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...]
Team vs. Work Group: How Do You and Your Coworkers Stack Up?
Posted on 12/08/2015 by ·
"Individual commitment to a group effort - that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work." – Vince Lombardi, American college football coach. Most of us who work with multiple coworkers consider ourselves part of a team, and in fact, our leaders may refer to us as such. But are you really part of a team? Strictly defined, a team consists of a cohesive group of individuals, all of whom work within the same workflow process, contributing to the completion of one or more cooperative projects. Some researchers further define teams as consisting of 3-25 people, leaving out duos or "dyads" because their interactions are too simple, and larger groups because of their complexity. In general, teams tend to be tight-knit, with common goals and joint … [Read more...]
Reducing the Unimportant in Your Day
Posted on 12/04/2015 by ·
How do you reduce your task list to what is truly important? Tune in today! (C) 2015 Laura Stack, All Rights Reserved. www.TheProductivityPro.com … [Read more...]
Eliminating the Major Time-Wasters in Your Day
Posted on 11/20/2015 by ·
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...]
On Screen, All Business: The Etiquette of Videoconferencing
Posted on 11/17/2015 by ·
"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...]
Methods of Motivation: Adding Team Incentives to the Mix
Posted on 11/10/2015 by ·
"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...]
Wait a Minute Here: Promoting a Team Culture That Questions the Status Quo
Posted on 11/03/2015 by ·
"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...]
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...]
From Halloween to Black Friday and Beyond: Beating the Holiday Slump
Posted on 10/29/2015 by ·
"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...]
This is Bob from Phoenix: The Art of the Conference Call
Posted on 10/27/2015 by ·
"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...]
