Single Handling

The concept of single handling originates from the time management technique advocated in the eighties; only touch a paper once. It usually takes longer to register, archive and retrieve it again than just dealing with it straight away. Single handling means to pick the most important task at hand and stick with it until it is done. Single handling can significantly improve your productivity if you have not used it before.

Pick Your Battles With Care

Not everything that you have a problem with, in business or office life, is worth fighting for. If you argue about everything at every occasion people will start to see you as a troublemaker. Don't let that happen. Pick your battles carefully and focus on the important issues of consequence. When you do, formulate the problem, explain your underlying logic and always propose one or two possible solutions. You don't want to be part of the problem. You want to be part of the solution.

Decent Or World Class?

You are no doubt equipped with many talents and could be useful in multiple different capacities. You could do a decent job most places, couldn't you? There is nothing wrong in doing decent work for decent people, but one performance enhancing career question to ask yourself is: "Where can I perform to distinction?" Among all the things you could be doing, where are you at your best? In what area could you develop to become truly world class?

Never Mind The Small Stuff

There is always the temptation to take care of the small stuff first. "I'll fix this and then I will carry on with my major tasks." The problem with that thinking is that small stuff seem to multiply and can keep you busy all day long. You may never get around to what you are supposed to do. The solution is to identify and prioritize your three most important activities for the day or week. Start with the most important and stay with it until finished, then carry on to the next. The worst use of your time is to do well what need not be done at all.

Corporate Triage

Triage was a concept invented by the French during the first world war. It deals with prioritization of the wounded where there is limited supply of medical treatment. It turns out it is best to give treatment to those who would only survive with medical attention first, then move to the group with minor wounds and leave the wounded that would die regardless, in the care of others. It is the same logic in business; there are winners, survivors and losers. Deal with the absolute essential first, then move on to the important, but leave the non-productive efforts to others. Use your limited resources where they count the most.

The Power Of Praise

When you learn to give praise, at work or at home, you reinforce behaviors and make them much more likely to be repeated in the future. Results that are recognized get repeated. Always give specific praise and avoid generalizations. Tell why you liked what they did. Praise better than expected results, when a target was exceeded or where an extra effort was made etc. Give praise 'stand alone' and don't dilute it with criticism. Here parents often make mistakes and lose much of its impact. Proper praise is a powerful motivator!

Let Others Be Right

Be generous in your conversation with other people and let them be right. Even when you know they've mixed up the facts you don't need to correct them all the time. A good way to handle such a situation is to bite your tongue and allow them to be "right" and not loose face. If there is a great rule to follow it is this: Never correct someone else in front of others. You can win the argument but lose the person. It may feel good for your ego but the other party may resent you for years for making them look stupid. It is simply not worth it.