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September 2, 2007 21:22 - Learning From Cricket
On Thursday August 29th, the England cricket team faced an uphill challenge.
They were facing a relatively easy target, of 213 runs to win, in the 20-20 match against India.
A win would give them a 3-1 lead in a best-of-seven series.
Things did not go well. When Stuart Broad came in, England were 114 for 7. It was not looking promising at all.
In a radio interview this weekend, Broad offered his insight into how he achieved success and a final result in England's favor.
Broad used a little bit of 'goal psychology' to help him.
Instead of looking at the scoreboard and seeking 99 runs to win (with only 3 wickets of tail-enders remaining), Broad decided to target himself on just achieving 10 runs.
When the first goal was achieved, his next focus was on just making 10 runs - again.
The 99 runs were achieved and the series changing 3-1 lead was attained.
Whilst this sort of 'achievable goal' is not new, it's useful to reflect on a practical application that worked in a very 'real world' situation this week.
Where a goal looks big and unachievable in one go, by reducing it to 'bite-sized' chunks, it's amazing just what can be done.
Before long the components of the small goals you get through will begin to approach the overall outcome.
September 4, 2007 08:21 - Team Building Skills - The Stepping Stone To Business Success
Building a successful team inside your organization is vital to the success of your company.
Giving your employees the chance to feel they are part of something bigger than themselves offers your company the benefit of happier employees.
Here's why, and some clues to how you do it... (Read Article)
September 10, 2007 10:23 - Less Is More - Try It!
Let's face it. Business life can be tough going.
There can be so much going on, often unexpectedly hitting us just when we don't need it to.
So we work our socks off to keep those plates spinning. Notwithstanding the work we've done so far in these little newsletters, to help you see that you have people around you who can be developed to take the majority of the weight off you, there is something else you can do.
Or rather something else you can NOT do.
Find a day in your week that you can focus on - let's say tomorrow, as there is always a way to put things off - and do nothing.
Ignoring what seems to be important because it flies at you from left field can be very rewarding.
For things that others pile on you, give them the decision making challenge for the day.
Or put decisions off for 24 hours - there are very few things that require immediate attention - and they are so often to other people's deadlines too.
You'll find that what bubbles up, to fill the spaces in your day, are enlightenting and interesting.
And ultimately much more valuable than scrambling around like that headless chicken we so often quote.
Making the space to do more - by doing a lot less - is revealing and thrilling.
You should give it a chance someday - like tomorrow.
September 17, 2007 13:32 - Slow Down, To Speed Up
Last week we talked about stopping doing all the stuff that hits you unexpectedly, so that you can do more.
It was such a vitally important message, that I was delighted to get a reply through the website contact form, reminding me of another way to get more done.
It's about doing things slowly.
It's a fact, if you slow down, you become more effective and productive.
What might be a surprise is the level of slowing down that I'm talking about.
Take this newsletter. I write pretty fast - in fact it's a preferred style that means I get more 'flow' from my thoughts - and I edit at the end, reading through carefully and not trusting spellcheckers always (the only word that came up today was 'spellcheckers'!).
I also subtly change what I've written to make it more meaningful or just to read more easily.
And I correct the typos (most of the time anyway!).
Yet, by typing slowly and thinking about how I am typing, just a little, I can make sure that I speed up the overall process by having a lot less to correct, without it affecting my flow either.
By meticulously taking your time over jobs, just by focusing carefully on what you are doing, it is likely to take a little extra time to start with.
And then you will benefit from doing a job once - and once only.
Which could double, or even triple the time-saving overall.
September 20, 2007 07:55 - Management Snippets - Worthwhile Work
"Far and away, the best prize that life offers, is the chance to work hard at work worth doing"
Theodore Roosevelt, Former President of the United States
Most of us have to work - at some sort of job, to stay alive and satisfy even the most basic of our needs.
Indeed, the even very affluent have to do something worthwhile with their days - it's a requirement of humans to feel worthwhile, so just having fun washes well only for a while.
Finding work that engages and fulfils us is important to us all, in whatever way suits us well.
Finding what we love as employment is a very important step to take. Worth taking the time over.
And never giving up on seeking what we truly find is worth doing, is an investment hard to underestimate.
Finding work you love is a goal many of us feel valuable deep down, yet so many of us settle for less.
Need to know more? Checkout How To Land Your Dream Job.com
September 21, 2007 21:41 - Management Snippets - Catch Your People Out - Positively!
"Help people reach their potential - catch them doing something right"
Ken Blanchard, Management Consultant (and author of 'The One Minute Manager' series)
However well you spin it, most managers work by finding things that their people fail at, and work hardest to correct them.
It's a historical and kinda natural way for bosses to work.
And it's very tough and unrewarding to behave this way - catching people making mistakes is not a great way to be a boss, unless of course it gives you a buzz to be like this...
Building on employees successes creates confidence to do more; to take new challenges on; to grow and even to take risks.
By creating the environment where you recognize successes in your people they will thrive.
And your business will as well - not to mention that it's way more fun for you to be the good guy, rather than the miserable one.
September 22, 2007 22:29 - Management Snippets - Loosening The Reins
"If you ride a horse, sit close and tight. If you ride a man, sit easy and light"
Poor Richard's Almanac
Staying on that horse requires attention and grip if you want to stay on it. Worth knowing, that!
Working with people is different.
As long as you give clear expectations for outcomes, you will get far better results if you slacken the reins.
If you delegate, let your people find their own way to solve things.
Often their solutions will be better, they will gain confidence and they will enjoy the delegated work much more.
Too much detail in the 'how' will restrict possibilities and you will get only the basic outcomes in return - and a missed opportunity.
September 24, 2007 22:06 - Everyone Is The Team
As managers, we all work with teams.
They say that you cannot manage things, you can only manage people. So by definition, as managers we manager a bunch of people to meet the business objectives.
And how do each and every one of your people feel about their place in the 'team'?
You see, I want to be a little controversial now - everyone has an equally important part in your team.
Whatever their role.
Now you might say that you have some people who are so incredibly vital to you that they are more important than someone with a less critical role.
Not so.
Team is not about importance, it's about team.
Whatever their role, everybody has a vital role in the team that you manage and lead.
By ensuring that you have that concept clear in your head, you will significantly improve the overall performance of your team, as everyone knows how important each and every one of them is.
If some of your people seem to you more important than anyone else, just think through the impact of that imbalance on each of the other members of your team.
And take time to develop your own strategy to balance that out - soon.
September 26, 2007 05:03 - Management Snippets - Motivation, Loyalty and What You Can Do
Remember our recent posting...
"Far and away, the best prize that life offers, is the chance to work hard at work worth doing"
Theodore Roosevelt, Former President of the United States
There's a spin off for us as managers. One that adds value to what we do, by adding value to the employment that our people find with us.
You see, by ensuring that at least soime of the work your people do for you is work that they choose, you will build loyalty, and motivation in your people.
Two ingredients for a successful business that comes from listening to what your people need and meeting that need.
The loyalty and motivation spin-off extends to more effective and experienced workers, doing whjat they love - as well as loving you for what you gave them.
Bottom line is all success here.
Not to mention that your own work becomes, 'work worth doing', as Roosevelt said!
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