This is a tough year for year-end bonuses and holiday bashes. Many businesses are worried about disappointing people if they drop year-end traditions on the one hand and angering people if they spend money that “could go toward more important things like salaries and jobs” on the other. So what’s a business to do? People need a bit of celebrating, socializing, and acknowledgement of their efforts and accomplishments. Here are some ideas I’ve collected from clients and other sources. Hold a holiday potluck in the office and share recipes or hold it at the CEOs home instead of going out Have a meal catered on site instead of eating at an expensive restaurant Celebrate with a luncheon instead of dinner, which is generally more expensive Close the open bar
The most popular article on my website is 4 Reasons to Cancel that Meeting! but no one had ever contacted me about it until I got a call this week from someone in Baltimore. His meeting fit the bill so he cancelled it. Unfortunately, his actions were not well received! Why? Because it wasn’t really his meeting to cancel. Sure, he was responsible for the agenda. He scheduled the meeting. But he was not the true instigator. He was acting on behalf of someone with more authority and that was undoubtedly the person upset by the cancellation.
It has been more than three weeks since I posted anything on my blog.”You can’t do that!” I’m told. “You must post several times each week!” Well, guess what? I survived. My blog did notself-destruct. My business did not fail. Health care, Afghanistan, and the economy still dominate the news. Meanwhile, I was doing more important things.
The difference between decent project management and excellent project management can be measured in delays, cost overruns, lost customers, employee misery, and business jeopardy. Boeing’s Dreamliner provides a great example of all five. So what are the secrets of the top project managers? What do they do differently that makes their projects finish on-time, on-budget, and with good results?
Those predisposed to pessimism have abundant evidence to justify their sense of gloom and doom these days. Optimists may even feel their positive outlook under siege. Here are some tips for remaining upbeat: Avoid grumps and whiners. They will only make you feel worse. Take care of yourself. Eat well, exercise, and take time for yourself. Concentrate on the things you can control, not those beyond your reach. Laugh. Seek the people, reading matter, shows and activities that make you laugh. Be generous with others. Be patient, helpful, forgiving, and supportive. Avoid generalizations. Specific things are going wrong. Lots of them, I’ll grant you. But other things are going well. Attend to your cash flow and emergency reserves. Limit the amount of news you watch and file those financial statements quickly. Be confident in who you are and what you have accomplished. Economic difficulties don’t change that; they only change how and when you pursue your dreams. Make smart investments that position you for a strong future. Consider investing in: Professional development Building strong relationships with customers Reconnecting with past customers Getting your operational house in order Clarifying your strategy Facilities and equipment that may be exceptionally inexpensive right now This too shall pass. Will you be ready? Call us for help in making the best of current circumstances: 617-939-9654.
“Everyone is having trouble so I don’t have a chance and it’s going to get a lot worse before it gets better.” Depressing just to read such a statement, isn’t it? I am sure you have heard plenty of similar statements in the last many weeks. The times are simply crazy. But we can choose how we react to them and control the statements we make!
I just returned from a fabulous, mostly unplugged, long weekend. I could not write my blog; I had no computer and sporadic connectivity. I could not check phone messages or email; there was rarely a cell signal. I could not look things up on the Internet; my iPhone specialized in “No Service.” It reminded me of the peace I felt during my 7 days in the remote wilderness of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area on the Minnesota-Canadian border two summers ago. I relaxed while working hard physically, enjoyed the incredible scenery, discovered new places, and appreciated the people around me. Back a bit early from my long weekend, I vowed to continue the vacation, at least until the sun set. I didn’t “work,” but I failed in that mission. I caught up on email. I downloaded, labeled, and uploaded pictures. I checked the weather. I experimented with Facebook. I checked Had I succumbed to laundry and dinner alone, the vacation would have lasted longer. Computers, email, the Internet, iPhones – titanic time savers that suck significant and vital minutes out of your day. They distract us from life. They teach us to interrupt ourselves. Control or be controlled: that is the question.
You have to want it. Desire, determination and persistence are invaluable. I don’t know about the Red Sox. I wouldn’t bring it up with them right now. Think of how Hillary Clinton reacted to such a suggestion from Sarah Palin. Nonetheless, attitude is the little engine that could. Talent and skill, like a strong, well-engineered frame and body, set you up for success. A smart choice of destination and route can significantly improve your odds. And, of course, luck is in charge of the downed branches and landslides. But it is that little engine, charging forward with determination and optimism, that can compensate for the rusty frame, the wrong turn, and the cow on the tracks. Pick your mountain! And then climb it one small rise at a time. What one thing can you accomplish today that will get you closer to your dream? Be specific. Be determined. Be successful.
Multi-tasking is the rage, the norm, and seems the only way to manage in our crazy fast-paced world. We applaud it, take pride in our abilities to do it, and often suffer the consequences. Multi-tasking is capable of providing significant productivity gains, but it may also slow you down, reduce the quality of your work, or kill you.
We have been taught to be careful and thorough. We have been graded on accuracy. We are encouraged to be consistent. But being careful, thorough, accurate and consistent can be time consuming, counter-productive, and boring. There are only 24 hours in a day and we have only one life to live. We will get better results and live better lives if we are careful, thorough, accurate and consistent where it counts, and speedy, efficient, and satisfactory everywhere else. “You can’t be too careful” does not always apply.