Middlefocus

Earlier this month we took a trip to Amsterdam and arrived to find daytime temperatures rising to minus 7C. The planned for boat trip was a non-starter as the city's canals were frozen solid. You might think that in the face of such chill people would stay indoors but that did not appear to be the case. The streets were busy with shoppers, wrapped up warm against the cold and getting on with their daily routine. People of all ages, shapes and sizes made their way onto the frozen canals and whether skiing or walking took the ice in their stride. It struck me that "getting on with it" and "making the most of things" is an attitude worth fostering. As economies make shaky steps towards recovering their balance, we need more of that canal attitude that is capable of turning a minus temperature into a plus.

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 ema...

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...

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 humo...

18 August 2011: A level results were issued today and brought with them delight in some quarters and disappointment in others. This morning I was travelling by bus and I could not help but overhear the disappointment of two family members, seated near me, who were concerned that one of their loved ones had not achieved his expected grades. Their shared disappointment was palpable and was coupled with anxiety over what future the young man now faced. Where would he find work? Would he go back to school? What were his options? It struck me that these family members had strong aspirations and education was a key element in their fulfilment. In reflecting on the student's performance both held to the view that he could have applied himself more. Applied. There's a word. In today's squeezed workplaces we often hear of attitude and aptitude. The adage goes "your aptitude gets you hired, your attitude gets you fired!" It seems to me that being able to apply oneself ...

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 gre...