The Intriguing Habits of Highly Successful People
It’s a question we get asked all the time. . . “What system do you use to stay organized and productive?” When we’re organized and work is flowing freely, we feel in control. But we all have times when things are happening so rapidly that keeping up with it all leaves us feeling a little lost. Friends are quick to give us their tips. . .
- “I don’t look at email until I leave work. . .”
- “I organize first, then turn on my computer.”
- “I only use a paper system. . .working electronically doesn’t work for me.”
While we appreciate the free advice, often their tips just don’t work for us. So this month, we decided to-do some research and find out how the most successful people organize their days. When Monday arrives, what’s the first thing they do? And what are their weekends like – are they stuck to their electronic devices? What we uncovered was a little surprising. We hope these ideas will help you develop a system that will lead to more success.
First things first. Before you dive head on into work, consider what is important to you. If work-life balance is important, determine what you can do to help achieve that balance and set a goal. For some of the successful people we researched, that meant walking to work – not only to clear their heads of clutter, but also to get some exercise. For others, the morning ritual meant doing something for themselves first, before anything else. Whether that means listening to music, reading for half an hour or getting to the gym, setting their own goals and following through on them resulted in a feeling of control. Having achieved their first goal of the day, successful people were also in the right mood to tackle work.
Planning their week. Clearly, successful people view Monday morning as a fresh start to an exciting work week. They believe that planning their routine helps to set the right tone for the rest of the week. Their habits reveal an organized work ethic. Here are some of those habits:
- Getting up early is key – 5 a.m. is not unusual.
- Surprisingly, a number of successful people believe in walking their dogs first, which they believe helps their stress levels and improves their health.
- Breakfast is their fuel – they don’t skip it but instead realize that it’s a vital part of their day.
- Successful people understand the need for exercise and usually, that means getting it done in the morning.
- Email organization is top priority. Most successful people only respond to critical emails and delete or file other messages.
- Successful people also keep informed – reading the news on their phone or taking the newspaper on the train – is key to their understanding of what’s going on in the world.
Long term planning. Interestingly enough, besides taking care of their own health, both physically and mentally, most successful people spend approximately an hour a day pursuing long-term goals. On a day-to-day basis, it’s easy to get caught up in the tasks at hand, but successful people realize that long-term planning is ultimately how they will make their mark on this world. For many of these successful people, they’ve achieved the status they have today because they learned how to handle distractions and they make sure to take the time to dream.
Ending their day. Successful people often recharge after dinner, and after spending time with their families. From 8:30 to 10:30, they are often on the phone, reading papers or organizing the next day. And before going to bed, most take the time to dial it down. That might mean reading a book, getting off electronic devices, turning off the phone or taking a late night walk. That need to evaluate the day and relax before bedtime is important to getting a good night’s sleep.
Unexpected Habits of Successful People. As I did the research for this article, I was reminded of the importance of focus. While you and I may block out an hour or two of our day, most successful people think of their time in minutes, rather than hours. I sometimes brag that when I am the busiest, I’m also the most organized! And so you can see why focusing on minutes, rather than hours, keeps these successful people on their toes.
Another interesting observation about focus – most successful people really don’t believe in multi-tasking. Instead, they focus on one particular thing at a time. And finally, rather than using to do lists, successful people use their calendars to schedule everything. In this way, small, inconsequential tasks that are often found on to-do lists, never make it to their calendars. Their focus is on critical needs.
We can all learn from these successful people. Over the next month, join us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and learn how other people organize their workday. And if your organization or team needs a refreshment course on organizational development, personal development, project management or professional development, give Leah M. Joppy & Associates a call at 301-670-0051. We can help plan your next training session.
Becoming a Better Employee
Most of the talk is about being a better manager. But what about our own contributions as employees? Seriously thinking about our work persona and making changes may also make you more indispensable. Here are some ideas for becoming a better employee.
- Show Emotional Intelligence. We live in ever-changing environments. Stress levels can be high. But the ability to manage the highs and lows at work is an increasingly important skill. If your coping mechanism keeps you from getting defensive or emotional, you probably work more effectively is tough situations. Cooperation is high among those with emotional intelligence, which makes them more valuable in the workplace.
- Plan for your own development. You may work for an organization that includes a formal development process, but if not, plan your own. The goal here is to bring out your fullest potential – you have to WANT to improve for it to happen. And when you discover what really matters to you, you’ll foster real change. Understanding what you can work on and how to improve it is important. When you actively seek out new skills, you are recognized as someone willing to take the initiative. More than likely, you’ll be given more responsibility.
- Connect. Connect. Connect. The more connections you have in the workplace, the more opportunities present themselves. Connecting with people often means admitting to what you don’t know. As you connect with more people, you can learn exponentially. Be patient. Give people a chance to get to know you, and trust you. And give as much as you can.
- Say Thank You. The most innovative managers are those who recognize the work of others. Why? Because they encourage innovation and productivity. Recognition doesn’t have to be expensive, or hard. It may mean giving a spot award to someone who has made a concerted effort to launch an initiative. If a team deserves recognition, consider something that may not be the norm for your workplace – wearing blue jeans for one week, for example. You can also consider recognizing anniversaries – perhaps a lunch outing or an unexpected coffee and bagel.
- Plan your goals, and strive to implement them. Work with your manager to plan your goals. And then make sure you review these goals daily. Try printing them out and posting them at your desk. Being proactive about progress and challenges will make you a better employee.
- Manage your time more constructively. Think about the day’s activities. What usually pulls you away from your important work? Whatever it is, minimize the time you spend on that activity. If it’s email, try checking your email just twice a day. If it’s finding files, develop a system that’s easier to remember.
- Make things easier for your boss. The idea here is to be more concise. Can you send emails that get to the point quicker? Leave out all the details that are unimportant and get to the point immediately. Can you give regular updates on a project rather than wait to be asked? Be honest. Your manager will trust you more. Ask questions. If you admit what you don’t know, you are more likely to build respect. And in many cases, your manager can point you to someone who may have the answer.
- Deal with conflict proactively. The cardinal rule is to first find out what’s causing the conflict. It may just be a stressful time in the workplace. Or it could be an overload of emotions. Talk it out. Suggest a compromise. See our tips in the next article.
You probably have ideas of your own on how you can be a better employee. This may in fact, be a good discussion to have with your manager. Be open to new ideas. You manager will come away realizing that you are on the job to be more productive. You benefit. Your organization benefits. It’s a win-win.
Follow me on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn this month. I’ll provide more information on how to be a better employee! Share your ideas with me!
Keys to Dealing with Conflict
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Sound business practices. Don’t assume. Instead, define acceptable behavior. Having clearly defined job descriptions help. Effective communication from leadership goes a long way to avoiding conflicts. - Don’t shrink. Some people go to great lengths to avoid conflict. What usually happens in such cases is that conflict grows. At the first suggestion, seek out potential areas of conflict and resolve them. The time you spend identifying potential projects will help you avoid future conflict.
- Identify motivations. If you can approach the problem from the prospective of what’s the best action needed to help everyone reach their objectives, you should find few obstacles
- How important is it? While it’s best to meet conflict head-on, there are some conflicts that are not important. If you call attention to the problem, you may just be blowing it out of proportion.
- Conflict is really an opportunity. There is some learning possibility that comes from any conflict. Take advantage of that opportunity and build in the potential for growth and development. Opposite positions can stimulate innovation and learning. Take advantage of it.
Ditch Bad Habits This Year
Can 2017 be the year that you get rid of bad habits and make real strides forward? It can, but it requires new thinking. Moving forward means we have to drop some of the things we hold onto, even though they may be things we’ve come to expect, and accept. I’m one of the worst at letting go! I know it. The people around me know it. But sometimes, it seems that I just HAVE to keep those old habits going. Not this year. I’m going to make a concerted effort to let go of these bad habits. Do you want to join me? They say that if we join forces, there’s a better chance we’ll succeed in ditching our bad habits. Here’s a list of bad habits often seen in the workplace.
Striving for perfection. While we all want our work to be correct, striving for the perfect result does not pay off. We lose time, the project takes longer to complete and the end result is not significantly improved. Instead, we overstress ourselves and those around us.
Addiction to our phones. Have you noticed sometimes when you’re out, that everyone’s on their phones? Whether they’re playing games, on social media or checking email, it’s a habit most of us need to break. There’s a difference between responsible communication and not interacting with the people around you.
Accepting a high level of stress. I blame this one on the “east-coast-culture.” Truthfully though, it’s prevalent everywhere. There is so much going on in our lives that it’s easy to accept a high level of stress as normal. We sometimes contribute to our own stress. Even before we begin work, our thinking turns negative. We say to ourselves, “I’ll never get this all done today!” It’s up to us to break our own stress habit. We can turn our attitude around by saying “Let’s see how much I can get done on this project today.”
Sticking with the way we’ve always done things. There are so many tasks that can be done faster and more efficiently today than in the past. These tasks may require learning new technology – which can be frightening to many. But spending time to sit down with someone who can explain a faster way of accomplishing a tasks broadens our minds and keeps us current.
Acting too quickly. When I can’t answer emails quickly, I notice that some problems solve themselves. The same thing happens in meetings. When we listen to the discussion for a while, rather than come to a quick decision, the best way to solve the problem surfaces naturally. Holding back, rather than jumping in too quickly, is often more effective.
Follow me on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn this month. I’ll provide more information on bad habits we should kick and how to succeed! Share your ideas with me!
Steps You Can Take To Break Bad Habits
Looking at the list of bad habits commonly found in the workplace, I’m pretty determined that I’d like to break myself of at least some of them. To be successful, the experts say to follow these steps.
- Find a partner who will work with you to help ditch these bad habits.
2. Put a voice to your bad habit. Admitting your habit to someone makes you accountable. Sharing your habit with a friend will also make you more conscious of it when you fall back into the habit.
3. Write it down. Whatever your bad habit, when you find yourself repeating it, write it down. Write down how you feel – what’s going through your head. This action will also make you more aware of your bad habit before it happens.
4. Think of a good response for the next time. If your bad habit is accepting too much stress, try a one-minute meditation. Or get up from you chair and take a 5-minute walk. Find something that can replace your bad habit.
5. Reward yourself. Start small. How can you reward yourself when you’ve avoided the habit? Then keep rewarding yourself and plan for a big reward when you finally feel like you’ve ditched the habit for good.
Follow me on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn this month. I’ll provide more information on bad habits we should kick and how to succeed! Share your ideas with me!
Four Ways To Engage Your Employees
- Listen. Every company has good ideas. The question is, are they recognized? Too often, the good suggestions fall on deaf ears. Even if an idea seems silly, or not doable, before you reject it, let it work itself inside your brain for a while. Often, the best ideas come from where the work is being done.
- Get Feedback From Within. Being recognized by our manager is important, but just as important, and maybe more sincere, is the recognition we get from our colleagues. Start a campaign where employees can recognize the work of others.
- Inform. Sometimes organizations don’t see the need to inform everyone of progress, issues and roadblocks. So instead of knowing what’s going on, employees guess. Or wonder. A thorough understanding of the situation engages employees even more powerfully. Providing information encourages a culture of assistance. Instead of being discouraged, employees are more likely to ask, what can we do to overcome this barrier?
- Involve. No one is expected to have all the answers. Even management can’t possibly have all the answers. Involving employees in decisions is powerful. With involvement comes ownership. Employees work harder to make it happen.
Working Effectively as a Team, Motivating Employees, Building Trust and Integrity – these are just some of the courses we’ve developed for organizations. How can we help you? Give us a call at 301-670-0051. Let us help you put a plan in place to instill a culture of accomplishment in your organization.
Doing What Matters
Ever since childhood I remember my mom saying:
“Get a good education. That is something that no one can take away from you.”
In my parent’s house, college was mandatory. There were 5 children in the house, and all of us have some level of post high school learning – whether it be a college degree or specific military training. As a matter of fact, my youngest sibling excelled at maintaining the Army’s Black Hawk and served in Desert Storm. We are all so very proud of him.
When I received my MBA, of course my family was proud of me, but actually it felt quite normal. After all, that’s what we were supposed to do! I went on to be adjunct faculty and career counselor. Eventually, I started my own business – and now it’s going on 25 years!
It seems appropriate then, that my business is about educating and training people on how to become an effective leader. We help our clients find “What Matters to Them” and at the same time, I’m “Doing What Matters” to me.
Additionally, as a mentor for high school high achievers, I have seen so many extremely smart and ambitious youth who want to go to college. The problem is that there are very limited resources to take advantage of – short of their parents having to go into deep debt. It was different when I went to college. Then, there was an abundance of FREE college money. Indeed, I went to the University of Maryland – tuition-free! It appears that those days are long gone. So many kids are side-lined from fulfilling their dreams, realizing their purpose, for lack of money.
And so, I have now entered into my Next Life – Director of Let’s Go! In short, I started Let’s Go! as a non-profit in order to provide resources for ambitious and high achieving youth who just don’t have the means to take advantage of post-high school learning as I did. Let’s Go! – a highly competitive program – will not only provide financial resources for these youth, but it will also provide leadership and life skills. I’ve come full-circle. Once again – Doing What Matters. What matters to YOU?
Recognizing Accomplishments
November has blessed us with some wonderful weather and forceful sunshine! Even if it were not the month that we traditionally give thanks, we might be thankful each time we go out the door. When we really sit down and think about it, we realize that it’s often the littlest things – the things we sometimes take for granted – that we are most thankful for.
I once had a boss who rarely acknowledged accomplishments. He thought accomplishments were expected, and praising an accomplishment might make someone sit back and not work very hard. I’d often shake my head, wondering, what was he thinking! In truth, when we recognize accomplishments, we provide a lift to the person or team we recognize. Instead of sitting back and doing nothing, a little recognition usually makes people work harder! They are grateful – grateful to have a job and grateful that hard work is recognized.
So in this month of November, as the days grow shorter and the year-end approaches, let’s remember the things we can do to celebrate successes. Here’s a list. How many can you practice before December 31st?
- Recognizing success is often about doing what matters. It’s taking your job seriously and performing the work that is important to the mission. Do you have a manager or team leader who has battled through opposition? Or maybe led a team with dignity? Celebrate their success with a hand-written note. A simple Thank You will prove to be a happy diversion for a job well done.
- Celebrating the entire team. Besides the pessimistic boss described above, I also had one that understood how important it was to recognize the team. So he would arrange an event. Something simple. He’d bring in root beer and vanilla ice cream and make root beer floats after lunch! Or he stopped by the donut place and grab a large container of coffee and donuts. Whatever he planned, it came with a public display of recognition. Wow, did that make us feel good!
- Perk up someone’s day with a small card from Starbucks. It might just have $5 on it, but you end up making that person feel good twice – when you give it to them and make note of why he/she deserves it, and when they use the card!
- Set up a Brag Board. This is great if you have a team. Ask them to bring something that can be added to a poster that reminds them of the job they’re working on. Make it known that you want brag on them a little and want visitors to see what’s being accomplished. The board will grow as more contributions come in, making it a topic of interest for a while, and a constant reminder that you wanted to brag!
- Finally, just say it. Say Thank You. Genuinely given, a simple thank you can have as great an impact as any of the other suggestions above.
Need help building a team? Or building a positive culture. Why don’t you give us a call and we’ll get started now so that 2017 becomes the year of achievements for your organization. Give us a call at 301-670-0051.
Tips for Conveying the Structure of Your Organization
The business plan often starts with an organization chart. The structure of the group may grow with time, or responsibilities may be tweaked, but start with a basic plan.
- One way to explain your organizational structure in the business plan is graphically. A simple diagram or flowchart can easily demonstrate levels of management and the positions within them, clearly illustrating who reports to whom, and how different divisions of the company or organization relate to each other.
- Roles and responsibilities. Of course, you need to surround yourself with good people, but you also have to set things up to enable them to work well with each other and on their own. It’s one thing to have an organizational chart, but another to have the skills needed to carry out your mission. You must define the people who will be providing the service. Who is responsible for what job, and to whom do they report?
- Training needed. The plan should also include a description of the training that will be needed to accomplish your mission.
- Adding talent. It’s important to recognize the types of people you’ll need, how many, what their qualifications should be, where you’ll find them, and what they’ll cost. If your organization plans to use outside consultants, freelancers, or independent contractors, mention this need in your plan as well.
- Future expansion. It’s also helpful for long-range planning to discuss positions and experience you want to add in the future – if you are successful enough to expand.
We can help organizations reach goals by providing the training needed for employees to succeed. Look to Leah M. Joppy & Associates for leadership, personal development and computer training. We help break down barriers to productivity. Give us a call at 301-670-0051 and let us help you achieve faster results with your team.
Utilizing Technology
In this day and age, every organization should leverage technology in the workplace. But it’s one thing to have technology solutions and quite another to make sure the solutions are being used to their full extent. Using technology is not just about having computers and an internet connection in the office. It’s also about having a deep understanding of the various software solutions available to employees. Having a complete working knowledge of various applications will significantly affect employee productivity. The knowledge and understanding of these programs also breaks down barriers to mobility. Work-related documents and information can be accessible on the road, as well as in the office.
Wasted time and energy add up over time. Keeping employees productive and efficient should be an important objective for all managers. Looking at a normal business environment, there are many tools that can help organizations take control of their time and improve efficiencies. Here are some examples.
- Collaboration is key in the workplace. Increased connection in the workplace promotes extended communications among co-workers, clients, and industry professionals. The right technology can eliminate multiple emails flying back and forth between employees. You can also eliminate any “double” work, where 2 or more people may be making corrections on the same document. Try using collaborative tools such as webinar conferences, skype, video chat or an intranet where employees can share files. Applications such as OneNote, Outlook, Office 365 and Project can keep everyone informed more efficiently. Many organizations are adopting SharePoint for even greater project management oversight.
- Document Management. When cloud services became available, document management got a whole lot easier. Employees can work live with collaboration tools like Google Docs. This tool allows multiple people to work on a project together without emailing multiple versions back and forth.
- The collection of data and the retrieval of information is key in today’s workplace. At the very minimum, employees should have a working knowledge of Excel and know what capabilities exist within the application. Other programs, like Sharepoint, are capable of more complex data entry and retrieval.
- Tools that are common to most workplaces – including most Microsoft Office applications – are instrumental in providing an effective solution for organizing the data collected to solve many problems.
Effective Use Of Technology In The Workplace. Technology has afforded most organizations with the opportunity to have a higher level of communication and connectivity than we’ve had before. We have, through these technologies, the ability to connect instantly with others, regardless of where they work or live. Employees have the ability to communicate face to face – even when they reside in different parts of the country – or world!
Technology is a powerful tool that can be used to foster relationships, effectively manage time, improve organization and bridge the gaps of communication. The key to the powers of technology lies in the knowledge and confidence of your employees. The level of knowledge of a particular application depends on the individual and his or her work. Some of us take longer to understand and feel comfortable with programs than others. By providing workshops to reinforce what we know, and open the door to other possibilities, we grow the productivity skills of our organization.