幾天「蘑菇」,能夠消除我們很多不切實際的幻想,讓我們 更加接近現實,看問題也更加實際,而對一個組織而言,一般地新進的人員都是一視同仁,從起薪到工作都不會有大的差別。無論你是多麼優秀的人才,在剛開始的 時候都只能從最簡單的事情做起,「蘑菇」的經歷對於成長中的年輕人來說,就像蠶繭,是羽化前必須經歷的一步。所以,如何高效率地走過生命中的這一段,從中 盡可能吸取經驗,成熟起來,並樹立良好的值得信賴的個人形象,是每個剛入社會的年輕人必須面對的課題。

十、奧卡姆剃刀定律
如果你認為只有焦頭爛額、忙忙碌碌地工作才可能取得成功,那麼,你錯了。事情總是朝著複雜的方向發展,複雜會造成浪費,而效能則來自於單純。在你做過的事情中可能絕大部分是毫無意義的,真正有效的活動只是其中的一小部分,而它們通常隱含於繁雜的事物中。

找到關鍵的部分,去掉多餘的活動,成功並不那麼複雜。  

奧卡姆剃刀:如無必要,勿增實體。

12世紀,英國奧卡姆的威廉對無休無止的關於「共相」、「本質」之類的爭吵感到厭倦,主張唯名論,只承認確實存在的東西,認為那些空洞無物的普遍性要領都是無用的累贅,應當被無情地「剃除」。他主張,「如無必要,勿增實體。」這就是常說的「奧卡姆剃刀」。

這把剃刀曾使很多人感到威脅,被認為是異端邪說,威廉本人也受到傷害。然而,這並未損害這把刀的鋒利,相反,經過數百年越來越快,並早已超越了原來狹窄的領域而具有廣泛的、豐富的、深刻的意義。  

奧卡姆剃刀定律在企業管理中可進一步深化為簡單與複雜定律:
把事情變複雜很簡單,把事情變簡單很複雜。

這個定律要求,我們在處理事情時,要把握事情的主要實質,把握主流,解決最根本的問題。尤其要順應自然,不要把事情人為地複雜化,這樣才能把事情處理好。

十一、二八法則
你所完成的工作裡80%的成果,來自於你20%的付出;而80%的付出,只換來20%的成果

十二、錢的問題
當某人告訴你:「不是錢,而是原則問題」時,十有八九就是錢的問題。

照一般的說法,金錢是價值的尺度,交換的媒介,財富的貯藏。但是這種說法忽略了它的另一面,它令人陶醉、令人瘋狂、令人激動的一面,也撇開了愛錢的心理不談。馬克思說,金錢是「人情的離心力」,就是指這一方面而言。  

關於金錢的本質、作用和功過,從古到今,人們已經留下了無數精闢深刻的格言和妙語。我們常會看到,人們為錢而興奮,努力賺錢,用財富的畫面挑逗自己。

金 錢對世界的秩序以及我們的生活產生的影響是巨大的、廣泛的,這種影響有時是潛在的,我們往往意識不到它的作用如此巨大,然而奇妙的是:它完全是人類自己創 造的。致富的驅動力並不是起源於生物學上的需要,動物生活中也找不到任何相同的現象。它不能順應基本的目標,不能滿足根本的需求- --的確,「致富」的定義就是獲得超過自己需要的東西。然而這個看起來漫無目標的驅動力卻是人類最強大的力量,人類為金錢而互相傷害,遠超過其他原因。

Monday, September 11, 2006

ENG Joke- Spring Fever

  • Spring Fever 春倦症
Four high school boys afflicted with spring fever skipped morning classes. After lunch they reported to the teacher that they had a flat tire.
  • afflicted v. 使苦惱,使受折磨
Much to their relief she smiled and said, "Well, you missed a test today so take seats apart from one another and take out a piece of paper."

Still smiling, she waited for them to sit down. Then she said: "First Question: Which tire was flat?"

ENG Joke- Stained Glass

A minister tells of his first Sunday in a new parish and of presenting the children's message. It seems the sanctuary in the new church had some magnificent stained glass windows, so his message centered on how each of us is called to help make up the whole picture of life (the life of the community of the faithful). Like the pictures in the windows, it takes many little panels of glass to make the whole picture.
  • parish n. 教區
  • sanctuary n. 聖殿
  • panel n. 鑲嵌板
And then he said, "You see each one of you is a little pane." And then pointing to each child, "You're a little pane. And you're a little pane. And you're a little pane. And..."
  • pane n. 玻璃片、鑲嵌片
It took a few moments before he realized why everyone was laughing so hard.

ENG words

poltroon \pahl-TROON\ noun
膽小鬼、懦夫
: a spiritless coward : craven

Example sentence:
In the end, their leader proved to be a traitorous poltroon whose main concern was saving his own skin.
  • traitorous adj. 叛逆的、背信棄義的
同義字: =chicken=craven
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mimesis \muh-MEE-sis\ noun
模仿、【生】擬態
: imitation, mimicry

Example sentence:
Late in her career, the painter became less interested in mimesis and began to experiment in styles of abstraction.
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upbraid \up-BRAYD\ verb
責罵、訓斥
1 : to criticize severely : find fault with
*2 : to reproach severely : scold vehemently
  • reproach v. 責備、訓斥
  • vehemently adv. 激烈地、熱烈地、熱切地
Example sentence:
After being late to class for the third time in a week, Marshall was upbraided by his teacher and given detention.

Sunday, September 03, 2006

ENG words

hinterland \HIN-ter-land\ noun
內地
1 : a region lying inland from a coast
2 a : a region remote from urban areas *b : a region lying beyond major metropolitan or cultural centers

Example sentence:
Ty and Saja spent a few days in the capital before setting off for the hinterland.
  • set off 出發、動身
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orotund \OR-uh-tund\ adjective
聲音響亮的
1 : marked by fullness, strength, and clarity of sound : sonorous
*2 : pompous, bombastic
  • sonorous adj. 能發出響亮聲音的
  • pompous adj. 浮誇的、自負的
  • bombastic adj. 誇張的
Example sentence:
Josh cleared his throat dramatically, then did a dead-on impression of the professor's orotund, patronizing speech.
  • dead-on
  • patronizing adj. 要人領情的