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Category: Management (Page 2 of 24)

ADAPTING TO CHANGE

02/02/2022 /

Now more than ever before, leaders all over the world are facing change and complexity — the coronavirus pandemic has presented us all with new challenges, new circumstances, and new uncertainties in the workplace. Jobs have been morphing, expanding, shrinking, and disappearing; co-workers, teammates, and technology are changing rapidly.

This Article provides five useful techniques for leaders for adapting to change:

  1. Be curious. Ask many questions. Wonder, explore, and consider before you judge and decide.
  2. Do not get too attached to a single plan or strategy. Have Plan B (and C) at the ready.
  3. Create support systems. Do not go it alone. Look to mentors, friends, coaches, trusted peers, professional colleagues, family members, and others to serve as your support system in times of change. Encourage employees to do the same.
  4. Understand your own reactions to change. You have to be clear about your own emotions and thoughts about changes, so you can be straightforward with others.
  5. Immerse yourself in new environments and situations. Do this when you are confronted by change — but get practice by joining activities, meeting new people, and trying new things on a regular basis.

Image Source: Pixabay – Geralt

 

3 Techniques for Setting Priorities Effectively

24/11/2021 /

It is easy, in the onrush of life, to become a reactor: to respond to everything that comes up, the moment it comes up, and give it your undivided attention until the next thing comes up. This is, of course, a recipe for madness.

Having an inbox and processing it in a systematic way can help you gain back some of that control. But once you’ve processed out your inbox and listed all the tasks you need to get cracking on, you still have to figure out what to do the very next instant. This is why setting priorities is so important.

This article explains the three basic approaches to setting priorities, each of which suits different kinds of personalities. The first is for procrastinators, people who put off unpleasant tasks. The second is for people who thrive on accomplishment, who need a stream of small victories to get through the day. And the third is for the more analytic types, who need to know that they’re working on the objectively most important thing possible at this moment.

  1. Eat a Frog

There’s an old saying to the effect that if you wake up in the morning and eat a live frog, you can go through the day knowing that the worst thing that can possibly happen to you that day has already passed. In other words, the day can only get better.

The idea here is that you tackle the biggest, hardest, and least appealing task first thing every day, so you can move through the rest of the day knowing that the worst has already passed.

  1. Move Big Rocks

Maybe you are not a procrastinator so much as a fiddler, someone who fills her or his time fussing over little tasks. You are busy busy busy all the time, but somehow, nothing important ever seems to get done.

You can fill the time you have in a day up with meaningless little busy-work tasks, leaving no room for the big stuff, or you can do the big stuff first, then the smaller stuff, and finally fill in the spare moments with the useless stuff. To put it into practice, sit down tonight before you go to bed and write down the three most important tasks you have to get done tomorrow.

In the morning, take out your list and attack the first “Big Rock”. Work on it until it’s done or you can’t make any further progress. Then move on to the second, and then the third. Once you’ve finished them all, you can start in with the little stuff, knowing you’ve made good progress on all the big stuff.

  1. Covey Quadrants

If you just cannot relax unless you absolutely know you are working on the most important thing you could be working on at every instant, Stephen Covey’s quadrant system might be for you.

Covey suggests you divide a piece of paper into four sections, drawing a line across and a line from top to bottom. Into each of those quadrants, you put your tasks according to whether they are:

I.Important and Urgent

II.Important and Not Urgent

III.Not Important but Urgent

IV.Not Important and Not Urgent

The quadrant III and IV stuff is where we get bogged down in the trivial. Although some of this stuff might have some social value, if it interferes with your ability to do the things that are important to you, they need to go.

Quadrant I and II are the tasks that are important to us. If you are really on top of your time management, you can minimize Q1 tasks, but you can never eliminate them: these things all demand immediate action and are rarely planned for.

You would like to spend as much time as possible in Quadrant II, plugging away at tasks that are important with plenty of time to really get into them and do the best possible job. This is the stuff that the QIII and QIV stuff takes time away from, so after you’ve plotted out your tasks on the Covey quadrant grid, according to your own sense of what’s important and what isn’t, work as much as possible on items in Quadrant II (and Quadrant I tasks when they arise).

7 Strategies for Delegating Better

17/11/2021 /

Whether you’re a team leader, an entrepreneur, or in some similar position of authority, delegation is going to be a major key to maximizing your productivity and keeping yourself sane during tight deadlines or large workloads.

Delegating is not always easy, and the process is not always clear-cut, but the sooner you start, the sooner you will develop the expertise to do it effectively. Here you will find seven delegation strategies to increases your organization’s efficiency:

  1. Learn to let go: the biggest problem most new bosses and leaders face is the inability to let go of their own work. Start small, delegating only the smallest tasks, and gradually work your way up. Get to know your team better and improve the trust among you and your co-workers.
  2. Establish a firm priority system: start developing a priority system for tasks, creating at least four categories, according to the degree of effort a task requires and the degree of skill. The highest-skilled category should contain tasks that you keep on your own plate, while those in the lower-skilled categories can be assigned to others. Establishing a firm priority system will help you understand the nature of your tasks and delegate efficiently.
  3. Play to your workers’ strengths: as a leader, you will have to learn the subtleties of your teammates. When delegating, take a look at your team and assign tasks to whoever has the greatest number of relevant skills for that task. It seems like an obvious choice, but too many leaders delegate to whoever has the lightest workload or is the most convenient.
  4. Always include instructions: even if the task process seems obvious to you, make sure to include instructions with each task you delegate. If you have specific preferences for how the assignment will be carried out, include that information. If you have a strict deadline or milestones, you need to be clear about them. Including details and straightforward instructions from the get-go will avoid most communication gaps and will allow your tasks to be executed effectively.
  5. Don’t be afraid to teach new skills: though the assignment of your first few tasks will take more time than it will save you (since you will need to train your chosen employee), consider it as an investment. By transferring those skills, you will be opening the door to assigning all similar tasks to that individual in the future, ultimately saving more time than you spent teaching.
  6. Trust, but verify: once a task is delegated, trust your teammate to execute it on his or her own terms. This will allow the person to tackle the work the way he or she feels is best. However, do not be afraid to occasionally step in and verify that the task is moving along as planned.
  7. Use feedback loops to improve delegation moving forward: feedback is the most important part of the delegation process, and it works both ways. If your workers have done well with a task you assigned, let them know by publicly thanking them and offering genuine praise. If they have fallen short, do not be afraid to give them some constructive criticism. On the other hand, invite your workers to share their thoughts on how you are delegating.

Image Source: Pixabay – Geralt

A method to “prove” almost anything

10/11/2021 /

In 2011, a group of researchers conducted a scientific study to find an impossible result: that listening to certain songs can make you younger. So how did they do it?

According to this TED Talk, the answer lies in a statistical method scientists often use to try to figure out whether their results mean something or if they are random noise. Here is the method: you should calculate the possibility (p-value) to achieve randomly the expected result (null hypothesis). If that possibility is below 5%, normally it is considered significant, meaning that there is enough evidence to reject the null hypothesis (the fact you are examining).

Though p-values are commonly used by both researchers and journals to evaluate scientific results, they’re really confusing, even for many scientists. That is partly because all a p-value actually tells us is the probability of getting a certain result, assuming the null hypothesis is true. Even though a p-value does not directly state the probability that the results are due to random chance, it usually gives a reliable indication.

Image Source: Pixabay – Goumbik

8 Tips to Effective Email Management

03/11/2021 /

While email is intended to facilitate communication, it sometimes becomes a counter-productive tool because we spend so much time managing our emails.

This article provides 8 useful tips to improve email management:

  1. Prioritize 20% emails; Defer 80% ones

Not all emails are the same. According to the 80/20 rule, 20% of inputs are responsible for 80% of the outputs in any situation. Hence, to be effective, we should focus on 20% inputs that lead to 80% outputs. Likewise, we should focus on 20% high value emails that lead to maximum output. Give your 20% emails high priority.

  1. Realize you don’t need to reply to every mail

Despite what you think, you don’t need to reply to every mail. Sometimes, no reply after a certain time period can be considered a reply in itself too. Reply if it helps, but if the costs of replying don’t outweigh the benefits, then maybe it’s not worth worrying about it.

  1. Create template replies if you often send similar replies

If you look through your sent folder, you’ll probably find a trend in things you reply to. Try to elaborate and use templates that you have written beforehand. As you reply, customize them accordingly to fit the needs of the original mail. This will saved you huge amounts of time.

  1. Structure your mails into categories

Folders (or labels, if you use gmail) are there to help you organize your mails. Firstly, use a relevant naming system to what you’re doing. Secondly, use hierarchy structure. Using filters to automatically organize mail into folders works wonders.

  1. Use filters

Filters are tools that help you sort out the mail automatically when it gets into your mail. There are 2 basic things are required for a filter: the term to look out for and the action to apply if the term is matched.  Depending on what filter it is, the mail will be automatically sorted into a respective folder / archived.

  1. Use the 1-minute rule when replying

If it takes within 1 minute to reply, reply to it immediately and archive it. Don’t let it sit in your mail box for ages. It’s going to take even more effort letting it hover around your mind and being constantly reminded that you need to reply.

  1. Set a limit to the time you spend in the inbox

Limit the overall time you spend in your inbox. See how long you take to process, read, reply, and sort through your mail. Then ask yourself how much of that time is well-spent.

  1. Unsubscribe from things you don’t read

In your cruising around the web, you probably sign up for a fair share of newsletters and feeds on impulse which you lose interest in afterward. If you find yourself repeatedly deleting the mail from your subscriptions, it’s a cue that you should just unsubscribe immediately.

Image Source: Pixabay – Geralt

7 tips to improve your memory

25/08/2021 /

Can’t find your car keys? Forget your grocery list? You’re not alone. Everyone forgets things occasionally. Still, memory loss is nothing to take lightly. Although there are no guarantees when it comes to preventing memory loss , certain activities might help.

This article provides seven simple ways to sharpen your memory:

1. Include physical activity in your daily routine: Physical activity increases blood flow to your whole body, including your brain. This might help keep your memory sharp.

2. Stay mentally active: Just as physical activity helps keep your body in shape, mentally stimulating activities help keep your brain in shape.

3. Socialize regularly: Social interaction helps ward off depression and stress, both of which can contribute to memory loss.

4. Get organized: You’re more likely to forget things if your home is cluttered and your notes are in disarray. Jot down tasks, appointments and other events in a special notebook, calendar or electronic planner. Keep to-do lists current and check off items you’ve completed. Limit distractions and don’t do too many things at once.

5. Sleep well: Sleep plays an important role in helping you consolidate your memories, so you can recall them down the road. Make getting enough sleep a priority.

6. Eat a healthy diet: A healthy diet might be as good for your brain as it is for your heart. Eat fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Choose low-fat protein sources, such as fish, beans and skinless poultry. What you drink counts, too.

7. Manage chronic conditions: The better you take care of yourself, the better your memory is likely to be.

Image source: Pixabay – Tumisu

6 useful tips to encourage dissenters

18/08/2021 /

Dealing with dissenters in the workplace can be scary. It forces you to get outside of your comfort zone and hear criticism about your ideas, your performance, or group dynamics that might sting at first.But dissent is actually a gif: it points out gaps that need to be filled, weaknesses that need to be strengthened. When you’re open to hearing dissent, you’ll continually improve your best ideas. Plus, open communication is key to building trust in the workplace.

Dealing with dissenters in your workplace will grow easier as voicing dissent becomes an accepted part of the culture. When it’s welcomed rather than feared, people will start to present it in a more positive way rather than feeling they have to be aggressive about it or stay silent. As people put it into practice, they’ll hone their ideas into stronger plans of action.

This article provides 6 useful tips to encourage dissenters and deal with them on the workplace:

1. Ask for critiques: Soliciting criticism is the only way to make your people feel comfortable voicing it. Don’t assume they feel comfortable stating it just because you respond well to it. Ask for it assertively; show real enthusiasm for hearing it, rather than making weak statements. Explain why dissent is so important to your organization to show you’re committed to hearing and using it. Trusting your people to provide input will make your whole team shine.

2. Ask follow-up questions: To really listen to what your dissenters have to say, prompt people to explain their rationale for their dissenting opinions. If in a group discussion, ask others what they think about the dissenting opinion. Dig deep into the issue, igniting conversation that helps people more fully understand how they feel about the issue. Dissent in the workforce needs to be explored, validated, and utilized by the group to be effective.

3. Make sure the comments are directed to the people who need to hear them: Communicating dissent is only empowering if the people voicing it know it will be heard by someone with the ability to use their feedback. Make sure people know who will hear their comments.

4. Ask for solutions: Challenge dissenters to present possible solutions, even far-fetched ones. When people start thinking creatively, solutions that higher-ups never imagined might take shape. However, people should feel free to voice dissent regardless of whether they’ve thought of a solution yet or not.

5. Rework the plan together: If critiques go to only one person who reformulates the plan singlehandedly, you’ll just see different problems arise. The plan needs to be reworked by a group who can see it from different vantage points and talk through concerns that arise in the moment.

6. Express gratitude for the dissent: When you share genuine gratitude in the workplace with someone for having the courage to voice their dissent, you’ll encourage more constructive dissent in the future. Thank the person in front of the group to send the message to everyone.

Image source: Pixabay – mohamed_hassan

7 tips on how to give clear and understandable instructions

04/08/2021 /

Giving clear understandable instructions is one of those things that sounds easy to do but in real life can actually be more complex, especially in an office environment or within a business. Mixed messages, assumptions and multiple options mean that the message received might differ from what we actually meant.

This article, provides 7 useful tips to give instructions that are clear and get the job done:

1. Don’t assume everyone know what you mean: An imperative when delivering clear instructions is to not assume the recipient knows what you mean, and this can be for anything from industry acronyms to who to contact in different departments or organisations. It will only take you a few seconds more to explain the details, but this will give a crucial help for achieving the result.

2. Be clear and specific: Whilst you don’t want to ramble on in your set of instructions, you do want to ensure that your instructions are clear, specific and concise. Using bullet point reduces the temptation to waffle on and it helps your instructions and actions be more focused.

3. Give time frames: Do not confuse matters by not being specific with your time frames and deadlines. What you consider as “soon” might be very different from your colleagues.

4. Give examples: Whenever possible, make sure you give examples. This will be especially beneficial if they are new to the role, or if they haven’t carried out the task before. This will help to add clarity to you instructions and help form a clearer picture of what it is you mean and want.

5. Give alternatives: When delivering your instructions it is worth considering giving some alternatives just in case our preferred option of instruction is not viable or available. By giving alternatives you are empowering your staff to get the job done with minimal fuss and constant checking back in with yourself.

6. Set boundaries: Once a task is set, the instructions should be clear enough that further confirmation and clarification is not needed. If this rings true with you then you need to make sure that your instructions are clear so that they are certain what they are doing and don’t feel the need to keep coming back with questions.

7. Get clarification: Before you let your staff loose on the basis of your instruction, it wouldn’t hurt to seek clarification from them to ensure that they understand what the task at hand is and what is expected.

Image source: Pixabay – kvrkchowdari

The golden rule for any Job

30/06/2021 /

Read carefully and remember.

We do three types of Jobs here:
1) Cheap
2) Quick
3) Good

You can have any two, so:

a) A good quick job (won’t be cheap)
b) A cheap good job (won’t be quick)
c) A quick job cheap (won’t be good)

In other words

Cheap + fast = lower quality work
Fast + good = expensive
Good + cheap = not happening anytime soon

There is always a trade off and you should decide what your priorities are.

 

 

Your future-self

19/05/2021 /

People like to weigh their next decisions in three contexts:

  1. Learning from the past
  2. what it will do to the present
  3. how will it benefit the future

It is wise to take all of these contexts into account: persistently planning ahead makes life so much easier in the long run.

Here are 5 useful tips to increase the success of your future-self:

4. Make a 10 year plan

5. Gain perspective

Image source: Pixabay – Pexels

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