Total Transparency: Making an Open Book of Your Worklife
Posted on 10/16/2014 by ·
"Even the oldest trees aren't ashamed to stand naked." -- Marty Rubin, American author. How transparent is your organization? Does every person in every department have a working knowledge of the organization's goals, mission and vision, and core values? Perhaps your organization even practices a more radical transparency, where any employee can check the monthly numbers, read board meeting minutes, and review proposed policy changes. Some companies also provide access to their capital structure and strategy, stress collaborative decision-making—and even make everyone's salary a matter of public record. This type of corporate-level transparency seems to result in a happier, more productive workforce overall—a lesson to take to heart if you happen to be a manager yourself. People are … [Read more...]
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Office
Posted on 09/25/2014 by ·
Engaging Others with Good Humor at Work “Right now, this is a job. If I advance any higher, this would be my career. And if this were my career, I’d have to throw myself in front of a train.” -- Jim Halpert, character on the TV series The Office. Clearly, work is no laughing matter. It's where you spend a good third of your life, focused on the things that really matter so you can out-produce your competitors and flood the bottom line with black ink. Some people forget that work is just a part of life—you’re not supposed to live to work—and they become consumed by it. Yes, you should enjoy your work and even be just as passionate about it as your personal life, but don’t take it so seriously! Some people need to lighten up a bit to avoid a coronary (you know who you are). Humor Has … [Read more...]
Four Must-Have Travel Apps
Posted on 09/18/2014 by ·
"A man travels the world over in search of what he needs, and returns home to find it." -- George A. Moore, Irish writer. Unlike some of my colleagues, I've always believed in using travel time to get ahead on my business work. That way, when I get home I don't have to play catch-up; instead, I can spend more time with my friends and family. I'd rather rest from the rat race in my own living room. In my constant search for ways to save time while working, I've investigated or tested dozens of mobile apps that help me complete my work more easily. Most do a good job, but some stand out more than others. Here are four superbly helpful and productive travel apps I urge you to try if you haven't already. (Now that the Wi-Fi is available on some flights, they're more useful than … [Read more...]
Give Me a Break! Get Your Rest and Protect Yourself From Burnout
Posted on 09/11/2014 by ·
"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time." -- John Lubbock, British scientist and politician. By nature, most of us in the business world feel driven to prove ourselves—by working hard, generating massive productivity, and moving up through the ranks. Before long, it becomes second nature to work long hours with a tight focus on work, often to the exclusion of other things in life. Some of us willingly sacrifice exercise, a decent diet, vacation, weekends, and even family time to get ahead. But what are we getting ahead for? If you really care about your work, you'll want to do what's best and most productive for the … [Read more...]
Rebooting Your Productivity: How to Recover from a Workflow Crash
Posted on 08/19/2014 by ·
Let's say your productivity takes a nosedive. Maybe you've gotten lazy with your planning processes and your to-do lists are out of control. Perhaps you went on vacation, and you just haven’t been able to get on top of your inbox. Maybe you have a looming project due date that you haven’t even been able to think about. Or maybe unexpected changes in your industry have presented new challenges and taken you off your original course. Now what? Every second you're out of the race, you and those depending on you fall farther behind. So leap into action, resolved to restore your productivity in record time. But how do you reboot your productivity? Do what you do when your computer crashes—a hard reboot. A hard reboot always seems to be the last resort. You throw your hands up in the … [Read more...]
Butting Heads: How to Argue Productively
Posted on 08/05/2014 by ·
It’s been said that every person brings joy to others: some when they enter a room and some when they leave it. The latter disagrees just to be disagreeable. But no matter how good natured people are, if you bring any two human beings together, they'll find something to disagree about eventually. The strong personalities inherent in any business endeavor can result in people butting heads at all levels. You might find yourself at odds with a team member, another leader, or with your own superior. When you find yourself at loggerheads with someone for any reason, you’ll want to find the most efficient way to resolve the issue quickly, so you can move forward with the business at hand. Needless to say, I'm not talking about small opinion issues that don't matter in the long run, like what … [Read more...]
Gearing Up For Success: Preparing for a Quantum Leap in Productivity
Posted on 07/22/2014 by ·
"Doing is a quantum leap from imagining." -- Barbara Sher, American speaker, author and goal achievement guru. In physics, the term "quantum leap" refers to an electron's sudden jump to a higher energy state without, apparently, passing through the intervening distance. At subatomic scales, things happen that would never happen in our “big” world. Yet, it’s still such a fascinating and attractive notion that people have taken to using the term “quantum leap” when referring to spectacular feats. While it doesn't quite mesh—quantum effects can't really manifest at human scales—it does serve as a useful shorthand for sudden improvement in performance or productivity. But unlike an electron's quantum leap, the productive equivalent leaves clues as to how it happened. Let’s look under … [Read more...]
How to Lead By Stepping Back: Five Steps to Delegation
Posted on 07/17/2014 by ·
"The best executive is one who has sense enough to pick good people to do what he wants done, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it." –- Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States. If you're a reader of my blogs, newsletters, and Tweets, you'll know I've returned repeatedly to the topic of delegation over the years—and for good reason. As a leader, there's no more effective and productive way to handle all your responsibilities. Leadership positions come weighted down with more than their fair share of tasks, because by definition a strategic initiative is more than one person can handle. Effective leaders must parcel out that work and a good deal of the associated authority, so they can continue to think strategically and get things … [Read more...]
Sharing For Success: Smashing Data Silos and Breaking Up Fiefdoms
Posted on 07/15/2014 by ·
"Data are becoming the new raw material of business." -- Craig Mundie, Head of Research and Strategy at Microsoft. Given the importance of information technology (IT) in the modern business environment, IT terms have inevitably leaked into the common parlance of today's office. For example, "data silos" occur when incompatible systems lack an interface through which they can share data. Databases become isolated from each other, and it becomes increasingly difficult to collect all the data needed to make effective decisions. Often this becomes institutionalized. Groups within the organization consider themselves isolated entities, with no need or desire to work together. Some even compete for limited resources. Ultimately, productivity stagnates due to lack of cooperation, … [Read more...]
