Being “Too Busy” Can Cheat You Out of a Fabulous Life
August 29, 2007
There are probably many things you’d like to do but simply don’t have the time for. You’re just too busy to do them! Here are some changes you can make so that you accomplish the things that are truly important to you.
If you experience this feeling, then it’s time to sit down and make a list of everything you currently do and everything you’d like to do but aren’t. Why? I’ll answer that question in a few minutes.
How to Discover Anyone’s Priorities
If you want to know what a person’s priorities are, observe what they do, not what they say. Because, whether consciously or unconsciously, what they choose to do is what they consider important at that moment.
Many of us jump from one task to another, simply doing what we feel like. Often, there is no correlation between what is important to us and what we actually do. Examine your own life. Is this true for you?
What Is Truly Important In Your Life?
What changes can you make so that you accomplish the things you wish you could get done? First, it’s essential to determine what is important. In other words, what are the priorities in your work and life?
At work, it’s imperative to know the priority of assigned tasks and activities, as well as those projects you seek out. If those priorities are clear, then you know what you should be working on and in what order. Not knowing your priorities will result in bouncing around from task to task, an inefficient and ineffective way to work.
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How To Project Leadership
August 21, 2007
There you are, sitting at the head of the conference table staring into the faces of your new subordinates. They know you’ve never led this group before. They know you’re new to this leadership position. Heck, they may even be aware that you’ve never held a leadership position since you were the captain of your foosball team.
As a result, you might be asking yourself, “How do I project the leadership skills of Napoleon Bonaparte when my team is looking at me like Napoleon Dynamite?”
The short answer is: You fake it. But faking leadership is an art form in and of itself, and one that has been practiced by newly minted leaders that range from ancient royal princes to President George W. Bush.
There are a few ways to legitimately project leadership, and they all come down to knowing how to manage your power position without revealing how little you actually know. Most new leaders are capable of leading, but they must first face the challenge and understand the role and process of being a leader.
Lead the charge
The hallmark of a good leader is his ability to set the tone of the organization. That means showing up first and leaving last. It means that if you want your salespeople to make 50 phone calls per day, show them you’re willing to make 100.
No one can discredit a leader who is willing to work harder than everyone else. That’s why certain generals are famous; they led the charge into battle, demonstrating a willingness to lead and to assume more risk than anyone else.
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Better Leaders Create Better Expectations
August 13, 2007
In my workshops on productivity and leadership, “Change the People or Change the People” is one of the most popular tips I share. It helps the attendees understand more clearly the roles and responsibilities of managers, supervisors, and executives, and the roles and responsibilities of the employees. Over the next few months I will provide a short series of articles discussing similar tips that I have developed, based on some very consistent issues, problems or challenges that appear frequently nationwide, regardless of the size of the company.
The idea behind the phrase Change the People or Change the People is that first you, as employers, must hire correctly. Then you must work to train, encourage, develop and support the people you hire so that they will perform successfully, based on your clearly defined expectations (the subject of a future article). And if you can’t get the people to change then you should change the people.
Numerous studies support the Pareto Rule of 80-20, these studies show that no matter how hard you work with employees to create positive direction, about 20 percent of the people won’t change. For a myriad of reasons they simply don’t want to learn new skills or change the way things are currently being done.
That doesn’t mean that the 80 percent are an easy fix. No, they are not. Many of them will have less than stellar attitudes or behaviors regarding the changes or the skill building you are expecting. Initially, they will be protective of the safety of “but we’ve always done it like this”. And moving them forward can be difficult, as well.
I believe that behavior and attitude are two sides of the same coin, attitude being the mental side and behavior being the physical side. Behavior is attitude acted out, if you will. It becomes ingrained in all of us, by experiences reinforced over time. If you want to make changes in behavior and attitude then you must give your staff new experiences and consistently reinforce those experiences over time.
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The Art of Caring Leadership
July 3, 2007
There are literally millions of words written and spoken each week on enlightened leadership yet the fact remains that low morale, high stress and job dissatisfaction continue to be three of the most serious problems facing the workplace. We seem to be so effectively socialized into top down leadership that we find it extremely difficult, if not impossib
le, to change our autocratic ways. All this in spite of the many workshops and seminars on new leadership paradigms which are rooted in the empowerment of people.
Change is both slow and painful but it is happening. To facilitate this process of change requires both desire and commitment plus a sound understanding of what an enlightened leader looks like. It is necessary to visualize the type of leader we are striving to become.
AN ENLIGHTENED LEADER…
* values the ideas and opinions of others.
* listens attentively.
* affirms generously
* criticizes gently and privately.
* trusts the collective wisdom of the group.
* encourages others to achieve their enormous untapped potential.
* catches people doing things right.
* involves people in decisions which effect their destiny.
* keeps people informed.
* has a sense of humour.
* trusts the decisions of others.
* realizes that his/her opinion is just one among many.
* isn’t threatened when people disagree with them.
* rejects the ” my way or the highway” paradigm.
* cares about the total well being of those with whom she/he works.
* believes that the most valuable inventory of any business is people.
* seeks out and acts upon the advice of others.
* gives credit rather than takes credit.
These are a few of the characteristics of an enlightened leader which, if present in the workplace, result in both improved morale and increased productivity.
It is in the best interest of any business to care about the well being of its employees.
Author’s Bio
Mike Moore is an international speaker/ writer/cartoonist on humour and appreciation in the workplace. He is the author and illustrator of the popular special report Humor in the Workplace.
