Everything is going too fast, times are changing and things are getting more complex.  We are being bombarded by more and more information and technology and it often feels like we are barely able to keep our heads above water.  This is leading many staff to hesitate and question what they are doing and this leads to disruption occurring at an individual mental level, then add COVID19 on top of this creating even more uncertainty.
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These feelings are not new.  Rapid change, new technology and the need to continue to adapt to new situations are things that have always happened throughout time.  It just feels this way to us because we are often limited to tunnel vision looking forward.
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So what do you do?
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Often when we get faced with this stress and pressure, we stop thinking.  We go into autopilot and often we stop looking for other ways to leverage our time or do things differently.  We need to get back onto our Critical Path and stop being distracted by other trivial activities that are eating up our valuable time.  This is even more important if you are a leader with a team of people that are faced with this ongoing internal disruption.
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In a recent conversation with a Senior Manager, he described to me the pressure that he and his team were experiencing.  It was as if they were stuck on a treadmill that was continually speeding up, with no end in sight.  He was noticing an increase in sick leave as well as his were people becoming ‘numb’ because of the overload.
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I was impressed with his solutions to get them back on track.  He changed up his team meetings and made them more of an individual check in than a typical dry reporting meeting.  He changed 2 simple things.  The first was a quick whip around at the beginning of the meeting that allowed each of his team members to share where their energy level was on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being great).  Then he asked them what he or others could do to help them improve their score.   The second thing he did occurred after the meeting.  Within 60 minutes of the meeting he made a special effort to check in with those that had scored their energy low and did something to try to help them improve.  Sometimes it included simple things like bringing them a coffee or just asking them how their kids were doing. What he noticed was that this follow up support started to decrease the internal disruption that his people were feeling.

​Actions to Focus your Internal Disruption:
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1. Individually.  Take the time to map all of your current activity onto paper (or a tablet), just get it out of your head so you can identify the tasks.  Then use a prioritisation system to get back onto your critical path (there are plenty of methods out there, you just need to use them!)  Also make sure that you are consistent with your physical movement.  As human beings one of the best ways to manage our internal stress is through movement, going for a walk, jog, swim, bike ride.  
2. With Your Team.  Take the time to check in with others.  If you notice that they are facing huge stress and internal disruption do something to let them know that you care and are there to support them.  This can be something as simple as recognising their efforts with small things (gifts, lunch, movie vouchers) or encouraging them to get moving physically.  Try having your next meeting with them whilst walking and moving during your discussion (Steve Jobs used this method and he was able to accomplish many things).

Don’t let internal disruption get you off path.  Stay focused and actively commit to your Critical Path and don’t forget to have some fun along the way.  
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I have developed a new Leadership Efficiency Program that is designed to help you get more things done and mobilise your people in a 90 day Format.   If you would like to find out more in a free 20 minute consultation, please click on this link to organise a chat.
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I have some questions for you, “what would you do with an extra hour a day? Would you get the exercise in? Spend an extra hour with the kids? Or would you make a dent in the backlog of work projects that have been piling up?”

Regardless of how you would spend your time, what I find is that many people know that they could be more efficient and get more things done in less time.

So what stops us? Although we are still shifting out of the COVID Pandemic, most leaders and staff have all said how busy that they have been, much busier than normal.

I was talking with a leader recently who was struggling to keep up and everything felt hard. When I asked her what her strategy was to be more efficient she said quickly “I don’t have time to” which was part of the issue!

Here are a few ideas you could use to help you be more efficient:

• Be Aware of Where You Spend Your Time. One main reason why leaders are challenged with getting more done is that they are not aware of where they are spending their time. Do an analysis, track your activity over a week and this will help you see what needs to change.
• Look Out Shortcuts or Fast Hacks. There are plenty of book and YouTube videos that can provide you with strategies to be more efficient. Spend 10 minutes per day stretching your mind and collecting strategies that you can use.
• Work with a Leadership Mentor. Rather than blindly trying to be more effective, work with someone that will help you to quickly identify ways to have a bigger impact and better results. This can be something as simple as a 90day process to help you shift your approach.

What I am finding is that many people need someone to help them identify a fast track strategy to get more things done in less time and get their people to also perform at a higher level.

I have developed a new Leadership Efficiency Program that is designed to help you get more things done and mobilise your people in a 90day format. If you would like to find out more in a free 20 minute consultation, please click on this link to sign up.

With the COVID pandemic everyone has shifted to virtual meetings to help keep communication lines open and stay connected.  The challenge that I am finding is that many leaders do not know how to make these virtual meetings work.  
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Now that we are almost a year into this new way of connecting online, people are starting to get a bit of ‘zoom fatigue’ and it’s even more important to spice up your virtual meetings.  Here are a few ideas to help your virtual meetings work better:
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• Use the Right Virtual Platform.  Recently I worked with a client to assist them with their virtual training.  The national field team had  effectively adapted to MS Teams and were using it very effectively in the way they virtually interacted with staff.  However, the head office decided to use a completely different platform and roll it out nationally.  Usually, this is a good thing, unfortunately the platform that they selected did not have the full functionality that most of the current virtual meeting platforms have.  Presenters found it slow and clunky and the participants were forced to watch while the presenter talked at them sharing a powerpoint slide on the screen, it was so unstable that no one could turn on their webcams or microphones besides the presenters.  It really is a 1990’s nightmare that led to people not wanting to attend because it was not engaging.  Currently there are some great virtual meeting platforms:  Zoom, MS Teams are the most used and easiest to use (and both now secure with AES 256 bit GCM encryption) and I have also used Webex and REMO.
• Use the Webcam View.  I cannot stress enough how important it is to have the web cameras from all the participants turned on whilst everyone is on the virtual meeting.  This ensures engagement and encourages participation in the meeting.  Ideas can be discussed and the group overall feels a sense of connection.  Without the webcam, we go back to days of speaker phones where people do not really pay attention whilst they type their emails in the backgrounds, which shows that they would rather be somewhere else than in your virtual meeting.
• Keep the Virtual Meetings Creative.  Any ongoing meeting or training session can become routine and boring over time.  If you are the presenter, ensure that you mix things up.  Share a video to the group, create a theme for the virtual presentation.  I had one client run a special morning breakfast pyjama meeting.  They had staff wear their favourite pyjamas and eat breakfast whilst they checked in on what they were doing for the weekend.  For evening meetings you could have them dress up wearing their favourite sports team clothing. 

Remember many of us are still connecting with our staff in virtual meetings.  As this is no longer new, ensure that you do something to make sure that your virtual meetings are working.  
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If you would like to have a complimentary 20 minute session with me sharing insights on running your next virtual meeting, please click here.

So how is the start to your year going?  If you are like many of us the year is now at a sprint and the workload and inbox is starting to overflow.  For many leaders they are struggling to stay on top of everything, but they have not found a way to work smarter.

A Harvard Business Review study titled ‘Why aren’t you delegating?’ found that almost 50% of the companies surveyed were concerned about their employees’ delegation skills and most of them didn’t offer training on how to delegate. The real concern is that many leaders won’t delegate.  Why?  Many believe that they can do the task more quickly themselves, rather than taking the time to explain it to others. 

According to Carson Tate in Fast Company many people resist because of a lack of knowing how to delegate.  After they have tried to get someone to do something without success, they remember the age-old mantra of  ‘if you want something done right, you need to do it yourself.’  At first glance, this may be true, however if a task needs to be completed regularly, then this time quickly adds up.  

A Delegation Hack will help you get your staff to do what you want.  By working with your direct report and creating a one-page plan together you can quickly turn this situation around.  Start by asking the staff member what steps they believe need to be taken to accomplish the task.  As they start sharing ideas, capture them on paper or a tablet.  You should also contribute and guide them toward the best solution resist the temptation to just tell them the tasks!  

After identifying the specific steps to be taken, ask them what order they think the steps should be taken and coach them on the best sequence and the reasons why.  Work together to identify timeframes for each step to ensure that deadlines are clear.  When you start using this approach the relationship shifts from you directing them to a collaboration with you showing support and them buying into the task that needs to be completed. 

For more complex tasks ask them to identify timeframes for check-in meetings.  This allows you to ensure they are still on track as well as show interest in them completing the task, without taking over. After mapping the plan, take a photo on your phone and give them the image (or sheet of paper) as reference whilst implementing.   

Over time you can fast-track this delegation hack by getting staff to map their one page plan on their own and check it with you before they start executing it.  Once you start effectively delegating the relationship will be stronger.  You will have more time for your tasks and staff will be doing what you want because they want to.  

If you would like a complimentary white-paper on how to effectively delegate,  please click here.

What are you doing that is absolutely incredible to customers?  This is a common question that I ask business owners as well as managers.  Unfortunately the response that I usually get are the common things that were considered leading – 10 years ago!

Everyone knows that customer expectations continue to increase, this is human nature.  Once customers receive something they enjoy, this becomes their new normal and after a period of time they are looking for what is going to be the next thing that impresses them. 

So what are you doing?  Is it sending your people to boring customer service training that encourages them to smile when they are on the phone?  Is it spending thousands and thousands of dollars on customer satisfaction surveys that measure the old things that used to be important?   

Or are you doing something truly different that is blowing customers away?

There are plenty of examples of things people and leading edge companies are doing to “WOW” their customers.  Los Angeles World Airport (LAX) started a wonderful program a few years ago called the PUP Program.  This allows volunteers to bring dogs around the airport terminal to help provide stress relief and comfort to passengers through interactions with pets.

The dogs are easily spotted as they wear a red ‘Pet Me’ vest. The handlers are in red shirts with the PUP logo and have been trained with these therapy dogs to roam the departure levels in the airport gate areas.  The handlers also provide information and inform passengers about any LAX projects or construction.  Although the pandemic has reduced some of their activity, they are still doing something to ‘WOW’ passengers.  Here’s the link if you’d like to check out this great program.

What are you doing to create advocates for your business that share the power of your customer experience and tell others, even if they have not experienced it first hand? 

“It’s only February and I can’t believe how busy we are, I find there is just no time to plan because there’s too much to do!”  Have you said this recently?  I have been speaking with a number of clients and almost all of them have repeated the same thing, the new year sprint has started!

I have a question for you.  Are you doing the things that you should be doing?  Or are you doing the things that are just in front of you (or in your inbox) that you are reacting too.  I find that many people have started February fast, but when I ask them if they are working on the important things (or on the business activity) most realise that they need to take the time to do some planning.

If we never take time to look forward and identify ways to get more things done in less time (ie leverage processes, technology or people) then we will continue to spin our wheels and miss out on the opportunities that may be just in front of us.  The best way to plan is to gather key staff that can help you identify the opportunities in front of you, as well as the strategies to get there faster.

Gone are the days when the Senior Executive team travels to some resort for a 3 day retreat behind closed doors.  Unfortunately, this can isolate the rest of your people and most leaders don’t have time for that (not to mention the risk of airports and state borders being closed!)  So what are you doing to involve your people and start mapping your plan forward?

Here are a couple of things to consider when mapping your plan for the year (in writing):

Ask Staff for Potential Opportunities.  Staff have great ideas and many of them will be aware of opportunities that exist, but as it is outside their area of responsibility the idea (and opportunity) just disappears.  Find a way to ask them to get their ideas for the plan forward. 

Have Them Participate in Identifying the Plan.  Develop a process to have your people participate in sharing ideas.  This gets their buy-in and engagement as well as helps them get ready to implement these ideas when executing the plan (such a simple step, but most leaders skip it!)  

Use a Process that Saves Time!  Remember to use a facilitated Planning Process to get more ideas faster. Compression Planning is a great technique to make this happen.  If you would like some ideas on how to engage your people in a faster planning process, please click here.

As the new year starts to take off I wish you and your team the best.  Remember to be the leader that inspires others!

So let me ask you a question  “What is your plan for the year?”  I recently asked this question to a business leader, her response really surprised me.  She mentioned that because of the lingering pandemic, the leadership team had decided to wait on developing their strategy until after the first quarter of the year.  

To me, when things have been so uncertain, to completely let go of the way forward and getting everyone going in the same direction is even more important.  Many employees have enjoyed the break over the holidays and now are looking for some sense of direction.  Even in uncertain conditions, it is important that leaders have a vision and a plan and communicate this to their people.  Without a goal to focus on, people will drift which usually leads to unfocused activity and potential opportunities being missed.   

History is a great teacher.  If you look at many of the leading companies after the great depression, the majority of them took off during the end of the financial hardship because the leaders looked for opportunities and mobilised their people to take advantage of these opportunities before others.

Here are a couple of things to consider when mapping your plan for the year (in writing!):

Look for Opportunities.  There are always opportunities that come up that others don’t see.  It could be a new product, service or even a completely new business unit that takes advantage of the shift in economic trends.  Just look at the businesses making plastic shields for retail businesses, or masks or any of the other products.  This is also the case in property, people feared a crash and in most locations the opposite has happened with people working from home wanting a sea or tree change, which has now pushed property prices up! 

Involve Your People in Identifying Opportunities & the Plan.  A number of brains are always stronger than just one.  Also involving your people gets them engaged to implement opportunities and the plan of action that needs to be taken.  Remember to have a facilitated Planning Process to get more ideas faster. Compression Planning is a great technique to make this happen.

Remember the Plan is a Framework.  With economic uncertainty it is important that your plan has a framework.  This means that it should be flexible enough to shift and tailor it to take advantage of new opportunities (and challenges) that may appear.  So take a few moments to map out your plan for the year.  Get your people involved with potential opportunities and you will be ready to spring forward this year (while others wait until the next 3-6 months).  If you would like some ideas on how to engage your people in a faster planning process, using a technique called Compression Planning, please click here.

So we are now into 2021 and it’s good-bye 2020!  The beginning of a new year is always a great way to recalibrate your path forward.  I know that for most of us 2020 was exhausting and full of unexpected turns and it would be easy to just try to erase it from memory.  However a bit of reflection may be able to help you achieve more in the year ahead.

Take a minute to think back across the past year.  What are 1-2 things that you are proud of or that may have stretched you in a positive way?  Now think about what are 1-2 things that you could have (or should have) done that you didn’t?  Why?  What do you need to do this year to ensure that this pattern does not occur again?

To help you set yourself up for a great 2021 there are a couple of things that you can do.

Map Your Goals for 2021:

1. Your Goals.  Think about what 2-3 things are that you would like to achieve this year.  They could be work goals, financial goals, health goals or something else that you would like to achieve. Write them down and capture them so you have something to remind you of these goals.  I also recommend that you put them up somewhere as a friendly reminder as most of the time any goal worth having will require thought and effort.
2. Family Goals.  For many of us this past year has allowed us to spend even more time with family (often confined to the same house!)  What are a few things that you would like to achieve with your family?  You may want to involve your family and ask them what they would like to achieve as a family.  This could be having a shared experience together, having a family cook-off or something else that will create lasting memories.  
3. Community Goals.  As we are part of a community, this is something that is even more important moving forward. What do you want to achieve in the community that you are involved in?  This could be something to help other members that are struggling or working together to support a charity or another community in need.

I have found that when we write down our goals, it is much easier to achieve them, partly because we have identified and committed to them (and a written reminder also helps!)

If you would like me to help you get a jumpstart to 2021, please click here for a free 30 minute consultation to help you achieve more this year.

With only a week before Christmas, I always notice the excitement starts to increase as people look forward to spending time with family, friends and a break away from work.  Given the challenges of 2020 and the COVID 19 Pandemic, I’m sure that this year will be an even bigger need for people to take time off and relax and enjoy some Christmas cheer.

We need to be mindful to stay COVID safe during the holidays and continue the fight against the pandemic.  This should not however stop our desire to spread cheer and good vibes to those around us.  We can choose to have a negative mindset about the year and take this into the holidays and be the ‘scrooge’ or we can choose to be the person that spreads positive energy and  helps others to remember to smile.

If you are finishing up at work, remember to spread the cheer by wearing a Santa hat or giving others little gifts like Chocolates or something simple that makes them smile.  Many co-workers have also had a challenging year so everyone needs to recognise the progress that has been made and the brightness that the future holds.

When you are at the shops, remember to support the local community and those that have had a rough year and are still struggling to survive.  The more we can help our local businesses, the longer they will be there for us in the future.  With many people planning to limit their travel this year, this provides a great opportunity to support others.

If you would like to spread some Christmas cheer to the kids in the Hands Across the Water homes, any donation would be welcome.  Even small amounts of $20 or $50 can add up and help us continue to provide the support we need.  To donate to Hands please click here.

To all my friends and family I wish you a safe and connected holiday season.