I’ve been fairly quiet for the past couple of weeks, but that’s due to a couple of contributing factors: connectivity (or lack thereof), and jam-packed scheduling at 3, back-to-back software industry conferences (self-inflicted, for the most part).
Now, as I come up for air, I have a lot of pent up stuff to write about. Let’s start with some quick updates:
- A few weeks ago, I mentioned that I was starting one of my periodic time audits (yes, I finally got it done after my epic fail). Here are my key takeaways:
- I was successful in carving out and sticking to one of my goals: engaging in regular physical exercise. For the past 5 consecutive weeks, I have kept to a 6-day per week exercise schedule (3 alternating days of weights, interspersed with 3 days of cardio, followed by 1 day of rest). I even managed to keep to this during 3 weeks of travel. This is a first for me, but something I intend
- I spent too much time working on things that were not directly related to my top priorities. What’s my diagnosis of the problem?
- I wasn’t consistent in writing down my top priorities and “must do” items at the beginning of the week.
- I said “yes” to too many “urgent but not important” tasks (i.e. someone else’s priorities)
- I read a great article by my friend Mike Kanazawa (author of “BIg Ideas to Big Results”). The article is called “80% Of Companies Are Thinking More Strategically In The Downturn,” and it looks at some data on how companies are reacting to the economy’s chaos. One of the key observations is one I really agree with: you need to take care of your existing customers and keep them happy. I don’t know about you, but I find it much easier to stick by the suppliers that have done right by me no matter what, but during lean times I will not only support them – I’ll go out of my way to give them my business so they do OK. And I’ll readily drop the vendors that have been lame to me. There’s more to it in Mike’s article – go check it out.
- I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the positive power of “TripIt” (which I wrote about a while ago). As my travel has picked up, I’ve been reconnecting with quite a few people I haven’t seen in ages. I was skeptical about how much I’d like TripIt but was intrigued enough to sign up anyway. I’m glad I did.
I’ve got a few drafts going that I’ll be finishing up and posting soon – including a review of a forthcoming Keith Ferrazzi book that I have a pre-release copy of. I think you’ll like it.
Thanks for hanging in there during my time under water.
Read MoreWell, last weekend I told you I'd be doing a time audit during the past week. I had my forms printed and everything. I did a couple of entries on Monday morning and that's about it.
While I didn't learn much about the specifics of how I spent my time, I did find that I somehow got a lot of the items on my list done this week, so I must have done something right.
What next? Back on the horse next week. "There is no try - only do or do not," as Yoda says. This week I will either do, or do not. I'll let you know how it turns out.
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Well, it's that time again - I'm going to do another "time audit" starting next week. As I've written in the past, I get a lot of value from periodically analyzing how I spend my time. Time audits help you better adjust your prioritization, balance, and productivity and I'm feeling like I'm due for one.
Tools for tracking
As usual, I have been looking for tools to make this easier and I've found one that I think is going to be really effective: it's from David Seah's "Printable CEO" toolset, and he calls it the "Emergent Time Tracker."
At David's site, you can find several formats of this form that you can download for free, along with instruction on how to use the tracker and interpret / analyze your results. There is even an annotated example to get you going quickly (thumbnail at right), and a beta version of an online time tracking tool.
Bren told me about another web-based tracking tool called "SlimTimer" that looks interesting.
Give it time
If you're going to do a time audit of your own, I recommend doing it for two weeks. Not only does this give you plenty of data to work with, I also find that my 2nd week is more complete because I'm more diligent about logging my activities as the habit starts to settle in.
Taking another cue from David Seah, I've also just ordered a Kitchenaid timer. I think it'll help me be more conscious of how I use my time and help me with time boxing.
Read MoreRecently, I've been involved in some discussions about team dynamics in corporate environments. Specifically, discussions about how teams hold each other accountable, remain focused on the "bigger we," and improve the team's ability to work together.
In my career, I've been part of lots of teams - ranging from the criminally dysfunctional to the high-performing. One of the things I've noticed is that the better the team, the better they want to be - and the more they focus on improving team function.
One of the teams I'm on now is working improving team dynamics, and we're preparing for our first meeting soon. This has sent me back to my bookshelf to review my "top 5" books that have made their mark on me in this area.
I'd like to share my short list with you, and invite you to share any gems of your own with me in the comments.
- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable
- This is an easy read with some hard advice. It describes a team engaged in some destructive, disloyal, and counterproductive habits - many of which sound exactly like some of the screwed up teams I've been on. Through the fable in this book, you learn how to do things the right way (or at least in a much better way) with a strong focus on holding each other accountable. Every team can learn from this book.
- My top takeaway: Focus on results and insist on mutual accountability through constructive conflict.
- The Offsite: A Leadership Challenge Fable
- I've reviewed The Offsite here before. This one (another fable) focuses on team dynamics but on provides some tools to figure out whether you have a process problem or a leadership (or leader) problem.
- My top takeaway: Create a unifying purpose and don't let ineffective leaders destroy the team.
- Managing with Aloha
- This book isn't just about teamwork, but teamwork runs through it. Concepts like "The Daily Five Minutes" are written from the perspective of a manager connecting with their team, but I find this concept - and many others in this book - can be applied to increasing the effectiveness of your relationships with peers / team members. This is another book I've reviewed here.
- My top takeaway: Effective teams require people to feel respected and valued, even when things aren't going well.
- Silos, Politics, and Turf Wars
- Well, Patrick Lencioni gets to be on my short list twice (he also wrote the "Five Dysfunctions..." book above). You've probably seen the dynamic in teams where it's always "their" fault, and the easiest way to get ahead is to make the other people in the room look bad (and you usually do that behind their back). This book helps you deal with these bad behaviors and get them out of your team - they have no place in an effective team.
- My top takeaway: Work toward "the bigger we" and stop the in-fighting. Your business should be focused on collective success in the market, not individual success inside the company walls.
- Why Smart Executives Fail
- OK, OK. So this isn't a book about teams, but it is a book about leadership and leadership debacles. It's useful, however, for anyone in a leadership position to better recognize their contribution to dysfunction. Remember what you've brought to the party. There is a spot-on summary in this post at Aussie Rules.
- My top takeaway: If your team is dysfunctional, you are probably part of the problem.
I've read lots of other good books, but found these to by my preferred "must re-visit" list around the topic of team effectiveness.
What books are on your short list?
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The annual "A Love Affair With Books" (ALAWB) is going on this month at Joyful Jubilant Learning. If you're a reader and haven't visited ALAWB yet: what are you waiting for?
Each book is discussed by a different blogger, so you get a ton of different perspectives. Mine went live this week - check out my discussion of "The Red Rubber Ball at Work."
By the way - this year is different than last year. In the past, the books have been mostly business / nonfiction books but a few fictional works have found their way into the mix this year.
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