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Challenges

Let’s Put Humans Back in Charge

– and Relegate Technology to its Rightful Place

Ever feel like you are working harder and longer, yet getting less done? You are not alone. A recent article in HBR by Michael C. Mankins sheds some light on why. In his article “Is Technology Really Helping Us Get More Done?” Mankins, a partner at Bain, combed through email and meeting schedules using data mining and people analytics to confirm what you already know in your gut:

The easier it is to leave or send a message, the more messages you have to deal with
The easier it is to schedule a meeting, the more that get scheduled
The more meetings it takes to get work done, the slower the work gets done
The broader your network, the greater the number of interactions and requests for your time and attention

The net result is that a decreasing amount of time is spent on real work. We are meeting more, communicating more, and getting less done. And it takes longer to get things done. As a result, most everyone feels overwhelmed, stressed and overworked. A few simple actions can help…

Performance

Fueling Your Fire

I believe each of us has something that sparks us. It may be our work, or our family, or social justice, or the environment, or any one of a thousand things. I also believe that it is far too easy in our hyper-paced world to let that spark turn into a raging fire that consumes us. Work demands are high, needs are everywhere, we are connected 24/7, and being busy and feeling overwhelmed is the predominant mode.

In grade school we learned the three elements needed for combustion: a fuel source, oxygen, and a spark of heat. I think the same conditions apply to our inner fires: we need something that we are passionate about to spark us. But we also need to be diligent to avoid being consumed by it.

Performance

Which is More Important – Dreaming or Doing?

Folks get tripped up in the dream/do cycle. There are two types of traps:

Doers who believe that dreaming is a waste of time. Far better to do something, anything. And oh, by the way, they are far too busy with all they are doing to take some time to pause, reflect, or allow themselves to imagine anything other than their current state of affairs.

Dreamers who believe that what they think up will magically manifest itself once they articulate the dream in some manner. They create the vision board, sit back, and wait for good things to happen.

Both are dead wrong.

Intention

Barbie Shoes and the Vacuum Cleaner

As my children were growing up, Saturday was “clean the house” day. Everyone participated, no matter their age. For my daughter, Nicole, at age six it meant that toys and clutter had to move off the floor and into their designated storage places so that the vacuum could be run.

In spite of knowing this, the floor would often be strewn with Barbie shoes on Saturday morning. After reminders that escalated to nagging and warnings, there was one thing that was certain to create an immediate surge of frantic activity to put the shoes away. And that was the sound of the vacuum cleaner headed to her room.

Now Nicole was not a naughty or unruly child. She just has at least one thousand things better to do than to pick up Barbie shoes. Until the roar of the vacuum sent a clear message: Run now to save the shoes!

Not unlike most of us. We have many things to do. We aren’t bad or lazy; perhaps distracted and overwhelmed. So the leadership question becomes this: WHAT CAN WE DO TO SPUR FOCUS AND ATTENTION ON THE THINGS THAT ARE MOST IMPORTANT?

Drawing: There is no elevator to success, you gotta' take the stairs.

Intention

How Do You Define Success?

A few weeks ago I friend told me she was “so proud of my success” – which gave me pause. Was I really successful? By whose measure? Why did it make me uncomfortable to consider myself successful?

And in that same day I stumbled across the notion of a continuum of success – that we move from Survival to Stability to Success and finally to Significance. I thought it would be a fine thing to blog about – but the reality is that I’ve struggled for two weeks to pull together some cogent thoughts about the topic.

None the less – the time has come to share. So this post will be a combination of known and unknown, comfort and discomfort. And with that, I’m hoping to spark a conversation so that your thoughts can help me make more sense of this topic.

Dynamics

5 Clues to Identifying Your Strengths

Over the weekend I temporarily moved the contents of my office in order to paint the walls. Even I was amazed at what got pulled from the space. I’ve included a photo of SOME of the books that I extricated – and that photo does not include books in my family room, on my night stand, or tucked in various other places in my home.

I had to chuckle, as this was such a visible reminder of one of my strengths – which is input. So why is knowing your strengths important, and how can you identify yours? Read on to find out.

What can 268 men from the Harvard Class of 1944 teach us about a successful life?

A lot, apparently. These men were part of one of the longest and most comprehensive longitudinal studies, called The Grant Study, ever conducted. The study began in their sophomore year of Harvard Medical School – and continues to this day. The men were observed, studied, interviewed, examined and tracked over time.

And author George Vaillant, who chronicled the study, wrote, “The results were as clear-cut as they were startling.”

Can you be too Lean?

I am writing this post in the aftermath of a weekend getaway gone awry. The plan was simple – leave very early on Saturday morning, arrive at our favorite beach by 11, enjoy the island and friends and great seafood. And then out the next night- back in time to resume work on Monday.

Instead, I am at home… not at the beach.

Leadership

Top Ten Books for Entrepreneurs

I tell students in my entrepreneurship courses at Purdue that leaders read. However, the nature of the entrepreneurial process makes it tough to recommend good reads. Those searching for a good idea need something different than those who have found one and are in high growth. Meanwhile, some have built a company only to find themselves stuck with an “ugly baby”. As such, I’ll clearly identify by stage-of-the-entrepreneurial-process what the book is best suited for.

And after reading my list I”ll be curious to know – what books guide and inspire you?

Guest blogger

Success Pillars: Four Habits That Grew a Successful Business

Today’s post is from Crystal Hammon, a great writer and blogger and keen observer of life. In her post, Crystal shares four high-performance habits which have enabled her husband to build a successful business.

Evergreen Leadership Blog