Gallup Organization has been looking at employee engagement for many years. They've famously found that only a small percentage of our workforce is actively engaged at their jobs. Often, company discussions about people policies center around employee well-being as an...
Productivity
Here are articles on Productivity
Use your Smartphone to be More Productive
How to use your web-enabled smartphone to be productive. Or not. I'm quoted today in this
Want to Change a Habit? Enlist People!
As much as you can adopt systems to help point your life and job in the direction you want, systems fail if you don't use them. And if you're like me, that promise to work out 3 days a week has a way of taking back seat to dinner invitations, long hours at work, and...
Are You Forgetting The Big Picture?
The Big Picture A client asked me to facilitate her senior team’s big picture, strategic planning retreat. It was a $200 million company. They listed important issues on the whiteboard. Item #1? Replace the refrigerated water fountain with a ‘green’ ground-cooled...
7 Tips for Work-Life Balance
Today's Get-it-Done Guy episode is about work-life balance. I actually don't think there's any such thing. There's only your life, your time, and how you choose to use your one life and your limited time. I'd really like to put together an open Q&A/brainstorming...
Meritocracy: A Fine, But Mythological, Idea
I love the idea of a meritocracy! It's a glorious myth that makes a wonderful story. But if you look at how resources, wealth, prestige, etc. get distributed, it's very hard to make a case for meritocracy. It's no surprise we believe in meritocracy. We spend our...
Keep the Big Picture When Making Life Choices
Keeping The Big Picture Will Lead to Better Life Choices They're considering eliminating over 100 bus routes in Boston to save money. You see, the public transit is considered a separate profit center. That means it has to pay for itself through the money it raises....
Learning to learn: How to get better at what you do
I've been reading the book Talent is Overrated by Geoff Colvin. In it, he describes the kind of deliberate practice you have to do to get good at something. This is extremely important! If you're doing anything new with a learning curve, you can vastly accelerate that...
Why I Like Paper
A reader wrote in: I read your suggestion about the 3×5 pad and it sucks! That's because I hate paper and pen note-taking. I want something that I can carry with me anywhere on my handheld and which will also prompt me, just like a personal assistant, not something...
Work Less, Do More, and Have a Great Life!
As you head into 2012, here's a simple thought to keep in mind. Sometimes what we care most about seems like an afterthought, but it really isn't. Here's how to make sure you don't get lost in 2012.