The soundtrack of my life

President Obama has posted his music playlist and proven himself to be a music fan.  Did you see him sing Al Greene’s song  “Let’s StayTogether”?   President Obama recently asked his voters to create a soundtrack for his reelection campaign.  I think that’s a great idea.  I can’t wait to see the songs that make the final cut.

The President’s request got me thinking about my own playlist.  What songs would I add to my soundtrack? Here's a few songs that I would have to add to my playlist.

My Playlist

I believe I can fly R. Kelly

Eye of the Tiger Survivor

What a wonderful world Louis Armstrong

Man in the mirror Michael Jackson

The climb Miley Cyrus

Change Sam Cooke

Never say Never Justin Beiber

One moment Whitney Houston

Three Little Birds Bob Marley

Firework Katy Perry

What songs communicate how you feel? What songs motivate you during the day?  I would love to hear from you.

Speak up!

“Talkers have always ruled.  They will continue to rule. The smart thing is to join them.” Bruce Barton Congressman and Author

Have you regretted not saying something in a meeting?  I have to attend a lot of conference calls during the day. After introducing myself, it’s easy to go on mute and not say anything until the call ends.  I have made a conscious decision not to be a silent meeting participant.  To be honest, I have been the silent phone call member on some calls.  And sometimes that’s OK too. You do need to understand the conference call dynamics (office politics).  I believe that’s called Emotional Intelligence. 

If office politics is not the issue, I speak up.  To prepare for a meeting, I always check my workplace calendar at the end of the day. This gives me some time to think about the meeting topic.  I also have stopped multitasking during calls. This has really been the best thing I could have done for myself.  Without the distractions, I can actively listen and take notes during the call.  I can’t begin to tell you how many questions or comments have been generated from reducing my distractions. 

I found three ways to speak up in a meeting on Harvard Business Review.  I thought the tips were helpful and things that I have said before reading the article!  Try these tips the next time you want to speak up in a meeting:

• Have we thought about… If you have an idea to add but aren't overly confident about it, phrase the suggestion as though you are contributing to the conversation, rather than putting a firm stake in the ground.
• To play devil's advocate… It can be hard to disagree without sounding like a jerk. Finesse your comments by explaining that you are playing a certain role.
• This may be a dumb question… You may hesitate to speak up when you don't know what's going on in a meeting. Don't stay lost — ask for clarification. You may help others who are in the same position.

Let me know if you try some of these tips. How did it go? When do you speak up in a meeting?

Never give Up...Help is on the way

Don't give Up!
Your Dreams May Be Closer
Than You Think!
There may be times when you feel
as if you have taken a million steps towards
your dreams, and acted on your plans, only to find
yourself in the same place that you began from.
At times like this, you must not give up.
You must continue on. Though you may feel
lost, bewildered, and alone, continue to believe
in yourself. Do not allow discouragement and
doubt to blur your vision and wash away
your dreams. Visualize your way beyond the
detours, standstills, and obstacles.

You will realize your dreams. You have
worked hard and taken so many productive
steps in a positive direction that you are bound
to succeed. Whatever the hurt of the moment
may be, it will pass. Tomorrow is always a
new dawn. Today, you must pause, rest, catch
your breath, and then look ahead. Each step
will bring you closer to your dreams. The
rainbows and the love that you deserve are in
sight. Happiness is just around the next turn.
~ Vicki Silvers ~

Plans

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not  to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

Do not disturb

You are working on a project and you get a message that you have a new email. You stop working to look at the email.  You read 7 new emails. One of the emails is another request for information that you need to get together before 1pm.  You join a conference call and continue to work on the email request.  During the conference call, someone asks you a question and you have no idea what they just asked you.  You answer the question unsure if your response really added anything to the conversation.  You go back to working on your 1pm deadline only to realize that you have a text message on your cellphone.  In the middle of responding to the text messege, someone knocks on your door to ask you a question.  This is a classic example of multitasking.  You’re doing a lot of stuff at the same time, but you haven’t complete one of the things you have started.   

Research suggest that multitasking actually reduces our productivity as much as 40%.  A study in cognitive control in media multitaskers (http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2009/08/21/0903620106.abstract) suggest that the more you multitask the worse you are at getting work done.  With this new information, we need to change our behavior.  Here’s what I have done to reduce the distractions and get things done.

1. Create a to do list.   I not only created a to do list. I used technology (apps or software programs) to help me organize the things that I needed to get done.  I also prioritize the to do list and added deadlines to make sure I understand all of my deadlines.
2. Check email every 2 or 3 hours. I no longer check email as soon as I get an email notification.  I check mail first thing in the morning, an hour before lunch and one hour before the end of my work day.  
3. Listen during conference calls. If I don’t need my laptop during a conference call, I leave it in the office.  I’m focused during the conference call and not distracted by emails or instant messaging chat windows.  When I need my laptop, I do not check emails or send/respond to instant messaging chats.
4. Learned how to say “No”.  Things start to pile up when you don’t say no.  I’ve started asking about assignments and the deadlines.  If I have a conflict, I’ve worked with management to understand the priority.
5. Managed cellphone use.  I’ve asked friends and family not to call me during my working hours unless there’s an emergency. 

Are you a good multitasker?  Have you changed the way you work to get things done? I would love to hear from you.

Workplace laughs

Working smarter

 The amount of projects that we all have at work has increased.  Let’s face it. We’re working with fewer people in our department, but the demand or expectations of our assignments has not changed.  We have to think about how we work and balance our time because this is our reality.

I’m often asked what could I have done differently to resolve this problem?  Sometimes I have an answer right away. Other times I think my plan was solid and I can’t think of another way to handle the situation.  It’s critical that teams have time to reflect or debrief  after projects.  During this time, teams are able to review the lessons learned, recognize what didn’t work, and decide how to improve their situation. 

There’s an art to debriefing that’s just as important as taking the time to debrief.  You have to remove the supervisors, managers, or anyone that influences pay, raises, or employment.  If you want honest feedback, your team has to be comfortable talking about the issues.  All of the feedback gathered must be anonymous.  Again it’s about honest feedback and improving the process. Gather all of the feedback and allow the team to talk through the feedback. During the debriefing, you will be surprised on some of the creative ideas or improvements the team can come up with to resolve projects.  The information you obtain can be used an applied to the next project.  It’s very important to apply debriefing suggestions to the next project.  When your team sees you implementing ideas, they will be more vested in creating a work environment that no only just gets their work done, but works smarter. 

Do you allow time for your team to debrief?  How do you handle debriefing meeting?  Are willing to start debriefing?