Do you find it frustrating dealing with people or companies who overpromise and underdeliver? We either don’t have the time or simply can’t be bothered having to tolerate those who damage their credibility or trust. Look at the share market as an example. Case in point is November 2015 when electronics retailer Dick Smith didn’t meet previously set expectations. This resulted in the market reacting savagely and slashing the share price by 50%.
What's your excuse for not getting work done?
If you really want to do something, you'll find a way. If you don't, you'll find an excuse - Jim Rohn
Excuses paralyse productivity and progress. At work the 2 biggest excuses are:
- I’m too busy
- I don’t have enough time
Improve clarity to improve results
There’s an old saying about not being able to see the woods for the trees. I reflect on this because I think it’s hard to have clarity when feeling a sense of overwhelm. This is especially true at work. It would be less than ideal if a minority of workers felt overwhelmed but it’s a real issue when two-thirds of the workforce are overwhelmed. (Source: Deloitte 2014 Human Capital Trends Study).
With productivity outcomes are more important than speed
I’m not trying to offend anyone but I want to share a trend emerging of how misinformed some in the workforce are becoming regarding the topic of productivity. You know the people who proudly state how productive they are because they work so fast. Now speed is an aspect of productivity but it’s only 1 element and nowhere near as important as outcomes.
Don't let complacency be your comfortable
Make progress a habit from the start of 2017
The 6 questions that dramatically changed how I work
Overworked and overwhelmed employees need help
How not to waste time at work after the Christmas break
What to do if you’re struggling to make progress
Achieving outcomes in less time in 2017
With the end of the year upon us, it’s time to assess the key pieces of work you need to complete before Christmas. If you’re behind schedule the good news is you still might have time to make an impact. Whereas if you’re fortunate to be on target or even ahead of schedule then it’s timely to plan the key outcomes you need to deliver in early 2017.
How to create an effective Weekly Plan
It’s necessary for business owners or people employed in leadership and key roles to plan effectively. A simple way to achieve this is to complement the work you schedule each day with a weekly planning regime. To take the time to reflect and strategize and set the course for next week to ensure you’re working towards achieving your key targeted outcomes. If you’re not doing this then maybe you feel you’re too busy or don’t need to do it, but with all due respect, I think that’s just excuses for not having a weekly planning process.
Underachieving sucks!!!
Underachieve: To perform below expectations or achieve less than expected, especially by others
Just like it was yesterday, I remember the very first time I underachieved. I forget how old I was but I was on a school excursion and all I had to do was to swim the length of the local swimming pool to earn The Herald swim certificate. I wasn’t a great swimmer but I was confident enough I could swim the required distance because all my friends were able to do it. About halfway into the swim I was struggling to stay in stroke and I still recall the sense of frustration and disappointment when the teacher told me to “get out of the pool, you won’t be getting The Herald today.” This childhood memory didn’t scar me, but the feelings of frustration or disappointment have been similar throughout my life whenever I have underachieved.
5 ways to lead a team dispersed across remote locations
Many workplaces today have dispersed teams where strategies to attract and retain top talent includes having a flexible work environment where workers are able to work from home. And the majority of workers feel more effective working in this manner as a recent survey highlighted that 91% of remote workers reported they’re more productive working remotely (Source: What leaders need to know about remote workers from TINYpulse who specialise in employee engagement).
2 myths that impact how you work with email
I don’t like the idea of 1 size fits all. I can understand how 1 size could apply to many but we’re too unique as individuals for it to be applied to everyone. For instance, I doubt a 1 size fits all baseball cap is the right size an entire family. It will fit some members of the family, but it’s probably too small for someone’s head (ok that’s me!!!), while being too big for someone else.
5 ways to succeed with flexible working
Get rid of the wish list
In the work environment I’m not a fan of what I refer to as the wish list. To me the wish list are the things you know might need to be done but don’t have sufficient conviction to action them. These are the items that might even make it to your to do list but you prioritise other work over them. To get more done each day and each week you need to get rid of the wish list.
3 ways deal with Murphy’s Law
Why your schedule fails and what to do about it
In order to lead others, you need to be able to manage yourself. Whether you’re a manager or not, many business people fail at managing themselves when it comes to successfully locking in their schedule and actioning the tasks on it. There’s a multitude of reasons but the 2 biggest are:
- The schedule’s unrealistic
- You’re not committed to the schedule
The 6 benefits of a weekly plan
I don’t get it why so many busy business people in their work environment don’t have a cadence of a weekly plan. It’s not like they don’t have the time to do it (although that’s the usual excuse) because it can be as simple as a 10 – 15 minute activity. It has to be more fundamental that they either don’t see the value in it, have the discipline to do it each week or have the confidence to plan and execute it.