A Slap in the Face

Maneesh Sethi wrote on his blog that he hired a "slapper" to smack him in the face whenever he logged onto Facebook while working and boasted that it increased his productivity by four times.

Of course, Sethi must have diagnosed the fact that accessing Facebook was causing him to lose productivity.  His solution was drastic ... but imaginative.

Think what you might do to create a metaphorical slap in the face for yourself.

A formula for innovation

Thomas Friedman suggests that “big breakthroughs happen when what is suddenly possible meets what is desperately necessary.”

So, think about what you are doing to recognise both necessity and 'new' solutions.

You have to recognise them before your competitors do.

Short Term Thinking

Often we are encouraged to take a long term view of our business ... to think strategically.

Yet, often we DO need to think short-term ... to decide what we have to achieve this week .. or today.

More small businesses go bust because they think too big, too soon ... and the do not have the working capital to finance their grand (long term) plans.

So keep one eye on today ... and one eye on tomorrow ... and you've got a chance of surviving long enough to grow and proposer.

Snake Oil

If you read lots of press releases ... as I do (yes, I know I should 'get a life'), you soon realise that just about everything is claimed to improve productivity.

Most often such 'stories' relate to what is termed 'personal productivity' ... the kind of 'productivity' that is aided by powernapping, reminder software, crystals, copper bracelets, iPads, honey ... you get the picture.

These claims are accompanied by details of a survey or study ... which almost always is based on a self-selecting constituency.  Again, you know the kind of thing. "60% of people say eating chocolate mod-morning helps productivity" says the President of the Chocolate-Eating Guild after a survey of members.

So, if you do see a claim about productivity, check out the credentials of any study ... and, even then, keep you tongue in your cheek and your money in your pocket.

Achievement!

Too often, managers assess worker performance - especially in knowledge jobs - on how long they work ... not on what they achieve.

Of course workers react to such measurement schemes and will extend their hours ... taking longer than necessary to complete work if that is what it takes to fill the hours expected of them.

So make sure you measure what your staff do - and achieve - rather than how long they are 'present'.

Join the Dots

I went to a presentation recently on Israel's approach to innovation ... and to Research & Development in particular.

What struck me was the 'joining of the dots' ... the fact that Israel seems to have broken down the silo mentality of government to coordinate activity across a range of departments.  They have done this by appointing a 'Chief Scientist' who has authority and responsibility .. and who can work across these departments.

Other countries have campaigns, policies and strategies ... but few of them seem to have thought the issues through to the point where they can deliver on the vision.

This is not a plea to copy israel's approach to R&D ... but - whatever the issue - to think through issues, the structures needed for implementation and the need for a 'leader' to give focus and to drive through the good intentions.

Next time you are addressing a problem, try to ensure you have joined all the dots!

Take longer

Do you find the incessant buzzing of your smartphone is stopping you thinking ... as you simple react to the latest incoming email. This seems to be the view of many.  The 'always-on' connectivity we now enjoy is reducing our span of attention and span of concentration.  We multi-task ... and are now capable of doing many things quickly - but perhaps badly.

Try putting your phone aside for a few hours a day ... and taking longer on single tasks - using the extra concentration time to perform them better.  See what the results look lie after a few days or a week ... and then plan how you intend to use your smartphone in the future.