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Texting: It’s Not Just for Fun Anymore

Posted on 11/29/2015 by ·

"Texting is fingered speech. Now we can write the way we talk." ― John McWhorter, American linguist and political commentator. Here is the bi-weekly roundup of activity from Laura Stack’s blog, columns, podcast, and other featured articles. Scroll down to read the complete roundup of productivity resources to help you create Maximum Results in Minimum Time. Great News! Great news #1—Amazon.com is having a Cyber Monday sale on my new book, Doing the Right Things Right! If you pre-order the book now, and send your receipt to [email protected], you’ll get all these great pre-order bonuses and free resources! Great news #2—My publisher is sponsoring a complimentary webinar with Yours Truly on January 13 on Doing the Right Things Right! First 1000 get a seat! Feel free to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Personal Productivity · Tagged: ,

The Workplace Makeover: Revitalizing Your Team From Within

Posted on 11/24/2015 by ·
The Workplace Makeover: Revitalizing Your Team From Within

"My sun sets to rise again." – Robert Browning, 19th century English poet.  Who bears the responsibility for team productivity? (<-- Click to Tweet) Those with an employee's mindset—for whom work is just a way of getting a paycheck and paying the bills—might point the finger at their leadership. True, the managers and supervisors who direct our work do have a large stake in team productivity. But they don’t bear the responsibility alone. Admittedly, at some level, all of us do work so we can live in the manner to which we've become accustomed; but the happiest of us tend to be more fully engaged than our cynical co-workers. We're more likely to invest discretionary time into our jobs, because we apply an employer's mindset to our work, treating it as if we're stakeholders in the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Leadership & Teamwork · Tagged: , ,

Eliminating the Major Time-Wasters in Your Day

Posted on 11/20/2015 by ·
Eliminating the Major Time-Wasters in Your Day

What's sucking up your time and not getting you anywhere, and what can you do about it? (C) 2015 Laura Stack, All Rights Reserved. www.TheProductivityPro.com … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General · Tagged: ,

On Screen, All Business: The Etiquette of Videoconferencing

Posted on 11/17/2015 by ·
On Screen, All Business: the Etiquette of Videoconferencing

"We are visual creatures. When you doodle an image that captures the essence of an idea, you not only remember it, but you also help other people understand and act on it—which is generally the point of meetings in the first place." ― Tom Wujec, Canadian expert on business visualization. Here is the bi-weekly roundup of activity from Laura Stack’s blog, columns, podcast, and other featured articles. Scroll down to read the complete roundup of productivity resources to help you create Maximum Results in Minimum Time. This week on the Blog On Screen, All Business: the Etiquette of Videoconferencing   One thing early science fiction writers got right was that we would someday exchange video images along with audio when we communicated. But so far, it hasn't become as widespread as … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Business Productivity · Tagged: , ,

Methods of Motivation: Adding Team Incentives to the Mix

Posted on 11/10/2015 by ·
Methods of Motivation: Adding Team Incentives to the Mix by Laura Stack

"When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you'll be successful." – Eric Thomas, American motivational speaker.  One of the eternal quests of the modern business leader is the search for the Holy Grail of worker motivation—as if there's just one secret, one formula or recipe, that will instantly and permanently push a team's productivity through the roof. It's a nice fantasy, but you quickly learn that nothing works for everyone. Fortunately, most people respond well to intrinsic rewards, like pats on the back and public recognition, as well as the king of extrinsic motivation, More Money. But there's no panacea that invariably turns disengaged grumps into optimistic top performers, while still urging existing performers ever upward. As it turns out, our basic … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Leadership & Teamwork · Tagged: ,

Wait a Minute Here: Promoting a Team Culture That Questions the Status Quo

Posted on 11/03/2015 by ·
Wait a Minute Here: Promoting a Team Culture That Questions the Status Quo by Laura Stack #productivity

"Any business today that embraces the status quo as an operating principle is going to be on a death march." ― Howard Shultz, Chairman and CEO of Starbucks. Here is the weekly roundup of activity from Laura Stack’s blog, columns, podcast, and other featured articles. Scroll down to read the complete roundup of productivity resources to help you create Maximum Results in Minimum Time. This week on the Blog Wait a Minute Here: Promoting a Team Culture That Questions the Status Quo Let's face it: most of the time, we want our work lives to run smoothly… and that's much easier to accomplish when you complete the tasks your manager asks of you. But decent leaders don't want yes-women and yes-men. In this age of required flexibility and agility, most leaders have learned to listen when … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Leadership & Teamwork · Tagged: , ,

Improving Your Concentration

Posted on 10/30/2015 by ·

We're talking today about strategies for keeping your focus. (C) 2015 Laura Stack, All Rights Reserved. www.TheProductivityPro.com … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Podcast · Tagged: , , ,

From Halloween to Black Friday and Beyond: Beating the Holiday Slump

Posted on 10/29/2015 by ·
From Halloween to Black Friday and Beyond: Beating the Holiday Slump by Laura Stack #productivity

"After all, the best part of a holiday is perhaps not so much to be resting yourself, as to see all the other fellows busy working."– Kenneth Grahame, British author of The Wind in the Willows.   Beware, it's almost here: the dreaded holiday slump, when all of us are so ready for a much-needed break that productivity threatens to slip. Many of your team members will disappear for weeks at a time to visit relatives located clear across the country, and those who don't will be so distracted by holiday planning that they might as well stay home. The result? Lagging productivity… unless of course you take up the slack. Every silver cloud has its lining, and this one is the post-holiday productivity that tends to rise significantly as everyone starts a new year rested and ready, full of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Leadership & Teamwork · Tagged: , , ,

This is Bob from Phoenix: The Art of the Conference Call

Posted on 10/27/2015 by ·
This is Bob from Phoenix: The Art of the Conference Call by Laura Stack

"My strategy for this conference call is to play dead." ― Anonymous "demotivational" poster. Here is the weekly roundup of activity from Laura Stack’s blog, columns, podcast, and other featured articles. Scroll down to read the complete roundup of productivity resources to help you create Maximum Results in Minimum Time. This week on the Blog This is Bob from Phoenix: The Art of the Conference Call What do you get when you cross a meeting with a phone call? Perhaps you have seen that hysterical YouTube video called “The Conference Call.” If not, you simply must look it up. It’s extremely educational as to what NOT to do on a conference call, as it combines the worst aspects of a long distance telephone call and a meeting. Despite its challenges, conference calls resulted in a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Business Productivity · Tagged: ,

Balancing Short-Term Tactics and Long-Term Strategy

Posted on 10/23/2015 by ·

How do you make sure today's actions are supporting the long-term goals? … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Leadership & Teamwork, Podcast · Tagged: , , ,