The Power of Time

I received a healthy dose of "don't forget what you can do Jay" from a member of the team during a call last week. I had decided to forgo an extra night at a hotel to save my company a few bucks. But... 

...I was reminded that time is more valuable than money.

Making It
Despite the never ending stream of "I'm so busy" comments that we hear all day, it is really not about our work, or responsibilities, or life that gets in the way. It is our unwillingness to make time. Have you ever heard this phrase before?

"Where does the time go?"

Of course we all have a full plate, that's not what I"m talking about. It is the choice to protect time, schedule time...to literally make time to get important things done.

Sharing It
One of the most important things leaders can do is share their time with the people around them. Yes, the people that help make them, and the company, successful. Sharing our time is not a one way communication. I often receive as much as I give when I connect with our team.

Often...as in...every time.

Not only does sharing time help with the fundamentals like communication, building internal communities, and living the values of the company. It also reinforces the influence leaders have in their organizations.

Think about the early days of your career. Did it matter if a senior executive took time to connect with you. Not because they had to....but because they genuinely wanted to?

It sure did for me.

There is another reason it is important to invest your time in the people you work with, and it is quite obvious. We all talk about how important our people are to our businesses. When we connect with our people, we are connecting with the lifeblood of our companies too.

Are you with me?

How About You
The old adage that time is money is true. But it is far more important than dollars and cents. How we prioritize our time speaks volumes about whether we back up our executive-speak or not. So, how will you spend your time today?

Thanks for the reminder Julie.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Stay of Execution

"I know, I know...you're "crazy busy" at work."

"Oh, that's right...you have to finish up a couple of projects before you can get started."

"Of course, you need to have your team do that stuff, that's not something for real leaders."

"I remember now, this is a very conservative area...we don't use social media that much."

It's 2016, Right?
I recently had an opportunity to meet a group of human resources professionals who have not embraced contemporary tools for business. Candidly, I was a bit surprised. I know that not every leader is going to use social tools the way I do.

However, I find it incomprehensible that in today's incredibly tight market for talent...a market where every person you or I will ever hire again is using one or more social media platforms...HR leaders continue to tuck their heads into their turtle shells and ignore the world around them.

It is time for HR to stand up and be counted as cutting edge leaders across all industries. 

It is time for HR to show their executive colleagues that embracing social tools with a defined strategy will transform their organizations.

It is time for HR to demonstrate to our marketing colleagues what leader brand and employer brand are all about.

It is time my friends, for us to stop talking, and complaining, and throwing our hands up in the air.

It is time for action.

How About You
Do you fall into one of those groups that still takes pride in not being on a social network? How could you possibly consider yourself a leader when you choose to embarrass yourself and your organization by hiding behind your own insecurities and excuses?

We have been given one more chance...a stay of professional execution. What are you going to do with this rare opportunity? I will help you if you'll just reach out.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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How Did I Do That?

I get asked a lot about using social media in my work. How did I get started? How do I find the time? How did I know it would make such a difference for the company? How did I deal with the criticism from the old school leaders who are out of touch?

Lots of ‘how’ questions. Today I’ll offer some brief answers.

How Did I Get Started?

Six years ago I was privileged to move into a VP of HR role at an organization filled with great people, but one that had not made any moves into the contemporary talent acquisition space. I hadn’t either.

With mounting vacancies across the organization and a non-existent national employer brand, something had to change. I decided I needed to learn social media tools and bring them to life with the human resources team.

Stop worrying about starting, just get started.

How Do I Find the Time?

For years I preached the gospel of work-life balance…and for years I struggled mightily with work-life balance! The more I understood about being a leader, the more I realized there is only one thing: life balance. Today I integrate my work life, personal life, and digital life into one continuous flow. 

Stop worrying about time, just get started.

How Did I Know It Would Make a Difference?

As a healthcare executive I looked around and found that not many of my peers were using social media personally or professionally (read here —> almost no one.) As I looked outside my industry I saw a flood of successes. I also paid attention to…well…all of society! Why was…(and still is)…healthcare so far behind? It didn’t matter…the data was clear, and I went full speed into social media.

Stop worrying about changing the world, just get started.

How Did I Deal with the Criticism?

When I started to experiment with social tools, those around me (not my team in HR) found it ‘easy’ to poke fun. There was often an undertone of jealousy (and over compensating in my view) because although those folks were incredibly smart, they had simply been left behind. The world of work had roared past them and they did not have the courage to keep up.

Stop worrying about criticism, just get started.

How About You

As you muster up the courage to lead the way, simply focus on one important thing: you! You can take your career to a whole new level. You can bring your organization to a whole new level too.

You, can make a real difference!

I’d love to hear from you.

No Excuses. 

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My Most Productive Day...and a Fail

Recently I was at a surprise retirement party for a colleague. After we all yelled "surprise!" and the battle to keep the tears from falling was well underway, I settled into a conversation with a new member of our organization about the nature of work.

Productivity
Our talk ran the gamut of shared experiences in cities we had both worked and/or lived in. But then quickly moved to how we get work done, and how the world of work has changed in such a way that being at work actually limits our ability to accomplish our work.

We both realized that the physical act of being in our workplace, more often than not, limits our ability to truly be productive. This got me thinking about all sorts of issues: 

- Why I spend so much time at work if I know I could use some of that time differently and be much more productive?;

- Why corporate culture equates long hours sitting in a room in a building (my office), with being a great leader and dedicated employee?

- Why I haven't been more assertive in taking charge of this (despite encouraging my team to spend time away from the office getting their work done!)?

Coffee, Wifi, and Solitude
As our conversation went a bit deeper I tried to remember what I would consider my most productive day ever. It didn't take long. I was in Baltimore on business, but my schedule was a bit odd. I had a Tuesday evening meeting, and then no formal commitments until Thursday.

Oh the guilt! I certainly couldn't fly back to Florida for one day, so I realized I needed to get myself organized to try to make the most out of an "open" day in between my scheduled meetings.

...and it was the most productive day of my life...

Enter The Daily Grind along Baltimore's waterfront. A terrific coffee shop that has good wifi and plenty of seating. I know what you're thinking..."Jay, have you ever heard of Starbucks?"  

The real issue here is that during my six hours of uninterrupted, focused time I accomplished more than I have on any other day in my work history. 

The real issue here is that I didn't seize the moment and build a completely different approach to my work, despite knowing this made sense for me.

The real issue here is that I quickly fell back into the trap that long hours in a room filled with interruptions equals  good leadership.

How About You
Do you know something makes perfect sense but the pressure around you in the workplace is holding you back from taking action? Why do we continue to do that to ourselves and our teams? Maybe we're the generation of leaders that will finally break the pre-technology notion that sitting in meeting rooms all day is the best way to get things done?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.




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The Power of Processing (In Your Head)

Yesterday I did something for the first time at work. No, I didn't use a bad word (that's not me.) No, I didn't do something perfectly (I wish!) And no, I didn't scream at anyone (definitely not my style!)

This won't sound all that exciting, but I took a ten minute walk to think through what was going on in my head. Interestingly enough my self-talk was not based on "bad" things, in fact it was quite the opposite. I wasn't upset, or stressed, or worried. It's just that I've been managing a fairly full plate lately and it seemed like a good idea to just think for a few minutes.

Just think.  

Hmm...when was the last time you took a few minutes to just think about the issues going on in your world?

Time
Like most of you, I live and die at the whim of my calendar. Although I do my best to manage my time effectively, the reality is that I have a demanding job that keeps me running most days (read here --> my days can be chaotic!) The adrenaline junkie in me absolutely loves the pace, but where I fail myself is not allowing for any time to process all of the issues I need to manage.

You Owe It To Yourself
I'm not willing to declare that I am good at processing what is going on in my world. What I can say, is that my ten minute investment in myself...my work...my life...yesterday afternoon was a success.

I'm learning to appreciate the power of processing, and what it can do on many levels. The ability to disconnect for a few minutes. The opportunity to remove the pings, rings, and reminder dings of our various devices that seem to go off all day. The chance to think through important issues and feel good about where you're headed.

How About You
Do you have ten minutes today to invest in yourself? I'm going to find the time again, whether I believe I have it or not. That ten minutes might just make the rest of your work day ten times more productive.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.



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No More Wasted Time

“The chief beauty about time is that you cannot waste it in advance. The next year, the next day, the next hour are lying ready for you, as perfect, as unspoiled, as if you had never wasted or misapplied a single moment in all your life. You can turn over a new leaf every hour if you choose.” 
- Arnold Bennett 

New Year, New Beginnings
Each year a bevy of resolutions, promises, and declarations are made about self-improvement, fitness, productivity, new jobs, and more. Somehow the calendar year transition sparks a renewed level of commitment and enthusiasm (usually for about 36 hours.)

For me the real challenge is how I manage my time. It seems that is a common theme in today's world. I don't seem to have enough of it...or I discover that I've not been efficient enough...or I've wasted a bunch of it and I get frustrated.

Lose the Negativity About Time
I love Arnold Bennett's quote above because it speaks to a fresh perspective about the concept of time. The never-ending amount of "new leaves" we can turn over every hour of the day! When was the last time you thought about time that way? 

Typically discussions about time and time management decompensate into a gripe session instead of something positive. 

Thinking about time as an unspoiled opportunity that you can make into something special is a much more appealing idea than complaining that we're all too busy, don't you think?

How About You
As you wrap up the year and think about your goals, hopes, and plans for 2014, how are you going to consider spending your time? Tools like this and this have transformed how I manage my time. But it is Mr. Bennett who has me thinking about time very differently.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.



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