Stuck somewhere? Laura Stack shows you how to use unexpected down time so your productivity doesn't have to get stuck. (C) 2016 Laura Stack, All Rights Reserved. www.TheProductivityPro.com … [Read more...]
The Zen of Teamwork: 4 Steps to High Efficiency
Posted on 04/19/2016 by ·
The greatest advantage of teamwork is that it achieves what individuals can't, through the medium of simple cooperation. Making personal goals secondary to group goals may seem difficult, but it pays off for everyone in the end. Instilling effective teamwork as one of your team's core val¬ues will make the team: 1. More Efficient. Typically, more efficient also means faster, since many hands make light work. Teamwork is much more effective when team members work together closely throughout the process. Many tasks have no clear-cut edges, so when people work separately, performing separate parts of a project in isolation and then piecing them together later, overlap and duplication may occur. On a team where the members inform each other of their progress, that's easier to avoid. Ongoing … [Read more...]
Leader as Visionary: 4 Ways to Bring Your Vision to Life
Posted on 03/31/2016 by ·
Clear communication is important in all directions, upward and laterally as well as downward. You'll have to learn to argue effectively and productively with others at or above your responsibility level—because no matter how good-natured people are, if you bring any two together, they'll eventually find something to disagree about. Here's how you can argue your point productively, so everyone can move quickly through the dispute phase and get back to work. 1. Get All Your Ducks in a Row. Prepare your arguments and have your facts straight. Run your thoughts by neutral people and ask them to shoot holes in your argument. You may find your position fails when other factors are brought up, or your view simply has less merit than someone else's. If this proves to be the case, admit … [Read more...]
Running a Tight Ship: 4 Ways to Maximize Efficiency
Posted on 03/29/2016 by ·
Maximizing personal and team productivity requires notable efficiency. Make sure these practices get your attention: 1. Leverage Technology. Embrace and encourage new trends, devices, and software as they appear. Let your workers use their own devices for business purposes if they want. Why not take advantage of a productivity source you don't have to pay for? Meanwhile, provide instant "anywhere" access to workplace information. Let team members work from alternate locations with Wi-Fi when it's practical. When a member of my office manager's family is ill, it's easy to let her work from home for the day, so she can still be productive. With Wi-Fi, Evernote, and all the snazzy apps we have access to, workers can tap into work information no matter where they are. Give them a secure, … [Read more...]
Get Things Done Without Doing It Yourself
Posted on 03/18/2016 by ·
An efficient way to get something done is to NOT do it! How does that work? (C) 2016 Laura Stack, All Rights Reserved. www.TheProductivityPro.com … [Read more...]
What You Should Do First Thing In The Morning
Posted on 02/12/2016 by ·
What's the best way to start a productive day? Find out! (C) 2016 Laura Stack, All Rights Reserved. … [Read more...]
Facilitating an Effective Teleconference
Posted on 12/11/2015 by ·
We've all been on those conference calls. How to plan effectively for your next teleconference. (C) 2015 Laura Stack, All Rights Reserved. www.TheProductivityPro.com … [Read more...]
Weeding Out the Inefficiencies
Posted on 03/05/2015 by ·
Laura shares ideas on getting rid of the little things that slow you down. (C) 2015 Laura Stack. All Rights Reserved. … [Read more...]
Execution Is Always in Style
Posted on 03/06/2014 by ·
Like the old gray mare of legend, strategic execution just ain't what it used to be—a point that hit home repeatedly as I conducted interviews with high-level executives in a number of industries while researching my latest book, Execution IS the Strategy. Ideally, a strategic plan serves as a vehicle for continually reminding organizational leaders to evaluate the direction of their businesses according to their overall goals. But this doesn't always happen. Why? Because there's barely enough time to stop and take a breath anymore—much less implement a tool that may be stale before it's a month old. Today, leaders rely on their front line workers to help them make solid, reliable decisions on how to best execute the objectives that advance organizational strategy. The Four Keys … [Read more...]
The Squeaky Wheel Makes Things Better
Posted on 10/07/2013 by ·
Growing up, I had a friend who used to say, “If it was good enough for Grandpa, it's good enough for me.” To which I would retort with my Grandpa’s favorite expression, “Sometimes it’s better to get forgiveness than permission.” Which phrase resonates with you more? Too often in the business world, people just accept how they've been taught to do something, rather than considering whether it could be improved. Situations and technology change, and sometimes we fail to change with them. Truly accountable people strive to make things easier for everyone, including themselves. They take on change and try to make processes more efficient, even if they know it might rub some people the wrong way. They know the squeaky wheel gets in the grease—or in this case—makes things better. How can you … [Read more...]
