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To to handle interruptions at work

Economy, Management, Motivation, Organization, Strategy, Team building, Time ManagementEdward Kiledjian

With the economic realities we have been living with since 2008, companies are forcing employees to do more with less. Not only are companies asking employees to be more creative and use less resources, they are also asking less employees to do more work.

An interruption is anything that distracts you from the primary task at hand. Common workplace distractions are emails, phone calls, drop-in meetings, etc

This means that most people you talk to, working in a corporate environment, have too much to do and not enough time. This means a small number of daily interruptions can have a huge impact on your productivity.

I wrote an article about MAC OS Lion January 2011 and one of the note in it said :

The Research The truth is that when we attempt to multi-task, we become much less effective. Modern cognitive research clearly demonstrates that when people multi-task, they perform less work and miss information. Researchers discovered that re-orienting yourself to the task at hand, after a distraction, takes 10-15 minutes. Quantifiably, performance for multi-taskers can drop as much as 40% along with a marked degradation of memory and creativity.

The reality is that you cannot completely get rid of distractions. They are a natural part of your work life, the key is to managing them efficiently.

You cannot improve that which you cannot measure

Having managed large operational groups for some multinationals, there is a mantra I repeat to most of my managers. You cannot improve that which you cannot measure. Before you start panicking about how many interruptions you have to deal with on a daily basis, make an objective inventory. Using a simple sheet of paper and a pencil, write down at least the following information (each time you are interrupted):

  • Date / Time
  • Duration of interruption
  • Who interrupted you
  • Why they interrupted you (the subject)
  • Was the interruption worthwhile?

I recommend you log interruptions for at least 2-3 weeks before you conduct your first review. At the end of your first logging period, it's time to make the data sing. First determine which interruptions were worthwhile and valid. Are they coming from a particular person or group? Do they concern a particular topic? Determine if you can stop these interruptions by making time for these topics or people as planned events in your calendar. You can then inform people to keep these issues until the planned meetings.

You will most likely have interruptions that were not worthwhile and you have to address these. Talk to the people in question and explain why you believe they were not valid and how they should address these in the future. Coaching is the key here. It is useful to explain how these interruptions impact your productivity.

Voicemail is your friend

Most people I talk to at work don’t know how to configure their phone to send calls straight to voicemail. Now is a great time to find out. I’ll wait here while you go and ask the question to a colleague or support person.

If you are working on a tight deadline or simply need some uninterrupted time, send calls straight to voicemail. I recommend you change your voicemail greeting every morning so callers know you are in. Your voicemail message should mention that you are busy and will be checking your messages sporadically during the day.

Do not disturb sign

 Whether you work in an office or cubicle, people may drop by unexpectedly and demand an audience. Most of the time, you should you the log method but there may be times when your work is too important and you just can’t afford the interruption. For these times, I recommend you create a notice printed sign that says you are working on something important and would appreciate not being disturbed.

Hand this sign just before people come into view so they do not break your concentration. Explain to your team that you expect them to comply with the sign when they see it because it is only up when absolutely necessary. People generally understand and will comply.

Reserve some available time

  1. If you are a manager or team lead then a good habit is to reserve some “general availability time” in your calendar. There is no magic rule of how much time or how often. You should reserve as much time as needed but no more. Share these windows of opportunity with your various stakeholders and ask them to leverage these when they need your attention.
  2. There are people that you interact with on a regular basis. These are people for whom you should have dedicated reserved time in your calendar.

Conclusions

Hopefully you found some good ideas to help you be productive. Feel free to send me comments, questions or ideas.

Research shows that Nice Guys DO Finish Last

Behavior, Management, Money, Motivation, Organization, Persuasion, Team buildingEdward Kiledjian

If you have read any self-help books, you have undoubtedly read the adage “Nice guys finish last”. Now research from Notre Dame and Cornell Universities show how being too agreeable negatively impacts your earnings. 

More recent research from Stanford, Northwestern and Carnegie Mellon) continued on the same path showing that people who are overly caring, for overs, generally tend to make bad leaders. In particular, being overly nice generally means that you will likely fail in 2 important leadership domains: prestige and dominance. Prestige comes from sharing within their group while withholding gave the person dominance. 

The researchers said:

We predicted that contribution behavior would have opposite effects on two forms of status – prestige and dominance – depending on its consequences for the self, in-group and out-group members. When  the only way to benefit in-group members was by harming out-group members (Study 1),  contributions increased prestige and decreased dominance compared to free-riding. Adding the  option to benefit in-group members without harming out-group members (Study 2) decreased the  prestige and increased the perceived dominance of those who chose to benefit in-group members via intergroup competition. Finally, sharing resources with both in-group and out-group members decreased perceptions of both prestige and dominance compared to sharing them with  in-group members only (Study 3). Prestige and dominance differentially mediated the effects of contribution behavior on leader election, exclusion from the group, and choices of a group  representative for an intergroup competition.

Their research showed that in situations of group competition, individuals preferred having a dominant leader over a prestigious one (since the prestigious individuals were perceived as more submissive). So nice guys (the ones that share) are seem as prestigious and thus nor thought worthy of leadership during trying competitive times.

You can therefore assume that when things are going great and no major competition or risk is felt, people then prefer a prestigious boss.

When group decision making goes wrong

Behavior, Management, Organization, Team buildingEdward Kiledjian

Every time I am asked about decision making, I remember a mantra one of my earlier bosses use to chant all the time A company is not a democracy . Many modern managers have taken the completely opposing position of managing by consensus.

Personally, I believe that there must a be balance in all things and this is no different. For those times when a group decision is required, when is the group too big? Marcia W Blenko, Michael C Mankins and Paul Rogers wrote an interesting piece called Decide & Deliver: 5 steps to Breakthrough Performance in Your organization . An interesting statistic that they present is that once a group exceeds 7 people, each additional person reduces decision effectiveness by 10%.

The math is powerfully simple. The next time a group decision needs to be made, I guarantee you will see it in an entirely new light.

Your project teams may be hiding problems and negative information

Behavior, Management, Team buildingEdward Kiledjian

An interesting article was published in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology Volume 41, Issue 2, pages 401 428, February 2011.

It is clearly demonstrated that as a project get's closer to completion, decision makers are more likely to conceale problems that may jeapordize it.

This interesting work was undertaken at George Washington University using undergraduate students.

The crux of the analysis is that a 90% complete project meant that 81% of decision makers were likely to hide nagative information or problems. In contrast, a 10% completed project only showed a 37.5% "information hiding" rate.

We all know that information is key to succeddfully delivering projects (on time, on budget and to specifications). How does knowing the above information change your view about project management? How can you mitigate this risk in your environment?

The steps to achieving greatness

Motivation, Team buildingEdward Kiledjian

Regardless of your chosen field of expertise, you most likely want to be great at it. When coaching individuals, I am often asked “What takes someone from average to good to great?”.  Putting aside your field-specific characteristics, there are some immutable laws of success that I want to share with you.

The first golden rule comes from Stephen Covey’s book “7 habits of highly effective people” and is “start with the end in mind”. Regardless of how YOU define great, spend some time to think about it. Get specific. Close your eyes and imagine how it feels to be great  and what you are doing when you are great.

The devil is in the details
When was the last time your GPS failed you? Did you ever get lost using it because of the GPS? Most likely the answer is a resounding NO! When you are planning a road trip from Point A to Point B, you plug the information into your trusty GPS and it plots a very specific turn by turn route. After all, we expect nothing less from our GPS. The reason it works every time is because if plots a specific set of actions (turns) that are designed to get you to your destination. The same can be used in your quest for greatness. When setting a goal for greatness, define exactly what that means. Define all of the parameters.

Don’t just say, “I want to lose weight”.  Say “I want to lose 20 lbs in 30 days following the slow carb diet and exercising for at least 30 minutes, 4 times a week.”  Which of these has a greater chance of success?

Time management
Most people manage their time without a specific framework. The last loudest request gets their priority. This is more common than you think. 80% of people I work with do not have a formal time management strategy and this is deadly to your success.

How do you know you are spending your time wisely when you don’t know everything you have on your plate? How do you prioritize the activities that generate the biggest bang for the buck (the 80/20 rule)? Spend the time to learn a time management framework and implement it for every aspect of your life (work and personal). Years ago, I started learning the Getting Things Done methodology thaught by David Allen and have customized it for myself.

The next time you forget to make that important phone call, send that important email or exercise, ask yourself if you really were too busy. Was there something else that should have been skipped?

Life gives each of us plenty of opportunities to rise above the crowd and shine if we are equipped to see it and act upon it.

Honest introspection
Very early in my career, a boss explained to me the importance of periodic, planned and honest introspection. Think about how quickly life passes by. Set a defined schedule to conduct  honest self-assessment.

Every 6 months, I take a weekend and conduct this very valuable activity. I write down my assessment and use it as a baseline for my next self-assessment. Am I where I thought I would be by now? If not, why? Where did I deviate and how can I get back on course? Also knowing where I am today, I can determine where I should be at the next assessment?

Generally my planning horizons are 6 months, 12 months, 24 months, 5 years and 10 years.

Enthusiastic realism
The old adage holds true “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Introspection is critical but I want to spend some time here talking about the adjective I used, “honest”. When evaluating yourself or planning your future, be enthusiastically realist.  IT is important to run after the BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal – from the book “Building Your Company's Vision”) but always be realistic.

“ A true BHAG is clear and compelling, serves as a unifying focal point of effort, and acts as a clear catalyst for team spirit. It has a clear finish line, so the organization can know when it has achieved the goal; people like to shoot for finish lines.”  —Collins and Porras, 1996

It is a stretch, something achievable but just beyond your current reach. Belief in yourself is critical to success. Ensure all of your planned goals are achievable with the right commitment of time, effort, desire and money.

Remember that the BHAG is a stretch
Some people unconsciously set goals that prove their abilities. Remember that the purpose of your goals should be to exceed your current potential and doing so requires constant improvement. Always set your next goal a little higher than your current skill set (physical, mental, knowledge, etc).

When I attended an Anthony Robbins seminar many years ago, he had the firewalk experience at the end of the first day. They basically layed down red hot coals and you were expected to walk over them, without getting burned. Impossible you say, and so I believed until the end of the first day. Once you push yourself to do it and realize you achieve something you thought was not possible, it triggers a whole new set of thinking. I know that my thoughts can limit my abilities or unlock them. I understand the power of belief and how it can cause self limitation.

Find your own way to break free from your self-imposed limiting beliefs. A friend of mine was afraid of heights so after careful planning and work, we went skydiving. Sure he was terrified the minute he made the decision to jump (which he made, it was not forced) but the unbelievable feeling of freedom that followed was worth it. Face your demons and push yourself to conquer them.

Perseverance
Like a broken record, let me restate that which you have heard a thousand times. Perseverance and patience pay off. We have become a society that demands instant gratification and that is simply not how life works. Most of the time, you will not immediately benefit from your hard work and determination. When you graduated from university, you weren’t immediately given a senior manager job right out of the gate. It took time and hard work. Most likely it took many years. But eventually you were richly rewarded for your hard work.

When you drive a motor vehicle, you are likely calm, confident and in control. But think back to the first time you got in a car, how was the experience? Was your control of the speed smooth? What about turning or merging with fast oncoming traffic. You kept at it until you “got good”.

The law of attraction
I am not going to ask you to believe in some esoteric superpower that grants your every wish. I am asking you however to focus on what you will do rather than what you won’t. Your brain has an amazing ability to make things happen and will make happen what you think about. If you constantly think about “not getting into an accident”, you will likely find yourself in one then tell yourself “you knew it was going to happen”.

When planning to lose weight, I don’t constantly think about “not eating a doughnut” but rather on what I will do next to lose the weight (eat the right food, exercise, etc). I would be lying if I said I don’t think about doughnuts but when the thought comes up, I acknowledge it (don’t blame yourself), I write it down on a list of things to consider eating on my next cheat day and I move on to the positive.

Don’t beat yourself for having a “bad” thought. Acknowledge it, handle it calmly and then tell yourself it’s time to move on to a positive goal-enhancing thought.

Conclusion
Implementing all of the above takes time. Give yourself the permission to embark on YOUR journey of greatness and remember that the longest trip starts with the first step. Plan your goals, learn the skills and achieve what you were meant to achieve.