TIP #27 Remember What It's Like
People who are winning at working remember what it's like to be a new employee, an entry level staff member, or an idealistic first manager. They remember what it's like to feel deflated, dejected, or discouraged by something that happened at work. They remember what it's like to feel pressure and stress and confusion. And because they remember, they act towards others at work with insight, understanding and support.
Like Anna Quindlen put it, "Once I got a fortune cookie that said, "To remember is to understand." I have never forgotten it. A good judge remembers what it was like to be a lawyer. A good editor remembers what it was like to be a reporter. A good parent remembers what it was like to be a child."
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Posted by Nan Russell at 10:29 AM
April 20, 2005TIP #26: Read the Tea Leaves
To survive and thrive at work, you need to hone your tea leaf reading skills. Learning primarily through hindsight might work if you like being a Monday morning quarterback, but that approach is as helpful as my refrigerator magnet's counsel that "mistakes are part of the dues one pays for a full life." Sure, they are. But who needs an insightful reminder that you can't change the past.
What we need is a way to change our future. That's where reading tea leaves come in. Your goal should be to affect what is to come. You can't change how you've done, but you can change how you will do. Your future work-life is about the choices you still have to make. Read the tea leaves by learning to connect the dots and see the big picture and you'll make better choices at work.
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Posted by Nan Russell at 08:56 PM
April 13, 2005Thought for the Day
"Five frogs are sitting on a log. Four decide to jump off. How many
are left?
Answer: Five.
Why?
Because there's a difference between deciding and doing."**
** From Idea-Bank
Read Nan's current Winning at Working column: Travel Light to Work.
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Posted by Nan Russell at 04:09 PM
April 10, 2005TIP #25 Finding Time
According to ACS (American Community Survey) data released by the U.S. Census Bureau March 30, 2005, Americans spend more than 100 hours a year commuting to work.
That's a 100 hours you can use for self-improvement. Granted for many it comes in 20 or 30 or 40 minute chunks. But it's time just for you. I've used my commuting time for over fifteen years (now we're talking cummulative hours) to listen to business books on tape. Books I wanted to read but couldn't find the time were easily digested commuting to work, or during my morning workout.
And I learned how to do it at minimum expense. You see, after I listen to my tapes, I resell them on eBay, recovering on average 60-70% of the original price.
People who are winning at working devote time to self-improvement and increasing their knowledge. 100 hours a year is at least 10-15 books a year. That's a significant amount of information you can immediately apply at work.
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Posted by Nan Russell at 01:17 PM
April 08, 2005TIP #24 - Think in Parallel
Increase your productivity and significantly impact your results by working parallel tracks, not linear ones.
Let me give you a personal example. I'm writing my first book,
Winning at Working: 10 Lessons Shared. Currently, I have four parallel tracks going for this book: 1) building an audience (platform); 2) writing the book; 3) developing promotional approaches; 4) learning about the book business. I allocate time for each track each week, so by the time the book is published, #1,#3 and #4 will be firmly developed to support its launch.
If I used a linear plan, waiting until I was finished writing the book to develop the audience and promotional approaches to augment the publisher's efforts, I would limit what would be possible under tight time constraints and signficantly limit my results.
Learn to look at the end goal, developing and working on parallel initiatives to bring that goal into fruition. Want to be winning at working? Think in parallel.
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Posted by Nan Russell at 10:32 AM
April 02, 2005TIP #23 - Don't Listen to Naysayers
Don't give other people power over your dreams, ambitions and future.
It's hard to keep up your energy when people around you are pulling you down. But, unless you want to be where they are, resist that pull. Just because something has been someone else's experience, doesn't mean it will be yours.
Thoughts determine reality. If you think you won't get that job or won't succeed in life, you probably won't. But you can decide you're in charge of your dreams and destiny and embrace opportunities. When you do, you'll most likely find an entirely different experience.
Remember, it's your life, not anyone elses. Life can be hard, finding a job can be hard, starting a business can be hard, doing well can be hard. But, so what? Not doing those things and losing your dreams and enthusiasm takes its toll and is hard, too.
My advice - don't listen to the naysayers. Make up your mind that you're in charge of your future. Begin with small steps to make what you want happen.
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Posted by Nan Russell at 10:37 AM
