Collaboration tools: Useful, Usable and Used
Productive collaboration requires visibility across the team. To work well together, we need to have access to the right information, at the right time. We are sometimes managing complex work across multiple people in different locations. The more visible we can make this work, the easier it is to manage. The good news is that […]
Read MoreGood and delivered is better than perfect
OK, this article will be short. But it will be done, and will be available for you to read. This is better than having it remain unwritten in my head, I reckon. So, we all have too much to do. And sometimes that means that we get behind. And that causes stress. This article is […]
Read MoreTurn information into intelligence
I had an appointment with my local GP this week. Being a little early, I whipped out my iPad and Apple pencil and started sketching out an idea for my next book (NEWS ALERT: Smart Teams to be published by Wiley in May 2018 – you heard it here first). When the doctor was ready, […]
Read MoreSo you think you can multitask?
I was watching MasterChef the other night. OK, so there you have it. This is how I spend the hour a day I save using the Smart Work system! Three of the participants were in a pressure cook-off, and as they hit the last 15 minutes, George Calombaris shouts “Let’s push – you need to […]
Read MoreDon’t be polite – be predictable
As I drove to the office this morning, I was preparing to turn right into a side street from a main road. An oncoming car slowed and stopped to let me turn, even though they clearly had right of way, and had no reason to stop other than to be nice to me. ‘Ahh’, I […]
Read MoreFrom intention to action
A phrase I hear fairly regularly is the sheepishly delivered, “Sorry, I’ve been meaning to do that”. It is a very Irish thing to say I reckon. What it really means is that there was an intention that had not yet turned into an action. Do you “mean to” too? Do you find yourself repeatedly […]
Read MoreHindsight can save you time
In a recent coaching call with a client, I came across one of the most common issues at senior management level. A case of too many meetings, and no time left over for important priorities. I see this time and time again with my clients. Every patch of empty calendar seen as available real estate […]
Read MoreKnow what they need most
People depend on you for many things every day. There are work deadlines, deliverables and milestones, and it can be overwhelming when things start to stack up. My experience managing projects has taught me that it is vital you are crystal clear about your stakeholders’ most important requirements to successfully juggle multiple, often competing priorities. […]
Read MoreReactive versus responsive
Because so much of our work is driven by emails and other ‘instant’ communication tools, we now operate in a business environment where urgency and reactivity have become the default. This can keep many of my clients from getting to their most impactful work, so a lot of my time is spent helping people work […]
Read MoreDon’t tell yourself stories
Do you aspire to get in control of your inbox, but just can’t seem to make the time to get it sorted once and for all? Maybe you have not really committed to the idea of working from an empty inbox. Perhaps this is because you are telling yourself stories that are holding you back. […]
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