Excessive apologizing can take away others' confidence in you as a leader. Instead, practice moves like thanking people for waiting if you are late to a meeting rather than saying, “sorry,” writes Judith Humphrey. Avoid apologizing before giving bad news so you don't reinforce the negativity of what you will say, and focus on solutions rather than feeling sorry for not being … [Read more...]
Ditch email for a full day
Our dependence on digital communications uses up much of our attention. LaSalle Network declared a “no email day” for a weekday. Here’s what its staff learned: We move faster It builds relationships We’re more creative We learn faster It encourages call-before-email We’re more energized and productive Source: Fast Company, July 5, 2017. Sometimes we need … [Read more...]
Arrogance or insecurity?
Are those flare-ups of smug self-righteousness your mind’s attempt to spare you from feeling vulnerable? Most of the time, arrogance is used to cover the fear that we’re not really worthy, that we don’t measure up, writes Ted Leonhardt. It’s fear turned upside down and masquerading as superiority. It isn’t too hard to see, but in practice, it can be tough to correct. Source: … [Read more...]
Guide helps eliminate busywork
“Busywork has a double negative impact," Renee Cullinan says. "It consumes time that could be better spent on other things, and it drains energy. Longer term, it breeds a work culture that values activity over results and busyness over effectiveness." Source: Fast Company, January 27, 2017. Cullinan says busywork often fits one of these three scenarios: You don’t know … [Read more...]
Social media transitions in 2017
Ryan Holmes writes about social media, its future, its transition and the opportunities in this article. He writes that for businesses, the decline of organic social media reach needn’t be a doomsday scenario. The new social media order that's taking shape in 2017 promises companies the kind of precision and measurable results long expected from traditional channels such as … [Read more...]
5 ways to keep small teams efficient
John Rampton shares how he works to make small teams as efficient as they can be. These are five key areas: Get everyone square on the team’s goals Give people freedom, then preserve it Automate and outsource wherever you need to Keep check-ins regular and meetings small Craft an unbelievable culture Source: Fast Company, April 25, 2016. In many ways, small … [Read more...]
Praise sandwiches don’t work
“If you can’t say something nice, say nothing at all,” was likely taught to you by your parents. We’ve modified this coaching in business with "praise sandwiches”: criticisms wedged in between two generic compliments. Learn how this gives our brains indigestion. Source: Fast Company, April 14, 2016. Research has found that we remember concrete words like "chair" better than … [Read more...]
How to figure out your most productive time of day based on your sleep habits
We’ve all heard and said things like, “There’ll be time to sleep when I die,” or “My mind decides to run when normal people sleep.” In Lessons Learned by Stephanie Vozza we learn from Teofilo Lee-Chiong, that “optimal sleep requires proper duration, quality, consolidation and timing. Disruption to any of these four essential elements of sleep causes a person to wake up feeling … [Read more...]