Movie of the Week: A PowerTool for Business
As you know, this is pruning week. If you didn’t know that, feel free to catch up by scrolling down to “Related Articles”. Or just jump in for our video of the week.
We all know about the importance and value pruning. But some how, some times, it hard for some of us, many of us, to apply in business and life.
Here’s a demo that has caused many a shift or aha for workshop participants. With resulting boosts in morale and productivity.
Get the popcorn, Milk Duds and Raisinettes, gather everyone around and enjoy this four- minute movie.
Can you prune any reports? Ask these questions about each report you and your team does?
- What is the purpose?
- Does it get you closer to your desired outcome?
- Who writes it?
- Who reads it?
- Who does it?
- Who needs it?
- How long does it take?
- How much does it cost?
- Is there an easier, cheaper, more efficient way?
- Does it get you closer to your desired outcome?
What else can you prune besides reports?
If you need some ideas, refer to Quick List: 10 Things to Prune in Your Business.
Related Articles:
copyright 2010 – Business Class Inc
Quick List: 10 Things to Prune
If you’ve just tuned in to Business Class this week - we’re talking about pruning and it’s impact on morale and productivity. In case you want to “catch up”, see:
Today is Quick List Day, when we post 10 by 10 on Tuesday.
So – here are 10 things or areas in which most businesses could use some pruning:
- Paper
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Forms and reports
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Items on to-do list
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E-mail
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Junk mail
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Magazine/newspaper subscriptions
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Meetings
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Interruptions
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Mistakes
As you make decisions about what to prune, keep in mind your desired end result. Prune anything that will hold you back or take energy away from the activities needed for that end result.
Mad because I’m not giving you more direction on what and how to prune the 10 things/areas above? If I did that, it wouldn’t be a very Quick List.
I’ll give more hints later on but don’t wait for that. I think you already know lots of things that are draining your time and energy. Don’t you? Those are the first ones to prune!
As a reinforcing reminder, post the Quote of the Week(below) on your computer screen. Get directions for doing this at: Quote of the Week: On Pruning .
The Quote of the Week is from the 2 Little Time section of our Quote Library which contains over 130 motivational quotes for business. Valuable business tools, ready to post, print and share – available for free right here in our Quote Library.
copyright 2010 – Business Class Inc
Related Articles:
Pruning: A PowerTool for Business
Pruning is a power tool for boosting morale and productivity - yours and your team’s. It helps those who feel they have 2 little time. Making it easier to get 2 goal. And for those of you in search of ways to be a better manager, knowing how and when to prune, teaching others the same and empowering them to do so, will make you a better manager. It may even make you a hero in their eyes.
I came to understand the power of pruning about 20 years ago when Jennifer came to work as my assistant.
During her first week of work – she came into my office with her scissors and started cutting my plants. A snip here, a snip there. And then on one – she snipped and snipped – cutting it all the way down to the dirt.
I gasped! and said, “Jennifer! No! ”
“Jan”, she said, “ the leaves are dead! You killed them. Now I’m going to keep you from killing the roots.”
“But Jennifer – it just needs some water!”
“No it doesn’t need water. You were drowning it by giving it more water!”
I stared in disbelief as I said to myself, “There is no way that plant is ever coming back.” Read more
Quick List: 10 Steps to Get Marching
So…there is something you’ve been planning or wanting or hoping or meaning to do – something on the business or personal side of life like:
- getting more exercise
- getting new clients
- cleaning out the file room
- networking more
- doing more MBWA (management by walking around)
But you haven’t done anything yet.
All kinds of things make it hard to get started. Fear, other demands, lack of a plan, just being plain old stuck. Or maybe some get 2 goal guru (like yours truly) overwhelmed you with a strategic planning model of some sort. If you want to break through whatever it is that’s holding you back, here are your marching orders.
10 steps to get marching in 5 days: Read more
Quote of the Week: Marching Along?
2010 is marching right along. Are you keeping pace?
If you are like many of us, there’s at least one thing you’ve been planning or wanting or hoping or meaning to do – but you haven’t even started it. And if you are like many of us, you’re beating yourself up about it and doing a number on morale and productivity.
If all of that is true about you, stop for a few minutes and congratulate yourself for the things you HAVE done.
Now back to this thing you haven’t started. Is it important?
If so, download this quote for your computer screen. Directions are below.
What single step can you take to get started?
- Take it today.
- Repeat until you’re marching right along toward that thing you’ve been planning or wanting or hoping or meaning to do.
- If this doesn’t work for you, read Quick List: 10 Steps to Get Marching in 5 Days .
What about your staff or team members? Are they marching right along? Read more
Movie of the Week: Hang on to those towels!
Don’t throw in the towel! Don’t let your colleagues or teammates do it either!
Unless of course there’s no reason to hang on.
But if the goal or cause is still important…
…just a few words like the ones in this movie may be just what’s needed to help everybody hang on and get 2 goal (or at least closer to it).
Get the popcorn, Milk Duds and Raisinettes and watch this two minute movie.*
*Movie cut by Matthew Belinkie, a professional writer who lives in New York. Go to www.overthinkingit.com to read some of his work.
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Don’t worry - you don’t have to deliver your words of encouragement with the power or eloquence of a movie star. Just a few heartfelt words that show you notice their struggle, support their efforts and are cheering for their success because you really care.
What an impact it could have.
So much to gain…little or nothing to lose.
If you need an extra nudge, read the quote below, post it on the wall and/or on your computer screen. You can download it from the Be a Better Manager section of our Quote Library. Here’s the link if you already have a password to the Be a Better Manager section. Here’s the link if you need a Quote Library password.
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Additional resources to help yourself and others hang on to the towel:
- Ready to throw in the towel? Great tips from Phil Ford (includes audio)
- Looking for the Good: A Leadership Lesson from Coach Bill Guthridge (shared by Phil Ford)- includes audio
- Quick List: 10 Ways to Avoid “Bad Seed”
- Falling Down on the Job at A Souther Season(includes audio)
- Quick List: 10 Tips for Getting Back Up
- Have you lost power?
copyright 2010 – Business Class Inc
Ready to throw in the towel? Great tips from Phil Ford
When a person or team is ready to “throw in the towel”, performance, morale and productivity are in the dump.
What got them to this low point? Was it bad seed or bad lead?
Did a bad seed slip in, root and spread like kudzu – choking off even a chance good, healthy growth?
Or did those in the lead make mistakes that caused good seed to go bad? Mistakes like the ones described in 10 Ways to Avoid “Bad Seed” (see #2 – 9).
Whatever the cause, it’s much easier for it to get worse than better. In fact, making it better may be one of the hardest leadership challenges ever. Important. Urgent. Critical to handle NOW. For if the towels are thrown in, the leader is left with no one to lead, all the jobs or no job at all.
In a Business Class interview a few years ago, I had the pleasure of talking with former Carolina basketball player and coach, Phil Ford. We were looking for parallels – lessons from the court that could be applied in business. I asked him about things a leader can do to motivate or de-motivate a team. His answer is summarized in the bullet points below. To get full value though, I hope you will listen to this 5 1/2 minute excerpt from the interview. Read more
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
CEO Seed Test
Note: Here’s a story my Dad shared with me. It was part of the minister’s message at his church one day. I’ve been waiting for a good time to share it with you. Seems like now is a good time since we’ve been talking about seeds.
Here’s the story:
The CEO had built a good company. Strong productivity. High morale. Lots of opportunity for growth. He was ready to retire and hoped to select his successor from the six managers who reported to him.
He called the managers together and gave each of them a mustard seed. He explained that he wanted each of them to plant and take care of the seed over the next six months. At that time, he would bring them all back together and whichever one of them had done the best job with the seed would become the next CEO of the company.
The managers were a bit perplexed about the assignment, but each one wanted the promotion and took the assignment seriously. Each manager went out and bought a pot and soil or delegated it to someone else. And each one watered and fertilized the dirt or delegated it to someone else.
During the occasional visits to each other’s offices, the managers would check out the competition. For months, all pots were bare. Nothing but dirt.
That changed slowly but surely. Signs of life started showing up in one of the pots. Then another. And another. Until all the pots now had plants growing in them. All except Doug’s. Read more
Brainteaser of the Week #17
One way to be a better manager is to run better meetings. Use one or more of our brainteasers to start or revive or end a meeting. A great way to shift the brain, spark new energy, maybe even cause a giggle or a smile. All of which can help you boost morale and productivity.
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Show this page or write the words in the grey box on a piece of paper or on a flipchart or on the white board and ask the question:
Look for the good in the box below.
BADGBADOBADOBADDBAD
Need a hint? See 10 Ways to Avoid “Bad Seed”
Share your answer in the “Comments” section. We’ll confirm correct answer later today.
Credits: Created by Jan Bolick
copyright 2010 – Business Class Inc
Quick List: 10 Ways to Avoid “Bad Seed”
In our Quote of the Week, George Washington suggests we avoid “bad seed”.
Even those of us who aren’t farmers can reap benefits from the figurative meaning of his words. “Bad seed” for us could mean faulty materials or finished goods; or a customer who spreads word of his dissatisfaction; or an unhappy staff member who does the same.
This list focuses on the latter, 10 ways to avoid “bad seed” and the damaging impact it can have on the morale and productivity of your team.
1. Don’t hire people who talk negatively about former bosses and former organizations in their job interview. The trend will most likely continue.
2. Don’t talk negatively about people in your organization to staff members and colleagues. It indicates a trend and dilutes trust. If you must vent, talk with a trusted advisor, like your coach.
3. Make goals and expectations clear. See Quote of the Week – On Productivity.
4. Give feedback. Don’t leave people In the Dark.
5. Follow through on promises made to staff members. Read more
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