People are programmed to tune-in to stories. It’s how we’ve communicated for centuries. When a good story starts, people listen. Stories are a valuable tool for all aspects of life; Motivating your team, teaching a lesson to your children, or selling someone something. So, how do you tell a good story? Brian Reed, producer of This…
It gets better
My podcast role models are no slouches. They are award winning journalists, producing shows with millions of listeners. Guy Raz from TED Radio Hour – he’s great at creating curiosity (I’m always asking, “What’s next?”) and he uncovers ideas that leave me thinking for the rest of the day. Ira Glass from This American Life…
Eliminate the Guesswork: 3 Steps for Better Estimates
Does this sound familiar? What you planned to take 1 week has taken a month. Something expected to cost a thousand dollars turned into ten thousand. Asking for more time, money, or resources is painful. When your project is derailed, you see your goal drift further away and your credibility tarnish. How were these estimates so far…
The (scary) truth about meetings & 4 better alternatives
Next time you’re in a meeting pretending to listen while checking your email and wondering “why am I here?”, pull up your calendar instead and start clearing your schedule. Here’s why… Meetings take time, are expensive, and most meetings are unproductive: People spend an average 4 hours each week preparing for status update meetings Managers spend upwards 35% of time…
Avoid the Top 4 Communication Fails
Communication is important. According to the Project Management Institute, poor communication is to blame for more than half of every failed project. Organizations that have highly-effective communications deliver more successful projects and are 1.7 times more likely to outperform their peers financially. Good communicators are five times more likely to be high performers (they deliver 80% or more of projects on-time, within budget, and per goals) than…
The WORST Waste of Time & Money – Overproduction
Imagine that you have the task of stuffing, addressing, and mailing 100 envelopes for a community fundraiser. You start by folding all of the letters; focusing on completing that first before stuffing the envelopes. Your friend also has a stack – and a different approach – completing one stuffed envelope at a time. One at…
Takt Time – The Heartbeat to Happy Customers
A healthy heartbeat is regular and reliable, keeping all of the systems in your body working as they should. At the core of your body’s function, your heart adjusts to sleep, exercise, and different demands you require. Just as your heart beats to your needs, a successful business beats to the needs of customers. By…
Change – 7 Minutes at a Time – Interview with Allyson Lewis
I recently had the privilege of talking with Allyson Lewis, time-management expert, best-selling author, and founder of The 7 Minute Life. Allyson’s passion is to help others “prioritize, organize, and simplify” their lives; enabling them to do what they love. We focused our conversation on change. In order to reach goals, make time for others and ourselves, and…
Do More By Starting Less – How to Use a Kanban Board
If you’re like me, you’re juggling your time between tons of tasks. Rarely do I stick with one task until it’s finished before starting another. Usually, one of the following happens: I get distracted and start working on something else (email is a HUGE culprit). The task I’m supposed to be doing kind of sucks and…
Visual Management – How McDonald’s & Hospitals Conquer Chaos
Hospitals and McDonald’s don’t seem to have much in common, but both establishments are conquering chaos by changing the way they communicate. Instead of using lots of words and text, they are sharing information with signs, noises, colors, and other cues. This technique, called Visual Management, makes communicating simple, clear, and quick. What is Visual Management? Visual Management…
