Personal Effectiveness | Make a difference

5 steps to overcome Email addiction- Notes from a Reforming email junkie

Posted by Haja in Career, Goals, Management, Personal Effectiveness

Courtesy: Dilbert

How true is the above cartoon? How many of us actually end up spending “full days at office” either attending meetings or responding or writing mails? All a lot of work without actually getting any work done!

Every morning once when we get to office, the first thing we would do is to switch on the computer & look at the emails. Those who do not do this are typically those who risked life & limb by checking the mails on their “Smart Phones” while driving in to work or just when they were leaving their home.

This sets the tone for the rest of the day.

Most of the work day is defined by the mails you get and how you react to it. Many do this because they believe they need to be “on top” of things happening on the work front. And it does not stop in the day.. it moves on to the nights as well. How many times have you sent a mail at 1AM to receive multiple responses within the next 15-20 minutes? Bosses and other colleagues who are online and reply almost immediately at all times, add to the stress for most executives. The expectation is to be responsive 24×7. The need to be online now takes a new meaning to prove to everyone that one is “committed” and responding “immediately”.

With email becoming the norm in most workplaces, people have moved away from a “thinking and doing” mode to “Read & Respond” mode. Fewer and fewer people actually think of strategy and are proactive- most are becoming machines that read and respond to mails- and therefore more reactive. This cannot be good for the employees, and definitely not good for the employers in the long run.

On an average, it is said that an average employee gets around 150-200 mails a day. This goes up significantly as you move up the organization.

So the question is this. Does email- reading, writing and responding to it – immediately in many cases, constitute being effective in the job?

My personal view is NO. And it appears I am not alone in this this thought.

One key idea that most Time Management guru’s and Business Consultants advise is to cut the time spent on emails systematically. This will help in a) planning your day and b) Move away from a reactive thought process to a more proactive, strategy oriented thought process.

Here are some tips that I use to try and get my life back-

Avoid checking the email first thing in the morning and the last thing in the evening– Always keep the first 30 min to 45 min in the morning after coming in, free to plan the day and list out things that you need to do. The last thing you do before you leave is to plan for the next day – and do a quick check on your mid and long term goals & list out things to do the next day.
Check mails only 2-3 times a day– Now this is the tough one. How many of you have your emails switched on & have this pop-up’s that announces every new mail that comes in. The natural tendency is to check who wrote & if serious, drop everything else and respond immediately. The first thing to do is to avoid being connected to mail ALL the time, when you are working. Go off-line & connect to your email ONLY 2-3 times a day to check all incoming mail & respond to mails. This will be difficult initially. How? First- Set aside time in your calender which is blocked as “Email Time”. This ensures that you go online and download mails & respond to mails only during this time. Set aside around 30 minutes for every slot so that you respond to mails – and plan for any strategic activities that may come out of these mails- and plan to work on them during the time you are not connected.
Think of other options before you email – Before you write a mail- think if you can handle it any other way? First- do you need to respond? If yes, can it be done on phone? Write email ONLY if you really need to. (Many of us have a need to put things on mail to CYA).
Use Paper – Use a paper to write down your To-Do’s. This simple task will make it easier for you remember things + get you away from looking at the computer to track all the to-do’s.
Try to be an email change agent - If you do not expect any response- put it in the headlines “No Response Required”, or “Not Urgent”. This will help your readers also plan their time at least on your emails. Advise people on your plan. Use the time you have gained away from email to do some innovative work.

If you are a Version 2.0 of Email Junkism- i.e a Smartphone user- then ensure you tweak your phone settings to ensure that you do not get mails automatically. Do it 3-4 times a day only and reduce it further as you go along. Do not check your emails in the house on the smartphone! Home is time with your family – wife and kids. Give them the time – and your complete attention.

I realized early on that this is by no means easy. Once you start doing this, you realize that email is like a drug! You really need to check the mail. You will find yourself wondering what you are going to do when the mail is not on. Stay withthis and force yourself to do some intense thinking on areas you have been avoiding. Write rather than type. Another way is to take a step by step approach. Start by switching off the mail 5-6 times a day and then slowly bring it to control over a period of time.

Once you get into a habit of checking your mail 2-3 times a day, you suddenly will have more time that you can use for a lot of other strategic things that you may have been avoiding regularly.

Like blogging regularly 😉

Try it out. You will be happy to get your life back…

Got to go and check my mail (it is time) 😉

Jun.30

Freedom of Choice!

Posted by Haja in Books, Leadership, Management, Personal Effectiveness

Many companies & many people in their personal life, end up in a situation where they qualify it to be a No-Win situation. Many of them move into a shell & start being upset about their situation – and in many cases, lose heart – and in the bargain- lose the battle.

Recently, I was reading this book – Boom!. It gave me kind of refresher on changing my attitude, that I have started using this extensively….

Whilst the book has a number of other elements to talk about- one aspect that stood out (to me) was – the matter of Choice!

· The difference between ordinary people and extraordinary people is CHOICE.

· The freedom to choose may be the most power attribute and precious resource you have in your life.

· The Freedom to choose is yours alone to leverage or not. No one can grant it to you, and no one can take it away from you.

In your personal as well professional life- we just have to make that one choice – to work differently & look for Solutions (these are few) rather than problems (there are many). But the choice is OURS to make – and I choose to look for solutions- and the opportunities rather than the problems.

In the current situation, there are a number of things we cannot influence. However, we should actively look for areas that we can influence. What do we choose to be today?

Choose to be a PLAYER- not a BYSTANDER. We all have a choice to be a player- someone who is not standing idly on the ground, while a match is going on – but actively engaging with the other players in the team, and working towards a common goal of winning in this game.

Players chose to focus on what they can control.

· You can control your attitude towards your boss and senior leaders & the business.

· You can control your ability to perform, to become a guru, a thought-leader, a go-to-person who is seen as adding value.

· You can control your approach when interacting with your boss and other leaders.

What can we do as a Star Team? – we may not be able to single-handedly change our company’s culture, but we can….

· Create a small pocket of success in your own area of influence that inspires others to take notice and behave differently towards us, and our team. Share it with the rest of the team. Let us celebrate all our success together. Every small success will add a brick to our goal of being the OEM team in the world! (Why stop there – why not the best team in MS).

· Bring the right attitude. (Solutions – not problems)

· Avoid people who are tuned out and actively disengaged.

Another key element to becoming a very successful team is when EVERY member thinks like the OWNER of the company! Instead of being (and behaving like an employee), start behaving like an "Employer/ Owner" . Why would this be required? (this was truly an eye-opener- and I believe each of should adopt this as our mantra).

Why Owners? –

· Owners step out from behind titles and job descriptions to act on behalf of the customer , partners and the company.

· They never say "This is not my job" or "this is too big for me".

· Owners cater to the organization mission, vision and values. Non-owners cater to bosses.

· Owners focus on the business results of their actions

· Owners have the guts to ask the tough questions. They understand the consequences of complacency- and they aren’t afraid to challenge the status quo with the mantra "How can we make it better"

· Owners disregard functional boundaries to consider what’s goodf or the company as a whole.

· Owners pay attention to detail

Be the change you wish to see in the world – MK Gandhi

If you have stuck by till now – here is a quick homework for you.

Identify 3 activities you will take up immediately- take a pen & write it down- which will set you in the right direction. Think about your personal or professional life- and where you think you are not playing the role of a PLAYER- list it out- and start making a move to change that! Things will be different.

May.16

Re-ignite the desire to read – Join a library- Review of Just Books, Bangalore

Posted by Haja in Bangalore, Books, Personal Effectiveness

Just Books is a recent addition to Bangalore. Very few people I know (and that includes me), really know where the book library in Bangalore is. In fact the most common and desired libraries here are the Video libraries :).

Recently I saw an article on Just Books and a few days later, saw one of its outlets on my way to office.

A few weeks later, I was pleasantly surprised to have one open near our residence. And I did the next best thing- I joined this Library yesterday. After Singapore, where the Libraries are super efficient,and the art of reading is actively encouraged by the Government, I was missing the same concept here.

With a great collection of books, I have managed to get my children & my nephew into the reading habit. Hopefully this will help to wean them away from the idiot box! If you are in Bangalore, then you may want to check out this website (http://www.justbooksclc.com) & join them as well. Worth the money you are investing.

That also made me think – for a library in India, which needs to survive & grow in the Indian market- how does one go about building the base? Here are some thoughts that came to mind & something that I will share with them when I meet them next –

Awareness campaign

Create a value-based campaign – not just a “join the library” but a “Why you should join us”.
Not a burst promo- but a clear message on what “value” this library is going to highlight – a series of promo’s – build a mailing list & correspond with them.
Talk about new books – and lead them to the library
Get some authors to visit & talk
Put some video programs to highlight specific books

Messaging based on needs

In India, this is the month when the children are in the midst of their annual vacations. Read that as most parents tearing their hair out trying to figure out how to keep their children occupied. Build a opportunity and attract more people using this. Example- “Teach your child the value of reading a book” OR “Teach your child to “Speed Read” and read more books & build their knowledge” .

Create regular “events” where you get the target audience together

Children and youth – and how to get them to be better at what they do – and set a timetable for weekly visits. Charge those who are not members. Or actively invite members & their friends.

Incentives to join the library

Members bring more members and get rewarded.

Recommendations of books & a process

Easy process for users to recommend books & a process to turn this around
Recommendations on books
New book summaries for users to browse through

Online tools to select books & in-store tools to support the same

Check out books & returning books to be a super easy and timeless process. (The Singapore libraries have made this to an art form- drop in to a Singapore community centre library the next time you are there to really experience this).

In general, the experience at Just Books was very good. They are sitting on a huge opportunity –and if they are able to get people to join or experience the visit to the library, they could turn this into the next big thing in India. Kudos to the owners who have created this unique idea into a business opportunity! Hope some of these tips help 🙂

Check them out.

Apr.18

Building the Brand “You” – Part 1

Posted by Haja in Career, Personal Branding, Personal Effectiveness

“We all know distinction is key, and yet in the last 20 years, we have created a plethora of ho-hum products and services”

Barry Gibbons, Former CEO, Burger King

With the recessionary clouds falling back, opportunities have started opening up in the market.

So, have you started getting calls from various head-hunters?

And have you noticed that a few in your company seem to get the “cream jobs” and are the ones that make the most of any opportunity that are coming up.

People who get off the blocks first are those who are well-known in the market. They have a “Brand” that is powerful & calls out for attention. In most cases, it is because of one reason- they nurture their Brand effectively and position it for the plum positions to the people who matter.

The follow matrix gives a good sense of the 4 quadrants most employees fall into. This is based on the value they add to their customers and organizations as well as the visibility of what they do, to the people who matter. (customers, headhunters, Management etc.). Find out where you fall into.

Your sustained success in your organization is the ability to offer “value” to your customers. It is the skills you have picked up on the way & are able to offer it in a professional way to your customers.

In any organization, (and most of you can relate to this:)) there are numerous “shooting stars” – people who come & shine very brightly. They talk glibly, present fancy slides, are able to articulate so effectively that Management invariably believes in them- and they tend to grow rapidly. And in most cases, these Shooting stars disappear within a span of 2-3 years (or lesser if it is a demanding organization).

The backbone of any company – the faces that the customers see, rely on and trust, are typically those, who are unsung heroes in their own organization. Why? Because they lack the ability to highlight what they do effectively to the people who matter. And these are the people who are the indispensable lot- and whose movement invariably affects the organizational ability in some way. Leaders do their best to keep such people with promises of growth & continue supporting the “shooting stars”.

And there are those who neither add value to the customers or the organization and are also invisible within the organization. These are the employees who typically get the “pink slip” when the going gets tough! If you are one of these, or know people like these, it is a good time to start ramping up on skill sets very quickly. It will set you up well for a better career and a possibility of becoming a star down the line if you do the right things.

So, why is this relevant for the Brand “You” discussion?

This is the first step to building your Brand. It is important to know where you stand! If you are one of those who offer no skills- and are all on hype, you should be prepared to put a strategy that helps you to create a short term impact and then eject as quickly and move on to other organizations. It is not a sustainable model,and I strong recommend, you spend time to build your skills sets and add significant value from TODAY to your organization, the teams & the customers- failing which you should have your eject button on all the time.

Things to do- Sit down and take some time to do a detailed self-analysis. Answer these questions to get an idea of where you fit in-

What am I known for? List out all the items that you think people look at you for.
What Projects am I working on? How challenging is this? How do people perceive it? How important or critical is it for the organization?
What are the new stuff that I have learnt and used over the last few months?
What is the impact that I have created for my organization or my customers?
Have I presented, written or published anything in the recent past that helps me get “visibility” in the market.
Have I got awards either within or outside the organization? Have I been able to get jobs within the company based on what image I have created internally?

Ask others for feedback to make it even more detailed. Where do you position yourself.

More inputs on how to build the “Brand You” in the coming days.

What do you think are areas that are important to build your brand? Write to me at hajas@hajasheriff.com or write your comments below.

Mar.22

Make Your Life a Masterpiece

Posted by Haja in Career, Goals, Personal Effectiveness

This is the age of achievement. You have all the tools required to succeed in life. To create a masterpiece, that other can look up to. It is for you to use these tools and make the most of what you have and achieve your true potential.

I posted the same article in http://aspire2be.blogspot.com/ which I am updating along with Rajesh. I find this to be particularly relevant to post it here. The way I see it, these are the 7 pillars on which you have to keep working on – and any one of them being weak could affect the entire structure.

This is an article by Brian Tracy.

The Seven Ingredients of Success

Peace of Mind
Health & Energy
Loving Relationships
Financial Freedom
Worthy Goals & Ideals
Self Knowledge & Self Awareness
Personal Fulfillment

Peace of Mind
The first of these seven ingredients of success, and easily the most important, is peace of mind. It is the highest human good. Without it, nothing else has much value. In corporations, peace of mind can be measured in terms of the amount of harmony that exists among coworkers. The wonderful truth about peace of mind is that it is your normal natural condition. It is the basic precondition for enjoying everything else.

Health and Energy
The second ingredient of success is health and energy. Just as peace of mind is your normal and natural mental state, health and energy is your normal and natural physical state. If you achieve all kinds of things in the material world, but lose your health then you will get little or no pleasure from your other accomplishments. So imagine yourself enjoying perfect health, and think of how you would be if you were your ideal image of physical fitness. Then strive for your mental goal of fitness and health.

Loving Relationships
The third ingredient of success is loving relationships. These are relationships with the people you love and care about, and the people who love and care about you. They are the real measure of how well you are doing as a human being. At almost any time, you can measure how well you are doing in your relationship by one simple test: laughter. This is true for companies as well. High-performance, high profit organizations are those in which people laugh and joke together. Examine your relationships, one by one, and develop a plan to make each of them enjoyable and satisfying.

Financial Freedom
The fourth ingredient of success is financial freedom. Achieving your financial freedom is one of the most important goals and responsibilities of your life. A feeling of freedom is essential to the achievement of any other important goal, and you cannot be free until and unless you have enough money so that you are no longer preoccupied with it. When you decide exactly what you want your financial picture to look like, you will be able to use this system to achieve your goals faster than you might have imagined possible.

Worthy Goals and Ideals
The fifth ingredient of success is worthy goals and ideals. To be truly happy, you need a clear sense of direction. You need to feel that your life stands for something, that you are somehow making a valuable contribution to your world.

Self Knowledge and Self-Awareness
The sixth ingredient of success is self-knowledge and self-awareness. To perform at your best you need to know who you are and why you think and feel the way you do. It is only when you understand and accept yourself that you can begin moving forward in other areas of your life.

Personal Fulfillment
The seventh ingredient of success is personal fulfillment. This is the feeling that you are becoming everything that you are capable of becoming. It is the sure knowledge that you are moving toward the realization of your full potential as a human being.

Mar.22