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In Module 1, I read something that stood out to me about the importance of effective communication, "Good managers understand not only what they are saying but also the broader context and implications of saying it". I think we forget sometimes that communication is not only about disseminating information, but the impact that information could have.

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In Module 1: It discusses Managerial Skills, and one of them was Human Skills. I first learned about "Human Skills" or "Soft Skills" many years ago when I first started managing a team. It is a foundational book in management. I find that I like to re-read this book about every 5 years or so. Its the basics that we all already know, but sometimes we just need a reminder.

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In module 1, we learned about Henri Fayol. It sounds like we have him to thank for a more modern approach to management styles. I made two notes about him from the reading that stood out to me... "management is fundamentally a process involving people" and "Fayol recognized that a company’s people, not its structure, determine success or failure."

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In Module 2: It discusses Corporate culture. A leadership author I enjoy reading is Simon Sinek. His first book, Start With Why is the foundation of how to build the culture you want in your employees. He doesn't believe in the traditional starting with What or How to define a company culture. But instead, go back to Why the company was started or Why you choose to work for a company. Its a deeper dive into the emotional connection and in theory will build a stronger cultural connection among the employees and the company. Another good book by him is Leaders Eat Last!

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In module 2 we were reading about Business ethics and ethical choices made by management. It brought to mind the first time I remember business ethics making the headlines in my adult life. It was the Enron Scandal. I was in my early 20's and didn't fully understand what had happened, it was just a news headline to me. But in the years to follow and as I build my retirement funds, I find I'm a little paranoid that someone at the top could be making intentional bad decisions and that it could effect all my hard work and savings. I think it was the Enron CFO that made the books look great, even though the company was failing. This was a huge company that affected everything from Wallstreet to its employees when it collapsed. From this scandal the Sarbanes-Oxley Act was signed into law.

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Module 2 artifact: This was a video link from my Intro to Business course with Professor Glanton last semester. This video and the concepts that Google uses to hire employees to fit their culture, I really liked. It stuck with me. It seems they put all their effort into hiring the right fit. If that is done correctly from the beginning, an employee requires very little oversight from a management standpoint. I think this is genius!! However, in real life, I can't get my HR department to buy-in on the idea of hiring for fit. They are so locked into following labor laws and that we can only hire based on knowledge, skills and ability (KSA). It feels as if they are too worried about protecting the company from a discrimination suit, than actually hiring the right people for each team.

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Best Practice HR Tips from Liane Hornsey, Google VP Operations | MeetTheBoss

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In module 3, I enjoyed reading about how companies get into the global market. But it is important to remember Drucker's core principals of management no matter what country you manage in!

"The functions of management are the same everywhere, but the functions are performed differently in different countries." "Management is deeply embedded in culture."

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4 Essential Principles Of Management by Peter Drucker | Insights From The Essential Drucker

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In module 3 I enjoyed the case study that encouraged us to think about a surfboard company to go global. This made me think about female surfers and how they are seen around the world, like in a place such as India where a lot of women still cover their heads. So a women in a body suit is probably taboo. I came across ISHITA MALAVIYA, India's first professional female surfer!

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Ishita Malaviya  | Boundary Breakers | Skullcandy

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In module 3 I was moved by reading about The World Bank's goal to end extreme poverty by 2030 "End extreme poverty by decreasing the percentage of the world’s population that live on less than U.S. $1.90 per day to no more than 3 percent."

I thought that would make a good artifact for my wall. However, I found new reports that state The World Bank will not be able to meet that goal due to inflated food costs, disruptions that COVID caused, the Ukraine invasion. Sad. Hard to watch stories about hunger in Africa and Asia.

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Goal of ending extreme poverty by 2030, out of reach — World Bank

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"The Whole is Greater than the Sum of its Parts" - Aristotle

When reading module 4, the planning section, there was a statement that said "Good strategic management allows an organization to develop synergy. That is, the pieces support each other so that the total output is greater than the sum of the output of individual functions.

And that reminded me of the famous quote by Aristotle. But they broke it down so nicely to apply to management. They brought in the words: support, output, individuals and functions. Its almost a little saying that I would keep posted at my desk to remind me to think team and not individual. Although it can be faster to make a decision or complete a task as an individual, but I didn't do anything that could have support another!

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In our reading for the week, we covered ecommerce and that was something I had not given much thought to. Amazon for example has become a household name and Prime has spoiled us with 2 day shipping. I hadn't considered what a giant Amazon really is in the ecommerce world, scary actually. And then to think about managing a business in the same sector as Amazon, no way. Or trying to navigate the waters of selling through Amazon... you've got to respect those business owners and managers who are out there getting their products on the market without the help of Amazon. Kudos to them.

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Amazon to increase dominance in US ecommerce market

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While reading more about ecommerce after getting interested from our module reading, I found it interesting to see videos posted about some countries suing Amazon for dominating ecommerce. Italy believes it dominates because of sneaky and underhanded methods of information sharing. In our module reading it talks about how environment affects strategy, specifically in this case, it was Italy's antitrust watchdog felt Amazon breeched privacy laws and this will likely make it difficult for Amazon to sell products in Italy.

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Italy fines Amazon record $1.3 billion for abuse of market dominance | Technology | Latest News

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In the module 5 reading, there was a saying on page 2 that was talking about team-based structure and it stood out to me, I wrote it down...

"Remember that every team is a group, but not every group is a team."

I thought that was very well said. Made me think of the general message that Simon Sinek shares in his books about the importance of trust within a team!

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In our module 5 reading was thrilled to come across the name General Stanley McChrystal when reading about Flatter Organizational Structures. I came across his Ted talk several years ago (2011!) about leadership and was very moved... Its great!! So to see reference to his book "Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World" I immediately looked it up and added it to my wish list on Amazon. Above is the link to the first Ted talk I ever watched by retired Gen. Stanley McChrystal.

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Stanley McChrystal: Listen, learn ... then lead

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Four-star general Stanley McChrystal shares what he learned about leadership over his decades in the military. How can you build a sense of shared purpose among people of many ages and skill sets? By listening and learning -- and addressing the possibility of failure.

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In the module 5 reading I was most interested in the Common Elements of an Organization, specifically the Common Purpose. My company is currently going through some soul searching and our company as well as our department is really trying to figure out it purpose. Over the past 2 years a lot of the managers are starting to notice that without a purpose, its very difficult to maintain a positive culture among all staff members. Everything feels superficial until we have true purpose to unite us. So I dig some digging on Edgar Schein to under his ideas. There's more than can be learned in one night :). Its been added to my reading wish list!

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In module 6 we covered the functions of HR. At my job, our HR department just hosted a workshop for the managers on collaboration and communication. The guest speaker showed us this video about understanding the brain and the growing field of neuroscience and how managers can use that when giving feedback or preparing for conversations with employees. The SCARF Model! Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness and Fairness. Its an interesting concept and something I'll give more thought too!

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Learning about the brain changes everything: David Rock at TEDxTokyo

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In module 6 we covered Communication in its many forms! In a recent workshop hosted by our HR department, the guest speaker introduced us to this book, Supercommunicators. He said its a fantastic book that he's read twice and will begin using in his workshops. I have it downloaded to my audible and look forward to adding it to my knowledge that was learned in this module.

(I've also read his book The Power of Habit, another really good book if you like a little psychology and neuroscience).

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We all know people who are capable of connecting with almost anyone. They're the ones we love talking to, who we turn to for advice, who hear what we are trying to say and make us feel seen.

What do they know about conversation that makes them so special?

Supercommunicators, Charles Duhigg argues, understand that whenever we speak, we're actually participating in one of three conversations: practical (What's this really about?), emotional (How do we feel?), and social (Who are we?). If you don't know what kind of conversation you're having, connection is hard.

Skilled communicators know the importance of recognizing - and then matching - each kind of conversation, and how to hear the complex emotions, subtle negotiations, and hidden beliefs that color so much of what we say and how we listen. Our experiences, our values, our emotional lives, and how we see ourselves, and others, shape every discussion, from who will pick up the kids to how we want to be treated at work.

With his trademark clarity and storytelling, Duhigg shows readers how to recognize these three conversations - and teaches us the skills we need to navigate them more successfully.

Communication is a superpower. By bringing readers into jury deliberations and fraught CIA recruitments, into Netflix's company-wide conversations about equity and the writers' room of The Big Bang Theory, we learn why some people are able to make themselves heard - and to hear others - so clearly. We learn how to identify and leverage the hidden layers that lurk beneath every conversation.

In the end, we learn a simple but powerful lesson: With the right tools, we can connect with anyone.

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From the New York Times bestselling author of The Power of Habit, Supercommunicators is a fascinating exploration of what makes conversations work, and how we can all learn to be supercommunicators at work and in life. It focuses on the science of communication, conversation and connections.

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In module 7 we covered leadership. On page 3 of the leadership section there is a quote by Eleanor Roosevelt

"A good leader inspires people to have confidence in the leader. A great leader inspires people to have confidence in themselves."

So so many wonderful quotes from Eleanor Roosevelt, but this one I believe in and whole heartedly support. That is what this module spoke about, Leaders inspire and hopefully somewhere along the way they inspire their followers to believe in themselves.

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In module 7 we also covered motivation and its many forms, intrinsic and extrinsic, etc. One of the topics covered was the hierarchy of needs, and when a basic need is met, only then do we seek high order needs. Its very simplistic, yet very realistic. I remember reading about this in another class and thinking it really made sense. Its nice to see it again and get a refresher. As a manager we need to remember we don't walk in other people's shoes, so someone could be struggling at home with the first two and no matter what we do at work, they won't be able to seek/achieve higher order. Once their personal life settles, then they will be able to grow as an employee. Sometimes you have to cut someone a little slack, especially if they are a good employee!

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In module 8 we learned about controlling performance and employee evaluations were mentioned as part of measuring organizational performance. My company just rolled out the use of Trakstar software within the last year as a tool for employee performance reviews. It has a lot of bells and whistles for employee reviews. We just this past month started to use the Trakstar Learn and Trakstar Hire to help us with employee training programs and better evaluations of applicants.

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Meet Trakstar: Modern Software for a Modern Workforce

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As part of understanding controlling performance and operations in module 8, there was a section on Total Quality Management. Mentioned in the reading was the Malcolm Baldrige Award which I remembered learning about this in the Intro to Business course. I was inspired by this Foundation that recognizes organizational performance excellence. They recognize and reward companies who value continuous improvement. Really something for all companies to want to aspire to!

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Malcolm Baldrige 7 Criteria for Performance Excellence in Educational Management | TQM Class