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Rising from the Ashes

Posted on 02/25/2013 by ·

In the modern business world, we sometimes tout failure as a virtue that almost inevitably leads to success. Popular examples include Thomas Edison's 1,000+ unsuccessful attempts to improve the light bulb before hitting on the right solution, and Bill Gates' unsuccessful first business. Experts tell us repeatedly to fail forward, to fail as fast as possible, to dare to fail—because it makes us smarter and better in the long run. So it was refreshing to encounter a Harvard Business School working paper called "Performance Persistence in Entrepreneurship" that takes the opposite perspective.[i] The authors discovered that brand-new entrepreneurs succeeded just about as often as those who had tried before and failed (18% vs. 20%). The most successful entrepreneurs were those who had already … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Personal Productivity · Tagged: , ,

Nailing It: Helping Others Implement Your Strategy

Posted on 02/20/2013 by ·

"The best CEOs I know are teachers, and at the core of what they teach is strategy." -- Michael Porter Your value as a leader stems largely from your role as team visionary, the person who defines the priorities for your group. In the modern workplace, you do this best not by executing decisions, but by engaging your team members’ energies. Your ultimate goal should be to channel their efforts, abilities, and dedication in such a way that they align as closely as possible with the strategic priorities of your organization. So easy to say—but so hard to do. Once you've formulated your strategy, be prepared to focus like a laser and direct every bit of energy you can spare toward implementation. That doesn't mean you have to run yourself into the ground to accomplish this, but you do have … [Read more...]

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

Machines Melt Minds

Posted on 02/18/2013 by ·

Machines melt minds. And not in a good way, like warm butter melting on a fluffy stack of pancakes. No, in a bad way, as in a meltdown that sends profits into a death spiral. Productive workers get this. That’s why they come out from behind their machines and keep their minds fresh and buzzing at the company softball league, the annual Holiday bash, the weekend corporate retreat, or a trip to a motivational seminar. Productive workers know that blazing one’s eyeballs behind a monitor all day can fry brain cells. So don’t overlook the value of going to the health club or fostering deeper relational bonds by getting off your bottom and walking over to a coworker’s office to talk about a heated issue. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs may have given us the tools we need to get the job done. But, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Business Productivity · Tagged:

It’s Really Laziness

Posted on 02/15/2013 by ·

Spotting incompetence is simple. Look for the people who know full well what they need to change about themselves to be more productive but refuse to do so. We all have flaws and areas in need of improvement. That’s normal and healthy. Moreover, sometimes these weaknesses remain for a time in our blind spots. But the moment an employee’s awareness has been raised, he has an obligation to begin remedying the flaw, not celebrating it. Those who do single themselves out as such are incompetent. You know the ones. Here are some unbelievable but true examples: 1. “Yeah, I know I need to organize my files, but that’s just how I am. Always been this way. You should see my clothes closet at home!” Gee, now there’s an advertisement to broadcast! When employees telegraph their areas of improvement, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Time Management · Tagged: ,

Just Say No to Your Inner Control Freak

Posted on 02/13/2013 by ·

"Project management is God's gift to the control freak." -- Unknown. A forceful personality can provide certain advantages in a competitive workplace, helping you work your way up the ladder more quickly than you otherwise might. But fair warning: if your favorite management slogan is "my way or the highway," expect a few delays in your drive to the top. Granted, you can survive with this attitude, especially if you're a genius or use less-than-scrupulous tactics to advance. But nobody loves a control freak. Your subordinates will never you give you 100% if you disempower them, hover over their shoulders, or constantly disparage their abilities or judgment. They'll either resent you or will get so nervous they won't be able to do their jobs right. And if you're always in their business, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Leadership & Teamwork · Tagged: , ,

Resourceful Self-Distraction: Is There a “Good” Kind of Procrastination?

Posted on 02/11/2013 by ·

"Anything worth doing is worth doing badly -- at first." -- Brian Tracy, American motivational speaker and author. "The greatest conflicts are not between two people, but between one person and himself." -- Garth Brooks, American singer.   Very few people can honestly say they’ve never dragged their heels on a task, or dawdled over a project they should have put more serious effort into. We may not feel proud about it, but we procrastinate anyway. Why? Often, it boils down to one of the common issues: feeling overwhelmed, fearing failure, or disliking the task. Then too, I've known people who dilly-dallied because they feared running out of work too soon. This happens most often in jobs that continue only as long as the work lasts, like construction or temporary positions, though it … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Time Management · Tagged:

To Collaborate…Or Not?

Posted on 02/06/2013 by ·

"Every sin is the result of a collaboration." -- Lucius Annaeus Seneca, ancient Roman philosopher. As Will Rogers once pointed out, "It isn't what we don't know that gives us trouble, it's what we know that ain't so." Sometimes we make unwarranted assumptions that just don't hold up under close scrutiny...but they survive longer than they should because we don't scrutinize them. Here's a good workplace example: collaboration. As much we might like to think otherwise, not everything requires it. I can almost hear the shocked gasps from those enthusiastic souls who've bought into this sacred cow, seduced by cheerful slogans like "Teamwork Makes the Dream Work!" and "There's No 'I' in Team!" Now, please understand: I believe wholeheartedly in the value of teamwork. It's as obvious as a slap … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Leadership & Teamwork · Tagged: ,

Snoozing Your Way to Personal Productivity: How Much Sleep is Right for You?

Posted on 02/04/2013 by ·

"Sleep that knits up the ravel'd sleeve of care, The death of each day's life, sore labor's bath, Balm of hurt minds, great nature's second course, Chief nourisher in life's feast..." -- William Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act II, Scene II  Do you get enough sleep at night? At first glance, you may wonder what this question has to do with personal productivity. But think back to the last time you missed a significant amount of sleep. How did you feel the next day? Were you able to get your work done efficiently and professionally? Probably not. I'll bet you felt tense, irritable, red-eyed, edgy, and drowsy—in other words, TIRED. Insufficient sleep can also leave you moody, lethargic, and unmotivated, damage your creativity and problem-solving skills, and make it difficult for you to make … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Life Balance · Tagged: , ,

How to Conduct Weekly, Monthly, and Yearly Reviews

Posted on 02/01/2013 by ·

Consistent self-reviews should be a part of any time management plan, since they're easy to perform and help you maintain course with minimal effort. Yet many leaders avoid them because (ironically) they "can't afford the time." On the contrary, you can't afford not to review your progress on a regular basis. If you don't look up and adjust your heading once in a while, you're going to end up way off course...if you ever do anything more than just spin your wheels. Some people avoid reviews, because they think it looks like they're goofing off. But let's get real here: just because you've settled down to review your progress doesn't mean you're doing nothing. If you want to be a strategic enabler of business, you have to find the time to be strategic! As the old story goes, a woodsman who … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Performance · Tagged: ,

How to Create a Culture of Speed

Posted on 01/30/2013 by ·

"If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough." -- Mario Andretti, American race car driver. "The world is changing very fast. Big will not beat small anymore. It will be the fast beating the slow." -- Rupert Murdock, Australian-American media mogul. "I've always found that the speed of the boss is the speed of the team." -- Lee Iacocca, former CEO and Chairman of Chrysler Corporation. Though we like to think of ourselves as living in the Space Age or the Information Era, future historians may well label this the "Hurry Up Epoch." For decades now, we've scrambled to keep pace with technological change, ramping up our productivity to startling levels, which helps us further advance our technology, leading to greater productivity...and so on in a rising spiral. Nowadays … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Business Productivity · Tagged: , ,