"One Sure Way To Break Trust With A Performer"

While attending a conference last week, I witnessed one of those "don't ever do this" kind of moments as a ringmaster. A department leader was giving a presentation and when finished, introduced the next speaker, who was someone who reported to them. In the transition, the second speaker indicated a need to use the laptop and set up a power point. The department leader was clearly frustrated as they set things up and then said, "You told me you didn't need this." They said it loud enough for all the meeting attendees to hear and it clearly shook the second presenter.

Yes, the second presenter should have been better prepared and indicated their needs prior to the session, but reprimanding them in front of the audience was clearly no way to professionally handle the situation. Making one of the performers in your circus feel less than their best just prior to a performance is a guaranteed way to get less than what you expect. It also undermines the level of trust shared between you. Address it at a more appropriate time when there is no audience and when the results won't be so damaging.

Trust takes so long to build and can be broken with just a few thoughtless words.

Time Management and the Caveman

I had to laugh out loud when I saw the article in Time Magazine entitled, Should You Eat Like A Caveman? As you can expect from the title, the article deliberated the benefits/challenges from seeking a diet more like that of our ancestors (Actual eating regimen is called the Paleo Diet). You can make your own decisions about its merit. What the article did get me to thinking about was using that same philosophy for managing our time.

So, with respect to those in the past here's my humorous attempt at the wisdom of time management offered by the caveman:

• Get your work done while the sun is shining. When it gets dark, it's hard to see and you won't be as productive. We have to prioritize and seek to accomplish tasks when we can most efficiently complete them. Doing otherwise is not helpful.
• Always keep a club, spear or stick with you. You never know when something may attempt to consume you-or at least get you off track. We have to guard our time. There are a million other things waiting to take away your ability to focus. You may not "beat" them off you, but having a prioritized schedule and knowing what is important helps minimize their ability to attack your schedule.
• Gather enough food for today, but don't try to horde it-you have no way of preserving it. You simply CAN'T save time. You have to make the most of the time immediately in front of you. You can spend less time on one task and have more time for another, but when the day is over (remember first bullet point) it's gone. Each day must be used wisely.

Granted, our lives are million times more complex than those of a cavemen. But, there are some timeless truths that span across all generations. Now excuse me while I go out hunting for a wooly mammoth.

An Inspiring View

We recently had the great opportunity to have dinner with one of the most successful business book authors of all time. The restaurant was located on a beach in Southern California. After dinner we were walking along the shoreline and he pointed out that one of his first offices was located just down the street, on a point overlooking the ocean. I semi-jokingly made the comment that if I had an office like that, I wouldn't be able to get anything done because I would be too busy enjoying the beauty of the view. He then shared a very interesting thought with us.

He said that when he works in an environment that has good views and that is inspiring to him that he actually thinks bigger, is less constrained and is more productive. He went on to explain that to him, his physical surroundings made a big difference to the quality and substance of what he accomplished.

Where do you do your best work? We might not have a view of the ocean from your desk. Some of us might be staring at cubicle walls most of the day. But consider the notion that wherever you choose to do what you do can influence you. Do what you can to create an environment that is condusive and inspiring. You might start with hanging some pictures or quotes that have meaning to you. Maybe a fresh coat of paint will make a difference. At the very least remove clutter from your desk and surroundings that can distract and even overwhelm you. Choose to be inspired and motivated to do your very best work by creating the proper environment.

"Time" Pennies May Be Costing You Dollars

In the February issue of Fast Company Magazine, the Numerology article states that the cost to produce a penny is 1.6 cents. Seems harmless enough, right? Maybe, until you read the next sentence which says the US Mint lost over 19.8 million dollars last year producing the pennies. That's a number that will get your attention!

Many of us are guilty of a similar dilemma in the use of our time on a daily basis. We reason that 3-5 minutes lost per day isn't that much. And flipping through TV channels or aimlessly web surfing for 30 minutes a day doesn't impact our ability to get other "more important" things done. But start allowing the numbers to accumulate over a period of time and things look quite different.

Let's look at what 5 minutes per day of "lost time" looks like:
In a week: 35 minutes
In a month: 150 minutes (2 hours 30 minutes)
In a year: 1825 minutes (Over 30 hours!)

Think about that the next time you are tempted to just aimlessly pass the time away (unless of course you need an intermission). Here are a few suggestions on how to make better use of that seemingly insignificant amount of time:

• Have articles (electronic or hardcopy) you could read in 5 minutes or less
• Review your task list and make appropriate changes and updates
• Do some quick strategic planning by asking yourself questions like, "What is the one thing I need to work on tomorrow that would make the biggest difference?" "What are 3 things that will require more of my attention in 1-3 months? What could I do to prepare now to better address those issues/items?"

Most importantly, don't discount the "change" a few minutes well-spent could make for your circus.

Time To Go Home

You look at the clock and realize that you should have left work 20 minutes ago. "Where has this day gone?", you say out loud to yourself. You quickly pile everything into a stack , throw some stuff into your bag and rush out the door. On the drive home and throughout the evening you think about what you have left undone and what you are going to do tomorrow. If the above description is a typical "end of your day routine", consider an alternative strategy.

Set an alarm to ring 15 minutes before it is time to go home. When the alarm goes off, STOP! Quickly finish what you are doing and E.N.D. your day:

1. Evaluate: Consider what went right and what went wrong with your day. Review your meetings and the tasks you accomplished. What was successful and is worth repeating tomorrow? What wasn't so successful and can be improved upon? Make some notes. Schedule some tasks. Self reflection and learning is a powerful and lifelong tool. Too often we rush and fail to learn from our successes and failures.


2. Neatness: Organize and/or clean off your desk/work area. File the papers that you were working on. Put away and organize your clutter. When you return to work in the morning and find your work area clean, you get a good start on your day and hit the ground running.


3. Diagram: Diagram and plan what you are going to do tomorrow. First, review your calendar. What meetings do you have? How much time will you have to work on other tasks/projects. Based on the amount of time available, what will you get done? Make a list. Prioritize it. Delegate, Delete and Delay what isn't going to fit in tomorrow's schedule. Leave some time for interruptions and emergencies.

15 minutes have past and you can go home with peace of mind - not to mention that you are leaving "on time". As you turn the lights off, mentally signal to yourself that you have earned the right to step out of your "work ring" and now it is time to step into your "self ring" and/or "relationship ring".