The Barnes & Conti Newsletter:
August 2013

Don't Miss Out! Navigate your life and career with Kim Barnes at the OD Network Conference

Are you making the right decisions? In daily life? In your career?

On October 8, 2013 from 12:30 – 2:00 pm, Kim Barnes is facilitating the session, “Self-Navigation: Be the Captain of Your Life and Career” at the Organization Development Network Annual Conference.

By participating in the session, you will:

• Gain insight into your decision making processes
• Learn a conscious and disciplined approach to analyzing and making decisions
• Use a simple, yet profound model for guiding yourself through the maze of possible options

Read a description for this and other sessions.

Register before September 1 and get a discount!

Deal of the Month Goes Public!

Throughout the year, Barnes & Conti facilitates public programs so that people outside of our corporate trainings can benefit from the skills we teach.

This October our extremely popular, Consulting on the Inside and Exercising Influence public programs are being held. (Dates are posted at the right, above this month’s recipe.)

• Click this link to register
• When you get to registration page two, type OFFERN into the company code box and you will receive your discount.

Happy learning!

Harvard Business Review: Spotlight on Influence

We were delighted that the Harvard Business Review featured several articles on influence in the July-August 2013 issue. Of the four articles, we thought that “The Uses (and Abuses) of Influence” an interview with social scientist and influence guru Robert Cialdini would benefit our influence exercising readers the most.

Read the article on the HBR website

Around the World: Our Global Partners
ASAS Training: Saudi Arabia

This month, we are featuring our partner in Saudi Arabia, ASAS Training.ASAS Training was established in 2010 aiming at contributing to performance enhancement initiatives in the public and private institutions.

ASAS Training currently offers our Managing Innovation and Exercising Influence programs.

More information about our partners

Contact us about global training

Organizational Development Trends in Saudi Arabia

by Tawfiq Algargoush, CEO of ASAS Training

Organizations in Saudi Arabia are facing various challenges to cope with the fast-changing business environment. Tremendous business opportunities are emerging, largely as a result of significant government spending aimed at enhancing the country’s public services and Saudi lifestyle. The government is funding education, health, government services, introduction of e-government, and other sectors and services as well.

Concurrent with these funding initiatives the Saudi government has taken serious steps to address both the high unemployment rate for young Saudi men as well as the much higher rate of unemployment among women. When Saudi Arabia joined the WTO and established Capital Market Authority, the business environment suddenly became more competitive, resulting in a regularized market. Local Saudi companies were most affected by these new challenges. The government is exerting greater pressure in the private sector to increase the numbers of Saudi men and women in their workforces.

All these changes mean that organizational development programs are in high demand; programs are needed to address many organizational challenges including:

• Training and development for fresh graduates filling entry level positions
• Leadership programs for young leaders taking new challenges
• Training and professional development programs for Saudi women
• Development programs addressing business ethics issues
• Development programs for executives addressing social responsibility

The current business environment also gave birth to a wave of new entrepreneurs in the country. These entrepreneurs are able to take advantage of the many financing organizations established by the government and the private sector. Several non-profit organizations established training and development programs to address the needs of these new businesses. Unfortunately, many of these programs are more focused on theory than addressing real business environment issues.

ASAS Training is poised to meet the challenges of the Saudi business environment. Our distinctive training programs are designed to meet the job market demands for skilled professionals. Our Management and Leadership training includes addressing all levels of management, including executives and leaders. Together with our partners, we can meet the challenges and opportunities in Saudi Arabia’s new business environment.

Recipe: Chicken Tagine with Lemon and Olives

This classic recipe originated in Morocco and is popular throughout North Africa and the Middle East. A tagine is a slow cooked stew, traditionally cooked in a clay pot with a conical cover. Any heavy, covered stewing pot will work fine. If you can’t get preserved lemons, use the grated zest and juice of two lemons, preferably Meyer lemons.

Ingredients:

• 2 - 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• Olive oil (or any oil) for pan-frying chicken and mixing marinade
• 1 or 2 chickens, cut into serving sized pieces; or similar amount of chicken breasts
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 2 cups chicken broth or stock (or water)
• 1 cup green olives
• 2 preserved lemons, cut into slices (see above)
• Salt, to taste

Spices

• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• Pinch of saffron
• 1 tsp cumin (optional)
• 1 tsp turmeric (optional)
• 1 stick of cinnamon or a few pinches of ground cinnamon (optional)

Method:

1. Mix the garlic, some black pepper, and a spoonful of oil. Rub the chicken with the mixture and set aside for a few hours or overnight.
2. Heat the oil in a tagine. Fry the chicken until all sides begin to brown. Add spices. (The black pepper, ginger, and saffron are most typical. If you have no saffron, consider one or two of the optional spices, which can be added according to you liking.) Add onions. Stir-fry over high heat for a few minutes.
3. Add chicken broth, stock, or water. Bring to boil. Reduce heat. Cover, but leave a crack for steam to escape. Simmer over low heat for thirty minutes or more.
4. Add olives and preserved lemons. Add salt and adjust seasoning. Continue to simmer. Remove chicken and set aside. If necessary, bring sauce to boil, stirring continuously, until thickened.
5. Serve chicken, covered with sauce.