Posts Tagged ‘Staying Focused’

Overwhelm

Monday, January 13th, 2014

A Princeton study shows that work is more overwhelming than ever—or at least that’s our perception. Three-quarters of the workers in the study said work is more stressful than it was a generation ago.

That’s certainly true in some ways. But overwhelm often has just as much to do with a conversation going in your head as with the real world. When you tell yourself, “I don’t even know where to start,” a feeling of helplessness sets in. Every task seems to be shouting your name.

STOP. There are priorities here. Take a deep breath and figure out what has to happen first, what can wait until later, and what doesn’t have to happen at all. Then take the things that need to be done first and sort them further. Are they all world-endingly important? Which items can have the deadline renegotiated without causing a problem? Which can be delegated?

Suddenly the priorities are standing in line, waiting patiently for their turn. What had seemed like a mountain is actually an orderly assembly line.

Finally, stop telling others how overwhelmed you are. That adds to everyone’s feeling of overwhelm, and it gives the tasks in your head permission to jump out of line again. They are not in charge—you are!

Once you step off the treadmill of overwhelm, you’ll NEVER go back.

Blow expectations sky high with the product of the product

Monday, January 6th, 2014

Imagine that your boss has asked you for something. That “something” is the product. If you give her the product, she will be satisfied.

But “boss satisfaction” is a goal as unworthy as “customer satisfaction.” You don’t want customers who are merely satisfied—you want customers who succeed wildly because of your efforts, so they rave to all of their friends and family about you and your company.

Same thing with the boss. Satisfying him or her is a mediocre response to the challenge of your job. The boss is not likely to go home and say, “Wow, guess what happened today, honey: Steve did what he was supposed to do! Again!”

Instead, when you get a task, see that as the product, and immediately start thinking about how to deliver the result at a higher level. That’s the “product of the product.”

Say that your manager asks you for a file folder. That’s fine, but she doesn’t really need a file folder. She needs what the file folder will produce for her. Suppose she needs it to prepare for a meeting with a client. Wouldn’t it be helpful if, instead of just throwing the file in front of her, you attached a note that said, “FYI, I looked in LinkedIn to find out more about this client and thought you might want to know that this year is the 25th anniversary of their business. And by the way, remember that the last time you talked to him, his daughter was headed off to college.”

THAT’s the product of the product. Don’t just give what is requested. Anticipate what is really needed and deliver on that. That’s what an “A” player does, while a “C” player just delivers the file folder.

See the difference?

So from now on, deliver not just the product, but the product OF the product, and you will be a superstar.

Indecision IS a Decision

Monday, October 28th, 2013

The center snaps the ball. The quarterback drops back for the pass. How long does he have to decide what to do with that ball?

On average, he has three seconds to get the ball to the right receiver. Imagine that. After that, he’s likely to end up on the ground.

Now imagine the quarterback getting up and whining, “I didn’t have enough information to make a decision! Lemme do that over.”

Fat chance. He made a decision, all right. Indecision is a decision to do nothing. And the consequences can be huge.

It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in—business is about making decisions. But sometimes we find ourselves paralyzed, unable to make a decision for fear of making the wrong one. So we say we’re “waiting for more data” or “crunching the numbers” before we decide.

It’s important to be well informed. But there’s always more information to be had, and there comes a time when the lack of a decision begins to impact the outcome. At that point, indecision is a decision. It’s the decision to do nothing.

For every project, give yourself a timeline not just for the outcome, but for the decision making process that leads to that outcome. Say, “By November 14, the budget will be set. By November 21, all design specs will be in place.” Then hold yourself to those project benchmarks. Make a decision and keep things moving.

Act As If

Monday, August 22nd, 2011

* Transcription

Thank God it’s Monday!™ Tom Watson, the founder of IBM, broke down the phenomenal success of his company. First, Tom had a clear picture of what the company would look like upon completion. Then, Tom created a clear picture of how the company would act upon reaching this level of success. So from the get-go, he decided to look and act that way. Quite fittingly he states, “We didn’t ‘do’ business at IBM, we built one.”

So whether it’s your business, your relationships, or whatever it may be, find your vision—find a clear and detailed vision.

How will you act once you get there?

Implement Watson’s strategy, and begin acting that way today.

Have a great Monday!

Roxanne

Roxanne Emmerich’s Thank God It’s Monday! How to Create a Workplace You and Your Customers Love climbed to #1 on Amazon’s bestseller list and made the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists—all in the first week of its release. Roxanne is renowned for her ability to transform “ho-hum” workplaces into dynamic, results-oriented, “bring-it-on” cultures. If you are not currently receiving the Thank God It’s Monday e-zine and weekly audios, subscribe today at www.ThankGoditsMonday.com.

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Define Your Personal Non-Negotiables

Monday, August 1st, 2011

* Transcription

Thank God it’s Monday!™ All too often it seems as if individuals have no clear sense of what is important in their lives, what is flexible, and what is not.

Non-flexible tasks may include revenue generating projects at the office, time spent with family, exercise, time with friends…

Have a clear sense of what is important to you. Under the stress of the workplace, people often sacrifice some of the true essentials. Define your personal non-negotiables and call yourself tight when you are out of alignment.

Have a great Monday!

Roxanne

Roxanne Emmerich’s Thank God It’s Monday! How to Create a Workplace You and Your Customers Love climbed to #1 on Amazon’s bestseller list and made the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists—all in the first week of its release. Roxanne is renowned for her ability to transform “ho-hum” workplaces into dynamic, results-oriented, “bring-it-on” cultures. If you are not currently receiving the Thank God It’s Monday e-zine and weekly audios, subscribe today at www.ThankGoditsMonday.com.

Love this audio message? You may also download the MP3 version and PDF transcript below:



Download Instructions: Right-click the download button(s) and
choose ‘save link as…’ to save the file to your computer.