The Food and Drug Administration’s Accelerated Approval Program was created in 1992 to significantly accelerate the ability to bring certain new drugs to market.

Read the full article at: www.news-medical.net

Remote Chief Operating Officer

A broken business process can cost your business time and money. But pinpointing exactly where a process breaks down — and where it can be improved — isn’t an exact science.

Read the full article at: www.cio.com

Remote Chief Operating Officer

Get the news. Spread the word. And make your mark!  Have you read the news about VMware operations management in our nicely detailed announcement blog?  The release is HUGE!  So you might be asking yourself, “What is the 1000-foot level news and in which sessions can I get the details?

Read the full article at: blogs.vmware.com

Remote Chief Operating Officer

On July 17, 2019, CEO Doug Harris and  The Kaleidoscope Group celebrated Doug’s 30 years in DE&I. As this video and photos show, the warmth and excitement of the night and the occasion was very special. Here’s to many more years of freeing the human potential. Click here to explore photos of the special evening.

Read the full article at: kgdiversity.com

Diversity – Equality – Inclusion

#MeToo has put a stark light on ways women have been treated and often marginalized, including at at work. Learn how inclusive orgnizations can respond.

Read the full article at: kgdiversity.com

Diversity – Equality – Inclusion

Hiring for culture fit alone is problematic, because doing so won’t ensure a dynamic, innovative, and future-focused organization.

Read the full article at: www.bloomberg.com

Diversity – Inclusion – Equality

At Bloomberg, our work with the Gender-Equality Index (GEI) brings transparency into how companies are working internally to close the gender gap.

Read the full article at: www.bloomberg.com

Diversity – Inclusion – Equality

. . . History Month as an opportunity to highlight diversity, it seems an appropriate time to discuss the importance of diversity in the K-12 curriculum.

Read the full article at: www.deettajones.com

Diversity – Inclusion – Equality

According to a team at Harvard Business School, employees with more flexible “work from anywhere” arrangements were 4.4 percent more productive…

Read the full article at: countermarkets.com

Operations Management

Brands are at the mercy of third-party review management sites so it’s important to monitor and manage this process as best you can.

Read the full article at: searchengineland.com

Operations Management

Michael Liberty, Sr. Market Analyst at Signify Research shares the top five factors impacting the U.S. population health management market.

Read the full article at: hitconsultant.net

Operations Management

Look at alternative investments, and find new funding ideas for your startup.

Read the full article at: www.entrepreneur.com

Operations Management

The fifth annual Entrepreneur 360 List will be released Oct. 1. This week, we’re looking back at last year’s honorees.

Read the full article at: www.entrepreneur.com

Small Business Consultant

Cybersecurity attacks can cripple small businesses that aren’t prepared. TechRepublic’s Karen Roby talks with a security expert about ransomware, phishing attacks, and inadequate IT defense plans.

Read the full article at: www.techrepublic.com

Small Business Consultant

All About Business Coaching and Why It Benefits You

How long has your company been in operation? Did you recently open your doors, or have you been at it for years? Are you seeing the success you envisioned when you first opened your doors? Do you know how to motivate your employees, create excellent advertising campaigns, and stick to your goals when it comes to operating your company? If you are unsure or unenthusiastic about the answers to any of these questions, it could be that you’re suffering from a lack of vision. Luckily, you have options.

Whether you run a small restaurant in your hometown or you’re the CEO of an international chain of restaurants — or, of course, possess any other type of business — you could benefit from hiring a business coach. A coach can help your company get off the ground or overcome large obstacles in a variety of ways.

What Is Business Coaching?

From small startup businesses to large corporations, companies all over the world need solid business advice from time to time, and that is exactly what business coaches offer. Business coaching is a service provided by experienced business owners and entrepreneurs who want to share their knowledge, experience, and talents with others. They are often experts in their fields or industries and rather than provide generic information that could easily be found online, they focus on offering genuine information that benefits specific types of businesses. The specifics that each coach offers depend on his or her industry, experience, and preferences. The services, however, can help up-and-coming businesses, struggling companies, or anyone in between.

What Exactly Does a Business Coach Do?

A business coach provides a wide variety of services to the companies he or she offers services to. At a basic level, these services include helping businesses to develop more effective sales and marketing strategies, helping them learn how to hire better employees, and increasing organization and focus. Other services include helping build employee morale and strengthen the company culture, increasing accountability of teams and individual employees, and creating a better organization overall.

Of course, as the term “coaching” implies, a good business coach does not just bark orders but teaches team members. Rather than telling someone how to get from Point A to Point B and then leaving them to their own devices, a business coach should teach an entire team how to get to Point B so that they can do it again on their own when necessary. To do this effectively, the business coach will need to understand the strengths and weaknesses of both the business and its team members as well as understand how to uncover issues and teach methods for resolving them.

Small vs. Large Business Coaches

When it comes to business coaching, not all coaches are equipped to work with businesses of all sizes. While some are inevitably experienced with large corporations and know how to make major changes at a national or even international level, many are prepared only to work with small businesses. This is beneficial for both the company and the business coach when you consider that a restaurant in a small town or city will have a much different set of needs than an international fast-food chain, for example.

Small business coaches have specialized sets of skills that focus on teaching new business owners how to create visions and goals for their business so that they may succeed and could even become the founder of one of those international chains someday. While most large business coaches can work with small businesses as well, the same can’t be said of those who work only with small businesses. One thing is for sure, though: No matter the size of the company, the coach must be ready and willing to learn everything he or she can about the company and the owner in order to develop a truly unique strategy and see the desired results.

The Business Coaching Process

As with any learning situation, business coaching follows an organized process from the first thought of hiring a coach to the final meeting. Each step is meant to have its own benefits, although it is important to note that the steps and benefits may vary depending on the coach’s teaching style and the type of business you own.

First, there is the process of preparation. During this stage, the coach speaks to you about your business goals, your industry knowledge, and your current abilities. He or she will ask questions about your problems and what you hope to accomplish by hiring a coach, as well as how much time you have to dedicate to the learning process, your limits, and what you hope your outcome will be.

Next is the contract step. During this step, you can smooth out the details of your pending contract, including doing paperwork, settling finances, and determining the answers to questions such as who will participate in the coaching meetings, which roles and responsibilities the participants have, and how long the coaching process will last.

After everyone signs the contracts, your coach will schedule the start-up session. This session is typically the longest and is used to establish how the remaining sessions will play out. During the start-up session, your coach will begin to establish a relationship with you, help you learn what to expect, and answer any questions you have. This is also when you will schedule regular coaching sessions.

Regular sessions include an established routine, just like most traditional classroom settings. Although the established routine will vary depending on your specific situation, it may include one or more of the following:

• Time – A standard start time is a good idea so that everybody can plan their workdays around your coaching session.
• Format – Each session will have a basic format, even if it focuses on its own specific needs. This could mean meeting in the same room or starting with a question-and-answer round.
• Style – Your coach will have his or her own style of teaching you, but it should remain constant. If you prefer something more casual than formal (or vice versa), be sure to indicate this before you hire someone.

Finally, you will have a final session with your business coach. During this last step of the process, he or she will meet with your company’s participants for a longer period of time to answer final questions, assess your progress, determine whether additional work is necessary, and consider your future goals. If necessary, your coach may suggest you extend the contract to further your progress. The final session may or may not include the wrap-up process, which is when the coach will tie up loose ends and answer final questions.

After the wrap-up, the coach may provide post-coaching, which is to follow up with you and ensure you are staying on track. This is also when you can provide feedback so that your coach knows how he or she can improve the process for future companies.

The Cost of Hiring a Business Coach

Naturally, you will want to know how much it costs to hire a business coach, especially if you run a small startup and are on a tighter budget than some of your competitors. The short answer is that it varies. However, the longer answer is that business coaching costs anywhere from $75 to $500 per hour. The exact price depends on quite a few factors, including the type of coaching you want, the size of your business, your industry, and whether you are choosing to have coaching online or in person.

Some business coaches also offer monthly prices that are up to $2,000 per month or even packages that range from $1,000 to $2,500. If you feel that your business needs more help than average, these are probably better options than an hourly rate that can add up quickly. Monthly packages, which consist of two to four sessions on average, can save you up to 50% off hourly rates. Some business coaches will even provide discounts if you pay in advance.

The Benefits of Using a Business Coach

Naturally, when you are spending hundreds or thousands of dollars, you want to know how it will benefit you. Hiring a business coach does so in several ways. For one thing, you will receive personal attention for your company from someone who knows your industry better than any other. They will focus on you, your employees, and your end goals during every session to ensure you get the most for your money.

Of course, during your business coaching sessions, you will learn how to take your excellent ideas and turn them into actionable goals that turn into true profits. This means learning where to start, how to evaluate progress, and how to implement plans for more achievable successes.

Working with a successful business coach can also afford you better networking opportunities. A business coach may provide you with information on complementary businesses so that you can offer services together or simply put you in touch with other successful entrepreneurs.

Finally, business coaching means the opportunity to make more money in the future. When you learn how to operate your business with more self-confidence and with more focus and organization, you create a streamlined process that leads to efficiency and better sales, meaning more money in your company bank account.

How To Hire the Best Business Coach

Now that you understand why business coaching would be so beneficial for your company, it is time to start the process of finding a coach who can help you meet your business goals. Before you start contacting candidates, though, you should consider whether you want to work with someone in person or if you’d be willing to hire a virtual coach. Keep in mind that local coaches can be more successful if you tend to need a lot of direction, but virtual coaches often have better scheduling hours and can work around your needs.

Once you decide which type of business coach you would rather have, you can begin talking to people. Find someone who makes you feel comfortable first and foremost. After all, you will be opening up to this person about your business goals, including any concerns you have about how you currently run your operations. You will also want to ask about how your potential coach works, such as whether the environment is casual or formal and whether they are interactive or run their classes more like a lecture. Finally, seek out people who share your long-term visions for your business. You will not be able to meet your goals if you do not find a coach who thinks they are attainable.

Don’t forget to look at the data, too. You will want a business coach who is experienced in your industry. If you run a restaurant, someone who mostly knows about business-to-business contracting probably isn’t going to know much about creating a better menu to bring in new patrons. Consider the coach’s track record as well. Has he or she had successful businesses? Do former clients feel they learned a lot from your candidate? You want someone who will listen to you and help you achieve success but who does not mind telling you when and where you need to tweak your business model.

Why Dedicated Operations Management Is Essential

Operations management is an element of every business, whether it is one person or 100,000 people. However, not every organization, especially small and/or growing ones, put sufficient effort and resources into managing their operations. Resources dedicated to this essential facet of running a business can generate substantial returns in terms of efficiency and productivity.

What Is Operations Management?

Operations management is the aspect of management concerned with the oversight, planning, and control of processes related to day-to-day operations and producing goods and services. In essence, operations management is running the parts of your business that generate value for your customers. This makes it worth taking a close look at how you can improve this part of your organization.

Exactly what is involved in managing operations depends on the business. However, it is always focused on producing goods and/or services, particularly when a scientific and thoughtful approach is taken to efficiency and effectiveness.

• Production Processes: The main part of overseeing operations is managing the production process. This is planning how the company will create goods or services, how logistics will support production, how resources will be allocated and other similar management processes.
• Metrics and Measurement: Operations management as we know it today is rooted in scientific management during the industrial revolution. Planning, tracking and analyzing metrics and key performance indicators is an essential element. This aspect helps managers identify where their processes and people are inefficient and/or ineffective.
• Quality Assurance: An important element of measurement of operations is quality assurance. This is ensuring that products and services delivered to customers meet reasonable expectations and are consistent with the brand’s image. This is a particularly difficult area for growing companies.
• Personnel Management: This is the oversight of the people who work in the company’s day-to-day operations. Efficiently organizing people, ensuring effective communication and managing organizational knowledge all play roles in operations management.

These are just some of the elements of operations management. Of course, as every company does different things and provides value in unique ways, each organization’s operations has its own unique elements and priorities.

Why Is Operations Management Important?

In many organizations, operations are one of the three most significant functions, the other two being finance and marketing. Basically, a company needs to sell itself, fund itself and create value for its customers. One may even argue that without the operations department, all other activities of the business are irrelevant because there would be nothing to sell.

However, the importance of operations management goes beyond this. These are some of the reasons why this area of management should be prioritized:

• Producing goods and services is a costly but necessary aspect of running a business. On many teams, it is the department with the highest budget.
• According to the Ramanujan College of Management, around half of all jobs around the world are in operations. This means a substantial number of any company’s human resources are dedicated to producing goods and services.
• In all organizations, inefficiencies and waste naturally occur. Unchecked, these can have a dramatic impact on profitability.

In short, the operations of a company represents a major investment. This department often holds or utilizes the majority of assets owned by the organization. The complexity and breadth of operations mean that there are many ways productivity can be hindered.

This is precisely why operations management is such an important function. It presents opportunities to increase efficiency and effectiveness in the most substantial division of the organization. Even minor cost savings can have major impacts when multiplied by the scope of operations.

Furthermore, the operations team is concerned with quality assurance and customer satisfaction. Therefore, it presents opportunities to increase revenues and enhance marketing efforts by delivering greater value to customers.

All organizations should have at least some resources dedicated to operations management to help ensure the highest profitability possible. This doesn’t need to be a large team. It can be a single individual, even part-time. However, company operations is important enough to deserve a serious focus.

Who Is Involved in Operations Management?

In medium-to-large organizations, operations are often overseen by a chief operating officer or similar top-level executive. Often, this individual is seen as the second-in-command to the chief executive officer. This relationship reflects the importance of operations management.

The chief operating officer may be charged with a variety of duties. These can include process improvement, overseeing important projects, enhancing communication and other such functions. In many organizations, the chief operating officer handles a combination of all the elements of operations.

Many organizations also have various managers that oversee specific elements of the business’ operations. These can include production, supply chain, purchasing, quality assurance, facilities, and materials managers. Each of these roles helps to ensure that inputs are effectively and efficiently converted into outputs for sale.

Operations research is also an important element. It is a more theory-focused function than the other managers. These team members measure results and use that data to help identify the most optimal application of resources. Typically, only medium and large businesses employ dedicated operations, research analysts. However, this type of work should be a concern even for small teams.

Additionally, there may be various supervisors involved in production and other operations functions. Exactly who and how many people are involved in operations management depends on the size of the company and how complex its day-to-day operations are. In a small company, there may be a single operations manager. In large companies, there may be hundreds or even thousands.

Not all operations managers need to be full-time members of the company’s team. Many organizations leverage consultants to enhance their operations. This can be in a managerial role, acting as a part-time chief operating officer or operations manager. It can also be in a process improvement role, helping to identify inefficiencies and create innovative solutions to address them.

How Can You Improve Operations Management?

Perhaps the simplest and most significant step any organization can take to improve operations management is to hire personnel who are dedicated to it. This can be a full-time manager or an outside consultant. Simply having people who are focused on this aspect of your business will quickly result in identifying and addressing inefficiencies.

Another way that operations can be improved is to simplify the processes that produce the company’s goods and services. The more complex production processes are, the more likely there are to be faults. Ideally, production should only be as complicated as it has to be in order to create high-quality goods and services.

As you evaluate your processes, you may learn that you don’t have the clearly defined practices you thought you did. Many growing businesses, especially those that are still small, find that as they have grown, their production is less predictable than ideal. This is the result of shifting from individual knowledge driving production to organization knowledge driving it.

Creating and codifying predictable and consistent production practices is an essential step to improving operations. After all, if you are inconsistent, no amount of process improvement will help because the processes are different depending on who you talk to.

Implementing better measurement is another helpful approach to increasing efficiency and improving profitability. If you are already collecting metrics on operations, try auditing those performance indicators. Determine what important data is being left out. Similarly, identify what information you are collecting that is not helpful. Use this insight to improve your measurement systems.

Addressing small issues can often lead to significant improvements. Seemingly minor issues may be having major effects on your operations by causing bottlenecks and other such broader issues. Better yet, those small problems are often relatively easy to fix.

Finally, try to reduce movement as much as possible. Try to avoid resources and people needing to jump from place to place or function to function during the production process. The more complex the path of inputs through your operations, the more likely you are to have inefficiencies and errors.

What Are the Keys to Effective Operations Management?

The operations division can be the source of significant business success when managed well. The size, complexity, and impact of operations mean that even modest improvements can have dramatic results. Of course, planning to improve is significantly easier than actually doing so. Following these keys to success will help to turn intent into impact:

• Manage Risk Without Avoiding It: Risk management is an element of operations. It is important to develop robust policies and practices that can withstand some unexpected events. However, innovation in operations is also important. Being completely risk-averse will often lead to falling behind and may even prevent the robust operations you seek. Balance is essential.
• Understand Industry Trends: As your industry changes and the needs of your market evolve, your operations management team needs to be abreast of these trends. You don’t need to chase every fad, but at least understanding what is currently happening will help you make the right choices for your business.
• Accept and Learn From Mistakes: Getting things right with operations means making some changes. Sometimes these changes will prove to be missteps. Mistakes happen and should not only be tolerated but actively accepted and leveraged as learning opportunities. Letting yourself and your operations management team make mistakes is sometimes a pathway to success.
• Use Technology: Many organizations’ operations are hindered by outdated technology. While constantly changing systems is far from optimal, it can be helpful to have a flexible strategy that can allow your team to embrace new tools. Getting in the habit of being thoughtful about whether changes and upgrades could help is beneficial.
• Integrate With Organizational Goals: Operations and organization goals should complement each other. If your operations aren’t supporting the greater strategy, it is an issue. Similarly, if your strategic goals are at odds with the realities of your operations, you will struggle to achieve them.
• Stay Adaptable: One of the most challenging aspects of operations management is keeping things adaptable. It can take serious expertise and effort to devise operating policies and practices that can stay flexible. However, the benefits of that adaptability are worth the time and effort necessary to foster it.
• Keeping Questioning: There is no answer for operational success that will be the right choice forever. Always question the assumptions that drive your business’ operations. For example, evaluating your purchasing, you may realize you are overpaying for the materials for your production process. An outside perspective can be invaluable for this.

Following these keys to success will help to ensure that your operations are managed efficiently and effectively both now and in the future. As with other areas of business leadership, operations management is as much about the management team’s traits as it is policy.

Operations managers who push for more while being realistic with their goals are always looking for ways to be better, and who support and empower their people will tend to succeed. Additionally, managers who emphasize consistency and quality tend to fit operations well.

What Options Do Small Businesses Have?

There is a lot that businesses can do to improve their operations and increase their profitability. However, achieving these results often requires dedicated personnel and resources. For small businesses, having even a single dedicated operations manager may be difficult.

Similarly, growing organizations may need an outside perspective to help them to fine-tune their operations as they expand. These challenges can be difficult to navigate. The answer in many cases is a business consultant.

A fractional operations manager or chief operating officer can help provide that necessary oversight without the investment and commitment of a full-time team member. Furthermore, a consultant can provide an outside perspective. Getting help with improving your operations management does not require hiring a full team of managers; sometimes an outside solution is the best option.

Delaware State’s first female president announces retirement Delaware News Journal Published 8:58 AM EDT Sep 5, 2019 Wilma Mishoe, the first woman to lead Delaware State University as president, announced her retirement Thursday morning after a little more than a year.  Her retirement will be effective Dec. 31. On Jan. 1, Tony Allen will take over as president. Allen is executive vice president and provost of the university, roles he’s held since 2017.  Tony Allen Courtesy of Delaware State Unive, Courtesy of Delaware State Unive Mishoe officially assumed her role in July 2018, having served as interim president since January 2018. She is the eleventh president of Delaware’s only historically black university.  Mishoe practically grew up on Delaware State’s campus. Her father, Luna Mishoe, became the university’s seventh president when she was 12 in 1960 and the family lived on school grounds. The school’s longest-serving president, Luna Mishoe led the school until 1987. 

Read the full article at: www.delawareonline.com

Interim Chief Operating Officer

With 5G technology powering the next wave of business ecosystems and capabilities, a new and diverse revenue mix will be created for mobile operators who can turn their mobile networks into platforms for deeper interaction with content and services.

Read the full article at: blogs.cisco.com

Interim Chief Operating Officer

Succession planning is crucial for every business and for every key employee. It is the process of preparing for when important roles within an organization become vacant and how to best fill them. Every organization experiences turnover, retirements and sudden losses.

Read the full article at: www.cuinsight.com

Interim Chief Operating Officer

EUNEY MARIE MATA-PEREZ…

Read the full article at: www.manilatimes.net

Interim Chief Operating Officer