"Life is one big pitch, so you'd better start practicing." -- Dan Shawbel, personal branding expert "What's a brand? A singular idea or concept that you own inside the mind of the prospect." -- Al Ries, coauthor of The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing "All of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me, Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You." -- Tom Peters, American business writer Back in 1997, Tom Peters articulated a concept that had been around for decades: "Brand You." In an influential article in the magazine Fast Company, Peters argued that it's no longer enough to be quietly talented and hardworking in order to get ahead. While skills remain crucial, he noted, success in the … [Read more...]
Office Productivity: How to Handle a Micromanager
"Micromanagement is a personality aberration of insecure individuals." -- Susan K. O'Brien, organizational specialist "One micromanager can do more damage to an organization than termites in the foundation of a house." -- Eric Boehme, IT professional "Micromanagement doesn't just suck the life out of the workers, it sucks the life out of the manager, too." -- Wally Bock, leadership expert In recent months, I've received a flurry of responses to my articles about the evils of micromanaging. This doesn't surprise me: according to the latest statistics, a whopping 75-80% of American workers have suffered under micromanagers at some point. One- third of us have changed jobs because of them. My previous work on the subject has focused on the negative aspects of micromanaging, and why you, … [Read more...]
Productivity Minute Video: Down Time Does Not Have to Be Wasted Time
Laura Stack, The Productivity Pro(R) talks about using down times to catch up on tasks. (C) 2011 Laura Stack. All Rights Reserved https://theproductivitypro.com … [Read more...]
Taming Your Inner Perfectionist
"A man would do nothing, if he waited until he could do it so well that no one would find fault with what he has done." -- Cardinal John Newman, British Clergyman "I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping-stone just right, you won't have to die. The truth is that you will die anyway and that a lot of people who aren't even looking at their feet are going to do a whole lot better than you, and have a lot more fun while they're doing it." -- Anne Lamont, American author and political activist "People throw away what they could have by insisting on perfection, which they cannot have, and looking for it where they will never find it." -- Edith Schaeffer, American author As Voltaire once pointed out, "The perfect is the … [Read more...]
Executive Time Management: How Time Management Changes As You Move From Middle Management To The VP/C-Suite Level
By the time you reach the upper tiers of management, you'll certainly be an expert at organizing and managing your work day—but you'll soon realize that things work a little differently at the C-Suite level. In particular, how you use your time and who you give it to undergoes significant changes. Priorities and responsibilities shift; sometimes subtly, often radically. There's much more to do, and the ante is higher: your actions impact the organization in ways undreamt of before. The modern business environment demands exceptional leadership, so you have to do whatever's necessary to enhance productivity and efficiency at all levels. Not least , you need to be able to juggle multiple projects without getting bogged down, while simultaneously balancing customer, employee, and … [Read more...]
Productivity Minute Video: Do Your Picky Standards Keep Others From Helping You
Laura Stack, The Productivity Pro(R), shows you how your standards may be holding others back from assisting you. (C) 2010 Laura Stack https://theproductivitypro.com … [Read more...]
Time Saving Tricks
While reading articles and blogs online about productivity and time management, I came across a nice article on time saving tricks over at "Optimistic Lifestyle." I hope you enjoy these practical tips: 18 Time Saving Tricks for Everyday Life. Have a productive weekend! … [Read more...]
Performance Improvement: Using Stress Productively
" No one reaches peak performance without being stressed, whether an athlete, an office worker, or a manager." -- Robert Ostermann, American psychologist "We need to reframe how we look at anxiety. It’s not something to run away from, but something that can be used as productive energy. Fear is the body’s way of preparing for action." -- Robert Rosen, Ph.D., author of Just Enough Anxiety: The Hidden Driver of Business Success You may think you know what stress is...but do you really? In the medical sense, stress is your body's response to any kind of demand or constraint, good or bad. Put that way, it's obvious that some stressors can be positive and adaptive; that is, they may help you stay healthy, provide a sense of good feeling, or both. Some researchers call such stressors … [Read more...]
Productivity Minute Video: Work Life Balance: Limit Your Childrens Activites to Manageable Levels
Laura Stack, The Productivity Pro(R) shares suggestions on managing time by limiting activities. (C) 2011 Laura Stack, All Rights Reserved https://theproductivitypro.com … [Read more...]
What’s New In Microsoft Outlook Version 2010?
When I think of productivity tools for the modern business professional, one of the first that comes to mind is Outlook, Microsoft's insanely useful personal management program. Outlook began life as an email client, and it's still a great one; but in the past decade, it's grown into so much more. These days, Outlook is also one of the chief ways that savvy business professionals manage their time and maximize their accessibility, from scheduling their meetings to keeping track of their personal contacts. This past year we were blessed with a new version, the inventively-named Microsoft Outlook 2010. It's chockfull of interesting and practical features--some of them completely new, and others refinements of features introduced in earlier versions. In this article, I'll show you how to … [Read more...]
