optimus, Author at Optimus Performance

Changing Behaviour for Improved Results in Life and Work

Mar 18, 2015 Comments

One definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing and expect different results.

Obviously if we want different results in our life or work we need to do things differently. This requires us to take a step back and understand the process of change and what needs to happen so we can start doing things differently.

There are many things or obstacles that can stand in the way of creating the change we want. Everything that we do has been learned and has developed into a habit. We all know how difficult it is to change a habit whether it is a good or bad habit.

The Change Process

The first step in the change process is awareness. Before you can change the result from what you’re doing you need to become aware or conscious of the thing you’re doing to cause the result. Let’s take the example of a salesperson selling kitchen renovations to homeowners and who is struggling to close sales. The sales person could blame the homeowner or the market for not making enough sales. Or they could look at themselves and reflect on what they’re not doing correctly to create the results they want.

This leads to the second step, which is understanding. This means going deeper into the problem and looking at the attitude, values and beliefs that may be driving the behaviour that is causing the result. It also means looking at the skills required and the effort needed to drive the change. In the example of our salesperson, perhaps the problem is the salesperson talks too much and wants to show how much she knows rather than asking questions and listening to what the client is saying. To gain this awareness and understanding the salesperson might need to get feedback from clients or from her boss.

The next step is choice. Once the awareness and understanding of what needs to happen is clear, the actions required to create the change also becomes distinct. The question becomes, are you willing to do what you need to do to create the change and produce the result. In the example of the salesperson they may need to learn how to ask questions and listen and make the commitment to practice and apply it on the job.

Goal Setting

Goal setting is a powerful method for creating change. By filling out my goal planning form, which you can download from this link, you will be able to plan out your change process and achieve new and better results. One important component of this process is identifying the obstacles that can hold you back. It is important to write down the obstacles see you can specify the solutions and turn those solutions into your action steps.

Once you go through the steps the final question to ask yourself is do I have the knowledge and skills to make the change and am I willing to commit to the actions. If the answer is yes then you are on your way to create the change and produced a result you want in your life and work.

Stephen Goldberg

Overcoming Procrastination

Mar 08, 2015 Comments

Procrastination prohibits us from keeping commitments, being productive and achieving our goals. In my last article on delegation, I wrote about procrastination being an inhibitor to empowering employees.

Causes of procrastination

According to psychologist Judith Kolomeir here we procrastinate to avoid something that we fear or want to avoid. In the video for this article Kolomeir says that we procrastinate to protect ourselves from unpleasant emotions that we want to avoid. This could be having to confront someone or working on something that is difficult or that we just don’t like doing.

Other causes for procrastination are bad habits, rationalizing tasks to be unimportant or marginal, difficult projects, poor work ethic, lack of a deadline, feeling sorry for yourself, not caring, too busy and not being clear on what needs to be done.

Solutions for procrastination

The stronger is the feeling of fear about tackling a project that may take longer than 30 minutes, the more important that project probably is.

The best way to attack these tasks or projects is to do it in steps. Rather than thinking of the whole project or task break it down into smaller tasks.

In his book Time Warrior author Steve Chandler suggests setting an action that you can do in the next three minutes towards completing the longer project. After the three minutes are up, set another three-minute action and so on.

Identifying the causes for procrastination will help you come up with solutions. First make a list of some important things that you’re procrastinating on. Identify the cause of procrastination for each of these items. Next write down what options you can take to address these causes for procrastinating. Don’t wait, do it now.

Stephen Goldberg

Managing Time for Effective Delegation and Employee Empowerment

Feb 24, 2015 Comments

In order for any organization to scale leaders must be able to take on new responsibilities and have time for strategic planning and organization of resources.

In my last two articles,“Delegating Authority & Responsibility for Employee Empowerment” and “How to Delegate” I covered the steps to effective delegation including the importance of defining an employee’s level of authority in carrying out their tasks and making decisions.

I spoke to a client shortly after I published the last article and he expressed how it all makes sense but often he needs to choose to do tasks himself that he would like to delegate but can’t because of time restraints. He said it takes too long to explain and show someone how to do something so he ends up doing it himself.

Time Management Matrix

So how do you break that cycle of having to do things yourself because time doesn’t permit to show someone else how to do the tasks or take on the new responsibility?

In his best-selling book “First Things First”author Stephen Covey explains The Time Management Matrix and how to use it to analyse and better plan your time. Delegating in the diagram below falls into the quadrant of Important Not Urgent.

By having a goal in mind you can more easily identify time wasters and take steps to eliminate them. Obviously if you look at the activities that fall into each of the quadrants on the Time Management Matrix you can take action to reduce time wasting activities and get more focused.Create Goals The question becomes how to spend more time in quadrant two in order to drive delegation and empowerment. The way to do this is to identify your delegation or empowerment projects and schedule time to execute them.

I’ll get into more depth about time management in upcoming articles and videos. One thing is to consider is procrastination and how to address that.

Time Analysis

To plan your time better you first need insight into how you’re spending your time now. You can track and record your activities manually using a weekly agenda form that you can download here. You can also use one of the numerous software programs or apps such as RescueTime or Toggl.

Once you have tracked and analysed how you use your time you can come back to the Time Management Matrix and take conscious to change your work habits. Of course changing habits is quite hard so you need to be motivated and visualize the benefits.

Whether you track your activities manually or using technology, the principles of time management and habit modification are the same. We all function within the same framework of a day of 24 hours. There is no magic pill that will make you more productive. It begins with awareness and a goal to improve.

Delegation is an essential leadership activity that every leader needs to develop in order to grow their department or business and leverage their largest asset, people.

Stephen Goldberg

Delegating Authority and Responsibility for EMPLOYEE EMPOWERMENT

Feb 11, 2015 Comments

Employees who are empowered with clear authority for actions and decision-making are more motivated in their jobs, take more initiative and get more done. But it’s the responsibility of the leader to provide the leadership style and conditions that lead to empowered employees.

In my last article on delegation I described the mechanics of delegating work and responsibility to employees.

In this article I will focus on delegating authority, which will ensure that employees are empowered to take responsibility and make decisions that go with the job.

To be effective in delegating and getting the results you want from employees you need to make sure that the employee understands their authority level relative to their job functions.

Levels of Authority

There are four levels of authority:

complete authority
act and report
act only after consultation
act only after approval

Defining Authority Levels

To define the levels of authority, have the employee breakdown their key functions. Usually 20% of what an employee does are the most important in terms of contribution to goals and business results.

Have the employee rate the level of authority according to the four levels listed above. Do the same from your perspective. Meet with the employee and review the list to compare perceptions. Just doing this exercise will generate a good discussion and clarify any misconceptions.

A fairly new employee may have many of their job functions at levels three and four, but a long-time employee should have more functions rated at levels one and two.

You may need to answer the following questions in order to properly delegate new authority levels to your employees.

What needs to happen in order for the authority level to increase? What do I need to do? What does the employee need to do?

As in my previous article, follow-up is key in any delegation project. Once it is clear how to delegate new authority you must follow-up to make sure that it’s working well and decisions are being taken correctly.

Conducting this exercise with each of you direct reports will help you delegate, make you a better leader and develop empowered employees.

Stephen Goldberg

Posts By: optimus