Author Archives: Larry Janis

Sustaining a Global Life

linda brimm.jpgby Linda Brimm

Global Cosmopolitans are often pigeon-holed by organizations as mobile and adaptable people, standing ready to be parachuted into the next market. But they should push back when they want to go “home” or stay put for a while and companies should listen.

Luisa, a former South American student of mine got yet another international assignment. This time, her company wanted to send her from the head office in the UK to Australia. She had been pegged as someone who could move anywhere. She’d done it before, many times. But this time was different; she wanted to stay in one place and settle for a while. Right after the birth of her second child, HR offered her a promotion in Australia. She tried to explain that she had gained many skills that she could use as a result of her mobility in the head office, but she felt tagged as easily mobile. They had given her a promotion and set up the new position, but this time, she didn’t bite.  She used this as an opportunity to decide what would be best for her. She changed companies. (more…)

5 Reasons You Should Always Be Looking for a New Job

by Jessica Kleiman

You may be really happy in your job and that’s great. But if a recruiter calls or a friend tips you off to a great position that fits your skills, are you ready to pursue it? If so, is your resume current? Are you constantly connecting with people in case a better opportunity presents itself?

Often, we get comfortable (a.k.a. lazy) in our current positions and don’t think about what might be next for us on the ladder of success. But you never know when your dream job will come along—or when you might lose the one you have. Here are five reasons why you should be always be seeking out new opportunities and laying the groundwork for your next career move: (more…)

2015 BPO Innovations Conference

 

 

 

 

As technology plays an ever increasing role in BPO solutions both provider and buyers are benefiting from an accelerated path to all forms of innovation. Greater speed, analytics, quality and scalability are just the beginning.

I feel this is a topic of increasing importance.   So October 22, 2015, I will be attending this powerful learning and networking opportunity and thought I would share the information with you .

The 2015 BPO Innovations Conference shows attendees that innovation – constant, holistic, forward-thinking innovation – can deliver sustained, long-term improvement and bottom-line results. The intersection of BPO, Technology and Innovation will increasingly deliver significant upside to those organizations that are smart enough to explore it

Program highlights include: keynote presentations from HfS and Xerox; test drives with Tesla Motors; speakers and panelists from Avasant, HBO, Loeb & Loeb, McKesson, NeoGroup, PwC, Thomson Reuters, and more.

If you would like to attend please register today at: www.regonline.com/2015BPOI – Registration is complimentary for Buyers.

Last year, this day-long symposium sold out and brought together leading ITO, BPO and KPO practitioners, decision makers, influencers and thought leaders to learn, connect, share and transact. Again this year, attendees will:

* Learn more about how digital trends and transformative technologies are delivering greater innovation
* Hear from top experts as to what’s real what’s hype and what can process owners expect as to real business value add
* Meet with peers and thought leaders who are leading the charge to digital BPO innovation
* Accelerate your career trajectory
* Leave the day with both strategic and tactical action items that will enable you to get more from existing and future BPO engagements.

Event website: http://oievents.com/bpo-innovation-conference-2015/

A First-Time Manager’s Guide to Leading Virtual Teams

by Mark Mortensen

In the past, new managers often had the luxury of cutting their teeth on traditional collocated teams: groups of people, sitting down the hall from one another, who met up in conference rooms to hash out what they were trying to achieve and how to get there. Unfortunately, today’s increasingly global work environment does not always afford that luxury. Many first-time managers find themselves assigned to a team of subordinates scattered far and wide.

Managing a distributed team can feel overwhelming as it requires you to navigate many different types of distance: geographic, temporal, cultural, linguistic, and configurational (the relative number of members in each location). Every one of these dimensions affects team dynamics and, therefore, has an impact on effectiveness and performance as well. Daunting as that may seem, there is good news in the form of a large and ever-increasing body of research and best practices on how to increase your odds of success. But first, it’s important to understand which aspects of team dynamics are, and are not, affected by distance. (more…)

3 Things Managers Should Be Doing Every Day

by Linda A. Hill and Kent Lineback

“When are we supposed to do all that?” That’s the question we constantly get from new managers, only weeks or months into their new positions, when we describe the three key activities they should be focusing on to be successful as leaders: building trust, building a team, and building a broader network. To their dismay, most of them have found they rarely end a day in their new positions having done what they planned to do. They spend most of their time solving unexpected problems and making sure their groups do their work on time, on budget, and up to standard. They feel desperately out of control because what’s urgent–the daily work–always seems to highjack what’s important–their ongoing work as managers and leaders. (more…)