Author: smartleanideas

S01E06 The First Challenge

Posted on by smartleanideas

This_might_be_fun_furniture_to_have

Hello from the construction site… I just have to wipe off the dirt from my hands in order to continue writing. So… we are very excited here at our workplace playground! We are building a technical center with a hi-tech laboratory and all extras. The whole team voted in favor of this project because many tech people had recently joined our team and they needed a place where they could test their ideas. Jon said that he even had a breakthrough in zero gravity vehicles… Continue reading “S01E06 The First Challenge” →

S01E05 The Story of the Russian Coach

Posted on by smartleanideas

Spaceship_Earth_and_Future_World_Small

Yesterday I heard that Rina, the coach of our Russian team, would come here. I was so happy to see her. She is an amazing person. She is always smiling and compassionate. If you talk to her for even five minutes, you will have the feeling that you’ve known her all your life. We also call her an “idea generator” because she usually drives her team with 60 ideas per hour. It’s always fun to be around her. Continue reading “S01E05 The Story of the Russian Coach” →

S01E04 The Story of the Traveler

Posted on by smartleanideas

road-trip

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Oh, it’s good to be at the office playground! Many people here say this for no apparent reason. My friends and non-believers are skeptical when I tell them about the way we work play and how the whole organization functions. A frequently asked question is: What about those who don’t want to sit in the office all the time? It’s not possible to satisfy all cravings. Continue reading “S01E04 The Story of the Traveler” →

What Are the Consequences of Being a Digital Native?

Posted on by smartleanideas

digial-analogue message L

 

The two terms digital natives and digital immigrants were coined and defined by Marc Prensky in his article Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. Digital natives are people who are exposed to new technologies since early childhood. They live surrounded by laptops, tablets and a bunch of smart devices. They often interact and perceive the world through video games and social networks. Digital immigrants are those who have learnt to use technologies later in their life. Continue reading “What Are the Consequences of Being a Digital Native?” →

S01E03 The Very Beginning of My Story

Posted on by smartleanideas

INFINITY_TOWER_Small

 

Episode 1

Episode 2

I arrived late for work play today. Funny, I say this, as if we have fixed working hours or should come to work every day. In our office playground everybody comes when they want and stay as much as they want. Hurray! You would imagine empty desks. But the situation is quite different. The office is full of people from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.; our boss coach often says that we have to go home earlier. Why? Our families can come here any time, have lunch, play…

Being in the office is so exciting, interesting and such fun that everyone comes almost every day (yes, including Saturdays and Sundays). Well, this happens when you give people the absolute freedom to choose what they want to do and encourage them to play and choose their challenges daily, if not hourly. And, boy, on top of all that, if you see what our office is like (link to second article), you will know why we are a bunch of workaholics. Continue reading “S01E03 The Very Beginning of My Story” →

S01E02 Back from Vacation

Posted on by smartleanideas

earth_smallEpisode 1

I am back! My vacation is finally over. Don’t get me wrong these were two amazing weeks – a clear ocean, deserted beaches, wild adventures… but, boy, I did miss my office playground and colleagues co-players. My boss coach had sent me on that cruise because he thought I looked tired. He had asked me to take a month off, but after lengthy negotiations, we had shaken our hands on two weeks.

When I was on vacation, my thoughts constantly flied back to the playground. I was homesick. What a revolutionary idea was shimmering there? What new projects did my co-players create? Were they having great fun as usual? Continue reading “S01E02 Back from Vacation” →

Enthusiasm in the Workplace: Is it possible?

Posted on by smartleanideas

CastleFinding the right employee or the right job is not an easy thing. Both parties invest a lot of time, money and efforts in their search. However, they usually end up divorced. But this is not the worst thing that can happen. Employees frequently lose interest in their jobs. When they move to a new workplace, they are overwhelmed with joy and proudly boast about their new great job. After 6 to 12 months, a mild depression and bad moods begin to knock at their office door and their job does not seem as exciting as at the beginning; they are slowly swallowed up by daily routine. They gradually lose their passion and enthusiasm. Continue reading “Enthusiasm in the Workplace: Is it possible?” →

S01E01 Arriving at the Office

Posted on by smartleanideas

future_SmallI’m in a hurry. Actually everyone is; the traffic jam is monstrous. I cast a glance at my phone; it’s Saturday, 6.30 a.m. I have a clue what this early morning rush is about. Everybody is going to work, the same as me.

Traffic jams usually make me nervous. But it’s different this time. I’m thinking about the new project. Karen and I started to prepare it last week. I am very curious where it will land. We actually can’t know this because our team is learning on the go and our project is fluid and changing all the time.

But back to earth! I am so excited and impatient to get to the office. Just as everybody around me. I remember those times when we HAD to work. All people were so bored and sullen. Now they smile absent-mindedly all the time; probably thinking about their projects. Continue reading “S01E01 Arriving at the Office” →

Smart Lean Ideas for the New Business Model: Is it a future?

Posted on by smartleanideas

The (business) world is changing. Although this phrase has already become a popular cliché, few people and companies realize how fast and in what direction. Old business models do not work in the new economy. They either experience great difficulties or are dying away.

People are becoming more aware of what are bad, unfair or corrupt business practices. Besides, they have received tools to fight with or prevent them due to the rapid technological advancement.

Sales strategies do not produce desired results, unless they are innovative and creative. Cold calling looks like a sales approach from the dinosaur era. Potential customers do not want to be bothered by sales calls, traveling sales persons or street sellers. Traditional advertising is becoming less and less effective. Continue reading “Smart Lean Ideas for the New Business Model: Is it a future?” →

A very practical guide to: How to Write a Monstrous CV: For Realz!

Posted on by smartleanideas

Contrary to popular beliefs that a long resume is not a good idea, we think that it is a more successful strategy than writing a short CV. The copy-paste approach is an extremely bad maneuver. Do you know how tiresome and time consuming it is for recruiters/employers to read short CVs with almost no useful information about the applicants? Can you imagine what it feels like to read one and the same page of a book over 100 times? Please, have mercy on them!

Write your resume as if you are a thriller author: unfold the story of your professional life; make the audience keep reading – and the length will not matter.

However, before you begin to write your resume, first you should decide what your dream job would be. You can read how to do it in our previous post.

When you are ready, you can move to the next step, namely: Continue reading “A very practical guide to: How to Write a Monstrous CV: For Realz!” →