Leadership & Mindset
When should you confront a co-worker?
The Rule of 3 Over the years, I have had the opportunity to participate in many interesting activities, from parachuting and bungee jumping to traveling and trying new exotic cuisines. A long time ago, I learned a simple trick called the rule of three. The basic breakdown is: First time Just do the activity Second time Learn how to do it properly Third time Do it again to determine if you like or enjoy it In a professional setting This has served me well, and over the years I have started to use this for other aspects of my life.
Creating the paperfree work environment with Evernote
The Brilliant Idea The fine folks at Evernote came up with a brilliant idea. They created a hybrid cloud-based solution to store all your personal digital information, making it available everywhere, on any platform and completely searchable. I call their solution a hybrid-cloud solution because it is based on an offline-online model. All of your data is downloaded and available offline on their Windows, Mac and Linux clients. At the same time, it is available via their web interface or dozens of other mobile devices like Android, Iphone, Ipad, Nokia, RIM, etc.
Power Decision Making
I encourage all of you to write in and share you concerns and opinions about the business world. I also enjoy receiving requests for possible future articles. This entry is a response from one of my readers in Dubai. The request The reader wanted guidance on decision making. How to “make” a decision, how to defend it and what to do when it is wrong. The decision making process I have coached hundreds of people and decision making seems to stress out many of them.
An end to multitasking?
[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“1200”] Image by John Ragai used under Creative Commons License [/caption] Many years ago, I got to the point where I felt overwhelmed by my jobs and all the tasks I had to perform. After a long search, I learned and implemented the concept of Getting Things Done promoted by David Allen. One of his beliefs is that a person cannot multi-task and he built his entire system around this one concept. He preaches undertaking tasks one at a time sequentially.
Rule 2 of delegation
QuickTip - Setting the right expectations Early on in my career, I was committed to perfection. Everything had to be done perfectly and methodically. Although the idea of perfection is admirable, you quickly realize that waiting for perfection often means you miss incredible opportunities. It is often better to get started on the right foot and get it done rather than aim for perfection and miss the bus. How does this apply to delegation? Simple, if you expect perfection from yourself, you will expect it from others.
Rule 1 of delegation
An important tenet of efficient and effective time management is the art of delegation. Anytime I talk about delegation with an executive, they either support it or avoid it like the plague. Their reaction is predicated on past experience. When delegating a task, executives often forget the first golden rule of delegation: training and communication. In order for the work to be performed to your satisfaction, you need to ensure that you communicate your requirements and expectations to the other person clearly and concisely.
Tickle your way to better organization
We live in an era of information and often times it may feel like we are being overwhelmed by information. Many years ago, I reached an inflection point in my career. I had reached a point where I was constantly overwhelmed with my tasks and information. I did not know what to do, how to handle it and often felt like my work life was out of control. I decided that I needed to find better ways of doing things and so I embarked on a multi year journey to study and learn as many time management, work management and information frameworks as I can.
Maximizing the power of your professional network
Every once in a while, I meet people who still don’t understand the power and importance of building their professional network of contacts. Considering the state of the economy and changing nature of employment, I wanted to share some of my thoughts about professional networking. In the 50s and 60s, you built a career with your chosen company. There was a silent agreement that if you took care of the company, the company took care of you. Does anyone think that this still applies today?
Employee ideas may save your company
Most organizations are now powered by knowledge (in contrast to the manufacturing era of the 70s). Ideas are the engine of growth in the new global knowledge-based economy and executives are always on the lookout for the next big one. Many of the larger companies are so committed to finding the next big thing that they spend unconscionable amounts of money renting high-priced consultants. Most organizations I work with don’t realize the goldmine they are sitting on. There is a huge fountain of fantastic ideas right under your nose and you probably don’t even realize it.
How to build a top performing team
As a manager, you will be judged on the performance of your team so it is in your best interest to build the best, highest performing team possible. You have undoubtedly heard the aphorism “Nice guys finish last” coined by Leo Durocher in 1939. This is a golden truth that you should recite every morning while enjoying your morning cup of coffee. I had the privilege of working for a GE company under a CEO who had been indoctrinated in the Jack Welch system of management.