Work Archives

Written Business Communication: 3 Rules of Thumb

Do you write a lot for business or work? What are some things you should keep in mind when writing any kind of business documentation or correspondence? Writing is a necessary part of any professional field. When it comes to written business communication, you should write in a manner that’s concise, clear, and to-the-point. Nobody likes to waste their time reading long emails that beat around the bush. Here are some tips on how to write documents and emails that people will actually read.

How to Write Good Emails: Proven Tips for Success

Do you often write emails? What are some things you should keep in mind when writing a professional email? Writing emails is an essential skill in the modern-day professional milieu. Most people read dozens of emails a day, so it’s critical that your emails convey the message with the recipient in mind—consider your goal in writing the email and make it crystal clear to understand what you want them to do with it. Here’s how to write good emails every time.

How to Promote Art Online: 4 Tips for Creators

Do you want to turn your hobby of creating art into a career? How can you promote your art online? Making art is fun and exciting, but it can be a little difficult to get your work recognized. Artist Austin Kleon has a few tricks that will help get your work out there for the world to see. Here’s how to promote art online from Kleon’s book Show Your Work!.

The 5S Implementation Plan: A Step-by-Step Approach

Where does Toyota’s cleanup process begin? What is the 5S implementation plan? In The Toyota Way, Jeffrey Liker says that the heart of Toyota’s approach to efficiency is the concept of kaizen, or continuous improvement. To begin kaizen, you have to start with the 5S implementation plan to reduce waste. Let’s go through the steps of the 5S implementation plan in detail.

Workplace Rules: 3 Tips to Make Them Stick

Have you set clear rules for your employees? How well do people understand and follow the rules? CEO and venture capitalist Ben Horowitz draws on historical examples to show how you can provide cultural leadership in your organization. For lessons on workplace rules, Horowitz looks to Haitian revolutionary Toussaint Louverture and offers three tips for making rules that stick. Keep reading to learn how to set effective workplace rules.

How to Prioritize Tasks in the Workplace

Trying to figure out how to prioritize tasks in the workplace? How can the Scrum method help you decide which tasks should be tackled first? If you have so many tasks at work that you’re overwhelmed, try using Jeff Sutherland’s Scrum method. In his book Scrum, Sutherland teaches readers how to organize their projects by figuring out which tasks will have the biggest impact. Here’s how to organize and prioritize your tasks.

Kaizen: The Toyota Way’s Most Important Principle

What does “kaizen” mean? Why is it one of the pillars of the Toyota Way? In The Toyota Way, kaizen is described as continuous improvement. Author Jeffrey Liker says kaizen improves Toyota’s operations at both the modeling stage and the implementation stage. Here’s more on the concept of kaizen in The Toyota Way.

3 Benefits of Having a Mentor: Accelerate Your Learning

Do you want to enrich your growth? Have you considered finding a mentor? While self-directed learning can take you far, Robert Greene asserts that finding a mentor will accelerate and enrich your learning. He identifies three benefits of having a mentor, explains how you should go about finding one, and discusses when it’s time to move on from that relationship. Keep reading for more on mentorship.

The Importance of Happiness in the Workplace

Does happiness in the workplace matter? How can you measure the happiness levels of your employees? Management expert Jeff Sutherland argues in his book Scrum that happiness in the workplace is essential. He explains that happy employees are more productive and creative, therefore managers and team leaders should be making sure their teams are happy. Continue reading to learn how to measure and increase workplace happiness.

Toyota: Lean Manufacturing at the Factory Level

How does Toyota use lean manufacturing at the factory level? How does it make production more efficient? In The Toyota Way, engineering professor and lean manufacturing consultant Jeffrey Liker describes the work practices known as lean manufacturing. Liker uses Toyota’s use of lean manufacturing to show how it works. Below we’ll look at how Toyota’s lean manufacturing is implemented at the modeling stage.