Randy Clark's Blog, page 56

How Multitasking is Killing Your Productivity and What to do about it

We’ve been fed a falsehood, told a lie, because we’ve been told multitasking is a thing. It’s not. Our brains don’t work like that. We don’t process higher function tasks simultaneously. We task switch. And task switching is not only counterproductive; there are times it’s dangerous such as texting and driving. Multitasking is killing your productivity, and it could kill you.

Driving with Your Eyes Closed

“Texting is the most alarming distraction. Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for 5 seconds. At 55 mph, that’s like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed.” — NHTSA.

“In one of the starkest reminders to date of the dangers of texting, while driving, the late celebrity plastic surgeon Dr. Frank Ryan was reportedly tweeting about his dog just before his car plunged off a cliff in Malibu.” – MTV News  He texted himself off a cliff.

Distracted driving accounts for thousands of traffic accidents every year. Most states have passed laws outlawing texting while driving. It’s clear that multitasking while driving doesn’t work, but why do so many of us believe we can multitask at work?

Multitasking Doesn’t Work at Work. Multitasking is Killing Your Productivity

I was conducting a leadership class with several younger managers. We were discussing time management when one of the members of the team said she knew she should be better at multitasking, but she wasn’t very good at it. That’s part of the problem. For more than 30 years we’ve been sold the myth of multitasking to the point that people think less of themselves because they’re not good at. Here’s the myth-busting truth. No. One. Is good at multitasking. And you shouldn’t be expected to be a good multitasker. The term multitasking originated in 1966. “The first citation of the word is from 1966, in a magazine called Datamation: Multitasking is defined as the use of a single CPU for the simultaneous processing of two or more jobs.” Multitasking originated in the computer realm. It’s a computer term. The human brain isn’t a computer.

Losing Your Place

We aren’t wired to multitask. At best, we task switch jumping back and forth between tasks. How efficient is that? Think about this, when you’re reading something and get pulled away what happens when you go back to the book or article you were reading? “Much recent neuroscience research tells us that the brain doesn’t really do tasks simultaneously, as we thought (hoped) it might. In fact, we just switch tasks quickly. Each time we move from hearing music to writing a text or talking to someone, there is a stop/start process that goes on in the brain. That start/stop/start process is rough on us: rather than saving time, it costs time (even very small microseconds), it’s less efficient, we make more mistakes, and over time it can be energy sapping.” —  Psychology Today — The Myth of Multitasking

“Some compelling research by the American Psychological Association shows that what you think is multitasking is ineffective and inefficient. According to studies, as you switch from one task to another (red light/green light), the transition is not a smooth one. There’s a lag time while your brain shifts attention from one task to another. And while it feels like this shift is seamless, it actually takes time. How much time? Research has shown that multitasking takes as much as 40 percent more time than focusing on one task at a time — more for complex tasks.” — Entrepreneur — Why Multitasking Is a Myth That’s Breaking Your Brain and Wasting Your Time

How Rude is that?

I don’t want too get to far away from the topic, because  multitasking is killing your productivity, but task switching when you’re face-to-face with another is rude. Let alone it’s nearly impossible to communicate effectively when you’re checking your phone, looking at the big screen, and listening to music.

“This bears repeating. Forget for a moment that multitasking can be incredibly rude, we’re not actually accomplishing what we think we are–we’ve been fooling ourselves. In fact, research also shows that multitasking, i.e. trying to do two cognitive things at the same time, simply can’t be done–the mind doesn’t work that way. Even trying to parallel path a cognitive activity and a more automatic activity doesn’t really work. That’s why the National Transportation Safety Board reports that texting while driving is the equivalent of driving with a blood-alcohol level three times the legal limit.” — Inc.com — Psychology and Neuroscience Blow-Up the Myth of Effective Multitasking

Dumbing Down

There have been several studies about the effect of task switching on intelligence and guess what – attempting to multitask multiplies your stupidity.

“A study done for Hewlett-Packard found that multitasking led to an apparent IQ drop of about 15 points. This is equivalent to an adult’s IQ score dropping to the level of an 8-year-old, and similar to what you’d find if the adult had stayed up all night or been smoking marijuana.” — Does Multitasking Lower Your IQ? [Stanford Study]

The Wall Street Journal’s Sue Shellenberger cites in her article, Performing multiple tasks makes you stupid, “A growing body of scientific research shows one of jugglers’ favorite time-saving techniques, multitasking, can actually make you less efficient and, well, stupider. Trying to do two or three things at once or in quick succession can take longer overall than doing them one at a time and may leave you with reduced brainpower to perform each task.”

Just Say No

So, I got it. You’re semi-convinced multitasking isn’t very efficient. Maybe multitasking is killing your productivity. However, your job, boss, or work culture expect you to multitask. So, what can you do?

Show your boss how tackling one task at a time adds to your productivity. Time it. Prove it.
Do your best not to switch tasks until the first task is complete. Larger tasks might need to be segmented.
If you’re asked to switch tasks show the person what you’re working on, how much time you need to complete it, and what you’ll need to do if you stop at this point.
If you must switch tasks mark your place. What I mean by mark your place is to make a note of where you left off.
Send this post to your boss
Read all the links in this post

How Can I Help You?

I like to help people and organizations, but I have three criteria I consider before taking an assignment – I believe in what the organization stands for, I know I can help, and it looks like fun. If you have any questions, Contact Me. 

Does your business have a  management training plan? Many organizations, large and small, use my book, The New Manager’s Workbook a crash course in effective management, as the basis for their leadership development program. Check it out.

Photo by Robert Bye on Unsplash

 

 

The post How Multitasking is Killing Your Productivity and What to do about it appeared first on Randy Clark Leadership Training.

Learning the Truth about Privilege

How often do any of us receive insights that make us question our beliefs, open our minds, and change how we think? I don’t know about you, but for me, it’s not often, but it happened last week. Last week I participated in a workshop facilitated by Julie Kratz and Ericka Young, titled “Unpacking Privilege: How Are You Using Yours to Lift Us ALL Up?” I had been introduced to Julie through a mutual friend and hoped to collaborate with her. I had few expectations of actionable takeaways from the presentation. Little did I know that I was going to learn the truth about privilege.

The group discussed microaggressions, single stories, and implicit bias. We talked about the luxury of obliviousness and the difference between equal and equitable. Ericka shared a slide on the history of non-inclusiveness in America beginning in 1619 when the first slaves were kidnapped from Africa and brought to America. There was so much great content that I’m still digesting it several days later. For example, single stories. In a review of “Novelist Chimamanda Adichie Ted Talk New York Times columnist David Brooks explains single stories, “It’s what happens when  complex human beings and situations are reduced to a single narrative: when Africans, for example, are treated solely as pitiable poor, starving victims with flies on their faces.” — The New York Times — The Danger of a Single Story

My Eyes Opened to the Truth about Privilege

When I heard the idea of single stories, my first thought was, I don’t have any single stories. I mean, I’ve conducted sensitivity seminars warning about the dangers of categorizing people by race, sex, age and more. However, as I listened, I realized I did have my own set of single stories. I’ve identified three that I’m working on. I opened my eyes.

Near the end of the workshop, we were asked to stand next to one of 10 post-it notes stuck to the wall. Julie and Ericka asked a series of questions that if it applied to us, we were to raise our post-it note up the distance of the note and if it didn’t apply to move it down. After 20 or more questions, my post-it note was the highest in the room. I had the most privileged life. I have never considered myself especially privileged. You see, I come from a middle-class suburban background, so how is that privileged? It was because unlike other people in the room I never worried about being fed, I always had a roof over my head, I had two parents, the opportunity to attend college, and much more.

One of the few times my post-it notes went down was when asked about college. I didn’t finish. It wasn’t until later that the realization that as a college dropout there’s very little chance I would’ve achieved the level of success I have if I were black or brown.

They Didn’t Share my Privilege

In 1984 I was the marketing manager for the Indianapolis branch of the Pacesetter Corporation. The company is defunct, but in 1984 they had 71 offices in 41 states with net receipts of more than ¼ of a billion dollars. I was the first person to hire a black telemarketer in the Indy office; I’m not saying this to toot my horn, quite the opposite. We were not allowed to hire blacks because of how they would sound to our customers. To hire her, I had to convince upper management that she sounded white. And that’s what I did. I didn’t stand up and say the policy was wrong. She did not share my privilege.

I also hired the first black in-home salesperson, same story; I had to convince management that he could overcome objections to his race, not that we should hire him for who he was. He told me during the interview he would work both day and night and go anywhere he was asked as long as the city didn’t end with ville, burg, or town. He didn’t share my privilege.

During the employment interview of the second black salesperson I hired, I asked him how he would deal with prejudice from customers. I didn’t question the incorrectness of asking this – I asked. He shared this story with me. He was working as a salesperson for a large national insurance company. One time he had an appointment in small-town Indiana. When he arrived, he was met at the door by a person who told him they don’t talk to N-word around here. I asked what he did, and he told me he smiled politely, said he understood, and would call the office to send an associate of the prospect’s own kind out. He didn’t share my privilege.

Red Line 

The outbound call center I managed mapped red line areas by phone exchanges. There were areas we were not allowed to call. Even if someone called in for an estimate, we were not to send a salesperson. Banks wouldn’t finance them because it was “that” part of town. I didn’t question this policy. They didn’t share my privilege.

I wish I could say I fought against these blatant acts of racism, but I didn’t. I accepted them as just the way things were. You see, I was privileged. I was learning the truth about privilege.

The Truth about Privilege

I didn’t realize the extent of my privilege. I have never thought I was especially privileged. However, the truth is … I was. So, I’m doing something about it. To begin with, I’m working on changing my personal single stories. So, do you know how privileged you are? Would you be where you are today without your privilege? Is it time to change your thinking? It was for me.

If you’d like to learn more about Julie Kratz, and what she does, check out her website, Next Pivot Point

You might also like:

Prejudice is Alive and Well in the 21st Century – Unfortunately

Words of Love from Dr. Martin Luther King

 

 

The post Learning the Truth about Privilege appeared first on Randy Clark Leadership Training.

How to Improve Your Listening Skills in 5 Minutes a Day

Last week I attended a networking event. Another attendee introduced herself and began a conversation about leadership training, something near and dear to me. She’d read some of my posts on leadership and wanted to discuss leadership training at her business. This is who I want to talk to. It’s what I hoped to find at this event. However, not five minutes later, I could not recall her name or business. Does this happen to you? So, do you want to learn how to improve your listening skills from a poor listener like me?

I’m sorry, what’s your name?

So, I was saved when she asked for my card, and I took hers in exchange, but why didn’t I remember her name? It was because I wasn’t listening, I didn’t concentrate, and I was thinking about something else. Here’s the first minute of the five minutes to better listening skills.

When introduced to someone say their name out loud, call them by name, introduce them to someone, or do both
Next, jot down their name on a pad
After that, repeat their name in your head five times

Speak when spoken to

I occasionally attend events and don’t speak unless spoken too, and then I keep it short and to the point. It’s practice at turning off my inner voice(s), so I can concentrate on what others are saying. If you’re thinking about what you’ll say next, how effectively can you be listening? So, here’s the next two minutes of the five minutes. Randomly pick one or two conversations and turn off your inner voice. Don’t think about what you will say – just listen.

I can listen and text at the same time, damn it!

I was conducting a leadership meeting on communication when two managers complained about their direct reports being distracted by their phones. During this one-hour session, I kept track of how many times these two checked their phones. One checked five times the other twice. We live in an insanely connected world.

“In reviewing combined research from Nielsen, Pew Research Center, comScore, SmartInsights, and other organizations measuring how much time the average person spends on their device per day, one conclusion becomes glaringly apparent: No matter how you cut it, the average person spends over four hours a day on their device.” — Inc.com Are You on Your Phone Too Much? The Average Person Spends This Many Hours On It Every Day

And it’s not only the phone, but we’re also distracted by TV, email, social media, and more. Can you be an active listener when your attention is divided? No, no you cannot. And as much as you want to tell yourself that you can multitask, check your phone, answer a text, and listen to someone all at the same time, that’s not how the brain works. You are not completing tasks simultaneously, you are task switching, and when you serial switch you do each task less effectively.

Here are the last two minutes of the five. Take two minutes and have a conversation with someone with zero distractions. No phones, no screens, no interruptions.

There you have it. Yes, there is more you can do to improve your listening skills, a lot more. However, if you do these five minutes of listening exercises daily for 30 days, you will become a much better listener. So, are you listening?

How Can I help You?

I like to help people and organizations, but I have three criteria I consider before taking an assignment – I believe in what the organization stands for, I know I can help, and it looks like fun. If you have any questions, Contact Me. 

Does your business have a  management training plan? Many organizations, large and small, use my book, The New Manager’s Workbook a crash course in effective management, as the basis for their leadership development program. I’m also available on a limited basis to conduct training with your team.

Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash

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The post How to Improve Your Listening Skills in 5 Minutes a Day appeared first on Randy Clark Leadership Training.

How to Defeat Writer’s Block

My wife was struggling writing a presentation she was to give in five days. She told me she was blocked because she didn’t know what to write. She had spent more than an hour staring at a blank screen. Not only were the words not coming, she was paralyzed. So, has this ever happened to you? If so, here’s how to defeat writer’s block.

My wife asked me how I overcame writers block. I’m not bragging but I write thousands of words every week and never have writer’s block. Never. It’s not because I have superpowers. It’s because I have a system, and I think my system will work for you. You may have to play with the steps to fit your style, but if you follow the basic structure, you’ll defeat writer’s block too.

The system is based on the idea of knowing what you want to write before you put your fingers on the keyboard. Blocking out an hour or two to write isn’t a plan. It will almost certainly lead to writer’s block. You need a plan. One of the keys to this plan is you don’t attempt to do it all at once – it’s in stages.

Topic  

The first step is to pick a topic. For example, on this blog site, I have eight categories (topics) including, leadership, training, presenting, and writing. I use an editorial calendar to plan my publications by topic.

Idea

The next step is to form an idea for the post, not to write it, but to conceptualize it. For example, under leadership, I have, 5 things every leader should learn, and then two weeks later, 7 steps to the art of setting expectations.

Research

After choosing a topic and creating an idea I research it by googling the idea to see what’s out there. I do this for two reasons, first I often find sources that I can attribute in the post, and sometimes I get ideas I didn’t consider. I never plagiarize, but I will occasionally take an idea and run with it.

Outline

The next step is to create an outline of the topic idea. For example, earlier today I outlined a post for TKO Graphics tentatively titled, 4 Keys to Successful Vehicle Graphic Design. The 4 keys are appropriateness, branding, creating a call to action, and attraction. These will become the subheads. Under each of these, I listed three or four bullet points to discuss.

Write

Do you want to know a secret to writing without being blocked? Turn. Off. Spell Check. Yes, when you’re writing, you don’t need the distraction. Spell Check slows your flow and will throw you off the page. Of course, you turn it back on after you’ve written the post, but while your writing – just write. When you attempt to write and edit at the same time, you’re not doing them at the same time you’re task switching, which usually leads to losing your train of thought and making mistakes.

And by the way, “Research also shows that, in addition to slowing you down, multitasking lowers your IQ. A study at the University of London found that participants who multitasked during cognitive tasks experienced IQ score declines that were similar to what they’d expect if they had smoked marijuana or stayed up all night. IQ drops of 15 points for multitasking men lowered their scores to the average range of an 8-year-old child.” — Forbes: Multitasking Damages Your Brain And Career, New Studies Suggest

Edit

Here’s my editing checklist.

Editing Checklist

Write drunk edit sober – turn off Spell Check and write
Run through Spell Check at completion
Let the post sit at least 24 hours
Read the post aloud
Read and review each sentence beginning at the end
Keep the following in mind

The less words, the better – cut and cut again
Is it the right word? Are you certain? Look it up
Have I overused a word? Did I use the same word in the last sentence? Replace it


Do one final review. So, you don’t use mediate when you meant meditate.
Run it through Grammarly
Did I say one last review – do it again in WordPress
Post to WordPress and review through Yoast for reading ease and SEO.
Read and review one last time before publishing

So, How to Defeat Writer’s Block?

Pick a topic, create an idea, form an outline, do your research, write and then edit and you’ll never experience writer’s block again. If this post struck a nerve, you might want to check out my book, How to Stay Ahead of Your Business Blog Forever. The book is full of action plans for you to create a blogging system that works for you.

If you liked this post you may also appreciate, Help for the Office Manager Who Missed Deadlines.

Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash

 

 

The post How to Defeat Writer’s Block appeared first on Randy Clark Leadership Training.

When is Corrective Action Appropriate?

I spoke to Leadership Hendricks County on June 5th. It was the third year I’ve presented to this outstanding group; Leadership Hendricks County is Leadership in Action. I was asked to talk about conflict resolution, which included when is corrective action appropriate. It’s one of my favorite topics.

In May, Nirvana Guha of SEO Elixir, interviewed me, Leadership, Expectations, and Clients: A Quiet Interview with Randy Clark. One of the questions Nirvana asked me was, “What do you do when one of your employees is consistently performing poorly?”

In both the presentation and the interview, I discussed knowing when to take corrective action. Are you always certain when corrective action appropriate? I wasn’t.

Jumping to a conclusion

When I was a new manager, I didn’t understand when corrective was required. I’d take corrective action with an employee when it wasn’t called for and ignore it when I should’ve taken action. For example, I remember a window installation crew coming back to the office hours ahead of schedule. Rather than asking them why, I immediately critiqued them for leaving the job site early. I later learned that the new windows they were to install were the wrong size. They’d been mismeasured during the ordering process, which the installation team had nothing to do with.

The installation crew leader was wise enough to measure the existing windows on the home before they began yanking them out of the frames. That’s how they discovered the problem. They called the front desk at work and were told to head back to the office. Rather than being critiqued, they should’ve been recognized for their good work. I had jumped to the wrong conclusion.

Fear of conflict

I can think of countless times I didn’t hold someone accountable for fear of conflict, or because I thought I was the nice boss, or because I thought it wouldn’t make a difference. Through trial and error, I eventually learned that avoiding corrective action wasn’t helping anyone – the employee or me.

“Most people prefer to avoid conflict. There are a variety of reasons for this including the need to be liked, the pursuit for acceptance and the desire for stability in one’s life. Unfortunately, great leaders cannot lead effectively without addressing conflict as it arises within the workplace. In fact, if they choose to avoid conflict at all costs, they can put their organizations at great risk.” — 6 Bad Things That Happen When Leaders Avoid Conflict

So, When Is Corrective Action is Appropriate?

When is corrective action appropriate? When results are less than expected, but it’s more than that. Before taking corrective action you should answer the following:

Were they trained?

Was the team or individual in question adequately trained? I don’t mean that someone walked them through the training manual, I mean they understand and can apply the training. I watched an installation manager give trainees a manual, show them how to do a task (at a training station), watch them complete it, give them an assignment, check midway through, and then critique the work as well as recognize well-followed procedures at completion.

Later, I asked the manager how many times he had to repeat this with a new hire? He told me for some people it was one or two times; for others, it required five or six repetitions. Regardless of how many times it took trainees to learn, they weren’t sent to customers until they had it down. That’s proper training. So, don’t critique someone who isn’t trained – train them.

Were they given clear expectations?

Did the team know what you expected? Because if you don’t give expectations, what can you expect? Do they understand how you want it done? Are you certain? Do you ever think or say?

That’s not how I would’ve done it
I can’t believe it took them so long
What were they thinking?

If you’ve muttered these words, or something similar, you need to look at how you set expectations. If you did set expectations, did they comprehend them? Did you check their understanding by having them repeat what you wanted, and then putting it in writing?

Did they have the tools they needed?

I was hired to complete one-on-one interviews with a team of welders. Management believed the culture had turned toxic and wanted to understand why. I sat with each of 20 or so employees individually and asked what would make the workplace better, more productive, and less stressful. I asked about training, leadership, and tools.

When I asked what tools would make the job more efficient, they all mentioned one of the two lifts in the shop seldom operated properly and sometimes not at all. It was needed every day, and most days they had to figure out how to make do. Management had been notified months earlier, but nothing had been done. So, not only did it make the job more difficult, but also the team thought management didn’t care. Yes, the culture had turned toxic. The management took my advice, bought a new lift and guess what? The culture become more positive overnight.

Tools can be physical apparatuses, but they can also be things like procedural checklists, or the authority needed to complete the task.

Was there anything outside of their control?

The story of the installation crew I shared earlier is the perfect example of consequences being the cause of an unwanted result. Before critiquing anyone, review the activities and learn if anything outside of the persons control interfered with the activity.

Did they decide not to do it?

So, if they were properly trained, given expectations, had the tools they needed, and nothing outside of their control interfered, then you can conclude they decided not to do it. They chose not to follow the training, meet your expectations, or use the tools they were given. The next step is to find out why. Why did they choose not to do it?

They think they have a better way. This is particularly common when hiring experienced workers.
They’re being influenced. Someone else on the team is telling or showing them not to follow your procedures.
Are they lazy?

Taking corrective action

If they decided not to do it, then corrective action is appropriate. The corrective action should include activities expected and the consequences if the listed activities aren’t followed.

So, when is corrective action appropriate?

Corrective action is not only appropriate but called for when employees have the training, expectations, tools, and lack of outside interference to complete the task.

 How Can I help You?

I like to help people and organizations, but I have three criteria I consider before taking an assignment – I believe in what the organization stands for, I know I can help, and it looks like fun. If you have any questions, Contact Me. 

Does your business have a  management training plan? Many organizations, large and small, use my book, The New Manager’s Workbook a crash course in effective management, as the basis for their leadership development program. I’m also available to conduct training.

Photo by Tim Gouw on Unsplash

The post When is Corrective Action Appropriate? appeared first on Randy Clark Leadership Training.

Are You Relying Too Much on Your Resume?

If you’re looking for a job here’s the best advice I can share; quit depending on your resume to find your next position and spend more time connecting with people.

I’ve Never Needed a Resume

I don’t intend this to be a humble brag, really I don’t, but I’ve never needed a resume for employment. Yes, the world was a different place when I entered the workforce, resumes weren’t compulsory, but I’ve changed careers during this century. I’ve never needed a resume because I’ve always been introduced, recruited, or networked into my future position. You can do the same.

Think Outside of the Crate

Usually, when I talk about networking people think I’m talking about networking events. Okay, I get it. That’s fine. Networking events are okay, but they’re not the only place to network. Keep an open mind to networking that doesn’t require a name tag. There are networking opportunities around every corner.

“If you agree with me that networking is one of the surest ways to expand your horizons wouldn’t it make sense to look for networking opportunities beyond the norm? Networking events, social media meetups, and chamber meetings are all great places to meet people and be introduced to companies. When you think about it—any gathering of folks is a chance to network, and there are a lot of those.” — Bet You Hadn’t Thought of These Networking Opportunities.

Who Knows You Best?

So, who knows you best, and also cares about you the most? And who has your best interests at heart? You know the answer, it’s friends and family. Not only should you network with friends and family when you begin a job search, you should start there. People have told me that’s crass, pushy, or invasive. My answer to that is if your friends and family aren’t there to help you, who is?

“If you network why wouldn’t you network with THE people most-invested in you—your friends? I’m not saying to forego other network events and opportunities—of course not. What I’m saying is consider all your resources. Where else will you find networkers who know and care about you? Take a moment and make a list of friends, people you communicate with on a daily basis, folks you trust, and people who share with you. Look at you latest emails, texts, and social media conversations. You may be surprised how many people you confide in, relate to, and care about. Send them an individual message—email, text, or direct message, and begin by asking, “How can I help you?” — Your Best Networking Group is Waiting.

Help Someone

The best way I know to network and to meaningfully connect with others is to help. Bring folks together, introduce people that can help each other, solve problems, help others, and people will remember you.

“Help a teammate get their work completed. Help a customer find a client, or help a vendor by sharing information. Find someone to help every day. What have you got to lose, a little time? And let’s say I’m wrong, and your teammates, customers, and vendors don’t care if you help—you’ll feel good about what you’ve done. Now go help somebody.” — Who Have You Helped Today?

Shine a Positive Beacon

Early in my working career, I earned the nickname, the “Can Do” kid. Co-workers saw me as an optimist that always had a smile on my face. I radiated the belief that I could tackle whatever task was handed to me regardless of its degree of difficulty. Pinned to my work station was an index card with CAN DO printed on it. Little did people know it was there to help me fight my doubting inner voice. It all starts with a smile. How do you want to be remembered?

“There’s a little more to it, but smiling may be the primary key to successful networking. People like to chat with people who smile and most of us avoid frowners. In this Psychology Today post,  they share, “…each time you smile at a person, their brain coaxes them to return the favor. You are creating a symbiotic relationship that allows both of you to release feel good chemicals in your brain, activate reward centers, and make you both more attractive…” What better ingredients for a successful networking introduction could there be? Creating symbiosis, a feeling of well-being, and attraction is a good start. Compelling connections are based on mutual needs and interests, but they don’t always start there, do they? Sometimes it starts with a smile.” — Let Your Smile be Your Calling Card.

A Resume Alone Isn’t Enough

A resume will seldom open doors; introductions do that. Once your foot is in the door a resume isn’t much more than a formality. Yes, a poorly constructed resume can still hurt your chances even when you’ve made the first cut. Don’t misunderstand me; a quality resume is important, just don’t rely on it to find a job. Network to find opportunities, and then use your resume as one of the tools to help you win the position.

How Can I Help You?

I like to help people and organizations, but I have three criteria I consider before taking an assignment – I believe in what the organization stands for, I know I can help, and it looks like fun. If you have any questions, Contact Me. 

Does your business have a  management training plan? Many organizations, large and small, use my book, The New Manager’s Workbook a crash course in effective management, as the basis for their leadership development program. Check it out.

Photo by Nik MacMillan on Unsplash

Excerpts in this post first appeared in We Are Recruiters. 

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4 Time Management Hacks that Are Like Putting Time in a Bank or How to Add 30% More Time to Your Workday

Here’s why we all need these 4 time management hacks. You and I live in an interconnected, hyper-paced world. There are not enough hours in the day, are there? I want you to think about something, is time as valuable as money? I think it might be more important, but that might be my age talking. Here’s the thing, most of us have some control over our money; we deposit our checks and pay our bills online. We have an idea of how much money we have, and if we’re fortunate, we might even save some of our hard-earned cash. But what about time? Do we keep track of it, save, or bank it? My educated guess is most people don’t spend much time trying to save time.

We all know that saving money is good. It’s something we should strive to do. Saving money by using coupons, saving towards retirement with a 401K, and opening a savings account are all good things. However, when it comes to time management most people don’t look at how much time they squander and how it could be saved. You cannot put time in a savings account, but you can save time. Time saved can be used to increase productivity, venture into new arenas’ or just enjoy yourself. So, how can you save time? Here are 4 time management hacks.

The Gumption Factor

The Gumption Factor is simply doing the most difficult, least appealing task first. Okay, it’s not always possible, but when you have the choice, began your day with the activity you least want to do. Trust me. Try this. When you complete the task, it’s like a weight lifted off your shoulders. The feeling of accomplishment lasts throughout the day.

Sometimes larger tasks need to be segmented. If that’s the case schedule a time slot as the first action of the day to work on the bigger activity. Even though it’s not completed, you’ll still feel the joy of progress.

I was working with a production manager who had eight direct reports. Their schedule was often overbooked and always hectic. Her plan was to begin the day with the easiest tasks to get everyone going. The toughest jobs fell to the end of the day and were often rushed, mistake-prone, and stressful. When she adopted the Gumption Factor, it changed her department. They got more done with less stress and fewer mistakes.

Unplug – Turn off the Ping

Here’s the problem. We’ve been brainwashed into believing we all should be able to multitask. Everyone should have the ability to do your work, answer an email, and check social media all at the same time, right? I mean, it’s multitasking! It’s hit a point where if we’re not good “multitaskers” we think something is wrong with us. Well, I’m here to tell you not a darn thing is wrong with you. There is no such thing as multitasking. It’s a myth.  None of us multitask; we task switch and that leads to errors, and time wasted going back to the previous task.

“As much as you might feel like you have the ability to read your email, talk on the phone and engage in a Facebook Messenger chat all at once, it’s literally impossible. What you’re doing is playing multiple games of “red light/green light” in your brain — constantly starting and stopping each task repeatedly. This is known in psychology as “serial tasking,” not multitasking.” — Why Multitasking Is a Myth That’s Breaking Your Brain and Wasting Your Time

“Although switch costs may be relatively small, sometimes just a few tenths of a second per switch, they can add up to large amounts when people switch repeatedly back and forth between tasks. Thus, multitasking may seem efficient on the surface but may actually take more time in the end and involve more error. Even brief mental blocks created by shifting between tasks can cost as much as 40 percent of someone’s productive time.” — American Psychological Association Multitasking: Switching costs

More than 1/4 of your day 

“The average professional spends 28% of the work day reading and answering email, according to a McKinsey analysis. For the average full-time worker in America, that amounts to a staggering 2.6 hours spent, and 120 messages received per day.” — Harvard Business Review – How to Spend Way Less Time on Email Every Day. And that’s only email! Most people spend hours per day checking and answering the ping on text and social media as well. So, what can be done? Take charge. For example, I only receive pings texts and rings for calls. I’ve turned off all other notifications.

I manage 18 social media accounts and at one time I received notifications for every single one of them. It eventually became difficult to get anything done. Especially since I’m so easily led down a rabbit hole. So, I turned them off, and I let people know that if they urgently needed to contact me call or text.

So, what to do? 

Do what I do. Turn off the ping. Not only do  I manage 18 social media accounts, I have three emails, and three blogs and the only alerts I receive are texts and phone calls. I inform people that if the communication is urgent, phone or text me because I only check email three times a day, and I’m not always on social media. Here’s why: “The average professional spends 28% of the work day reading and answering email, according to a McKinsey analysis. For the average full-time worker in America, that amounts to a staggering 2.6 hours spent, and 120 messages received per day.” — Harvard Business Review So, if you want to bank some time, turn off your alerts.

I can conservatively I’ve improved my time available to work on projects by 20% or more. What would you do with 20% more time in your workday?

Understand the Difference Between Urgent and Important Tasks

We are all faced with urgent tasks at work and home daily. I define important tasks as those that help us reach our goals and urgent tasks as those sudden fires that come up that “only” we can handle. And you know what, sometimes we are the only ones who can put out the fire.

At the same time, we have our important tasks to complete. These are the tasks that help us reach our goals, get the job done, and drive our mission. The trouble is that when we bound to those urgent tasks, we often do so at the expense of our important activities. The truth is, sometimes you may need to put out the fires, but before you run to the flames ask yourself the following:

Am I the best choice to do this? Is there someone else that should or could take this on?
Do I need to do this right this minute? When’s the best time to handle this?
If I jump to the urgent task, what am I leaving?
Will I not be able to complete an important task that I’m in the middle of?
And If I jump from this task, how long will it take to re-immerse myself in it?
Does this require my direction

After answering these questions, you may conclude that yes, you need to douse the flames. However, sometimes you’ll find a better answer and stay on the task at hand, and that’s like putting time in a bank. You might find that it isn’t always you that needs to be the fire marshal.

      4. Limit Interruptions

A few years ago, a customer service rep came to me for advice. She had a complicated project to complete for a major client and she couldn’t find the time to do it. Her job wasn’t only to process orders and satisfy customers, it was liaison between the customer and every department in her organization from production to shipping. There wasn’t a minute of the day that someone wasn’t vying for her attention. I suggested she create a golden hour. A time when, unless it was an absolute emergency, she wasn’t to be disturbed.

Her first reaction was she couldn’t do that – what if someone needed her? I asked if she attended meetings every week and went to lunch most days and she said yes. So, I asked what happens when someone needs you then? She said they take a message or leave a voice mail. I looked at her said they can do the same for your golden hour, but you’ll have to train them.

She chose 8 to 9 am as her golden hour. The first couple of weeks she did this she had to remind people when they interrupted her that she was in her golden hour. However, in less than a month she had completed the project and began taking other tasks into her golden hour.

Only 4 Time Management Hacks?

Okay, there’s more, such as learning to say no, making time to plan, quit micromanaging, and reducing procrastination, but this is enough to start. I might write a follow-up, but for now, work on these 4 time management hacks.

You can’t talk (or read) shit done so if you want to improve your time management you have to take action. If you follow these 4 time management hacks you will save time. Ask yourself is it urgent or important, turn off the ping, limit interruptions, and have some gumption.

So, what would you do with 30% more time to your workday? Get ahead, complete that big project that’s been hanging over your head, take a course? Will you save 30 % of the time you squander at the office? From personal experience I think more than 30 %. So, what will you do with the time you save?

How Can I Help You?

I like to help people and organizations, but I have three criteria I consider before taking an assignment – I believe in what the organization stands for, I know I can help, and it looks like fun. If you have any questions, Contact Me. 

Does your business have a  management training plan? Many organizations, large and small, use my book, The New Manager’s Workbook a crash course in effective management, as the basis for their leadership development program. Check it out.

Photo by Daniele Levis Pelusi on Unsplash

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How to Make a Lost Pet Sign

A few years ago my wife and I lost a pet. Our cat Joe got away from us and hid in the woods for three weeks. It was devastating. For the previous 14 years, we had been blessed with three cats, but within a year all three passed. Joe was a Christmas present to my wife from me. He was only one-year-old. We weren’t supposed to lose him, and ultimately through the help of friends, neighbors, social media, and a lost pet sign—we got him back. He’s sitting next to me as I write this. For some reason, he likes keyboards. Here’s how to make a lost pet sign.

How to Make a Lost Pet Sign
The Poster

Begin with LOST PET in a large, bold, easy to read font at the top of the poster.
Place a photo of the pet under LOST PET.
Place the Pet’s name under the photo.
Describe the pet.
Share where last seen.
Share if the pet will answer to its name.
Add a call to action, which could be a reward but doesn’t have to be, sharing how much the pet is missed means a lot.
Add contact information.
Say thank you.

How Many Signs Will You Need?

It depends on the situation and the pet. For example, most cats stay close, “If your cat has escaped and is displaced outside or into unfamiliar territory there is good news — your cat is probably not lost at all! That is because it is likely that your cat is hiding and, depending upon the terrain, he/she is probably closer than you think!” — Missing Pet Partnership. For our cat Joe we printed twenty signs.

“There are six major factors that influence the distances that a lost dog will travel: Temperament, Circumstances, Weather, Terrain, Appearance, and Population Density.”– Lost Dog Behavior. So, depending on the factors listed more signs may be required for lost dogs than for cats.

Where Should You Place Signs?

We placed Joe’s lost pet posters near the entrances to our housing addition, as well as street on corners near our home, and in our front yard; for this we used yard signs. And with permission, we placed posters at local retail outlets—grocery, pharmacy, and gas stations. A lost dog may require more signs and further placement. Regardless of the neighborhood, stop and think where the most people would see the signs. Is it the grocery, local restaurant, grain elevator, or? We also stuffed doors with 200 9 x 11 flyers.

After Your Pet is Found

Everywhere we turned we found positive, hopeful people who shared best practices for helping return Joe to his home. When we found Joe at the top of the woods behind our house, under a shed, we were elated. We printed “He’s Home, Thank You!” in bright red letters and taped it to every sign. We left the signs up one extra day before recycling them.

You Have Resources

Losing a pet is heart wrenching but there is a lot that can be done. We canvassed the neighborhood and talked with neighbors. We posted on Twitter and Facebook and we solicited help and advice from our vet The Downtown Vet and organizations such as Lost Pet Alert Everywhere we turned we found positive, hopeful people who shared best practices for returning Joe home. If you’d like additional advice or just a friendly ear reach out to me. I’d be happy to help.

If you liked this post you might also enjoy, What You Can Learn from the Signs of Route 66

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5 Surefire Ways to Retain New Employees

With unemployment at near record lows, a younger workforce that’s not waiting for the gold watch, and  wages on the rise it’s more important than ever to keep your valuable people. Companies that understand this and work on retaining their staff will control the market while businesses that don’t “get it” will fail. Learning how to retain valuable employees is no longer an option. So, here are 5 surefire ways to retain new employees.

5 Surefire Ways to Retain New Employees
Hire the Right Person the Right Way

Hire for character. I once read that Macy’s department store had a saying that goes back to the 1940s, “Hire nice and train them how to use the cash register.” There’s a lot of truth in those words. We’ve all worked with skilled people who were negative, disruptive, and toxic to the team. And most of us have worked someone of good character that had little or no job skills who evolved into an outstanding teammate.

When you’ve decided to offer someone a position, it’s good to share the benefits of the job and culture, but you should also share the pitfalls. There are no perfect jobs, so divulge the imperfections. When you share the downside of the position with employment candidates, you’ll eliminate people who don’t fit,  prepare those who do for the reality of the position, and show corporate transparency that is rare, refreshing, and attractive.

Check in

How do you know if your new employee is happy? You know the answer, it’s to ask them. But too often we don’t take the time, or we don’t ask for fear of the answer. “Up to 28 percent of new employees quit within the first 90 days on the job. Given that hiring and training new employees is both costly and time consuming, it’s critical to do everything in your power to keep new employees excited and engaged – rather than risk losing top talent and needing to start the hiring process over again.” —  Inc.com The Top 3 Reasons Why New Employees Quit in the First 90 Days and How to Prevent It

Don’t wait 90 days to ask. Sit down with new hires at the end of the first day. I like to start by asking them how it went and commiserating that the first day on a new job is difficult. Next, I ask something along the lines of the following:

What was as you expected?
What surprised you?
How can we help you?

Another good strategy is to review expectations, job descriptions, and handbooks at the end of the first week. If your organization is like most, the new employees were shown all of this once in orientation, and too often they were handed the information and told to read it. If you revisit orientation after the first week, you’ll be surprised and rewarded with the employees’ questions.

Learn How Your Employees Think

When conducting orientation and basic training, it’s easy to fall into the one size fits all trap. However, we’re not all size eight, are we? People learn, communicate, and are motivated in different ways.

“An installation manager I worked with would hire inexperienced people of character and then train the installation position. He onboarded by distributing a manual to trainees before training began. During training, he gave them a checklist and then showed them each step. After he completed a step, he watched as each trainee did the same. Next, he would assign tasks, leave, but check progress throughout the task. Before a trainee “graduated” they took an open book test using the manual he had given them. Some of the trainees grasped the trainee in one or two sessions. Others took longer. However, before any new installer was sent to a job site, the manager knew they had the skills to complete the job.” — Training Isn’t One Size Fits All

Involve Your New Teammates

People want to feel part of something. They want to know their thoughts and opinions matter. If you want to retain valuable teammates, ask for their advice, ideas, and opinions. Asking doesn’t mean you have to use every suggestion. However, being asked is important to most people.

Involve your team by giving them some autonomy, let them make decisions, especially when they’re closer to the task than you.

“People support what they help create. Ask team members to bring you solutions along with problems. By involving employees, you enlist their ownership of new issues and solve problems … There is no doubt that five heads are better than one, so involve your team – your experts – in seeking new ways to reduce expenses, improve quality, expedite customer service or improve coordination with other departments” —  Inc.com How to Involve Your Team to Improve Your Results

Share a Compelling Mission

I do leadership training with a Lawn Care Company. My wife and I hired them to work on our yard (it’s a mess). When the lawn care specialist, Josh, came to our home, he was polite and thorough. I expected as much. My wife was impressed. He went above and beyond, sweeping the walks and drive, explaining what he was doing, and making notes for future treatments.

When I was 12 or 13 years old, I accompanied my father to take the family car to a shop for repair. He got out of the car, walked to shop, turned around, and got back into the car without talking to anyone. I was puzzled and asked him why he didn’t talk to them. He asked me if I’d noticed how dirty and disorganized the shop was. I hadn’t paid attention. My dad explained that if they couldn’t take better care of their shop, he wasn’t trusting his car with them.

Here’s my point, the landscaping company I work with does residential and commercial. What they do makes an impact. When a customer, employee, or banker pulls up to a business that looks unkempt with weeds and tall grass, it sets a negative tone. And when the same folks pull up to a manicured landscaped lot, it sets a positive mood. It’s the same with residential. What these landscapers do makes a difference in people’s businesses and lives. They have a mission.

The World Has Changed

Yes, the world has changed, and it’s a job seekers market today. However, whether it’s a low unemployment time or the opposite, retaining valuable employees is always the best answer to building a roster, and the best way I know to accomplish this is to follow these 5 surefire ways to retain new employees.

Hire the right person the right way, check in with them, learn how they think, share a compelling mission, and then involve your team, and you’ll create a culture where it’s not unusual for people to celebrate years of tenure with your organization. If you follow these 5 surefire ways to retain new employees you won’t keep every new hire, but you will retain more than if you don’t.

How Can I Help You?

I like to help people and organizations, but I have three criteria I consider before taking an assignment – I believe in what the organization stands for, I know I can help, and it looks like fun. If you have any questions, Contact Me. 

Does your business have a  management training plan? Many organizations, large and small, use my book, The New Manager’s Workbook a crash course in effective management, as the basis for their leadership development program. Check it out.

Photo by Nik MacMillan on Unsplash

 

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7 Steps to the Art of Setting Effective Expectations

Is your team meeting your expectations? If so, I applaud you. But if expectations are unmet and your belief is people should just do their job – good luck with that. My observation is that most managers fall somewhere in the middle. You don’t expect everyone just to do their job because people need direction. But it would be nice if the team met positive expectations. The 7 steps to the art of setting effective expectations can help.

What Can I Do When My Team Isn’t Meeting my Expectations?

I was chatting with a manager recently when he told me that his team wasn’t getting the job done. They weren’t meeting his expectations. I asked if the team was given clear expectations and he said yes. Then I asked him if he’d ever thought or said, “That’s not how I would’ve done it!” “I can’t believe it took them so long!” or “What were they thinking!?” He said. “Well sure, hasn’t every manager uttered something similar at one time or another?” I told him he was probably right. However, he needed to consider the message behind those statements. When a manager makes statements like the three above, they need to take a hard look at how expectations were given.

If your first thought is that’s not how I would’ve done it. Ask yourself, “Do they know how you would do it?”
If you’re upset over how much time a project took, did you set a timetable?
If you don’t know what they were thinking, ask yourself, did you share what you were thinking regarding the project?

7 Steps to the Art Setting Effective Expectations

Don’t assume your team knows what you expect. Make certain they know your expectations.
Have the person or team repeat your expectations back to you.
Set realistic expectations.
Give your team the training and tools they need to meet your expectations.
Share your authority with your team so they can procure the resources they need.
Follow up throughout the project to ensure the team is on track.
Recognize positive behaviors and results.

The next time you’re disappointed when your team or a teammate didn’t meet your expectations look at the seven steps above and ask yourself, “Did I set expectations they could meet?”

How Can I help You?

I like to help people and organizations, but I have three criteria I consider before taking an assignment – I believe in what the organization stands for, I know I can help, and it looks like fun. If you have any questions, Contact Me. 

Does your business have a  management training plan? Many organizations, large and small, use my book, The New Manager’s Workbook a crash course in effective management, as the basis for their leadership development program. Check it out.

Photo by Dylan Gillis on Unsplash

 

 

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