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Showing posts from May, 2011

Body Language

How body language can be used to understand others ... NONVERBAL BEHAVIOR INTERPRETATION Brisk, erect walk  Confidence Standing with hands on hips  Readiness, aggression Sitting with legs crossed, foot kicking slightly  Boredom Sitting, legs apart  Open, relaxed Arms crossed on chest  Defensiveness Walking with hands in pockets,shoulders hunched  Dejection Hand to cheek  Evaluation, thinking Touching, slightly rubbing nose  Rejection, doubt, lying Rubbing the eye  Doubt, disbelief Hands clasped behind back  Anger, frustration, apprehension Locked ankles  Apprehension Head resting in hand,eyes downcast  Boredom Rubbing hands  Anticipation Sitting with hands clasped behind head, legs crossed  Confidence, superiority Open palm  Sincerity, openness, innocence Pinching bridge of nose,eyes closed  Negative evaluation Tapping or drumming fingers  Impatience Steepling fingers  Authoritative Patting/fondling hair  Lack of self-confidence; insecurity Tilted head  I

Agile Methodologies

What is Agile? Agile methodologies generally promote a project management process that encourages frequent inspection and adaptation, a leadership philosophy that encourages team work, self-organization and accountability, a set of engineering best practices that allow for rapid delivery of high-quality software, and a business approach that aligns development with customer needs and company goals. In brief, agile encourages ·          Individuals and interactions over processes and tools. ·          Working software over comprehensive documentation. ·          Customer collaboration over contract negotiation. ·          Responding to change over following a plan. There are many specific agile development methods. Most promote development, teamwork, collaboration, and process adaptability throughout the life-cycle of the project. Agile chooses to do things in small increments with minimal planning, rather than long-term planning. Iterations are short time frames (kn

8 Reasons Why Employee Feedback Backfires

8 Reasons Why Employee Feedback Backfires Many times, leaders, managers, and executives give up on providing employee feedback because it has backfired on them. Why is that the case? Why does feedback so often backfire? Here are eight of the top causes: 1. Feedback that is indirect. People often go the long way around the mulberry bush when it comes to giving feedback. They talk about everything except the real issue. For example, suppose that Bob's emails to a vendor are unclear. As a result, the vendor has made mistakes in fulfillment. The manager comes to Bob: Manager: Bob, I'm really concerned because the client is getting on us about these mistakes from our vendor. My VP has gotten calls directly about this and has insisted that we achieve a minimum accuracy rating of 95%. You need to improve your liaison skills to make sure that fulfillment runs smoothly. Bob: What? A more direct (and therefore more effective) statement from the manager would be: Manag