Crucial conversations - 30 min video

This link on Youtube is to an engaging video that goes with the Crucial Conversations book that I am also reading.

Good for managers and anyone who deals with people for a living (or at home).  Some good ideas well expressed.  The video tells the story, with the book giving more analysis and a route map to improvement.

100 Excel functions - in order of how useful with details about how easy to master

A really useful checklist for topping up what you know.

Podcast: Taking Note of Radical Candor with Kim Scott - Evernote Blog

Podcast: Taking Note of Radical Candor with Kim Scott - Evernote Blog: "Taking Note of Radical Candor with Kim Scott"

Good news: this link is a summary of the main points from the podcast about feedback.

This seems a really good approach, allowing one to read the points quickly without having to spend the whole 40 minutes listening.

'via Blog this'

Current Hot Topics in Management Accounting

Went to a CIMA/BPP update session presented by Richard Mallett which was sadly disappointing.

Had hoped to come back inspired with new ideas to use back at the office but only 2 'hot topics' were covered:

1. CGMA Global Management Accounting Principles
2. Integrated reporting

The first seemed more about categorising what a management accountant does, could do or should do in very top level terms.

Integrated reporting is becoming a Financial Reporting requirement for large organisations.  The theory is that as this embeds, what is required for year end reporting will find its way into management reporting.

Summary: some useful background thinking but not worth the 2 hours drive to be there.

How to use Lucid Charts like a pro

Excellent webinar by Lucid Charts.  About an hour long but really punchy delivery so lots covered (medium to advanced level).

I use Lucid for process maps, mind maps and whiteboard style diagrams which can be live shared and downloaded as pdfs or other formats.  Looks like also excellent for importing data for self-drawing diagrams such as org charts.  Both the product (which has a free version) and the webinar are highly recommended (and easier to use than Visio).

Check list for return to work interview for member of staff that has has been off for stress

Hope I never need to use this but could be a useful check list for preparation should the need ever arise:

Check list for conducting return to work interview for member of staff that has been off for stress

Body language - power posturing and consciously using your body to change how you feel

TED talk by Amy Cuddy - your body language changes who you really are

Creating a true profession - people, purpose and potential

Attended a professional association cross sector networking event at the University of Brighton, hosted by the Chartered Institute of Management.  Speaker was Simon Bowen, CMI director who was both entertaining and informative.

Key points:

• UK employees rating their managers: 
• 21% highly effective
• 36% effective
• 43% ineffective or highly ineffective
• UK productivity is 21% less than rest of G7
• OECD quote 'management and leadership no 1 factor in total productivity gap'
• Only 1 in 5 managers is trained
• In rapidly growing organisations, 68% of managers have high trust in leaders
• Among those in decline, only 15% fully trust their leaders
• Management 2020, enquiry how management and leadership in the UK will need to change by 2020 to deliver sustainable economic growth available here.
• Session conclusion: Great management in 5 easy steps
• Stop excluding, start including
• Stop controlling, start coaching
• Stop confusing, start clarifying
• Stop resisting change, start embracing it
• Stop competing, start collaborating

Evidence of attendance.

Accounting for Extraordinary times

CPD webinar with:

• CIMA president Andrew Miskin, 
• Dominic Barton, Global MD of McKinsey, 
• Helena Morrisey, 
• CEO Newton Investment Mngt and 
• Barry Melancon, President and CEO of AICPA.

A diverse Q&A session for 1.5 hours.

Presentation tips

Presentation tips

Valuing talent

A whole suite of information and tools about valuing talent, including case studies.  Source CIMA.

The case for daily reviews

Increasingly regular fortnightly 121s and daily retros have increased my daily reflection.  This article from CGMA makes the case even better.

Preventing and detecting payroll fraud

Some good ideas from CGMA on detecting and preventing payroll fraud.

Making change happen

A 1 day CIMA course in Crawley

Agenda

My mind maps of the useful points from the speeches (note there are multiple tabs) - open access but it may be necessary to set up a free Lucid Charts account.

Handouts (access to this is restricted due to copyright).

Why your boss is more important than your job title and useful interview questions

Thought provoking article with some interview tips.

Shortcuts and shortcuts to shortcuts

Lessons learned from thinking about shortcuts this week:

1. Breevy is an app for PCs that allows creation of shortcuts.  The more you think about it the more exciting this gets: names, email addresses, jumping to directories, whole paragraphs can all be created.
   
   I started off with a shortcut system that started with semicolons and ending with a space but have now moved to one starting with real letters and ending with double dots.  This gives me slightly longer to remember I have a shortcut for the word and gives me the option of adding an S a the end for a plural.
2. Breevy can be made to sync with Dropbox (banned at some work places) and is limited to PCs.  Text Expander is another option, works for Ipad and Macs (not tested by me) and has a beta for PCs.  This looks good for synchronisation but costs US$40 a year.
3. Ipads have settings/general/text replacement which is basic but does the trick.

Thought about backing up Windows favourites:

1. Right click favorites (in Windows Explorer)
2. Open in a new window
3. Select all with the mouse
4. Copy
5. Create a new directory in backup destination
6. Paste

Notes from podcast: Simplicity in Computing by Brett Kelly

Focus area: making messaging more efficient

Actions

Turn off Linked in notifications

Check if Spam Sieve could be added to my email system

Think about quick responses to emails - extend use of Breevy

Use text expander for iPad (like Breevy)

Use Breevy for addresses and email addresses

Start shortcuts with single dot or end with double dot

Create structure for shortcuts

Shortcuts for Evernote tags 

Email gate?  If not known sender gets them to type code

Consider out of office that says 'will not be read, pls resend when I get back if still an issue'

Things to look at one day

Sane box (mail client)

Mail mate (mail client)  - Evaluates mail and learns

Spam sieve - Works on user defined rules

Tweetbot- allows muting

TM1 refresher

Had a TM1 refresher with David Bonser, TM1 Developer.  Lots of useful tips and some good ideas about designing future slices in a way that will reduce system requirements, by hard coding semi-fixed variables.

Excel tables

Useful article about Excel tables - including their drawbacks

Economics briefing 4 Aug 2016

Mindmap of HSBC economics briefing with Amanda Murphy, Head of UK Corporate Banking and Mark Berrisford-Smith, Head of Economics for HSBC UK Commercial Banking.