This originally appeared in my daily devotional by John Maxwell, who happens to be one of my all-time favorite authors and speakers. I have been privileged to hear him speak in person on a few occasions. It was hearing him prior to me taking my job at LeTourneau University, which happens to be my current job, at Ohio Christian University in Cedarville, Ohio.
"I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people."
Leviticus 26:12
Belonging is one of the most basic needs that every person has. Positive influencers understand this need for a sense of belonging and do things that make people feel included. Parents make sure their children feel like important members of the family. Spouses make the person to whom they are married feel like a cherished equal partner. And bosses let their employees know that they are valued members of the team.
Great leaders are particularly talented at making their followers feel like they belong. Napoleon Bonaparte, for example, was a master at making people feel important and included. He was known for wandering through his camp and greeting every officer by name. As he talked to each man, he would ask about his hometown, wife, and family. And the general would talk about a battle or maneuver in which he knew the man had taken part. The interest and time he took with his followers made them feel a great sense of camaraderie and belonging. It's no wonder that his men were devoted to him.
If you desire to become a better leader, develop an other-person mindset. Begin looking for ways to include others.
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
Republished: Productivity Hacks: How to Get Twice as Much Done in Halfthe Time
This article originally appeared online at https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/articles/productivity-hacks-get-twice-done-half-time/?extlink=Enterprise2015_GrowthPartner_Q4_PaidMedia_Smartbrief_Midfunnel
By: Mike Michalowitz
Determine what you want to accomplish—more money, more free time—and structure your day to accomplish those goals. In the end, productivity is prioritization.
But you can put Parkinson’s Law to work for you. Make commitments to deliver work earlier than you ordinarily would. If you promise a report in a week, then according to Parkinson’s Law, you’ll take the entire week to finish that report. But if you promise it in two days, you’ll buckle down and the very same report that could have taken a week is finished in the two allotted days.
If you make yourself accountable, you’ll push yourself to deliver on time. Putting your reputation on the line by making an external commitment—having a person waiting for your portion of the deliverable—forces you to work efficiently. It can also be useful to enlist the aid of a colleague in boosting productivity by creating a reciprocal commitment. You deliver work, your colleague reviews, polishes and critiques it—all on a tight deadline—and you do the same for your colleague.
You can both end up accomplishing more work of better quality.
I’ve found physically changing the way I work has done wonders for my productivity as well. Rather than sitting at a desk all day, I spend at least some of my workday at a standing desk. Standing up increases blood flow, and the simple act of shifting between sitting and standing desks helps provide a quick break.
Tasks that generate money get a $. Tasks that please an existing customer get a . Tasks that create a system—something that will work automatically once it’s complete—get a ∞. Once I’ve classified the items on my list, I get down to work. Tasks with multiple symbols have the highest priority—those items are more productive. Tasks with one symbol follow, and only after I’ve crossed all the jobs with symbols off my list do I tackle the items without symbols. It’s all about accomplishing more valuable tasks, taking care of the priorities.
We can work ourselves to death and still accomplish very little if we’re working without a meaningful definition of productivity, or if we’re working without appropriate priorities. Determine what you want to accomplish—more money, more free time—and structure your day to accomplish those goals. In the end, productivity is prioritization.
Everyone seems obsessed with productivity. We’re all trying to do more in less time, always hoping we’ll cross that last thing off our to-do list. Here’s the plain truth: That to-do list is endless. Not only that, but if you measure success solely by the number of tasks you do, you’re doomed.
We have to start by redefining productivity. It’s not the number of tasks we accomplish that matters. It’s the quality, the benefits of those tasks that really matters. So we must start with our definition: productivity is accomplishing the most important tasks more efficiently.
I find one thing that’s effective for me is to articulate the benefit I gain from being more productive.
Whether my goal is to make more money or carve out more personal time to spend with my family, keeping the end result in mind helps me stay focused on the tasks that really do matter, that really move me toward my goal.
Whether my goal is to make more money or carve out more personal time to spend with my family, keeping the end result in mind helps me stay focused on the tasks that really do matter, that really move me toward my goal.
Determine what you want to accomplish—more money, more free time—and structure your day to accomplish those goals. In the end, productivity is prioritization.
Rethinking Deadlines
Once you’ve defined productivity, one of the most useful exercises is to learn a little more about human nature, human behavior. Cyril Northcote Parkinson gave us Parkinson’s Law, which describes the relationship between work and time: “Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.” What that means is that a task will take as long as we allot to accomplish it. A deadline can either push us to work harder, or it can be the perfect excuse to drag a task out much longer than necessary.
But you can put Parkinson’s Law to work for you. Make commitments to deliver work earlier than you ordinarily would. If you promise a report in a week, then according to Parkinson’s Law, you’ll take the entire week to finish that report. But if you promise it in two days, you’ll buckle down and the very same report that could have taken a week is finished in the two allotted days.
If you make yourself accountable, you’ll push yourself to deliver on time. Putting your reputation on the line by making an external commitment—having a person waiting for your portion of the deliverable—forces you to work efficiently. It can also be useful to enlist the aid of a colleague in boosting productivity by creating a reciprocal commitment. You deliver work, your colleague reviews, polishes and critiques it—all on a tight deadline—and you do the same for your colleague.
You can both end up accomplishing more work of better quality.
Understanding Burst Work
Another technique that works for me is burst work. Most of us aren’t marathon runners. If we commit to long periods of working, our drive wanes. We fatigue. But we can work hard for short periods of time. The key to burst work is taking frequent breaks to refresh your focus and drive. The best breaks involve physically moving around. Change your scenery. Go for a walk. Do some pushups. If you clear your head, you’ll be ready to buckle down and do another burst of work.
I’ve found physically changing the way I work has done wonders for my productivity as well. Rather than sitting at a desk all day, I spend at least some of my workday at a standing desk. Standing up increases blood flow, and the simple act of shifting between sitting and standing desks helps provide a quick break.
Making a List
Finally, one of the most important and effective productivity hacks I’ve found is to list everything I need to accomplish, and prioritize those tasks. I jot down tasks that occur to me throughout the day (so I don’t stress about having to remember them). After I’ve compiled the list, I have three symbols I use as shorthand to help me identify tasks that deserve my attention before all the others.
Tasks that generate money get a $. Tasks that please an existing customer get a . Tasks that create a system—something that will work automatically once it’s complete—get a ∞. Once I’ve classified the items on my list, I get down to work. Tasks with multiple symbols have the highest priority—those items are more productive. Tasks with one symbol follow, and only after I’ve crossed all the jobs with symbols off my list do I tackle the items without symbols. It’s all about accomplishing more valuable tasks, taking care of the priorities.
We can work ourselves to death and still accomplish very little if we’re working without a meaningful definition of productivity, or if we’re working without appropriate priorities. Determine what you want to accomplish—more money, more free time—and structure your day to accomplish those goals. In the end, productivity is prioritization.
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