INSIGHTS (on leadership/self-leadership)
Want to maximize your organization’s energy? Try the Organizational Energy Formula:
Et = E1 +/- E2 – E3
The formula reads like this: The total energy that an organization has (Et) is equal to the energy of the employee (E1) plus or minus the energy the manager brings to the table (E2: the manager can be a positive or negative ion), minus the quiet, insidious forces that drain energy from the organization (E3).
Leaders, two things to ask yourself here.
1. Are you sapping your organization’s energy, or zapping it with energy (through your words and behaviors)?
2. Are you adding to any energy drain by falling victim to the classic drainers: indecision, inconsistency, lack of communication/listening, killing feelings of ownership, creating rework/waste, destroying others confidence, or feeding negativity.
Keep this formula in mind to unleash, versus undermine, your organization’s energy.
IMPERFECTIONS (a mistake many make)
Are you underestimating your potential? Have you defined yourself as “this thing,” and settled into that thing being most everything about you? It happens. A lot.
While I have a laundry list of things I need to get better at, I must admit, this isn’t one of them. I share this in hopes of inspiring you: I believe that nobody is just one thing.
I was in the corporate world for decades (during which time, I did some stand-up comedy). Then I became an author, and keynote speaker.
And entrepreneur, and professor, and trainer, and columnist, and course creator, and someday, a novelist.
My point is this. No one person, or role, defines you. Stretch your wings. Don’t worry about flying in formation. What will you become next? (I’d love to hear from you on this!)
IMPLEMENTATION (one research-backed strategy, tip, or tool)
It’s one of the most nefarious productivity traps of all time. It’s known as Parkinson’s Law, which says that work expands to fill the time allotted for its completion.
For example, you give yourself a month to complete that project, more than enough time, which feels great. But then you take longer than is really necessary to complete the task. Or, you procrastinate and wind up scrambling to complete the task before the due date. Neither is good for efficiency, productivity and quality of output. The three best strategies to overcome Parkinson’s Law are to:
1. Plan your work strategically. Carefully assess how long tasks will realistically take.
2. Set self-imposed, realistic deadlines, and share those deadlines with others. Research shows your self-imposed deadlines don’t work as much as you think they do, unless you also share those deadlines with others (to elevate your sense of accountability).
3. Avoid telling yourself, “My willpower will kick in, so I can wait to get started.” Studies show your willpower isn’t as strong as you think, and that it can be depleted surprisingly quickly. And avoid telling yourself “I work better under pressure.” Studies show that’s a myth – in fact, just the opposite is true.
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