Tag Archives: work

Leaders Need Washboard Abs

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I supposed it has a real name, but I call it the finishing work. It is the work at the end of a project that takes it from being pretty good to being very exceptional. In most cases it is the final 10-15% of the work that could be done, but doesn’t necessarily have to be done. Few people tend to like do finishing work, so it becomes the natural separator in almost every experience that you have. You will find it is the difference between restaurants, websites, athletes, leaders and relationships.

I want washboard abs.  Although I workout 6-7 days a week and have completed several marathons, triathlons and an ironman, I still do not have them. Why? Because I hate sit-ups and being a conscientious, healthy eater. These two items are finishing work. So, even though I workout really hard, I am still short of one of my goals. So, someday soon I will have to discipline myself to drink no beer and take the extra 15 minutes at the end of each work out to put in some sit-ups.
* And, no, these are not a requirement for leadership, but it got you to read the article.

How about you? Do you cheat excellence in areas of your leadership, home, work or personal life because of finishing work? It’s tough, but it is what it takes to move areas in your life from ‘good’ to ‘awesome’.

5 New-World Tools

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Here are some very basic thoughts on for working, networking, living and leading in the world today. These are not comprehensive and they may not even be the top 5 so add some ideas of your own to the comments section. I feel silly even writing about these things but every week I run into leaders who are violating at least 2 of these 5 items.

Cell # – Keep the one you have. Don’t use the one your company gives you (unless you have to). DON’T ever change your number (unless your area code is North Dakota, then travel some place cool and get set-up there). Invariably you will change jobs, locations, etc… most people hate trying to track you down. Worst yet, they won’t.

Personalized Email – Similar to your cell, don’t make changes that keep the right and important people from finding you. Unless your employer requires you to use their email address, create your own. Get one at Gmail or .ME or get your own domain. I use 2. I for people and a different one for filling out forms and other crap on & off-line.

Google Docs – This is my preferred collaboration tool, others like Basecamp. The principle here is simple. Learn how to effectively collaborate and use current tools that allow you to do this effectively with others. If you haven’t spent time doing anything other than goofing off on the internet, start learning NOW how to use the amazing free work tools found online.

Network Tools – Sure, Facebook is good, but be sure to constantly be developing your own network of indispensable relationships, contacts, phone numbers and emails. This truth is as old as society.

Work from Anywhere – Train yourself to effectively be able to work from anywhere. Create your own personal spaces & virtual offices. IF you have to be ‘at your office’ to get your job done you won’t last long in the new world of work. By your own laptop. Keep your own files. Create your own securities and back-up systems. Make sure that everything essential to high performance is available to you online. Take reimbursements if they are available from your company for things like your cell or computer or licenses, but don’t let anyone else own your new office.

The J O B

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1 close friend just landed a GREAT job. However, more than 1 of my friends have lost great jobs in the last year. The space between landing a great job and losing a great job is ‘working at the job’.

For my friend who just landed a job, I hope that he can retain and remember his current state of euphoria, gratitude and motivation to be a great asset to his his new team. Because, when you are jobless, you work your ass off to find a great job. If you get desperate, you will take a solid job. If things get really bad, however, you will take just about any job . This is assumes, of course, you are a responsible, able-bodied and breathing person.

Far too many people slip into ‘working the J O B’. I suspect that most employees don’t even last 30 days before their enthusiasm for their new gainful employment is lost and then everything starts slipping into routine. Work like you own the company. Live with purpose. Do what you love. Say thanks to the men and women who are able to cut the paychecks you take home. Enjoy the life you have… start doing it right now.

time suckers

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I have heard just about EVERY young leader at one time or another complain that their job requires more of them than they have time to give (myself included). A few years ago, while reading Getting Things Done, I started to pay attention to “time suckers” – things that take time away from productivity in my day. Here are a few of them; my hunch is that they are affecting your work world too! My point is that you will find a TON of time inside of every day where you can be more productive, not so that you can add more work to your hours but so that you can add more hours to your life. (I don’t want to work all of the time!)

EMAIL - every single person I know if guilty of checking their email too much and then being drawn into ‘urgent’ items that they find awaiting them in the in-box rather than staying focused on items that are at hand right now or that are due sometime very soon. TURN OFF your email and block out some planned for work time. I promise that the email will still be there when you come back to it. EMAIL is not IM and it is not the phone, so stop treating it like such.

PHONE CALLS – these, along with text messages, also suck tons of high impact time out of your day. Believe it or not, there was an era where people couldn’t be reached or interupted every second of every day.

FACEBOOK, TWITTER & their posse – Mark Cuban has an interesting post on this; I agree with him. While usable networking tools, you have to admit they more often than not are a distraction to your work.

CERTAIN  INDIVIDUALS - you know who they are… when you see them come up on caller ID or walk down the hallway or send you a meeting request for an hour but you know it really means 2. Work hard to put parameters on these certain individuals so that they don’t suck your time.

MEETINGS - I know, they are unavoidable. But, going out on a limb here, I think that 50% of the meetings that exist out there in our worlds are largely ineffective, inefficient or just straight up bogus. Most people leading them haven’t even read a single article let alone a book on how to lead an effective meeting. Way too many meetings involve needless chit-chat. Please, read Death By Meeting and then start giving it out as gifts for Christmas.