Face difficulties positively

This parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule. The mule fell into the farmer’s well. The farmer heard the mule praying or whatever mules do when they fall into wells. After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving. Instead, he called his neighbors together, told them what had happened, and enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery.

Initially the old mule was hysterical! But as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back, a thought struck him. It suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back, HE WOULD SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP!

This he did, blow after blow. “Shake it off and step up…shake it off and step up…shake it off and step up!” He repeated to encourage himself. No matter how painful the blows, or how distressing the situation seemed, the old mule fought panic and just kept right on SHAKING IT OFF AND STEPPING UP!

It wasn’t long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, stepped triumphantly over the wall of that well! What seemed like it would bury him actually helped him . . . all because of the manner in which he handled his adversity.

THAT’S LIFE! If we face our problems and respond to them positively, and refuse to give in to panic, bitterness, or self-pity.

Unknown Author

Source: Moral Stories

Fire These Employees to Boost Your Business

Imagine your staff is a team, about to play a big game in the fascinating new sport, YogaRugby. (It's part yoga, part rugby, part interpretive dance... with tennis balls. I think.) It's crucial that your team wins the game, but when you take the field you realize you're doomed. Only a couple of your players know where the goal is, no one knows the full set of rules and two of your guys are actually playing for the other team. Even if the competition forgets to show, your team will never win.

The fix for this problem is simple: To win the game of business, your team must know your vision for the company (the goal of the game) and the immutable laws (the rules of the game) on which your company stands. When your team has a clear vision for where you're going and knows exactly how you expect them to conduct themselves in the pursuit of that vision, there's a good chance you'll see it come to fruition.The scenario sounds absurd, right? That's because it is. And yet almost every struggling business I work with has that exact problem. Entrepreneurs may blame lackluster performance on the strength of the competition, lack of innovation or poor cash flow, but the real problem is, much like the motley crew described above, their team is a mess.

And once all of this is ingrained in your team, you'll know exactly whom you need to fire: anyone and everyone who doesn't get your vision or share your immutable laws. Yes, it really is that simple. You may think qualifications are most important when hiring employees, or that personality is key, but even the most skilled and likable people on your team can (and will) lose you the game if they don't subscribe to your vision and follow your rules.

Abraham Lincoln is considered to be one of our most effective presidents. He managed to win the Civil War and keep a divided country together, no small feat. He was able to do this in part because he had an amazing team, one of the strongest cabinets in history. Ironically, most of the people on his team didn't really like each other—or him. In fact, when he formed his cabinet, he surprised many people, appointing his four fiercest rivals for the presidency. These were people who not only didn't like Lincoln, they basically thought he was an idiot, that he was seriously under-qualified for the job. But in appointing them to the highest positions in his cabinet, he was able to bring together the men who represented the different factions that threatened to further divide the United States, and unite all of them around one vision: "a new birth of freedom." He ensured that everyone on his team followed his rules—most importantly, to rise above petty rivalries and disagreements —and in the end, they achieved the "impossible" and won the war.

One of my immutable laws—the written-in-stone code by which I run my company—is"Under Promise, Over Deliver"(UPOD). Following this law with my first business, a computer services company, made us distinct. When a client would call and ask, "How quickly can you get your team out," my stock reply was, "We'll be there within 24 hours." I knew my competition would promise to be there within two hours, and while we could probably get there within that time frame, occasionally it would take us six hours. We couldn't provide two-hour service consistently (and I believe my competition couldn't really provide it, either), which meant that in some circumstances, our clients would be frustrated. To ensure we always over-delivered for our clients, we promised 24 hours and then when I was sure we could get a team out quickly, I would call the client back and say, "Great news! We were able to get our team together and dispatch them immediately." Every client was thrilled with our service.

Imagine how the Civil War may have turned out if Lincoln had one, or two, or five Bart's (ahem... I mean, Bartholomew's) on this team? Do you have five people who drag the team down by disregarding your company's vision and immutable laws? Those are the five people you must fire to grow your business. Maybe you have one person, or seven, or twenty. Whatever the number, it is key that you let them go so you can build and nurture a team that gets it, and will "play" their hearts out for your company.The problem was, not everyone on my team subscribed to the UPOD immutable law I put in place. One of our dispatchers, I'll call him Bart, always over promised. Bart made the team crazy, sending everyone into a panic trying to make good on his promises to clients. They'd say, "But Bart, we don't have people today," or "We need an extra hour," and then Bart would scramble and everyone would be tense. Though I liked Bart a lot—he's one of my favorite people—he was the wrong guy for our company because he didn't follow our immutable laws and, consequently, made our company look bad every single time.

Provide your team with a clear vision of your goal. Break it down to a sound bite that's easy to remember, and remind them of this vision on a nearly constant basis. Include it in all media, mention it in emails, post it on signs in the office, declare it meetings, repeat it one-on-one... over, and over and over again. With the goal clearly defined and ingrained in your team, make sure they know your company's immutable laws, the rules by which you play the game, backwards and forwards.

When you're playing a mean game of YogaRugby, or trying to win a war, or build a business, you don't have time to think about what the rules are; you have to know the rules inherently. Do everything you can to ensure your company's vision and immutable laws are second nature to your team. Fire anyone who disregards them, and you'll be well on your way to growing a remarkable business.

By: Mike Michalowicz

Source: The Wall Street Journal

21 Business Skills Needed to Succeed

The greatest people in business have certain attributes in common. Several personal qualities are important, like a thirst for continuous education, personal drive and motivation, strong goals and ambition, clear vision, and always a great deal of passion.

Beyond those personal qualities though, what makes a successful business person stand out from the crowd? Here are 21 business skills you need if you want to get ahead:

Communication

1. Written - Most people in business spend a lot of time communicating in writing. While the inter-office memo and the fax are old hat, you will spend a good few hours a day fighting your inbox. Add to this reports, white papers, proposals and resumes, it's certain you will need to sharpen your word power to succeed.
2. Social Networking - We are not all social gadflys, some of us struggle to make small talk. It is a key skill to learn though, it is true what they say, sometimes it is more who you know than what!
3. Speaking - Public speaking ranks high amongst the worlds most popular fears. You must overcome it and the best way is to practice. It might feel more comfortable working from the safety of your desk but at some point you are going to have to present. Better to have some experience under your belt before being forced to perform unprepared when it really counts.
4. Sales - You might think you do not need to sell but we all sell every day. From even before your first day you will be selling, starting at your interview all the way to asking the boss for a raise. In normal life we sell, persuading your partner that you really need that new purchase, getting out of that parking ticket ... persuasion skills can come in very handy indeed.
5. Negotiation - If you can't sell perhaps you can negotiate. A lot of the skills are the same but you will find people who have been in business for a while can drive a hard bargain. If you do not have the skills you will lose out each and every time. 

Planning

1. Strategic - A business that lurches from one crisis to another is not going to stay around very long. Obviously if you are in charge then you have to set the marching orders. Can you clearly see the road ahead?
2. Project - I know many people in business who see their role as the hot headed maverick that shoots from the hip and flies from the seat of their pants. Unfortunately most of them eventually crash and burn. Project management makes your life and that of your team less stressful and gets things done on time and on budget. It might not be the white knuckle ride that some enjoy but at least you will be able to clock off at a reasonable hour!
3. Financial - The top reason why businesses go out of business is bad financial planning. All the cash flows in the wrong direction. Having worked through the dotcom boom and bust I have seen first hand what too big a budget in the wrong hands can do. Someone needs a firm grip on the numbers and it had better be you otherwise someone might just take a trip to a tropical island at your expense.
4. Risk - I'm a natural worrier which though it annoys my wife, does have the advantage in business that I tend to see the potential potholes and bear traps in any plan. If you can imagine a risk you can set about to mitigate it.
5. Logistics - Money is just one resource you need. Any business has inputs and outputs. You need to have the right people in the right jobs with what they need when they need it to get their work done. Logistics might not put you on the cover of Time magazine but it could make you a hero in your office. 

Productivity

1. Time management - I once had a boss who could never get to a single meeting on time. He would always turn up ten minutes late, red-faced, unprepared, looking like he had slept in a bush. He had a growing collection of speeding tickets and a bigger collection of excuses and apologies. Time management reduces stress and increases your respect.
2. Meeting management - Most of us hate meeting but they are a fact of business life. There are always the few who love them as a way to avoid real work. There are many tricks from firmly sticking to the agenda through to holding meetings standing up just before lunch. Whatever works for you if you can get meetings to be productive and under control you will get ahead.
3. Leadership - In the Dilbert universe leadership might be something you step in, but in business it really helps to be able to take the lead. Can you get people to follow you? Are you able to get people to do things they don't want to do for the good of the team?
4. Systems - If you are repeatedly re-inventing the wheel there is something seriously wrong. Effective systems bring consistency, efficiency and reduced costs. Learning how to create and implement both human and automated systems can go a long way to being more competitive.
5. Personal Productivity - What are your rhythms, when are you more sociable, detail-oriented, creative or lacking energy? Where do you excel and which areas are a struggle? Before you can lead anyone else you need to work out how to get the best out of yourself.

 Creativity

1. Imagination - Many people neglect their creative side feeling that it is better to be all about the logic, but in fact some of the most successful business people are also the most imaginative.
2. Inventiveness - If you can imagine it you can create it, and if you create it then you can sell it! Look around you, think of the things you buy and use, someone had to have the idea before it was built and sold to you. You might be surprised how few mad inventors there are, more products are invented in a marketing office than a garage.
3. Problem Solving - A big part of surviving in business is about solving problems fast and effectively. An employee who is good at keeping their head in a crisis while fighting fires is a worthwhile asset to any business.
4. Brainstorming - Some people think brainstorming is all about having stupid ideas while ridiculing the contributions of everyone else while drinking coffee, eating cookies and flirting with the secretary from floor 2. Perhaps this is why brainstorms get a bad name? If you can brainstorm great ideas, fast then you will be one step ahead.
5. Making connections - Some of the best ideas have simply been about connecting two otherwise unconnected ideas together. Could you invent the next iPhone?

I am sure the sharp-eyed amongst you have noticed there are only 20 points in this list. What is number 21? Perhaps the most important skill of all; the ability to switch off! It is so easy for the stresses and strains of business life to burn people out so you must develop the ability to relax and unwind.

Source: BusinessSchoolEdge,com

Make It Happen, Be A Leader

How to Become an Ideal Leader

When you are at work, do you get frustrated because things don't seem to be happening the way they’re supposed to be? You see people milling around but nothing gets accomplished. And in the daily hustle and bustle, do you feel that your goals remain just that – goals. Then maybe its time for you to stand up and do something about it.

Most people are content just to stand around listening for orders. And it isn't unusual to adopt a follow-the-leader mentality. But maybe, somewhere inside of you, you feel the desire to make things happen – to be the head, not the tail. Then maybe leadership just suits you fine.

Some people believe that great leaders are made, not born. Yes, it may be true that some people are born with natural talents. However, without practice, without drive, without enthusiasm, and without experience, there can be no true development in leadership.

You must also remember that good leaders are continually working and studying to improve their natural skills. This takes a commitment to constantly improve in whatever endeavor a person chooses.

First of all, let's define leadership. To be a leader, one must be able to influence others to accomplish a goal, or an objective. He contributes to the organization and cohesion of a group.

Contrary to what most people believe, leadership is not about power. It is not about harassing people or driving them using fear. It is about encouraging others towards the goal of the organization. It is putting everyone on the same page and helping them see the big picture of the organization. You must be a leader not a boss.

First of all, you have to get people to follow you. How is this accomplished?

People follow others when they see a clear sense of purpose. People will only follow you if they see that you know where you are going. Remember that bumper sticker? The one that says, don't follow me, I'm lost too? The same holds true for leadership. If you yourself do not know where you're headed to, chances are people will not follow you at all.

You yourself must know the vision of the organization. Having a clear sense of hierarchy, knowing who the bosses are, who to talk to, the organization's goals and objectives, and how the organization works is the only way to show others you know what you are doing.

Being a leader is not about what you make others do. It's about who you are, what you know, and what you do. You are a reflection of what you're subordinates must be.

Studies have shown that one other bases of good leadership is the trust and confidence your subordinates have of you. If they trust you they will go through hell and high water for you and for the organization.

Trust and confidence is built on good relationships, trustworthiness, and high ethics.

The way you deal with your people, and the relationships you build will lay the foundation for the strength of your group. The stronger your relationship, the stronger their trust and confidence is in your capabilities.

Once you have their trust and confidence, you may now proceed to communicate the goals and objectives you are to undertake.

Communication is a very important key to good leadership. Without this you can not be a good leader. The knowledge and technical expertise you have must be clearly imparted to other people.

Also, you can not be a good leader and unless you have good judgment. You must be able to assess situations, weigh the pros and cons of any decision, and actively seek out a solution.

It is this judgment that your subordinates will come to rely upon. Therefore, good decision-making is vital to the success of your organization.

Leaders are not do-it-all heroes. You should not claim to know everything, and you should not rely upon your skills alone.

You should recognize and take advantage of the skills and talents your subordinates have. Only when you come to this realization will you be able to work as one cohesive unit.

Remember being a leader takes a good deal of work and time. It is not learned overnight. Remember, also, that it is not about just you. It is about you and the people around you. So, do you have the drive and the desire to serve required of leaders? Do you have the desire to work cooperatively with other people? Then start now. Take your stand and be leader today.

Source: Super-SelfHelp.com

3 Things Every Successful Entrepreneur Has

Being a successful entrepreneur is something many dream of due to the independence and freedom it offers! However your success is dependent upon much more than simply focusing on the benefits this lifestyle may present! The fact is that being successful as an entrepreneur involves vision, the proper mindset and lots of discipline!

Here's a look at how certain traits of an entrepreneur, such as the 3 we're about to review below, can lead to their enviable accomplishments and yours as well!

Goals

The fact is that without goals you have no target or even the ability to know whether your efforts are effective or not! Whether professionally or personally, your success typically starts with a set of clearly defined goals. Think about it, being successful generally means you've accomplished what you set out to do, but if you have no goals, then there seems little for you to accomplish! Remember it all starts with a vision, a want or a need which then evolves into steps or goals that must be completed to achieve your desires! Without goals your efforts will be unfocused and thereby ineffective!

Good Mental Attitude

Maintaining a positive yet realistic outlook is one of the most common traits of an entrepreneur who typically succeeds at what they're doing! It is always nice to have the support of the people around you, however if you're experiencing any self doubt at all, it will only serve to sabotage your efforts! Ultimately the mindset or attitude one may have can be the single biggest difference between whether it is successes or failures that person is to experience!

Focus

In many cases, the depth of your desire, insofar as what it may be you aim to accomplish, will determine the level of your focus! Maintaining the necessary focus needed is often a test of discipline but then again, if the desire is strong enough, this discipline should be easy enough to maintain! Once again being successful normally calls for the completion of certain tasks or the achievement of specific goals! This all requires a quality effort which results from being highly focused on what it is you're trying to do unless of course you expect somebody else to do it for you!

Becoming a successful entrepreneur involves much more that day dreaming about the benefits you may experience! Commonly the traits of an entrepreneur who typically succeeds at what they are trying to accomplish involves vision, discipline and the proper mindset to bring it all together! These traits, as reviewed above, do not call upon skills of any sort but rather a deep desire that will be the driving force behind your success! It simply comes down to really 'wanting' something bad enough that you're willing to focus both your mind and efforts to turn your wants into your realities! Being successful be it in business or even personal endeavors will always require a certain investment from you! It's this willingness to invest of yourself insofar as having a desire, direction and focus that will determine the level of your success or failure!

By: TJ Philpott
Source: SelfGrowth.com

5 Ways of Being Earnest: 

How to Win Your Prospects' Respect

Business people remember sales people who go out of their way to ensure that they receive the best solution, even if it isn't the sales person's product or service.  Earning a prospect's trust is easy if you use the right approach.

Earning a prospect's or customer's respect is something that top sales people consistently manage to achieve. But earning that respect can be difficult and is difficult for many sales people.

However, when you achieve that goal, the likelihood of capturing a sale from that prospect increases substantially.

Here are 5 ways you can earn a prospect's respect and start increasing your sales.

1.  Respect their time

Every person you call upon is busy, just like you are. Demonstrate that you respect their time by asking, "Is this still a good time to talk?" or "We scheduled 60 minutes for today's meeting; does that still work for you?"

You can also achieve this by limiting the amount of time you spend on social chit-chat or rapport building conversation. You may want to spend time talking about non-sales related stuff, but there's a strong likelihood that your prospect wants to get down to business.

2.  Call or show up on time

Sounds simple, doesn't it? Yet, I'm constantly surprised how many times a customer or prospect says, "Thanks for calling on time." Surprisingly, many sales people fail to connect with prospects when they say they will.

A participant in one of my sales training workshops said, "But being 5 minutes late isn't a big deal. Besides, all kinds of things can cause me to be late." He went on to list every excuse and possible reason he would arrive late at a scheduled appointment.

Your excuses don't matter. If you say you're going to show up or call someone at a specific time, then do it.

3.  Offer a solution that is relevant

You may have the best solution in the world but if you don't show your prospect exactly how they will benefit from it, you will struggle to capture the sale.

On the opposite side of the coin, If you attempt to sell your prospect something that is not relevant to his or her business or a problem they are facing, you automatically lose respect and credibility.

This is where proper research and/or effective discovery comes into play.

Before you start making suggestions or talking about your product, service or solution, make sure you have a comprehensive understanding of their situation, their problem, and the payoff of correcting or solving that issue(s).

4.  Avoid pitching

Decision makers are subjected to countless sales pitches by sales people who are desperate to sell them their product or service.

Unfortunately, most pitches are a one-way presentation and they do little to compel or motivate someone to take action.

A more effective approach is to engage your prospect in a conversation. People don't want to listen to a sales pitch; they want to know how your product, service or solution is going to help them solve a particular problem.

You need to have your presentation ready and well-rehearsed. But...and this is a big but...you also need to throw it away just before you walk into your prospect's office. I mean this figuratively, of course.

Use that presentation to outline the key points of your solution and how the prospect will benefit. But, more importantly use it to open up a dialogue and create a two-way conversation with your prospect.

5.  Turn down the sale

The other day I was meeting with a new prospect who had contacted me about conducting a sales training workshop for his sales team. As he explained his situation, I realized that training was not the right solution.

Although I could have created and delivered a program that would satisfy him I knew it wasn't the appropriate approach to take so I said, "Robert, I don't think training is going to solve your problem and here's why..."

I directed him to a colleague whom I felt could help him solve the actual problem rather than the problem he perceived he had. Before I left his office, he said, "I really appreciate your suggestion. Once I get this sorted out I will definitely call you and we'll do some training that works for out team."

Sometimes it makes sense to turn away business even if your solution or offering may solve part of their problem. If your product or service doesn't solve the ENTIRE problem, you run the risk of winning the initial business but losing future opportunities.

Business people remember sales people who go out of their way to ensure that they receive the best solution, even if it isn't the sales person's product or service.

Earning a prospect's trust is easy IF you use the right approach. Implement these five strategies into your routine and I guarantee that you will notice a difference in your results.

By: Kelley Robertson

Source: Sales Gravy.com

How to Achieve Your Goals with Healthy Habits

We’ve all faced the disappointment and guilt that comes from setting a goal and giving up on it after a couple of weeks. Sustaining motivation for a long-term goal is hard to achieve, and yet the best goals can usually only be accomplished in a few months or even years.

Here’s the solution: Focus instead on creating a new habit that will lead to achieving your goal.

Want to run a marathon? First create the habit of running every day. Want to get out of debt and start saving? Create the habit of brown bagging it to work, or watching DVDs instead of going to the movies, or whatever change will lead to saving money for you.

By focusing not on what you have to achieve over the course of the next year, but instead on what you are doing each day, you are focusing on something achievable. That little daily change will add up to a huge change, over time … and you’ll be surprised at how far you’ve come in no time. Little grains of sand can add up to a mountain over time.

I used this philosophy of habit changes to run a marathon, to change my diet and lose weight, to write a novel, to quit smoking, to become organized and productive, to double my income, reduce my debt and start saving, and to begin training for an Olympic triathlon this year. It works, if you focus on changing habits.

Now, changing your habits isn’t easy — I won’t lie to you — but it’s achievable, especially if you start small. Don’t try to change the world with your first habit change … take baby steps at first. I started by just trying to run a mile — and by the end of the year, I could run more than 20 miles.


How do you change your habits? Focus on one habit at a time, and follow these steps: 

1. Positive changes. If you’re trying to change a negative habit (quit smoking), replace it with a positive habit (running for stress relief, for example). 

2. Take on a 30-day challenge. Tell yourself that you’re going to do this habit every day, at the same time every day, for 30 straight days without fail. Once you’re past that 30-day mark, the habit will become much easier. If you fail, do not beat yourself up. Start again on a new 30-day challenge. Practice until you succeed. 

3. Commit yourself completely. Don’t just tell yourself that you might or should do this. Tell the world that DEFINITELY will do this. Put yourself into this 100 percent. Tell everyone you know. Email them. Put it on your blog. Post it up at your home and work place. This positive public pressure will help motivate you. 

4. Set up rewards. It’s best to reward yourself often the first week, and then reward yourself every week for that first month. Make sure these are good rewards, that will help motivate you to stay on track. 

5. Plan to beat your urges. It’s best to start out by monitoring your urges, so you become more aware of them. Track them for a couple days, putting a tally mark in a small notebook every time you get an urge. Write out a plan, before you get the urges, with strategies to beat them. We all have urges to quit — how will you overcome it? What helps me most are deep breathing and drinking water. You can get through an urge — it will pass. 

6. Track and report your progress. Keep a log or journal or chart so that you can see your progress over time. I used a running log for my marathon training, and a quit meter when I quit smoking. It’s very motivating to see how far you’ve come. Also, if you can join an online group and report your progress each day, or email family and friends on your progress, that will help motivate you.


Most important of all: Always stay positive. I learned the habit of monitoring my thoughts, and if I saw any negative thoughts (“I want to stop!”) I would squash it like a little bug, and replace it with a positive thought (“I can do this!”). It works amazingly. This is the best tip ever. If you think negative thoughts, you will definitely fail. But if you always think positive, you will definitely succeed.


By: Leo Babauta

Source: PickTheBrain.com

The Ethics of Multitasking

Stop the multitasking madness: Put down the iPod and your BlackBerry, and pay attention to the task at hand


I'll never forget how great I thought it was when I first discovered multitasking on my computer. Suddenly it was possible to switch between tasks seamlessly; with multiple windows, tabs, and programs open simultaneously. I could write articles, check e-mail, do research, and build spreadsheets—barely pausing between activities. I felt as if I were doing everything at once. It seems like ancient history now, but being able to move quickly and smoothly from one activity to another on a PC was nothing short of a revelation


But then a funny thing happened: I noticed that the more things I could do with ease on my computer, the harder it was to focus on any one activity. My natural inclination to jump from one thing to another prematurely was now aided and abetted by technology—the very thing that was supposed to be helping me. Then, after the PDA and cell phone became a part of my daily life, I found myself, like millions of others, faced with even more interruptions, and it became increasingly difficult to concentrate. The technological advances that once seemed so liberating had become oppressive.


I came to realize that multitasking isn't something to be proud of. In fact, it's unethical, and good managers won't do it themselves and will not require it of those they manage.


Here's why multitasking is unethical.


When you multitask, you're doing a lot of work, but you're not doing most (or any) of it well. A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences revealed that people who fired off e-mails while talking on the phone and watching YouTube videos did each activity less well than those who focused on one thing at a time. Psychiatrist Edward M. Hallowell, author of CrazyBusy: Overstretched, Overbooked, and About to Snap! (Ballantine, 2006), puts it this way: "Multitasking is shifting focus from one task to another in rapid succession. It gives the illusion that we're simultaneously tasking, but we're really not. It's like playing tennis with three balls."

TRUCK CRASHES

We're in the early phases of understanding fully what multitasking involves at the neurophysiological level, but the emerging research suggests that multitasking reduces rather than enhances the quality of our work—and our lives.

A multitasker behind a desk is unproductive. A multitasker behind the wheel of a car is a potential killer. A study from the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute found that when truck drivers texted, their collision risk was 23 times as great as when not texting, according to a report in The New York Times. The Times also reported that University of Utah researchers showed that talking on a cell phone while driving quadruples the rate of crashing, a statistic equal to what happens when people drive drunk.

These studies led the U.S. Senate to propose legislation last month that would prohibit texting or e-mailing while driving. (Texting behind the wheel is illegal in 14 states now.) The number of businesses and advocacy groups that endorse such a policy is growing rapidly; the Governors Highway Safety Assn. signed on this week.

A bank executive I know frequently complains about how distracted her boss is during staff meetings. The boss—I'll call him Eric—reads and writes e-mail and makes calls while briefing the staff. "I'll ask Eric a question about an assignment he's given us," my friend complains, "but he's so immersed in what he's doing that I have to repeat my question a couple of times. It ends up taking me three times as long to communicate with him." Eric isn't a bad person. But he's not a good manager, either.

Since multitasking interferes with the ability to do one's job well, the good manager sets an example by focusing on one task at a time. You can't expect the people you lead to resist the urge to multitask if you can't do so yourself. You've probably been annoyed when a clerk is more interested in his or her phone conversation than in assisting you. Why, then, is it O.K. to do the same thing when you're working with your team?

IN CONTROL? OR BEING CONTROLLED?

Yes, I know it's hard to put those devices away, even for a few moments. I'm not sure whether BlackBerrys and iPhones cause attention problems or simply make those who are susceptible more prone to them. It doesn't help that everywhere we go, we're surrounded by people who are absorbed in their electronic gadgets. What it comes down to is this: Are you controlling the technology, or is the technology controlling you?

An actor I once knew had a catchy slogan on his business card: "Always there. Always ON!" It was a memorable way to let casting directors know of his commitment to his work.

It seems as though employers too expect their employees to be "always on"—online, on e-mail, or on call. But this simply isn't fair. Employees deserve to have time away from work, and managers should respect their down time. This makes sense from a business perspective, also: Employees who can recharge their batteries and don't feel pressured to be "always there, always on" are more likely to do good work when they're on the job.

For the past three years in this column, I've tried to show how doing the right thing makes good business sense. Respecting an employee's right to be left alone for a portion of the day is a shining example of this.

Technology is morally neutral; it can be put to good or bad use. Managers who want to make the best possible use of technology will take the following guidelines seriously:

1. DO ONE THING AT A TIME.

Focusing on the task at hand is the best way to get the job done. Multitasking may feel effective, but it isn't. "Monotasking" maximizes your own productivity and serves as a positive example to others.

2. RESPECT THE PERSONAL LIVES OF THOSE YOU MANAGE.

Boundaries are good, and good managers honor them.

3. DON'T ALLOW YOUR TEAM MEMBERS TO MULTITASK WHILE DRIVING.

When you're on the phone with a guy who tells you he's behind the wheel, tell him to hang up immediately and get back to you when he's out of harm's way.

4. GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK.

The ethical principle of love and compassion applies not just to how you treat others but how you treat yourself, too. You're entitled to watch a movie all the way through or to have a nice meal without looking at your e-mail. And let's face it: There aren't many e-mails so urgent they can't wait a few hours.

5. REMEMBER WHY THEY'RE CALLED "SICK DAYS" AND "VACATION."

A person too sick to come to the office is entitled to convalesce without feeling pressured to work at home. This applies to management and labor alike. The same is true for those on vacation. And as for those who have lost a family member or who have just gotten married: If ever there were a time when someone ought to be free from multitasking, surely it's this.


By: Bruce Weinstein, PhD
Source: Bloomberg Businessweek