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Leadership: 15 Body Language Blunders Successful People Never Make…Avoiding These Body Language Blunders will Help you Form Stronger Relationships, both Professionally/Personally

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Our bodies have a language of their own, and their words aren’t always kind. Your body language has likely become an integral part of who you are, to the point where you might not even think about it.  If that’s the case, it’s time to start, because you could be sabotaging your career.

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TalentSmart has tested more than a million people and found that the upper echelons of top performance are filled with people who are high in emotional intelligence (90% of top performers, to be exact). These people know the power that unspoken signals have in communication and they monitor their own body language accordingly.

What follows are the 15 most common body language blunders that people make, and emotionally intelligent people are careful to avoid.

1. Slouching is a sign of disrespect. It communicates that you’re bored and have no desire to be where you are. You would never tell your boss, “I don’t understand why I have to listen to you,” but if you slouch, you don’t have to—your body says it for you, loud and clear.

The brain is hardwired to equate power with the amount of space people take up. Standing up straight with your shoulders back is a power position. It maximizes the amount of space you fill. Slouching, on the other hand, is the result of collapsing your form—it takes up less space and projects less power.

Maintaining good posture commands respect and promotes engagement from both ends of the conversation.

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2. Exaggerated gestures can imply that you’re stretching the truth. Aim for small, controlled gestures to indicate leadership and confidence, and open gestures—like spreading your arms apart or showing the palms of your hands—to communicate that you have nothing to hide.

3. Watching the clock while talking to someone is a clear sign of disrespect, impatience, and inflated ego. It sends the message that you have better things to do than talk to the person you’re with, and that you’re anxious to leave them.
4. Turning yourself away from others, or not leaning into your conversation, portrays that you are unengaged, uninterested, uncomfortable, and perhaps even distrustful of the person speaking.

Try leaning in towards the person who is speaking and tilt your head slightly as you listen to them speak. This shows the person speaking that they have your complete focus and attention.

5. Crossed arms—and crossed legs, to some degree—are physical barriers that suggest you’re not open to what the other person is saying. Even if you’re smiling or engaged in a pleasant conversation, the other person may get a nagging sense that you’re shutting him or her out.

Even if folding your arms feels comfortable, resist the urge to do so if you want people to see you as open-minded and interested in what they have to say.

6. Inconsistency between your words and your facial expression causes people to sense that something isn’t right and they begin to suspect that you’re trying to deceive them, even if they don’t know exactly why or how.

For example, a nervous smile while rejecting an offer during a negotiation won’t help you get what you want; it will just make the other person feel uneasy about working with you because they’ll assume that you’re up to something.

7. Exaggerated nodding signals anxiety about approval. People may perceive your heavy nods as an attempt to show you agree with or understand something that you actually don’t.

8. Fidgeting with or fixing your hair signals that you’re anxious, over-energized, self-conscious, and distracted. People will perceive you as overly concerned with your physical appearance and not concerned enough with your career.

9. Avoiding eye contact makes it look like you have something to hide, and that arouses suspicion. Lack of eye contact can also indicate a lack of confidence and interest, which you never want to communicate in a business setting.
Looking downas you talk makes it seem like you lack confidence or are self-conscious, causing your words to lose their effect. It’s especially important to keep your eyes level if you’re making complicated or important points.

Sustained eye contact, on the other hand, communicates confidence, leadership, strength, and intelligence. While it is possible to be engaged without direct, constant eye contact, complete negligence will clearly have negative effects on your professional relationships.

10. Eye contact that’s too intense may be perceived as aggressive, or an attempt to dominate. On average, Americans hold eye contact for seven to ten seconds, longer when we’re listening than when we’re talking. The way we break contact sends a message, too. Glancing down communicates submission, while looking to the side projects confidence.

11. Rolling your eyes is a fail-proof way to communicate lack of respect. Fortunately, while it may be a habit, it’s voluntary. You can control it, and it’s worth the effort.

12. Scowling or having a generally unhappy expression sends the message that you’re upset by those around you, even if they have nothing to do with your mood. Scowls turn people away, as they feel judged.

Smiling, however, suggests that you’re open, trustworthy, confident, and friendly. MRI studies have shown that the human brain responds favorably to a person who’s smiling, and this leaves a lasting positive impression.

13. Weak handshakes signal that you lack authority and confidence, while a handshake that is too strong could be perceived as an aggressive attempt at domination, which is just as bad. Adapt your handshake to each person and situation, but make sure it’s always firm.

14. Clenched fists, much like crossed arms and legs, can signal that you’re not open to other people’s points. It can also make you look argumentative and defensive, which will make people nervous about interacting with you.

15. Getting too close. If you stand too close to someone (nearer than one and a half feet), it signals that you have no respect for or understanding of personal space. This will make people very uncomfortable when they’re around you.

Bringing It All Together

Avoiding these body language blunders will help you form stronger relationships, both professionally and personally.
Are there any other blunders I should add to this list? Please share your thoughts on body language in the comments, as I learn just as much from you as you do from me.

Travis co-wrote the bestselling book Emotional Intelligence 2.0 and co-founded TalentSmart, the world’s #1 provider of emotional intelligence tests and training, serving 75% of Fortune 500 Companies.

Leadership:Lazy People Often Make the Best Employees…Don’t Alienate your Lazy Employees, but Challenge them, Distract Them,& Put Them to Work

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At first glance lazy employees seem to be the worst ones to look to if you want to get a job done, but that may not be the truth.

Worst employee, lazy, bored, work

When they seem to be distracted, they may not have enough going on to keep them interested.

After all, it’s the lazy employees who know the shortcuts, the efficiencies, how to eliminate problems, keep things running smoothly, and save time.

Here’s how to get the most from them.

When they seem to be idle, they may have found a much easier way of doing things, or they may just have more highly developed skills than others. Learn from them and enlist them to help teach others.

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When they seem to be bored, they may be deep in thought. Find challenges that speak to them and give them higher-order assignments.

When they seem to be distracted, they may not have enough going on to keep them interested. Entrust them with projects that require multitasking and fast-paced work.

When they seem to be slothful, up the ante. Give them room to do more. Create challenges, targets, and goals and allow them to reach new heights.

When they seem to be slow-moving, let them find ways of being more productive in a shorter span of time in other areas. Helping your employees develop new skills lets them know you are committed to their success.

Remember, we’re not talking here about employees who don’t meet performance standards, but those who do so with little to no visible effort. Their laziness is real, but it’s a symptom of something bigger, and not giving them a chance to do more is squandering a great resource.

If there’s a hard job to be done, an assignment to be completed or a chore to be accomplished, give the job to a lazy employee and watch him find an easy way to get it done.

Don’t alienate your lazy employees, but challenge them, distract them, and put them to work. Let them teach you more about being productive, effective, and constructive.

 

Businessinsider.com | March 11, 2015 | LOLLY DASKAL, INC.

http://www.inc.com/lolly-daskal/why-lazy-people-are-the-best-hire-for-your-company.html#ixzz3U76Ib0Ky

Strategy: 20 Things High Achieving Employees Say to their Bosses…These are my Top Tips, but What are Yours? If You’re a Manager, What Would you Love to Hear your Employees Say More?

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Looking to make a good impression with a new boss or improve your relationship with your current manager?

Commanding respect

 

Bosses want to hear you say things like, “I’ll take the lead on that!”

Try adding a few of these powerful phrases into your conversations.  You can easily improve your standing with your boss without being insincere or being thought a brown-noser.

1. How can I help?

This is probably the number one thing managers like to hear. (The opposite would be, “That’s not my job.”) It shows you’re a team player and willing to pitch in, even outside your specific job duties.

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2. Not a problem.

When your manager asks you to do something, be positive about it. Make her feel confident that you’ll address the task without her having to micromanage.

3. I’d like to learn more.

Indicating to your boss that you’re interested in things outside your area of expertise is a great way to show that you’re serious about moving up in the company or your career. It shows ambition and even an understanding of your own shortcomings, which is appealing when you’re willing to address them.

4. How can I improve?

This is especially useful in performance reviews, but can be used any time. It shows that you’re open to constructive criticism. And if you take it to heart and make changes, even better.

5. I’ll take the lead on that.

Volunteering shows initiative and leadership skills, both things managers look for in valuable employees.

6. I love my job.

Now there’s something we probably don’t say enough! Even if you don’t love everything about your job, you can probably pick a couple of things you could mention to your boss. Who doesn’t like enthusiastic workers?

7. Here’s how we can solve that problem.

Solutions are powerful. If you come to your boss and say, “Here’s the problem. We can do X, Y, and Z to solve it, and I think we should do Z because…” you’re showing initiative and creative thinking. Even if your choice of solution isn’t the one he goes with, he’ll be impressed that you thought about it instead of just bringing the problem to him.

8. No.

It’s actually a good idea to set solid boundaries and say no every once in a while. Be polite, of course, but a good boss will respect that you are trying to maintain those clear boundaries.

9. I saw this needed to be done, so I did it.

I think this phrase is music to everyone’s ears! Bosses love people who are self-driven and don’t need a lot of micro-managing. In addition, if it’s not technically “your job” but it needs to be done — including everything from changing the toner cartridge to filing paperwork — you’ll earn extra points.

10. Here’s an idea…

A good manager will welcome new ideas, just be sure to pitch them at the appropriate time. A staff meeting where everyone is brainstorming new ideas? Great time. A client meeting where you’re presenting a proposal? Maybe not the best time.

11. I wanted to talk to you before I book my vacation.

Here’s something almost every boss hates: being told you’ve booked your flights to Aruba without talking to him first. Instead, go to her before you buy the tickets and let her know when you want to go and how you plan to have your workload handled while you’re gone.

12. Let me show you.

When describing a complex situation or problem, it’s great to have good visuals to make understanding simple. This is especially true with any data-heavy presentations you might need to give.

13. I’ll get that done by…

Specificity is definitely something bosses appreciate. If you can say exactly when and how you will deliver something, that’s very useful to the manager trying to manage expectations from her boss and other team members. Of course, be sure to keep your word, or this is meaningless!

14. What I hear you saying is…

This is an active listening technique where you repeat back what you understood from what your boss said to you. You may feel a little silly at first, but it demonstrates that you were listening and actually comprehended what is being asked of you — and bosses love being understood.

15. That was a mistake, but next time…

Managers appreciate an employee who not only owns his mistakes, but also understands how to make sure they don’t happen again. When admitting to a mistake, be sure to follow it with a comment about how to avoid a similar situation in the future, to show you’ve learned from the gaffe.

16. I could use some mentoring.

Managers are usually eager to be seen as experts, and most will be glad to give advice on how best to prepare to advance in the company or your career. Even just asking for the advice can make your boss feel valued.

17. I agree.

Everyone loves to have their ideas validated, even your boss. Don’t take this to an extreme and become a “yes man,” but when you do genuinely agree with your boss’ opinion or ideas, say so.

18. I see what you’re saying. I was thinking of it this way… 

When you do disagree with your boss, be respectful; don’t call him out and say he’s wrong (especially in front of other people) but don’t be afraid to make your ideas heard, either. Anyone is more likely to take dissenting views into consideration when they’re presented calmly and politely.

19. How’s your day going?

Don’t forget: your boss is human! She has good days and bad days, too. When appropriate, try taking a genuine interest in how she’s doing or how things she cares about — kids, hobbies, sports teams — are doing as well. Make a personal connection.

20. Thanks.

A good boss will thank his or her employees for a job well done, but who thanks the boss? If you’ve gotten help with a problem, good advice, or valuable feedback, say thank you! It might just make your boss’ day.

These are my top tips, but what are yours? If you’re a manager, what would you love to hear your employees say more? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

Businessinsider.com | March 11, 2015 | BERNARD MARR, LINKEDIN

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20-things-your-boss-love-hear-why-bernard-marr#ixzz3U6zixqrS

Leadership:Focusing On One Task More Difficult In This Digital Age… Two-Thirds of the Respondents Reported that Listening had Become More Difficult in Today’s Digital Workplace

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Focusing on one task is becoming more difficult in the digital workplace, according to research from Accenture.

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The research #ListenLearnLead which surveyed 3,600 professionals from 30 countries found that 80% of the respondents say they multitask on conference calls with work emails, instant messaging or reading news and entertainment. Two-thirds of the respondents reported that listening had become more difficult in today’s digital workplace.

The research also revealed that the majority of the respondents believe technology enabled leaders to communicate with their teams easily and quickly and almost half cited additional benefits such as flexibility for teams to work anywhere or anytime. However, there was a downside to this: 62% of women and 54% of men viewed technology as ‘over-extending’ leaders by making them too accessible. The top challenges facing leaders today were information overload (55%) and rapidly –evolving technology (52%).

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The research also highlighted differences between the emerging markets and developed countries when it comes to the leadership development of women. Globally, 52% of respondents reported their organization was preparing more women for senior management roles. However, for the UK this figure was only 39%. “Many emerging markets in the survey saw very high percentages which drove up the global average. India, for example saw 80% of respondents say more women were being prepared for senior management.

Other developed nations had a similar response as the UK to this question, commented Zahra Bahrololoumi, head of human capital & diversity for Accenture UK & Ireland. “There are a number of explanations for this: one suggestion is that developed nations have been on this journey for some time and therefore has less far to go. That said, it’s critical that the US, UK and other countries around the world don’t become complacent about this, particularly with the speed of change in developed countries.”

There were also clear differences in terms of generations in the workplace when it came to career progression, the research found. More than half of the Millennials (born 1979-96) said they had asked for a promotion compared to 52% for Generation X respondents (born 1965-1978) and 51% for Baby Boomers (1946-1964).

“People coming into the workplace now feel more confident in pushing for recognition and career progression than those before them. This is partly a result of them being newer to the workplace but also because the idea of self-promotion and creating a personal brand is more entrenched with this generation, meaning they aren’t afraid of pushing themselves forwards when they feel they deserve recognition. A contributing factor to this is that the younger generation have seen success happen in a non-linear way and we have seen a democratization of success rather than a hierarchical roadmap,” remarked Bahrololoumi.

Forbes.com | March 10, 2015  |

Karen HigginbottomKaren Higginbottom Contributor

I write about the junction between being human and the workplace.

Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

Strategy: Here’s the Morning Routine that Experts Recommend for Peak Productivity…You Have 2-2.5 Hours of Peak Productivity Every Day. You May Actually be 30% More Effective at that Time

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What’s the best way to start your day so that you really get things done?  Laura Vanderkam studied the schedules of high-achievers. What did she find? Almost all have a morning routine.

philz coffee, phil jaber

Phil Jaber, founder of Philz Coffee.

I’ve interviewed a ton of top experts about their productivity secrets: Tim Ferriss, Cal Newport, Dan Ariely, Charles Duhigg, and others.  But you’re busy. You don’t have time to read all that stuff. You need a plan.

So many readers have written to me saying what my friend Jason always does: “I don’t have time. Eric, now that you’ve talked to all these people, what do you do?”

Okay, time to round up what the experts have said and build a roadmap.

1. Stop reacting.

Get up before the insanity starts. Don’t check your email or anything else that is going to dictate your behavior.

When I spoke to productivity guru Tim Ferriss, bestselling author of “The 4-Hour Workweek,” what did he say?

Here’s Tim:

I try to have the first 80 to 90 minutes of my day vary as little as possible. I think that a routine is necessary to feel in control and non-reactive, which reduces anxiety. It therefore also makes you more productive.

Most of us get up and it seems like things are already in motion. Gotta race to something. Emails coming in. We’re already behind.

So of course you aren’t achieving your goals. You immediately started with what the world threw at you and then just reacted, reacted, reacted as new things came in until the day ended or you were too exhausted to do what was important.

You need to wake up before the insanity starts. Before demands are made on you. Before your goals for the day have competition.

(For more from Tim Ferriss on what the most productive people do every day, click here.)

Okay, you’re ahead of the maelstrom. What do you need to do before things get thrown at you?

 

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2. Decide the 3 things that matter today.

Cal Newport is so productive it makes me cry. He’s a professor at Georgetown, cranks out academic papers, has written 4 books, and is a dad and a husband. And he’s done by 5:30PM every day. What did Cal have to say?

All tasks are not created equal. Most of us deal with two fundamentally different types of work, Shallow and Deep:

Shallow work is little stuff like email, meetings, moving information around. Things that are not really using your talents. Deep work pushes your current abilities to their limits. It produces high value results and improves your skills.

Shallow work stops you from getting fired — but deep work is what gets you promoted. Deep work must get priority.

In his book “The ONE Thing,” Gary Keller applies the “Pareto principle” to the workday:

Most of us get 80% of results from 20% of the work we do. So focus on that 20%.

What really creates progress vs treading water? What gives disproportionate results? Do those things.

And don’t be vague. Specify what you need to get done. Research shows having concrete goals is correlated with huge increases in confidence and feelings of control.

Via The 100 Simple Secrets of Successful People:

People who construct their goals in concrete terms are 50 percent more likely to feel confident they will attain their goals and 32 percent more likely to feel in control of their lives. – Howatt 1999

(For more from Cal on how to stop being lazy and get more done, click here.)

Okay, you know what is important. Now you need to think about when.

3. Use your “magic hours” for your 3 goals.

Just like all tasks aren’t created equal, all hours aren’t created equal either.

Dan Ariely is a behavioral economist at Duke University and the New York Times bestselling author of “Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions.”

Dan says you have 2-2.5 hours of peak productivity every day. You may actually be 30% more effective at that time. Here’s Dan:

…it turns out that most people are productive in the first two hours of the morning. Not immediately after waking, but if you get up at 7 you’ll be most productive from around from 8-10:30.

And Dan’s findings line up with other research. I’ve posted before that 2.5 to 4 hours after waking is when your brain is sharpest. You want to waste that on a conference call or a staff meeting?

Studies show that alertness and memory, the ability to think clearly and to learn, can vary by between 15 and 30 percent over the course of a day. Most of us are sharpest some two and a half to four hours after waking.

But does this really work? In studies of geniuses, most did their best work early in the day.

Those are the hours when you should be working on your 3 goals. Designate that part of your day as “protected time.”

Maybe you know that you’re a night owl. Fine, then protect those hours. The important thing is to do your key tasks during your key hours.

(For more on the schedule the most successful people use every day, click here.)

You know what’s important today and you know when your best hours are. But maybe you’re not motivated or you feel like procrastinating. How can you get going?

4. Have a starting ritual.

Charles Duhigg is a reporter for the New York Times and author of the bestseller “The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business.” What did he say about fighting procrastination and getting things done?

Finishing things isn’t as much of a problem as just getting started in the first place. Here’s Charles:

One way to use habits to fight procrastination is to develop a habitualized response to starting. When people talk about procrastination, what they’re usually actually talking about is the first step. In general, if people can habitualize that first step, it makes it a lot easier.

Maybe getting that cup of coffee is the signal that you’re getting down to business. Or do you have a spot where you’re usually productive? Go there.

Wendy Wood, a professor at USC explains how your environment activates habits — without your conscious mind even noticing.

Via Habit: The 95% of Behavior Marketers Ignore:

Habits emerge from the gradual learning of associations between an action and outcome, and the contexts that have been associated with them. Once the habit is formed, various elements from the context can serve as a cue to activate the behavior, independent of intention and absent of a particular goal… Very often, the conscious mind never gets engaged.

(For more on the fun way to be more successful, click here.)

Some days it just isn’t going to happen. You can’t get going on that #1 task. What should you do when all else fails?

5. Use “positive procrastination.”

Yes, procrastination can be a good thing — but it has to be the right kind of procrastination.

When do you usually get 1000 things done? When you’re avoiding that one thing that absolutely terrifies you.

If you know you can’t do that scary thing right now, do not turn to Facebook or video games. Tell yourself it’s okay to avoid it — as long as you’re doing the #2 thing on your to-do list.

Dr. John Perry, author of “The Art of Procrastination,” explains a good method for using this to trick yourself into massive productivity:

The key to productivity…is to make more commitments — but to be methodical about it. At the top of your to-do list, put a couple of daunting, if not impossible, tasks that are vaguely important-sounding (but really aren’t) and seem to have deadlines (but really don’t). Then, farther down the list, include some doable tasks that really matter. “Doing these tasks becomes a way of not doing the things higher up on the list,” Dr. Perry writes.

A similar tip is described by Piers Steel, author of “The Procrastination Equation:”

My best trick is to play my projects off against each other, procrastinating on one by working on another.

Dr. Steel says it’s based on sound principles of behavioral psychology:

We are willing to pursue any vile task as long as it allows us to avoid something worse.

(To learn a Navy SEAL’s secrets to grit and resilience when things get hard, click here.)

I know what some of you are saying: Where are the bullet points? I need bullet points to follow! 

No problem. Here you go:

Sum Up

Here’s what we can put together from listening to all the experts:

  1. Stop reacting. Get up before the world starts making demands so you can figure out what’s important to you.
  2. Decide what matters today. You won’t get everything done, so what will move the needle? What will let you end the day feeling like you accomplished something? No more than 3 goals.
  3. Use your “magic hours” for those three things. Your peak productivity time is probably an hour or two after you wake up. If you know your best hours are at another time, fine. Protect your “magic hours.”
  4. Have a starting ritual. Go to the place where you get stuff done. Get your coffee. Anything that tells your brain it’s time to rock.
  5. When things go sideways, use “positive procrastination.” If you can’t tackle the super scary thing, do the pretty scary thing. Designating a super scary thing in advance as a decoy can make that pretty scary thing much easier.

We’re all trying to achieve work-life balance. You’re not going to get everything done. But start the day right and you can definitely accomplish what matters. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again:

You can do anything once you stop trying to do everything.

Join over 175,000 readers and get a free weekly update via email here.
Forbes.com | March 9, 2015 | ERIC BARKER, BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE
http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2015/03/morning-routine/#ixzz3Tvi61Bu0

Leadership: What The Best Managers Do Differently…Only 34% can Name the Strengths of their Employees & Only 32% have Had a Meaningful Discussion about Their Employees’ Strengths in the Last 3 Months

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Could your manager name your top five strengths – you know those things you’re good at and actually enjoy doing at work? And if yes, have they sat down with you recently and had a conversation about how you can build on your strengths as you go about your job?

SheepHerder

If you’re shaking your head, you’re not alone.

The 2015 Strengths At Work Survey shows that when it comes to our managers, only 34% can name the strengths of their employees and only 32% have had a meaningful discussion about their employees’ strengths in the last three months.

But the managers who do are outperforming their peers.

Gallup research has previously found that the highest performing managers (based on composite performance) are more likely to spend time with high producers, match talents to tasks, and emphasize individual strengths in making personnel decisions. As a result, these strengths-focused managers nearly double their likelihood of success, and are 86% more likely to achieve above average performance levels than their non-strength focused colleagues.

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This newest data sheds light on just how these managers are delivering superior results. They have more engaged, more energized and higher performing employees. The reason is simple – when we are using our strengths, we enjoy what we do much more than when we aren’t using them. And when we enjoy what we do, we do it better! Michelle McQuaid, who co-authored this latest survey says, “It’s clear that focusing on people’s strengths is good for the employee, good for the manager and good for the organization .” You can watch a segment of my interview with Michelle about leveraging our strengths on RawCourage.TV below.

The survey results are illuminating both for us as individuals, managers and leaders trying to harness the full potential of those in our organization. For example:

  • 71% of employees who believe their managers can name their strengths report feeling engaged and energized by their work.
  • 78% of employees who report having a meaningful discussion with their manager about their strengths feel that their work is making a difference and is appreciated.
  • 65% of these employees describe themselves as flourishing (as opposed to functioning or languishing) and able to make things happen.

So, what can managers do to make the most of their employees’ strengths? Here are three simple steps to get started.

  • Discover your employees’ strengths – Start to pay attention to the moments your people are clearly engaged, energized and enjoying what they’re doing. What talents can you see them using? How are they acting upon the values they hold? What interests are they demonstrating? If you’re struggling, ask them to complete the free 10 minute strengths assessment at www.viacharacter.org and together explore how they’re putting these strengths to work.
  • Offer guidance on their development – Ask them how they’d like to be drawing on these strengths more as they go about their job. If they had the opportunity to do what they do best each day – at least for part of it – what would they be doing more of? How can this be aligned to the goals your team and organization are trying to achieve? What development support – on-the-job experiences, coaching or training – might they need to develop these strengths further?
  • Give strengths-based feedback – Start looking for the different ways your employees are using their strengths. Let them know when you value and appreciate the way they’ve applied a particular strength to get a good result. Help them to understand when they’re overplaying a strength and how to dial it back in these moments. Encourage them to stop underplaying specific strengths when you see them hesitating or holding themselves back.

Adopting a strengths-focus is a small shift that delivers big rewards for managers. Best of all it doesn’t require an organizational stamp of approval or any budget to execute. Managers need only to be willing to start looking for what their employees are doing best, and talking with their employees about ways to build up on their strengths.

Margie Warrell is a bestselling author of Stop Playing Safe and Find Your Courage.   Connect on Facebook and Twitter and or check out her new book BRAVE at www.TrainTheBrave.com

Strategy: 5 Simple Things Super Productive People Do on Mondays…Starting Monday Firefighting will Put You Behind Schedule for the Entire Week

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Monday can totally feel like a drag. You just had a great weekend of fun and play and now it’s back to the workweek. Even those who love their job can find Mondays a real buzz kill.

Clocks

But Monday can also be an exciting beginning. With the right approach it can stimulate efficiency and productivity for the entire week. It takes a strong constitution to start the week with focus and determination, yet, this is exactly what the most productive people do. Here are 5 key ways they use Monday to their advantage.

1. They start with a positive attitude.

So much time and energy is used up by a bad mood. Super productive people don’t like to waste any energy and they certainly don’t want the week to lag from a bad start. They focus their mind on joyful productivity from the moment their feet hit the ground in the morning. They revel in the excitement of what they can accomplish. Instead of lamenting going to work, focus on where you truly want to be and what will take you forward.

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2. They dedicate time for organization.

Starting Monday firefighting will put you behind schedule for the entire week. Super productive people understand that organization doesn’t happen magically on its own. Time is required to think things through and create process. Otherwise, a haphazard approach will create chaos and eat the very time you thought you might save. Block out an hour first thing Monday morning and get your ducks in a row.

3. They prioritize their objectives.

If you don’t have clear objectives on Monday, you will find yourself with a short week to get things done. Super productive people assess the entire week so they can manage their resources accordingly. That gives them the ability to meter out the week and adjust as necessary. Make your lists and calendar your time. It will free your mind for the week.

4. They anticipate obstacles.

Obstacles are an inevitable part of every project and work environment. Monday is a great time to focus on the obstacles of the week. Super productive people incorporate room for unknown speed bumps into their plan, so that when the inevitable happens, they don’t get tripped up.

5. They line up their allies.

People are busy and you can’t assume that they will use Monday to set up their own week. Super productive people take into account the human resources required and schedule appointments right away so they don’t have to chase people later in the week. A colleague asked early for help is much more likely to respond and act than someone who is jarred into action by a surprise S.O.S.

Businessinsider.com | March 9, 2015  |  KEVIN DAUM, INC.

http://www.inc.com/kevin-daum/5-simple-things-super-productive-people-do-on-monday.html#ixzz3TttHjFEG

Leadership:You Don’t Have To Be A People Manager To Have A Successful Career…Did you Know Research has Shown that Only about One in 10 Employees has the Necessary Traits to be a Good People Manager?

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At a recent coffee talk with several young people I mentor, the discussion took an interesting turn. When I asked the group what it meant to be successful in their careers, almost every person said that success meant being promoted into higher and higher-level jobs and eventually managing a large team of people.

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Don't try and fit square pegs into round holes — change the shape of the hole.

Don’t try and fit square pegs into round holes — change the shape of the hole.

So I asked the group if they thought someone could have a successful career if they weren’t a people manager. Most started squirming in their chairs. Then they looked at each other, hoping someone else would answer my question.

“Did you know research has shown that only about one in 10 employees has the necessary traits to be a good people manager?” I asked. Many raised their eyebrows in surprise.

“And what do you think happened with companies as they downsized during the recession and laid off workers?” I added.

“They let go a lot of managers,” one person responded.

Another said: “Companies flattened their organizational structures. That’s what happened where I work. Managers used to have about six employees. Now most of the managers have at least 15 to 20 people working for them.”
“What does that mean if you want to become a people manager?” I asked the group. You could have heard a pin drop in the silence that followed.

 

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One person leaned back and crossed his arms. “It means that it really sucks for us if we want to be a manager. Now it’ll be even harder because there are fewer and fewer management jobs.” The rest nodded their heads in agreement.

That’s when I changed the direction of the discussion to try and understand why so many of them felt the need to measure their career success against whether or not they became a people manager. Turns out that most had seen successful people managers being touted in the media or had listened to business speakers during college, all of whom were people managers, not individual contributors.

What this conversation with my mentees taught me is how important it is for mentors, career coaches, writers and the media to demonstrate to the next generation that you don’t have to be a people manager to have a successful career. There are successful individual contributors in all kinds of jobs, in almost every industry.

I know computer programmers, insurance agents, sales reps, supply chain engineers, artists, graphic designers, writers, medical personnel, lawyers and even consultants (and the list could go on forever) who are highly successful in their careers – and all are individual contributors. They love the independence they have in their jobs and that they don’t have to deal with a lot of the issues and stress that comes with managing other people.

Bottom Line: Don’t let peer pressure or what’s being shown in the media drive your definition of career success. Determine your unique differentiators and then build on those strengths to create the kind of career you want – because you don’t have to be a people manager to have a successful (and fulfilling) career.

~ Lisa Quast, author of the book, Secrets of a Hiring Manager Turned Career Coach: A Foolproof Guide to Getting the Job You Want. Every Time.   Join me on Twitter @careerwomaninc

 

Businessinsider.com | March 9, 2015  |  Lisa Quast

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Leadership: We Are All Temporary Workers…It Will all be Over Sooner Than you Think. Whether you Love or Hate your Job, it is Not Permanent

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Nothing is permanent. It is easy to forget that.  Day after day, you take the same commute to work. Month after month, someone – your client or boss, perhaps – manages to annoy you. They are unreasonable, over-demanding, insensitive. You long for the day when no one is your boss.

Clock Man

Not so fast.

It will all be over sooner than you think. Whether you love or hate your job, it is not permanent. No human being has yet managed to hold a job for, say, five centuries. No one has been VP of Business Development for 87 years.

In the midst of day-to-day routines, your life can seem static, unchanging, even boring. This is a misperception. It is a failure of imagination.

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On any given day, you can approach your tasks with a fresh perspective. You can bring to the front of your mind the recognition that some day you will yearn for what you take for granted today: responsibility, obligations and routine. You can understand that you have room for improvement. Even more importantly, you have room for gratitude.

Some days, I wake up and everything seems to be a struggle. The weather seems oppressive, perhaps gray, dreary and chilling. People around me are in a bad mood. My mood is worse. I yearn for something different, for anything new.

Other days, everything seems to be a miracle. The sun is shining brightly, as it is today. It may be freezing in the morning, but the hint of spring is in the air. There are five projects that demand my attention, and I’m excited about each one.

You know what I mean. The main difference between these days is not some external factor. It is you. Inspiration comes from inside. So does joy, satisfaction and pride.

Across the span of my life, one lesson rises above all others:

We have a much greater ability to change than we believe.

When people say, “Change is the only constant,” it implies that change is something that happens to us, something out of our control. In fact, that is only partially true.

You have the ability to take control of far more change than may be obvious.

You can change how proactive you are.

You can change how positive you are.

You can change how much effort you exert.

You can change how grateful you are.

You can change your expectations.

You can change your willingness to be honest and open.

You can change the level of grit you display.

You can change how curious and imaginative you are.

You can change how respectful you are.

This point in time is YOUR point in time. Make it matter. Make it special. As a marketer might say, “For a limited time only, you get the deal of a lifetime.”

Love your work. Love your life.

Bruce Kasanoff is a ghostwriter and speaker.

 

Leadership: To Get To The Top, Know What You Want & Be Prepared To Take Risks…So, If you Want to Make Waves in the Office, Treat your Career Like an Adventure. Be Single Minded, be Determined, Listen, & Learn

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Last week I spoke to Shellye Archambeau, CEO of Silicon Valley based Governance, Risk and Compliance Cloud Apps company, MetricStream. Additionally a Board Director of Verizon, Nordstrom, Watermark, and the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, in 2014 Shellye featured at #2 in Business Insider’s list of the 25 most influential African Americans in Technology.

Shellye Archambeau

One of four children, Shellye knew from an early age that she was destined for a role in management; “I always wanted to be leading organisations and clubs in my teens; getting things done together as a group was what inspired me” she says. Sporty at school, Shellye turned to academic groups and societies after a growth spurt left her with long term damage to her knees.

Her career began at IBM in the mid 80s when the tech industry was beginning to explode, where she held numerous executive positions including an overseas posting in Tokyo, undefined“Quite an experience for both myself and my family, and the first time IBM had ever posted an African American woman overseas”, as she recalls.

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Shellye subsequently joined Blockbuster as President of their nascent e-commerce division, before realising the company “lacked the vision” to overcome a growing trend towards online streaming film rentals

 

Headhunted to Silicon Valley to become CMO & EVP of sales at Northpoint communications, Shellye was thrilled to become part of the Palo Alto community. She describes it as “one of the most energetic and creative environments I have ever worked amongst”, but was surprised by the lack of diversity at the management level in the Valley.

She puts this down to a pervasive “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality; “there is no conspiracy here, but you could call it pattern recognition; it’s natural for people to have bias towards what they have seen succeed in the past. In the Valley, what they have seen is male dominated with a skew towards certain educational pedigrees. Silicon Valley is surrounded by some of the very best universities and colleges, so there isn’t a pressing need to cast the net wider. The Valley has always been a prolific builder of companies, folks have always known where the next great leaders were going to come from, without having to be overly innovative about it.”

“Leaders and bosses find it easier to manage people who talk and act like they do, and if it has worked before, why change it? There’s no glass ceiling, but it’s proven that if you send a company the same CV, one with a male name and one with a female, the male one will receive more call-backs than the female one; the number drops off further if it’s an African American sounding name.”

Does Shellye think it can change? “We need to keep talking about the issue until conscious awareness changes the unconscious decision making process; change happens in small increments so we have to be patient; I see it with almost every group I take over; a lot of people still regard a man’s role in the family as the sole wage earner, for example.”

“In a sense, a lack of diversity can be identified as a vulnerability. The more diverse a team is, the more its members will push one another and help them to grow as people. It’s fine to keep dipping into the same pool of talent but eventually that pool will begin to shrink, and that is beginning to happen within the Valley; there is a shortage of appropriate talent.”

In Shellye’s case, she has never concerned herself with “calls I may have never gotten” because of her sex or race, and certainly does not believe that MetricStream, the company she has led for over 10 years, lacks diversity or direction. The company helps other firms manage their financial and operational risk, helping them to make “better risk based decisions”. MetricStream has a global client base and a strong focus on the financial, retail and pharmaceutical industries.

In 2002, when Archambeau joined Zaplet, Inc. as the company’s CEO, the company was struggling: “We didn’t have a strong product market fit, and I was hired to fix things.” Archambeau oversaw it through the merger with MetricStream in 2004, and as the CEO of the newly formed company, drove forward with the vision to create an entirely new GRC industry, and cater to a market of substantial size and scale.
So how did she do it? “People say it all the time, and it’s fundamentally true; it’s all about the team! There is only so much a CEO can physically do; you have to create a vision, communicate it and make sure that everybody buys into it. Staff must understand the strategy, and be accountable to it. Every member of the team has to be able to clearly articulate what the culture is, and they must be able to execute it in every business transaction that they do on behalf of the company.”

“I am in the business of making sure that our team is customer focused, exhibits strong teamwork, and most importantly, I try to instil a “never say die” attitude that drives innovation. The culture starts at the top and is shaped by the management team. It’s down to them to hire the right people to make sure the vision becomes a reality.”

Shellye believes that being a mother or having a maternal instinct helps: “It helps you to understand what needs to be done. Taking over at the top of a company, you treat it like your first baby; you learn more and more about it and begin to understand how it needs to change and evolve in order to survive and flourish in the world”, she explains.

“But, and I can’t tell you how important this is, you must never fall in love your product”, she cautions. “You know how hard you have worked on it and you might believe, just like you believe about your own children, that it is the best thing out there. You have to try and see it from a critical perspective, be constantly innovating and trying to make improvements. Being your own worst critic is a tactic that pays off in the fullness of time.”

There are two things that Shellye believes more than anything else have helped her achieve her business goals and to rise as far as she has. Mentoring, and not being afraid to take risks. “Take advantage of other’s experiences, because you can’t experience everything yourself”, she advises. “Find mentors that you respect and ask them how they overcame the toughest problems that they have had to face. Go to them with your own problems and find out how they would have dealt with them. Follow their advice, and, and this is important, feed back to them what you did and what the result was. They will appreciate the fact that you listened to them and will be interested to hear how it panned out.”

Secondly, “never be afraid to take risks. This goes particularly for women and minorities who tend to be more risk averse. If you don’t try, you’ll never learn! You always have more to gain than to lose in business.”

Now that she has been in Silicon Valley for some time, Shellye, who lives not far from Google’s headquarters, is starting to feel like one of the family, but laughs at the idea that raising money in Palo Alto is easy to do. It’s a myth that has grown up around the area; start-up businesses around the world look on with envy at the apparently inexhaustible supply of funding for companies which start out as little more than ideas, but can achieve multi-million dollar valuations in what seems like only a matter of months.

“It’s not that easy”, she tells me, “there is definitely money here for sure, of course there is, VCs, Private Equity, Angels, but these companies invest with the expectation that the founders they back will make and deliver returns. Everyone’s trying to go out and conquer the world but you have to have the right team, the right business model, and the right market to get funding.

Leadership is about inspiring the people around you, bringing the best out of them and encouraging them to go beyond what they thought they were capable of. In order to do that, you have to be prepared to do all of those things yourself. Shellye’s career has been full of “so many wonderful teams and locations”, and throughout she has never doubted her abilities and has never been afraid to go out on a limb, be outspoken or seek advice from somebody in a more senior position. So, if you want to make waves in the office, treat your career like an adventure. Be single minded, be determined, listen, and learn. And, as Shellye clearly does, enjoy every minute of it!

Forbes.com | March 4, 2015  |   Edmund Ingham Contributor

I cover entrepreneurship and focus on London’s Silicon Roundabout

Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/edmundingham/2015/03/04/to-get-to-the-top-know-what-you-want-and-be-prepared-to-take-risks/

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