"Since my last report, he has reached rock bottom and has started to dig." -- Anonymous report from an employee evaluation (possibly apocryphal) "American business long ago gave up on demanding that prospective employees be honest and hardworking. It has even stopped hoping for employees who are educated enough that they can tell the difference between the men's room and the women's room without having little pictures on the doors." -- Dave Barry, humorist In September's newsletter, I introduced you to a new idea: the concept of group productivity management, based on the six Productivity Keys I outlined in my most recent book, SuperCompetent. Now, I created SuperCompetent for those individuals who want to raise their personal productivity to the maximum possible level; so as written, … [Read more...]
Productivity Management from a SuperCompetent Perspective
As you probably know, John Wiley and Sons released my latest book, SuperCompetent: The Six Keys to Perform at Your Productive Best, this past August 9. Like my previous books, SuperCompetent addresses productivity from an individual viewpoint, in this case describing how the reader can achieve career success by applying six specific productivity keys in the workplace. Within days of its release, a client asked me how SuperCompetent applies to managing people, not just individual productivity. In other words, how does the Six Keys philosophy work in a team environment? This set me to thinking, especially when I considered the issue of employee engagement (last month's newsletter article), and how that factor impacts productivity. Formulating the Matrix Because engagement is a … [Read more...]
Business Productivity: The Myth of Getting It All Done
There will always be more things to do than there is time to do them. How do you concentrate on what is really important? How do you prioritize your tasks? Laura Stack talks about the myth of "getting it all done." (C) 2010 Laura Stack. All rights reserved. https://theproductivitypro.com … [Read more...]
ACCO Brands, Branded Office Products Leader, Kicks Off Everyday Heroes Contest
ACCO Brands, a leader in office products through industry- leading brands such as Swingline, GBC, Day-Timer, Quartet, Wilson Jones and Kensington among others is scouring the country in search of Everyday Heroes. What is an Everyday Hero? It’s a person who knows how to use his/her office tools to make things run smoothly; a person to whom everyone turns to pull it all together in a pinch; an individual who quietly gets the job done – often without being recognized. Everyday Heroes can enter the contest now at accoheroes.com. ACCO Brands will award a grand prize of $1,000 redeemable at office product dealers to one winner in each of three categories – business, home/home office and school. Often, the hustle and bustle of everyday life overshadows difference-making contributions or … [Read more...]
Business Productivity: Is Mind Mapping All It’s Cracked Up to Be?
Radiant Thinking reflects your internal structure and processes. The Mind Map is your external mirror of your own Radiant Thinking, and allows you access into this vast thinking powerhouse. -- Tony and Barry Buzan, The Mind Map Book: How to Use Radiant Thinking to Maximize Your Brain’s Untapped Potential If you're like me, every once in a while you get stuck on a problem and just can't seem to go any farther with it—no matter how many ideas you bounce off the wall, or how many angles of approach you try. Call it writer's block, creative dysfunction, or what you will, it can be like pulling teeth to tease those ideas out of the far wrinkles of your brain. Sometimes all you need is a little rest or relaxation to shake things loose; then you can come back strong enough to smash through … [Read more...]
Work Life Balance: Video – Getting Ready for the Next Day at Night
Laura Stack, The Productivity Pro(R) shares how to make mornings easier by planning at night. (c) 2010 Laura Stack. All Rights Reserved … [Read more...]
Increasing Productivity: If You Think It, Ink It!
Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen. -- John Steinbeck My father had a saying he used to repeat often. He always carried around one of those little Mead spiral notebooks, which he liked to call "his brain," and whenever an idea would strike him he'd write it down and say, "If you think it, ink it!" That used to just drive me crazy…but Dad was absolutely right. You can't depend on your meat brain to remember everything, especially when you're in the middle of another task. Nor is it a good idea to drop the task you're working on and go haring off after the new idea. Oh, you can do that, but if make a habit of it you'll never finish anything—and your productivity will be shot to heck. So when you have a random thought … [Read more...]
Office Productivity: Making No Mean No
Learn to say 'no' to the good so you can say 'yes' to the best. -- John C. Maxwell (author, speaker, and pastor). In Oklahoma!, the befuddled Ado Annie Carnes sings, I'm just a girl who cain't say no, I'm in a terrible fix I always say "come on, let's go!" Jist when I orta say nix... Ever find yourself in Annie's situation? Are you a people pleaser? Do you have trouble turning down new tasks, even when you're drowning in work? Does everyone turn to helpful ol' you when they need something done? Is your schedule packed until the turn of the century? Sounds like you need to learn to say no graciously—and make it stick. Many of us have been conditioned by society to say "yes" to any reasonable request. It's as if the word "no" is a four-letter word, even when you've got all you can … [Read more...]
Work Life Balance: Back To School Goal Setting
Summer’s over and it’s time to get back to school! This gives you an opportunity to set some goals with your kids. Many people think of January 1 as the New Year. However, I think the back-to-school season is a much better time to get some perspective on kids’ lives and what we’d like to change in the coming school year. What are some of the objectives you have, both for yourself and your children? How can you as a parent help them learn to be more productive and help them achieve success? One of the best gifts that you can give your children is the opportunity to grow and to learn. You have to help coach them, counsel them, encourage them, and sometimes discipline them. Before school begins, take the opportunity to sit down and have a family meeting. What are some things that your … [Read more...]
Critical Tips for Successful Team Execution
Over time, individual teams and whole organizations tend to establish a standard pace. This pace can easily become unnecessarily lethargic. The trick is to regulate the pace, keeping it as high as possible without provoking burn-out. Executing at a brisk pace keeps your team energetic and fresh. Here are ten acceleration strategies that can help you and your team pick up the pace. 1. Identify an “enemy.” 2. Break the decision gridlock. 3. Develop contingency plans and work-arounds. 4. Set the bar higher. 5. Establish momentum-building milestones. … To read the rest of the list and a description of each accelerator, click here: http://www.mylinkage.com/GILD/2010/ten-tips-for-accelerating-your-teams-execution to visit Linkage’s Leadership Blog. © 2010 Linkage, Inc. All Rights Reserved. … [Read more...]
