Managing Your Energy Not Time
The key problem with working longer hours is that time has its limit. It’s finite. Energy is an entirely different animal.
Managing Your Energy Not Time Read More »
Mindfulness
Distractions All Around Your Workplace. How Do You Manage These And Get Back On Track?
You’re no stranger to this. That wild, crazy NBA nut case colleague of yours who has to keep tab of everything that happens in basketball in his smart phone. What about the junior exec on your right who has to answer all his calls through his speaker phone! These distractions can go on and on throughout the day. They’re big distractions … big and serious enough to get you climbing walls, right? Right. But don’t climb walls. Stay cool. You can do something about it. Distractions like these are what prevent us from accomplishing as much work as we should. After all, a University of California research did find out that an employee gets to spend only about eleven (11) minuteson a task before getting interrupted by one thing or another, or abandoning this to switch to another task at hand. And, once this flow of work gets disrupted, it’ll take about twenty three (23) minutes to get your bearings and get back on track. Here’s what productivity experts suggest you do: 1) Literally stand up. There’s usually this guy who’d drop by your desk purportedly simply to ask a quick question but before you know it, he’s giving you a rundown on the results of the latest U.S. presidential candidates’ survey and why Donald Trump shouldn’t be leading Americans. With the twenty three minutes you’ll need to get back on track, you’ll find yourself cramming before the day is out. Stand up! The experts say. It’s easier to cut a conversation short when you’re standing than it is when this guy gets cozy and comfortable. 2) Put up that “Don’t Disturb!” sign. This will speak volumes to those who’d just like to chat with you. And, get rid of those candy and cookie jars in your cabinet. They’re a sure invitation to interruptions. 3) Take control of your time. If your distractions are work-related such as emails or unscheduled meetings, get into the habit of listing down things to be taken up with certain people and do it in one sweep. This will avoid back and forth email exchanges and frequent drop-ins. 4) Recognize you also create your own distractions. Not all disruptions happen because of your co-workers. Half the time we do it ourselves. Our addiction to Instagram, for instance, Facebook or our smart phones. These can easily get you off track. Be aware of these. Control and keep them to a minimum level. 5) Go single tasking. Experts say it’s the better way to go. It not only helps you to get more things done. It tends to make you sharper and smarter as it motivates you to attend to your priorities. Plus, it brings down your stress level. Keep these suggestions at the back of your mind. The next time a disruptive situation crops up, you’ll know what to do without climbing walls!
Distractions All Around Your Workplace. How Do You Manage These And Get Back On Track? Read More »
Are You Happiest Or Unhappiest At Your Job?
If you think it’s all about fat paychecks, special perks and privileges and a reserved slot in the basement parking area that make people happy with their chosen work, you’ve got another think coming. Various surveys from different reputable organizations say otherwise. The single, most important element that makes people happy at their jobs is the keen awareness that what they do makes a difference in the life of other persons. In “Happiness By Design”, a new book by UK economist and behavioral science professor, Paul Dolan, he says that florists and gardeners are the happiest among all professions. Not only that. They’re also twice as happy compared to those people working in more prestigious, executive positions that pay better. The next happiest group of professionals are those men and women involved in making others more attractive and more beautiful: hairdressers and beauticians. They claim to be happy almost eighty percent (80%) of the time. By comparison, only forty four percent (44%) of bankers said they were happy with what they do. Look at it this way … if you’re a florist, a creative flower arranger, you’d be having a lot of social interactions and you’d see the fruit of your labor a lot faster. With bankers and lawyers, it’s generally a grey area where feedback is concerned. And, not too many people appreciate what they do. What They Say About Being A Gardener Or A Florist A simple house gardener extols his profession. He says …“Gardening is so freeing! … being outdoor and working with nature and the changing seasons.” Another says it’s the variety, the multi-colored types of plants and flowers that he loves. He finds every hour of every day as different and the scenery … “is spectacular!” Doctors And Nurses Another group of people who are pretty glad and happy to be doing what they do are doctors and nurses. A Dr. Kevin Dynan, consultant geriatrician in the Ulster Hospital says .. “I get the opportunity to meet fascinating patients and improve their quality of life.” An eye surgeon at Moorfiields Eye Hospital in London says .. “The progress being made in my field of medicine is rapid and seemingly exponential in its rate of change – and restoring or improving vision for patients must be the most rewarding surgery that any doctor can perform.” Asked what makes her happy, Joanne Upton, a skin cancer nurse at the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre in Merseyside says .. “When you feel you have made a real posititve impact on the patient.” Another nurse says, it makes her happy to know that every day, when she goes home, she’s helped a sick child and his family – she’s made a difference! The Year’s 10 Unhappiest Professions Culled from these varied surveys as well, are the ten most unpopular “unhappiest” jobs. These include 1) Security officer 2) Bank branch manager 3) Accountant 4) Customer service representative 5) General manager 6) sales executive 7) technical support representative 8) Marketing manager 9) Sales manager and 10) Machine operator. Several of the key reasons employees were not happy in these fields are the lack of support from their management, low wages and limited opportunities for career growth. What Value Does All This Information Give You? This data can prove to be a good basis in the evaluation of current careers and, who knows, perhaps point individuals to the direction that might be most beneficial to their happiness in the work they do.
Are You Happiest Or Unhappiest At Your Job? Read More »
Happy Workplaces Are Good For Business
In management circles, it’s generally believed and accepted that a positive environment in the workplace leads to higher productivity, minimal employee turnovers and over-all better healthy outcomes. On the other side of the coin, a workplace that is hostile and insensitive, reeking with anxiety and negativity usually produces poor job performance, low creativity and little innovation. A fairly recent Harvard research study has shown that when leaders and top honchos are humble, inclusive and frequently encourage their staff to voice out their feelings or seek help, employees are generally happier and become more engaged. An oppressive corporate culture over time, simply goes against achieving positive results. What You Can Do If you’re one of the team leaders or senior managers of your company, here are three tried and tested rules that will help bring out honest and constructive feedback, important to managing your people, and ultimately, your company better. When you want to correct your employees, do so in a positive context. You may even want to criticize or confront your subordinates. That’s okay, but give out as many as three or four positive statements for every negative one you make. This makes a lot of sense. Our brains tend to focus more on negative feedbacks than on the positive feedbacks. So, when you say a lot more that is encouraging, supportive and appreciative, these will sort of neutralize the brain’s partiality to negativity and will ergo, lead to a higher degree of employee engagement. Research studies say that where there is positive communication, you’re likely to see the best results; good engagement and high morale. Center your communication on the strengths of your colleagues and employees and their unique contributions. It has almost become a habit for us to harp on what’s wrong with our employees. However, by focusing on their weaknesses alone we may just inadvertently be creating competence. By centering on their strengths, we are creating excellence. Be as specific and detailed about your positive feedbacks as you are about the negative ones. Sometimes, we’re guilty of simply glossing on their strengths much like a ship that passes in the night and yet we delve on their weaknesses like the 4th of July fireworks. Put a lot of emphasis on teamwork and commonalities. When talking about the negative incident, be objective. Try to describe the problem in detail rather than evaluating it, and identify the specific consequences that resulted and your personal feelings that came with it without placing blame. Try to stay away from arguing who’s right or who’s at fault. Instead suggest acceptable, reasonable and fair alternatives in correcting the situation. Given an understanding of the foregoing, it won’t hurt to do an honest and candid self-critique to objectively find out where your corporate culture stands. If you feel it could do with some improvements, the guidelines above could pretty well serve as starting points for your top managers and team leaders.
Happy Workplaces Are Good For Business Read More »
Are you a genuine person? let’s have a look at the behaviours….
6 Behavioral Patterns That Say You’re A Genuine Person Most research studies have shown Emotional Intelligence (EQ) to be essential to job performance. In tests conducted among hundreds of thousands of people, it explains fifty eight percent (58%) of success in various types of jobs. Reports have it that ninety percent (90%) of top business leaders have high EQ and are known to make, on average, an estimated twenty nine thousand dollars ($29,000) more than people with low EQ. The Lowdown On Emotional Intelligence It’s a given truth. Emotional Intelligence is a force you can steer towards one direction and achieve great results. There’s just one catch to it. It doesn’t work if you’re not genuine. That’s because people don’t usually accept displays of Emotional Intelligence at face value. They’re skeptical. They don’t just want to see it. They’d like to know it’s real, sincere and honest and is not being used to manipulate things and people. This is a fact found in most surveys which say that leaders who are sincere are a lot more effective in motivating people. They inspire trust and respect with what they do rather than with what they say. In other words these genuine leaders walk their talk. Here are 6 habits that’ll help you determine if you’re one of the genuine people. Genuine people don’t go out of their way to please others. They are who they are. What you see is what you get. They know not everybody will like them neither will everybody dislike them but they’re OK with that. They’re not going to let that stand in the way of doing the right thing. They won’t hesitate to take unpopular positions or make unpopular decisions if that’s what situations demand. Genuine people don’t pre-judge. They keep an open mind which most people find interesting because they don’t make a judgment on people or form an opinion before they get to know them first hand. At the workplace, a person’s open-mindedness is important, as it makes him/her approachable allowing for access to new ideas and out-of-the-box thinking. Genuine people treat everybody with respect. Whether you’re a big client or a busboy in some fast food restaurant expect genuine people to treat you fair and square . They believe they’re no better than anybody else. Genuine people aren’t boastful or swell-headed. They are not insecure or in panic that if they don’t talk about the great things they’ve done, no one will notice. No. these genuine guys are confident about their accomplishments and know the merits of what they’ve done will stand on its own. Genuine people aren’t materialistic. For them, it’s not about fat checkbooks or fancy, glittering jewels or fine dining in posh restaurants. Not that they have anything against those things. They just don’t need them to feel happy. It’s from within that their joy comes. Family, friends and a sense of purpose … they’re what makes their lives full and rich. Genuine people share. They don’t hold back anything from you … not knowledge, not resources. They’re not afraid you’ll outshine or outperform them when they give you access to what they know and whom they know. They’d want you to do well. They believe your success is theirs as well. Putting it all together, you’d realise genuine people are sure enough about themselves and are firmly grounded in reality. They’re not figuring out somebody’s own agenda or even worrying about their own. They know who they are. If you still are in doubt as to who you are, go through these six behavioral patterns. Get them all right and I’d say … “Welcome to the Club!”
Are you a genuine person? let’s have a look at the behaviours…. Read More »
Tiếng Việt