Category: Personal Kaizen

Inspirational Leaders Need to be Performers

Performer_maistora
(Photo courtesy maistora)

Some interesting quotes from Marshall Goldsmith’s take on this topic ..

Every night, great performers pour their hearts into each production. Some have headaches, some have family problems, but it doesn’t really matter. When it’s show time, they give it all they have. Although it might be the thousandth time an actor has performed the part, it might be the first time the customer sitting in the fourth row has seen the production. To the true performer, every night is opening night.

Like great actors, inspirational leaders sometimes need to be consummate performers. When they need to motivate and inspire people, they do it. It doesn’t matter if they have a headache. They do whatever it takes to help their organization succeed. When they need to be “ON,” like the Broadway stars, it’s show time.

Think about your job. As a professional, is your job consistent with the person that you really want to be? If the answer is “yes,” be like the great actor. Put on a great show. Be the consummate professional. If the answer is “no,” change jobs as soon as you can. Why bother to become a better phony?

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It is a SPIKY (not flat) world

the-world-is-flat

Is the world truly getting flat? Nah  .. say John Hagel III and John Seely Brown in their latest blog post. Some of the arguments they introduce into the debate are:

People are moving into large urban areas at an accelerating rate — today over 50% of the world’s population lives in dense cities versus ~30% in 1950. If location no longer mattered in terms of economic potential for an individual, it seems likely that more people would stay in place rather than uproot themselves to relocate.

First reason for the above mentioned movement, tacit knowledge — the “know-how” that is not codified and is often gained through experience — is increasingly valuable; rich exchanges of tacit knowledge generally require face-to-face contact.

The second factor is related to serendipity, the ability to attract people and resources we need but don’t yet know exist. In a dense city, the probability of serendipitous encounters increases; if the city draws a specific talent pool (such as entertainment in LA or finance in NY), the number and quality of encounters improves.

So what about all the latest technologies that were triggering the flattening of the world?

Far from flattening, these technologies are actually fuelling spikiness – smaller number of densely populated cities – by lowering the barrier to movement into big cities. Telecommunication technology helps people stay in touch with friends & relatives they have left behind. And, location based technology is making it easier for new entrants navigate cities faster. Socio-location technologies also help us get in touch with our tribes that are bound by common passion & interests. 

Read the full post here.

Reinforce The Positives

ServiceExpress_ExpressMonorail
(Photo courtesy Express Photorail)

India is gaining in reputation for being the services & hospitality capital of the world. But, instances of bad experiences introduces doubt if the country & its professionals have what it takes to deliver on this promise. I came across a Vir Sanghvi article today that deals with the issue of service attitude (or the lack of it) amongst professionals in this industry. Causes vary between employee’s lack of long term commitment to a job, multitude of employment options, corporations taking customers for granted, etc. – all matters beyond any one individual’s control. Overwhelming for anyone wanting to better the situation!

Can such systemic issues have simple individual remedies?

While raving & ranting about the bad experience has its place, positive reinforcement is a simple yet surprisingly rarely used remedy. 

  • An extra tip to the restaurant staff who made your kid comfortable with additional cushions & toys. 
  • Write an appreciation note for the employee who went out of his way to ensure your favourite dish was customized to your liking. 
  • Share feedback about what you like at least as often as the dislikes.
  • Respond when the hotel staff greet you.

While we detest the dropping of service standards, we often take proper service delivery for granted. Positive reinforcement is our responsibility in ensuring it is repeated. It is representative of a more patient, positive & encouraging approach (much like parenting) to actively develop an immature but growing industry. 

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Top 10 Productivity Habits

Productivity_Ant_wwworks 
(Photo courtesy woodleywonderworks)

This AskMen.com blog post lists the top 10 habits to be more productive.

  1. Don’t wait on others The waiting game is a productivity killer. Sending out an e-mail and waiting for a response is the perfect excuse to search funny cat videos for the next three hours
  2. Schedule email checks Pick one or two times a day to really clean out your inbox. Respond to the important ones, flag those that need special care and delete the ones for free prescriptions.
  3. Take necessary breaks It’s great to stay focused, but a man needs to take a break every once in a while.
  4. Block out sections of your calendar for work Schedules fill up fast, and the most effective way to find time for a job is by blocking it out in your calendar.
  5. When stuck, move on to new tasks It’s easy to become so fixated on a problem that the whole day slips by without anything to show for it. When that begins to happen, simply move on and find an easy task to check off on your list. Or take The Next Step.
  6. Set milestones It’s nice to have grand aspirations and goals in life, but it’s also effective to set milestones along the way.
  7. Keep a notepad with you Jot down actions, ideas, doodle your name in bubble letters — just make sure these items are stored in places other than memory.
  8. Delegate Just because we’re not staffed like kings doesn’t mean certain jobs can’t be delegated elsewhere.
  9. Get enough sleep That’s not an invitation to hibernate through winter so you can be productive in the spring, but never under estimate the rejuvenating powers of a solid sleep.
  10. Keep to-do lists Write a list first thing in the morning or even one for the whole week, and you’ve always got it in front of you.

Read the full article here.

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