Vacuums and voids

Published on April 23, 2013 in Leadership, Mistakes To Avoid, Office Politics, Professional Development Tips and Team Management. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

You may be aware of the scientific theory that ‘nature abhors a vacuum’.  In quantum mechanics, it’s referred to as the vacuum state, which basically means there’s no such thing as a vacuum.

Let’s say, for example, that you created some kind of glass container closed off to all physical particles.  From the outside looking in, it would appear as though it was empty.  But really it’s not.  That space, at the very least, contains electromagnetic waves and particles.  If the slightest piercing were to penetrate the container, it would then be filled with air.  And, depending on where the container was located, a slightly larger opening may see it consumed with water or sand or any other substance.

That’s why philosophers like Aristotle have professed that vacuums don’t exist.  As soon as we think that one is there, something instantly fills it up.

Such is the case at work – an environment notorious for the vacuums that arise.  When there’s a vacuum of information, it’s filled with gossip.  When there’s a vacuum of training, it’s filled with mistakes.  When there’s a vacuum of opportunity, it’s filled with disengagement.

If we were to look specifically at new teams (or established teams that have been leaderless for a while), there are four vacuums that are especially present:  structure, knowledge, relationships, and authority.

Structure:  This represents the systems that are in place, the ways in which the team is organised, and the rules that determine how and when the work gets done.  A vacuum of structure is often filled with misguided people.

Knowledge:  This reflects the collective expertise of the employees, an awareness of their developmental gaps, and the principles that influence their decision-making.  A vacuum of knowledge is often filled with costly errors.

Relationships:  This includes the level of trust among the team members, the degree to which they understand each other, and the extent to which they like and respect one another.  A vacuum of relationships is often filled with conflict.

Authority:  This is in relation to the informal power that some employees hold, the credibility of the leader to lead the team, and the ability of the leader to inspire change.  A vacuum of authority is often filled with power struggles.

If you’re a leader taking over a new or leaderless team, it’s important to fill those four vacuums before other (unfavourable) elements infiltrate them.  As the American writer Tennessee Williams wrote figuratively: “A vacuum is a hell of a lot better than some of the stuff that nature replaces it with.”

The trouble, though, is that a vacuum doesn’t last very long.  Or at all.

I’d like to thank Mark Mackenzie of The Graffiti Eaters for this week’s submission. If you come across something valuable like this, please forward it in to me and I will share it with our readers and subscribers and reward you with a few valuable backlinks!

The power of why

Published on February 25, 2013 in Goal Setting, Leadership, Productivity Tips, Professional Development Tips, Team Management and Time Management. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Today’s blog post is priceless and timeless. Priceless because it can be life-changing and timeless because it dates back several hundred ago and it remains timely and relevant to this day… This was submitted to me by Mark Mackenzie of The Graffiti Eaters.

When Beethoven was 26, he started to lose his hearing.  It began as a ringing in his ears that got worse and worse until he was almost completely deaf.  It became so bad that the only way he could communicate with his friends was by getting them to write down what they were saying in a book, into which he would write his reply.

Beethoven’s devastation over what was happening led him to live alone in an Austrian town where he spent time contemplating suicide.  And yet he persevered.  In letters penned to his brothers, he wrote that he remained committed to his work because he saw his art as something that had to survive even if it meant enduring the heartache of not hearing his audiences applaud.  “It seemed unthinkable for me to leave the world forever before I had produced all that I felt called upon to produce,” he wrote.

And so, in the face of pain and struggle, he miraculously continued to compose music.  In fact, some of his most brilliant and famous work emerged during the period that his deafness was at its most severe – truly magnificent pieces like his Symphony No. 9.

The reason Beethoven was able to continue so resolutely in the application of his craft can be attributed to the word why.  As is often said, when the why is big enough, the ‘how’ takes care of itself.  In Beethoven’s case, the why was the influence his music had on the world.

The power of why has been proven empirically by psychologists at Ohio State University.  In a number of experiments, researchers discovered that people who considered ‘why’ they performed a challenging task were more likely to persevere with it.  In comparison, those who focused only on ‘how’ to do it were more likely to give up.

So, if you’re trying to get your employees to be committed to a project or to an activity that’s difficult or unenjoyable, or if you’re eager to get their buy-in for an idea or a change that you know they’ll resist, there is rarely anything more urgent than to articulate why.  In particular

  • Why this?
  • Why now?
  • Why them?
  • Why from you?
  • Why in this way?

The why gives people the purpose to follow your vision and it adds meaning to a job that may otherwise be uninteresting. It may be invisible, but the why is what generates the visible.  To those who are feeling uninspired, it is music to their ears.

Inspiration is 99% perspiration…

Published on October 15, 2012 in Career Humour, Funny Pictures and Mistakes To Avoid. 1 Comment Tags: , , , .

Now this is funny if it wasn’t so true… Seriously, You have to admit it made you chuckle, giggle or laugh…

Creativity, Lightbulb Moment, Funny Poster

If you find images, cartoons, photos or other visual elements like this that are tastefully funny, please forward them to me so I can share them with my audience.

This blog and my other blogs are primarily driven by user generated content.

Time Versus Life Management

Published on September 27, 2012 in Career Management Tips, Goal Setting, Mistakes To Avoid, Productivity Tips, Professional Development Tips and Time Management. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

In my line of work, I come across two types of people.

  • Type 1 wants to make money, achieve something, do whatever it takes.
  • Type 2 wants what everyone calls work-life balance because they have achieved ‘enough’ and realise without balance, there is imbalance and that’s not good.

The quote below is a foundational, guiding principle that I refer to over and over again in my programs. It’s not just applicable to those who want to create their best year ever, it’s equally (more) important for business people who want to grow their business.

Time Value, Time Management, Life Management, Goal Setting

The thing is WHAT VALUE do you place on WHAT?

With 4 dimensions of mastery (business, internet, professional and personal), how can you reconcile all these values?

Simple.

You need to establish ONE hourly value that is representative of who you are, what you do 24/7.

Easier said than done, I know, but it’s that simple.

If you value yourself and your time at $10/hour versus $100/hour versus $250/hour, your life will be completely different.

Take a minute to read the metaphoric parable of The Mayonnaise Jar and Two Beers.

What are the golf balls in your life worth to you?

Have a think about it… It can be a priceless revelation to realise you’re sweating the small stuff and missing out on the important things.

In you career it means:

  • You’re being tactical instead of strategic. Doing what your boss wants you to do instead of what’s in your best interest.
  • You’re thinking more about your company’s bottom line (when you are not the owner) than your career development.
  • You’re sacrificing you’re sacrificing your work-life balance for very little net gain.

Explore this further by journaling. Take a blank sheet and make a list of your Top 10 most important things in life – how often do you enjoy/experience them?

Hmmm…. Something to think about.

John Cleese’s Creativity Suggestions

Published on September 3, 2012 in Career Management Tips, Innovation and Creativity, Leadership and Productivity Tips. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Cleese Creativity, Innovation, Creative ThinkingAs a reader or subscriber to this blog, you’ve come to expect the unexpected, which is why you’re here right now, reading this.

One of the foundational concept of Exponential Internet Marketing that we teach our clients is how to improve SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) by blogging.

Today’s post is a prime example. It was sent to me by Brian Matthews of Axis Planning. He came across a great article on creativity by the legendary John Cleese. I have to admit, it’s brilliant in its simplicity and elegance. It reflects several recent books I’ve been reading on cognition and accelerated learning techniques.

What Brian has done is create user-generated content. Easier said than done. It takes most people YEARS before anyone generates content for them. I teach my clients how to do it in DAYS and WEEKS… Click on the hyperlinks above to learn more about how we do that, but before you do, this blog post encapsulates half a dozen SEO strategies that can help you generate more leads for your business – contact us and we’ll show you how it’s done – using legitimate strategies that are GUARANTEED to work.

Want to be powerful? Don’t smile

Published on August 28, 2012 in Career Management Tips, Mistakes To Avoid, Presentation Tips and Professional Development Tips. 0 Comments Tags: , .

Power, No Smile, Don't Smile, PowerfulFlannery Dean recently reported in Chatelaine Magazine that smiling may have adverse effects on your career ascension plans. A handful of new studies suggest that smiles are for low-status individuals. If you want to appear powerful, confident and successful, don’t smile.

Smile and the world smiles with you, goes the familiar phrase. It’s a lovely idea. And perhaps it’s true. But it may be that the world isn’t smiling with you as much as it’s laughing at you for being such a softie.

Researchers reviewed four studies that examined the power of facial expression. All of the studies asked people to look at images of various faces, from models to football players, who were either smiling or not smiling, and then to rate their expressions. One study asked people to look at head shots of football players and, from those limited views, guess the man’s size and personality. The players who didn’t smile were consistently rated as being bigger physically, less social and more hostile. In contrast, the smiling players were viewed as being less dominant and more social.

Study co-author Timothy Ketelaar, associate professor of psychology at New Mexico State University, explains “Smiles can put you in a positive light by signalling that you’re friendly and trustworthy, and that you aren’t a threat to others. But higher-status individuals often want to appear in charge and as a threat, and they lose some of that power by smiling.”
The researchers argue that less dominant human beings have relied on smiles to appease stronger, more hostile individuals for as long as we have been able to lift the corners of our mouths. “Across the few animal species that smile, [the smiles] seem to be advertising that the displayer is not a threat to more dominant individuals. In the case of social prestige, smiles seem to be providing a similar function, provoking strategic deference,” Ketelaar explains.

So when you nervously smile at your boss when you’re late for the third time in a row, you’re duplicating an action that your forebears relied on to get out of a sticky situation. And when she gives you a stony look in return, she’s mentally high-fiving her hostile, high-status ancestors.

Definitions: Architect vs Engineer vs Contractor

Published on July 25, 2012 in Career Humour. 1 Comment Tags: , , , .

An Architect is said to be a man who knows a great deal about very little and who goes along knowing more and more about less and less until finally he knows practically everything about nothing.

An Engineer, on the other hand, is a man who knows a very little about a great deal and keeps knowing less and less about more and more until he knows practically nothing about everything.

A Contractor starts out knowing practically everything about everything, but ends by knowing nothing about anything, due to his association with Architects and Engineers.

Click on the hyperlink for more engineering humour.

Ignore this to do list!

Published on July 12, 2012 in Career Management Tips, Goal Setting, Mistakes To Avoid, Productivity Tips, Professional Development Tips and Time Management. 1 Comment Tags: , , , .

Two Lists You Should Look at Every Morning

List 1: Your Focus List (the road ahead)What are you trying to achieve? What makes you happy? What’s important to you? Design your time around those things. Because time is your one limited resource and no matter how hard you try you can’t work 25/8.

List 2: Your Ignore List (the distractions)

To succeed in using your time wisely, you have to ask the equally important but often avoided complementary questions: what are you willing not to achieve? What doesn’t make you happy? What’s not important to you? What gets in the way?

Want to read more, click on the hyperlinked header for the full length article sent to me courtesy of Andrew Powell of Montreal, Canada.



Stockholm Presentation

Published on July 5, 2012 in Free Publicity and PR, Innovation and Creativity, Presentation Tips, Professional Speaking Tips, Public Speaking Case Study and YouTube Videos. 1 Comment Tags: , , .

Now this sure beats a Powerpoint Presentation!

Thank you to Peter Wilson of Oz Cakes for forwarding it to me!

Get More Done By Working Less

Published on June 27, 2012 in Career Limiting Moves, Career Management Tips, Goal Setting, Leadership, Mistakes To Avoid, Office Politics, Productivity Tips, Professional Development Tips and Time Management. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

This is a concept we covered in detail at our latest Exponential Extravaganza. Easier said than done, you have to have a time/life management system to make the concept a reality.

A recent article in Inc Magazine demanded you stop working more than 40 hours a week.

The article revealed that you may think you’re getting more accomplished by working longer hours. But the research shows you’re probably wrong.

There’s been a flurry of recent coverage praising Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer of Facebook, for leaving the office every day at 5:30 p.m. to be with her kids.  Apparently she’s been doing this for years, but only recently “came out of the closet,” as it were.

What’s insane is that Sandberg felt the need to hide the fact, since there’s a century of research establishing the undeniable fact that working more than 40 hours per week actually decreases productivity.

In the early 1900s, Ford Motor ran dozens of tests to discover the optimum work hours for worker productivity.  They discovered that the “sweet spot” is 40 hours a week–and that, while adding another 20 hours provides a minor increase in productivity, that increase only lasts for three to four weeks, and then turns negative.

Anyone who’s spent time in a corporate environment knows that what was true of factory workers a hundred years ago is true of office workers today.  People who put in a solid 40 hours a week get more done than those who regularly work 60 or more hours.

The key is to realise that unless your an hourly wage worker – you need to realise that you get paid according to PERFORMANCE – NOT EFFORT.

Europe’s Ban on 50-Hour Weeks

However, the facts don’t bear this out.  In six of the top 10 most competitive countries in the world (Sweden, Finland, Germany, Netherlands, Denmark, and the United Kingdom), it’s illegal to demand more than a 48-hour work week.  You simply don’t see the 50-, 60-, and 70-hour work weeks that have become de rigeur in some parts of the U.S. business world.

If U.S. managers were smart, they’d end this “if you don’t come in on Saturday, don’t bother coming to work on Sunday” idiocy.  If you want employees (salaried or hourly) to get the most done–in the shortest amount of time and on a consistent basis–40 hours a week is just about right.

In other words, nobody should be apologizing for leaving at work at a reasonable hour like 5:30 p.m.  In fact, people should be apologizing if they’re working too long each week–because it’s probably making the team less effective overall.

EXPONENTIAL MINDSET THINKING TIP:

All of this is really “cute”, but if you don’t know HOW to make the most of your 40 hours, you’re scr_____.

You’ll stop working longer hours (to compensate for your inefficiency) and you’ll soon be shown the door.

So where does that leave you?

Stuck – until you learn the strategies of highly effective people who KNOW what to do with their time.

Contact us and we’ll help you transform your business or career by doing what works and stop you from wasting valuable time and effort on things that don’t matter.