9 Sure ways to get Fired

9 Sure-fire Ways to Get Fired
By Anthony Balderrama, CareerBuilder.com writer

Mistakes help us grow as individuals and make us better people, or so we're told. At work that's definitely true. Call the CEO by the wrong name once and you'll never do it again. For this reason, level-headed bosses aren't looking to fire anyone for the occasional gaffe.
Still, even the nicest of bosses will reach a limit. Oversleeping one morning probably won't get you fired; doing it three times a week probably will.
In the spirit of keeping you in your supervisor's good graces (and employed), here are nine moves that will get you fired.

1. Being sorta punctual
Each company has its own culture, which might mean stumbling into work 10 minutes late is no biggie to the boss. When it comes to deadlines, however, punctuality is non-negotiable. When other people -- and consequently their reputations -- depend on you to complete work in a timely manner, excuses don't work. Arriving late to a meeting or not at all is a high-profile way to show you don't respect other people's time, too.

2. Hang on, I'll tell you after I update my Facebook profile
Jobs that rely on the Internet provide ample distractions for employees who would rather play online Texas Hold 'Em than work. Many employers allow workers to spend some time checking personal e-mail accounts and catching up on celebrity gossip. A reasonable amount of time. When your duties take a back seat to updating your Facebook status, the boss won't have a problem giving you a pink slip for neglecting your duties.

3. Not knowing what your job is
When bosses hire people, they want them to fulfill their job duties so that the team can run smoothly. You're allowed a few growing pains when you're new, but if six months (or years) into the job, you're still asking people what you should be doing or how to perform an elemental task essential to your job, something isn't right. One of the quickest ways to lose your job is to be deemed unreliable.

4. Needing the spotlight
Children have the honor roll to recognize their outstanding work; adults have paychecks. The employee who demands praise for every bright idea or successful quarter he has will gain a reputation for being needy and distracting. Of course we all like to have a pat on the back now and then, but making sure every person in the meeting knows the boss just pitched your idea shows that you're more concerned with yourself than with the team.

5. Being too honest
Your parents and teachers probably taught you that the truth is always better than lying, and they were right. Nevertheless, remember to keep some thoughts to yourself, especially when those thoughts are that the boss has no clue what she's doing or that you could do her job better with your eyes closed. Having an honest exchange of ideas with a boss is one thing; insulting him or her, albeit with good intentions, is another.

6. Going on vacation when you're needed most
Although you have every right to use your vacation days, a quick way to damage your reputation is to be in the Bahamas during crunch time. If you have to take some personal days at your department's busiest time, plan ahead so you don't inconvenience your team. If you're gone every time a major deadline approaches, however, your reputation will suffer.

7. Proving you can't be trusted
When a co-worker or boss shares private information with you, the quickest way to risk your job is to tell everybody what you know. Not only do you betray that person's trust, but you also make that person look foolish for having confided in you in the first place. Employers have no trouble cutting ties with someone who blabs secrets.

8. Not respecting the boss in front of his or her boss
Remember: Your supervisor has to answer to someone, too. Although you should be respectful every day of the week, make sure to be on your best behavior when your boss's boss is around. If you're undermining authority or even just not doing your job well, your boss looks incompetent. The boss might not say anything when the head honcho is around, but you'll probably have to answer for your mistake soon enough.

9. Thinking you're the exception to the rule
Your parents always said you were special, but your boss doesn't have to agree with them. That's why you shouldn't expect to be exempt from the company policies, like vacation day guidelines, the dress code and other department rules. Asking for some flexibility when your children are sick is reasonable, but expecting to always leave early because you have to pick them up from school crosses a line. Your boss expects you to follow the same rules as everyone else.

Management Traps & How to Avoid them

Management Traps and How to Avoid Them

Much has been written about the secrets of good management and few will argue that the best managers are inspired, visionary, dedicated, industrious, energetic, energizing and display integrity, leadership, common sense and courage. So where is it that managers commonly fail or falter and lose their precious foothold on the corporation's top rungs? The following, from the career experts at bayt.com, are ten of the most basic management traps and tips to avoid them:

Weak managers set weak goals

As a manager your role is to get specific jobs completed by employees in the most optimal, efficient and innovative manner and in order to do that, you need to set clear objectives. Successful managers set SMART goals - goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-based. They are able to communicate these goals clearly, simply and concisely to their employees so that none are vague or uncertain about expectations. By all means reach for the stars in your objectives but to do so without supplying employees with the training, resources, flexibility and freedom they need to accomplish their goals and a schedule of regular supervision and feedback is to set them (and yourself) up for failure.

Weak managers micro-manage - effective leaders inspire
The days of command and control organizations are long over - today's managers recognize that in order to leverage their skills and maximize their team's output they need to adopt a flexible approach and 'lead' their teams to excellence rather than closely supervise, instruct and control them. The best leaders communicate to their employees a vision and ignite in them the fire, motivation and desire to work towards making this vision a reality. Good leaders unleash their employees to innovate and achieve optimal solutions by communicating top-level goals and objectives and a suggested blueprint for success then leaving the employees to determine how to get there most optimally while ensuring they have the aptitudes, training, resources and work environment necessary to achieve superior results. While a program of regular feedback and supervision is essential, managers should ensure that their management style is not repressive, meddling or overly overbearing. The golden rule is to communicate the 'what' and the 'why' of the work that needs to be done and leave the employees to determine the 'how' without burdening them with strict instruction manuals or prescribed rules and patterns that are largely redundant and inconducive to speed, creativity, progress and innovation.


Weak managers are afraid of hiring/cultivating strong leaders
Strong leaders/managers have the self-confidence to hire the best people, take them to new levels and cultivate in them all the qualities needed to make them in turn effective leaders of the future.

Weak leaders replicate themselves in their hiring decisions and hire mediocre players, mistakenly believing that an employee with more skills, acumen or industry knowledge than themselves will ultimately undermine them or make them look bad. The best managers are characterized by an ability to stimulate their employees to superior performance and through coaching, training, feedback as well as by example, inspire in them all the qualities needed to make effective managers. A good manager helps employees achieve their full potential and constantly raises the bar so that employees never stop learning, innovating and growing. Coaching, training, career planning and programs for ongoing growth and development of key staff are high on the priority lists of the best managers.


Weak managers belittle their employees
Bosses who favour the archaic 'tough' management style where employees are singled out for public reprimand and negative feedback is plentiful while recognition and positive reinforcement are scarce will fail to win the loyalty, respect and commitment of their teams over the long run. Without an inspired, fired up, self-confident employee base these managers set themselves and their teams up for failure. Effective leaders by contrast, respect their employees and give them regular feedback with intelligent constructive criticism and loudly laud special accomplishments in both public and private, while communicating any negative feedback ONLY in private and focusing such criticism strictly on the job performance, not the person's character. Strong leaders recognize and reward a job well done. These leaders inspire their teams to perform at their best and are able to elicit from them a high degree of loyalty and a 'hunger' to raise the bar and continuously excel. In such organisations, employees are not afraid to challenge their boss's ideas or upset the status quo in the interest of innovation and excellence and are encouraged to take risks to elevate the business to a new level. The autocrats and bureaucrats on the other hand sap their employees' self-confidence, drive and energy with their overbearing management style and fail to induce in them any motivation to raise the bar or excel.


Weak managers have obsolete skills-strong leaders constantly reinvent themselves

In today's knowledge-driven economies and highly competitive environment, skills, training and education rapidly become obsolete and effective managers know that they must constantly re-educate themselves and update their skills to maintain an edge. While over-confident managers with an inertia to further education fall by the wayside, good managers regularly take an honest inventory of their skills and abilities and upgrade their technical knowledge and soft skills wherever appropriate. They encourage their teams to do likewise with sound career planning and performance appraisal programs and an emphasis on training and self-education.


Weak managers have poor communication skills -
Good communication includes cultivating and maintaining open channels of communication with the team and others in the organisation, giving constructive, intelligent feedback, eliciting ideas through brainstorming sessions or otherwise, articulating the company vision and mission in no uncertain terms, setting clear objectives and listening attentively with an open-mind to employees grievances, suggestions and any other issues. Effective leaders have an open-door policy that welcomes input, suggestions and feedback from employees and recognize that good ideas and the next best idea/process/innovation can come from anywhere. Strong leaders listen; weak leaders talk. Strong leaders pay attention to their employees and encourage them to express professional opinions and ask for more responsibility; weak leaders think they are above such open-door policies. Employees who are not listened to and are not made to feel important or respected as professionals or individuals are unlikely to innovate or express any exciting new ideas that can move a company forward.

Weak managers blame
Everybody makes mistakes and strong leaders protect their good people from taking the fall when they err. Good bosses recognize that the occasional slip-ups are inevitable and can be learning opportunities and are ready to take personal responsibility when the team makes a misstep. A good boss realizes that his most promising employees want to succeed, will grow as a result of their mistakes and are unlikely to repeat the same mistakes. They do no set their people up as a negative example for the rest of the organization nor point fingers when the going gets tough. Good bosses are personably accountable for their actions as well as the actions of their subordinates and do not allow a culture of blame to permeate the organisation.

Weak managers take full credit for their team's accomplishments
While weak leaders usurp all the credit for a job well done by their teams, the strongest leaders will give the full credit to the team as a whole or the team member responsible for the project. Strong leaders motivate, energize and inspire by giving credit where credit is due and being generous with reward and recognition wherever appropriate. Strong leaders publicly thank their employees for a job well done and recognize that a motivated, successful, energized team will reflect directly on the boss.

Weak managers thrive on bureaucracy
Weak leaders are fond of, augment and live well with the layers and bureaucratic shackles that tie an organisation down; strong leaders remove them. Today's effective leaders recognize that in order to compete they must operate like a small company with a high level of speed, responsiveness and flexibility. They realize that to maintain their edge in today's marketplace their organization needs to be responsive to changing market conditions and remove the shackles, boundaries, layers, clutter and obsolete policies, procedures and routines that get in the way of the freedom and free flow of people, resources and ideas.

Weak managers are divorced from their teams
Effective managers genuinely care about their employees and take the time to get to know them and to understand their strengths, weaknesses, what makes them tick and their goals and ambitions. They also take the time to learn something about their personal life. While weak managers will maintain an outdated aloofness and a formal distance from their teams, exceptional managers are able to bring out the best in every employee and win their loyalty and respect by understanding their unique needs, motivations and abilities and showing the team that they are important and personally significant. Strong managers are team players and through their constant involvement with their teams communicate to them that they are there for them and supportive of them. Effective managers by building a supportive work environment, build a camaraderie and team spirit that enthuses and excites the team to new levels of performance.

What 8 Things Do Employees want

Tangible rewards play a role in job satisfaction, says today's expert, but for many workers, the "happiness factor" depends heavily on intangibles, such as respect, trust, and fairness.
Is money the key to retention and productivity? It helps, says the Christian Science Monitor's Marilyn Gardner, but it's not enough. Beyond pay and benefits lie eight key factors that influence "happiness" at work-factors that motivate workers and keep them at your organization.
1. Appreciation
Praise heads the list for many workers, and it doesn't cost the employer anything to provide it, says Gardner . A sincere thank you or a short note can mean a great deal.

2. Respect
Again there is no cost and a big payback. Respect plays out in letting people know that their work is appreciated, in treating them like adults, and in being fair in your dealings with them.

3. Trust
Trust is the action side of respect. People need guidance, but they need to know that their boss trusts them to be able to get a job done on their own.

4. Individual Growth
Today's workers-especially the Gen Y group-want training, want to take on new challenges, and want to advance based on their new abilities. Giving a raise without increasing responsibilities could actually backfire, notes Gardner .. As one expert says, if you give more money to an unhappy employee, you end up with a wealthier unhappy employee.

5. Good Boss
It's the old saw: People don't leave companies, they leave bosses. In a recent Robert Half survey, Gardner notes that 1,000 Gen Y workers ranked "working with a manager I can respect and learn from" as the most important aspect of their work environment.

6. Compatible Co-workers
Working with people you enjoy is also very important, says Gardner . Spending the day-every day-with people you don't like does not make for a productive workplace.

7. Compatible Culture
Employees want a work environment that fits their needs. That could mean hard-driving, high paying, or it could mean high flexibility and significant attention to work/life balance.

8. A Sense of Purpose
People want to know that they are contributing to something worthwhile. They need to know what the organization' s core purpose is and what it is trying to achieve. And then they need to know how their particular job fits into the whole.

One of the interesting things that Gardner discovered about employee "happiness" is that there is a disconnect between what managers think and what employees think about happiness at work.
Managers tend to think that salary and benefits are the main motivators, while workers consistently respond that factors such as those mentioned above are what's important. Successful organizations will find a good balance to retain their best people.

Misleading Domain Names

Looks like these Companies that didn't spend quite enough time considering how their online names might appear .. and be misread.

These are not made up. Check them out yourself! Read the web-sites names closely!

1. "Who Represents" is where you can find the name of the agent that represents any celebrity.
Their Web site is www.whorepresents.com

Misread by many as "whore presents" do we need to say more!

2 . Experts Exchange is a very popular knowledge base where programmers can exchangeadvice and views at its url is www.expertsexchange.com

Misread by many as "experts sex change".com

3. Looking for a pen? Look no further than Pen Island at www.penisland.net

I wont go in the details about the above one.

4. Need a therapist? Try Therapist Finder at www.therapistfinder.com

when you look carefully it looks like "the rapist finder".com

5. There's the Italian Power Generator company, www.powergenitalia.com

Wont get into details about the above, but I am sure you can figure it out!

6. And don't forget the Mole Station Native Nursery in New South Wales, www.molestationnursery.com

Misread as "molestation nursery".com

7. If you're looking for IP computer software, there's always www.ipanywhere.com

I read it as "I P anywhere" you see what i mean

8. The First Cumming Methodist Church Web site is www.cummingfirst.com

All I can say ouch!


9. And the designers at Speed of Art await you at their wacky Web site www.speedofart.com

I misread it as "speed of fart".com

Credit/Debit cards

SCENE 1.

This is a new one.
People sure stay busy trying to cheat us, don't they? A friend went to the local gym and placed his belongings in the locker. After the workout and a shower, he came out, saw the locker open, andthought to himself, 'Funny, I thought I locked the locker. Hmm, 'He dressed and just flipped the wallet to make sure all was in order.Everything looked okay - all cards were in place. A few weeks later his credit card bill came - a whooping bill of R14,000! He called the credit card company and started yelling at them, saying thathe did not make the transactions. Customer care personnel verified that there was no Mistake in the system and asked if his card had been stolen. 'No,' he said, but then took out his wallet, pulled out the credit card, andyep - you guessed it - a switch had been made. An expired similar credit card from the same bank was in the wallet. The thief broke into his locker at the gym and switched cards.

Verdict: The credit card issuer said since he did not report the cardmissing earlier, he would have to pay the amount owed to them. How much did he have to pay for items he did not buy? R9,000! Why were there no calls made to verify the amount swiped? Small amounts rarely trigger a 'warning bell' with some credit cardcompanies. It just so happens that all the small amounts added up to big one!

SCENE 2.
A man at a local restaurant paid for his meal with his credit card. The bill for the meal came, he signed it, and the waitress folded thereceipt and passed the credit card along. Usually, he would just take it and place it in his wallet or pocket. Funnyenough, though, he actually took a look at the card and, lo and behold, it was the expired card of another person. He called the waitress and she looked perplexed. She took it back, apologized, and hurried back to the counter under thewatchful eye of the man. All the waitress did while walking to the counter was wave the wrong expiredcard to the counter cashier, and the counter cashier immediately looked downand took out the real card. No exchange of words --- nothing! She took it and came back to the man withan apology. Verdict: Make sure the credit cards in your wallet are yours. Check the name on the card every time you sign for something and/or the cardis taken away for even a short period of time. Many people just take back the credit card without even looking at it,'assuming' that it has to be theirs.
FOR YOUR OWN SAKE, DEVELOP THE HABIT OF CHECKING YOUR CREDIT CARD EACH TIMEIT IS RETURNED TO YOU AFTER A TRANSACTION!

SCENE 3:
Yesterday I went into a pizza restaurant to pick up an order that I hadcalled in. I paid by using my Visa Check Card which, of course, is linked directly to my checking account. The young man behind the counter took my card, swiped it, then laid it on the counter as he waited for the approval, which is pretty standardprocedure. While he waited, he picked up his cell phone and started dialing. I noticed the phone because it is the same model I have, but nothing seemedout of the ordinary. Then I heard a click that sounded like my phone soundswhen I take a picture. He then gave me back my card but kept the phone in his hand as if he wasstill pressing buttons. Meanwhile, I'm thinking: I wonder what he is taking a picture of, obliviousto what was really going on. It then dawned on me: the only thing there was my credit card, so now I'mpaying close attention to what he is doing. He set his phone on the counter, leaving it open. About five seconds later, I heard the chime that tells you that the picturehas been saved. Now I'm standing there struggling with the fact that this boy just took apicture of my credit card. Yes, he played it off well, because had we not had the same kind of phone, Iprobably would never have known what happened. Needless to say, I immediately canceled that card as I was walking out ofthe pizza parlor. All I am saying is, be aware of your surroundings at all times. Whenever you are using your credit card take caution and don't be careless. Notice who is standing near you and what they are doing when you use yourcard. Be aware of phones, because many have a camera phone these days. When you are in a restaurant and the waiter/waitress brings your card andreceipt for you to sign, make sure you scratch the number off. Some restaurants are using only the last four digits, but a lot of them arestill putting the whole thing on there. I have already been a victim of credit card fraud and, believe me, it is notfun. The truth is that they can get you even when you are careful, but don'tmake it easy for them.

FORWARD THIS TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU CAN THINK OF.
LET'S GET THE WORD OUT!JUST BE AWARE

Top 10 Productivity Hacks

We all need a productivity boost now and then — sometimes throughout the day. We each want to be productive for very personal reasons — to accomplish more, to make more money, to get done earlier to make more time for our personal lives, to accomplish our goals.
But whatever the reason, these Productivity Hacks will do the trick. Here they are, in reverse order.


#10: Take care of your Most Important Things first. Your Most Important Things for the day — the things you most need to accomplish that day — should take priority over everything else. However, we all know that fires come up throughout the day, interruptions through phone calls and email and people dropping by, new demands that will push the best-laid plans aside. If you put off your MITs until later in the day, you will end up not doing them much of the time.

# 9: Wake up early. Decide what you’d like to accomplish each morning, and build your morning routine around that. Like to exercise? Put that in there. Healthy breakfast? Go for it. Check email? Fine. The mornings are a fresh start, peaceful and free of ringing phones and constant email notifications. If you get your Most Important Things done in the morning, the rest of the day is just gravy.

# 8: Simplify information streams, crank through blogs & email. Think about all the information you receive (email, blogs, newsletters, mailing lists, magazines, newspapers and more) and edit brutally. You will drastically reduce the time you spend reading. For everything else that begins to come in after your editing process, ask yourself if you really need to be getting that information regularly. Most of the time the answer is no. Now, after this process, you should be left with less to read. Here’s the next step: crank through it all, really only reading the really interesting ones.

# 7: Declutter your workspace; work on one thing at a time. The decluttering your work space part of it is simply to remove all extra distractions, on your desk and on your computer. If you’ve got a clean, simplified workspace, you can better focus on the task at hand.

# 6: Get to work early; work fewer hours. My best days come when I get into work early, and begin my work day in the quiet morning hours, before the phones start ringing and the din of the office begins it crescendo to chaos. It is so peaceful, and I can work without interruption or losing focus. I often find that I get my MITs done before anyone comes in, and then the rest of the day is dealing with whatever comes up (or even better: getting ahead for the next day).

# 5: Avoid meetings; when you must meet, make it effective. I find it best to say no to meetings up front. I just say, “Sorry, I can’t make it. I’m tied up with a project right now.” And that’s always true. I’ve always got projects I’m working on that are more important than a meeting.

# 4: Avoid unnecessary work. If we just do any work that comes our way, we can be cranking out the tasks, but not be productive at all. You’re only productive if you are doing work that moves you towards a goal. Eliminate non-essential tasks from your to-do lists, and start to say no to new requests that are non-essential.

# 3: Do the tough tasks first. You know what those tasks are. What have you been putting off that you know you need to do? Sometimes when you put things off, they end up being things you don’t really need to do. But sometimes they are things you just gotta do. Those are your tough tasks.

# 2: Work off-line as much as possible. To increase your productivity, disconnect your Internet connection. Have scheduled times when you’re going to check your email, and only let yourself check your blogs or surf the web when you’ve gotten a certain amount done. When you do go online, do it on a timer. When the timer goes off, unplug again until the next scheduled time.

# 1: Do something you’re passionate about. This might not seem like the normal productivity tip, but give it a thought: if you really want to do something, you’ll work like hell to get it done. You’ll work extra hard, you’ll put in even more hours, and you’re less likely to procrastinate. It’s for work that you don’t really care about that you procrastinate. Read the full post for tips on how to find your dream job and do work you truly care about.

Top 10 Productivity Hacks

We all need a productivity boost now and then — sometimes throughout the day. We each want to be productive for very personal reasons — to accomplish more, to make more money, to get done earlier to make more time for our personal lives, to accomplish our goals.
But whatever the reason, these Productivity Hacks will do the trick. Here they are, in reverse order.


#10: Take care of your Most Important Things first. Your Most Important Things for the day — the things you most need to accomplish that day — should take priority over everything else. However, we all know that fires come up throughout the day, interruptions through phone calls and email and people dropping by, new demands that will push the best-laid plans aside. If you put off your MITs until later in the day, you will end up not doing them much of the time.

# 9: Wake up early. Decide what you’d like to accomplish each morning, and build your morning routine around that. Like to exercise? Put that in there. Healthy breakfast? Go for it. Check email? Fine. The mornings are a fresh start, peaceful and free of ringing phones and constant email notifications. If you get your Most Important Things done in the morning, the rest of the day is just gravy.

# 8: Simplify information streams, crank through blogs & email. Think about all the information you receive (email, blogs, newsletters, mailing lists, magazines, newspapers and more) and edit brutally. You will drastically reduce the time you spend reading. For everything else that begins to come in after your editing process, ask yourself if you really need to be getting that information regularly. Most of the time the answer is no. Now, after this process, you should be left with less to read. Here’s the next step: crank through it all, really only reading the really interesting ones.

# 7: Declutter your workspace; work on one thing at a time. The decluttering your work space part of it is simply to remove all extra distractions, on your desk and on your computer. If you’ve got a clean, simplified workspace, you can better focus on the task at hand.

# 6: Get to work early; work fewer hours. My best days come when I get into work early, and begin my work day in the quiet morning hours, before the phones start ringing and the din of the office begins it crescendo to chaos. It is so peaceful, and I can work without interruption or losing focus. I often find that I get my MITs done before anyone comes in, and then the rest of the day is dealing with whatever comes up (or even better: getting ahead for the next day).

# 5: Avoid meetings; when you must meet, make it effective. I find it best to say no to meetings up front. I just say, “Sorry, I can’t make it. I’m tied up with a project right now.” And that’s always true. I’ve always got projects I’m working on that are more important than a meeting.

# 4: Avoid unnecessary work. If we just do any work that comes our way, we can be cranking out the tasks, but not be productive at all. You’re only productive if you are doing work that moves you towards a goal. Eliminate non-essential tasks from your to-do lists, and start to say no to new requests that are non-essential.

# 3: Do the tough tasks first. You know what those tasks are. What have you been putting off that you know you need to do? Sometimes when you put things off, they end up being things you don’t really need to do. But sometimes they are things you just gotta do. Those are your tough tasks.

# 2: Work off-line as much as possible. To increase your productivity, disconnect your Internet connection. Have scheduled times when you’re going to check your email, and only let yourself check your blogs or surf the web when you’ve gotten a certain amount done. When you do go online, do it on a timer. When the timer goes off, unplug again until the next scheduled time.

# 1: Do something you’re passionate about. This might not seem like the normal productivity tip, but give it a thought: if you really want to do something, you’ll work like hell to get it done. You’ll work extra hard, you’ll put in even more hours, and you’re less likely to procrastinate. It’s for work that you don’t really care about that you procrastinate. Read the full post for tips on how to find your dream job and do work you truly care about.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
A lack of answers is partly what makes sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) so frightening. SIDS is the leading cause of death among infants who are 1 month to 1 year old, but despite years of research and numerous studies, SIDS is still unpredictable and unpreventable. However, research into the causes of SIDS has led doctors to recommend steps parents can take to reduce the risk of SIDS in their infants. As more parents begin to follow that advice, the number of deaths from SIDS is dropping.
Searching for AnswersSIDS is frequently described as a parent's worst nightmare because it strikes without warning, usually in seemingly healthy babies. As the name implies, SIDS is the sudden and unexplained death of an infant who is younger than 1 year old. Most SIDS deaths are associated with sleep (hence the common reference to "crib death"), and infants who die of SIDS show no signs of suffering.
While most conditions or diseases usually are diagnosed by the presence of specific symptoms, SIDS is a diagnosis of exclusion, given only after all other possible causes of death have been ruled out through an autopsy, an examination of the death scene, and a complete review of the infant's medical history. These procedures help distinguish true SIDS deaths from those resulting from accidents, abuse, and previously undiagnosed conditions, such as cardiac or metabolic disorders.
When considering which babies could be most at risk, Marj Hershberger, a certified pediatric nurse practitioner, notes that no single risk factor is likely to be sufficient to cause a SIDS death. Rather, several risk factors combined may contribute to cause an at-risk infant to die of SIDS.
According to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), the incidence of SIDS is greatest in infants younger than 6 months of age and increases during cold weather. African-American infants are two times more likely to die of SIDS than white infants, and Native Americans are about three times more likely than whites. More boys than girls fall victim to SIDS. Other potential risk factors include:
smoking, drinking, or drug use during pregnancy
poor prenatal care
prematurity or low birth-weight
mothers younger than 20
smoke exposure following birth
stomach sleeping
Foremost among the risk factors, however, is stomach sleeping. Numerous studies from Europe and Australia found a higher incidence of SIDS among babies placed on their stomachs to sleep than among those on their backs or sides. Some researchers have hypothesized that stomach sleeping puts pressure on the child's jaw, therefore narrowing the airway and hampering breathing.
Another theory is that stomach sleeping can increase an infant's risk of "rebreathing" his own exhaled air, particularly if the infant is sleeping on a soft mattress or with bedding, stuffed toys, or a pillow near his face. In that scenario, the soft surface could create a small enclosure around the baby's mouth and trap exhaled air. As the baby breathes exhaled air, the oxygen level in his body drops and carbon dioxide accumulates. Eventually, this lack of oxygen could contribute to SIDS.
Also, infants who succumb to SIDS may have an abnormality in the arcuate nucleus, a part of the brain that may help control breathing and awakening during sleep. If a baby is breathing stale air and not getting enough oxygen, the brain usually triggers the baby to wake up and cry. That movement changes the breathing and heart rate, making up for the lack of oxygen. But a problem with the arcuate nucleus could deprive the baby of this involuntary reaction and put him at greater risk for SIDS.

Going Back to SleepThe striking evidence that stomach sleeping might contribute to the incidence of SIDS led the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to recommend in June 1992 that all healthy infants younger than 1 year of age be put to sleep on their backs (also known as the supine position). The AAP used the slogan "Back to Sleep" to remind parents of the recommended supine sleeping position. The Back to Sleep campaign, sponsored by the NICHD in partnership with the AAP, the SIDS Alliance, and the Association of SIDS and Infant Mortality Programs, distributes free literature, videos, and public service announcements urging that babies be placed on their backs to sleep.
The campaign has had dramatic success. Prior to the campaign, 70% of babies in the United States were stomach sleeping. By 1997, only 21% were sleeping on their stomachs, and the SIDS rates had dropped by 43%. Still, SIDS remains the leading cause of death in young infants, so it's important to keep reminding parents about the necessity of back sleeping.
According to Hershberger, "It's a cultural problem for us to switch our babies from stomach to back. We don't want to do it because our mothers and grandmothers have always told us we're supposed to put that baby [on his stomach]."
Many parents fear that babies put to sleep on their backs would choke on spit-up or vomit. According to the AAP, however, there is no increased risk of choking for healthy infants who sleep on their backs. (For infants with chronic gastroesophageal reflux or certain upper airway malformations, sleeping on the stomach may be the better option. The AAP urges parents to consult with their child's doctor in these cases to determine the best sleeping position for the baby.)
Some parents may also be concerned about positional plagiocephaly, a condition in which babies develop a flat spot on the back of their heads from spending too much time lying on their backs. Since the Back to Sleep campaign, this condition has become quite common - but it is usually easily treatable by changing your baby's position frequently and allowing for more "tummy time" while they are awake.
Of course, once babies can roll over consistently - usually around 4 to 7 months - they may choose not to stay on their backs all night long. At this point, it's fine to let babies pick a sleep position on their own.
Tips for Reducing the Risk of SIDSIn addition to placing healthy infants on their backs to sleep, the AAP suggests the following measures to help reduce the risk of SIDS:
Place your baby on a firm mattress to sleep, never on a pillow, waterbed, sheepskin, or other soft surface. Do not put fluffy blankets, comforters, stuffed toys, or pillows near the baby to prevent rebreathing.
Make sure your baby does not get too warm while sleeping. Keep the room at a temperature that feels comfortable for an adult in a short-sleeve shirt. To avoid overheating, cover the baby only with a light blanket that reaches no further than the shoulders. Some researchers suggest that a baby who gets too warm could go into a deeper sleep, making it more difficult to awaken.
Do not smoke, drink, or use drugs while pregnant and do not expose your baby to secondhand smoke. NICHD figures indicate that children of mothers who smoked during pregnancy are three times more likely to die of SIDS than those whose mothers were smoke-free; exposure to secondhand smoke doubles a baby's risk of SIDS. Researchers speculate that smoking might affect the central nervous system, starting prenatally and continuing after birth, which could place the baby at increased risk.
Receive early and regular prenatal care.
Make sure your baby has regular well-baby checkups.
Breastfeed if possible. Although there is no evidence that directly links breastfeeding with a decreased rate of SIDS, breast milk is thought to keep babies healthy.
If your baby has gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), be sure to follow your child's doctor's guidelines on feeding and sleep positions.
Losing a child to SIDS invariably makes a family ask questions. "An infant death leaves many unanswered questions. It causes intense grief for parents and for the whole family," Hershberger says. In searching for an explanation, however, it is important that parents do not latch on to misinformation. "Parents need to know that SIDS is not caused by vomiting and choking or other minor illnesses," she continues. "It's not caused by vaccines or other immunizations. It's not contagious. SIDS is not child abuse, and SIDS is not the cause of every unexpected infant death."
For parents who have experienced a SIDS death, there are many groups, including the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Alliance, that provide grief counseling and contacts to local support groups. Meanwhile, growing public awareness of SIDS and the steps to reduce infants' risk of sudden death hopefully will leave fewer parents searching for answers in the future

How to Bod Your Company Goodbey

How To Bid Your Company Goodbye!
Leaving an organisation requires style, technique and certain savoir-faire says Aditi Joshi.
Bidding a final adios to your organization is an art. There are two ways in which an employee parts company with his organisation.

a) When an employee decides to tender his or her resignation.b) When the organisation decides to fire an employee.
Both parting involve some trauma for the employers and the employees. Those leaving a company are never quite sure of how to resign in the most amicable way from their soon-to-be ex employers, while those who have been given the pink slip are unsure about how much they should reveal about their past to their future employers. Here are some do's and don'ts to follow when you are crafting your resignation letter or have just been handed the pink slip.

A) What to do if you plan to resignWhen an employee decides to leave an organisation, his formal break comes in the form of a resignation letter. You have to be careful while drafting a resignation letter. Your current employer will feature on your resume for years to come and you never know when you may need a recommendation from him. A good resignation letter will help set the stage for a smooth transition from one job to the next.
Here are a few tips that might help you draft such a resignation letter and what to do if you are fired from your job-

Keep it Short & Simple (KISS principle): Use a simple format. A simple, "I resign..." statement is powerful enough in itself. Whether it is one sentence or three pages, it should be direct and clear. Start out by stating the obvious.
Your resignation letter should have the following essentials.
*The date of your last day of work and your new e-mail address.
*The postal address to which any correspondence can be forwarded and a phone number where you can be reached.
Give Prior Notice: Always give prior notice before you quit your current job. Generally, it is a good idea to give two weeks notice before ceasing to work to complete all your pending work and allow your successor to take over with out any hassle.
"Term of notification depends from company to company, so one should make it a point to submit the same within the set time limit" says Sarika HR manager of a reputed company. However, there might be times when you are required to join the next job immediately. In that case you can talk to your boss and the HR manager. Don't simply declare that you are quitting as it may have negative implications specially when approached for a ref check. Let your current employer know how important this new job is for you, discuss with them how best you could complete the resignation formalities, as you cannot miss the opportunity.

Reconsider Your Options BEFORE Resigning:Your company might ask you to reconsider your resignation by offering some real value added offers. If you accept you may leave an impression that you are quitting your job only for money. Be prepared mentally to avoid such offers before giving your resignation letter. This may leave an impression that it's only the money that is forcing you to quit your job. Tell them that you've found an opportunity that fits you better and that your decision is final.

Remember The Good Times: No matter what designation you held, no matter what department you worked in, the bottom line remains that you offered your services to your organisation and enjoyed the services of the same in return. You might have had some good experiences and some bad ones as well. When writing your resignation keep all the good things you enjoyed in front. Understand that there existed a professional relationship between you and your employer and be respectful towards it.

Be Honest Not Cruel: Even if you are leaving the job under less than desirable circumstances, avoid letting your feelings show in your resignation letter. Resist the temptation to badmouth and let off steam. Keep your reasons and other unnecessary statements out of your letter of resignation. Don't use the resignation letter as the vehicle to tell your boss what you really thought of them. It is never polite to include personal remarks in a resignation letter. If you genuinely have difference of opinion with your boss, save the communication for some other time and place. Never commit these thoughts to paper - your comments will remain in your personnel file and may come back to haunt you.

The Exit Interview: Some companies these days arrange for an exit interview. This is the best forum to put all your feelings (bad/ good) in front of your employer. If you have some constructive criticism that you'd like to share with your boss before you leave, the best place to do this would be in the Exit Interview. All that you need to do is to give a soft and lighthearted comment how things just went the other way and created problems.

Ensure A Smooth Takeover: Make sure that you've completed any outstanding tasks and participated in the smooth handover of any unfinished work. Ensure that your boss knows that you've actively participated in this process and that you have been as co-operative as possible. Ensure full settlement for any outstanding salary, holiday entitlement and commission payments that are due to you.

Keep in touch: Take time out to speak to all of your colleagues and associates. Make positive comments about their contribution during your time at the office. Try and remain in touch because you never know when they'll be useful to your personal and career development in the future.

B) What to do when you get firedWhat should you do when the job quits you? Being fired from a job is a sensitive issue and you need to handle it with care. Read on to find out more-
What does it mean? Getting fired doesn't make you a failure it's just a signal to show you that either the job didn't quite fit you or you never fitted the job. It is just an occasion to learn from the past, execute in the present and remember for the future. As long as you know that you're a good worker, with skills that add value to an organisation, with intelligence and enthusiasm and that you're pursuing the right new job for the right reasons, you can get over the "I was fired" hump.

How to deal with such a situation?Getting fired is an emotional matter. It is stressful and hard to accept that you are fired. It may initially be discouraging, shameful and haunting. But then you need to keep calm and work out the reasons for such a big move. Was the job you held interesting enough? Were you happy? Did you get along with the atmosphere out there? Was your boss helpful?

Should you accept the termination?Always try to negotiate your termination instead of just accepting it. When given a "pink slip", signifying termination of employment, let your employer know that two weeks or less is not enough to get all your affairs in order especially if you have been with the company for a significant length of time. Request some more time before your employer's proposed date of termination. Never threaten your employer with litigation or anything else. It will get you nowhere. If your employer still gives you a two-week termination notice, then at least try and negotiate a larger severance pay and/or extended medical benefits than what your employer is offering. Any small gain will work in your favour. If you disagree with your company employment evaluation, put your disagreement in "writing" right on the evaluation itself, this way your disagreement automatically becomes part of your personnel file. This will help if you need the file in the future to help determine the fairness of your employer's termination policy against you.

Does being terminated call for the formalities of a normal resignation?Now this is an important question. Yes! It more or less calls for the same calm and dignity as your resignation from a job. Its all the more important to be focussed and careful in this situation as you have to build up a reference and relationship with your employer that convinces them that although you could make no significant contribution in the current organisation, you might be an asset to another one. Be apologetic, if you ended up with a harsh verbal exchange with your boss. Keep cool and tell them that it just happened and you never really meant to be that rude or unprofessional. Again an exit interview could be the best forum for you to explain and clarify yourself. Just hide that tint of anger and rejection and utilise the occasion to get a clean chit for yourself.

Should you mention your termination to future employers? This is a tricky situation. In case you mention your termination you have to face all those speculative eyes and 'whys' and 'hows' which you may not be able to answer suitably. And in case you lie you always live under the threat of the time when people come to know of the reality.

You may choose to omit the organisation from where you were fired, or you may not have a choice because the gap in your resume might be inexplicable. This calls for a deep thought and honest action.
Be honest - as the old cliche goes "honesty is the best policy." One lie begets another lie and you will just continuously lie during the course of the interview process.
Be creative - come up with answers that will make your exit with your previous employer not as bad.
Never say "terminated." Tell them you resigned due to reasons like "professional differences with my superior," "no potential growth" etc. Being creative doesn't necessarily mean that you are lying. It's rather more of justifying why you have left them.
Be prepared with an answer when an interviewer asks you why you left your last job. Make sure you can articulate why your last job didn't work out and what you have learned from the experience.
Never blame or disparage the employer, simply state the facts and move on. Make them aware that this was a one off occurrence and put it down to experience.
It is naive to expect that your working life will always run without a hiccup. Keep looking ahead and keep a positive and upbeat mental attitude.
Be prepared emotionally and remember failures are a stepping-stone to success.

SAMPLE RESIGNATION LETTER
Dear _________________,
This letter is to let you know that I am concluding my employment with (company) effective (date).
The time I have spent at (company) has been most rewarding and helpful in my career, and I hope that my contributions to the company have been constructive. My relationship with you has always been professional, warm and result oriented.
I have accepted a position that will enhance my career growth and will expose me to challenges and opportunities, which I believe, are in my best interest.
(Boss' first name), I have the utmost respect for you and wish nothing but the best for you and the company. If I can be of any special assistance during my final two weeks, please feel free to let me know.
Sincerely

IMF to sell 400 tons of Gold

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The International Monetary Fund's executive board has approved a broad financial overhaul plan that could lead to the eventual sale of a little over 400 tons of its substantial gold supplies.

Under the plan, the IMF would sell the 403 tons of gold for about $11 billion over several years.

The sale cannot occur without congressional approval as well as legislative action in many of the 184 other nations that are members of the Washington-based lending institution.
IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn welcomed the board's decision Monday to propose a new framework for the fund, designed to close a projected $400 million budget deficit over the next few years.
It is "a landmark agreement that will put the institution on a solid financial footing and modernize the IMF's structure and operations," he said in a statement.
The budget proposal includes sharp spending cuts of $100 million over the next three years that will include up to 100 staff dismissals.
"We have made difficult but necessary choices to close the projected income shortfall and put the fund's finances on a sustainable basis, but in the end it will make the fund more focused, efficient and cost-effective in serving our members," said Strauss-Kahn, a former French finance minister.
The IMF said the board agreed to revamp the fund's income model from one that primarily relies on lending to one that generates money from various sources.
During the 1990s, the IMF lent billions to countries in Asia and Latin America that were facing financial crises and financed its operations on interest from those loans. In recent years, IMF lending has dried up as many of those countries have built up reserves to prevent them from having to borrow again from the IMF, which often puts severe restrictions and conditions on its loans. The declining interest payments led to the IMF's budget gap.
Actual sale of the gold cannot start immediately because the U.S. member on the IMF board cannot vote for it until Congress approves. Congress has made approval conditional on a broad range of operational changes that Strauss-Khan has pledged to carry out to preserve the relevancy of the 64-year-old organization, whose mission is to promote global financial stability.
Under the plan, the IMF would sell the 403 tons, or nearly 13 million ounces, of gold for about $11 billion over several years. The IMF would keep $4.4 billion on its books, and the remaining $6.6 billion would go into an investment account.
The IMF, which has sold gold before, said it would coordinate the sales with central banks in an effort to prevent market disruptions.
"Gold sales would be conducted in a transparent manner with strong safeguards to ensure that they do not add to official sales and avoid any risk of market disruption," the IMF said in a statement.
The Bush administration said in February it could support selling a limited amount of IMF gold as away to ensure the agency's long-term financial stability, but Treasury officials realized this would be a hard sell. In 1999 Congress rejected a previous proposal to sell IMF gold, and the current majority leader of the Senate, Democrat Harry Reid, comes from the gold-mining state of Nevada.
Strauss-Khan, who took over last November as head of the IMF, said the financial overhaul was another major step in the organization's reform process. It followed a decision last month to slightly increase the voting power of rapidly developing countries such as China, India and Brazil, who are playing a growing role in the world economy. Since its founding, the United States and European nations have dominated IMF decision-making.
Besides using the gold sales to produce an income stream, the fund's narrow investment authority will be broadened

Negotiation tips

Good negotiation skills have a huge impact on your career -- whether you're a salesperson making deals or an entry-level employee trying to get good assignments or cube neighbors to quiet down.
"Most people think of negotiation only when they need to get something more," says Tammy Lenski, a professional mediator who helps universities and businesses nationwide with conflict management. "The reality is that at work, pretty much every conversation is a negotiation. You're negotiating deadlines, the quality level, what might be taken off your plate to make room for this priority project and what benefit you might get for taking on that project. The minute you walk into the workplace in the morning, you're negotiating."
Lenski says big negotiation mistakes are common -- people either are too confrontational or cave in because they're afraid to ask some basic questions. "If people think of a negotiation more as a conversation than something that needs to be won, they'll do much better," she adds.
Here are four of Lenski's tips on becoming a good negotiator -- and improving your situation at work:
1. Tactic Is Dictated by Situation
Playing hardball in the office can backfire when you need to work with your coworkers every day. "You have an ongoing relationship with these folks, and you're trying to not leave debris," Lenski says. "People need to stop thinking about negotiating as getting more of what I need, which means getting less of what you need."
Instead, find out the other person's needs, and try to come to a conclusion that helps both of you. "The best negotiating is using the really good human relation skills in an effective way," Lenski says. "It isn't about pushing or convincing or manipulating the other person. It's about having them figure out what they want and how you can help them get it."
2. Ask Good Questions
In negotiations, you know what you want. But you also need to find out what the other side wants in return. It's most efficient if you just ask openly.
When starting her private practice 10 years ago, Lenski presented her fee to provide conflict-management services to a company in turmoil. The department head asked her to slash her price 20 percent. Lenski said this was her bottom-line number, but the department head said everything is negotiable.
Lenski then asked the essential question: "Why do you believe everything is negotiable?" The department head explained the head of finance would ask if she bargained and got a good deal. At that point, Lenski crossed out the original fee and wrote a new one that was about 25 percent higher. "Will this work?" she asked.
The department head said, "Well, I'll have to offer you 20 percent less than that." And they had a deal.
You won't always get such a clear-cut answer, but it only strengthens your case if you can find out about the other person's goals.
3. Deal with Issues Up Front
Instead of keeping quiet and thus becoming resentful, "negotiating is figuring out how to raise the things that are bothering you so they can be sorted out," Lenski says.
There are gender-based differences in negotiation. "Many women are not very good at asking, or when they are made an offer, they tend to think that they have to say yes or no," Lenski says. "But men tend to think of it as the opening volley in a negotiating experience."
Instead of just thinking about what might make it difficult to accomplish your goal, talk with your boss about those issues right away. "It's much more helpful in general to think about under what conditions you might make it possible, and how can you help me do that," Lenski says.
Lenski was recently asked to speak at a conference, and the university offered to pay her travel expenses but not conference fees and hotel room. She discovered a colleague who was manning a nearby conference booth was getting all her expenses paid by another college department. Instead of having hard feelings, Lenski approached the dean. "Aren't I doing as much to get the college's name out there?" she asked. When she pointed out the discrepancy, he offered to pay her way as well.
People are too often afraid to have those difficult conversations, bottling up their resentment. "If I hadn't asked and would have gone home and fretted, I wouldn't have had the money," she says.
4. Do the Right Kind of Homework
Lenski says people tend to waste a lot of time worrying about scary negotiation scenarios. "They go into it thinking about all the ways it can go wrong," she says, even though the negotiation generally turns out much better than expected. "Instead, they should spend their time thinking of it from the perspective of the other person. What would make them want to join with you to figure things out? Not what will make them change their mind, but what will make them want to sort this out with me. Invite them into joint problem-solving."
Not only does this tactic lead to more successful negotiations, but your colleagues will also have a better opinion of you. "You have to keep seeing most of the folks in the workplace, and they can have a lot of input on whether you move up," Lenski says. "You want to approach them in ways that you're seen as a team player."

Resume Presentation

Resume Presentation

by Christine F. Della Monaca




Writing a resume is like exercising: You may not look forward to it, but you feel better once it’s done. And like the results of a good workout, a well-presented resume can help you keep your career in shape.

But when writing a resume, what works and what doesn’t? We thought we’d turn to Monster members like you for advice. Here are some tips from both job seekers who write resumes and hiring professionals who read them for a living. Keep in mind that like resumes, opinions can vary -- what works for one person may not work for you.

Title and Objective

A strong, descriptive title will help you stand out in a sea of resumes. “Titling your resume ‘Joe's do-it-all resume’ or ‘1975 hottie looking for a job resume’ gets your resume passed over by a busy recruiter,” says one Monster member who should know -- he’s a recruiter himself. “Make the title useful. For instance, ‘Nursing Director, Pediatrics Labor and Delivery’ or ‘IT Telecom Project Manager, Microsoft and Cisco Certified’ or ‘Enterprise Software Sales Manager, Life Sciences’ -- enough with the stupid titles we dismiss and make fun of. This is your career we're talking about.”

And an objective must get an employer’s attention quickly or it won’t get any attention at all, says a district manager for a wireless company. “I receive hundreds of resumes on a monthly basis,” he says. “Two-thirds of the resumes are rejected due to the applicant having no clear objective in seeking employment with my company. Your resume must grab my attention within the first few words of the objective. It must be clearly written and relevant to the position you are applying for. Take a little extra time and customize the objective to the position you are seeking…. If you cannot sell yourself with your resume, you might not have the opportunity to sell yourself at an interview.”

Look and Feel

As for typeface, you had definite opinions. “Don't use Times New Roman font,” advises one seeker. “Your resume will look like everyone else's. Georgia and Tahoma are both different, professional and pleasant to look at.”

But another job seeker’s font advice is more practical: “Use Times New Roman or Arial Narrow instead of other wider fonts to keep your resume to only one (or two) pages and save paper.”

Monster Resume Expert Kim Isaacs recommends you use a standard Microsoft Word-installed font so the layout will be consistent when an employer opens your resume. No matter what font you use, she suggests you stick with one per resume. “Also, the type should be large enough to be read on screen without causing eye fatigue,” she says.

For the hard copy of your resume, make sure you invest in good paper stock, says one HR professional who has also composed and drafted resumes for professional clients. “Before our prospective employer even takes one glance at our resume, there is something they do first, and that is FEEL it,” she says. “Having handled nearly hundreds of resumes each week, I think most people would be amazed how much notice you can get with a resume on good-quality paper. Sometimes it is not even a conscious thought, just as you shuffle stacks of resumes from here to there, making all the appropriate piles to serve your needs, you always tend to linger just a little longer over that one resume with paper that feels a little heavier, like the cotton/linen blends or the one that feels just slightly different than normal, like the parchments. You can double the effect if you choose good-quality paper in a professional color other than white.”

Length

When President Lincoln was asked how long a man’s legs should be, he said they should be able to reach from a man’s body to the floor. Likewise, your resume should be long enough to sell you properly without overstating your accomplishments.

But of course, you had opinions on this, too. The consensus on resume length is simple: Keep it short. There are exceptions, though. “Never exceed one page, unless you have 15-plus years of experience and are applying for a job in upper management,” advises one job seeker. “Make sure that your resume remains one page and formatted properly, even when viewed in different formats and different views -- if someone opens your resume in a view other than the one you created it in and sees a hanging line, it looks unprofessional.”

Style and Grammar

Finally, it may seem like grade-school advice, but it bears repeating: “Although I try to counsel people on how to write a raving resume and an awesome cover letter, I'm consistently shocked at how many resumes and cover letters I receive from people that are plagued with misspelled words, grammatical mistakes and basically little or no time spent proofreading prior to sending,” says one Monster member who’s been in the staffing industry for 15-plus years. “In an era when competition seems to be one of an applicant's worst enemies, it seems that one would want to do everything possible to stand out in the crowd. Trust me: I won't give a second thought to deleting a resume and/or cover letter that is fraught with mistakes.”

Time Management for Managers

Time Management for Managers
by Matt Krumrie
Monster Contributing Writer


It's 8 p.m., and Mary is still at the office. Sighing as she answers her final email for the night, she thinks back over the day.
"This isn't the job I was hired to do," she grumbles. "Instead of the project and people management I love, all I'm doing is babysitting and dealing with one crisis after another."
If you're a manager, you may have been in this situation. Sometimes there just doesn't seem to be enough time to get things done. But other people do it, and so can you.
"Have you ever wondered how some extremely successful people not only get it all done, but also have time for vacations, trips and golf?" says Kathy Gillen, president of executive coaching company The Gillen Group in Elk River, Minnesota. "It's because they have managed a way to figure out how to manage their time."
Let's face it: There isn't a day that goes as planned for most busy managers. That's what management is -- juggling tasks to achieve a common goal and ultimately better the whole organization.
"When's the last day you didn't have a high-priority phone call, an urgent email or a stressed-out colleague begging for attention?" says Tom Gegax, founder of Gegax Management Systems in Minneapolis and author of By the Seat of Your Pants: The No-Nonsense Business Management Guide. "Getting pulled off-course is in every leader's job description. That's why enlightened managers must have a strategy for dealing with daily interruptions."
The Six D's
Gegax bases his time-management principles on the "six D's": don't do it, delay it, deflect it, delegate it, do it imperfectly and do it.
"When something pops ups, rather than robotically just doing it, I start with the first option," Gegax says. "If that doesn't apply, I move on to the second. I keep cruising down the list until I reach the appropriate action."
For instance, many seemingly urgent tasks disappear if you don't do them or delay them, he says, leaving you more time and energy to focus on the tasks that matter.
And while some flare-ups need immediate attention, your involvement isn't always required. Carefully consider whether to deflect the situation to another department or delegate it to a subordinate, Gegax advises.
If you do opt to tackle the problem yourself, Gegax cautions against automatically shifting into "perfectionist mode."
"A large number of my projects could hardly be described as perfect, yet were successful nevertheless," he says.
Of course, reserve the final "D" -- do it -- for the tasks you've determined will keep you moving toward your goals.
The Multitasking Trap
Multitasking may seem like a way to productively "juggle" numerous tasks, but it actually prevents you from getting things accomplished, says Laura Stack, president of Denver-based consultancy The Productivity Pro and author of Leave the Office Earlier. She offers these tips on how to better manage your time and stay focused:
• Batch: Email kills your concentration. Turn off the notification function on your email program. Set aside a specific number of times per day to check and deal with your email.

• Prioritize: Don't get sidelined by interruptions. If you're working on the last-minute details of a report for a meeting that starts in 30 minutes, don't accept a drop-in visitor's request to "ask you something really quick."

• Control Self-Interruption: Many times, you interrupt yourself. You're sitting at your desk when all of a sudden, your brain starts talking to you. "Oh, I need to tell Chris this," it says, and you pick up the phone or dash off an email to "blurt" out whatever you were thinking about before you forget. Instead, get yourself a three-ring binder, some loose-leaf paper and A-Z tabs. Create a sheet of paper for each person with whom you communicate frequently. When your brain reminds you of something, simply turn to that person's communication log. Jot down the thought or idea, and then go back to what you were doing. When that person's log has several thoughts saved up, call the person and set up a meeting or phone conference.

Keep your Job Seach Secret

Keep Your Job Search Secret with These Tips
by Kim Isaacs
Monster Resume Expert






It's a nightmare scenario: Unhappy at work, you start looking for a new job, but your current employer finds out -- and your job security is gone.

That's what happened to one office manager in St. Louis, whose supervisor found his application on the company's computer system. "My boss called me in his office and asked me about a resume I submitted to a rival company," he says. The office manager had to do some quick thinking to explain himself. "It didn't matter that I gave this company three years of service -- I was no longer trusted. I didn't get fired, but I put my job search into high gear, because they no longer saw me as loyal."

It's no surprise this job seeker got caught emailing his resume. The American Management Association and ePolicy Institute's "2005 Electronic Monitoring & Surveillance Survey" suggests 76 percent of employers monitor their workers' Web site connections.

So how can you search for a new job while keeping your hunt under wraps? Follow these tips.

Don't Job Search on Company Time

"Never use your employer's email, computers, fax lines or telephone systems for job search purposes," advises Pat Kendall, author of Jumpstart Your Online Job Search in a Weekend and president of career-services firm Advanced Resume Concepts. "Even if your employer is aware of it (and supports it 100 percent), it looks inappropriate to potential employers and may raise questions about your honesty or integrity."

Wendy Terwelp, president of career services firm Opportunity Knocks, agrees. "In my mind, it brands you as a time thief to potential employers," says Terwelp, whose client was caught working on his resume during office hours. "He was fired immediately and escorted out. It was a hard lesson."

Use Discretion

According to Kendall, "Looking for a job in your current industry -- especially if it's a small, tight-knit industry -- should be approached with extreme caution." If you're working with industry-specific recruiters, give them a list of employers to avoid if you think your current employer might hear about your job search.

Terwelp also counsels her clients on the importance of discretion when distributing resumes.

"Network with your personal contacts -- those you trust -- to help you make discreet connections to employers," she says. "Who's in your network that you trust can keep your confidentiality? What are your target companies? Who do you know who knows a key decision maker at one of these companies?"

Don't be afraid to reach out to people who could benefit from the relationship as much as you can. "Employees are rewarded for bringing key players on board," Terwelp says. "Why not help your friends be rewarded by their employers for hiring you?"

Create a Confidential Resume

Most employers respect the fact that a job search is confidential, but there's still a chance confidentiality could be breached when you submit your resume. On Monster, you may post a confidential resume, which hides your name, contact information and current employer name. If you choose to upload a Word file or copy-and-paste a plain-text version of your resume, make sure you remove identifying information before uploading to Monster. And Privacy Plus allows you to block up to five companies from finding your resume in a Monster database search.

Kendall offers these additional tips to camouflage your resume:

Replace your name with "Confidential Candidate." Be sure your name doesn't appear in the file name or its Properties dialog box.

Confine contact information to a carefully selected email address -- one not based on your name or attached to a public profile with personal information.

Describe your current employer in general terms (e.g., "high tech manufacturing firm") rather than listing the company's name and location.

Avoid including product or target market keywords that would give away your employer or identity. Remove keywords your current employer might use if looking for someone to replace you.

Cover It in Your Cover Letter

There are no guarantees that mentioning your job search's confidentiality will prevent your employer from discovering your search, but it doesn't hurt. Terwelp suggests adding a line like: "As this is a highly confidential career search, I would greatly appreciate your discretion in handling my candidacy."

Use Job Agents

Kendall recommends using Job Search Agents, which search jobs and notify you when suitable ones are posted. "This approach is safer, as it limits your resume's public exposure," she says.