Hello Asana

I love products that help me manage workflow, and to be more efficient. No product can MAKE you be productive and efficient, but they can help. I've used DayTimer, Franklin Planner, Outlook and Palm Desktop. I've read Steven Covey and David Allen. I've learned something from all of them over the years. I've become mostly aligned with David Allen's Getting Things Done approach. If you are not familiar, do yourself a favor and check it out.

About 6 months ago I learned about Asana. It is a web-based team task management system. I've not adopted their model to use it to replace inter company email yet, but maybe I should. Asana is flexible, and yet offers enough structure & assistance to get you started with ease.

If you are in the market for something like this, Asana might be the answer - and it is free for small companies and very reasonably priced for others.

My favorite tip I've learned over the years is a way to manage tasks/questions I've delegated to others. David Allen calls it @Waiting For. I just use Waiting For. In our case it is a tag in Asana, but there are many other ways to use this idea.

Good luck and enjoy!

Be quick but don't hurry

John Wooden is a great basketball coach. One of his many great sayings/quotes is "Be quick, but don't hurry." Honestly, that is some of the best advice I've ever absorbed and it applies in so many areas of ones life. And it applies well to marketing too. Often there are many tasks that need to be done and all seem ultra important, but most often there are a few big rocks that really need to be done first AND done very well. So, hustle. Work hard. Be diligent. And most of all, be quick but don't hurry-the process, the hire or the project. Great sometimes takes just a little bit more.

Do something that matters

It is my assumption that everyone wants to do something that matters. I'm far from positive about this, but it just makes sense to me. The opposite is people just want to feel like failures much of the time - and I just can't see anyone wanting that. So then the questions are these:

1) What is it that matters?

2) Can I do something that matters here or do I need to go somewhere else to do it?

The answers (as I see them) are:

1) What do you have a passion about? I'll bet others do to AND would benefit from your passion, understanding and expertise. Share it and watch what happens.

2) Yes. There is not a perfect place or ideal time. Certainly timing can be important, but if you wait to find the right mix of whatever you are waiting for - you will never even start.

Good luck. Let me know how it goes for you!

The benefit of fear

Fear. The word alone makes palms sweat and guts wrench. But, fear can be good for people and organizations, if it's dealt with openly and honestly. It can keep you focused on a goal and away from danger. Fear can motivate you if it doesn't paralyze you.

Effectively dealing with fear can't be done without managing your emotions because it's difficult to think clearly when your mind is overwhelmed.

Draw on your patience. Look at your plan. Engage your people.

Fear brings focus. Use it to your benefit.

An Untouchable lesson: What are you prepared to do?

I love the movie The Untouchables. Like all great stories it has layers. Very often those layers provide opportunities for teaching or learning if you're inclined to consider the full context of the scene, dialogue or situation. The scene below is just such an occasion.

What are you prepared to do?

Not in the context the film uses, but rather what are you personally or professional prepared to do? What is your company prepared to do?

It is an invitation to answer the call, if you are prepared to act, or to prepare yourself if you are not.

Maybe you need a plan. Or, maybe you just need to just follow the plan you have in place. Possibly you need to make some hard choices. Or, it might just be you need to buckle down and do whatever is in your path.

So, what are you prepared to do? Action is required. It is your move.

Consistency may make you remarkable!

If you are relentlessly consistent people will notice and reward you. Shoot, you'll be a hero! Think of all the times and situations when you value consistency.

• Policy application at a company with whom you do business
• The umpire's strike zone
• Driving your car - or how others drive theirs
• Policy application at your company

I know there are many more or subsets of those above, but you understand the point.

We tend to notice when someone is inconsistent because it upsets the balance. We calibrate our expectations based on experience. When that experience changes, we get confused. If it changes in a negative way, we get frustrated. The converse it also true.

Notice I said 'someone' is inconsistent. I didn't say a company is inconsistent because it is individuals that make consistency decisions. A company that recognizes inconsistency in their staff will train accordingly and reap the benefits.

This week look for ways you or your company can become more consistent. Then, take steps to make it happen. Both your bottom line and your customers will love you for it.

How to make people care.

Many have written about this topic and the issue is not solved evidenced by an example I witnessed while traveling recently. Here's the short version: Flight was oversold in an airport full of people who had been delayed by weather, so there is a standby list. Gate agent continually begs people to give up their seat, so they can get down to the number. I'm not sure if anyone bit or not. Regardless, boarding goes on as normal.

An adult son of one of the standby passengers is on the plane. He calls Mom and says they are about to close the door and there are 5 seats available. Mom goes to gate agent saying, "Hey, please get me on that plane. My son on the plane says there are 5 open seats." Agent was about to close the door says, let me check. Turns out there were 6 seats available, so most of the stand by passengers got to go - thanks to the son.

I understand that in this situation there are MANY moving parts. Stress is huge for all involved. The airline wants to be 'on time.' However, I was struck by how little the airline staff seemed to care. They had 6 open seats on a plane leaving an airport PACKED with people and they didn't appear to be acting to fill them. Wow!

Again, I realize it is crazy for airline staff in situations like this, but what a perfect time to really care about the people standing there waiting to go - wherever they planned to go.

This situation caused a discussion among our traveling party about how to make people care. Of course, there are no quick fixes and even caring people can have a bad hour or two.

So what can you do to instill caring as part of your company culture? Here are some things to consider.

     1. If you have the chance, hire to this skill. Make it one of the skills you MUST have. Department doesn't matter.

     2. Make sure you model caring to your staff. Help people. Show compassion. Let them know this is who you are as a company.

     3. Make your expectations clear and give them permission to fix a problem. You might need limits, but keep them general.

     4. Reward employees who consider customer experience - before or during a problem.

Regardless of your industry, caring employees matter. Your company will thrive because of them while others wilt.

What are your favorite ways to make employees care?

Clarity in the sales process IS the sale!

Clarity IS the sale, and clarity may take many forms. Too many sales people, or maybe more importantly, management, do not appreciate this. Make it easy to understand = customer buys.

Make it confusing = customer ignores you or moves on to buy from someone else.

Selling really is this simple. But, we make it more complicated all the time. I understand that some products or services are complex. Honestly, that doesn't really matter.

If the seller is transparent (demonstrates trustworthiness) the buyer will pick up the cue. It is easy to be clear when you are trustworthy.

Is it somewhat scary for the seller to be vulnerable? Absolutely!

Is it necessary in order to be overwhelmingly successful in any type of sales. Yep.

Often, the scary part for sales people is they don't want to be transparent enough to allow clarity to happen, so they skirt issues, they mitigate their speech, or use industry jargon for cover. The adage goes - if you can't convince them, confuse them.

Customers, not wanting to be 'taken,' are on guard all the time. They'd love to be open, but experience has taught them not to say too much for fear of losing leverage.

If you've ever had the pleasure of a transparent sales person, you know the comfort that feeling provides. Start building an organization of transparent sales people today. Your customers and your bottom line will thank you for it.

Do you feel safe to make the wrong decision?

Trust is the cornerstone of a good company, and a good family for that matter. Many fathers celebrated yesterday and I’d be willing to say that many cards had words similar to “thanks for helping, protecting and loving us.” I’m glad so many fathers are deserving of such praise.

Though companies are NOT families, they need many of the same things from their leader (whether female or male): assistance, safety and love, which are the foundation for trust.

If you are a manager at any level, you are entrusted with the care of those you manage. They need to trust you. You need to trust them. This is never a one-way street and it always starts with the leader. Always.

This can be somewhat scary if you are a new leader or just starting to build your culture. You’ll feel exposed. If you do, then you’re doing this right.

When your staff feels safe to make a tough decision because they know there's a trust safety net should things go wrong, productivity will soar – theirs and yours.

Need more upside? Decisions will get better because trust leads to more open feedback on the front end, which leads to better results. Obviously, part of trust is holding people accountable to their expectations. Expectations provide the guidance everyone needs to be successful.

The best news of all is trust works for everyone from marketers to technicians regardless of industry.

I've heard many great stories about how trust has been demonstrated. What are some of yours?

Professional boredom. What!?

I'm sure my girls are not different than most other American students, at least when it comes to summer boredom (or at least their perception of boredom.)

You know what I'm talking about because we have all either a) been a student or b) been the parent of a student.

It plays out much the same way everywhere. Student counts down the days to the end of the year and comes home chanting 'summer, Summer, SUMMER' in their best High School Musical tones. By day two, you are certain to hear - I'm bored or there is nothing to do in the days before their summer activities kick off.

After this happened at my house, I started drawing parallels.

I know many professionals (myself included) that have at one time or another been bored in their job. They, like students with summer star in their eyes, worked or studied hard for the job or promotion. When the 'arrived' they were thrilled, like kids the day school is out for summer. They are content for a time, but when problems arise or the challenges stop coming, they get bored with their job.

How can you overcome the challenge of 'professional boredom' that many won't admit to having? Try some or all of these:

1) Read something. Professionals that don't read are going backward in their profession. Pick a book store. Find a book. Read it. Repeat. If books aren't your thing, find a new blog related to your profession or related subject and read it. Daily.

2) Take 30 minutes and clean up your work space. Often the act of organizing can help you feel more engaged. Or, you will dive into the task and it will pull you into some projects you've been dreading. Once you are into it you'll realize it isn't all that bad!

3) Use a vacation day during the week and do something you want to do - for you. Something that you won't take time for on the weekend.

4) Write down your goals or review them if you have previously written them. Are you on track? If yes, do you need to re-evaluate what you want to do. Off track? What will it take to get back on the path you set out?

5) Seek out a non-profit and volunteer for a project, committee or the board. You might use a new part of your skills and ignite your passion all over again.

It is OK to be bored and it's even fine to admit it, but it's not healthy for you or your company to stay bored. What are your favorite solutions to professional boredom?

What is easier: construction or destruction?

Why is it that when budgets get tight - marketing or marketing related projects take the first hit?

I am sure we all have our own ideas, but consider this not so novel thought for a moment. Is it easier for most people to demolish a structure or build one? Demolish, right?

Exactly, and that same concept is what is at play with budgets. Often CEOs that lack the ability to build an organization, or a least the vision to see what something could be, begin to whittle or hack away at what may be an organization's most viable asset - its brand and the people that craft it.

Often the root cause of the budget problems may stem from the CEO's lack of vision or inability to address a correctable situation with staff or product or both. That lack of action seems to often end up at the same place - the CEO cutting in places that seem 'traditional'. All that shows is a lack of leadership ability coupled with blinders for the big picture.

Organizations with the best people and ideas win. That is not novel or new, but it does seem to be ignored a great deal of the time by far too many business 'leaders'.