Recently, my publisher sent me some complimentary download codes for the audio version of my book Smart Teams (shameless plug warning – you can download on Audible here). I decided to gift them to people who supported me by writing a testimonial for the book when it was first published. 

I was surprised when one of the recipients, my good friend and mentor Peter Cook, ‘returned’ the gift.  He said he really appreciated the gesture but did not feel he would listen to it because he prefers reading paper copies.  He wanted me to give the code to someone who would actually use it. My initial reaction was one of mild indignation. It was a gift, why didn’t he just take it? 

Then I thought about who Pete was – a man who values honesty above most other things. He could have thanked me, never activating the code, and I would be forever none the wiser.  But his integrity called for him to be honest no matter what the situation. My thinking went from indignation to deep respect. I emailed him back and suggested that I would ‘pass it forward’ to one of my clients who works for a charity.  So it went to a great cause, rather than being wasted.  

Pete chose to exhibit the qualities of honesty and integrity in deciding how to act, and it reminded me of how important it is to possess the right qualities when it comes to working productively as a team.  I reckon there are four key qualities everyone in your team needs to live by: 

Purposeful – They ensure everything they do has a clear purpose, whether sending an email, calling a meeting or collaborating on a project 

Mindful – They are always aware of how their behaviours positively or negatively impact the productivity of others 

Reliable – They can be trusted to do what they say they will do, or renegotiate if they cannot 

Punctual – They turn up on time, finish on time and deliver on time whenever humanly possible 

Most people aspire to exhibit these qualities at work, but unfortunately there is often a gap between our good intentions and our actual behaviours. That is why I believe all teams should spend time creating team agreements or protocols, which the team ‘own’ and use to drive day-to-day behaviours. Team time spent on an initiative like this would see a lasting reduction in email noise, poor quality meetings, and ineffective collaboration.  

Do you see the qualities above consistently exhibited by your team? If not, let’s have a chat about how our Smart Teams program could help. 

I recently had the privilege of attending a leadership development program at the Harvard Kennedy Business School in Boston, Massachusetts. It was a seven-day intensive, run by one of the world’s leading thinkers on leadership, Professor Ron Heifetz. If you’re familiar with the analogy of getting off the dancefloor and standing on the balcony to get a more strategic perspective, that is Ron. It was one of the most profound experiences of my life! Amazing.

Much of Ron’s work is in the area of Adaptive Leadership. (You can watch a short interview with Ron here).

He believes there are two types of challenges we need to address as leaders. There are technical challenges that are relatively straightforward, where the issue and its solution are clear. The second type of challenge, where true leadership is required,  is what he calls an adaptive challenge. These are more complex, where issues and their solutions are harder to comprehend.

The timing of this program was perfect for me as I think about the productivity challenges my clients observe when they step off the dancefloor and stand on the balcony.  Issues like the volume of email noise, poor meeting cultures and ineffective collaboration are adaptive by nature. The fact that these issues involve so many people, and the patterns of their behaviour are often so embedded, makes them beyond complex to address. However, this is the adaptive challenge I have embraced and will be focusing my time and effort on over the next few years.

I look forward to blending my new Harvard thinking with my own Smart Teams program and refining even better ways for teams and organisations to transform their productivity culture. I am inspired and motivated, so watch out!

When it comes to your team working productively, what do you see when you step off the dancefloor and view it from the balcony?

I’m a member of a community of experts called Thought Leaders. One of the community leaders in the US, Janine (Neen) James teaches about the power of attention. Her book, ‘Folding Time’ is a great read.

Neen reckons effective people learn to manage time. But those who are truly at the top of their game learn to fold time. They use time differently to the rest of us. They get an enormous amount of valuable work done without pressure or fluster. They are like the productivity equivalent of Buddhist monks – serene and wise and always two steps ahead.

I love this idea of folding time, and reckon you need to master three disciplines to do it effectively:

1. 1. Minimise friction and distractions,
   2. Stay clear and focused on priorities, and
   3. Maximise technical and human resources.

Minimising friction & distractions

So much of our time is compromised by productivity friction and distractions. We can become victims of this, or we can take control and minimise the instances and the fallout. This requires identifying and dealing with the things within our control and influence that negatively impact our productivity, and a keen awareness of our behaviours and the behaviours of those around us.

Staying clear and focused on priorities

If we want to be super-productive, we need to be crystal clear about what we are trying to achieve, and about the appropriate next-step actions that will get us there. Then we need to stay super-focused on those actions. This requires us to be purposeful in everything we do, and to prioritise ruthlessly every day.

Maximising technical and human resources

We cannot do it alone. Those who fold time leverage the resources around them. We need to learn to get the most from our tools and platforms to maximise productivity. And we need to be organised enough to know what to delegate, and ensure we delegate early and well.

So, how are you doing in these three areas? Are you truly at the top of your productivity game? If not, have a think about how folding time could help you.

P.S. A great way to fold time would be to listen to my book, Smart Teams, which has recently been released in audio format on Audible.

I was asked to attend a meeting with a new client recently to discuss the relevance of our productivity training for their team. The meeting invite was sent out by the client to me and a handful of internal people.

As the meeting invitees came into the meeting room, I was introduced to each by my contact, but not told what their interest in the meeting was, or their role. The only one fully introduced to me was the senior manager involved, who would make any final decisions.

My contact kicked off the meeting well and soon we were discussing their productivity issues as well as my approach to productivity. The conversation was between me, my contact (who had organised the meeting), and the senior manager.

The other three participants listened intently. Towards the end of the meeting they were asked if they had any questions or wanted to add anything. They all politely said no. The meeting finished, and as I walked to the lift, I could not help wondering, ‘Who were they, and why were they there?’

It got me thinking about how many people must get invited to meetings just like that. Perhaps the organiser is trying to be inclusive, or perhaps they think their expertise might be needed. But that was almost an hour of three peoples’ time that I suspect was underutilised as they had no explicit role in the meeting. And because they were not clear on their role, they took the default option: they became spectators rather than participants.

I believe we should make it standard practice that at the start of every meeting we take a few minutes to not only set the context, but also explicitly assign meeting roles. This means naming each participant and letting everyone know why they have been invited and what will be needed from them.

Taking the time to do this would achieve two things. Firstly, it would get everyone on the same page, especially potential spectators. Spectators are more likely to become participants when they are clearer about what is expected of them. Secondly, it will result in richer, more rounded conversations because everyone knows how their contributions might add value.

A few minutes spent at the start of your meetings setting them up for success is always worth it. So, will you make it standard practice to assign roles to everyone who attends?

Recently I have been running Smart Teams workshops for several clients who have previously attended our Smart Work personal productivity training.

It’s always insightful to revisit clients at some stage after they have done the initial training, because even though the Smart Work system is simple and practical, it’s easy to slip back into old ways of doing things, especially when you are busy.

The most common slip up I see is a task list that has become unfocused. This is what I call a ‘fuzzy’ task list. Often people commit to using the task function in MS Outlook as a result of our training. They start scheduling their tasks and priorities into their new system and achieve more focus and control over their work.

But over time, tasks that aren’t completed roll forward to tomorrow and turn red (meaning overdue in MS Outlook).  After a few days you end up with a big long list of red tasks that no longer represents what you actually need to get done today.  This is the number one reason why people give up using tasks and go back to their old ways of doing things.

There is a very simple fix for this implementation problem; Always start your day with some daily planning, which includes tidying up your task list.

I recommend making the first few minutes of your day a time when you get focused for the day ahead. Take a few minutes to review ALL the tasks in today’s list, especially the red ones.  Which are the tasks you will commit to doing today, and which ones are not a priority for today? Anything that is not critical or achievable should be moved out of your ‘today’ task list. Either reschedule them forward, kill them, or delegate them to someone else.

By the end of your daily planning, your task list should be a relevant, focused, achievable plan of action. Of course, it will change as new things come in, but that is life for all of us. Better to start your day with a focused plan rather than a fuzzy list.

Over the Christmas break I identified some jobs to do at home that have been hanging over me for a while. One of them was to clean out the walk-in food pantry in the kitchen. Over the years it has filled up with stuff, making it hard to find space for anything new.  Plus it’s always a challenge finding things once they’re in there. 

So last week I rolled up my sleeves and got stuck in. I threw out everything past its use by date, including the spices dated February 2011. Out went the half packets of pasta, the dreary looking rice, and some dodgy tins going back to one of the great wars. All gone. 

I then reordered the space, putting the stuff we use the most in easy reach, and things we rarely use on the top shelves. I bought a few new containers for a bunch of cooking and baking ingredients, all now neatly stacked and easy to access. Suddenly, we have plenty of room. In fact, several spare shelves are waiting to receive some delightful goodies! I ended up with a lot more space than I thought I had.  

Do you ever feel like you don’t have enough time? Is your schedule full of stuff?  

OK, so you know where I’m going with this. If you look at your schedule over the next quarter, is it already jam-packed? Do you already have double or triple booked timeslots? If you look at your task list, is it already full of too many low to medium priorities that are getting in the way of the important ones? 

I reckon we all have more time than we think.  The problem is we fill up our schedules and task list without any thought, and then complain later that we don’t have enough time. Maybe it’s time to go through your ‘pantry’ of time and clear it out. Why not review your calendar and be ruthless about the meetings you will attend over the next few months? If you can’t get out of a meeting altogether, consider shortening it, or reduce the time you will commit to being part of it. Review your task list and kill anything that doesn’t add enough value. Either delete it or delegate it but get it off your plate. 

We all have 24 hours every day. Our success in life depends on the choices we make as to how we use them.  

Well those drifters’ days are past me now, I’ve got so many more things to think about 
Deadlines and commitments, what to leave in, what to leave out 
Against the wind, I’m still running against the wind 
I’m older now but still running against the wind 

I love that song – a classic from the 1970’s west coast music scene. Now that I’m a bit older, I can totally relate to what Bob Seger was talking about. He was running against the wind when he was younger, facing many challenges as he struggled as an unknown artist.  But when he got older, he still found he was running against the wind. Only now that he was successful, the wind was schedules, and commitments, and priority decisions.  

I reckon this happens to many of us as we climb the ladder and move into more senior roles. Being the boss is great, but it comes with its own pressures and headaches. For many of the senior leaders I work with, the wind they are running against is a schedule jam packed with meetings, and an inbox full of emails. And the nagging feeling they don’t have enough time to do what they really get paid to do – think, strategize, make decisions, and lead.  

If our schedules and inboxes are overwhelming our focus and our time, we need to do something about it. We can’t accept that this is just the way it is. We need to take steps to change the culture within our team and protect ourselves and others from the wind that howls. And the good news is there are plenty of things that can be done to reduce email noise and time spent in unproductive meetings.  

Are you tired of running against the wind, and what are you going to do about it?

I once read that culture is a set of collective beliefs and behaviours. In organisations, the productivity culture is influenced by the behaviours of the people within the organisation, especially senior managers. Staff see how managers and leaders operate and tend to copy these behaviours. The behaviours then become the norm.

For instance, if an organisation has a meeting-heavy culture, it is often because leaders and managers believe that meetings are the only way to move work forward, and therefore call a lot of meetings, and invite lots of participants. This then becomes the normal way to progress work at every level in the organisation. If an organisation has a noisy email culture, where staff are getting hundreds of emails every day, it may be because it has become the norm to use email like an Instant Messaging tool, firing off responses every time a new one arrives. In both cases following the group norm can be dangerous and unproductive.

The group norm must not dictate our behaviours. Our behaviours must dictate the group norm.

When I talk to my clients about the productivity culture in their organisations, most can easily identify with the issues mentioned above around emails and meetings. It can be frustratingly hard for them to work productively, as the group norms drive the volume of emails and meetings up, and at the same drives the quality of both down.

But my clients often realise that they are just as much a part of the problem as anyone else. They don’t mean to disrupt other people’s productivity, but they are busy and under pressure. They send emails that are rushed and confusing. They organise meetings with no clear purpose. They arrive late to meetings full of apologies. While they might always have the best of intentions, their behaviours don’t always match.

So how do we create a link between our good intentions, and our actual behaviours? How do we change our behaviours, and the behaviours of those around us to shift the culture of our team in a positive way?

I believe that making the time to create a set of working agreements or protocols is the key. Agreements create a direct link between intention and behaviour. If we agree to a set of behaviours around how we will use email, and how we will run meetings, and hold each other to account, our behaviours will change. And so will the culture of our team.

Our Smart Teams workshop is designed to achieve this exact objective. You and your team will walk out at the end of the day with a set of skills and strategies to reduce email noise and make meetings more effective. But more importantly, you will also have a set of working agreements that will ensure a lasting change in behaviour.

If this resonates, talk to me today about how a Smart Teams workshop could boost the productivity of your team.

What is it with people not replacing the toilet paper? How hard can it be? On the odd occasion that I walk into a bathroom to find no toilet paper, I am struck by how selfish the behaviour of the previous occupant was, and how reactive that person’s work life must also be (I will not name names here, but you know who you are).

The chances are, if they demonstrate this behaviour with the toilet paper, they would demonstrate this behaviour in many other ways at work and home. They probably leave lots of things until the last minute, and then expect others to drop everything to deal with the crises they have created.

If we take a more mindful approach to our work, and life in general, it benefits ourselves as well as those around us. If we try to work a bit more proactively and less reactively, everything gets easier for everyone involved. So, what would this look like in relation to the toilet paper incident?

I reckon there are four ways we could approach this situation:

Reactive – We never bother to replace the toilet paper, and next time find ourselves staring at an empty cardboard roll. Or leave someone else staring at the empty roll!

Responsive – We replace the empty roll with another from the spare toilet roll holder. This is a nice gesture for the next person and makes life easier for them.

Anticipative – We refill the spare toilet roll holder when it is down to just one roll. This ensures we always have spare rolls close at hand.

Proactive – We buy more toilet rolls when we are down to six spare rolls in the cupboard. This ensures that we always have toilet rolls in the house, and everyone is happy.

I reckon if you were to map this thinking onto much of the work you collaborate with others on, you would find room for improvement for you and your team. If you are a manager, it is your role to coach your team to work more proactively, and less reactively. To be more serving, and less selfish. To make sure no-one ever has to feel that moment of dread when they reach for the paper…

I recently visited Launceston to spend a day with a local management team. I stayed in a very cool new hotel – Peppers Silo Hotel. As the name suggests, it is an old converted grain silo, and I loved it!

I had dinner in the hotel restaurant and was blown away by the way the kitchen worked. I have worked in restaurant kitchens in the past and have always found them chaotic places; run on energy, adrenalin, shouting, cursing and lots of urgency. These kitchens often produce great food but can have a challenging culture that is often set by the head chef. 

The kitchen last night was different, and how it operated was dictated by the fact that it was a completely open kitchen. Diners could see and hear everything that was happening in there, which of course influenced how the staff behaved as they created great food. I watched as the chefs worked in a focused and intense way, but without the drama, chaos and reactivity that I have seen in the past. They worked together in a collaborative way and were led by a calm head chef who set the tone. I believe that because the kitchen was open to the diners, this not only dictated how the staff worked, it actually set the tone for their culture. Did this lack of chaos and urgency lead to poorer quality food? Absolutely not, it was fantastic! 

Imagine if our clients could see the inner workings of how we produced work for them sometimes. I wonder if how we worked was totally transparent, we’d work more proactively and less reactively? Would we focus more and stop ourselves from getting so distracted? Would we learn to collaborate more effectively and with less friction? 

When it comes to productivity, many of our personal organising systems are somewhat invisible to others. Our schedule and meetings may be visible, but how we manage our emails, our tasks and our projects is often invisible to others. This can lead to less than effective productivity at the personal level, which in turn can influence the culture of the team or organisation.  

But when we commit as a team to adopting a common system to organise our work, and we develop agreements on how we will communicate, congregate and collaborate together, we begin to make how we work more visible. And this can start to shift the culture of our team to a more productive one. In fact, when we work with teams on this we call this a ‘Superproductive’ culture.   

I believe we can do better work with less stress if we work in a culture that supports productivity, rather than getting in its way.  

How would your team’s culture change if we made our organising systems visible to everyone?