When we're getting traction on something new, we typically have a week's worth of work to do, and an hour to do it. The International Labor Organization says Americans win the prize for the most overworked people in the world.1 We're productive, not because we work...
article
Here are articles on article
Making it Right with Wronged Employees
An executive team laid off a group of employees here in Canada in order to outsource to an Asian country. They can't find talent in the new country, work has stalled, and management tries to cajole laid-off employees (all talented, experienced peak performers) to...
Minimize Secrecy, Maximize Knowledge
People have lots of reasons for hoarding information, mostly bad ones. But sometimes it’s good to keep quiet. After all, you want information to get where it’s needed, in a way that serves everyone involved. Our daily job as managers is simple. We observe, taking in...
Productivity Means Working Smarter, Not Longer
Workers in the United States put in more hours at work and take fewer vacation days than those in most industrialized countries. But the U.S isn't the most productive country in the world. When it comes to full productivity, according to an article in The Economist,...
Understand What Motivates Your Boss
Letters from last month's column Productivity Means Working Smarter, Not Longer have been gratifying and surprising. Most unexpected was a theme I heard over and over: "My manager won't let me work smart. What do I do?" That's a real problem. Let's start by facing...
Thinking Outside Your Beliefs
I'll bet I know why you're reading this: You want the secret of success. And today, I plan to deliver. But the secret isn't what you think. It's not a practice, business model, or trend. Those are all just by-products of the real secret. All the "best practices" in...
Setting Strategic Direction: Vision, Strategy, and Tactics
Setting strategic direction is hard if a company muddles strategy, vision, and tactics. But what are they? How do you know if something’s a vision or a tactic? And how do you know a vision will be effective, versus just words on a wall? This article tells you what they are and how you know you’ve got them right.
Public Speaking and Performing
On rock 'n roll, public speaking, acting, and the nature of story... Wow, what a pretentious title for this note. I hope it lives up to its promise. THE SCENE BEGINS IN AN OFF-BROADWAY MUSICAL: Last weekend, I saw Signs of Life, the Off-Broadway play about life in...
Time after Time: Put Your Decision-Making Time Horizon to Work
Put Your Decision-Making Time Horizon to Work Think about the future. Notice what kind of events you expect to happen in the future. Think about the projects you have going on. Think about the good things you expect to happen, and how you plan for them. You'll notice...
Good customer service requires substance and style
Good customer service requires more than just nice phone manners. I had a customer service need today. I called the company, whom we’ll call Canadian Mozy, and got a very nice young man named “Johnny.” He seemed to have a genuine American accent, clearly understood my...