Michael Hyatt's Blog, page 10

The Business Case for Sabbaticals

You’re running on empty without much gas left in the tank. You can see your performance slipping and your creativity dwindling. But how can you take time off when there’s so much to do? Won’t you just regret it when you come back to hundreds of emails in your inbox?

How to Delegate Even If You Don’t Have a Team

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by everything on your plate? It seems like you’re hit with a new task every few minutes. You can barely keep up, much less get ahead. And worst of all, you can’t get free to focus on your high-leverage work.

It’s even harder when you don’t have a staff. With no one to delegate to, you fall further and further behind. Trust me, I know the feeling. Even though we have a good-sized staff now, it wasn’t always that way. But whether you’re a solopreneur or simply not in management, it is possible to delegate, even if you don’t have a team.

Here are 3 ways to do just that, so you can focus on your most important work:

Negotiate out of previous assignments. This might seem counterintuitive, because follow-through is important. But there’s an opportunity here if you consider the interests of the person who gave you the task. Let them know you’re willing to complete the assignment, but state why you think it might be best for them if you don’t. Maybe there’s someone more qualified within your organization. Maybe someone else can do it faster because you’re so backed up. Offer solutions that keep their best interests in mind, and then help recruit a replacement for yourself.Ask for some volunteer help. If you’re not sure who the right match is to take on a task, ask for a volunteer. People love to make a contribution. There might even be someone around you who can exercise a hidden skill they don’t get to use very often. Be careful not to dismiss the value of this ask. People really want these opportunities.Use variable-cost alternatives. You might not be able to hire an additional full-time person right now, but you don’t have to in order to get the help you need. There are all kinds of on-demand services available, whether it’s for getting your groceries or completing administrative tasks like processing your expense reports. It doesn’t have to be an ongoing commitment; you can either pay a one-time flat rate or an hourly fee. Whatever the task, ask yourself, “What’s it going to save me if I don’t have to do that?”

You can delegate things off your plate, even if you don’t have a staff or team around you. But it starts with your mindset. It’s easy to shut ourselves down before we give ourselves room to think of other possibilities. So think outside of the box. Pick one of these ideas and begin applying it. You’ll be blown away by the results as you start gaining control over your workload—and your life.

Life and Business After Succession

The horror stories of succession are many. Micro-management. Complete abandonment. Disorganized handoffs. Undermined authority. Even downright sabotage. It’s the stuff of nightmares—enough to fill anyone with dread.

 

 

 

One Simple Way to Motivate Your Team

Many leaders are good at the business side of things. They’re able to hit their goals, and they might even be decent at profit. But, unfortunately, many leaders don’t prioritize their people. And when this is the case, morale tends to be low, turnover is high, and the business suffers. The cost is too great.

I’ve found that one simple way of turning this around is noticing the everyday contributions of others. In fact, with some intentionality and a little bit of creativity, you can transform your team’s culture by celebrating achievements together.

This might feel awkward at first. The word celebration might even bring to mind a party or other large event that requires more planning and budgeting than you can employ right away. But celebration doesn’t always have to be a big to-do.

Here is one thing you can begin now, and it doesn’t cost a thing.

Affirmation

When you pull back from all the responsibilities and tasks, we’re all just people with hearts, dreams, and aspirations. Everyone likes to receive recognition for their efforts. It’s something we all need. Verbal affirmation is the easiest way to do that. When you notice a team member doing something good, catch them in the moment and tell them right away.

The best place to offer affirmation is in front of others. Whether it’s in a team meeting, over email, or in Slack, the more publicly you affirm your team the bigger impact your words will have. Alternatively, there’s nothing like a thoughtful, handwritten note. Not only does it communicate that you care, but also that you took the time to say something sincere.

Calling out major wins, like quarterly goals or successful project launches, may be obvious. But noticing the more regular—and more mundane—contributions of your team goes a lot further than you might think. This doesn’t come naturally to all leaders. That’s okay. Keep it simple and slowly begin developing the habit. Remember, you’ll receive more of what you affirm. When you celebrate the efforts and contributions from your team, they’ll push for more.

So stay alert for praiseworthy moments. Set time aside on your calendar to write thank-you notes. Before you know it, other team members will follow your lead and begin affirming each other’s efforts as well. Then watch your culture change.

Why You Need to Spend Your Days on Paper

Feeling like a slave to your calendar is exhausting. Running from one activity to the next and working long hours is a recipe for burnout—which undermines your well-being and performance.

 

 

 

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How to Maximize Remote Meetings

Working remotely can be convenient and productive, but it can also be frustrating, particularly when it comes to meetings. We have all experienced terrible Zoom meetings. The team member whose connection is spotty. The dog that keeps barking in the background. The moment when everyone tries talking at the same time.

There are other challenges, too. According to Forbes:

40% of employees have experienced mental exhaustion from video calls.52% of employees said background noise or poor audio quality has disrupted their focus.38% of employees reported feeling exhausted after a week of virtual meetings and 30% felt stressed.

Zoom fatigue is real. If you can’t get your online meetings into a productive rhythm, you risk wasting time and exhausting your team. With more and more businesses moving toward a remote model, this is something we can’t afford to ignore.

Here are four tactics to ensure you and your team have successful remote meetings:

Find a neutral location. Pay attention to your surroundings. If you don’t have a dedicated remote office, things like dirty dishes or an unmade bed in the background can be visually distracting for meeting participants. Make sure to tidy up anything that will be visible in your video frame. A neat space helps keep the attention of others where it needs to be.Minimize background noise. This can be hard to get around. A pet, nearby lawn mower, or children can get picked up in your microphone and be distracting for everyone. To minimize that, enlist the help of others in your home or workspace when you know you’ll be on a video-conference call. If that’s not possible, mute yourself when you’re not speaking, and be sure to silence your devices and disable notifications.Limit the number and length of meetings. A crucial first step toward better meetings is deciding whether a meeting is necessary . Many aren’t. Sadly, video technology makes it more tempting to hold meetings simply because it’s easy to just click a link. This is one of the main contributors to Zoom fatigue. In fact, one study showed that the number of meetings increased by 13% when people switched to remote work. Don’t fall into this trap. When you do need to have a meeting, limit its length. Avoid open-ended meetings, and schedule a follow-up if necessary instead.Stop when you achieve the desired outcome. If you’ve reached the desired outcome before the scheduled stop time, end the meeting. Don’t look for more work to fill that time. Your team will be grateful for the additional time back to complete their individual tasks. And be careful about too much small talk at the end of a meeting. While some conversation may strengthen relationships, it can lose its value if participants feel like they’re not free to move on to other work.

It’s possible to communicate well and have highly productive remote meetings without the stress or fatigue. Remote meetings aren’t the problem; they just have some problems. But they’re problems that can be solved. What changes can you make so your team can have better, more focused remote meetings?

Our Double Win Nonnegotiables

You have so many tasks on your list every day. You swing between saying yes to everything and getting overwhelmed and then saying no to everything and becoming legalistic. How do you determine what is essential for your optimal performance? 

 

 

 

The Secret to Great Meetings: Preparation

Have you ever sat in a meeting and wondered what was happening or where the conversation was going? Maybe the point of everything seemed lost. It’s frustrating when no one in the meeting knows what’s going on.

You’ve probably attended several meetings like this, and maybe now you’re in a position of scheduling meetings yourself. I’ll let you in on a secret: meetings don’t have to feel like an aimless march. Great meetings are possible. They just require preparation.

Here are three ways to set yourself up for a great meeting:

Designate a meeting leader and facilitator. While a meeting leader is a strategic role, the facilitator handles meeting processes. Leaders determine a meeting’s purpose and own the results, as well as drive the meeting and discussion forward. Facilitators, on the other hand, are responsible for preparing the agenda with the leader’s input, distributing the agenda, keeping time, taking and distributing notes, and following up on any action items. Sometimes in smaller meetings, the leader and facilitator are the same person. But it’s often a good idea to keep them separate. Both roles are vital for successful and efficient meetings.Construct a carefully planned agenda. An agenda creates clarity for the meeting leader and participants. First, it should include a meeting title, the date and time, and a participant list. Next, specify the meeting’s primary purpose in a concise statement, along with two or three desired outcomes. Finally, outline a program for the meeting. This will track the flow of discussion items and the allocated time for each topic, including any notes or resources that may be relevant. By taking a few minutes to plan the agenda, you’ll eliminate the dangers of having an unnecessary meeting or, worse, one where nobody knows what they’re doing.Pick the right setting. Whether it’s an in-person or virtual meeting, it’s important that the environment contributes to and doesn’t distract from the creative vision. From a clean space and natural light, to comfortable chairs and healthy snacks, keeping participants engaged is key to a productive meeting. If you’re virtual, find a spot with minimal background noise, a tidy background, and balanced light. This helps you and fellow participants maintain focus and cultivates purposeful collaboration, even when you’re not in the same room.

Meeting preparation is time-consuming, but there’s too much riding on everyone’s time and resources to just wing it. Putting in the effort on the front-end will ensure results during execution. Because when you’re prepared, not only do you have a clear goal and a way to measure your progress toward that goal, but you’ll also see huge returns in team morale and productivity. How can you start planning ahead for great meetings?

The 6 Biggest Lessons From the Past 10 Years

You’re building your business but feel lost in the thick of things. You know it’s valuable to pause and think big picture, but you’re not sure how or where to begin. You don’t want to waste time spinning your wheels. What are the most important areas to focus on? And what is proven to have lasting impact?

How to Decide If a Meeting Is Essential

Your days are full, and it can be hard to get everything on your list done. You were finally making progress on a task when your focus is disrupted yet again with a meeting reminder. You don’t know how you’ll finish what you need to do today, and it’s probably going to be yet another waste of time. Is this just the way things are, or is there a better way?

According to The HR Digest, professionals lose an average of 31 hours a month on meetings–which adds up to approximately four workdays, or a total of two months per year. That’s a lot of disruption, particularly if those meetings aren’t actually yielding much. The problem isn’t just an overabundance of meetings; it’s that so many of them turn out to be bad meetings. But you don’t have to settle for bad meetings that disrupt your work and kill productivity. Great meetings are possible with a little bit of forethought. Let’s look at one of the first steps in that direction: determining the necessity and nature of a meeting.

Here are five filtering questions you can use to coordinate essential meetings:

Is this meeting necessary? There’s a well-known piece of literary advice for writers: “kill your darlings.” That is, don’t get too attached to the storyline, especially if it doesn’t serve the bigger picture. The same is true for meetings. It’s too easy to get caught up in a series of meetings that don’t matter. Keep the high-leverage ones that support important goals. Eliminate the rest, and your team will thank you.Are you sure you’re necessary? Too often, we blindly accept the never-ending barrage of meeting invites. It’s natural to think our presence in a meeting is always necessary, especially if we were invited. But that’s not always true. Guard your schedule, and only say yes when you truly need to be there.Who else should be involved? If you’re organizing a meeting, think through who absolutely needs to attend. Remember, smaller groups can align more quickly to drive a decision. Relevant information can be shared with the masses later through an email or project-management update.What type of meeting do you want? Consider ahead of time the type of meeting that will help you accomplish your goals. Establishing this early on will keep the purpose clear and the conversation from meandering, so your time will be productive.What’s the right format? Historically, in-person meetings have been the norm across businesses. But nowadays, we’re all meeting virtually in some capacity, and in-person meetings are no longer the default. It takes intentional thought to determine what’s best for your team, and what format will work best for what you’re trying to achieve. If that’s in-person, great. Otherwise, your preferred video-conferencing app works great too.

Take control of your meeting habits. Routinely ask yourself, Is this meeting necessary? If not, be decisive and eliminate the meetings that don’t matter or that inhibit your productivity. Make the best use of your team’s time and resources by focusing on the high-leverage stuff, and you’ll start seeing less frustration and better results.