Resonance Blog

Time Management Issues: Are you plagued by this?

2012-03-26T15:47:15Z

Last week I met with a client who had a time management issue “popping into her life” after her entire career never feeling as though this was an issue. She shared that as a result, she felt unproductive and overwhelmed.

How did this issue show up in her life? She felt as though she was spending too much time on specific tasks and not accomplishing what needed to get done. As we continued our conversation and dug deeper, the issue of not taking a break once she started working on a task came up as a real blocker for her. She would sit at her desk with a fear of stopping because she wanted to complete her task, project etc. This obviously was not serving her well. Maybe she needed that break in between. It was her perception that a break would ruin her concentration and focus so she continued.

Ironically enough, I was reading through a discussion in one of my LinkedIn Groups that addressed this same topic. “What do you do when you feel overwhelmed by the need to complete a task?” Some great ideas were shared; one in particular which I thought was quite interesting is called The Pomodoro Technique which is a Time Management Method. As explained in Wikipedia, developed by Francesco Cirillo in 1980 the method uses a timer (of some sort) to “break down periods of work into 25-minute intervals called ‘Pomodoros’ - from the Italian word for tomatoes - separated by breaks.” The method is based on the idea that mental agility can be enhanced by breaks.

Further explained, there are five basic steps in order to implement the technique:

decide on the task to be done
set the pomodoro (timer) to 25 minutes
work on the task until the timer rings; record with an x
take a short break (5 minutes)
every four "pomodoros" take a longer break (15–20 minutes)

It’s been a week since my client has tried this method. Her one main comment is that the break gives her time to re-group. She is further researching the method in order to become an expert in the technique. We’ll see how it continues to work for her. In any case, she is taking action; if this isn’t successful, there are many other methods, ones you can even design on your own, to address this very common issue.

Do you think the Pomodoro Technique is for you? If not, let us know what your technique is for those time management issues that “pop into your life.”

Culture is Key

2012-03-16T13:30:40Z

My daughter is graduating from college in a couple of weeks. She has started the job hunt and is preparing for some upcoming interviews. In assisting her with the resume, cover letters and applications it has been clear to me that her number one criteria in looking for a place to work is the culture of the organization. She has made it clear that she is looking for an environment that will not only be fun and full of energy but also interested in her growth and development. She understands that her degree in Psychology and Digital Communications has given her a great foundation but that there is so much more to learn.

Given what we do here at SoundBoard, that really should not surprise me, yet it did. I don't recall wondering or thinking about my personal growth until after I had 10+/- years work experience under my belt. I applaud her for understanding at this stage of the game that it is a lifelong journey of continued learning and constant improvement. I believe this is more important to this generation than most business leaders realize.

In business, culture (or climate) relates to the attitudes, values, goals and practices of that organization. It is something that needs to be clearly defined and communicated. In essence it is the lifeline of the company and has great impact on success.

In preparing her list of questions for an interview, my daughter plans on asking "what one word best describes what it is like to work at your company?" She is hopeful this will open the door to an enlightening dialogue.

What answer would you give her? Please share!

Small Shift Tip: Clearly define your success criteria

2012-03-12T19:48:00Z

What is important to you?

What 3-5 things will you celebrate when you achieve them?

What are the success criteria of your key people?

Are they in alignment with your definition?

Are they synergistic?

What support is needed to achieve success based on these criteria?

What needs to be delegated?

Who needs to be told what your success criteria are and how they can positively impact them?

It is easy to make assumptions about what success looks like; e.g. "we want to grow." It is the deeper questions behind that assumption that will result in greater profitability.

In what areas of the business do we want to grow?

Which areas are most profitable?

What margins must we achieve?

Where is the "low hanging fruit" - those opportunities that are right in front of us?

Make the small shift and right down those top success criteria, ask your key people to do the same and then compare notes.

A Leap Year Challenge!

2012-02-27T16:37:20Z

As we all know, 2012 is a leap year and that means we have 366 days instead of 365 - an additional 24 hours built in to our year!

An additional 24 hours over the course of 1 year is an extra 2 hours per month. What could you do in those 2 hours that would have a lasting impact on yourself, your family, or your business?

Instead of considering this extra time to be just like any other, it is a fantastic opportunity to build on a New Year's resolution that you have "been meaning to get around to..."

Now I don't know about you, but I really don't want January 1, 2013 to come along and not have anything to show for my extra day so I am going to be very deliberate about it and I challenge you to do the same. As you are reading this blog, what is that resolution or goal that you have let slip away OR what is the small shift that has been floating around in your mind that needs you to take action? Grab it, schedule it and do it...wether you take one whole day or break it down into several hours a month, you have an extra 24 hours this year, there are no excuses!

How do you plan to spend your extra day this year, please share and inspire others!

Considering Different Perspectives

2012-02-16T18:00:31Z

Many times clients come into a coaching session with a lot of assessments and are very rigid about their perspective of a situation that they need to address. It is my role as their coach to question their assumptions, open their mind up to different interpretations and uncover different approaches to moving through a situation. It is not my role to validate or give them the solution. As a result, greater commitment and ownership by the individual is eventually established.

In a recent coaching session, my client was very sure that she knew what was keeping her direct report from performing up to the standards set for her. She believed that it was a lack of knowledge. Her partner did not believe this to be the case; she felt that it was a lack of training and communication. My client was very sure that her assessment was correct and as a result limited the communication with the direct report so as to avoid the frustration related to the lack of performance. This became a vicious cycle and led to the report’s overall decrease in performance.

We spoke about the cycle of avoidance that was being created by the lack of dialogue. We talked through what the missing conversation looked like in order to close the gap between her perception and what was truly keeping her direct report from performing her job properly. My client was still very hesitant to believe there was any other perspective. After more probing what was discovered was that the direct report was not given the direction needed to complete her tasks - as much as my client thought she was giving it. My client was now open to the idea that maybe her partner had a valid point; maybe the training and communication was lacking.

My client made a commitment to speak to her employee. The direct report expressed that sometimes she felt very unsupported and that communication between the two was mediocre at best. The conversation was enlightening and my client felt that there were many shifts they could make together to move towards the right path and improve the situation between them and the performance of her direct report.

What do you think prevents us from opening up our minds to different perspectives?

Passing a Business from Generation to Generation: A Child's Perspective

2012-01-31T15:00:23Z

This post is written in response to Passing a Business from Generation to Generation: A Parents Perspective

Dear Mom & Dad,

I know you don’t think I know much, and while I don’t have as many years of experience under my belt as you do, I can hold my own. I’ve watched you build the business from the ground up, putting in back-breaking, long hours for days on end and know that this business would not be near where it is today without your efforts and labors early on.

But the business has grown from our basement to a multi-million dollar operation that’s employing more people every year and continuing on a positive growth path. Of which you certainly deserve the bulk, if not all, of the credit.

With that I'd like to clarify the following things:

1. I don’t want you out, nobody does.

The knowledge, relationships, and respect that you’ve accumulated over your 40+ years in the industry are unmatched and a key asset to our continued success. We all recognize that right now without you the business would struggle drastically. Besides, we all know you can’t (and won’t) fully retire.

2. You hired competent people

Put some trust in the people you hired, especially those who have been with you for years. It’s okay if they fail because in order to grow we need to let others have control too.

3. Roles change over time

Nobody will ever do "it" as good as you. But you can't do everything if we want the business to continue on its current trajectory. As the company has grown, so too have the responsibilities of each key employee. With that we’ve created an environment of accountability and ownership where all feel like this is their business. Just because they don’t do things exactly as you would have doesn’t mean they don’t care and don’t have the organization's best interests in mind.

4. Succession planning

Not an easy topic to broach, but one that we must take head on - TOGETHER. I'm in the family business too, our business, I want it to be successful so that you can enjoy your retirement years and not burn yourself out -- not only because you're my parents but because I also want to know that if things continue to go well, I can also benefit and take it a bit easy in my later years too.

So while sometimes it may seem like I’m in a hurry to get to the top, I know it takes time and patience from my end. And a willingness from all of us to continue to provide critical feedback of one another. So, stay there for a while longer but give me and the rest of the team the power to make decisions and to make our own mistakes.

Humbly,

Number Two

Small Shift Tip: Have the courage to change

2012-01-24T16:27:20Z

We tend to resist anything new or different. Ask yourself these questions:

Is the culture of your company one of resistance?

Do you experience push back on anything new?

What is under that "attitude of resistance"?

Do you have a lot of "legacy" employees that prefer things to stay the "way we have always done them"?

These times require greater flexibility and constant reinvention. Most change does not have to be "big" for it to make an impact. One small shift to greater courage is just to notice when resistance is taking place; point it out to those resisting and ask why?

Where have you seen resistance in your organization and what can you do to change it?

A Realistic Approach to Goal Setting in the New Year

2012-01-19T17:44:52Z

New Year...reflect & let go!

2012-01-12T14:00:59Z

While most people mark the New Year with annual resolutions, I look at my birthday as the demarcation point for that annual ritual. So what do I do on the New Year? For me the New Year is a time to reflect and let go. I reflect on my “could of, would of, and should of's” and then look forward to what the upcoming seasons will bring.

For me the New Year is a representation of the “official” start of Winter with all of its briskness. Winter offers me the chance to enjoy the warmth of a cozy chair and blanket and a book for new learning. Learning has always been a catalyst for me to stay passionate and engaged in my work. Winter is also a time to clean out my old files and calendars and purchase my fresh new planner. It is a chance to enjoy “comfort” food, Sunday night with the family watching movies and just spending more time indoors being together.

The New Year represents a fresh P&L, the need to open new doors of opportunity, and a good reason to reconnect with clients, old and new.

2012 is here and with it comes the balance of excitement and pressure and the hope for great celebration and business growth!

Would love to hear what a New Year represents to you!

There is opportunity in every day!

2012-01-09T14:00:27Z

Ah the start of another year! A clean slate and a chance to create a new beginning! Really? Or is it just another month that happens to have a different number associated with it? For me every day provides the opportunity to create a new beginning. I never really understood the mentality of "after the holidays" or "next year". Believe me, I have my own New Year's resolutions, but I also have my "today resolutions".

So, on January 4th, I sat at my desk to call all of those prospects that said "after the holidays"! I didn't want to call on the 3rd because they are all just getting back to work. They may think that I am being too aggressive or hungry for business. Well, wouldn't that be the truth! If I don't stick to my "today resolutions", my business would not move forward.

I am excited about the coming year. I think we all have worn out the excuses of the economy, European Debt Crisis, unstable Middle East governments, corrupt Wall Street, a leadership-less government, etc. The entrepreneurial spirit is as strong as ever in our country. So many new business ideas are being presented. The entrepreneurial business schools are filled to the brim. If the public sector is not going to support job growth, it is critical that the private sector invest back into this country's entrepreneurial foundation.

I am excited to share that we will be launching the SoundBoard Angel Fund early this year; primarily focused on providing seed capital to start-ups and early-stage companies. Our investor group of successful entrepreneurs is ready to make its impact on job creation. We are taking the steps to help fuel our future entrepreneurs and business leaders.

How will you help impact the entrepreneurial spirit in this New Year and future years to come?