Randy A Brown

Author: Randy A Brown

  • Free Video Online Leadership Course

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    Wise Jargon offers a free online video lesson series titled Ten Principles of Being a Godly Leader. The series is based on the book Think Like Jesus Lead Like Moses. You can see the series here:

     

    Ten Principles of Being a Godly Leader

  • Failure

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    Is it OK to fail? I was recently asked this question. My first thought was ‘failure is not an option”. Then I was reminded of Thomas Edison who, when asked about how many failed attempts he had while inventing the light bulb, said that he didn’t fail- he learned how not to make a light bulb (paraphrased- the actual number changes). The point is Thomas Edison saw the failures as something positive. Failure is an opportunity to learn. Failure can be costly, but not learning from failure is even more costly. Don’t hope for or expect failure, but when it happens use it to your advantage. Learn from it and you’ll have an advantage over those that don’t.

  • Time Management

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    Time Management involves prioritizing your tasks according to a set schedule. The first step is to pay attention to where your time is going. I recommend writing down in a journal all of the tasks you have to accomplish, and then place them on your schedule according to priority. Keep a check your schedule to ensure you are managing your time appropriately. It is a good idea to keep a check on how long tasks take. This way, you can determine which tasks are taking the most time and you can study those tasks to discover ways to make them more efficient. I was surprised to find how much of my time is non-productive, but I would not have known that without analyzing my schedule. We all have 24 hours a day. Use it wisely.

     

  • Six Sigma

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    Six Sigma is a business management strategy developed in 1986 by Motorola. The purpose of Six Sigma is to improve quality by identifying and removing the causes of defects and variation within the process. The goal is to increase quality, reduce costs, and increase profits. There are many concepts and strategies within Six Sigma as well as several certifications.

  • Essential Tools: Microsoft Office

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    Microsoft Office is one of the most valuable tools and skill-sets that a Manager or Engineer can have. There are cheaper alternatives, but most industries use Microsoft. Even if you use one of the alternatives, I highly recommend being familiar with Office. Also, adding Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) to your toolbox only adds to your value.

    There are many packages of Office. I recommend being very familiar with:

    • Word
    • Excel
    • PowerPoint
    • Access

    Microsoft Offices skills are an essential element in today’s business world.

  • Free Online Management and Leadership Course from Master Class Management

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    Master Class Management has a free 10-lesson course on Management and Leadership skills. The course is a mini MBA that you can study for free at your own pace. You can even get a certificate if you want. Lessons include:

    1. How to be a Great Manager through Strong Leadership
    2. How to Manage and Organize your Department to Meet the Goals
    3. How to Manage your Employees & Build a Strong Team
    4. How to Hire & Retain the Right People
    5. How to Deal with Conflict, Problems, Difficult Employees & Firing
    6. How to Delegate, Manage your Time, Solve Problems & Make the Right Decisions
    7. How to Get your Point Across through the Art of Business Communications
    8. Business Basics Part I – Business Types, Ethics& Law, Economics, Finance & Accounting
    9. Business Basics Part II – Operations Management, Customer Service, IS & HR
    10. Business Basics Part III – Marketing & Sales

    There’s a lot to like in this course. You can take the complete course or just the sections you choose. Highly recommended. You can find the course here:

    Free Online Management Training & Leadership Skills Course Business Management Certification

     

  • Building Effective Habits

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    Effective Managers and Leaders build habits that lead to their success. Stephen Covey, in his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, outlines seven habits that effective people follow:

    1. Be Proactive
    2. Begin with the End in Mind
    3. Put First Things First
    4. Think Win-Win
    5. Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood
    6. Synergize
    7. Sharpen the Saw

    I work with many great Leaders and Managers and I see these habits in all of them. I can’t recommend these habits enough. When applied correctly, these habits will lead to success. Learn them, practice them, live them.

     

    269513: Seven Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change, Revised edition Seven Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change, Revised editionStephen R. Covey’s incredibly successful book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, is a pathway to wisdom and power. It offers a revolutionary program to breaking the patterns of self-defeating behavior that keep us from achieving our goals and reaching our fullest potential. Covey describes how to replace bad habits with a principle-focused approach to problem-solving. This edition has a new foreword and afterword by the author, different from the original version. Paperback.

  • The Bible: A Solid Guide to Leadership

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    The Bible provides a strong foundation for leadership principles. It’s Management, Business, and Leadership concepts are strong and respected – starting with the most basic of all rules:

    “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.” (Mat 7:12 KJV)

    “And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.” (Luk 6:31 KJV)

    Leaders would do well to buy a good quality Bible in a respected translation, read it, use it, and apply it.

     

    020156: NKJV Maxwell Leadership Bible: Second Edition, hardcover NKJV Maxwell Leadership Bible: Second Edition, hardcoverThe Leadership expert, John Maxwell, brings an in-depth look at God’s laws for leaders and leadership.The content of the current Maxwell Leadership Bible is revised and updated to incorporate Maxwell’s works since the first release of the Maxwell Leadership Bible.Features include:

    • 2 New Laws – Law of Addition and the Law of Picture
    • New major articles and new notes throughout the Bible that connect with the new Laws
    • New notes that reflect Maxwell’s works since the Feb 2002 release of the Maxwell Leadership Bible, including The 360&ordm; Leader, Attitude 101, 25 Ways to Win with People, and Leadership 101
    • The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: in-depth articles that reveal these laws as seen in the lives of Bible people.
    • The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader: insightful articles showing positive and negative examples of each of this qualities.
    • Over 100 biographical profiles: times and events in people’s lives that reveal God’s truths about leadership.
    • Hundreds of compelling short articles and expressive “read-as-you-go” notes on mentoring and influence.
    • Thorough topical indexes for quick access to Scripture passages and articles addressing leadership issues.
    • New interior page design
    • Double-column format
    • Book Introductions
    • Book Outlines

  • Free Online Courses at MIT

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    MIT has free online courses in many topics including Management and Engineering. You can see the courses here:

    MIT Open Courseware

  • Current Project: Simple Bible Study and Marking Guide

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    I am currently working on a simple Bible study and marking guide. This book will be based on articles that I’ve written for my Bible study site Studies In Scripture. I have expanded the articles and added lots of new material. I hope to have it available this fall.