Tools and Tips for Bosses

Tools and Tips for Bosses
By James Manktelow, CEO, MindTools.com

Last month, we surveyed Mind Tools’ readers to recommend their top “mind tools”, including the one they would most like to recommend to their boss. The response was amazing and very insightful. In reading some of your many comments, I recognized some of my own quirks (okay, bad habits), so I’ve promised the team here at Mind Tools that I’ll be making even greater day-to-day use of our “mind tools” from now on!

Now the interesting thing we learned from our survey is that bosses are pretty much like everyone else. When it comes to managing time, clarifying priorities, setting goals and so on, bosses can benefit as much as, if not more than, everyone else from tools and techniques at Mind Tools. So read on, for tools and tips that are good for the boss are great for the rest of the team too!

Five themes stood out as the most important in our survey:

• Prioritize, prioritize, prioritize
• Be clear and stay focused
• Manage meetings
• Hear the facts!
• Motivate, motivate, motivate

See what readers have to say and learn about some of the tools and techniques that can help in the sections below.

Prioritize, prioritize, prioritize
If there’s one thing that causes frustration among our readers, it’s unclear priorities: Sometimes priorities change without people being informed, and sometimes priorities have simply never been communicated at all. Only when team priorities are clear can team members’ set their own priorities clearly too.

There was such a huge emphasis on the benefits of prioritization that we’ve written a full article bringing together many of the tools and techniques that help with it. You'll find this prioritization toolkit at http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_92.htm. Enjoy it!

And a final tip on prioritization from readers: Remember the importance of two-way communication! If you’re the boss, clearly people need to know your priorities and work within them. As a team member, it’s important to validate your own priorities with your boss: This helps avoid the misunderstandings and false assumptions that cost time and effort further down the line.

Be clear and stay focused
Does everyone in your team know the teams goals and objectives? Just as people are frustrated by prioritization issues, so people get frustrated when goals and objectives are unclear or constantly changing. Many readers mentioned goal-setting as the tool they would most recommend for their boss.

And I’d add that goal-setting also makes a great team tool: What better way to ensure the team’s goals are clear than to involve team members in refining these and breaking them down into sub-goals? More on goal-setting at http://www.mindtools.com/page6.html.

Manage meetings
It’s no surprise to hear that everyone gets frustrated by meetings that run over, or that achieve very little or that keep getting re-scheduled. And guess what? Everyone blames the one who organized the meeting – often the boss.

Now my personal view is that everyone who attends a meeting shares in making it a success. If you don’t know why you are there and what the aim is, ask the organizer! But of course as a meeting organizer, you can try to make sure no one ever needs to ask those questions! Our “mind tool” on effective meetings helps you do this. Read this (even if only for a refresher) by visiting http://www.mindtools.com/CommSkll/RunningMeetings.htm.

Hear the facts!
Can you imagine: A boss who jumps to conclusions without considering all the facts? Well apparently there are a few of them about!

Maybe it’s because they feel they should know the answers, or maybe it’s because they are under such enormous time pressure each day. Whatever the reasons, Mind Tools Readers say “Stop, hear the facts”! (And they get especially frustrated if they are the ones presenting the facts that are being ignored!)

If you consider that certain facts are not relevant, or you have some other basis for your conclusions, it can be helpful to share these with your people. This helps them learn the appropriate level of detail, and refine their own decision making for the future.

A recent favorite tool here is the Ladder of Inference, which you can read about at http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMC_91.htm. We'll also remind you about our "Mind Tools on Active Listening" guide, which you can share with your team - you can download this from http://www.mindtools.com/CommSkll/Mind%20Tools%20Listening.pdf.

Motivate, motivate, motivate
Last but not least on the list of readers recommendations for bosses is motivation. Bosses need to motivate their teams – no surprise there! But the message for bosses is not “Go learn to motivate us!”, it’s “Be motivated yourself – it rubs off on the team!” The flip side is that a demotivated boss can easily and seriously infect his or her team with their negativity.

Recent newsletter subscribers will have received the mini e-book "Mind Tools on Motivation". If you haven’t received this and you interested to read more on motivation, you can download "Mind Tools on Motivation" from http://www.mindtools.com/courses/lbs0356vrx/DownloadCenter.htm up to 16 May. Again, enjoy it!

Finally, thank you again to all the readers who participated in our survey, and who helped us compile this list of tools and tips for bosses (and their teams) everywhere!

Managing Interruptions

Managing Interruptions
Maintain focus. Keep control of your time.

This recent article was the number one tool recommended by readers for their bosses in our survey. We "reprint" it as a refresher!

Everyday interruptions at work can be a key barrier to managing your time effectively and, ultimately, a barrier to your success.

Think back to your workday yesterday and consider for a minute the many interruptions that occurred. They may have been phone calls, emails, hallway conversations, colleagues stopping by your office, or anything else that unexpectedly demanded your attention and, in doing so, distracted you from the task at-hand.

Because your day only has so many hours in it, a handful of even the smallest interruptions can rob you of the time you need to achieve your goals and be successful in your work and life.

More than this, they can break your focus, meaning that you have to spend time re-engaging with the thought processes needed to successfully complete complex work.

The key to managing interruptions is to know what they are and whether they are necessary, and to plan for them in your daily schedule when they truly need your attention. The tips that follow will help you do that and so prevent interruptions from frustrating you and jeopardizing your success.

Using The Tool

Use the following tips to understand and manage interruptions:

(a) 1. Keep An Interrupters Log

If interruptions consistently rob you of time and energy, or if they frequently push you off schedule and cause delays, it’s time to keep an Interrupters Log. This is a simple record of the interruptions you experience in the course of a day.

Click here to download our free Interrupters Log Worksheet (you'll need to have Adobe Acrobat installed on your PC to open this - click here to go to Adobe for this.) And figure 1 shows an example of it.

Figure 1: The Interrupters Log

Person	Date and Time	Description of Interruption	Valid?	Urgent?

Keep your Interrupters Log with you every day for at least a week, recording every interruption you experience, and marking down the person interrupting you; the date and time it occurs; what the interruption is; whether it was valid; and whether it was urgent (or whether someone could have waited until a better time.)

This allows you to more accurately identify the interruptions that are causing you to fall behind or to experience time crunches and delays.

Once you have recorded the interruptions for a week, sit down with your log and analyze the information.

Which interruptions are valid and which are not?

You need to deal with the valid interruptions. We'll show you below how you can schedule them into your day so that they get the attention they need, while you still have the time you need to adequately address these and complete your daily work.

As for the interruptions that are not valid, you must find a way to block these out in the future or the productivity that will suffer is your own!

2. Analyze and Conquer Interruptions

To analyze and conquer the interruptions you find in your Interrupters Log, firstly look at whether the interruption is valid or not.

Could someone have avoided interrupting you by waited for a routine meeting? Or was it something they should have asked you about at all?

If not, deal with this politely but assertively.

Next, look at how urgent the interruptions were, and whether they could have been pre-empted. You can pre-empt many interruptions by holding routine meetings with people: If they're confident that they'll have access to you at a defined point in the near future, they'll learn to save up non-urgent issues until this meeting.

However, some interruptions are both urgent and valid. You need to be interrupted, and you need to deal with the situation.

From your Interrupters Log, you'll see how much time is taken up by these urgent, valid interruptions. Block this time into your schedule as "contingency time", and only take on as much other work as you can fit into the remaining time. You'll have to juggle this other work around the interruptions, but at least you won't be overloaded and stressed by the things that you haven't done because they've been displaced by emergencies.

(b) Put Your Phone to Work for You (…Not Against You)

A little bit of planning can go a long way in working to control telephone interruptions, which most people experience all day long. If you are on a deadline or your focus needs to be intense (and not interrupted), use your voice mail to screen calls or have an assistant deal with messages for you. This way, you can deal with calls by priority at times that suit you. In fact, this telephone time can be planned into your schedule, and so become a normal part of your working pattern.

(c) Catch Your Breath

When interrupted, it’s easy to get caught up in the “rush” of the person who is interrupting, for they undoubtedly feel their request is urgent. In reality, however, most interruptions are not a crisis and it can serve everyone best to take a little time before taking action.

Take a few minutes to consider the situation. Catch your breath and clear your head. A small delay, even one of just a few minutes, goes a long way in assessing the situation accurately and reacting appropriately.

(d) Learn to Say “No”

It’s often acceptable to say “no” to requests or tasks if you are busy when someone else can handle it, if it is not an important task, or if it can be done later.

When this is the case, saying “no” in a courteous and sincere way, followed by a short explanation is the best course of action to take: “I am working against a very tight deadline on an important project right now so, I am sorry, but I can not jump in and help”.

(e) “Available” and “Unavailable” Time

Simple yet effective: Let people know when you are available… and when you are not. Make sure that people know that during your "unavailable time", they should only interrupt you if they have to.

You and your co-workers can also agree on a signal that everyone in the office can use when tied up and unavailable, like turning the nameplate on the door around, or simply closing the door. This alleviates interruptions and can avoid hurt feelings.

Tip: Be careful here. If you're a manager, an important part of your job is to be available to people, to handle urgent issues which arise, and to coach your team so that people are as effective as possible. If you put up barriers that are too high, you won't be able to do these jobs. By all means, use "unavailable time", but don't over-use it, and make sure people know they can interrupt you if there is a genuine crisis.

(f) “Invitation Only” Time

Schedule regular check-in times for the individuals you talk to most often. Ask these people to keep a running list of things that they need to discuss, so you can cover all the points at one time. And, force yourself to do the same.

An open-door policy is good, but you should limit the number of people you invite to your work area. For instance, if you're scheduling a meeting, offer to meet your co-worker in his or her office or a conference room. This way, you can excuse yourself after you accomplish your purpose. Additionally, it's much easier to get up and leave than it is to get people to leave your office once seated and comfortable there.

(h) Uncontrollable Interruptions

There are interruptions that, no matter how hard you try, you simply cannot control.

Most people are happy to schedule a more convenient time, but when this does not work, quickly set the parameters by saying something like, “I only have five minutes to talk about this right now,” and stick to it.

Do not ask the interrupter to sit down and do not engage in small talk. Encourage the interrupter to get right to the point and if a solution cannot be reached before the allotted time runs out, set a time for getting back to them and, again, stick to it.

The Interrupters Log is just one of 39 essential personal effectiveness tools in ‘Make Time for Success!’, our self-study time management course. To take control of your time, and so focus on the things that really matter, click here to find out more.

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A Final Note From James

Whether you’re the boss, or whether you’re keen to give your boss a few gentle tips and hints, there has been something for everyone in this issue. Thanks again to readers for all the great insights and tips!

Next issue is a very special one, as Mind Tools celebrates an important milestone. I'll say no more than that until then!

We’ll also have some great new tools, and we announce a special challenge…

Until then, have a great couple of weeks!

James & Kellie

How to Get Motivated

Do you ever have those days when you come into the office and, as soon as you see the piles on (and maybe even around) your desk, you're paralyzed? Is your 'to do' list so long that you don't know where to start? Are you just dreading facing yet another day at the office?

We all have days when it's difficult to get motivated. So here are some tips to help you get inspired again:

1. Do Something: The fact is that sometimes we just have to get started, even if we're not motivated. Staring at the piles and agonizing over the lengthy to do list only adds to the stress and anxiety that keeps you un-motivated. Many times, the quickest way to get motivated again is to 'just do it.' Start with one pile and make your way through it methodically, only touching each item one time and taking action until that one thing is finished. The sense of accomplishment usually kicks in and keeps you going - it's the getting started that's the tough part. Writers will tell you that the most difficult part about writing is just sitting down and doing it - frequently when you just don't feel like doing it.

2. Do Nothing: And I really mean nothing. Don't stare at the piles. Don't agonize over the to-do list. Don't talk to anyone. Don't turn on the radio, pace around your office, get a cup of coffee, or make another list. Just close the door, close your eyes and do absolutely nothing for 15 minutes. If you're not used to doing this, chances are that you'll start fretting about what you need to do and all kinds of thoughts will begin racing around in your head. Don't worry about that. Just recognize the thoughts and then let them go. Concentrate on your breathing. Fifteen minutes of nothing, particularly in the midst of a frenzied week or at the beginning of a long day, will do wonders for clearing your head and reducing anxiety so that you're motivated to tackle even the most daunting challenge.

3. Get Moving: Got a bear of a brief to write, an opening statement to prepare, or an estate plan that requires some real mental gymnastics? Getting your body moving will make those mental exercises flow more easily. Take a walk, go to the gym or run around with your kids. Your physical energy will get the mental energy flowing. Lots of times, great ideas come in the midst of a physical activity. Sitting at a desk, in meetings, in court waiting for your adversary, at a deposition or a closing for hours on end shuts down not only your body, but your mind. Get your body moving and the blood flowing to your brain.

4. Carry a Notebook: Inspiration comes at the most inopportune times. Capture those great ideas when they arise so that when you're not as motivated you'll have something to fall back on. Always have a small notebook, some index cards, or something else to write on, as well as something to write with. Sitting in the movie theater, driving in the car (wait until you're stopped to write, though), taking a walk (see above), and those last few minutes before you fall asleep are often the times when the best ideas come. If you have a pen and paper handy, you can preserve those great ideas and then get right back to what you were doing, without the anxiety that you'll forget. And they'll be ready for you when you're facing another day of work.

5. Create a Deadline: Often, the best 'motivation' is knowing that you have a filing deadline, a date on which you have to give the presentation, an appointment with the client to discuss their estate plan, or a court appearance. But since not all tasks have built-in deadlines, sometimes we have to create our own deadlines. If you're facing the awesome task of clearing some space on your desk so that you can work again, setting a timer for 15 minutes can be a great motivator. Often, once you get through that first fifteen minutes, you'll be motivated to continue. If you've got a project that is important to complete, but not urgent, make it urgent by setting a deadline and writing it in your calendar.

6. Enlist a Friend: You can reinforce your deadline by enlisting a friend, colleague, or coach to help you. When you tell someone else that you're planning to do something by a specific date and time, it creates an expectation. We don't like to embarrass ourselves or let other people down, so we're much more likely to get it done so we don't have to admit to someone else that we didn't do it. Ask your friend, mentor, colleague or coach to keep you accountable by following up to make sure you've done what you said you were going to do, when you said you were going to do it. Even an adversary can be a 'friend' in this context if you promise that you'll have the discovery documents to them by a certain time, or you'll be present for a settlement conference on a specific date. Create an appointment where one didn't exist before, and you're creating a built in deadline for yourself.

Coaches, colleagues, family and friends can also help motivate you by being sounding boards for your ideas, or just by lending an ear when it's time to vent about the bad day you're having, the pressure you're under or the uncertainty you're facing with a particular client or matter. Sometimes we lose motivation after completing a big project. Talking about your successes or your progress can be exceptionally motivating, too. Don't underestimate the power of sharing yourself with others to reduce your anxiety and get you back on track.

7. Turn On Some Music: This may not work in all situations in which you feel unmotivated, but it can certainly help. Music may 'soothe the savage beast' in you by calming you down if you're anxious, but music can also raise your heart rate, get your toes tapping and lift your mood so that you're ready to work. And if you turn on the music and start dancing, you'll be double motivating yourself.

8. Take a Vacation: Take a good, hard look at where you are, how much and how long you're working, and when the last time was that you took a break. Many lawyers confuse lack of motivation with pure exhaustion or burnout. Everyone needs some down time, and if you haven't taken a vacation in years, you're routinely working around the clock and on weekends, motivation may not be the real problem. Making a clean break from all things legal, even for just a few days, can bring you a fresh perspective and a whole new reserve of motivation.

9. Try Something Different: Maybe your lack of motivation is the result of pure boredom. If you're doing the same things, day after day, your brain turns off and tunes out. We all need growth and stimulation. See if there's a project you can work on that would stretch your mind, challenge your knowledge, or force you to work on something different. Join a new committee at the bar association or find a lawyer in your firm that practices in a different area of the law and see if there's something you can help with. Take some CLE courses in a different area of the law.

Doing something different may mean doing something different outside of your work life. Motivation for your work can return when you feel inspired by other areas of your life. Volunteer, take a class, or learn a new skill. Even reading books in areas or on topics you haven't previously explored can bring new insights or inspiration.

10. Do Something for Someone Else: Again, this doesn't have to be related to work, although it can be. You can volunteer at a free clinic, give a free seminar, take on some pro bono work, or offer to mentor another lawyer. There are a million ways that you can be of service to others, whether it's joining a community organization, helping at your local church or food kitchen, visiting an elderly or sick relative or friend, surprising your spouse by making their favorite meal or doing a chore they hate, helping someone move, taking your family on an outing that they want to take (as opposed to going where you want to go), or calling up an old friend you've lost touch with. Doing something - anything - for someone else takes the focus off of you and often leaves you feeling better about yourself - and more motivated - in the bargain.