Most leaders I talk with describe their days as a constant frenzy of meetings, emails, and urgent deliverables. How can we reorganize ourselves so that we are using our time to be as productive as possible? Here is a Productivity Exercise suggested by Kate Northrup in a recent article* in Harvard Business Review. First, pick an area of your life where you want to improve … [Read more...] about When Less Really is Better
Implementation
Tips for Team Problem Solving
Part of your success will depend upon your ability to lead your team through effective problem-solving on a regular basis. One suggested process* for team problem-solving includes: *Define the Problem *Generate Solutions *Evaluate Solutions *Choose a Solution *Make a Plan These seem obvious and straightforward, yet – quite often – teams do not follow this … [Read more...] about Tips for Team Problem Solving
Update Your Environment Assessment
The world has changed dramatically in many different ways during the past few months. You know this and you have probably been working triple-overtime adjusting to all of changes. Suggestion: Call a brief time-out soon to take a good hard look at your new environment. Ask yourself and your team these questions with both the short-term and long-term in mind: What is … [Read more...] about Update Your Environment Assessment
Lessons from the Spanish Flu Era
We are in uncharted territory in these COVID-19 times, but can still learn from the past. The last World Pandemic we had was the Spanish Flu in 1918. So, I thought I would interview my two grandfathers who were born in the 1890s and lived through this. What can we learn from their experiences? My paternal grandfather, M. E. Sheehan, essentially invented the gig … [Read more...] about Lessons from the Spanish Flu Era
Hard Work and Failure
“It can’t be done.” This is the conclusion that some people come to after giving something a few tries. Others take on the mindset of: “We have not figured out yet how to do it.” When we are working on a hard goal, setbacks and failures are part of what is involved. This can surely be disappointing. But if we are truly inspired by the goal and especially what it … [Read more...] about Hard Work and Failure