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Horseshoes and Hand Grenades: Why Good Enough Usually Is Good Enough

Posted on 05/01/2014 by ·
Horseshoes and Hand Grenades: Why Good Enough Usually Is Good Enough by Laura Stack #productivity

Perfection is a lofty goal, but it rarely happens in the day-to-day workplace. And why should it? In most things, striving for perfection represents a waste of resources better used elsewhere. No one really expects you and your team to do everything exactly right every single time. Most of the time, good enough really is good enough—as long as you achieve the minimum requirements necessary and maintain your forward momentum. While you do owe yourself, your team, and your organization a consistently high level of performance, there's a certain point in all everyday tasks where attention to detail turns to perfectionism and, worse, to micromanagement. Both practices inevitably stall productivity. Exceptions to the Rule Admittedly, some tasks require a higher standard. When it's … [Read more...]

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Four Ways to Make Your Business Trips More Productive

Posted on 04/24/2014 by ·
Four Ways to Make Your Business Trips More Productive by Laura Stack #Productivity

As long as there have been business travelers, we've struggled to make our travel time more productive. At one time this involved little more than reading and annotating paperwork, so little could be done while on the move. A bit more was possible with access to a telephone in a hotel, but not much more. The electronics revolution changed all that. With smartphones, laptops, and WiFi, there's no excuse not to be productive while on the go. That said, you can tweak your productivity higher with a few logical preparations before you even step out the door. Try these tips: 1. Prepare well in advance. When you return from a trip, prepare for the next. Unpack your back and refill toiletries as necessary. Reorganize your spare cables for your electronics and recharge as necessary. Pack a … [Read more...]

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Guest Post: Forget Perfection – Strive For Optimization

Posted on 04/22/2014 by ·

Everything you do in your business is a process. From customer service to sales and marketing. Being successful in business is all about optimizing these processes as much as possible. Optimization is such an important area of business, but this critical area is often overlooked by business owners and CEOs amidst cries of “I’m too busy!” or “I don’t have the time right now—I’ll get to it eventually...” Inevitably, some of those people never find the time and they simply continue along their trajectory, completely oblivious to the fact that they could be leaving thousands of dollars on the table. But the concept of optimization is simple: “Maximum results for the time with the minimum risk, the minimum effort and the minimum expense.” - Jay Abraham. Optimization just means … [Read more...]

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Three Synergistic Partnerships

Posted on 04/15/2014 by ·
Three Synergistic Partnerships by Laura Stack #productivity

Sometimes, separate components can come together to form something far more valuable than the sum of its parts: a new chemical, a cake, a family, a business, a partnership. We call this "synergy." It's like the miracle of compound interest, if you think about it: one plus one equals way more than two. We've recognized the value of synergy throughout history, but it was only in the twentieth century that the great Buckminster Fuller created a term for it. We often see synergy in teamwork situations, where individuals lend their strengths to a collaborative framework in such a way that the contributions slot together perfectly, growing into a greater whole that expands beyond their limits. Ideally, this is what we're all reaching for as we build and shape our teams. When conditions are … [Read more...]

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Make Low Employee Productivity a Thing of the Past

Posted on 04/10/2014 by ·
Make Low Employee Productivity a Thing of the Past by Laura Stack #productivity

"The simple act of paying positive attention to people has a great deal to do with productivity." -- Tom Peters, American business author. Teamwork rules in the corporate environment. As the leader of your team—whether it consists of a small group, a division, or an entire corporation—the team's success ultimately rests on your shoulders. While the stress of maintaining high productivity may "roll down the hill," so to speak, you can divest yourself of only so much responsibility for your team's performance. Guaranteeing high performance may seem a daunting task, but it basically boils down to prevention and maintenance. Maintenance takes place when you have to jump in and fix something when it goes wrong. Preventive measures are put in place in the beginning to prevent breakdowns from … [Read more...]

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Adjusting Your Attitude for Maximal Productivity

Posted on 04/08/2014 by ·
Adjusting Your Attitude for Maximal Productivity by Laura Stack #productivity

Simply put, your attitude is the state of mind you present to the world. To succeed in the workplace, the sum of the factors that comprise your attitude must be positive, so it pulls you forward on your path to success. In my experience, a positive outlook helps leaders attain the improbable on a regular basis, both from themselves and through others. At a minimum, it will help you get through those inevitable times when everything looks dark and seems difficult. When interviewing workplace superstars for upcoming books, something that used to surprise me (but doesn’t anymore) is with rare exception, they think positively. They’ve discovered a little secret—when your reach exceeds your grasp, you can accomplish amazing things with a positive attitude. I’ve interviewed many leaders who … [Read more...]

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Clearing the Errors: Fixing Six Common Mistakes in the Corporate Environment

Posted on 04/03/2014 by ·
Clearing the Errors: Fixing Six Common Mistakes in the Corporate Environment by Laura Stack #productivity

"The first mistake in public business is the going into it." -- Benjamin Franklin, American politician, publisher, and inventor. Despite Ben Franklin's tongue-in-cheek observation, as quoted above, we Americans insist on "going into public business." The tendency arises naturally from our capitalistic system, where we can make good lives for ourselves if we work hard and follow a few logical rules. But as organizations grow and age, institutionalized mistakes creep into the workflow. Some seem obvious with a little self-analysis, some less so. In this article, I'll take a look at half a dozen that you, as a leader, should keep an eye out for. 1. Lack of a clear mission and vision. If you don't know where you're going, how will you know when you get there? Formulate simple, clear-cut … [Read more...]

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Making Employees Partners in Business: Realistically Democratizing the Workplace

Posted on 03/25/2014 by ·
Making Employees Partners in Business: Realistically Democratizing the Workplace by Laura Stack #productivity

"A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus." -- Martin Luther King, Jr., American religious and civil rights leader. Professionally, my life's work has revolved around making work easier and more productive for everyone involved. So I find the concept of democratizing the workplace attractive, which involves giving employees more freedom and allowing them to participate in decision making. When employees feel empowered in their work, they’re more likely to take ownership of their jobs and contribute more discretionary effort, thereby increasing their productivity. To succeed, democratization has to take place within a framework guided by leaders. Yes, your team members should be partners in the accomplishment of goals, but they are not necessarily equal … [Read more...]

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The Fast Beating the Slow: The Need for Speed in Modern Business

Posted on 03/20/2014 by ·
The Fast Beating the Slow: The Need for Speed in Modern Business by Laura Stack

"If you don't have a goal, you will score zero even if you run with the fastest speed." -- Israelmore Ayivor, African author and blogger. According to some futurists, there may come a time when technology evolves so rapidly we won't be able to keep up with it. At that point, the future will become completely unpredictable. They call this the Singularity—and some believe it's just around the corner. In the business world, change already moves at a breakneck pace. No longer do three- to five-year strategic plans suffice. As I've pointed out in my latest book, Execution IS the Strategy, static plans go stale within months. Indeed, some companies are reviewing strategy quarterly or even monthly. Front-line employees must have the permission and the flexibility to work with any tactics … [Read more...]

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Withstanding the Pain: How to Accept and Act on Constructive Criticism

Posted on 03/11/2014 by ·
Withstanding the Pain: How to Accept and Act on Constructive Criticism by Laura Stack #productivity

"To avoid criticism say nothing, do nothing, be nothing." -- Aristotle, ancient Greek philosopher. No one enjoys criticism, but sometimes we need it. No matter where you stand in an organizational hierarchy, you can always improve your game. While many of us claim we're our own harshest critics, that's rarely true. It’s usually more helpful to have someone else point out our flaws…if you trust the source. Criticism can be difficult to hear, but pain helps us learn and improve ourselves. As former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill once stated, criticism is necessary because, like physical pain, "it calls attention to an unhealthy state of things." Once we feel that pain, we can take measures to correct it. As a leader, you’ve probably received more than your share of … [Read more...]

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