Harvard Business Review

Harvard Business School might be an unachievable goal for most of us. However there is a very useful website to feel like a HBS student even without enrolling.

It is Harvard Business Review http://hbr.org/ of course. You can follow up daily news, blogs and to some extent the famous management magazines current topics. You can subscribe and get the soft or hardcopy of the magazine as well.

If you are not willing to pay money for it but still want to keep up with current reviews like me, there is a very useful tool on this website. This is the "free e-mail alerts" from HBR.

There are many different kind of alerts, such as "daily stats", "weekly hotlist" or "management tip of the day". Especially the last one is very essential because it gives a very short but useful tip everyday and you feel like it takes you from your daily work just for 2 minutes and puts you in a MBA classroom at HBS. When you come back to your real life you continue with a more freshened mind. Sometimes it is something you really need mentoring, sometimes something you know really good. Anyhow it is a vision improver tool and I highly recommend it.

I share todays tip for those who wants to see an example:

JANUARY 26, 2010
3 Steps for Asking for Help without Looking Stupid
Too often managers make mistakes because they are afraid to ask for help. Not knowing how to do something may be embarrassing, but not asking for help can lead to disastrous results. Next time you are faced with something you are uncertain about, use these three steps to ask your colleague, manager, or peer for assistance:

1. Start with what you know. Begin your request for help with context and background about the situation so that the other person knows what you know.
   
2. Ask for feedback on a proposed direction. Just because you are uncertain doesn't mean you can't form an opinion. Explain what you are thinking of doing and ask for input and direction.
   
3. Ask for tangible advice. If you are still unsure about what direction to take, be direct with the other person. Ask for the tools you need to make a decision or for a referral to someone who has been in a similar situation.