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Jeff Weiner of LinkedIn, on the ‘Next Play’ Philosophy. Action Method II: Keeping Projects Alive. Action Steps are the most important components of projects—the oxygen for keeping projects alive.

Action Method II: Keeping Projects Alive

No Action Steps, no action, no results. The actual outcome of any idea is dependent on the Actions Steps that are captured and then completed by you or delegated to someone else. Action Steps are to be revered and treated as sacred in any project.The more clear and concrete an Action Step is, the less friction you will encounter trying to do it. If an Action Step is vague or complicated, you will probably skip over it to others on your list that are more straightforward. To avoid this, start each Action Step with a verb: Call programmer to discuss . . .Install new software for . . .Research the possibility of . . .Mock up a sample of the . . .Update XYZ document for . . . Verbs help pull us into our Action Steps at first glance, efficiently indicating what type of action is required. The more clear and concrete an Action Step is, the less friction you will encounter trying to do it.

The social economy: Unlocking value and productivity through social technologies. In a few short years, social technologies have given social interactions the speed and scale of the Internet.

The social economy: Unlocking value and productivity through social technologies

Whether discussing consumer products or organizing political movements, people around the world constantly use social-media platforms to seek and share information. Companies use them to reach consumers in new ways too; by tapping into these conversations, organizations can generate richer insights and create precisely targeted messages and offers. While 72 percent of companies use social technologies in some way, very few are anywhere near to achieving the full potential benefit. In fact, the most powerful applications of social technologies in the global economy are largely untapped. Companies will go on developing ways to reach consumers through social technologies and gathering insights for product development, marketing, and customer service.

Exhibit Enlarge Two-thirds of this potential value lies in improving collaboration and communication within and across enterprises. Red Hat CEO: How to Inspire Employees. Here's the second in my series where I choose a topic, pick someone smarter than me--which is a pretty easy task--and we trade emails.

Red Hat CEO: How to Inspire Employees

The first was with Dave Lavinsky, the founder and CEO of Growthink, about the best way to learn to be an entrepreneur. This time it's Jim Whitehurst, the President and CEO of Red Hat, a $1.1 billion open source software and systems company. (If you're running Linux, odds are good it's Red Hat.) Before joining Red Hat he was the COO of Delta Airlines; his job was to lead the company out of bankruptcy. Before that he was a director and vice president of Boston Consulting Group. Yep. The premise: What companies project or "sell" to the outside isn't always how they operate on the inside--especially where their employees are concerned. Jeff: Lots of companies say what they do best is listen to their customers... but if the owner doesn't listen to his employees, I guarantee those employees aren't listening to customers.

Management Theories. Great Managers, Great Leadership; Think of Them as Engagement Maestros. A new VP rides into town for the holidays!

Great Managers, Great Leadership; Think of Them as Engagement Maestros

This past week in New York, as in other cities, there were Christmas parties all over town. In this case, the department got together with drinks, food and holiday festivities. It was a festive occasion with everyone engaged and having a heck of a time. The new VP walks into the room and works it masterfully. He had conversation for everyone; not just fake small talk, but actual conversation with each person about their work and who they were. A Gen Y person that I know is not satisfied with her job and works for this company. However, internally she had already been identified as a superstar by all. Ask the right questions The problem is that she wants more work to do and really wants to get involved in more challenging assignments. The VP came along and the two of them have a great discussion. The morning after the party, she walks in oblivious to any of this until one of the managers pulls her aside and gave her the backtalk. The One Thing Your Team Wants You to Stop Doing - Vineet Nayar.

By Vineet Nayar | 7:00 AM December 21, 2012 The other day, on the sidelines of a conference, a bright young manager sought my advice.

The One Thing Your Team Wants You to Stop Doing - Vineet Nayar

“I’ve tried using different leadership styles, but I can’t seem to dispel my team’s sense of disengagement,” he confessed. “I don’t understand what I’m doing wrong.” “Why don’t you ask your team?” I asked him. The reply surprised him, but there’s no point in complicating leadership. 6 Popular Ideas that Fail. “Nobody ever gets fired for buying IBM” was once a popular belief that seems quaint now.

6 Popular Ideas that Fail

It’s hard to imagine that people used to buy IBM products simply because they were so dominant. We are all, however, chauvinists for our own age, caught up in our own moment.