Maria: I put an email filter onto the firewall to automatically bcc: me any mail with my name in it, but did not include me in the address list. This meant that any email that was about me, but not to me, was also sent to me without anyone knowing. This way I was able to head off two HR issues by knowing about them before HR came to talk to me. With that inside-intelligence, I prevented one staff reduction and turned around one business unit’s concerns by presenting the solution before anyone had a chance to inform me that there was a problem.

Raveena: I’m a corporate trainer. I tell my trainees that, due to budget constraints, much of what I provides “sucks.” So I send my trainees to free online sources outside of the company. Then, after testing them on what they learned, I validate their certificates in required courses they never attended. Result: They consistently learn more this way.

Ajit: My company has Microsoft Exchange server for email which only supports Outlook, except for Blackberries — which is a huge pain in the ass. Blackberries don’t have the built-in tools I need for my job. No iPhones or Sidekicks either, which is how most of us get our work done. So I run scripts to check the Exchange server for mail and then have it forwarded to my real email account.