Have you ever gotten so wrapped up in a project that you completely lost track of time? It feels great when that happens – you’re working “in the zone” and are usually in a peak productive state.
But how can you replicate that feeling on a regular basis? You need to learn to create your own momentum. What you’ll find is that although it’s a little different for each person, certain factors are universal.
Have you ever faced a problem that was so complex that you found it difficult to solve?
Of course, you have. Everyone goes through this from time to time. I’ve noticed that people go into a state of spin as they try to solve them. This is because typically they only address the issues on the surface. They don’t take that “deeper dive” to get to the core issue.
Even though many schools return to the fall semester in August, traditionally, the week after Labor Day in the U.S. signifies the return to school. It’s an exciting time for students: fresh school supplies, seeing old friends, making new ones, and return to the business of learning.
It’s a little different in the workplace. Labor Day is the unofficial end of summer, after which people return to business as usual. Goodbye to the more relaxed office environment and early Friday departures.
“The way to get started is to quit talking and start doing.”
– Walt Disney
The first quarter of 2024 is coming to an end and after you get your breath, it’s worthwhile to look back and review the past three months. Here is a brief checklist to use as a guide and to set yourself up for a strong year
During the last few weeks, people have seemed busier. New business opportunities are cropping up and people are responding with appropriate enthusiasm. One of my colleagues commented that work is flowing her way and she’s delighted with the influx.
Although leaders are thrilled with the inflow, the challenging aspect is managing it. This obviously flows downstream in the organization. Managers are complaining about their grouchy team members who are balking at the increase in work.
Recently, CBS Sunday Morning featured a story on our shrinking attention span. Obviously, this is not a new topic; in fact I’ve been writing about it for years. That said, were a few takeaways and reminders worth highlighting.
Psychologist and attention span researcher, Dr. Gloria Mark, provided an interesting statistic. When her team researched attention spans two decades ago, on average the people in the study shifted attention every two and a half minutes.
I received some great comments on last week’s column on “Think Time.” Although it’s a relatively simple concept, it isn’t that easy to implement consistently. Over time, tight schedules take over and people forget about it, schedule over it, or procrastinate doing it.
The comments triggered a good segue to a directly related theme. One of the factors that differentiates top performers from everyone else: they stay focused on the result. They think about how their work can have the greatest impact on the result. This is an example of think time in action.
My executive clients bemoan the fact that they “can’t get anything done” during the business day, and in fact, “the real work begins after 5:30.” Their schedules are filled with meetings, calls, email and putting out fires.
One study revealed that CEOs average only 6 hours a week working alone. Think about this: the day-to-day “stuff” dwarfs the strategic elements of the job.
At one time or another, entrepreneurial leaders face the challenge of transitioning from “doing the doing” to leading their organizations. Over the years, many of my clients have passed through various stages of this transition, and frankly, it’s not an easy one.
The challenge comes because many entrepreneurial leaders think that no one can do it as well as they can. Their mindset is that it’s their business, they put in the hard work and sweat, and they know what’s best.
Out of nowhere, you receive a surprise. It can be professional or personal, big or small, welcome or not, but a surprise in any case.
If it’s positive, you’re probably feeling pretty good. On the other hand, a negative surprise can knock you out.