Year: 2021

Categories
Streamline Processes

How Focusing on Important Facts Makes Complex Things Simple

Complex Things
1,660 Views

You’re meeting with partners from your firm, and it’s up to you to convince them that your department needs more money. Why is this a problem? You know that your company’s partners are aware that your department is important to the firm, but your day-to-day operations are specific and complex. In fact, your job might even be so specific that you have a hard time explaining to your friends what you do. How do you persuade the partners to give your department a percentage of the budget? Here are a few ways to market complex jobs.

Familiarize Yourself With Your Audience

To get people on your side, keep in mind that sharing information is about the people you’re presenting to and not about you. This means that you’ll want to take the time to get to know them. Learn what they’re interested in and what inspires them. Also, review their backgrounds and look into their communication preferences.

For example, if you’re in the engineering department and you’re speaking to the budget committee, talk more about the financial value of the product that you need financing to complete. Show them how it will save the firm money and what it is predicted to earn on the market.

Select One Detail to Focus On

When you know your audience, you’ll be able to communicate with them in a way that best explains what you need. What should you do if you’re meeting someone? My recommendation is to ask them a question like, “Before I explain something you already know, are you familiar with the [subject]?” Once you’ve figured out how informed your audience is, select one main part of what you do that you want them to understand.

The New York Times reported on a well-known attempt to communicate complicated information in the military. In 2010, a general was reviewing the details of a particular military strategy, but according to the article, he thought that it looked “like a bowl of spaghetti.” As he tried his best to understand the complex situation, he said, “When we understand that slide, we’ll have won the war.”

What this example shows is that when things are too complex, people are unable to understand or support them. They might even forget what you were trying to explain to them. Complex business problems can be resolved by homing in on one element.

Focus on the Best Way to Share the Information

After you know a bit about your audience, it will be easier for you to focus on what you want to share with them. You also need to consider how you’ll share it. This means that you’ll need to pay attention to context. How you choose to share your information matters. Consider what examples you want to share as well as the language and the terms that you’re using. Your choices will impact what people understand and remember.

The brain is an amazing organ, one that is able to handle a ton of information. It oversees how you behave based on your thinking patterns. The human brain also has the incredible ability to modify neural connections to cement new habits and diminish poor behaviors.

The downside is that people’s brains are sensitive, which means that they are prone to interference and distraction. To simplify effectively, be sure to obtain and keep the attention of your audience. One thing that makes it hard to keep people’s attention is that the brain automatically seeks stimulation. Use this information when deciding the important facts that you want to share to make something complex simple.

While you might be tempted to share several things about the information that you want to present, keep in mind that you’ll be asking your audience to multitask. Research has found that multitasking decreases productivity, making it a challenge for people to tune into the details that matter most.

A good comparison for attention is a spotlight. When you position a spotlight on one thing, you can see it well. If you were to stretch the light from the spotlight around a big dark room, you could maybe make out the outline of objects in the room. Tap into the mental focus of your audience by sharing the details of one part of your job or presentation.

Simplifying Complex Job Operations

Martin H. Fischer said, “Knowledge is a process of piling up facts; wisdom lies in their simplification.” When you focus on one of the elements of what you do or what you need, you’ll create a better connection with your audience. At the Leonard Productivity Intelligence Institute, I offer complex solutions that are simple to apply. For more information, contact me today.

Categories
Actionable Insights

Dos and Don’ts of Faking It Til You Make It

Faking It Til You Make It
1,671 Views

Most people have heard the phrase “fake it til you make it.” After all, the statement has been around since the 1970s, and it’s common to share it when you’re encouraging others to pretend to be a certain way until they develop the information or leadership skills that embody it. However, there’s very little wiggle room between faking it and lying. Here are the dos and don’ts of faking it until you make it.

The Dos of Faking it Til You Make It

When you fake something for the right purpose, it’s likely to make you a better person, but if you’re not, then you’ll be making it challenging for others to trust you. How do you know that you’re faking something for the right reason? Faking behavior is usually on the up-and-up, but when you pretend that you have a competency that you don’t, it’s not a good idea.

Many folks have some part of their personality or basic character that they would like to change. For instance, it’s common to want to be more confident or organized. When you pinpoint your character’s past that you would like to change, you can start making it a reality. As you focus on it and work toward it, the character element you want will become a natural part of who you are.

Confidence is something that you may be able to legitimately fake until you build it. If you’re starting as an entrepreneur or working toward a job promotion, you’ll likely have to embrace public speaking at some time. You might have to deliver a presentation to a large group, share an idea during a work meeting or ask a donor for funding.

Even if you’re comfortable with the information that you’re sharing, you might struggle with the idea of being the center of attention. To reach your end goal, you’ll need to push yourself to do the task that requires confidence. Do your best to ignore your fears, stand tall and share your message. Most likely, no one will have the slightest idea that you were nervous because you pretended that you weren’t.

To fake being organized, make a lot of reminders for yourself. Write things out to see the best way to put something together like a presentation. Also, work to complete every task that you start, including small everyday ones at home.

A common coping technique of entrepreneurs is to pretend “as if.” The technique is based on the theory that if you act like someone you want to be, then you can make it a real thing. For instance, if you’re going to feel happier, then practice what happy people do, smile. If you want to accomplish more at work, then act like you’re a diligent worker. You’ll likely increase your productivity.

The Don’ts of Faking It

When should you avoid faking it? Don’t fake a core ability or skill. People cannot pretend that they are competent at something in the same way that they can fake confidence. The bad news is that you can’t just want to be better at a skill or ability. When it comes to abilities and skills, you can either do them or you can’t. If you tell others that you can do something that you can’t do, you have crossed the line and are lying to them.

For instance, you can’t fake fluency in a foreign language if you only know a few phrases. If you tell a financial investor that you understand the stock market when you don’t, then you’re putting his or her money at risk. It’s also lying to tell a client that a product will do something that it can’t accomplish.

The don’ts of faking it until you make it include not lying about your company or what your products do. If you fake it, then someone will catch you eventually, and you’ll lose credibility and overall trust. You’ll also damage your reputation, which is hard to rebuild.

When you’re faking a characteristic that isn’t natural, it could come off badly. For instance, when you’re trying to act confident, you may come across as being a braggart or that you’re better than others so be careful when faking it.

When to Fake It Til You Make It

Managing people well means establishing an atmosphere of inclusivity. Work to make every person in your business feel important. Also, as you become more comfortable, take steps to decrease what you’re faking. There is a right and wrong time to fake it. I can help you learn how to focus and establish feelings that may not come to you naturally. Contact me today to learn more.

Categories
Make More Money

How to Set Financial Goals You Can Achieve

Financial Planning concept, investor colleagues discussing plan for investment with budget definition, Saving money for future plan and retirement fund concept.
Financial Planning concept, investor colleagues discussing plan for investment with budget definition, Saving money for future plan and retirement fund concept.
1,641 Views

Paying off debt is a major challenge. If unexpected expenses pop up every time you get close to getting out of debt, then it’s time to change tactics. This article will tell you all about how to set financial goals you can achieve.

Start With a Financial Plan

Without a plan, it’s challenging to achieve anything. Motivational speaker and author Zig Ziglar said, “If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.” The same is true in the matter of personal finance goals.

It would be best if you first narrowed down your fiscal goals. What do you want to do with your money? Keep in mind that a basic budget is a financial goal for the month while planning to put money away for retirement is one for the future. Setting goals allows you to focus on what you want financially. It also holds you accountable.

Popular monetary goals include:

• Saving for emergencies
• Eliminating debt
• Saving to retire
• Investing in your own business
• Putting money away for a vacation
• Saving up to buy a home

When you have a goal, you’ll be motivated to avoid unnecessary spending to reach it. Give yourself permission to enjoy watching your money grow. It can be just as fulfilling as spending it.

It’s important to review your relationship with money and your current financial habits along with setting goals. Research shows that a person’s neural paths search for information and patterns connected to the physical world. When they match up, humans feel more comfortable. Your internal mental state cannot let you change how you manage money unless you shift your feelings about it.

Change How You View Money

Setting a financial goal will help you change your attitude about money. It will help you see how the decisions that you make about money affect your general financial health. For instance, without a financial goal, you might be inclined to purchase an expensive coffee daily instead of brewing your own at home.

Consider that a specialty latte is easy $5 to $6. If you buy one every day and include a tip, you’ll be spending $30 to $35 a week for your favorite beverage, which is $120 to $140 a month. If you were to put that money into an investment account that pays compound interest, you could save several thousand dollars.

What Is the Best Way to Plan Financial Goals?

Step 1. Write down your goals.

When you see your goals written down, they become something tangible. You’ll be more likely to take your goals seriously and focus on making them a reality.

Step 2. Set specific financial goals.

Instead of making a vague goal to save more, choose one that’s specific. For instance, you might consider setting a plan to pay off your car in two years or save $10,000 toward an emergency fund.

Step 3. Decide how you’ll reach your goal.

If your goal is to save $10,000 for an emergency fund, then you’ll need to save $833 a month to reach it, or around $192 a week. Splitting your money goals up into manageable portions can help maintain your motivation. Keep your excitement levels high by setting smaller mini-goals that you can check off as you reach them.

Step 4. Choose a target date.

Make your goals time-sensitive. To stay inspired, plan a target date to reach each money-based goal. You can modify it later if you need to.

Step 5. Personalize your money-based goals.

It’s easy to make fiscal goals based on what others think you should be doing or what they’re doing, but it’s crucial to personalize them to what you’re striving for. That way, you’ll be reaching goals that mean something to you.

Make Saving a Habit

Often, people don’t save money toward a financial goal because they never feel they have enough to do so. When you embrace a culture of saving, you make putting money aside for something important an automatic action.

Instead of waiting for the right moment to start saving, begin right now regardless of your current income level. Make it a habit to keep a percentage of each paycheck. As time passes and finances become less tight, increase the percentage. A suitable method is to give your savings a percentage raise each year.

How to Reach Your Financial Goals

Achieve financial success by creating a plan, writing down what goals you want to achieve, and making saving money a habit. A few simple steps and changes will have you on your way to a bright financial future.

If you need more information on setting personal finance goals, I would love to help. Contact the Leonard Productivity Intelligence Institute today.

Categories
Entrepreneurship

Are You Born An Entrepreneur or Made Into One?

Successful Latin Businesswoman Standing In Front Of Business Tea
1,536 Views

“Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve.” – Napoleon Hill

Despite the great debate over natural-born leaders that has raged for decades, entrepreneurs come from all types of demographics, education levels, experiences, and personality types. They have big dreams and small goals and many different reasons for chasing their vision.

Entrepreneurs certainly build empires and change the world, but many more live quiet lives strengthening their communities and building stability for their families. Some even happily remain employees, nurturing their passion projects on the side. Most entrepreneurs will question if they have what it takes to accomplish their ambitions. The reality is that those who succeed do possess some shared genetic characteristics, but most of the victories rely on an entrepreneur mindset.

Natural-Born Personality Traits

To some degree, it takes an innate entrepreneurial spirit to strike out on your own professionally. You are most likely someone who likes to march to the beat of your own drum, or you crave the freedom of being your own boss. Self-motivation, vision, decisiveness, risk-taking, and determination are strong personal qualities. Entrepreneurs also share these three key traits:

• They’re Natural Doers

You readily take on responsibilities, your actions are decisive, and your pulse speeds up when you encounter a challenge. Your thoughts often tinker with ways to solve problems, improve processes or tweak approaches even when an issue doesn’t exist for anyone else. You don’t need a world-changing idea because you see opportunities where others don’t, and you can turn obstacles into advantages. Despite any fears of failure, you trust your intuition while taking this leap.

• They Have Self-Confidence

Even when doubt creeps in, deep in your core, you believe in your mission and know that you can bring it to life. This self-confidence will propel you through the uncertain times that you are bound to face. Bolstered by knowledge, skills, and experience, you know that if you don’t have the tools yet, you can learn them. Finally, you are determined to succeed, despite all discouragement or obstacles, because the passion inside is resonating so strongly.

• They’re Adaptable

Entrepreneurs are natural big-picture thinkers. You dream big, set goals, and make plans, thinking of all contingencies. However, launching a new venture or idea requires flexibility because you need to think and pivot quickly when things go wrong. You don’t have to be an extrovert, but you should try to connect with people from all types of backgrounds.

Learning to Become an Entrepreneur

Noting that metrics like personality, background, and education do not determine success, University of Calgary instructor Houston Peschl points to more critical factors like creativity, empathy, and resiliency. The Haskayne School of Business educator also advised that being a problem solver, being resourceful, being comfortable with failure, and being a team player are essential. However, he emphasized, these are entrepreneur skills—not traits—which means anyone can learn the “entrepreneurial thinking method.”

You can study strategies and develop techniques that boost your creativity, increase your problem-solving abilities and boost your teamwork opportunities. You can volunteer with communities that differ from your background or engage in self-reflection to deepen your empathy.

Most importantly, you possess the power to reframe your mindset. Entrepreneurs face challenges head-on and embrace failure as a learning experience. They pick themselves up, every time, to figure out the next plan. This resiliency, notes clinical psychologist Raphael Rose, can enrich your life.

Developing Your Entrepreneur Mindset

Atlanta-based DNA Behavior International suggests that “leveraging strengths and addressing natural challenges” is the key to engaging and growing as an entrepreneur. Neurology research indicates that our skills increase the more we do something. Just like everything else you have learned, developing an entrepreneurial mindset requires practice.

One of the most important things you can do is connect with other entrepreneurs. It may seem counterintuitive to network with your competitors, but elevating your industry status reaps the rewards. As your credibility rises, opportunities for partnerships and recommendations increase. Also, be willing to network outside of your industry because this is the space where creative ideas spontaneously erupt. Align with a mentor, continue to self-assess and keep learning new skills, and invest time in nurturing other people’s entrepreneurial mindsets and building up their dreams.

Many studies have looked into the great nature vs. nurture debate with no solid conclusion on either side. Ultimately, while some natural traits may fuel the entrepreneurial spirit and compel others to start businesses, achieving that dream has more to do with hard work, determination, and self-improvement rather than luck. Your success is entirely within your control.

Need entrepreneur training to develop your mindset? I can help. Contact me at the Leonard Productivity Intelligence Institute to learn more.

Categories
Creating High-Performing Teams

How to Create a High-Performance Culture

High-Performance Culture
1,820 Views

Keys to Creating a High-Performance Culture

Your employees are the most important investment you make in your business. A healthy staff can help your organization push through challenging times and excel beyond your competition. Ineffective teams will hold back your progress and keep you in a rut. However, developing a high-performance culture does not happen by accident. As an entrepreneur, you must provide a clear vision and the right tools and atmosphere to reach it.

What Is High Performance?

Business leaders sometimes confuse performance with productivity. Without a doubt, high-performing groups get things done. However, excellent performance is more than the list of completed projects. A high-performing team can see beyond the task at hand as they look toward a final goal.

High-Performing Teams Characteristics

Every high-performing team will produce unique results, but there are several characteristics such groups have in common. No matter the context, these teams are goal-oriented, innovative, and collaborative.

Working toward a goal unites well-functioning teams. A defined vision allows team members to reverse engineer the steps it will take to get there. This focus also makes it easier for the team to chart their progress.

Innovation is a hallmark of high performance. These teams are not afraid to take risks along the way. A new approach does not guarantee success, but the lessons learned can take a project in new directions. One of the benefits of developing a high-performance culture is that it gives room for unexpected ideas to flourish.

Every team must work together to function, but high-performing teams move beyond cooperation to true collaboration. They learn to work with the strengths and weaknesses of team members. They move beyond ego at the highest level, knowing that each member will have a moment to shine.

Six Steps to Developing a High-Performing Teams Model

1. Assemble the Team

“Don’t hire good…hire great!” – Diane Polnow

The first step in assembling a high-performing team is finding high-performance players. You want to gather a group of people with complementary skills. As they work together, they will learn how to assign tasks and seek advice based on each person’s specialties and natural gifts.

2. Share a Clear Vision

Without a defined mission, even the best group of people will struggle. You have developed this group to help fulfill your business vision. Make sure that they understand what you are hoping to accomplish. Even if your long-term vision is broad, your team will create workable goals that will help define your abstract ideas.

3. Encourage Open Communication

Productive collaboration requires effective communication. In the modern workplace, this communication should be a blend of in-person meetings and electronic check-ins. When possible, discussions and planning should happen in a live format. Meeting in person gives better access to the unspoken cues of body language and expression. However, task confirmations or check-ins are faster when done online.

4. Promote Innovation

If you knew the best way to get a task done, you would not need a team to do it. You have assembled this group to find new ways to reach your business goals. Creativity often requires unstructured time for imagining. You may want to set aside a period each day for group brainstorming or individual contemplation. People take different approaches to creativity. For some, ideas rise during quiet meditation. For others, a brisk walk may help stimulate new thoughts.

5. Cultivate Trust

The best ideas come when people feel that it is safe to share. An off-the-wall concept shared with the group can develop into an innovative concrete plan. Team meetings must provide an atmosphere of psychological safety that welcomes and affirms risk. When they have confidence that other group members will take them seriously, they will be willing to share incomplete ideas just starting to percolate.

6. Allow Constructive Conflict

Complementary skills and points of view will lead to disagreements. Teams that Trust one another can handle disputes without them becoming personal. Passionate debate forces people to clarify their ideas and argues for the best way forward. However, it is essential to monitor conflict carefully. When a rational discussion turns into a personal attack, it will significantly damage the group’s cohesiveness.

Creating a Work of Art

In the musical world, there are many high-performing teams examples. When a group of musicians gets together, it is a cooperative effort. The trumpet player takes a solo line and steps back to make room for the saxophone or guitar. All the while, the rhythm section keeps the whole piece moving forward. Every instrumentalist contributes, and the final sound is more significant than any individual. If you want your teams to make beautiful music together, I would be happy to give you a hand.

Categories
Entrepreneurship

Why is Productivity Important to an Entrepreneur?

Entrepreneurial Mindset
1,787 Views

Productivity and the Entrepreneurial Mindset

“The way to get started is to quit talking and start doing.” – Walt Disney

People have ideas all the time. As you go about your day, you may have a moment of inspiration that could be the start of a new business. Without a heavy dose of hard work, however, your great idea will go nowhere. Why is productivity important? The entrepreneurial challenge is turning a brilliant idea into a working business.

5 Tips for Personal Productivity

For an entrepreneur, productivity begins with the individual. Unless people see that you are putting in the work, it will be challenging to find investors or recruit new team members.

1. Focus on the “Why.”

Entrepreneurial productivity is more than crossing items off a to-do list. Real productivity moves your business toward a goal. Understanding why you work will help improve how you work. Focusing on the goal will also empower you to step away from tasks that are not relevant.

2. Prioritize Your Daily Tasks

Especially at an early stage, you will encounter more action items than you can carry out in a day. One of the most crucial entrepreneur skills is learning how to prioritize. Make sure that you are accomplishing the tasks that move things forward.

3. Get Organized

There are many different organizational styles. The messiest desk will be organized if you can easily find what you need. Develop a system that minimizes the amount of time you spend looking for old paperwork, notes, and emails.

4. Change Your Schedule

A lack of motivation may be the result of getting stuck in a rut. As an entrepreneur, you’re in charge of your schedule. Changing when you do things will break patterns and let you look at your work from a new perspective. It can also be helpful to change the location of your work now and then. These changes force your mind to make small adjustments and stay nimble.

5. Take Meaningful Breaks

Stepping away from a busy day does not mean you are giving up. Most people have a limited amount of focus. A brisk walk in the middle of the day gets your blood pumping so that you can take on the next challenge. A session of yoga or mindfulness meditation can clear your mind and prepare you for more creative work.

5 Tips for Team Productivity

As your organization grows, you want to create an office culture that inspires a productive entrepreneur mindset. The way you manage your team will have an enormous impact on this effort.

1. Minimize Meetings

Unnecessary meetings use the precious time that could be devoted to productive action. Daily gatherings may give the impression that you do not trust your employees. That perception can be a blow to morale. While it’s essential to check in with your teams, you want to do it in the least disruptive way possible.

2. Clarify Team Roles and Tasks

No one wants to feel like they are wasting their time. Cooperative work becomes confusing when team members do not understand their roles. A good manager will break down assignments so that everyone has clear expectations.

3. Develop Workable Goals

While it’s necessary to share a long-term vision, it’s also helpful to set up minor goals along the way. People become more productive when a goal is in reach. You might want to think about ways to celebrate these smaller victories. Every step toward your long-term vision is a win.

4. Offer Individual Flexibility

Often, business leaders have the flexibility to determine a productive schedule, but they do not give that option to their employees. Some people get the bulk of their work done just as the sun is rising. Other people are happy to work late into the night. You may discover that a flexible schedule helps you get the most from your employees.

5. Play to Team Member Strengths

Leaders benefit from learning the strengths and weaknesses of their team members. People get excited to showcase their expertise. You probably do not want your employees to stay in their comfort zones all the time, but letting their strengths shine is a rewarding experience.

Developing Creative Productivity

People imagine productivity as cars moving slowly down an assembly line. However, for the entrepreneur, meaningful productivity is more like a creative dance between imagining and doing. If you need help learning the steps, I would be pleased to work with you. Contact me today.

Categories
Brain Hacks

Using Neuroscience to Connect With Customers

Connect with Customers
1,818 Views

These days, companies spend a lot on their advertising campaigns to connect with customers and increase their profit margins. Too often, these efforts fail because advertising experts neglect to consider how a person’s brain reflects on a product. This means that too many marketing choices are made based on claimed replies or rationalized behaviors. A better way to connect with customers is to use neuroscience research.

Understanding the Consumer Mind

Harvard University psychologists developed the concept of neuromarketing more than 30 years ago. It is an area of marketing exploration that looks into the cognitive, affective, and sensorimotor is of a consumer’s response to marketing material. This approach centers around understanding how people think. Research shows that 95% of a person’s thinking happens in the subconscious mind. It also confirms that people activate their conscious thought process to rationalize their behavior.

Advertisers are now diving into their customers’ subconscious minds to learn how effective their products, marketing materials, website content, and mobile applications are. To do this, they are using techniques like electroencephalography (EEG), eye tracking, facial coding, and galvanic skin response.

EEG measures a brain’s electrical activity to determine whether someone is experiencing increased or decreased excitement levels. Eye-tracking involves using small cameras to detect where a person is looking and how hard they are focusing on something. Facial coding measures the transformations in a person’s facial expressions that are mostly indiscernible to the naked eye. This allows researchers to detect an emotional reaction. Galvanic skin response assesses skin conductance, which is the amount of sweat a person is expelling, observing physiological stimulation to something happening externally.

Consumer Response to Marketing Messages

When neuroscience methods are used accurately, they should give a marketing team a way to develop advanced user interfaces and access real customer experiences. Companies can use EEG, facial coding, and eye-tracking to determine what their customers need to personalize their products and services.

How are companies using this technology? Frito-Lay completed a study to understand why people love Cheetos. The company used EEG in the research and found that people enjoyed how the orange dust coated their fingers and turned them the same shade. Frito-Lay used this information to point out how cheesy Cheetos are in their ads, resulting in higher sales.

eBay did a similar study to help with its marketing efforts. For the research, the company shared its e-commerce offering with participants and tested their brain wave activity. The study found that eBay customers consider speed to be the most critical part of its service. This allowed eBay to focus on how to increase payment speed for different e-commerce sites.

Companies are using functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning (fMRI) to measure and map brain activity. The technology uses a powerful magnetic field combined with radio waves to form customer journeys when viewing an advertisement or trying a product. Customer journey maps show you where and when the brain experienced something positive.

Consumers Don’t Understand Their Buying Tendencies

Barbara O’Connell from Milward Brown, a multinational market research firm, said, “Consumers aren’t very good at telling us why they buy what they buy.” For instance, some elements are essential to purchasing that consumers aren’t consciously aware of, including whether a product or service is modern, fun, convenient, and cool. However, people often report that affordability is the most crucial factor when asked about essential elements even though their buying behavior says otherwise.

Study the Brain to Improve Training

You can also improve customer service skills with brain study. Several neuroscience studies have assessed language to determine its importance in different forms like written, spoken, and video. This can help you review how useful your company’s training material is to lower new hire costs and save time.

This step will allow you to confirm whether you’re using the best material for the kind of training you have. You can also use brain studies to implement the best practices for your business. You might need a system, online or classroom training. Knowing more about neuroscience will allow you to deliver your company’s training material more effectively with better analogies, language, and storytelling.

Increase Profits and Customer Satisfaction With Tech Advancements

Understanding neuroscience for higher profits and better customer satisfaction has its challenges, but figuring out how people think to gain new insight is invaluable. At the Leonard Productivity Intelligence Institute, I work to help project managers operate as effectively as possible. Contact me today to learn how I can assist you.

Categories
Streamline Processes

How to Remove Roadblocks and Simplify Complex Processes

Roadblocks
1,630 Views

Building a car is a challenging task. Inefficiencies on the assembly line slow production and increase costs. In the 1980s, Toyota executive Taiichi Ohno created a streamlining technique known as the Gemba walk. In this practice, managers walk the assembly line looking for steps that waste time or materials. They might also interview workers at each station to find improvements.

The Gemba walk is not a one-time activity. Changes to the assembly process may have unexpected consequences. Managers should regularly make the walk to look for new ways to save time and effort. As Ohno put it, “Re-improve what was improved for further improvement.”

What Are Roadblocks, and Why Do They Matter?

Whether it is manufacturing or another complex process in your business, roadblocks in the process will slow things down. A roadblock is an issue that delays or stops progress. Failing to integrate a new software program into your system can lead to time wasted with manual entry. A lack of adequate training can slow down the adoption of new equipment. An unclear accountability structure requires employees to send superfluous notifications. These roadblocks often stay in place because no one takes the time to look critically at the process.

Improving a complex process brings positive results to your team. Inefficiency can be a hard blow to employee morale. Even though they may be getting paid for the effort, no one wants to feel like they are wasting their time. When you streamline processes and establish clear goals, your team members find purpose in their work.

An efficient process is right for your bottom line. When you and your staff spend less time on unnecessary efforts, it lowers production costs and gives you more time for innovation. In manufacturing, a well-crafted process decreases the cost of production and offers consistent results.

A Growth-Centered Mindset

Embracing efficiency may require a change in the cultural mindset of your workplace. Many people enter the workforce with a fixed mindset. They assume there is a single right way to do things. If it reaches the goal, there is no reason to change it. When working on projects, these individuals will spend most of their time avoiding failure rather than learning from mistakes.

A flexible mindset allows for enhanced growth. This type of thinking recognizes that there may be several paths to reach a goal. Rather than perfecting a single process, a growth-centered style of development involves more brainstorming, experimentation, and analysis.

How to Streamline Complex Processes

“If you can’t explain it to a 6-year-old, you don’t understand it yourself.”

 — Albert Einstein

Identifying and removing roadblocks takes effort. This work is not something that will happen through a single brainstorming session. Instead, you are looking to change the way your team thinks about workflow and efficiency.

Establish Benchmarks

It is much easier for people to work toward a goal. Rather than talking in general terms about making a process faster, you might want to introduce the idea of shaving a minute off the production time. An achievable goal will get people thinking about actionable steps.

Break Down Complex Processes

Every complex process involves multiple steps, and each stage requires a series of actions. When you are trying to simplify a process, move from the big picture to the specific. See if there are steps where a great deal of time gets lost. Then, focus on improving the steps within those steps.

Explore Multiple Pathways

When looking at a complicated process, it can be helpful to take a blank-slate approach. Knowing the goal you have in mind, let your team members imagine creative ways to get there. By questioning the assumption that your current process is the right one, you may be surprised at the inventive results.

Incentivize Innovation

Offering a bonus for creative streamlining ideas will keep your team members on constant watch for improvements. Rewarding new ideas will inspire a culture of creative problem-solving.

Make Process Streamlining an Ongoing Priority

Organizations devoted to simplifying processes recognize that there are many factors at play. When a new staff member comes on board, it can change the entire system. As new technologies emerge, and inspired team members may discover a creative application that makes things easier. Taking a flexible approach to workflow allows for continued innovation. A creative approach to removing roadblocks and simplifying processes can take your organization in new directions. If you need help on this journey, I would love to work with you, so reach out to me today.

Categories
Actionable Insights

Tips to Creating Great Ideas

Great Ideas
1,539 Views

Great ideas are the fuel that moves organizations forward. A new idea can streamline processes, solve problems or take your business in a new direction. While inspiration sometimes seems to come from nowhere, there are intentional steps you can take to encourage the development of great ideas.

Understanding Where Good Ideas Come From

Thinking that is both creative and productive involves two neural pathways. The associative pathway runs in the background of your mind. This network is responsible for making connections between disparate ideas. While this part of your brain can generate creative thoughts, these ideas may only amount to daydreaming if they have no practical application.

The normative network works in the foreground of your daily life, helping you make decisions and address problems. This pathway evaluates and adapts ideas so that they can work in the real world. When these networks work together, you can produce great ideas business leaders can put to use.

A Creative Mindset

“Creativity is just connecting things.” – Steve Jobs

People often do not give themselves credit for creativity. They imagine that truly creative ideas must lead to earth-shattering discoveries or great works of art. The reality is that innovative ideas are more about making connections or using current resources in new ways. There are several methods to foster a creative mindset.

Diversify Your Booklist

The bulk of your reading may focus on a single subject if you are trying to be an expert in a field. However, to make new connections, you must get input from a variety of sources. Reading books and listening to podcasts that take you to new places will build your resources for new ways of thinking.

Expand Your Social Circle

You are probably the most comfortable with people who share your worldview. Talking to individuals in different fields or from various backgrounds will challenge you to look at things in a new way.

Study Several Solutions to the Same Problem

Knowing the ways that other people solve challenges will improve your creativity skills. Looking at a problem from several angles enhances your ability to craft a creative solution.

Make Time for Creativity

Cultivating creative ideas is an intentional act. You may want to clear your schedule for some daily brainstorming. It can be helpful to do this early in the day when you are well-rested. An afternoon session during a brisk walk is another way to produce great ideas.

Personal Practices for Great Ideas

Meditation

A calm mind has space for new thoughts. Regular mediation practices teach you how to let go of unhelpful thought patterns and pay attention to great ideas.

Capture Ideas as They Arise

Inspired thoughts can come unexpectedly. The associative neural pathway may make a connection in the middle of the night or while you are doing mindless chores. Because your mind fills up with other tasks and decisions, you will likely forget your great ideas if you do not record them. Carry a notebook or use your favorite notetaking app on your phone to capture ideas before they slip away.

Encouraging Creativity at Work

“I begin with an idea, and then it becomes something else.” – Pablo Picasso

Cooperative Brainstorming

There is a tendency to associate great ideas with individuals like inventors and artists. In the workplace, creativity is often a group activity. The enthusiasm derived from a new insight is contagious. When people gather together, one great idea can inspire several possible applications.

Reduce Stress

When human beings are under stress, they tend to rely on standard solutions. Harried employees looking to meet close deadlines are unlikely to come up with anything new. Instead, they will take the easiest path to meet the goal. Reducing stress in the workplace allows people to relax, dream and develop.

Make Time for Creative Activities

To give priority to innovative thinking, you can build time for creativity into the daily schedule. This period might take the form of a group brainstorming challenge, or it might be 30 minutes set aside for personal projects or reading.

Break Routines

A workplace that is too comfortable can also block creative efforts. The subtle adjustments necessary to handle a schedule change can be enough to put the brain into problem-solving mode. Rearranging the layout of the workplace will also create small challenges.

Great ideas do not just belong to a few exceptional individuals. Anyone can improve their creative efforts by setting aside time and space for innovative thinking. Are you looking for help inspiring the creativity of your team? Get in touch with me. I would be thrilled to work with you.

Categories
Make More Money

Can Your Network Increase Your Net Worth?

Net Worth
1,564 Views

Most business people and entrepreneurs use their skills and hard work to increase their net worth. However, many of these same people have something else they can lean on to keep their net worth moving in an upward trajectory. It’s called the effective use of a personal network.

Do you have a personal network? If not, why not? If you do have one, are you using your network to increase your net worth effectively? The fact is your network is there to help you. It’s the best way to build social capital. You can use it for purely social interactions, but you risk bypassing a great way to improve your financial stability and the quality of your life by doing so.

Have you ever heard the saying, “Your network is your net worth?” Well, it’s a saying that seems worthy of your consideration. If you aren’t already using your network as a tool of success, you might want to change your mindset regarding how you grow your net worth. Shifting your perspective will take time and effort, but it’s something that could lead you into the kind of wealth that goes beyond your imagination.

Here are seven suggestions on how to use your network to increase your net worth.

1. Don’t Underestimate the Size of Your Network

After investing time to build your network, you should be willing to assess where your network stands occasionally. You have to remember that your network will often extend beyond the people you would consider your direct contacts. It might also include people who are contacts of contacts. Don’t underestimate your network’s size and make sure to reach out to as many resources as possible.

2. Prepare for Networking Events

As a business professional or entrepreneur, you should make attending networking events a regular part of your workday experiences. When you go, get in the habit of going with a purpose. That should include knowing what you want to put on the table in discussions and who you would like to meet.

3. Follow Up With Contacts

While attending networking events, please take special note of the people you encounter and what you discussed with them. Get contact information if possible. You can also take notes on your mobile device if necessary.

After putting forth the effort to take special notes and get contact information, it’s incumbent upon you to follow up with your contacts. This would allow you to set up subsequent meetings, which could reinforce your relationship’s strength for the future.

4. Get Out of Your Comfort Zone

Many people tend to only attend networking events under circumstances in which they feel comfortable. The truth is the people who might be able to influence your net worth the most could come from any walk of life. That means some of your best chances to meet influencers may come from events that sit outside your comfort zone.

5. Show Up to Networking Events Early

If the number of networking events in your area is limited, you need to make sure you get what you need from the ones you can attend. To do that, make it a point to arrive early. There is a tendency for very busy and successful people to show up early, make their contacts, and head out before the event is over. You have to meet and greet these people when they are available.

Also, you should make an effort to stay throughout the whole event if possible. The best chances you will have to meet influencers is during the earliest and latest part of the event when the crowd is thinner.

6. Focus on the People Who Can Meet Your Needs

With limited time, you need to focus on interacting with people who can genuinely help you. If it’s a promotion you seek, reach out to people who can play a part in getting you that promotion. If you are looking for investors, focus on meeting with people who have money to invest and are currently seeking investment opportunities.

7. Develop an Online Brand

Given the strength of today’s technology, you can’t afford to miss the opportunity to build your online brand. It makes it easier for people to find and reach out to you. According to Porter Gale, author of “Your Network Is Your Net Worth: Unlock the Hidden Power of Connections for Wealth, Success, and Happiness in the Digital Age,” “Having a defined online brand or profile also makes connecting more likely, as credibility checks are just a click away.”

As a business professional, you need to keep yourself informed on the latest business and wealth-building trends worldwide. You will have stiff competition, and to come out on top, you must be prepared.

For more ideas on leveraging your network, making more money, and becoming a leader in your industry, reach out to the Leonard Productivity Institute.