As someone who's on nearly every social media site out there, I've probably managed to disappoint some of my friends, family members, followers, or subscribers for not always acknowledging them. To help explain my stance (and save a bit of time by doing this once :) ), I thought I'd put together a list of the 6 things that all my social media followers should know about me. I’m Always Appreciative I, like most normal human beings, do enjoy the attention I get from Facebook, ... Read More
Please, Know When to Shut Up in Meetings
Here’s a common problem in teleconference meetings: some people just don’t know when to shut up to get a point across. This includes folks who keep making the same point over and over again, and do not understand the concept of “less is more.” Although this happens in face-to-face meetings as well, it is more common in virtual meetings because the presenter can’t read his or her audience’s visual cues to know whether they’re still actively listening. In the spirit of knowing when to shut up, ... Read More
My 1-sentence Summaries of the Best 6 Books I’ve Read on Productivity
I’m a voracious reader of non-fiction books, and I usually read the latest bestsellers in the business, psychology, and finance genres. Every once in a while, I come across one that leaves a remarkable impact on the way I think or act, and the list below includes six of those books (I’ve read each at least twice). Of course, not every one of them is about productivity, but I’ve boiled each to a single-sentence takeaway that generally increases my efficiency and reduces stress. I also included ... Read More
The 4 Types of Managers According to Abraham Lincoln’s Productivity Rule
Abraham Lincoln famously said: "Give me 6 hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first 4 sharpening the axe" I'm a big fan of this quote, and I’ve used it over and over during my career – especially when planning large and complex initiatives. In essence, the quote refers to how much time you should spend planning versus executing a project. According to Lincoln, you should spend two-thirds of the time you have sharpening the axe (planning your project), and the remaining one-third of it ... Read More
The 3 Types of Responses to Questions: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Nearly every single response to every single question I’ve ever asked someone in a meeting, phone call or email can be classified under one of three categories: one’s good, the other’s bad, and the third’s ugly. The good is when someone answers the question first, and then gives additional information afterwards. The bad is when they do it the other way around. The ugly is when they never answer the question. Here’s a visual to explain the difference. Here’s an explanation of why you need to ... Read More
5 Annoying Replies That Don’t Require “Reply All”
One pet peeve that I share with a lot of people I know is the use of “Reply All” in email – especially when every recipient on the mailing list doesn’t need to be included in the response. It’s very frustrating and such a waste of time having to click through useless back and forth email chatter when the topic doesn’t apply to me. The problem is that because I'm copied on the email chain, I falsely assume that I have to read all the messages and therefore I cannot just ignore them. In my ... Read More
Japanese Perfection and Why You Need to be Specific in Your Requests
I’m reading a book called “Reframing Organizations” by Lee Bolman & Terrence Deal (Jossey-Bass, 2008) for an Organizational Behavior course I’m taking and I came across a hilarious section which refers to an encounter between two companies in the 1970s or 1980s. The first is an American company which needed ball bearings and the second is a Japanese plant that made them. Here’s what apparently happened: Although the book’s main point was more about the difference in company standards ... Read More
7 Parts to the Perfect Voice Message
If you run your own business or manage a team, you probably leave more than a handful of voice messages each day on your clients’ or colleagues’ phones. To make sure that you communicate your message clearly and minimize any miscommunication, you’ll want to make sure you craft the perfect voice message. Here’s a sample with the 7 parts you’ll need: Greeting: Say their name – it’ll grab their attention and minimize the possibility they think you’re some telemarketer. Your Info: Say your ... Read More
8 Interpretations of Silence when using Instant Messaging
I use Instant Messaging (IM) a lot in my job to manage my team and connect with friends. I love it because I have the unparalleled advantage of multi-tasking different conversations with so many people at once. Of course, it does have a few drawbacks, but overall, I still think it’s a valuable tool in the arsenal of online communication – particularly for couch managers. However, there is one pet peeve that most individuals share when using online chat: Silence I’m not referring to the natural ... Read More
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