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Talent Transformed: Tips for Developing Your Employees

Posted on 02/25/2014 by ·
Talent Transformed: Tips for Developing Your Employees by Laura Stack #strategy #productivity

"Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work." -- Stephen King, American writer. Every organization has its Campers—uninspired workers who hunker down and do only what they have to, waiting for the weekend to come...and eventually, retirement. They meet the minimum requirements of their positions, but you rarely get much more out of them. They've either reached their career goals or given up on their dreams, accepting what they've achieved as the best they can do. They'll stay where they sit, thanks very much. Fortunately, that’s the exception—most people do want to do their best and get ahead. As a leader, you face the irony of having to keep your team members happy by developing their skills and offering … [Read more...]

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

Add Enablers to the Equation

Posted on 02/20/2014 by ·
Add Enablers to the Equation by Laura Stack #productivity #strategy

In addition to smoothing the way for your team by removing procedural obstacles, it behooves you to facilitate their work in other ways as well. The less time they have to waste, the easier it will be for them to maximize their productivity and their ability to execute in the moment. The enablers I suggest in this chapter include: 1. Employ the THINK method. Urge your team members to better themselves by Taking care of their health, Honing their memories, Improving focus, Nourishing their brains, and leveraging Knowledge as power. 2. Keep technology up-to-date. The right equipment—such as fast computers or double monitors, the right software—such as instant messaging and webcasting, and the right equipment—such as video conferencing, can all increase productivity when used correctly. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Leadership & Teamwork · Tagged: , ,

Measure Your Progress

Posted on 02/06/2014 by ·
Measure your Progress by Laura Stack

You must link strategic planning and goal setting, with everyone on the team having goals that support the plan and each other. Not only do all involved have to perform the day-to-day tactical tasks that drive the operation, they also have to work on the higher-level, strategic goals as well—the parts that will eventually become their daily work. Along the way, they must constantly assess whether the tasks they complete in the short term will get them where they need to go in the long term. This chapter takes a closer look at the process in the context of metrics, and how they might apply to your organization. 1. Plan your course. Once you’ve (a) achieved buy-in, (b) set goals, and (c) made efforts to align those goals with your organization’s, you must decide how you and your team … [Read more...]

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

Plan for Goal Achievement

Posted on 01/30/2014 by ·
Plan for Goal Achievement by Laura Stack #productivity #strategy #execution

Good strategic alignment consists of practices that connect organizational strategy with employee performance as fully and directly as possible. When you properly align your organizational structure, your employees act as strategic enablers of company policy, mission, and vision—all working from the same standards toward the same ends. This chapter looks at useful strategies for getting your team into alignment and keeping it there. 1. Share your goals. Only when you willingly share your goals with everyone and set up procedures to make sure people stay on track can true alignment occur. Goal-setting is no longer be limited to the C-suite. When your strategic priorities trickle down, work with your team to determine how best to get there. 2. Clear the air. People mistrust or distrust … [Read more...]

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

Overdoing It: When Continuous Improvement Stifles Innovation

Posted on 01/21/2014 by ·
Overdoing It: When Continuous Improvement Stifles Innovation by Laura Stack #productivity #strategy

"The culture, behaviors, processes, measurements, rewards, and tolerance for failure needed to drive operational excellence are fundamentally different from those needed to create innovation, which requires an emphasis on exploration and invention." -- Ed Hess and Jeanne Liedtka, authors of The Physics of Business Growth: Mindsets, System and Processes. My recent blog about continuous improvement, "Maximizing ROI: Continuous Improvement as a Core Value," seems to have struck a chord with some readers. In my first tip, I suggested that you take care to deploy continuous improvement (CI) gradually, because in certain circumstances formats it can stifle innovation when applied too vigorously. A couple readers asked for more information on how two positives added together can equal a … [Read more...]

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

Ensure Engaged, Empowered Employees

Posted on 01/16/2014 by ·
Ensure Engaged, Empowered Employees by Laura Stack #strategy

When you have a lot at stake or a very high interest in an outcome, you’re more likely to do a better job (or at least try to). Your team members feel the same way. If they don’t enjoy their work, they won’t be motivated to spend discretionary effort on the strategic goals you set for them. Wouldn’t you rather be surrounded by people in whom you have full trust and confidence they will get things done? Your team will have more ownership in their work if you encourage them to take initiative, improve processes, and make last-minute changes vital to timely execution. Here are some simple, common-sense ways to achieve that confident competence: 1. Increase your ratio of engaged to disengaged employees. This requires not only personal strength but flexibility and empathy as well. If you … [Read more...]

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

New Year’s Resolutions

Posted on 01/01/2014 by ·
New Years Resolutions

According to University of Scranton, only 8% of people achieve their New Year’s Resolutions. Why is this number so low? Researchers say our resolutions are often intangible, too extreme, and too long-term. We use terms like “lose weight” or “get out of debt.” Instead, be more specific and make a concrete checklist or to-do list of obtainable goals, outlining specifically how you plan to achieve your New Year’s Resolution. For example, if you want to get out of debt, your checklist might look like this: Transfer credit card to low-rate card Only charge what can be covered Eat out once every two weeks Close unused credit cards Put a freeze on credit Sign up for a personal finance class Buy Suzy Orman latest debt book Consolidate student loans Researchers say that if you … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Personal Productivity · Tagged: , ,

Making 2014 Your Most Productive Year Yet: The ONE Thing You Can Do Every Day

Posted on 12/05/2013 by ·
Making 2014 Your Most Productive Year Yet: The ONE Thing You Can Do Every Day by Laura Stack #productivity

I'm not a big believer in New Year's resolutions. Frustrated by bad habits like procrastination, disorganization, or a lack of exercise, many of us vow to change. We make a New Year's resolution such as, “This year, I'll walk on my treadmill three times a week!” By March, the treadmill is gathering dust down in the basement. Defeated, we give up further attempts to change. Why does this happen? I believe it’s because we don’t make reasonable resolutions to begin with and thus fail to keep the ones we make. So people either stop setting goals (never a good choice), or they make resolutions that are ridiculously easy to keep. The solution? Stop focusing on massive gains. Instead, make it your goal in 2014 to improve 1% each day. If you can improve 1% each day, you’ll double in ability … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Performance · Tagged:

The Good Manager: Building Your ROI by Building Your Team’s

Posted on 11/21/2013 by ·
The Good Manager: Building Your ROI by Building Your Team's by Laura Stack #productivity

"Vision changes a 'transactional manager' into a 'transformational leader.' While a manager gets the job done, great leaders tap into the emotions of their employees." -- Brian Tracy, American motivational guru. "Employees are the most valuable asset that any organization has. In the past managers said 'jump" and the employees said, 'How high?' Now, the managers are jumping with employees." -- Jacob Morgan, American business writer. During the past generation or so, something unusual has happened in business: managers have evolved from the boss to a team player. Figuratively, they are still in charge, of course, but leaders realized they got farther by being in partnership with their employees. They act more like a visionary facilitator, rather than a strategy imposer. Why? By … [Read more...]

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

Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: Five Enablers of Productive Achievement

Posted on 11/19/2013 by ·
Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy - Five Enablers of Productive Achievement by Laura Stack #productivity

"Without rest, a man cannot work; without work, the rest does not give you any benefit." -- Abkhasian proverb. "Getting in shape isn't just about looking and feeling better, it’s actually smart business." -- Susan Solovic, American small business expert. We all know we do better, more productive work when we feel well. And yet, we’re stuck in a vicious cycle: when we work long hours and run short on time, we cut into our precious free time—the time it takes to do the things that keep us healthy: exercise, eat and drink properly, and sleep enough. So we find ourselves in an unproductive, unhealthy rut. Clearly, productivity alone doesn’t keep us healthy. In fact, the exact opposite is true. As psychotherapist Nathaniel Branden points out, "Productive achievement is a consequence and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Life Balance · Tagged: , ,