Five Ways Time Can Be On Your Side

The days are about to get longer - records of lunar and solar eclipses for 2,700 years were tallied and we've gotten an additional seven hours in our lives in the past two dozen centuries.

You can imagine all of the things that are possible with that much time, but you know that all of that time isn't just for us right now. So what is this phenomenon really telling us?

A scientist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography notes that there is time and then there's how fast the Earth spins. This latter component, called Universal Time, proceeds and nothing you can do will change it... just like you can't change other people, the way someone works, or how other folks set priorities.

However, Terrestrial Time has only been measured by atomic clocks for a little over 50 years. There are many examples about what can be accomplished in "time comparisons." But this, too, has been modified by natural events, such as NASA showing how an earthquake recently moved the Earth's axis and shifted time. 

This year, these two kinds of time will actually be realigned and extra second will forever be added on New Year's Eve because time on the planet is out of sync.

If you feel you don't control your own time - be it through a manager's assignment or the kids' multiple activities - you don't need an international society to tell you to adjust your pace. Things occur in your life where you naturally realize you need to move your axis.

You can make shifts in your life to simplify in order to use your "real time" more wisely.

1. Realize multi-tasking doesn't work; it just wastes time. Set yourself discrete blocks of time to accomplish parts of tasks or entire projects that you know matter most. 
2. Prepare for your meetings in order to use time wisely. On calls or during face-to-face meetings, take five minutes before the discussion to pinpoint what progress means for that event. 
3. Respect the time limits you've established. Working on a specific schedule allows your brain to have a fresh mindset instead of "pushing through" and making mistakes. 
4. Effectively use waiting time. Short "vision" work is possible when you've organized your projects to reduce interruptions, so write that text while waiting on the next event. 
5. Eliminate waste. Just like you empty the fridge from expired products, your life is full of them, too, and thus anything (from stagnant relationships to lagging ideas) either need recharged or removed. 

You can take back your time. It's a great idea for starting in the next few weeks when you gain "real time" as well as Universal Time.  

Heather M. Hilliard is Principal and Chief Strategist for R. Roan Enterprises, LLC, a professional services consulting firm supporting businesses in pointed areas of expertise as well as with individuals for targeted projects or career development. For more articles like these, visit her posts on LinkedIn or on G+. 

#seizetheday, #makeithappen

Just the Facts

It’s the end of the year, a time when a lot of businesses ease off the gas pedal - not because they want to give employees a break, but because they are misinformed about consumer behaviors.  This irrational input into a decision matrix loses revenue for companies around the world.

I usually write articles around hot topics to inspire, educate, encourage... helping you sort through the noise and get to the important things in life.  Well, year-end sales certainly fit this model.  If you aren’t engaged in the realities of business instead of off-target perceptions, you won’t do what’s important for customers.

If you knew the facts…

…that the fourth quarter is the new first quarter, you may be more inclined to go running into the new year with a bang on your financial statements…

…and B2B growth occurs as customers surf the internet for next year’s partners, your efforts now to reach out will be rewarded…

…so respectable sales across industries (not just retail sales) can help exceed your company goals by maintaining focus through the end of the year…

… you could keep your target market’s attention with:

• Attention-grabbing branded messaging.  This does not mean it needs to be “crafty” or “slick” — in fact, those things can hurt you.  Just as you are busy, so are they.  Know what your customer wants to hear through some valid market research to save time and headaches if you have to look back and wonder why you missed your 4Q goals.  If fewer companies are looking to be heard through cacophony of holiday ads, your messages are likely to hit the mark.

• Credible claims.  Don’t stretch the truth and don’t claim to be a company that you’re not.  Customers viewpoints are savvy and more educated with direct applications to help them sift through the distractions in life.  Third party endorsements are good only when they will mean something to your customer base; likewise, paid spokespersons are less effective than twenty years ago.  You can improve credibility by “walking the walk” and putting effort into strong brand foundations that help the market see what your company really does.

• Quality delivery.  The days are fading when people wanted “more for less” because they realize paying a little more for quality goes much farther.  In your products you demand excellence, so why not in your messages to customers?  Pushing strategic marketing teams for fast statements without the backbone of the product infrastructure completed is a waste of money.  Let those who are trained to perform do exactly that, and manage your own expectations when you hire superstar people to get the job done right.

By not following tradition, you can capitalize on a bit of the sales revolution by modifying your business plan.  Improve upon past performance and start the new year ahead of the curve.  Begin implementing your business’ revolution today — yesterday was for you, today is for your investments and tomorrow is for your dreams.

Heather M. Hilliard is Principal and Chief Strategist for R. Roan Enterprises, LLC, a professional services consulting firm supporting businesses in pointed areas of expertise as well as with individuals for targeted projects or career development. For more articles like these, visit her posts on LinkedIn or on G+. 

#seizetheday, #makeithappen

Sound of Chaos versus Sound of a Butterfly

This is the time of year when many people consider how to change their lives (so they can "check the box" for New Year's Resolution), yet they are so busy running around that they don't actually make improvements in their lives.  They don't take the time to think how small changes in themselves can change the world.

There is a phenomenon called the "butterfly effect."  When the smallest of events - the beating of a butterfly's wings - can alter the course of other events.  The person who researched it most used the example of how the movement of wings several weeks prior can impact the formation of a hurricane.

That's a pretty significant impact for something so small.  Juxtaposed to chaos theory of the 1890s, this 1960s revelation shows how simple systems make a huge difference.  

It also lets us know that however prepared we'd like to be, we never know all of the conditions that impact an outcome - we never know what butterfly could alter our lives when it's on its normal path.

Think of the difference your smile can make as you complete those errands - perhaps you help distract an upset child as he's being toted along another person's list of things to do.  What if the pennies you left in the change dish by the register meant that another person at the checkout could buy the bag of flour needed to make cookies for a sick relative?

Conversely, when something pretty amazing takes shape in front of you, don't rush to get to your next errand.  You should stop and see what develops from a moment of randomness, such as this Paris train station moment.  Even time seems to stand still when the broadcaster stops reading the schedule so the butterfly effect impacts everyone nearby.

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/5679f8a9e4b014efe0d780a6

Info, Info Everywhere

There's a lot of information out there... but it's not all good data and certainly isn't all smart.  What's the difference?

Consider your kitchen.  Everything is inside it to make a meal, but it's not all relevant at every meal.  You may not use a skillet when baking a pie, for instance.  Your kitchen has "information" in it; data are the relevant components to your project.

The internet helps people and also gets them into trouble.  Millennials are typically the generation that will run to the web and look up information to refute what someone says or to throw together a paper for class.  But information isn't useful if you don't know how to identify the data within...

If you don't have the skills to set yourself apart, you don't just go online, read about a topic and consider yourself an expert. (Well, you shouldn't... anyway.)  To learn about something or understand how to analyze a topic, you need to research, identify important pieces of information, whittle it down to data points, and then see how these pieces play together, fit together, work together, or cause disruption together.

If your big pond of information is drained down to some key pieces of data, how (or if) they interact is called intelligence.  Projects that use higher level of intelligence typically present their findings in logical, clear, and direct manners.  Projects that don't rate as high on the "good to great" factors usually just throw some data your way.  The manner in which you put your eggs and flour together says if you will get bread or a cake.  Your data put together smartly makes it intelligent - or not.

One of the biggest information oceans right now are US political races.  If you don't understand how the information is being presented to you, then you can't determine if you are getting real intelligence or some neatly-strung data points.  Make sure you know the difference when it comes to topics that are important to you and your family, you and your business, you and your community.

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2015/08/25/could-google-inc-really-decide-the-2016-presidenti.aspx

Penny Wise and Pound Foolish

"Penny Wise and Pound Foolish" was commonly used as a "backhanded compliment" about "not so smart" folks worrying about pennies but missing pounds. It mixes modern coinage with the colonial system - yet still makes sense.

 

What doesn't make sense is what's described in the attached article: You would think the United States Government would have better things to do than argue SINCE 2009 about buying forks.

 

What about your workplace - Are your team members missing the big picture?  How can you lead them to better analytical thinking?

 

Maybe a "field trip" to clear heads is in order. Many executives would like to have the ban on evening and weekend emails, but have no authority to shut it down, per se.  If workers - including yourself - don't have a break from the office, things start to get sloppy.  This virtual field trip is free. You could even say anyone sending email between certain times has to treat everyone to coffee the following week (a non-pricey but very visible reminder to take a positive time-out).

 

There are other ways to refresh a team. Perhaps a weekly "cake for breakfast" is in order.  One of my best teams ever met in my office and did a check-up Monday mornings. We would start about 30 minutes after regular starting time and they had permission to be a little late that day. We shared coffee cake, but if it was a birthday, I would do the extravagant breakfast purchase (and yes, by request of the birthday employees, it frequently was actually cake) for a small celebration.

 

This easing back into the workweek allowed us to get together and know it was ok to chat for a while about trips and family gatherings, books we read or a movie we watched with friends. It was management approved and "required" relaxed time as a team. We all enjoyed it. Our great and busy boss would even pop in to say hello - and respected it was NOT the time to drop a project bomb, so he reinforced the positive team behavior.

 

Then again, it required forks... But no one complained about bringing our own.  Think of how to promote smart thinking, fresh minds and a respectful place for sharing fun things so it's not all about the grindstone.

 

http://m.govexec.com/management/2015/08/sorry-feds-you-have-bring-your-own-plates-and-forks-work/119037/?google_editors_picks=true&oref=ge-iphone-interstitial-continue

Who Are Your Employees?

"Who do you think you are" is the antecedent to the often gossipy "who do they think they are?"  But the most important business question in this unstable economy is quite possibly "who do we think we are?"  Brand, product, pricing, placement, target market... great things that need identification and strategy as well as metrics to see where the company fares against the competition.  But if you don't have the right workers, does it really matter what you try to sell or where you promote it if the wrong people are doing the talking or manufacturing?

An especially tough group to "know" are the newest to the game - millennials. While some anecdotal observations may prove true, rarely do we do anything about it. Adjustments aren't made to capture the social savvy-ness of the millennial employee, but as everyone looks to lure them as cheaper labor and possibly employable longer, that's not what their thinking. So much money is spent on customer identification... What about worker identification?  It costs more to get a customer (or employee) than keep one - so if you keep picking the wrong one, that's a lot of onboarding money wasted.

"Physician, heal thyself" works. "Corporations, reinvent yourself" must work or there will be a whole lotta shaking going on.  Remember, you are known by the company you keep...

http://www.post-gazette.com/business/career-workplace/2015/07/26/WorkZone-Millennials-less-loyal-to-companies/stories/201507260019

Water, Water, Everywhere

Or nowhere? Who knows? You won’t know unless you improve your metrics.  What do you measure? And does it matter not only to you, but your customers? 


http://thelensnola.org/2015/07/07/experts-on-water-and-subsidence-you-cant-manage-what-you-dont-measure/