Where Do All the Paperclips Go? ...and 127 other Business and Career Conundrums

by Coomber, Steve; Woods, Marc

• ISBN13: 9781841128016
• ISBN10: 1841128015
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-11-19
• Publisher: Capstone

Summary

The world of work is full of tricky questions. Some are clearly business related: Does anything ever get built on time and under budget? Some less obviously so: How do I move desks without offending that irritating colleague? Some are career critical: How do I get the attention of a conference audience? Some are life critical: What are the odds of getting shot at work? Whether you are a one man band, the head honcho of a multinational corporation, a knowledge worker, or the inhabitant of an office cubicle in some mundane organisation, finding the right answers can be a daunting prospect. But help is at hand. Now there's no need to spend weeks on the internet, or a fortune on consultants. With the help of academic experts and business practitioners, Where Do all the Paperclips Go? answers those all-important questions you always wanted the answer to, plus many more that never even occurred to you: Do you have to be "nasty" to get to the top? Why is letting employees have 15 per cent of their work time to do what they want a good idea? What makes a good logo? Does advertising really work? Why do people always gather around the water cooler? When is it ever OK to sleep on the job? What's in a name - what should I call my business? Can corporate social responsibility improve your profits? What is the worst paid job in the world? How many Vice Presidents do you need to make a company? Sample entry Where do all the paperclips go? The first bent-wire paperclip was patented in 1867 and since then dozens of different varieties have been designed to help attach papers together. It is estimated that even now, in an increasingly paper free office environment, 20 million paperclips are sold each year in America alone. Yet it seems that we still need help in getting organised. Fast Company Magazine stated that 480f American executives admit to having a messy desk but claim to know where everything is. In contrast 12ay that although their desk appears organized, they have no idea where to find anything. Executives can waste up to six weeks a year searching for lost documents. Thankfully there are some simple things you can do to organise your office: Get Your Desk Under Control If you don't use it everyday it doesn't need to be on your desk Have a system for your incoming documents. Don't procrastinate. If you have picked up a document and decided what to do with it don't put it back in your in tray. You will only have to pick it out again. File Don't Pile Have a similar system for both your computerised and paper based files. Create an index for your filing system and check it before creating a new file to avoid making duplicates. Usually the most relevant document is the most recent. In each file store the most recent at the front. Use Your Time Wisely Break the larger projects into smaller ones that are easier to manage and delegate. Know where you are in your diary and use it to plan your tasks. Interruptions happen. When you are allocating time to tackle a task don't forget to factor in some extra for distractions and information gathering. Communicate Well Know what you want to achieve from a phone call before you start it. Clarify that your communications are understood by your colleagues. When delegating make sure you are clear about the expected outcomes. As for the missing paperclips we know where some of them have gone. In 1998 David Smith, an assistant principle at the Whitwell Middle School in Tennessee, suggested that they could use the events of the holocaust as the basis for teaching tolerance within the school. Having dif

Author Biography

Marc Woods is a five time Paralympian. He has won 12 Paralympic medals as well as 21 other medals from world and European championships.  He was a member of the British Olympic Athletes Commission and a founding member of the British Athletes Council.
He works extensively with individuals, teams and global businesses, encouraging them to develop best practise within their given areas of interest. Approximately 25,000 people each year watch him deliver his motivational presentations.

Steve Coomber writes for the Times, CEO Journal, The Edge, Finance Director Europe, European CEO, World Finance and a variety of other publications.
He is author of Branding, and co-author of Bottled for Business The Less Gassy Guide To Entrepreneurship, Architects of the Business Revolution, The Career Adventurer's Fieldbook. He has worked on many other business books including The Complete CEO, The FT Guide to Business Travel, The Management Century, The Ultimate Book of Business Brands, The FT Handbook of Management, Business: The Ultimate Resource etc.

Table of Contents

Why you Should Buy This Book

Preface

Acknowledgements

Dedication

So You Want to Be an Entrepreneur?

Introduction

Dreaming big Dreams

Your Passion - What are you willing to do for the rest of your life?

The Entrepreneur Test - Is Starting A Business Right For You?

Check your entrepreneurial quotient with our fun quiz

Mentor Session

Introduction to Entrepreneurship

Introduction

Top ten ways to answer the ultimate question - do I want to become an entrepreneur?

What is an entrepreneur?

Research into entrepreneurs

The top ten traits successful entrepreneurs

Lessons

Mentor Session

Entrepreneurs Uncovered

Top ten myths about entrepreneurs

What makes people become an entrepreneur?

Are you feeling like an entrepreneur yet?

Lessons

Mentor Session

entrepreneurial Lifestyle

What's life like being an entrepreneur?

Ten great things about being an entrepreneur

The story of an entrepreneurial beginning

Lessons

Mentor Session

Deconstructing You

Taking a personal inventory and assessing your current resources

Audit your business history and abilities

Management skills evaluation

Personality evaluation

Accomplishments

Your health position

What interests you in life?

What about your family and network?

Have you considered the ideal lifestyle for you?

Mentor Session

Deconstructing You

What's your personal motivation?

A story about finding your personal mission

Vision, Purpose and personal mission statement..Identifying personal criteria that will fit your new business

It's not all about the 'money' or being a 'millionaire'.Make an 'I want' list

Mentor Session

Is It Really For Me?Getting over the fear of starting out

Anyone can become an entrepreneur

Making the transition from the corporate world

You can be an 'geriatrereneur' when you are over 55 too

Top ten excuses for not becoming an entrepreneur

Finding the courage to go for it

Lessons

Take the 'rocking chair' test before you give up on your dream

Mentor Session

Make Sure You Take Your Loved Ones With You

Achieving a life of balance

Getting the balance right at home

Your friends and family

Your circle of influence

Mentor Session

Are You Ready to Be an Entrepreneur?

So what are your answers to the ultimate question - do you want to be entrepreneur?

Top ten ways to answer the ultimate question- do I want to become an entrepreneur?

Epilogue

Answer Key

Index

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