Multi-tasking, a Bane on Productivity

by Brad Closson

Do you multi-task?  Most of us do.  We read every e-mail as it comes into our inbox, while we talk on the phone, fill out an expense report and chew gum just for kicks.  There is something down deep inside of us that feels like we are getting more done when we multi-task.  And more than a few of us are even proud of our multi-tasking skills.  I, for example, can write this post while reading four other blogs, eating dinner and mentally sending forth messages to the government about my taxes.  Amazing, right?

We need to stop this.  We need some unpolluted time.  Try to single-task more often.  Put all our concentration and focus into one thing at a time.  Don’t be afraid of this “clean” time.  Turn off the phone, close out of e-mail, put your hand-held social media device in another room.  Can you even imagine doing this?  We have trained ourselves to work on simultaneous assignments.  The thought of missing a call, an email, even a “tweet” can cause our blood pressure to rise.  So what are we to do?

Practice.  It’s such an easy word, though each time we start a new diet or workout regime, we curse it.  But practicing is the best way to change this wasteful behavior.  It’s the only way to get from the bustling street of mind chaos to the rambling country road of single-mindedness.  Practice.  Start with 5 minutes a day.  Work your way up to at least an hour.  I guarantee that your productivity for that hour will be at the top of your list of daily wins.

Clear, directed focus.  Try it!

Thank my Bones

by Brad Closson

A good friend and mentor of mine, Stan Tyler, told me to “thank my bones” the other day.  We were having a wonderful talk about gratitude, which is a fundamental principle in Stan’s career and productivity coaching practice.  “Are we not indebted to our bones for their great work?” Stan asked me.  After a chuckle, I asked him to elaborate.  Stan explained how critical it was to be thankful and how much positive energy gratitude produces.

I came to the conclusion that wielding gratitude is an art-form.  Learning to be appreciative of other people, our lives and our experiences is something that we need to practice.  Yet in many parts of our lives, showing gratitude is a forgotten skill.  We are too busy, too self-consumed, or too tired to take an extra moment to be grateful.  Even though we all appreciate it when others show thanks, we sometimes forget to return the favor.

I know I’m thankful for my friend Stan, and his “thank my bones” message is a simple one.  Gratitude rocks.  Pass it on!

Filling up the Tank

by Brad Closson

One big issue I see across every tier of business is how little we plan for charging our batteries.  As I’ve said in the past, if we don’t plan to thrive, we are just wishing to thrive.  The same can be said for taking care of ourselves.  If we don’t plan to “fill our tanks,” we are just hoping that either they will get filled on their own or that we can make it to the next town before the tank runs dry.

Most professionals work too much.  They work too long, too fast and too hard.  They work in the evenings, during their lunch breaks, and on weekends. If they do take vacations, they are usually working during those as well.

We would perform better if we were operating on a full tank.  If we got more sleep, ate better and really took time away from our jobs, it would greatly affect our ability to function effectively.  But, as with any other goal, we need to have a plan for this option to succeed.

Find your fuel First, you need to decide what fuel you need.  Is it sleep, recreation, time alone, meditation, vacation time, or some sort of entertainment?  Do you get recharged by spending time with your family, time with your friends or time spent towards spiritual pursuits?  Hopefully, there are a number of types of fuel that will work.

Make it measurable Next, you need to pick a metric to track your success.  Time is always a good tracking tool, but it may be books read, blood pressure numbers or a golfing handicap.  The key is to have something that you can measure.

Write down your goals One of the most important aspects of planning is writing down your goals.  Make them clear.  Make them actionable and put dates on them.  For example, I will spend 4 hours each week walking in the park.  (Just saying that you want to have 4 hours of recreation is too vague.)

Schedule “re-fueling” consistently You should be fueling up every week, if not every day.  Part of your routine should be taking time for yourself.  Every week or month, block out the time to recharge and guard this time like it’s the most important time on your calendar.  My guess is that this time is more significant than most of the appointments you have.

Enjoy it The best thing you can do for yourself, for your family, and for your career is to stay healthy and happy.  Making the time to take care of yourself is critical to taking care of others.  Enjoy this time of re-fueling.  It’s the reason we are working so hard in the first place.

Calculate success Though the best gauge for accomplishment will be your attitude and outlook, it is always a good idea to measure your achievement.  Track your metrics.  Try to beat them week to week, month to month and year to year.  Evaluating your plan helps you build better roadmaps in the future.

Some will scoff at this idea as fluff, but planning for time to “fill your tanks” will turn hoping for a better life into experiencing a better life.

What’s in the Cards

by Brad Closson

I sat down at a networking event and found a business card lying on my place setting.  As I looked down the table, I realized this same card was resting on every place setting.  No handshake.  No introduction, no opportunity to converse.  Just the card.   As I bent the card in half in preparation of throwing it away, I realized how much of an impression your business card and your card etiquette can make in 2010.

Your business card should be part of you.  You should really be fond of your card.  You should enjoy the design, the look and the feel of it.  You should be proud of your card.  It is representing you when you are not present.

We toss around our business cards without much thought.  We zip them across the table, pile them on information counters and fold them in our wallets.  We take pride in our reputation, our integrity, and our professionalism, but the item that we have selected to represent us is treated quite poorly.

During a visit to China, I was surprised and interested to find that the business professionals feel that their business card is a piece of them.  It is an honor to receive a card and a formal interaction to exchange cards.  When business cards are presented, the owner of the card holds the card out with both hands, with the card facing the recipient.  The card owner bows and waits for the receiver to look at the card and then look at the owners face.  This action imprints the memory of the card with the card owner.  Chinese professionals respect the significance of the card.

When you cannot be at hand, does your card represent you well?

It’s a Win-Win-Win

by Brad Closson

Networking is all about connecting, and connection is critical to long term, mutually beneficial relationships.  Figuring out the connection points that two professionals can share is one of the most enjoyable aspects of networking.

True connection is genuine and deep-seated.  It goes much deeper than our “business layer” and taps into our character.  That is why genuine connection is so powerful and why the connection remains even if your businesses change.

Most of us try to figure out how two people might connect.  We usually limit this to their business needs.

“Could Bob’s business benefit from knowing Bill?”

“Since Sally and Todd work in the same industry, should I introduce them?”

This is how most of us do a disservice to our associates.  We try and figure out for our colleagues whether or not they will connect.  We feel that we can decipher whether or not they will be a good match.   I would argue that the best we can do for key contacts is to introduce them to other key contacts.  Let them figure out their connections.  Let them learn about each other and find out what benefits, business or other, that these connection points might afford them.

Good people “collect” other good people.  Take any two of your preferred contacts and initiate a meeting between them.  Let them have the opportunity to discover any potential benefits to their association.

Giving our business contacts the opportunity to connect is one of the most powerful enhancements we can offer to their businesses and to their lives in general.  Many of the best connections are not based on business at all.

Introduce two of your favorite business people and allow them to run with it.  It’s a win-win-win proposition when you can bring two people together.

Experience Networking

by Brad Closson

I have found that many people find the networking process a painful part of doing business.  They feel obligated to attend a certain amount of networking events, pass out a specified number of business cards and undergo a variety of un-named horrors that the dreaded one-on-ones sessions set in motion.

These contact generating activities become time vampires and bothersome tasks that we check off our to-do lists.  Though the connections that networking generate are critical for on-going growth, the actual participation in these networking activities can be painful.

I would like to present a different strategy.  Networking should be an experience, not a task.  For example, take a walk for your one-on-one, or hit some golf balls.  Have a beer out in the sun, or go to a new Tex-Mex cantina.  We all choose the same coffee houses and meeting spots, usually because of convenience.   We are thinking about getting the event over with, instead of taking the opportunity to create a memory.

You will shine. You will stand out from all the other folks who are just going through the motions.  New contacts will remember a unique encounter, and you will create a shared experience, a wonderful connection point.

Your perspective will change.  If your perspective, the lens through which you view networking, changes from task completion to experience generation, the chances of making deeper connections are greatly increased.  Networking experiences will become something you look forward to and enjoy.

You will alter your strategy. Relationships are built with connection points.  Experiences are one of the most powerful connection points people can share.  As with most things in life, the quality of the experience is more important than the quantity of encounters.

When you look at every networking situation as an experience that you are in charge of, what will you do differently?

Plan to Thrive!

Most people have the will to succeed, but very few have the will to plan to succeed.  Without a plan, most of our goals become wishes.  A powerful tool that can connect you to your goals is a personal business plan. (PBP)  Writing down your goals, putting a strategy in place, and developing an actionable plan allow you to map out your achievement instead of possibly stumbling upon it.  Creating a plan bestows a level of intention that dramatically increases your success rate.

Your personal business plan should include your networking strategy, your personal branding strategy, your roadblocks, your support team, your mentors, your personal vision statement and your education plan for the upcoming months.  It should map out your strategic partners as well as your key professional assets.  Since most of the information in a PBP is usually fuzzy and grey, the act of charting out these ideas can be extremely illuminating.

Another area the PBP should encompass is listing out the members of your accountability team.  Most of the time we are only answerable to ourselves, and we make it all too easy to justify missed goals or skip important milestones.  After you create your personal business plan, sign it and give it to five other people who are important to you.  Family, friends, mentors, and peers are good candidates for this personal board of directors.  Now that your plan in inked and you have signed and distributed it to your accountability team, your likelihood to stay on course has increased dramatically.

If you intend to thrive, then plan to thrive.

Worksite Wellness is Essential

by Brad Closson

Business owners, Human Resource directors and managers are constantly looking for ways to save money.  One method of saving on high insurance premiums is to implement a wellness program.  Research released in October of 2009 by insurance giant MetLife indicated that even though 94% of employers agree that wellness plans help cut costs, only 33% of companies actually offer wellness programs.

A wellness program needs to be quite comprehensive to be effective.  An occasional newsletter, a bowl of fruit or a walk around the block doesn’t quite do the trick.

To design and establish an effective wellness program, a company should have a strong commitment to the employees and should create a culture of wellness.  Each company or organization is unique with its own environment and goals.  Therefore, companies must design their own customized program to meet the needs of their employees.  Companies should include the employees in the wellness audit process to determine their various needs.  In addition, to ensure that the program is effective over the long-run, a staff member should be assigned as the wellness coordinator.

Wellness programs may include:

Tobacco/Smoking Cessation

Fitness and Exercise Education

Diet and Nutrition Education

Stress Management

Pharmaceutical Education

Health Risk Assessments/ HRAs

Stretch Breaks

Family Wellness Education               

Safety Programs

Work/Life Balance Education

On-site Child Immunizations

Massage Therapy

Drug Testing Services

Wellness Seminars

Wellness Fairs

Wellness Library

There are a number of issues that can hinder a productive wellness program.  Avoiding these “roadblocks” will help the productivity of the wellness initiative.

• Employees not being aware of the wellness program
• Lack of motivation or interest in the program
• Poor incentives
• Programs not reaching enough of the employee population
• Courses, seminars, etc. not being convenient
• Lack of management support
• Poor planning
• Lack of a “wellness champion”
• Poor communication

As with any company initiative, preparation is essential for a successful program.  Over the next few years, wellness programs will become a necessity for every company.  Now is the time to start planning.

Deathmatch: Efficiency vs. Effectiveness

by Ragen Chastain, The Renegade Organizer

GUEST BLOG NOTE: I’m very excited to share a blog from my friend and colleague Ragen Chastain.  She has a  fun and energetic way of getting her thoughts across.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.  You can find out more information about Ragen, The Renegade Organizer @ http://renegadeorganizer.wordpress.com/  — Brad Closson

Deathmatch: Efficiency vs. Effectiveness

Ok, so it’s not really a death match, but you have to admit that would be really cool.  Two concepts enter, one concept leaves…

Seriously, I have noticed a lot of confusion about efficiency and effectiveness: what are they, what is the difference, which is more important. I see people getting caught up in being as efficient as possible and sacrificing results because of it.

Consider this quote by Peter Drucker:

“Nothing is less productive than to make more efficient what should not be done at all.”  Couldn’t have said it better myself!

Since this is Renegade Organizing we won’t be using the textbook ideas that I learned in school about efficiency and effectiveness, we’ll be using what I’ve learned about them in the real world.  While I’m at it since I’m not a college freshman writing a paper, I’ll spare you the sentence that starts “Webster’s Dictionary defines…” and get right to the meat of it.

The main difference between the two is that efficiency is a tool, effectiveness is an end result.

Measuring efficiency can be very tricky, and often takes us to the minimal possible measurement.  To riff off a previous blog for example, let’s say that I want to see how efficient I am dealing with my paper.  Since the amount of paper that comes into my office each day, week or month varies it’s difficult measure and compare by day, week or month.  I can measure how long it takes me to deal with each piece of paper, but the sheer volume of different types of paper and ways that they need to be dealt with makes that impractical.  I can group the types of paper, see how long it takes me to do each type of task and use that measurement, but since similar tasks can require more or less work on a case by case basis,  that’s not a very reliable measurement.  So I can make smaller groups of my original groups…ok you get the idea? This type of analysis can be complex and you often end up with measurements that are either imprecise or not very real-world applicable.

Effectiveness is typically much easier to determine.  Let’s say that I define effective paper management as dealing with every piece of paper on or before the deadline on which is has to be dealt.  That’s pretty easy to measure – by day, week, month, year, type of paper etc.  It’s a yes or no question. There are lots of tools to get me there, efficiency is only one option.

Efficiency is all about least.  Doing things in the least amount of time, with the least amount of effort, and the least amount of waste, often based upon the smallest possible measurable increment.

Effectiveness is about the most.  Doing the most possible, making the most of each activity, achieving the most goals – effectiveness is a big picture measurement.

I don’t know about you, but I’m generally a big fan of most over least.  That being said, there is definitely a place for each and it is not my intention to suggestion that efficiency is not important.  However, there are always times when efficiency and effectiveness are in conflict and one must choose between the two. For example, it’s not particularly efficient to lock the door as I leave my house in the morning (especially if I’m carrying my purse, briefcase, dance bag, gym bag, and talking on my cell phone).  However, I take the extra time to do it because I believe that it is effective at preventing a break-in and preventing a break-in is important to me.

The trick here is to keep your eye on the ball – the end result that you desire – and if either efficiency or effectiveness must be sacrificed, then I would suggest that it be efficiency.  Again using the paper management example:  Is it more efficient to only touch your paper once?  Perhaps – if your goal is to spend the least amount of time touching your paper.  Unfortunately, if you have to follow any piece of paper you pick up to completion, your inability to set your own priorities can really hurt your ability to be effective in doing the things that you need to do to reach your loftier goals – you know, goals like being able to afford food and housing.  Therefore, I say if it comes down to a choice let’s remember that efficiency is just one of many tools that can create effectiveness.  You wouldn’t feel bad for laying down your hammer if it wasn’t the right tool for the job, would you?   Sometimes efficiency is not the right tool for the job, so free yourself from the fear of being inefficient use whatever tools will make you effective.

The Meaningful Meeting

by Brad Closson

Meetings, meetings, meetings.  It seems that around every corner another meeting is waiting.  Every day in a manager’s life is filled with these gatherings.  Meetings, for the most part, tend to be mind-numbing, rambling, frustration strewn huddles that can humble even the most experienced manager.  There is nothing quite like the assembly of people to ruin a perfectly good workday.  Here’s the good news.  Meetings don’t need to be meaningless, soul-sucking affairs.  Meetings can be, and should be, productive events of teams and co-workers.

Obviously, you may not have influence over all the meetings you attend, but as the manager you do have control over your meetings and those of your team.  Here are a few simple tips to keep your meetings efficient and effective:

Plan Go into your meetings with a plan of what you want to accomplish.  Always have an agenda, and send this agenda out to your team at least 30 minutes prior to the meeting.  Prepare any handouts, slides or training materials in advance and be sure any A/V equipment is ready before the meeting begins.

Engage Good meetings produce energy instead of drain it.  To produce energy, a manager needs to get the team engaged.  Brainstorming is one of the best ways to create action and get the team involved.  Another method of engaging your group is to utilize audio and visual clips.  The internet is a wonderful tool to find creative and fun additions to your topics.  Keep it fun when you can.  Watch how differently your team responds when you engage them.

Focus Stick to the agenda.  Get on task and stay on task.  Your key responsibility when running a meeting is to facilitate effectively.  This includes nipping any poor attitudes in the bud.  Do not let the meeting stray off topic and make sure you are keeping the attention of the group.  New topics should be placed in a “parking lot” to be dealt with later.

Stop Once the agenda has been covered, stop!  Do not let the meeting run overtime.  Never-ending meetings kill morale and productivity.  Stopping is critical to managing meetings.

Follow-up If the meeting is worth having in the first place, then you should have follow-up notes.  The notes may be the action steps decided, the important decisions made or the comments on subjects discussed.  Always thank the attendees.  Good follow-up attests that the meeting was worthwhile and that something was accomplished.

It seems easy when you look at it on paper, but running a good meeting takes practice.  But since you are a manager, you will have plenty of chances to practice…….….tomorrow.