Reading Instructions

If at first you don't succeed, read the instructions!

There's an old story about instructions given on an examination question and answer paper. Just before the start of the examination students were told to read carefully the instructions on the front of the booklet and then turn it over and begin.  After a series of DOs and DONTs, the very last instruction on the page said, "Do not write anything on this answer booklet."  It turned out that very few students adhered to that instruction and spent the next hour or so filling in their responses to questions that were not needed.  Sometimes in a rush to get things done, we can be a bit like those students and provide answers to questions that are not required.  The speed of email and the expectation of a quick return may lead us into a hasty response where we provide too much or irrelevant material. Often what is needed, if at all, is something more considered.
Workplace squeeze:
I've learnt to recognise email messaging as a potential workplace squeeze and check first to see if I am the sender's intended first recipient or just simply cc'd for information. If the message is principally for me then I scan quickly for any actions and requests.  If these can be provided in a few minutes, in a turn of my trusty sand timer, then I'll deal with them then and there. That's a tip from David Allen's Getting Things Done although he sets the limit at two minutes. If I cannot deal with it in 2 to 3 minutes, then I'll slide the message into an action box in my email system and fix an appropriate time to deal with it.  When I get to it, I'll double check that I've covered the inputs required leaving out any additional, not immediately relevant, material. In examination terms, this is similar to advice given to students to answer the question as set, which may not be the one they had been expecting and had prepared earlier.  Of course that takes time and that's a commodity in short supply these days.  However investing a little time to communicate effectively saves time in the long run. This reminds me of an anecdote attributed to  Blaise Pascal.  He reportedly apologised for writing a long letter as he didn't have the time to write a short one.
Now, what was that question?

One, Two, 3 X 5

In these days of electronic devices, with their apps and software that help you get and stay organised there is still a place for pencil, pen and paper. So along with my smartphone and iPad, I still find that the simple 3x5 index card has many practical uses.  There is a quality about paper that I love. I still have notes from decades ago and there is something about the feel, firmness and flexibility of paper that has outlived the old, large and small floppy discs and CD-roms of the early digital age.  3x5s will probably still be around when memory sticks and micro cards have moved on to their next stage of development.
I like to use 3x5 cards to capture and organise thoughts; make notes for talks and presentations; to carry with me as to-do lists and to file details of and from books - their original purpose of course was to index library catalogues.
I also like to use them to send notes to friends and colleagues. Heavy enough to sit on a desk they are great for short notes and personal messages and they can be popped into a small envelope to keep messages private.  I find it useful to keep some in the car in case I need to leave someone a note that I called when they were out.
3x5 cards are of a size that makes them handy to keep in a pocket, purse or wallet.  Their discreet size makes them practical when giving a speech as they look a lot less intimidating for an audience than walking forward with a bundle of A4 sheets.  When using them for a speech I do like to make sure that they remain in the proper order so numbering is essential.  Sometimes I couple them with a treasury tag, a much used device from yesteryear but now mostly used to keep batches of computer print-out paper together.
So here's a thumbs up, or more appropriately an index finger, for the 3x5 card!

Voicemail: How to be in when you're out

One of my friends has a very busy career and spends a lot of time travelling. She considers her workplace to be wherever she is doing her thing at any particular time, however she is not always free to answer the phone. To make up for that she is very diligent about her voicemail service. She doesn't simply note messages that have been left, she goes further than that. My friend manages to be in when she's out by updating her outgoing message frequently to share information on where she is at, what she is doing and when she is likely to return the call. She records that she checks her voicemail regularly and promises to get back to the caller quickly. And she does. She uses voicemail to maintain client relationships when she is elsewhere.

So here's a squeeze:

Many people hate "talking to a machine" and hang up without leaving a message. How can we reduce some of that annoyance and encourage callers to leave a message? One possible answer is to use some humour in the voicemail message to make things a little more personal? A way of being there, when you're not. A way of being in when you're out.

Depending on your business too much humour may come across as inappropriate and unprofessional so the trick is to sound personable and approachable.

My favourite message is one used mostly for internal calls although I sometimes use it on my mobile phone.

It runs: Hi this is the voice of N#### N##### , the rest of me isn't here at the moment so please leave your name, number and short message and I'll get back to you." ;-)

I have a way to go to reach my friend's voicemail practice and in the meantime, if I am out, I want all my callers to get a friendly greeting that encourages even the most ardent machine haters to leave that message. Common to both approaches is the professional courtesy in returning the call.

That's really how to be in when you're out.

Thinking about Resilience

A tale of two psyches

I heard a vexed and interesting account recently of how managers in one organisation have been closing down office conversations. They have ruled no talking at the water cooler and have gone as far as discouraging staff from showing around photographs of their holidays and children. There we go with that control mindset again.  It seems to  take the view that if a workplace encourages socialising then there mustn't be enough work being done. I guess social media in that environment would be a no go.
A while back, I was visiting an organisation in another city. There the office was open plan and the meeting with managers took place in a glass panelled room, along one side of the office.  Transparency.  During the meeting the senior executive present asked if we would mind taking a break for a few minutes. A comfort stop?  No. He had noticed that one of the staff had come into the office with her new baby and wanted to go over to wish her congratulations. The greeting and chat lasted only a few minutes during which he held the child. Pleasantries exchanged, we resumed our meeting and the staff their desks. This exec took the time to show interest in the staff member.  Guess what that does for the tone of the place?  The people I saw were relaxed and friendly.
Getting the work done?  You better believe it, the organisation is gaining market share and features among the top 100 to work for.
In tough times, which of those two organisations would you be more prepared to put yourself out for? Go the extra mile for?  Sure workplaces are squeezed at present and more is expected for less but we need the milk of human kindness.
Let's not throw the baby out with the bath water.

Breaking through!

Doing the weeding of some computer files, I came across an old folder containing several eMindMaps.  They were created using a program of the same name that came as part of a cover disc for a computer magazine. Although I use mostly hand drawn maps I loved using the software which has now evolved into the famous MindManager brand.
Going through the old maps I came across one I had saved as Breaking through!  I think it is still useful for considering goals and objectives and so I post it here for readers to judge for themselves.  As you can see write-in spaces are provided to help the user focus on aspects of achieving an objective.
Breaking through! brings to mind the comment from Steven Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.  Using one of the social media platforms, he wrote:
"Every truly great breakthrough is a break-with an old way of thinking. What's your latest breakthrough?"
I suppose my rediscovered files map old ways of thinking or at least what I was thinking then. To break-with the pattern I think I'll draw in another branch. I'll probably call it break-withs.
What's your latest break-with?

Apathy in the workplace

I have been browsing the pages of Management Issues recently and came across an old but still relevant post from Max McKeown entitled, A is for Apathy. You can access it here. It's worth a read and it prompted the following thoughts:
Someone once defined the opposite of love, not as hate but as apathy or indifference.
Apathy is a "state". In my view many working practices create conditions in which apathy can take hold, sometimes contrary to the best intentions of those in charge. Think of those stories we hear more and more of where adults are infantalised, treated like children and told that they can't do this and that. The stories depict a world of control and creativity curtailed.
Come to think of it, why would we want such a world for our children either?
High control workplaces may be appropriate in some sectors but in others may have more to do with a culture of low trust. Low trust environments may mean people learn to leave their creative selves at home and switch off their ingenuity at work. Not what we need in today's world.
So what to do about it?
If you accept that apathy is a state then you can change state. Do what you can to brighten your thinking and your immediate environment. How? Think about these. What were the hopes and expectations you had when you first started working here? In an ideal workplace what would you be thinking, saying and doing? Could you be the change that you want to see in this workplace? Maybe? Could you for example do that by seeking to build rapport among co-workers and senior managers? How about? - Noticing your co-workers more; finding plusses to praise; welcoming their contributions; practising attentive listening; encouraging; relating? Simply connecting? This isn't about avoiding the reality of a negative environment through a naive form of positive thinking but it is about positive, possibility thinking. It's about exerting a positive influence and you have to learn to care enough to make it happen. When you do, people will notice and you create an upward spiral.
Of course, things may have got so bad that some just want an exit strategy, a divorce from their workplace. In this economic climate that may not be a choice they are able to make. In that case, they might need to follow the old adage "Love what you do until you can do what you love!"
Love after all is the opposite of apathy.