newsletter archive.
(Previously published under the title Extreme Profits
under ISSN 1925-8941)
Incivility and productivity, spinning out of control
If you think that how your employees interact or feel about their jobs does not impact your organization's productivity, think again. Your employees' behaviours, singly or compounded, directly affect your organization's efficiency and productivity. How can it not?
Working harder or smarter, tapping into the millennial market
The dichotomy of working harder or smarter stems from the contrast between rural blue-collar and urban white-collar workers. One is purported to work harder while the other smarter.
However, this is not true in the modern age.
Communication technology success factors, skills
While most of us believe that communication technology is the be-all and end-all for organizational efficiencies, this is not true. Organizations that zealously implement information and communication technology solutions may be doing more harm than good.
The fallacy of efficiency, how real leaders lead
In a corporate world where efficiency is the father of productivity, there is a startling counter-effect: The most efficient die early. Perhaps what is even more surprising is that organizations hell-bent on making all of their practices efficient do so at the expense of common sense.
It was Peter Drucker that said: "There is surely nothing quite so useless as doing with great efficiency that which should not be done at all."
As if, what’s holding you back
Efficiency: being able to accomplish something with the least waste of time and effort; competency in performance.
Productivity: the effectiveness of productive effort, measured in terms of rate of output per unit of input.
There are numerous books and articles written about both efficiency and productivity. And most of them relate to practical approaches to achieving both. However, if you are one of those individuals that just cannot follow a rigid methodology, there is another way.
Essential skills, technology’s curse
In 1959, Peter Drucker said that the knowledge worker will be "the most valuable asset of a 21st Century institution, whether business or non-business."
Drucker was correct. The vast majority of work in the 21st Century is knowledge work. In fact, over 88 percent of employees are in this type of work. However, Drucker had no way of knowing that today's knowledge worker would be lacking in fundamental proficiency.
Focus for growth, taking business to the next level
What do successful businesses have in common? They dominate (or are really good in) their niche. Their focus is in only one or a few areas of specialization.
A business or organization without focus goes down a path that leads to nowhere very quickly. We can never be everything to everyone. That is why the world is dotted with vendors of specialty products and services.
Determining what matters most, work-life balance
January of every year sees a multitude of resolutions to start new habits or shed old ones. The aim is always the same: To achieve new goals or re-try past failed attempts.
But we all know that resolute actions in January typically disappear by December's close.
Why is that?
Out of chaos, learning from failure
In his 1907 book The Education of Henry Adams, Adams sharply criticizes 19th Century educational theory and practice. Writing that "chaos often breeds life, when order breeds habit," his views on formal education as an inert collection of facts suggest that learning must extend beyond the classroom. If education is to be worthwhile, it must "breed life" rather than habit.
Critical success factors, let’s talk
Implementing efficiency and productivity improvement in organizations is a strategy and a management philosophy. It is not just a process to drive out costs.
One of the best ways to implement efficiency and productivity improvement is to adopt a Lean Six Sigma philosophy-it is a way to ensure that the organization is doing the right things at the right time and in the right way.
Flippant about stress, making stress work for you
Being stressed has become a cliche. No one seems to be taking it seriously anymore. It has become symbiotic with life.
In "It's not sex. It's not drinking. It's stress and it's soaring," research shows that six in ten workers in major global economies are experiencing increased workplace stress and 80% of workers feel stress on the job. Nearly half say they need help in learning how to manage stress and 42% say their co-workers need such help. While these stats may shock us, what we're not seeing is the effect of stress beyond these numbers.
Do you need a coach? Coaching culture
In a 2001 study, Manchester Inc. surveyed executives that received coaching. The respondents were from large (mostly Fortune 1000) companies who received "change oriented" coaching aimed at improving certain behaviors or skills or "growth oriented" coaching designed to sharpen overall job performance.
Do one new thing each day, profit from attitude
There is something mystical about a new year. It's as if we're given a chance to start over. At the very least, it allows us to reflect on what went well for us during the past year and what we could do to improve our chances of success in the coming year. So this new year, why not improve both your happiness and efficiency?
Pushback zealots, buying time
Interruptions are the number one time waster. These come in many forms - intrusive phone calls, intrusive and unwanted e-mail, staff who drop by to ask you a quick question, socializing, handling others' perceived emergencies, and so on. I'm sure you can add to this list easily.