Topic: Productivity

Simplify, Speed Up, Succeed: How Systems Can Make You a Better Leader

Do you get as excited about spreadsheets, processes, and organization as I do? Chances are about 50/50 that you don’t. As all of the many personality tests will tell us, from DISC to the Enneagram to the time-tested Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator that I remember taking several decades ago in college, we are naturally wired to think and collaborate and use our unique strengths quite differently than others. This is good! Because research shows diversity on our …

How To Transition Your Managers Into Leaders

The Reality Long gone are the days of 20th century leadership that was coercive, top-down, authoritative, and militaristic. 👋 While there are a few instances where this type of leadership is effective (like during a turnaround or natural disaster), research from Hay/McBer found it’s the least effective style of leadership.  Long gone is the loyal-for-the-long-term workforce that sucked it up when things got tough, worked hard long hours without complaint, and were happy just getting a paycheck every …

Is Work/Life Balance Really Achievable? ⚖️

Our question of the week (or of a lifetime): Is work/life balance really achievable?  “Balance isn’t even real,” you might be thinking. Or, “It’s not possible for someone like me… (with my job, my children, my life experiences).” If you feel this way, you aren’t alone. Many people believe that balance is a myth. But I am here to tell you that balance is 100% real, possible, and attainable for everyone, including you. People who believe …

3 Ways To Maintain Culture In A Virtual Or Hybrid Workplace

Last month at one of my Harvard classes, we got into an intense debate about whether virtual work was here to stay or if we’d quickly revert to the in-person setting typical of pre-pandemic times. While many of my fellow students and I believe there are benefits to virtual and hybrid work options, especially when it comes to personal productivity or recruiting and retaining younger generations and parents who appreciate the flexibility that remote work offers, some …

Just Say No To Multitasking

We should create a war on multitasking, just as the government created a war on drugs in the 1980s. When it comes to multitasking, just… say… no. I know, I know… It feels like I’m taking away one of your superpowers. But multitasking is NOT a superpower. In fact, it’s super ineffective. As parents, we are expert multitaskers, because we are forced into doing it the minute that our baby is born. We nurse with one …