Don’t Be a Broken Record!

Courtesy of Technic Turntables

Do you ever find yourself repeating the same mistakes? Do you ever feel stuck in the past? Do you ever fear or complain about the future? Do you ever find yourself repeating the same mistakes? Do you ever feel stuck in the past? Do you ever fear or complain about the future? Do you ever find yourself repeating the same mistakes?

As cited in a previous blog post (speaking of repetition) Albert Einstein defined insanity as, “doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results.” And yet how many of us do exactly that in the workplace, and then act surprised when we get passed over yet again for that new promotion or raise?

Timothy Butler from the Harvard Business School conducted a fascinating interview in which explored the phenomenon that many of us face of “feeling stuck” in our careers (“Feeling Stuck? Getting Past Impasse”). Explaining what he refers to as a type of career impasse, Butler suggests that certain life events or alterations can leave us feeling like we are unable or are unwilling to change our work patterns. Says Butler,  “When loss or change brings us to impasse because we feel that we are at a dead end, we have to look at life anew because our old ways aren’t working. If we continue to try to use the old ways it will just mean more pain.”

This implies that the time for change is now at hand. Rather than letting our hesitance towards transformation prevent us from achieving what we most want in our careers, let’s change it up and begin constantly working towards improvement. Login to ChangeAnything.com and start changing any stubborn habits we may have of being unwilling to change. How about rather than acting like a broken record, let’s learn to measure up to our full potential – and start breaking records instead.

Why Not Go That Extra Mile?

“I get paid to watch TV all day.” “I get paid to chat on Facebook all day.” “I get paid to attend meetings all day.” “I get paid to watch the clock all day.” “I get paid to play solitaire all day.”

Courtesy: Overcoming Obstacle Illusions

Who among us hasn’t heard, or even said, one of the above sentences pridefully proclaimed? Unfortunately such an occurrence has become nearly universal. Somewhere along the line, the “value of a hard day’s work” became worth less than “getting paid to do nothing all day.” What a sad day that first transition day was.

Although it’s almost understandable that it came. The work environment today appears almost to breed an innate sense of it’s-not-my-job-ness. Legal repercussions, it seems, are waiting around every corner for those employees found to have overstepped their boundaries. However threatening this may be though, it should not stop those of us in the labor force from working at our full potential.

There is something to be gained from merely going past our job descriptions and taking initiative, for accepting responsibility. Something precious in learning how to sacrifice personal interests for a larger goal. Something truly valuable in a hard day’s work.

Although the person who plays solitaire all day may feel proud of their 5 winning-game streak, such pride does not compare to the satisfaction of a job well done. The joy and peace of mind that comes with knowing that you received a full-day’s pay for a full-day’s work is hard to beat. Even with a deck of computerized cards.

What is the secret to reinstating this love of productivity into our homes, offices, and personal lives? The secret comes with changing the way you think about “work” and changing the way you do it. When you can rediscover the happiness that comes from knowing that you gave the job at hand your full attention and full ability, not only the quality of your work – but the quality of your life – will improve overall.

Disorganization Disease: Destructive, Disruptive, and Downright Dirty

Image courtesy of http://www.customlivingsolutions.com

Have you ever misplaced an important file, forgotten an appointment, missed a vital deadline or lost track of what you should be working on? You just might be a victim of the deadly disorganization bug.

Disorganization is a disease that, once manifested in a work environment, has the potential to fester and spread until it affects the productivity of an entire office. The real danger with this particular disease however, is that, despite being oftentimes deadly, it tends to be even more commonplace than the common cold. Everyone has been exposed to the disorganization virus.

Most of us are familiar with the symptoms: muscle ache caused by hours spent bent over searching for a particular file, congested workspace, loss of a productivity appetite, headache, feeling tired from attempting to remember what was on your To-Do list, money lost on prevention and treatment, and even eventual occupational death. But what are the remedies?

To fill your anti-disorganization prescription, you need to work on changing the underlying behaviors behind your physically manifested untidiness. Change the way you sort files and deal with documents. Change how you keep track of appointments and record important events. Change up your time organization and how you maintain your schedule. Overall, change how you bring order to your life.

So go get yourself immunized. Take a shot of change and give that disorganization bug a run for its money.

To calculate the “medical bill” associate with disorganization, check out this handy link.

You don’t have to read this post, just keep letting passive aggressive tendencies ruin your work life. . . No big deal.

Courtesy passiveaggressivenotes.com

Passive aggressive behavior can, admittedly, be rather fun to witness – when it’s not aimed in your direction.

The deliberate and masked way of expressing hidden anger displayed by passive aggressive behavior seems to be especially prone to emerge in the workplace. In many workplace settings, where the majority of us spend our waking hours and where strict protocol can inhibit direct expression of feelings, a passive aggressive employee may be able to sabotage everything from individual deadlines to organizational productivity and department morale. It is critical that we both be able to recognize passive aggressive behavior in others, and tame any such tendencies within ourselves.

Jody Long, Nicholas Long and Signe Whitson, authors of the book, The Angry Smile: The Psychology of Passive-Aggressive Behavior in Families, Schools, and Workplace, define five levels of passive aggression:
Level 1 – Temporary Compliance, where the passive aggressive person verbally complies with a request, but behaviorally delays actions on it.
Level 2 – Intentional Inefficiency, in which the passive aggressive person complies with a request, but carries it out in an unacceptable manner.
Level 3 – Letting a Problem Escalate, in which the passive aggressive person uses inaction to allow a foreseeable problem to escalate and takes pleasure in the resulting turmoil.
Level 4 – Hidden but Conscious Revenge, when the passive aggressive person makes a deliberate decision—and takes hidden action—to get back at someone.
Level 5 – Self-deprecation, in which a passive aggressive person goes to self-destructive lengths to seek vengeance.

Courtesy passiveaggressivenotes.com

Although individuals’ levels of passive aggressive behavior tend to vary, on every level such behavior is at least mildly destructive to ensuring a happy and productive work environment. On the off-chance that you are the smug Diet Coke protector, it is important to recognize the need for change and start working towards it. On the off-chance that you are the Diet Coke smuggler seeking to tame your co-workers’ smug protection methods, maybe it’s time to utilize your own passive aggressive note-writing skills and suggest that they visit ChangeAnything.com. Immediately. Please. 🙂

Overspecialization – Found in Both the Workplace and the Wild

It’s good to be good at something. Whether it’s Sudoku, basket-weaving, ping pong or Star Wars trivia, almost everyone has a niche hobby or activity at which they excel. This is also true in the workplace. Some people are just better at certain job-related activities than others. Marketing, communication or organization- whatever it may be, it is almost universally acknowledged that different employees have different strengths. However, these strengths can turn into weaknesses when employees capitalize upon them too much.

Golden Cheeked Warbler, Courtesy of Fort Hood, on flickr.

Kitland's Warbler, Courtesy of Dominic Sherony, on flickr.

Specialization can turn into a problem when employees become overly focused on what they’re good at rather than on what the company needs.

To illustrate some of the potential dangers of overspecialization perhaps an analogy to the natural world might be of use. The Kirtland’s Warbler and the Golden-Cheeked Warbler are two species of North American bird now endangered. The Golden-Cheeked Warbler is naturally confined to a small area of Texas due to its dependence upon Juniper, Oak, and other plants in fairly specific proportions. The Kirtland Warbler can only breed in an intermediate stage of forest succession in forests dominate by a single species of pine. These overly specialized environmental requirements have made these species extremely vulnerable to extinction.

Overspecialization in the workplace can lead to an endangerment, or even eventual extinction, of productivity in much the same way. When employees focus too heavily upon only the areas in which they shine, others areas may be left underdeveloped and in the dark.

Although it’s admirable that someone may be able to solve a Rubik’s Cube in 14.8 seconds and may be better at making a certain sale’s pitch better than anyone else in the office, they still need to avoid overspecializing at the risk of negatively impacting other areas. Perhaps those prone to being overly specific should take a lesson from the birdies and learn to change the way they think about specialization.

Don’t let overspecialization lead to career endangerment or extinction. Learn how to overcome this career limiting habit using the Change Anything methodology by watching this free webinar.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T! Find out what it means to. . . Your Job Performance

Let’s face it, we have all dealt with disrespectful co-workers at one time or another. Maybe it was the woman in the next cubicle who seems to have a obsession with talking loudly over the phone about her cat’s eating habits. Maybe it was the co-worker who steals your stapler every time your leave your desk. Maybe it was the messy eater who leaves a smattering of crumbs and trash strewn throughout your workplace. Or maybe it was the co-worker who simply could never remember to say “please,” “excuse me,” or “thank you.”

When faced with such pestering forms of disrespect it’s easy to roll your eyes, grumble under your breath, or even put up a fuss. But do any of us ever react to displays of disrespect by considering ways in which we ourselves might be being disrespectful?

Could it be that you are the phone-talker/“item-borrower”/office-snacker? Very rarely do we, or others, purposefully attempt to be disrespectful; it just kind of, well, happens. Oftentimes disrespect is caused by the thoughtless repetition of bad habits or small actions that come from being careless. If we’re not constantly aware and striving to be respectful of those around us, sometimes we can become the disrespectful coworker we are so un-fond of. Is there a way to prevent such a transformation from occurring?

Absolutely. Though it may not be easy.

The key to overcoming the little habits that may be causing us to be disrespectful lies in our ability to change. Changing the way we think about our actions. Changing our degree of awareness. Changing our work patterns. All in order to eventually change our level of respect. Let’s get going.

Belt it like Aretha (just maybe not at your desk. . .), stop talking on the office phone about your cat, log on to ChangeAnything, and start changing those thoughtlessly disrespectful practices that just might be negatively affecting your job performance.

Change Anything can help individuals overcome their career limiting habits. To learn more register for our Overcoming Career Limiting Habits Webinar.

No Employee is an Island

Image by Christina Spicuzza

No man is an island entire of itself; every man
is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;
if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe
is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as
well as a manor of thy friends or of thine
own were; any man’s death diminishes me,
because I am involved in mankind.
And therefore never send to know for whom
the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.
-John Donne

Though sometimes we may be tempted to think that our actions affect us and us alone, it is important to remember that this is far from the case. Many sources cite extreme self-centeredness as the leading cause of job loss and conflict in the workplace. Although a healthy dose of self-awareness can increase productivity and ensure that you find the business outcome that’s best for you, too much focus on self can lead to work disruption and counter-productivity overall. Any business, be it small or large, is similar to an organism in that it is made up of many interworking parts. Should one of these parts stop functioning, or attempt to function separately from the group, the organism will eventually shut down. In the workplace, teamwork is vital.

Seth Allcorn talks about this phenomena in his book, “Co-Dependency in the Workplace.” He addresses the growing problem that self-centeredness is becoming and talks about the negative effects it can have on business functionality. Research is being done, however, that suggests that not only does too much selfishness lead to unhappiness in the workplace, it can lead to unhappiness in other areas as well. According to a study done by Iowa State University, “self-centeredness lies at the root of every deteriorating relationship with your coworkers, friends and family members. When you put yourself in the center of all your thoughts, you start to kill off your relationships. . . worse, physicians tell us that self-centeredness, self-love, self-pity and self-interest can easily turn into physical illness.”

So, as John Donne would have recommended, remember to be part of the “continent” of your business by looking outwards. Not only will it improve your co-worker and employee relationships and your work performance, it has the potential to improve the quality of your life overall.

To learn more about overcoming career limiting habits such as “It’s all about me” sign up for a Change Anything webinar, register here.

Feeling a Bit Short-Sighted?

Photo by USACE Europe District

Have you ever felt that you spend your workdays just putting out fires?

A 2005 article published in the Wall Street Journal entitled “When Meeting Targets becomes the Strategy, CEO is on the Wrong Path,” authored by Carol Hymowitz, talks about the risks associated with such “panic mode” business practices. According to Hymowitz, when quarterly targets and day to day tactical stuff becomes the focus “employee loyalty and teamwork erode quickly, along with innovation and risk taking.” Although quarterly objectives and daily goals are necessary, it is vital to be able to free yourself from the numbers and take sight of the bigger picture. Take risks. Try out new ideas. Lead. The more companies and employees focus solely on the short-term, the more longer-term success is placed at risk.

Mentioned also in Hymowitz’s article was a study done by the Hudson Highland Group in Chicago. The Hudson Group found that the biggest impediment to high performance in an organization is short-term focus. After interviewing almost 3000 managers, just 10% said they felt they worked in high-performing groups, while 38% said they worked in “non-performing groups.” These are the numbers to worry about.

Not only does short-term focus affect the group, it affects the individual as well. There’s nothing more frustrating than feeling like you’re constantly working, focusing on those urgent matters placed in front of you, and then realizing at the end of the day that you didn’t actually accomplish any of the things you really wanted to. The truly important items on your work To Do list shouldn’t suffer because of distraction by the louder, more tactical things filling your plate. You have to change the way you view your short-term objectives.

How can this be done?

Web-Worker Daily, a popular business site, gives a few suggestions. . . Use “start here” markers to remind yourself what projects and where exactly you should pick up work each day. End each day with a To Do list for the following day, laid out clearly in order of priority. Have specific workdays dedicated to tackling recurring tasks, for example, designate Monday’s as firefighting days in order to deal with weekend build-up.

Implement a few tactics like these into your life and, hopefully, you will soon be able to find that perfect balance between the short-term and the long-term in all your own business endeavors.

Learn more about overcoming career limiting habits by attending a Change Anything webinar, register here.

How to Put-Off Putting-it-off

Procrastinate comes from the Latin words Pro, “for,” and Cras, “tomorrow.” Therefore, procrastination quite literally means the art of “for-tomorrow-ing.” It appears that the ancient Romans were as familiar with the concept as we are today.

Why is it that, as humans, we are so drawn to putting off for later the things that we could easily do now? This, in and of itself, is a question that we may never fully answer; nevertheless, we must accept that procrastination is a part of life and learn how to deal with it when it (inevitably) comes our way.

Susan Ward, the founder of Cypress Technologies, understands that procrastination can be particularly devastating in a business sense and has given several valuable tips for overcoming this dreaded practice in the workplace. Her first word of advice – stop referring to managing your time as time management. Susan points out that, no matter how much we may wish we could, there is simply no way to change the number of hours in a work day. Time manages itself. What we are really managing in “time management” is ourselves and how we react to the time we have.

Susan then goes on to explain several techniques which wage-earners can use to best capitalize upon and manage their time:

1. Find out where time is being wasted
2. Create goals
3. Implement a plan
4. Prioritize
5. Use time-management tools
6. Establish routines
7. Set time limits for tasks
8. Stay organized
9. Don’t waste time waiting
10. Delegate

The New York Times recently published its own list of procrastination-conquering techniques as well:

1. Avoid getting bogged down by email
2. Eliminate unnecessary meetings
3. Put up boundaries
4. Find your own rhythm and schedule around it
5. Learn how to say no

Not wanting to be left out on this hot topic, Ohio State University came out with a list of time wasters that are frequently the cause of workplace procrastination:

• Telephone interruptions
• Meetings
• Visitors
• Socializing
• Lack of information
• Excessive paperwork
• Communication breakdown
• Lack of policies and procedures
• Unclear objectives
• Poor scheduling
• Lack of self-discipline
• Attempting to do too much at once

Even though the art of putting things on the shelf may be a universal issue, at least it appears to be a universally acknowledged one. This problem of waiting until tomorrow is something we cannot merely accept but must work to overcome and, thankfully, there are many sources to help us do so.

So take your pick. Choose a technique (or two, or three. . .), put it into practice and start procrastinating that procrastination now.

Learn more about overcoming career limiting habits by attending a Change Anything webinar, register here.

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