Taking Money Personally

Improving Technical Productivity

Taking Money Personally:
Entrepreneurial Leadership

By Susan de la Vergne

I once worked for a VP in a large corporation who said that, as managers, we should manage company money as if it were our own. What he meant was that we should be as careful with company money as we were with our own funds. (I guess he was assuming we were the sorts of people who balanced our checking accounts regularly and filed our taxes on time.)

We shouldn't, for example, be cavalier about large sums of money--"Oh, look, it's only $3000 over budget"--just because we assumed there was corporate money somewhere and this or that expense amount couldn't really hurt that much.

I know I've done it myself, looked at an expensive price tag for a conference, for travel, supplies or tuition reimbursement and had, really, very little context to evaluate whether the dollar amount was worth it to the company. But once our VP put it in those terms--manage it like it's your own--I had a different frame of reference. Does $3000 matter to me personally? You bet.

Taking company money personally--that's thinking like an entrepreneur, which is not something everyone in engineering leadership positions has had an opportunity to try on for size. (Click HERE to read more.)

QUICK TIP: The Triangle of Death

The "PowerPoint triangle of death," says Dr. Nick Morgan of Public Words, is that space you create when you stand off to one side and watch your slides while you speak. The audience is off to your right, the slides are off to your left, and you, the speaker, are forming the third point on the triangle. You speak to that triangular space in front of you, gesturing there, using your slides as your speaking notes.

Here's why it's a terrible place to be:

http://bit.ly/xpC5Vq

Our Commitment to You

We at Auxilium are committed to bringing you education offerings that are relevant, practical, and immediately useful. We help you meet the challenges you're facing now, and to be ready for the challenges ahead.

Our instructors aren't just researchers and observers from afar. They're people who've done it themselves--led teams, managed innovation, navigated difficult situations, tough projects and much more. They build on their practical experience by studying today's thought leaders and bringing fresh ideas and material to you--things you and your team can put to use right away.

If that's the sort of practical insight you're looking for, you've come to the right place.

Sincerely,

Gary C. Hinkle

President and CEO

Auxilium, Inc.

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/garyhinkle

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/GaryHinkle

SEMINARS AND WORKSHOPS

Effective Technical Presentations Workshop

San Diego, CA - 2/23/2012

Fullerton, CA - 2/29/2012

Portland, OR - 3/27/2012