This post is for anyone thinking they shouldn't use their PTO because it might upset their boss or cause their boss to look unfavorably upon their work ethic. Because that's just not the case.
How to Use Your Vacation and Paid Time Off
Author: John Demma
Welcome to my blog. I have been a manager for fifteen years, and for the past five years I have been leading teams of 500 people or more as a director and VP for large growth companies. I share my leadership journey and thoughts here with the hopes of helping and inspiring other leaders.
8 Tips on Weightloss: What I learned so far from my experiments with nutrition
Here are my 8 simple tips for losing pounds and maintaining a healthy weight, in order of importance:
My Stand Up Desk Experiment
I decided about two months ago to give a stand up desk a try. A stand up desk is just like it sounds - it's a higher desk that lets you stand up while working instead of sitting.
Demma’s 4 P’s: The fundamentals of management
Those fundamental principles that lead to sound business management: Demma’s 4 P's. A meaningful framework for doing the job of management effectively.
Transcendental Meditation
"Do you just Google weird [stuff] to do in Virginia?" - anonymous friend My latest life experiment has been a strange journey into the world of transcendental meditation. Strange the best word I can think of for the panic attacks, mild depression, hallucinations, and general, well, strangeness of TM that I've experienced. And while I … Continue reading Transcendental Meditation
This is the Golden Age of Radio – How podcasts can change your commutes
The golden age of radio was not the 1920s (or whenever) when families would huddle around giant wooden transistors listening to fake stores about aliens. The golden age of radio is happening today in your pocket. Stop missing out on podcasts. If you're not listening to podcasts you are missing some of the most profound, … Continue reading This is the Golden Age of Radio – How podcasts can change your commutes
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
A vein bulged from my forehead, looking like it was going to burst. My face was beet red, and I was getting sleepy. This was all on account of the instructor's thigh muscle constricting around my left carotid artery while my own shoulder betrayed me along my right carotid artery. Blood stopped flowing to my … Continue reading Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Get to Know Me, From My Company’s Portal Blog
This month my company featured me on our portal in a blog-style interview. I thought I'd share since I haven't posted much about work lately. Here you go: Get to Know John Demma We all share common goals, but rarely do we have an opportunity to share a cup of coffee and break the ice. Yet, studies show … Continue reading Get to Know Me, From My Company’s Portal Blog
3 Quick DIY Life Hacks to Save You Money
People seemed to like my personal finance posts from the past few months about things like getting rid of cable and saving money on food, so I figured I'd share some other small changes we've made over the past year to keep more of the money we've earned. If you're keeping score you'll notice these … Continue reading 3 Quick DIY Life Hacks to Save You Money
Expense Savings Go Right to the Bottom Line
You may have heard someone say that expense savings go right to the "bottom line". What does that mean? What is the bottom line anyway? For a business, the last line on the income statement is net income. Income statements are one of the core financial reports for a business (along with balance sheets and … Continue reading Expense Savings Go Right to the Bottom Line
How We Saved $1,000 Per Month in Food Cost
Studies like this one from Gallop show that the average Joe is spending $151 per week on food. For two adults and two kids (let's say the kids cost 1/2 that much) that's $1,800 per month! And this is in a country where people say, "you need two incomes in a family to get by these … Continue reading How We Saved $1,000 Per Month in Food Cost
The Great Man Myth: Or how the Simpsons and Tolstoy will calm your nerves when meeting Rick Flair
I don't have any interest in meeting celebrities. I met Rick Flair once. He came to my bar after a night of performing at the XL Center - still had his boots and shorts on. I poured him a glass of wine and listened to him whine just like every other lonely/pathetic business traveler that … Continue reading The Great Man Myth: Or how the Simpsons and Tolstoy will calm your nerves when meeting Rick Flair
Gut Check – Getting Back Up
This barber, he had to be seventy, was telling me once while trimming me up how he just had a whole bunch of cancer surgically removed about a week earlier. Tough old dog, I thought. "I can't believe you're back to work already." "You ever been in a fight before?" he asked. I nodded. "Then you know … Continue reading Gut Check – Getting Back Up
Management Skills: Create Symbiosis
That's a picture of a cute little clownfish, we'll call him Remo, swimming among sea anemone. Most fish would not be feeling too good right now, because those cool looking tentacles of the anemone are laced with stinging poison. Good thing Remo's ancestors evolved a thin layer of mucus that protects him from the poison. … Continue reading Management Skills: Create Symbiosis
Modern Machiavelli: How to be a 21st century prince without selling your soul
Is it better to be feared or loved? Do the ends justify the means? Is all fair in business and politics? Machiavelli says, "Yes." You may have heard of the book The Prince, Niccolò Machiavelli's infamous sixteenth-century manifesto on politics, power, and ruling a kingdom. If you're like me, you may have wondered what The … Continue reading Modern Machiavelli: How to be a 21st century prince without selling your soul