Archive for the ‘Effectiveness’ Category

Effectiveness – Productivity, Skill, and Value

Productivity, skill, and value are often discussed in the same breath, but they have different meanings and benefits.

  • Productivity is the efficient use of resources to achieve a desired outcome or result. It can refer to individuals and organizations – for individual productivity, it usually means doing more with less effort, while organizationally, it can mean getting the most out of your team or resources.
  • Skill is about mastering a craft; it takes time, dedication, and practice to develop skill. If you have the skills necessary to do something well, you’re likely to be able to do it efficiently and effectively.
  • Value is the contribution that an individual or organization makes. It’s not about how much you can produce in a short period of time but about how meaningful that production is. Value speaks to the quality of your work and its impact on others; it makes people or companies stand out from the crowd and become successful.

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Setting Up for Success in the New Year

Start by reflecting on the past year. What went well, what didn’t, and why? This reflection allows you to gain an understanding of where you are currently and helps you identify elements to focus on in the new year.
Next, narrow your focus to create achievable goals for each of the four categories – Work, Relationships, Finance, and Health.
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Ending the Year on a Strong Note

As we move into the end of the year, it’s important to take stock of where we are and where we want to be. For many people, this time is to reflect on the past and set goals for the future. It is also important to take time for ourselves during the busy holiday season. However, it can be a difficult balance to strike, but it’s important to focus on what was and what will be most important to us.

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End of the Year asks for a Raise or Promotion. Yes or No?

The end of the year is typically a busy time for most organizations as they finalize their budgets and prepare for the upcoming year. This can make it difficult to justify asking for a raise or promotion. However, if you have been performing well and feel you deserve more compensation, the end of the year may be the best time to ask.

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How to Create Authentic Relationships in Networking

When it comes to networking, authenticity is key. The best way to create authentic relationships is to be genuine and transparent in your interactions. Here are a few steps you can take to build authentic relationships in your networking:

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Navigating the Chaos and Moving Forward

“New normal,” “New reality,” or whatever your mantra for defining our current day to day life, the fact is that challenges, chaos, change, and pivoting are our constant. What makes this unique is it is happening to the majority of the population at the same time. So, emotions are high due to: the uncertainty of our economy, the instability in our community, the sadness and anger of injustice, and climate change that is impacting us all. On top of all this, we must continue with our jobs, career, livelihood, and/or businesses.

So how do we navigate all this and continue to move forward? The following five steps address organizational change, and life in general, to help with perseverance and resilience. I use them with my clients and myself to keep on track. (more…)

Why do we have to talk so much about Emotions?

The reason why we are talking so much about emotions these days is simple. As a society, we have not been consistent or set as a priority to practice Emotional Intelligence with as much focus as we apply to other skill sets.

Our current environment is a perfect example of the importance of Emotional Intelligence and what a necessary skill set it is. In comparing world leaders, we see those who combine their intelligence with their emotions to deliver powerful messages. Others just bombard us with information without emotion, generally with negative results.

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How to Survive the Holidays Both Professionally and Personally

The Holiday season brings time off, visits with friends and family, stress, obligation, and exhaustion.

This time of the year, I like to remember something Oprah Winfrey said, “Where there is no struggle, there is no strength.” During the holidays, I believe the struggle for many of us is between how things should look like instead of the quality or intention of the thing itself.

So here are 3 steps for surviving, enjoying, and being grateful during the holidays:  (more…)

Do You have the Makings of a Great Leader?

Today leadership is challenged more than ever. However, I believe at times we get away from the foundational principles. The following are 12 characteristics that I learned through the teachings of the Lakota people: (more…)

I Want an Omelet without Eggs; 3 Steps to Reframing What You Do Want

I was at a networking lunch the other day and someone was telling a story about a friend who was at a restaurant ordering breakfast. She looked at the menu and stated “I want an omelet without eggs.” When she said this, we all looked around the table a bit confused and began to laugh, trying to figure out what she really wanted.

Thanks to a great waitress who had the customer focus on what she did want; she discovered she wanted all the other elements in the omelet and the skillet breakfast was the want. Which by the way, was on the menu. (more…)