Take a quick look around the office and identify a super random, out of place object. Now, imagine the boss said it had to go. Today's top priority is to think of ALL the ways to relocate this trinket. Any ideas? We do similar things everyday using simple and straightforward approaches (like pick it up, move it, back to work). What if the boss incentivized creative and numerous options instead of just getting 'er done? Thinking past the easy, works-every-time methods requires fresh inspiration. … [Read more...]
Constant Connectivity: Friend or Foe?
For people wondering if constant connectivity has truly boosted their productivity or just made them work longer without actually getting more done, we've created a quiz that reveals the truth. … [Read more...]
Digital Detox: The Gift That Keeps On Giving
Many of us will have time off during the holidays, but will we really take a break? Despite being out of the office, 44% of us will be checking work email during vacation. Instead of that, be part of the 56% who unplug and take a real breather. Try one of these easy ways to take the first step: Use Auto Responders: Set auto responders and turn off notifications. Craft outgoing messages telling people when you’ll return and include ways for them to contact you if the sky falls. Apps like … [Read more...]
Land of the Lost Boundaries
Only recently has having access to everyone all the time become an option. Boundaries like evenings, weekends, vacations and holidays used to provide natural work/life buffers. Who'd have ever considered telling a coworker about a glitch in the Matrix while that person was on vacation? Vacation was for vacationing. Period. Pass the daiquiris. Then the Age of Distraction dawned bringing with it the power to contact everyone at anytime, no matter what their level of interest or response might … [Read more...]
Negative Buoyancy at Work
Did you know there's a depth where even the most cork-like of us will head straight to Davy Jones’ locker? This concept, called “negative buoyancy,” was described to me by a wiry, tattooed, fat-free, superhuman of a free diver (hold breath, go deep) whose passion is sinking. Where the plummeting begins depends on body type, but like other laws of physics, it applies to everyone. This got me thinking; it's not only aquatic environments where there's a threshold that, once eclipsed, leads to … [Read more...]
3 Steps For a Better Perspective
Like fashionable shades perched perpetually on our face, our perspective plays a powerful role in how we see things. In fact, we're so accustomed to peering through these lenses that we barely even acknowledge their influence. This makes it easy to accept things as we think they are, whether or not they're working for us. It turns out that changing our perspective can be as easy as removing these metaphorical shades. Anyone interested in creativity, innovation and finally solving the … [Read more...]
What To Do At The Next Holiday Party
We know that storytelling is an essential trait of great leaders (see Clemson Turregano’s article Storytelling as a Leader’s Art for example), but actually being a solid storyteller takes practice. Given that the moments leaders most need to deliver awesome anecdotes are also often the ones when they absolutely cannot tank, practice is clearly essential. Luckily, the holiday party time of year has arrived and provides a perfect place to experiment. Offering fresh narratives to the usual stale … [Read more...]
6 Ways to Drive Greater Productivity
Look up, take a deep breath and picture a fuel gauge, like on a car's dashboard. How full is your tank? Now consider the rest of the day's “driving conditions". Will you be stuck in traffic as the needle dips towards empty or is there smooth sailing ahead? Do you have far to go or just around the corner? Will you need to fuel up and if so, how? Our energy levels change throughout the day and we do best when we work according to what's in our tank. Check out these simple ways to optimize fuel … [Read more...]
Not As Important As We Think We Are
Describe the last event that sent life totally off the rails because a text or email wasn’t immediately answered. Can you think of a time that making a plan could have replaced long periods of distracted texting and endless email threads? We operate these days with one eye on our devices and the other on whatever it is we are actually doing. Being constantly connected (and distracted) is acceptable and even expected; everyone's doing it and will continue to do so. But like that bridge people … [Read more...]
How to Fit a 16 oz. Latte in a 12 oz. Cup
How did it get so late so soon? It’s night before it’s afternoon. December is here before its June. My goodness how the time has flewn. – Dr. Suess Do you ever feel like trying to get everything done each day is like cramming a 16 ounce latte into a 12 ounce mug? And mysteriously, even after we've cast aside what we don't think there's time for, we still somehow end up spilling everywhere as distraction’s empty calories fill our cup. The result is that we are left feeling stuffed (busy) but … [Read more...]
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- Next Page »
