Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Europe - good news and bad news

I don't know about you guys but I needed some good news today so I was happy to see this article in the new york times that says that "the european economy grew slightly in the third quarter" driven by France and Germany mostly.

Unfortunately I read this special report from the economist after, which was much less positive, though very interesting. In this article it says that the euro crisis might wake Europe up but what is more likely according to Edward Carr is compromise and the decline of the euro. However dark this article seemed to be, it was also a very interesting vision of the current situtation of the euro and I suggest that you read it.

Sources:
http://www.economist.com/node/21536872
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/16/business/global/european-economy-grew-0-2-percent-in-3rd-quarter-helped-by-france-and-germany.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Technology Dependency

After reading his article saying that young people think the internet is as important as breathing, I cannot help but fear for our future. Sure, the internet is amazing, can help us learn so much, but the fact is if we can't survive without Internet, humanity has a BIG problem!

We need to start putting things in perspective: millions of people live without Internet in the world today and we are so arrogant as to say that it is a necessary part of life? I'm not saying to stop Internet all together, just that we should put a bit of perspective in our lives! Don't stop Internet all together but maybe from time to time turn off your Internet connection, see how that feels like! =)

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/internet-cisco-poll-2011-11?utm_campaign=Feed:+typepad/alleyinsider/silicon_alley_insider+(Silicon+Alley+Insider)

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Corruption and India

The middle class in India tended to be quite detached from the system, apathy regned as people had lost hope in all political parties and personalities. This segment, the fastest growing one in the economy whose buying power is expected to triple in the next 15 years, making India one of the most important consumer markets in the world, is starting to demand CHANGE.

Strikes agaisnt the all pervasive corruption have started attracting the support of the middle class.

To learn about the details of this very interesting phenomen check out this article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/30/world/asia/indias-middle-class-appears-to-shed-political-apathy.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

How succesful leaders improve their team's performance

Here are a few strategies that can make a big difference:
  • Affirm their worth. Telling an employee who has been performing well that he did a good job and is important to the company will encourage him or her to continue being productive and make the work environment more attractive. Think about it, when you have worked hard for a project for example and nobody appreciates your efforts, you may not be as willing to reproduce the same work for the next project whereas if you were praised the probability you continue working that hard will increase.

  • Challenge them. Give people the opportunity to excel. Give them what they need to do the job and then give it to them. By that I don't mean the resources that might not be there because of scarcity but rather of support that is unlimited and should always be there for the employees even when they may fail. 


  • Inspire them. How to do that? Start by setting high standards of excellence, that push you to do better. Then hold yourself accountable for delivering on these standards. And of course take pride not for your own achievements but rather for you and your team's productivity and performance.



  • Know when to claim center stage. There are some directions that set the pace for the company and these are the ones where the leader should take charge, this is where he or she earns his or her paygrade. But do not forget to delegate too or else your subordinates will start to get frustrated by your "I'll do everything" attitude.




Source: http://www.bnet.com/blog/leadership/how-successful-leaders-improve-their-teams-performance/644

European Crisis

Here is a great visual aid for understanding the European Crisis, what is most critical right now, the possible outcome it could have and its impact on other countries.

Check it out:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/10/23/sunday-review/an-overview-of-the-euro-crisis.html

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Generation Y and Entrepreneurship: a disaster?

Just found this article that explains a new point of view about the generation Y that says its entrepreneurship will lead to disaster for multiple reasons.

This is a new opinion when most people talk about generation Y and entrepreneurship they associate it with companies such as Facebook and Goggle but there is more to it then that as you shall see in this article.

http://www.bnet.com/blog/ceo/why-gen-y-entrepreneurship-will-be-a-disaster/8762

Four Ways Women Stunt their Careers Unintentionally

A very informative article about how women can limit their opportunities.

Here are the four main ways that they do so:

- Being overly modest
- Not asking
- Blending in
- Remaining silent

Avoid these and you just might be able to advance faster than you thought.


http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/10/four_ways_women_stunt_their_careers.html