Never More Than Necessary

 "When you wish to instruct, be brief; that men's minds take in quickly what you say, learn its lesson, and retain it faithfully. Every word that is unnecessary only pours over the side of a brimming mind." ~ Cicero

Of all things that can be overdone, talking too much probably does the worst damage. Words once spoken cannot be taken back.By not saying more than needed, you minimize the risk of being misunderstood, misinterpreted or misquoted.

By keeping your words short and simple, you will get the message across faster and clearer. You messages have a very small chance or none at all being misunderstood. This is especially important when you are giving instructions. A concise instruction has shown to achieve more long muddled ones.

Which of these 2 signage below do you think is more effective?

 

 Researches have found that the sign on the right is far more effective than the one on the left.

There are many other examples of this, a "DANGER RADIOACTIVE" is found to be more effective than   "DANGER-KEEP AWAY- RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS ARE STORED NEARBY". Saying "SILENCE PLEASE" is found to be better than telling "THANK YOU for KEEPING QUIET".

Saying less and getting more done is a skill that can be learned. Anyone can do it.

How to Say No

Do you find yourself leaving the office late more often than not? Do you find yourself hardly any time left for yourself? You seem to be always in a rush and have a feeling not being in control of your own affairs.

In a world where cost cutting and multi-tasking a reality rather than theory, the worker is often given more and more responsibilities, leaving no time at all for anything else.


The most effective way to lighten your load is to simply say NO. For many this is not as easy as it sounds like. Often when we say no, we feel guilty. We feel we have committed a selfish act and have let the requestor down.

Saying no is not a negative behavior, on the contrary it is a positive concept. You have the right to say no. You have the right for self-determination. Of course there are certain jobs, like the police and military, saying no is a breach of discipline and can result in being sacked but almost all others are not as rigid.

The first step in cultivating the habit of saying no, is the awareness that telling no is not an selfish act. You have the right to evaluate your feelings. You have the right to make judgment and to take action on all matters pertaining yourself. You have the right to make decision for yourself, no matter illogical.

There are many ways of telling no and at the same time not been seen as hostile Here are 6 ways.

1. Just say no. Pretty obvious isn’t it. This is the best method. If you really mean no, then say it. You do not have raise your voice. Be clear and be definite. Look at the person making the request in the eyes and say no. Don’t justify, that will encourage in negotiation and discussion.

2. Pre-empt. As soon as you someone racing down the corridor and sure that a request is going to be made, let them know that you know. Intercept and say, “Hello, I know what is you are going to ask. You want to help you in that presentation, right”. I am sorry, I wish I could but I just can’t at the moment.”

3. Show your appreciation with a word or two. “It is a great offer but I am sorry I have another project I am putting my best efforts on”. You do not have to explain what other project you are doing.

4. Commend the other person. “I value you so much, and I love to work with you on this but I really cannot”.

5. Buy time. “Let me think about it’ or “Please give me some time to consider”. You can call back in 30 minutes or so and then tell politely no. The time that passed blunts your response and makes it easier for the other person to deal with.

6. State your principle. If you have a set of code that you live by and the request made is not in line with it, you can say so, “ I Don’t do this as a matter of principle.

13 Personal Effectiveness Lesson From the Personal MBA

Read this useful article on achieving personal effectiveness as  featured in Life Optimizer here.

The Quiet Work

I am reminded today by quote attributed to Muhammad Ali, "The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses — behind the lines, in the gym and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights."

The quiet work is just another name for practice. It is the work you must put in, the slave you have to be in order to emerge as the master.

If you are not prepared to put in the work, you might as well drop the intention of being good at anything.

Indulge

Do not always be the disciplinarian. Let yourself loose. Indulge and pamper yourself.

If you are a leader, no matter where, indulge your followers. Let them have their way now and then. An environment where everything is tight, creates a pressure cooker which will snuff out everyone's energy.

Don't worry about appearing to be laid-back, a little indulgence should not give anyone under you that idea.

Learn to have fun.

Feeling Important

You have staff at work and you want him to perform a lot better than what he is currently doing, then you can use a simple method that always works.

Give him a feeling of importance. Talk to him in a way that makes him appreciated and make known to him that you trust him to perform his job to the best of his ability. And then increase his responsibility.

Giving your subordinates a feeling of importance can pay dividends. Often people under-perform from lack of motivation which in turns stems from a feeling of hopelessness. They feel their work is not appreciated and they are not important.

Dale Carnegie once said that all of us are born with the words" I am important' printed on our foreheads. Use this need to feel important to your advantage

The 7 Drivers of Productivity - According to NZ Government

Recently the New Zealand's Department of Labour published The 7 Drivers of Productivity.
They are:
1. Building leadership and management capability
2. Creating productive workplace cultures
3. Encouraging innovation and the use of technology
4. Investing in people and skills
5. Organising work
6. Networking and collaboration
7. Measuring what matters.

Go here to get the full article.

Some Thoughts About Leadership

If you are leading a group of people, then the decisions you make must never be personal. If you do, then you are not fit to be a leader.

A leader must have the agenda of the group under him as the one and only agenda. His personal interest must never be in the equation. His ego must never be taken into account.

Very often we see when people are given responsibility to lead, their personal agenda, their likes and dislikes, their frail ego all vying for attention. Influencing the decision taken much to the detriment of the group as whole.

If you are given a chance to lead, learn all the leadership qualities of great men. There are many. Cultivate all the good leadership qualities you need. And then kill your ego, destroy your personal agenda, throw away your preferences.

The only thing that must matter to you is the people under you. Their interest, their agenda and their well being.

If you can do this, you might not be rich, you might not be popular but you will be immortal.