Go Fish!

Unleash Your Inner Superhero

Getting Things Done

Unleash Your Inner Superhero

When I was a kid, I loved superheroes. I know - funny thing for a girl to like - but I loved watching the Superfriends. Truth be known, Batman was and is my favorite. Batman is just a regular guy using his passion, his gifts, and awesome technology to make a difference. He is an extreme expression of a normal person. So what sets Batman apart from “regular Joes” like us? It’s not just the spandex. Batman uses his talents and resources exponentially.

You and I engage our gifts, passions, and technology every day. What if you could exponentially increase your productivity? What if you could become a superhero in your own office by dramatically increasing your effectiveness as a person and as an employee?

Recently, I had the opportunity to read Price Pritchett’s You². In this concise handbook, Mr. Pritchett details his “high velocity formula for multiplying your personal effectiveness in quantum leaps”. In short, he explains how you can take the leap from “you” to “you²”.

Mr Pritchett asserts that you can take a quantum leap into increased personal effectiveness. A quantum leap is an interesting thing. In layman’s terms, it’s when an atom makes an inexplicable jump from one place to another. No steps in between point A and point Z - just a leap. What if you could do that? What if you could just pick a spot and leap to a new place in your journey to personal effectiveness?

It sounds crazy, and Mr. Pritchett acknowledges that not everything is possible. However, he also addresses the fact that we rarely reach for the edge of the things that are indeed possible when it comes to personal achievement and productivity. He encourages us to let go of the status quo, embrace creativity and press relentlessly toward the quantum leap of faith and productive genius that lie within us. He challenges us to accept the uncomfortable nature of this quantum leap and take a brave trip from average to extraordinary. It’s not without risk, though. Any courageous jump has the potential to produce spectacular failure, but failure is, according to Mr. Pritchett, part of the process. He says, “Failure is a resource. It helps you find the edge of your capacities.”

Perhaps my favorite section of the handbook is the section on risk. Mr. Pritchett brings attention to the fact that everything is a risk. Whether you are plodding through normal procedure to expected goals or taking a quantum leap to new heights; you are taking a risk. Playing it safe doesn’t mean that you are safe, and making a quantum leap doesn’t mean you have to be reckless. He exhorts the reader to “Risk believing in yourself. Risk acting on the assumption that you can succeed in making a quantum leap. Otherwise, the risk is that you will settle for only a fraction of what life has to give you.”

Recently, I saw the need to acquire a new skill in my role here at Delta Dallas…to use ASAP! I called everyone I know that has this skill, and the consensus was that I am crazy. Most of my skilled acquaintances have worked for several months/years to acquire this skill, and I am considered a bit audacious to think that I can just pick it up like a fallen apple. So what. I’m doing it anyway. A leap is, after all, a leap…not a shuffle. Of course there is a price for this leap. Anything that is worthwhile comes with a price! I know, though, in the long run, it will be a positive leap for everyone involved. My leap is part of my future.

The good news is that not everyone has written me off as certifiable. My boss has vision and is supportive of this leap. He can see the other side of it. I also have a friend with this desired skill who is wise enough to acknowledge the challenge I am facing while offering wholehearted support. It’s helpful to have experienced advocates to talk to during your leap. They keep you sane.

You² is a perfect read for these times. A lot of companies are dealing with reduced staff and increased demands on individuals. It’s an opportune time for individual employees (whatever their rank) to reinforce their value to their employers. The age of intelligence has arrived, and we all need to press forward into a brave new world of increased creative effectiveness in order to be considered valuable.

Tabitha Woods is Marketing Coordinator for Delta Dallas. Reach her at twoods@deltadallas.com or 972-788-2300.

Getting Things Done

It’s summer 2009. I am sure that your New Year’s resolution is long forgotten. Each January, like most people, I promise myself that this will be the year that I get organized. Organization has been a life-long struggle for me, but finally, it seems, there is hope on the horizon. An acquaintance of mine recently encouraged me to read David Allen’s Getting Things Done. I agreed, mentally getting ready to slam it in this book review and toss it into my “Half Priced Books” pile when I was done with it. I was wrong.

Mr. Allen changed my mind. He has a clear and concise approach to organization and effectiveness that leads to a stress free life. Notice that I didn’t say work life. Mr. Allen’s approach to organization includes ALL of the thoughts, tasks, and lists that are floating around in your head.

The Zone
In The Art of Getting Things Done, David Allen details the steps you need to take in order to get into what he describes as the “zone”. The zone is the optimal place in which you are getting things accomplished effectively and with clarity. Mr. Allen suggests that we can enter the “zone” by moving past the symptom and getting to the root problem: our own minds. He encourages us to get our “stuff” (any list, thought, idea) out of our cluttered minds and onto paper in order to get organized and to think clearly. The concept of physically writing and organizing every thought sounds a little overwhelming, but it could bring relief.

As I was reading, I couldn’t help but think of Chef Machiba on Iron Chef. If you have not seen it, Iron Chef is a TV show in which top chefs have exactly an hour to create a full menu of courses for judges to taste. Iron Chef Machiba was skilled in calligraphy, and used precious minutes at the beginning of each competition to write a menu. He explained that he wrote out his menu to clarify what he wanted to present and to communicate with his team. With his menu on paper, he was able to clear his mind and win. In fact, one time he forgot to write a menu and he lost.

Application
The most intense section of the book is about Practicing Stress Free Productivity. Notice that he calls it practicing. This is not a magic system to pick up overnight and skip away to organizational Nirvana. It is a process. It is teaching your mind a new way of living and organization. You start out with gathering every piece of paper in your office and home and sorting them into different piles. It will be a little overwhelming, but this process is essential to your mind shift and to your lifestyle change. Sorting clears the way for clear thinking. Mr. Allen says it best: “You increase your productivity and creativity exponentially when you think about the right things at the right time to capture your value-added thinking”.

Onward and Forward
Finally, in The Power of Key Principles, you learn how to keep the system that you have worked to develop in place. Much like maintaining a weight loss goal, it has to be a way of life. You must press forward with positive thinking and a mindset that is always looking for the next action. This style of thinking will keep you moving forward and focused, in essence, training your brain.

Getting Things Done in 2009
At the end of this book I felt refreshed and motivated; I think I will actually be successful this time in the organization of my life by applying David Allen’s methods, with some modifications. This book was written in 2001, and since then, there have been major advances in technology that have changed the way we work. Today, many of us work completely from our smart phones and laptops. So instead of having your filing system at work on paper alone, it may be best to store your system electronically. Today, your system needs to be as mobile as you are. For now, my system is a blend of both; only storing the most urgent things on my computer and phone. I can see though, eventually, I will store most everything electronically, and I am working toward that goal.

It’s 2009, and it’s imperative that we sort through the chaos in our minds. Not only that, but today we have to do it quickly and incorporate the technology that has replaced the paper we used in 2001. I look forward to getting clear this year, and getting things done with David Allen’s principles.

Amanda Stark is an Executive Recruiter with Delta Dallas. Reach her at astark@deltadallas.com or 972-788-2300.

Go Fish!

Recessions create leaders. These days, as part of the leadership team here at Delta Dallas, I find myself recounting my earlier recession experiences to my team. During the first recession I went through in this industry, I was clueless. During the second, I almost went down for the count. When this recession came along, however, I just looked up and said “Bring it on!” It has been important for my team to know that I can relate to the challenges they are experiencing in this recession.

In times of uncertainty, it is natural for people look to those in charge - their leaders - for guidance. My team is reassured by the fact that this is my third recession and I am still ready for the challenge ahead. In any difficult time, people start to look around to see if their leaders have the qualities they perceive to be most important in a person worthy of following.

We have an open atmosphere here at Delta Dallas. From my desk I can hear almost every conversation in the office. Lately, I have been intently listening to our recruiters’ conversations about leadership. Every day we discuss what qualities our candidates desire in a potential manager. We also converse with clients about what leadership qualities they are looking for in an employee. It turns out; there are a few qualities that consistently rise to the surface during these conversations. They are:

Vision: The ability to give direction.
Motivation: The passion to carry you through what you need to accomplish.
Confidence: The strength of belief in oneself.
Initiative: The fortitude to make decisions and do what needs to be done.
Knowledge: Not only possessing the information, but sharing it with others.
Productivity: Bottom line, quantifiable results.

Here’s the eye-opener, though. My staff has actually been discussing the characteristics that I look to develop in them. My goal is to build more than a team. My goal is to build a team of leaders.

I have been particularly interested in the relationship between leadership qualities and productivity lately. As I have been reading, I have found that some of the experts believe that it is a leader’s responsibility to maximize team productivity and to contribute by example - and I agree with a majority of their comments. However, the most important productivity factor in our office is developing the leader within each of our employees. It is much easier to set goals for your team and be done with it than it is to make efforts to develop leaders. But in my experience - individuals who can lead themselves have higher production levels. Ancient Taoist Lao Tzu said, “Give a man a fish; feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish; feed him for a lifetime”. It has been more important to teach my team the life skills of goal setting, accountability, and measurement. These personal leadership tools will help them to maximize their production as individuals and for our company.

Are you ready to develop individual leadership in your team? It is a process, but you can begin to guide and grow your internal leaders by teaching them what the essentials are. This week, take a few of your top producers (they will be the best team members to begin with) and ask them to answer the following questions:

• Do you have clearly-defined SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-Bound) goals related to specific job responsibilities?
• Have you defined systems, procedures and processes in place for each job task?
• Do you have an understanding of the acceptable measurement tools for the job at hand?
• Are you evaluating your work regularly and the results you have obtained?
• Do you have the adequate tools/skills available to accomplish the defined goals?
• Do you have the authority and decision-making ability to complete the required tasks?
• What motivation is present to drive needed results?

As your employees work through these questions, they take on the responsibility for their own productivity and differentiate themselves as company leaders.

Creating leaders has many rewards. In the past few months I have been inspired by the leaders in my own staff. Their feats of leadership, risks toward personal accountability and personal productivity have amazed me. One of our consultants came up with a new hiring solution to meet the financial/guarantee concerns of a client creating a win/win situation. Another consultant worked with a client to explain the importance of weekly one-on-ones with her staff in order to review departmental goals and expectations. I have even seen our team of grown women celebrate each other’s weekly accomplishments with whistles, pom-poms and silly string . . . creating a sense of community and motivation for the week to come.

As a leader, let it be known that you expect leadership qualities in your staff and provide support . . . but press your team to come up with their own creative solutions. You will be doing your employees a favor by preparing them for the times ahead. The economy to come will require that employees think creatively and offer far more value than just filling a cubicle. Talent will be a critical factor for workers and corporations in the new economy. By mentoring your employees, you are preparing them for maximum production and developing your company culture for the future ahead.

Kim Follis is Vice President for Delta Dallas. Reach her at kfollis@deltadallas.com or 972-788-2300.