Multitasking: Leader or Loser?

Posted on January 14, 2011 by Lynne Tarter

Multitasking

Can we really perform multiple tasks simultaneously?

We as leaders feel the pressure to do multiple tasks at the same time, but are we enhancing our productivity or wasting time?

Neurological researchers identify “brown outs” in the brain during multi-tasking, a term associated with the loss of some of the brain’s computing power.  This “brown out” condition leaves room for surface learning only, and increases the chances of mistakes.

The reality is that we as leaders increasingly have to do more with less. This means we must learn how to multitask effectively.

Inefficient & Less Effective

I, like most of my peers, have my cell phone beside me so I can respond to texts while I am writing this blog article, simultaneously monitoring my 4 email addresses and periodically adding to a PowerPoint presentation for my next consulting assignment.

Too Much MultitaskingI am passionate about what I do, And in living this passion, I am a moderate-level multi-tasker who is surrounded by technologies that allow me to feel somewhat powerful.

In fact, because I multitask regularly, I have reached a level of proficiency.  Or have I?

As our leadership responsibilities grow, we try to achieve more things simultaneously, often “flying by the seat of our pants” to get everything done.

In one specific example, as a result of the alarmingly negative scientific findings on the human ability to multi-task, state-wide laws have restricted cell phone use while driving.

Ask yourself this: What is your first response when your phone signals you have a text message while you are driving home from work? As a fellow driver, I hope you are waiting at stop light while reading that text!

ADHDOff the road, who doesn’t respond to an instant message while on a conference call?  The compulsion to rapidly switch between posting on Facebook, tweeting and emailing your business colleagues is something most leaders feel is a requirement in order to be most effective in today’s fast-paced business environment.

However, the more we function this way, the less productive we are.  Research shows, as is evidenced in Fenella Saunder’s article in the American Scientist, those who juggle five or more functions at a time take the longest to switch between processes and, thus, are most inefficient.

Multitasking Tools

How can we as leaders work more efficiently AND effectively?

Web-based tools can help, social media consolidators allow users to post one update and the service pushes it out to all social media accounts.  Another tool includes what most big software firms continually tout as “unified communications,” the elusive cloud-based application where social media and business communication converge into a time-saving medium.

However advertised, this concept has yet to find a strong fan base.

Strategies –  change habits to multitask productively

Steven Covey Quadrant

As helpful these tools are, they cannot enable maximum effectiveness and efficiency alone.  Day-to-day habits and behaviors have to change!

Tips for more effective and efficient multi-tasking performance on the job include:

  1. Allow yourself “downtime” each day, a time of rest so your brain can process the comments received during the day and synthesize it into feasible steps for tomorrow.  Meditation is ideal for this restful downtime.  Match this with a restful night’s sleep of at least five hours.
  2. Reduce your anxiety levels and those of your team.  Anxiety induces mistake of both omission (forgetting to do a task) and commission (doing a task incorrectly).  To lessen anxiety levels:
    • Check for alignment and understanding using open-ended questions starting with “Do I understand correctly…” and “What will your first step be…..”
    • Clarify how the project fits into the big picture, field questions from the group.
    • Look to the future, collaboratively mapping out what success looks like while creating an environment of collective ownership for success.
    • Follow a disciplined cycle of productivity.  Renowned technologist Pierre Khawand, Lecturer at UC Berkley’s Haas School of Business and Founder of People-OnTheGo, suggests start with forty minutes of focused project time with no interruptions to allow for rich ideation and concept maturation (most disturbing are the visual pop-ups and audio notifications of text messages).  Follow this forty minutes by a similar time-period  of collaboration, responding to calls, IM’s, emails and social media.  In this way, if you have one hour between meetings, use this time productively to get a chunk of work done on your project and still respond to the real-time work environment before your next meeting.
    • Use the Urgent/Important matrix.  Eisenhower is credited with the original quote “What is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important”.  However, Stephen Covey popularized this time management concept through this matrix designed to help you prioritize and consciously decide how to spend your time wisely.  Using this matrix, how would you score updating your Facebook page with what you ate for lunch?  How would you score an email from your CEO asking for action in the next hour?

Humorous Story

Finally, I share a humorous story that one of my webinar participants shard with me.

Her VP-level colleague Jim was running a global team meeting with 35 participants joining from all across the world.

His intention was to share slides over the internet with the participants while also speaking over a conference bridge line for one hour in order to reach a decision on a project.  He started the meeting with a verbal introduction, then asked everyone to log into the website where he was hosting the meeting.

After everyone was logistically situated, he proceeded to share his desktop mistakenly rather than just his Powerpoint presentation.  While discussion ensued between the members of his team, Jim started two IM chats—a spicy chat with his girlfriend and another chat with a colleague —all while his team was discussing the matter Jim had placed before him.

Unbeknownst to Jim, all 35 of the team members that logged on to the shared website could see every one of the somewhat racy chat boxes popping up on Jim’s window.

Multitasking can be a productivity enhancer with careful and attentive management, but, if not managed well, it quickly works against us.

So how are you doing at understanding the competing elements that invade your daily, weekly, and monthly tasks? And what are you doing to think about your phone, email, projects, business, family, recreational life, and more in terms of time-and-productivity-zappers? I would love to hear how you are handling your multitasking lives!

——————–
Lynne Tarter, SPHR, HCS is Principal at LET Consulting
She helps clients develop global strategies in Human Capital Management
Email | LinkedIn | Twitter | Blog | Skype: lynne.tarter | +1.425.949.2798

Image Sources: motifake.com,  wired.com, babble.com

Enhanced by Zemanta

Filed under: Servant Leadership | Tagged: , , , | 3 Comments »

Managing Mondays: Better Leadership Workflows

Posted on January 11, 2010 by Jason Christensen

Sitting at your computer, you open that dreaded email from Susie Windbag. Blah… blah… blah! I can imagine that you have experienced this: skimming through a tortuously long email because the writer is going on and on instead of simply just getting right to the point. It’s like walking down a long corridor that never ends. It’s also a big waste of everyone’s time.

Don’t make the same mistake. No one has the time to read through your long drawn out explanation. And believe me, I am the king of drawing things out, so I have become pretty good at changing my ways. It has been challenging, but I have seen the payoff many times over.

So what’s the secret to creating successful email communications for busy people?

Just the Headlines, Please.

newspaper-generatorThe best way to keep an email short and to-the-point is by NOT writing in paragraph form. Use a short leading paragraph stating the desired goal, followed by key bullet points. This helps everyone understand what is happening very quickly. Address individuals and use action items where necessary. Explain to each individual copied on the email why they are on the email even if it is just “FYI,” and what the timeline is for completion.

As a productive leader, you don’t always have the ability to hold a meeting with your team so it is best to provide precisely detailed requests of what you are looking for from each individual or group addressed in your email. This will help everyone with their initial reading of the communique and will also help them when they have to come back to it at a later date.

People will sincerly appreciate working with you when you communicate like this to them.

Email Sampler

Team,
Client ABC would like to run a promotion on Widget XYZ using mail-in rebates for the end user. Our thought is to have Widget XYZ be ½ price after mail-in rebate.

Fulfillment,
–Please check with the factory and see if we can produce 10,000 units of Widget XYZ for a ship to arrive date of mid-March to Client ABC.
–Please confirm this my the close of business today and reply to all on this email.

Marketing,
–Once we have confirmation from Fulfillment of product availability, please work with Finance to be sure we can reach our margin requirements. Please provide results by the end of this week.
–We would like to incorporate this promotion into our new marketing initiative. Please call me at (555) 555-5555 to discuss any ideas you may have.

Finance,
–Please work the numbers to see how much we can offer in terms of the rebate keeping in mind the goal is ½ off to the end-user after mail-in rebate. Again, please provide results by the end of this week.
–When you have this, please email Graphics and myself with the information.

Graphics,
–Please use the same rebate form as last year inserting Widget XYZ. The dates of the promotion will be January 1st – January 31st. Insert the rebate amount when you hear back from finance.
–Please send this over to Legal and myself when complete, we will need to review this by Wednesday of next week.

Legal,
When you receive the file from Graphics, please review this to ensure it meets our corporate requirements and reply to Graphics and myself with any changes or approval by the end of next week.

Management,
This email is FYI.

Thank you all in advance for your help! I look forward to another successful promotional opportunity with Client ABC.

Processes run much smoother if you incorporate precise action plans detailed out with:

  • Bullet points
  • Actionable items
  • Timelines
  • Addressing each individual or team with specific action items and workflow

What are some ways you can improve upon your business processes to create a more productive work environment? How can you tighten your communications to be more effective? How can you set the example and provide “just the headlines” in both written and face-to-face communications? I’d love to hear your tricks of the trade!

Add to: Facebook | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumbleupon | Reddit | Blinklist | Twitter | Technorati | Yahoo Buzz | Newsvine

Email to a friend

—————————————————–
Jason Christensen is National Accounts Manager for The Stanley Works.
He can be reached at jasonchristensen_blog@yahoo.com

Image Sources: sleepingdog.ca, addletters.com

Filed under: Leadership Lessons Learned, Leading & Developing Other Leaders, Practical Steps to Influence, Professional Development | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 3 Comments »

Managing Mondays: Motivating Morale On a Budget

Posted on December 7, 2009 by Jason Christensen

Times are tough right now. Salary’s are stagnant, or are even being cut. 401K’s are not being matched. People are losing their jobs. Unless something is done, this combination of economic malaise is a great way to insure that morale stays low. Even after the cuts and downsizing, many managers may not even be concerned if their remaining employees are unhappy or not. They are under the same kind of pressures themselves. They are not sure if their job is safe now. But what’s a leader to do?

Do Your Job

The answer to the question of what a leader is supposed to do under hard economic realities is this: simply do your job by getting stuff done with the efforts of other people. Focus on doing what it takes to organize efforts, communicate the vision, and get the outcomes that you’ve planned for. Do this now in this economic environment and do it when it changes. You lead people and people need you now.

The very best thing you can do is to be an effective leader during tough times. This will pay many dividend when the economy picks up and other companies begin to compete for your best people. If you are waiting to “take care of your people” when money starts to flow again, you are kidding yourself. Your quality people will leave you if you are not taking care of them now.

Don’t be short-sighted; employees who are not happy are looking elsewhere and when the climate turns many will abandon ship. Now is the time to keep your employees exhilarated! Just a little effort will keep them loyal to you.

“So what can you do to motivate a team and create loyal employees when morale is low?”

——————————————-

In this economy, it’s imperative employers concentrate on non-monetary motivating factors by:

  1. Taking a genuine interest in people
  2. Keeping an open line of communication
  3. Helping people to understand the importance of their role
  4. Bestowing recognition on your team
  5. Cultivating career development plans

——————————————-

1. Take a genuine interest in people.

When times get tough people band together; they take a bona fide interest in one another.

  • Find out what is going on in the life of your team members
  • What is important to them now
  • Let them know you understand
  • Do what you can to help them
  • Offer advice if they are looking for it

Try making a mental list of everyone you may meet today. Think of what they are working on or what they have going on in their life and try to relate to them. People appreciate it when you take an interest in their lives. It will increase morale. Let people know you care and help them realize they are not just another number in the corporate books.

Think of others first, show interest in their lives, offer a helping hand.

What are some ideas you have to strengthen the bonds with a team?

2. Keeping an open line of communication.

An open door policy sends a message to your coworkers you are approachable, willing to listen and discuss issues as they come up. An open line of communication also acquaints you with your team to know what is important to them. If you are familiar with their goals and desires, you will be able to lead them more effectively grooming them for the next steps they wish to do. Without and open line of communication you are leading them blindly and will not get the synergies needed to achieve your goals.

  • Ask employees for their ideas
  • Be a good listener
  • Take notes
  • Work to find ways to incorporate their ideas into the corporate vision

You may be surprised at the good points of information they will give to you. And when you do use their ideas and the employees see them in action you will be surprised by their loyalty to you and the company.

Don’t forget, communication is a two way street. People feel important when they know what is going on with their company. They feel a sense of power when they are “in-the-know” on breaking news. Reach out to your staff when there is news to be shared, organize your thoughts and convey a clear, concise, informational message without breaching company confidentiality.

Keep an open line of communication, be a good listener and make them feel important.

What are some thoughts you have to enhance the communication within a team?

3. Helping people to understand the importance of their role.

People like to feel needed, so helping people understand their contribution to the corporation and showing them that their efforts DO make a difference will certainly increase their morale. It is important for people to understand how each gear turns to keep the machine operating effectively. They need to understand the part they play in the overall corporate structure and the flow of the business.

Take a particular function in your business as an example:

  • Where was it generated and what is the intended outcome?
  • What path had the process taken before it reached your team?
  • Where did it go afterward?
  • What was the result and how did it contribute to the goals of the company?

It is important to illustrate this so that people understand their role is not idle and without function.

Another way to generate a feeling of contribution to the company is to delegate authority. Delegate authority by:

  • Encouraging people to take on more responsibilities
  • Aligning them with the company goals
  • Letting them take ownership of certain processes.

This increase in leadership responsibilities will build the bench strength of your team and increase fellowship among employees. Furthermore take the time to publicly recognize them and convey how their initiatives helped the company and/or the customer. Better yet, invite the customer to take the time to give a public testimonial of the employees efforts. This kind of respect in a timely manner will go a long way with your team.

Help your team to understand their overall role in the company and build bench strength through delegation.

What are you doing to build the bench strength of your workforce?
How do you communicate workflows and processes within your group?

4. Bestowing recognition on your team.

Expendable funds are minimal, but how do you recognize your team for a job well done? One of the best ways is to allow your employees a greater stake in the company. By offering your team options in the organization it generates a deeper interest in helping the company to succeed. The closer the ties, the more loyal they will be and the more desire they will have to look out for the best interest of the company.

A lesser option is to give them a gift they would not otherwise spend their own money to buy. In better times companies had gift catalogs allowing the staff to pick from a selection of nice items. In today’s climate, a more reasonable token may be company logo merchandise. It allows the employee to boast his affiliation with a nice corporate logo while at a minimal cost to the company.

Let’s face it, people enjoy recognition, but the timing and context have to be right. Be sure to:

Awards and recognition generate loyalty and elevate morale.

What forms of recognition do you use?
How do you recognize an employee for a job well done?

5. Cultivating career development plans.

One of the worst feelings as an employee is not knowing where you are going with your employer. Take time with the people on your team and sit down with them to develop a clear career path showing them the next steps they can take based on their achievements. A great time to cover this is during biannual performance reviews. Take this time to give constructive feedback AND discuss with them what they can do to grow with the company. Find out what you can do to help each of your team members advance and work to make it happen. Not only will it help them, but as management sees future leaders continually being produced from your staff it lets them know the value you offer to the company.

Develop your team using:

  • Books and short articles on related topics
  • Online Courses
  • Out of office training workshops or seminars

When people are excused from their regular duties for a short period to take part in these type of events, it helps make them feel important among the crowd.

Take time with your team to make sure you understand what their goals are with the company and help them to develop and achievethose goals.

What have you done to develop your team?
What are some methods you use to boast the triumphs of your team?

Keep your team on board! Think of others first by conveying an interest in their lives, talking with them often, and letting them know that they are doing a good job. Remember to frequently communicate that you appreciate their contributions. Then help them to develop in their careers. With any luck, you will help create a motivated team, a stronger group bond, greater retention rates, and increased team morale.

Add to: Facebook | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumbleupon | Reddit | Blinklist | Twitter | Technorati | Yahoo Buzz | Newsvine

Email to a friend

—————————————————–
Jason Christensen is National Accounts Manager for The Stanley Works.
He can be reached at jasonchristensen_blog@yahoo.com

Image Sources: blog.ultimatefitnessgear.com

Filed under: Future Leadership Issues, Leadership Assessments, Leadership vs. Management, Organizational Health, Practical Steps to Influence, Professional Development, Servant Leadership | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

« Previous Page
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 37,733 other followers

%d bloggers like this: