The Time Pilot

‘’ One always has time enough, if one will apply it well’’ – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

 If time flies, then your job as the pilot is to take control of it and steer it in the direction you want to go. These three tips help me fly my ‘’time plane’’ on a daily basis.

To Do or Not to Do?       

In an ideal, serene world, where things happen in linear, predictable sequence (such as when I’m on the bench, or working from the office), it’s very easy to adopt a reactive approach to task execution. What this means, basically, is that I work on whatever my manager sends me, in the order in which she sends it. No hassle, no stress, and everything gets turned in without any fuss.            

In the heat of an intense project atmosphere, however, it’s a completely different story. Things very easily begin to unravel when I’m working on the client site. Instructions come in rapid-fire succession from managers, consultants, counterpart staff, project sponsors … It’s very easy to go berserk.

That’s when I discovered the importance of a weekly and daily To-Do List. Every Sunday, I consult the project work plan and/or status report and distill the key activities I would be working on that week. After listing them VERY BOLDLY on a yellow sticky note which I place prominently on my desktop, I proceed to break these activities into tasks which I then program directly into my Microsoft Outlook To-Do List. That way, I always start the day with a plan. Similarly, task overruns, missed deadlines and extra tasks are immediately flagged and acted upon.

Dawn or Dusk? 

How well do you know yourself? If you had mentioned the words ‘’natural bio-rhythm’’ to me six months ago, I would have assumed you were talking of some exotic New Age yoga-esque concept.

It didn’t take long for me to figure out that I am a ‘’morning person’’. I am typically up before 4am (unless I make myself go back to bed), bright-eyed and ready to take on the day’s challenge. By 10pm, I start wilting and by 11pm, I am dead to the world.

Understanding this helps me plan my work. I schedule my demanding, brain-tasking activities for the wee hours of the morning. At 3am, my creative juices are at my peak (weird as it may sound J) In the same vein, I make it a point of duty not to push myself beyond certain hours, secure in the knowledge that I will be up before dawn to tie up the loose ends and get a head start on my day.  This has made me happier and more productive.

Give Me a Break             

It’s nice to think that you can work for 8-10 hours straight, especially when you’re working to a deadline. But it’s impossible for anyone to focus and produce really high-quality work without giving their brains some time to rest and recharge.

So, I’ve learnt not to dismiss breaks as “wasting time.” They provide valuable down-time, which enables me to think creatively and work effectively.

When it’s hard for me to stop working, then I schedule breaks for myself, or set an alarm as a reminder. I go for a quick walk, grab a drink, or just sit and meditate at my desk. I try to take a five minute break every hour or two. And I make sure that I give myself ample time for lunch – I can’t produce top quality work if I’m hungry!

Hopefully, adopting one or other of these techniques should keep you flying high!

A WOW Meeting is a POW Meeting

 

 

If you’ve spent any time in the corporate world, it won’t be long before you encounter one of the most important, mishandled and misunderstood staples of the business world: the meeting.

How many of you have ever slept in a meeting? Or even worse, how many times have you had people nodding off at meetings you facilitated? This might have been due to any of two things.

Perhaps the attendees stayed up till 2am the night before, partying and drinking tequila until the wee hours of the morning. If that’s the case, then, what cannot be helped must be endured. There’s only so much you can do anything about the nocturnal habits of your colleagues.

On the other hand, perhaps they slept off because they found the meeting boring. If this is the case, then this Meetings 101 series is for you. It’ll help you plan and conduct meetings that are both efficient and effective so that your meeting objectives are accomplished in an appropriate amount of time, and the meeting process is facilitated in a way that allows everyone to contribute and feel valued as participants.

The most productive meetings are the ones in which everyone attending has a clear understanding of why they are at the meeting. This is the reason the facilitator needs to determine the Purpose, Outcome, Why (POW!) prior to the meeting and then communicate and get agreement on it in the meeting.

• The Purpose is a statement of your meeting objective.

• The Outcome is more specific. It is what you want to have when you walk out the door of the meeting—the specific deliverable, such as a list of recommended solutions; or a non-tangible, such as team members who are excited about starting the next phase of a project.

• The Why includes both the rationale for achieving the meeting objectives and each individual’s “what’s in it for me.”

For example:

– Purpose: To finalize budget recommendation

– Outcome: A final department budget ready to submit for corporate budget review

– Why: “We were over budget last year and unfortunately, that’s why we didn’t get approval for additional headcount. Let’s make sure that we plan well and ask for what we need.” (The Why is often stated, rather than written on a flipchart or agenda.)

The POW! is the most important concept of this series. All other decisions about a meeting depend on the POW! of the meeting: participants, meeting length, agenda and process. Even the design of the room and other preparation steps are dependent on the POW!

To create the POW!, use the following guidelines to determine the purpose, desired outcome and why of the meeting.

• Why are we holding this meeting?

•What do we want to accomplish?

• Is the meeting necessary, or could we get the same outcomes using other methods?

• What would be a successful meeting?

• What are the maximum and minimum desired outcomes?

• What questions need to be addressed by the meeting participants to get these outcomes?

• What criteria exists for generating outcomes?

• What will happen with the results/outcome of the meeting?

• Will the results be delivered to someone for review and approval?

• Who is responsible for the follow-up?

• By what date should follow-up occur?

• Who will facilitate?

• Who will record?

• Who will participate and why? What’s in it for them?

• What level of participation do we need from group members?

• Have the participants met before on this issue? What was the outcome? (Facilitation Handbook)

Asking these questions and communicating the answers to the meeting attendees should make your next POW! meeting a WOW! meeting.

Wearing it Well: Business Attire in the Workplace

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aisha is an outstanding administrator. She is competent and has a strong work ethic. However, she has been passed over for promotion two years in a row because her supervisor feels she is not yet ready to play a managerial role. How has he formed this negative impression? From her dressing. She wears slippers to work and often appears sloppy and casual. This is unacceptable and detracts from her professionalism.

In determining the appropriate business attire, three questions must be considered.

First, what is the dominant style of dress at my organization? Research has identified at least four styles in corporate organizations. The first is the Traditional style. This is common in law firms and features clothes such as dark wool suits for men and suits and dresses for women. The second is the Professional style. This is common in advertising firms and features clothes such as blazers for men and skirts and dressy slacks for women. The third is the Collegiate style. This is common among fresh graduates and features clothes such as casual shirts. The fourth is the Casual style. This is common among engineers and features clothes such as denim jeans and T-Shirts.

Second, what will my clothing choices say to my co-workers? Do you wish to be seen as one of the team? If so, your dressing should not be outlandish. Do you want to be seen as upwardly mobile? If so, you should invest in some cutting-edge pieces. Do you want to be seen as unique? If this is your goal, you can cultivate your uniqueness through distinctive but appropriate clothes.

Third, how much of a risk am I willing to take? Do you want to fit in? If you want to stay in your current position for a while, you should stick within the approved dress code. Or do you want to stand out? Supervisors tend to dress a little better than the rank and file. You may have to stand out from the crowd if you want to get ahead.

In conclusion, a few eccentric geniuses and artistic visionaries can get away with ignoring the rules of proper business attire. Everyone else, though, should carefully consider the impact of their clothing choices on their long-term career success.