Productivity Planner

In the modern business world nearly all large American corporations have implemented some form of diversity training. Big Business recognizes the need for the appreciation of individual uniqueness. Diversity training teaches us to celebrate the differences that manifest as personality. But does diversity training alone really prepare people to work in today’s multicultural workplace?

The recent immigration boom in this country has impacted not only the corporate culture, but also the buyers’ market. Demographers predict by the year 2050 the non-Hispanic white population will actually become the minority, giving way to a culturally diverse majority. People continue to migrate to this country for a chance at a better life, but when they enter the American workforce they will undoubtedly face many culture-based challenges, and the people with whom they work will also experience those challenges.

While diversity training can prepare workers to interact with different personalities, it does not prepare them to work with people from different cultures. Unlike diversity training, multicultural training has been developed specifically to address cultural concerns. When cultures collide in corporate America many challenges can arise such as communication breakdown and involuntary discrimination. It is not uncommon for managers to mistake culture-based workplace behaviors for performance or attitude issues. Here’s an example: a foreign-born employee follows his boss around all day continuously asking, “What do you want me to do?”, never acting without specific direction. This boss may think that this employee cannot think on his own and shows no initiative. What the boss does not realize is that the workplace culture in the employee’s native country is hierarchical, and therefore initiative is discouraged and workers only do what they are told.

[Read more →]

Tags: , , Leadership, Inspiration, Management, Organizational Culture by Chris Russell
No Comments »

Whether clients are calling and sales are up or you’re just getting a new business off the ground, running a business is demanding. The crucial daily tasks of running the business, wearing the many different hats, trying to catch up and keep up can consume all your time and energy. The thought of stopping to take time out to reflect, review and plan can seem absurd. Yet it could be what you need most.

If you want to grow your business and have a life, taking regular time to step away and think is key to your success.

Schedule a Meeting of One

Set an hour or more aside each week for yourself. Regularly scheduling your own private meeting of one can keep you on track, bring to light innovative solutions to problems, turn mistakes into helpful learning experiences, clarify what’s really important, help you maintain a balanced life, inspire creativity, and rekindle your passion for the business and for life.

Make your Meeting of One a regular event. Put it on the calendar at the same time each week. Get out of the office, away from the phone and other distractions. Perhaps go to your favorite coffee shop or the local library. In the summer, a park bench or picnic table might offer an ideal venue. See this as an important meeting with the company’s key player–you.

There’s Value in Taking Time Alone to Think

Rags-to-riches millionaire and philanthropist Peter Daniels has created successful ventures around the world. In The Power of Focus, authors Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Les Hewitt write, “When asked what turned his life from triple indebtedness to unprecedented success, he (Peter Daniels) replied, ‘I scheduled time to think. In fact, I reserve one day a week on my calendar just to think. All of my greatest ideas, opportunities and money-making ventures started with the days I took off [Read more →]

Tags: , , Leadership, Inspiration, Management, Organizational Culture by Chris Russell
2 Comments »

You’ll work twice as hard for yourself as you’ll ever work for someone else. Building your business takes time, dedication, and a drive to succeed. But that doesn’t mean you don’t want to have a personal life as well. Whether your relationships are failing or you just don’t have time to pursue an outside interest, it’s not healthy to work too hard. Here are five ways business owners can carve out some personal time.

Track your time. The first step to creating more personal time is to figure out where your time is going. For the period of a week or a month, track the time you spend at work. What tasks take up the most of your time? What tasks take up more time than they should? Include everything, from fixing printer jams to cold-calling clients.

Update technology. Once you’ve tracked the time you spend each month at work, you can figure out how much time can be saved by a simple technology upgrade. Technology can suck time as well as save it. If you find yourself surprised by the number of hours each month you spend waiting for your Internet connection to load or handling a copier machine crisis, you can save time with a simple upgrade.

Pinpoint procrastination. How much time do you spend on tasks that are not high priority? It’s not unusual to procrastinate by doing something that isn’t particularly important to the business tasks at hand-something like organizing your file drawer or cleaning your desk-that still feels like getting something done. If you find yourself doing these things a lot, cut down and save yourself some time.

Prioritize. Order your daily tasks in order of priority. Are you spending more time on low-priority tasks than more important ones? If so, you may need to rush at the end of the day to get the high-priority tasks done. To save time, figure out what you could [Read more →]

Tags: , , Leadership, Inspiration, Management, Organizational Culture by Chris Russell
1 Comment »