An Engineer’s Challenge – Time Management
By Doyle Matthews
If an engineer, scientist, or technical professional is asked what his or her biggest challenge at work is, what do you think their reply would be?
* I’m not making enough money?
* My boss is a tyrant?
* Management does not support the workers?
Top three complaints
How about “none of the above.” According to a survey by computerworld.com the top three main complaints (for software engineers) were:
* Too much work (28% of responses)
* No room for advancement (20% of responses)
* Deadlines (20%)
Although this survey was performed with software engineers, according the results would likely be similar for most any technical professional, including Silicon Valley engineers.
The main problem reported is too much work, which translates into not enough time. If you think about it, all three responses were related to time. No room for advancement means that management isn’t utilizing their time properly to staff their company. Deadlines; well, they’re all about time.
Not enough time
In recent time management articles the author has examined methods of saving time that are valuable to the engineer. Here is important ammunition to add to the engineer’s arsenal to harness time and step up to the plate on the professional and personal front.
* Make a list of the tasks that you are required to do daily (include computer tasks such as checking e-mail, etc.).
* Prioritize the list. Tasks that are “high profile” or require special skill should be at the top. Consider the effect of each task on both short term and your long term goals.
* Think about what you contribute most to the organization you belong to and what skills you could acquire to enhance your position. The more important you are to your organization the more specialized your job will become (specialization=more time available=growth as engineer and as individual=peace of mind).
* Determine if some of your tasks (especially redundant ones) can be performed by lower ranking personnel or by co-workers.
Turn weaknesses into strengths
Identify any weaknesses that you possess that could contribute to your problem (examples: often late for work, not a good listener, not well organized, miss work often) and rectify them.
Make an effort to understand where your boss is coming from and let him know what your concerns and goals are. If your organization uses a “performance review” study it and use as a guide to better work results. Request training in areas you are weak in.
Locate a mentor for tasks that you feel uncomfortable with or don’t understand.
Doyle Matthews is a former U.S. Foreign Service officer and civilian radio engineer who has had over sixty-five visas stamped in a shoebox full of passports (including diplomatic). He has written four novels, two of which are in publication http://doylematthewsnovels.com
Nowadays, he spends his time between Los Angeles and Bangkok. The two “City of Angels” provide provocative material to populate his “idea” files for future stories and articles.
Bangalore City Guide, Attractions in Bangalore
By Ravinder Singh Thakur
Bangalore:-
Among the most popular tourist destinations in India, Bangalore has its name on the top of the list. This is most green liberal and forward thinking city. It is the capital of Indian state Karnataka. The city is also known as Silicon Valley of India. This is also known as IT hub of India. This comes in the list of world’s fastest growing cities. City is also a beautiful tourist destination in India. Tourists from all over the world visit this place. Bangalore is renamed as Bengaluru.
Attractions:-
There are many attractions in this city these attractions attracts tourists from all over the world. There are many temples here like the Bull temple, ISKON Hare Krishana temple Shiva temple etc. Here you will also find some of the best parks in the city. Cubbon Park, Lal Bagh Park, Lumbini Gardens are some of the famous parks here. There are also some scenic spots her which attracts tourist to this place. Art of living Ashram, Chunchi Falls, Shivanga and Hesaargatha Lake are some of them.
Shopping:-
If you are visiting this city you will find this place best for shopping. There are many world class shopping malls here. Some of famous Malls in Bangalore are The Forum, Garuda, Bangalore Central and you can have exciting shopping experience on Sampige road.
Night Life:-
Night life in the city is very charming and heart touching. For vibrant night out you will find various pubs, bars and discos out here. There you can enjoy your night life in full blend of modern style. You can experience the pub scene here mostly around MG road, Brigade road and Church street. These are some of the best places where you will enjoy your night life.
How to reach:-
The city is well connected by the all modes of transportation like railway, road and airways. You can reach this City by adopting any mode of transportation whichever you feel comfortable. The city is well connected by the airway. City has an international airport. There are regular flights to various national and international destinations from this airport. There are many operators who operate their flights to this city. Air Arabia, AirAsia, Singapore Airlines, SpiceJet, Thai Airways International, Tiger Airways, Sri Lankan Airlines are main operators who operates their services to various national and international destinations. You can also reach here by rail. There are mainly two railway terminals here and there come regular trains from all major stations in India. You can also reach there by bus also.
The Black Business Guide to Business Planning
By Gerard Spinks
Traditional wisdom and MBA’s from Harvard will tell you that you have to create a huge business plan full of market analysis, sales strategy, funding plan, and everything else. I have personally witnessed businesses in the Silicon Valley secure $30 million in in funding with a one paged document. Yes, these times are gone but the point is not lost. You need a business plan but do not spend time creating a 30 page document.
I used to think that I needed elaborate business plans to take to a bank and show them this plan supported by all types of industry analysis and spread sheets with 3-5 year pro form cash flow statements. Once I got done with showing them my plan, I figured they would quickly finance me since I clearly outlined how my industry is a billion dollar industry. This is nonsense. I created a 90 page business document, pitched it to people, and no one got past the first page. A couple of bankers got to page 2 and maybe 3% of the people got to a page 3.
I recommend creating a business plan no greater than 3-5 pages. Your business plan needs to identify your goal and your overall objective. It needs to detail how you are going to begin, detail who your market is, and how you will sell and distribute your product or service to this clearly defined market. All this should be done in no greater than 5 pages. The problem with banks is that in order to get bank financing, the bank needs to see a sales history of at least 24 months. No bank will fund a brand new business with zero earnings. If it does, you are very rare and I would be very thankful.
This situation means that you need to create your product or service yourself and prove that it can sell by selling it for 2 years on your own. This will give you confidence in your product or service and help you when you’re in front of the bank. This part of any business plan is the toughest most grueling part of the plan. This is why it is not realistic to spend days and months putting together a 50 page plan. No one will even need your plan for 2-3 years until you prove it on your own. This is what made Master P credible to investors and record distributors. He had sales of his own. But his plan was short and small. This is what you need to focus on: simple planning and relentless execution of this small plan to achieve results over a 24 month period.
Gerard Spinks is the Underground Millionaire and helps business people put a full court press on getting your business and brand out on the Internet. Gerard Spinks has taken a music artist from relative obscurity to being seen over 30 Million times on television and selling her music. This is the power of Gerard Spinks’ mission and vision. We run these Internet streets and get your brand out there via intense and strategic marketing and advertising programs.