Management Craft

Get Focused - My New Lens on Squidoo

OK - I took the plunge. I considered all the feedback I received about Squidoo and decided to create a lens. Seth said it would take 20 minutes, but it took quite a bit longer than that (Seth, in 20 minutes you have a shell, not an interesting lens!).

My lens is about getting focused. You can see my lens here.

Please let me know if you like it and if you think I should add anything to it. I did not want it to be duplicative to the blog. Please feel free to rate it as well (they have a star system, I would be tickled to get lots of stars).

I will keep you updated on how the experiment goes and what I get from the experience!

April is National Poetry Month

I can't let April slip away without acknowledging that April is National Poetry Month. I will admit to being a total hack when it comes to writing poetry - but it is fun. To honor National Poetry Month, I have posted a new poem on all three of my blogs.

Here's the Management Craft Poem:

Bored

627 ceiling tiles
84 cublicles
12 muckity muck offices
125 steps to the elevator
47 minutes until lunch
1557 until the weekend
I can hold my breath for 78 seconds
95 days until vacation
3 phones ringing at once
1 hot babe in the copy room
12 pencils in a box
0 opportunities for promotion
4 internet browsers open at once
I have sold out for 60,000 dollars
876 emails
3 meetings before noon
16 months since my last raise
6 coasters
7 coffee cups
41,785 hours until retirement
I have six quarters in my pocket

Click here to read the 2 Weeks to a Breakthrough poem
Click here to read the Chile Pepper High poem
Click here to read previous business poems on Management Craft
Click here to read previous Chile Pepper High poems

Should I Squidoo?

I have to admit, I don't yet get Squidoo. I would love to hear from a couple people who have lenses on the pros and cons of being a lensmaster.

Are you getting lots of exposure? Or better exposure?
How do you know if your lens is effective?
Should I have a lens as a business author? Why?
Would the lens be specific to a book or more general?

I have never done a Google search and had a Squidoo lens come up. Am I just not searching for the right stuff? Hoe do people find your lens?

I appreciate your feedback. I do not want to add another communication vehicle that needs to be updated to my regimen, but I also don't want to ignore something I ought to be doing to strengthen my reach to potential readers.

You can leave a comment so everyone learns or you can pop me an email at lhaneberg AT gmail DOT com.

Is the Management Tipping Point Near?

I get this feeling that we are on the verge of a big change in business and life in the US. The signs have been strong for a while, but we brash and in charge Americans have gotten away with ignoring them. But things are coming to a head.

In politics
World economies
People's impatience (ours too) with American arrogance and cowboyism

There's a microcosm of this going on in our companies. The younger generations don't want to be managers and we've failed to change our management systems and practices to match what's going on in the world of technology and how people relate.

I realize that this thought is not a new, but I get the sense that something big is about to happen....

Are you a leader or manager? It is time to dismantle the organization and align it back up with today's demands. It is time to manage in a whole new way. Actually - The word management does not fit any longer. Even the term "lead" has backward thinking embedded into it. Think about it - these notions are rooted in an industrial age that no longer exists. They are born from a command and control mindset. Even the term empowerment is backward and comes from an assumption of power. You can only give power when you are in charge. You can only lead if you have followers. Even though we might not want to admit it - some of our more progressive notions are not progressive at all. It's the same dribble dressed up in an pink dress. Our basic assumptions for how to make this new work work are likely wrong.

You can't get to a new reality with old thinking.

Don't go to another traditional management training class - refuse! It will not likely help you.

Don't waste your company's money attending the usual leadership conference. You will not learn what you need to know!

99% of the information out there is of no use to you. And there is way too much of it. We are bombarded with useless information.

What's the mindset and practice that with serve us today and in the future? I will write more about this in my next post. In the mean time, think about the statements I have made here. I know they might be unpopular. What do you think? Heck, I might need to rethink the title for my blog!

Do One Great Thing

I spent the entire day writing - it was great. I shut down my email except for two or three check ins associated with meal breaks - glorious. Although not what I was writing about (I am putting the finishing touches on the 2 Weeks to a Breakthrough book), I thought about the importance of doing one great thing each day. Here are a few paragraphs from a chapter I wrote about this topic in Focus Like a Laser Beam, which will be out in about 5 weeks.

The concept of one great things helps me stay focused and disciplined because the other stuff is just stuff. Let me know what you think.

 

“I've learned that you can't have everything and do everything at the same time.” Oprah Winfrey

Laura is a smart and motivated vice president for a growing medium sized company. She maintains a detailed to-do list and works full tilt from the moment she gets to the office until she leaves. She brings some work home, too. From meetings to planning to phone calls and e-mails to creative work, her day slips away. Her whole department works at the speed of light. But Laura lacks focus and she often leaves the office feeling as though she has not accomplished much of anything. What a tragedy! Laura is a talented and engaged leader. Any company would be lucky to have her on their leadership team. And yet, she is killing herself everyday and not making enough of a difference to the business. Her brave efforts have she and her team heading for burn out.

Laura is not alone. Many hardworking leaders are frustrated and dissatisfied with their results. Many create this problem for themselves by saying, “yes,” to many things. Too many things. Yeses that fill their days and their team’s days. Days filled to the point that many great tasks get shortchanged or pushed aside. The trouble with yes it is often applied to the wrong questions.
“Yes, we can do that.”
“Yes, I will attend the meeting.”
“Yes, I have a few minutes.”
“Yes, that would be nice.”
“Yes, we have the budget (or we can juggle a few things around).”

These questions become the relevancy barometer for tasks that could fill 100 to-do lists. Think about that. How many items on your to-do list are there because you can do them and they are good things to do? Talented leaders can do many things. This does not mean that they should. In fact, senior managers should value leadership resources and take care not to squander them on marginal work.

And the yeses roll down hill, filling up to-do lists throughout the organization to the point the part-time interns can’t get all their work done. When leaders agree to a project or task, they often commit their team’s time and energy. Many employees do not feel comfortable managing up to ask questions about why the tasks keep coming. On way to help pare down your team’s list is to ask your employees their thoughts on what they do that does not make sense or support the most important goals.

The problem of too many yeses goes beyond each leader. “Yes,” is an organization wide issue and some cultures are worse than others. If someone calls a meeting that everyone knows is a waste of time, what happens? Does anyone say anything? If you attend a staff meeting that lacks relevance and impact, does anyone suggest to change the meeting? In many organizations, it is normal to attend ineffective meetings and spend time on marginally worthwhile tasks. This is crazy, and if you want to improve focus and results, you will want to get tougher about how you spend your days. Don’t endure another crummy meeting or spend time chasing down unimportant information! There are many more good things to do than you can complete.

It is better to do five things well, than 10 things poorly. Determine your and you’re your team’s capacity by looking at the quality and maintenance of your work. To-do lists are part of the problem. The process of emptying your head and keeping a running list of tasks, small or large, feels satisfying. A long list means you are not likely forgetting anything. If you can make a long list of things to do, why wouldn’t you? Keeping a legal pad or PDA full of uncompleted tasks does not help you focus. Your mind will see all the tasks that need to be done and go about trying to satisfy too many needs. You don’t want to be like Laura and leave at the end of a long day feeling like you did not get anything important done. Do you need a to-do list to tell you what’s most important? You shouldn’t need to be reminded of the ways in which you can make the greatest difference. These core tasks are likely emblazoned on your mind.

If you do use a to-do list, make it small and short. List the goals that you need to support and the precious few tasks that will best support them. At the top of this short list, write the one great thing that you want to get done today. Strive to get at least one great thing done each day. If you can do more than one, that’s great, but start with doing just one.

What’s a great thing? Think about your role and the goals of your function and the company. What’s the one thing you could do today that would best facilitate and enable the forward movement of work? What’s the one barrier you could obliterate that would get things moving again? What’s the one conversation you could stimulate that would leave your team energized and ready to attack a tough problem? What could you do that would help the company make better decisions about whether to approve a new system or process? What could you do that would clarify expectations, goals, or current performance? Great things will often address one of these areas.

If you do at least one great thing per day, you will leave each day feeling satisfied. Once you get to the point of doing one great thing each day, try doing one great thing each morning and afternoon. If each leader did two great things a day, their collective contribution to their businesses would be massive and transformative.

Laser focused leaders don’t need to-do lists. They make sure they do at least one great thing each day.

Life is short

My mother’s unexpected death occurred 10 days ago but the wounds in my heart feel fresh and sting sharp. Along with grieving her loss, I am hell bent on having some good come of this. She would have wanted me to make something good of this.

It is common that people reevaluate their lives and priorities when they lose a loved one or witness a death. I am in this process, too. Some of these thoughts are personal, but many relate to business and so I am sharing them with you in the event they are helpful.

1. Pettiness is waste. Life is too short to let disagreements or differences of style get in the way of our relationships. Don’t go there – don’t stay there. Be mellow and loving. For managers and leaders, this is especially important because we impact the tone of the work environment. We all have idiosyncrasies and drive people crazy.  Don’t go crazy. Don’t judge. I had already been moving in this direction, but I am now squarely in this space.

2. Don’t put it off. Living “in order to” do something can backfire. Tomorrow never comes, there’s only today. You have heard the saying, “be here now.” I would also say, “be THERE now.” The THERE being where you want to be in life. Be your future today. This is a tough one for me. I have lived most of my life in the mode of do now in order to arrive where I want to go tomorrow. My business needs some reshaping….I need to live more frugally so that I can have more fun and leisure NOW, not just plan to do that later or in retirement.

3. Find your space and fill it with passion, not stuff. Having a comfortable and inspiring home setting is important. Beyond that, stuff is just stuff. We covet stuff. Collect stuff. Store our extra stuff to make room for more stuff. Stuff is not life and it does not enhance life. Get rid of your excess stuff – at home and at work. As a former yuppie, this one trips me up a lot. I love cars, motorcycles, Airstreams, stuff, stuff, stuff, blah, blah, blah. My husband and I have seven computers between us – it’s crazy.

4. Determine what you love to do and then do it. Life is too short to stay in a job or business that does not light up your life. If you need to adjust your lifestyle to afford to do the work you love, so be it. You will be happier and with less stuff and more fulfillment. I was doing pretty good here, but had recently let my interest and passion for the southwest take a back seat to getting a few more business clients. I need to prioritize exploring how to combine these interests a bit better. I will be writing more on Chile Pepper High and will pick back up on the travelogue book project. Also, I would like to emphasize my writing more and perhaps even get a part-time or regular contract gig writing. I am booked up through July, but will be looking for projects beginning in August.

5. Time is precious and short – use it wisely. All work and no play makes us dull boys and girls. As leaders, we have a huge opportunity to help those we work with spend their time wisely. We can ensure that time is not wasted. We can develop a work environment that values time and contribution and encourages balance. Anyone can do a great job in 40 hours – really they can. If not, the job is poorly designed and you should change it or get out of it. Life is short. To that end, I am going to reduce the number of blog posts I do on Management Craft. I am only going to post when I have something I want to write. I will not feel obligated to post (I had previously set a goal of 5 posts per week). I am guessing that I will post about three times per week, but we will see what happens. This will allow me more time to post on the Chile Pepper High blog and the 2 Weeks to a Breakthrough blog. Also, I am going to plan my projects more carefully. Looking at the work I have coming up, I realize I am booked up through July. In the past, I would squeeze in projects and over book myself, but I am not going to do that any longer.

6. We are our legacy. I am very in tune with thinking about the legacy I leave. Since I do not have children, the mark I make on this world will be through my friends, good deeds, and work. It’s important to me that I make a contribution. I have much more to accomplish here. I don’t want to peddle management dribble – I want to contribute to the betterment of the working world.

And there’s so much more. My head is filled with reflection, sadness, and an urgency to act in alignment to produce an amazing life. My biggest fan is gone (and she was that) but she left me with lots to think about and I aim to make the most of her passing.

Going Dark for a While

Update: Thanks everyone for your comments and emails. My mother died a couple hours ago. I'd like to share this thought about her.

She had so much going on and was optimistic. She swore by her juice - acai and pom. She was 9/10 done with her book about the changing lives of women through how they set their table - Place Settings in Time. Her table was always classy and inviting. She had 2 inch long white shag carpet - it's all the rage again, don't you know? Looked like a blanket of snow.

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I will not be posting for a while. I am heading to Florida tomorrow. My mother has had a serious stroke and the news is not good. I will write when my head is ready to think about business again.

Who's Responsible for Motivation?

Skip over at Random Thoughts of a CTO picked up on BusinessPundit Rob's conversation about who is to blame for unmotivated employees. They both say that both the employee and manager have responsibility.

Sure, I can agree with that and I like what they both say in their posts. But I also think there is something else that's deeper. Many people hold the assumption that motivation is a thing that can be given, gotten, taken, and/or produced.

When it comes to real motivation, intrinsic motivation (the love of doing something for it's own sake), we are not in control of others but we are totally in control of ourselves.

Rob points out that most employees start a job with lots of desire and motivation. This is partially true, I think. For many people, this changes or fades. The question is, why and who is at fault?

First, I don't think we hold ourselves accountable to a high enough standard. Many people (I struggle with this too) are better starters than finishers and even with the best boss, they get bored and unengaged. The environment tolerates corporate zombies. Some environments attract zombies.

Second, there is something much more fundamental going on here. Our organizations (schools, businesses, families) are not set up to allow motivation and most squelch it big time. Our intrinsic juices might be so deeply covered and dejected that even the best intentions by people or bosses will fail to make a difference.

I see this even with people who say they want to get engaged and be motivated. It's like the cricket in a glass jar with a lid - it learns how high it can jump and won't escape when the lid is removed.

When will our education systems, families, and companies get it? For most, the answer is likely never. I think this is why the boom in entrepreneuralism. Even so, the same inertia plagues well intended innovators.

We have to reject a lot of programming to be our most motivated (our animated and courageous selves). Imagine what the world would feel like with high intrinsic motivation as the norm!

I think the key to motivation is LOVE and FREEDOM - and the willingness to unlearn A LOT.

Posts that make you want to go, hmmmm..

A few things to check out:

The latest Carnival of the Capitalists is up at the Business Opportunities Blog. Tons of great and interesting stuff.

This is a super interesting post from Ottmar Leibert called, Guitar. He talks about how to play fast and relates this to how we learn to do anything fast.

Adrian offers this provocative post called Expansive Egos that questions whether our ego is real or just a figment of our imagination.....

Another 2 Weeks to a Breakthrough Session Scheduled

I just scheduled the next 2 Weeks to a Breakthrough program to begin April 23rd. If you are interested in making something BIG happen, click on over to the breakthrough blog for more information.