start small but start

Starting is the best thing you can do. 

Starting a business? Find one or two loyal customers.

Starting running? Run for 5 minutes.

Starting swimming? Do half a length.

Starting a new job? Go easy.

Starting is the best thing you can do.

The Important Jobs

Who defines for you which jobs are important and which jobs aren't?  Honestly - is there a rating system that defines what is mor important to be done?  Maybe, but I doubt it.  Especially not for managers. 

One key task of a manager is to figure what is important in their role.  There are few set ratings or 'star-system' for measurement (unless you have these as KPI's).  However I think we can create categories that define broad aspects of our work.  Those catagories look a little something like this -

1. People - internal.  I value internal people higher than externals.  Many would disagree but as a manager I believe we should be coaching/working with/empowering our people first so then they can go and serve the external people.
2. People - external.  External persons are not just customers but any person who is not in your department, office or area of influence.  People are the most crucial aspect of a managers role.  get the people part of things right and you are well on your way to success.
3. Compliance - internal.  Sticking to the rules and ensuring that the requirements of the organisation are met.  Creating budgets that balance, updating project management reports, customer interaction reports.  They are all important.
4. Compliance - external.
5. Any tasks not already covered above.

No single area is not as important as another area but there is a hierarchy.  When the internal people know what to do and when that frees you up to deal with customers external and the compliance issues and requirements of your role.




There are very few unimportant jobs in an organisation.  What defines a task as being important or not is the emphasis you place on it.

Leadership Lessons - From TED

This is a great video and while there are lessons given by the presenter, here a few more bits that I would like to add to the conversation -

• Taking the initiative is important. Somebody has to get started - right? The first mover see's an opportunity and grabs it. Completely unaware or without thinking about the outcomes or opportunities the situation provides he runs on instinct and it works.
• Recreating the first time never quite has the same spontaneity or freedom of choice to it. But the second time allows for better organization, co-operation and consistency.
• The first person always takes the risk to get started - but those who follow are better able to improve the product.
• The first person will always remember being the first person but may not receive the same credit he thinks he may deserve.
• Unless - the first guy is able to repeat his success on multiple occasions and to improve the style and outcomes of his offering.

Being first is cool very cool but through waiting and watching - you can improve and grow upon the successes of others.

(Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lerdobi/422218584/)

Word of the Week - Catalyst

cat·a·lyst (ktl-st)

1. Chemistry - A substance, usually used in small amounts relative to the reactants, that modifies and increases the rate of a reaction without being consumed in the process.

2. One that precipitates a process or event, especially without being involved in or changed by the consequences.
 
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If being a catalyst were a requirement in your job description would you meet the grade required?

Remember - catalysts make chemical reactions move faster. Catalysts aren't the reaction.  Based on that understanding here are a few thoughts on how you can become a catalyst in your place of work -

1. Stay fresh.  Catalysts are used over and over again.  Make sure you are fit (physically) and look after your health.
2. Question everything.  Create new methods and practices for doing things better!
3. Be open to new ideas.
4. Search out new ideas, options and practices for current procedures that will create new levels of performance (mental fitness).

The secret to being a catalyst is to speed up reactions in others and to help processes move along faster than what they normally would!

(Image courtesy of : http://www.flickr.com/photos/chemheritage/3010563525/)

Life Lessons - To Do List

The choice is yours.

"How we spend our days is of course - how we spend our lives" Annie Dillard.

(Thanks to Daphnee Maree for posting the graphic.)

Time Management That Works

Not enough hours in the day to get everything done?

Try these tips -

• Do all the little jobs first and get them out of the way.
• After you have finished all the little jobs you will find you will have made progress on the medium sized jobs already.
• Put your telephone onto voicemail and wait until you have at least 5 messages before actioning any of them.
• Don't ignore the little box that pops up with new emails - get to any new emails straight away and deal to them!
• Cancel or don't attend meetings that will waste your time.
• Keep your email inbox down to a maximum of 20 emails at any one time.
• Work hard on filing emails that are information only or completely not urgent.

Time management is all about reducing and eliminating the time wasters and focusing on and putting your efforts into the valuable stuff.

Mental Agility

One important aspect of every persons career is retaining the ability to adapt and to learn new skills as quickly as they can.

Here are a few ideas to keep you mentally agile and flexible -

1. Study another language. This will really test you at any stage of life! Learning another language will cover more areas of your brain than traditional brain teasers as it requires both creativity and memory work.


2. Exercise with cardio. Doing intense exercise gets the lungs working harder and the blood flowing faster. More oxygen in the lungs being transported around your body can only have a positive effect on your brain.


3. Eat and drink smarter - Omega 3's power the brain. The best places to find these are in fish particularly salmon. Otherwise take a supplement.


4. Relax your brain. When the pressure is off and your not at work, learn to take it easy. his applies both to your brain fitness as well as your physical fitness. You need to do the training but you also need to rest to reap the full benefits.

(See also - Australian Mens Health, February 2010.)

"Learn to adjust yourself to the conditions you have to endure, but make a point of trying to alter or correct conditions so that they are most favorable to you." William Frederick Book.

Take a Break

An important part of managing is knowing and understanding your energy cycles. Energy cycles are governed by what you eat and the amount of rest you have.

Here are a few tips to help you through the year -

1. Keep a diary. Keep a hourly record of your energy levels over a fortnight and map the trends. What time's were you full of energy and ready to go? What time's were you on a low and needed a boost?


2. Plan your year. When you put together your annual leave plan make sure you take breaks right across the year and most importantly when you will need them. Aim to have a few spare days up your sleeve for those days when you just can't face another day at work.


3. Eat right. Your energy levels will rise and fall based on your diet and fitness levels. If you eat right then your food should provide a constant amount of fuel throughout the day to enable to be balanced.
   
   
4. Take breaks. You might feel like you are accomplishing more by skipping your coffee break but you may actually be achieving less. Take your regulated breaks when you can. If you are busy - reschedule your break for a better time - but don't skip it! Your body and brain's need to take a break. Then when you come back to the task you wil feel more fresh and you will be able to apply yourself better to it.

Taking time off and not being in the office is just as if not more important as being there!

Leadership Interviews - Number 2

Wendy Kopp, CEO of Teach for America - is a great role model. Ms Kopp is listed as having a Bachelors degree. What does that say? You don't have to have a PhD to be a great CEO!

What I find really interesting about Ms Kopp is the fact that when she first finished her study she noticed a need in the community at the low income end and ended up starting a community and social responsibility company that seeks to help under privileged kids.

Here's the lesson - if you follow your heart, use your smarts and open to change then anything is possibe.

Here's another lesson - often times you won't change the system from within, but you can create and provide solutions from the outside in.

Here is a video of an interview done with Ms Kopp.




There is also another great interview with her written up by the NY Times over here.

Staying Motivated

After taking annual leave, being sick or exiting a stressful time period at work it is easy to become tired and lack lustre.

Work standards fall and so does the quality of the work that is being out put.

Try these simple starters to help get you started -

• Read all your emails first. Clear all the distractions.
• Sort your tasks by rank - urgent, important, not urgent, not important.
• Assign days to the tasks. That is a particular job can be done on Thursday rather than Tuesday thereby reducing the stress and pressure.
• Delegate quick and easy tasks, then complete as many small tasks as you can.

After making some easy wins - you will feel more energised and better able to take on the big tasks that lie before you!

You may also find some more helpful hints here - mftrou.com, or the Harvard Business Ideacast 161: Stuart Friedman (iTunes).