Time

Enquiring Minds

I help people make decisions, but I do not give advice. (Does that qualify as irony?) Everyone’s circumstances are different and you have to do what makes sense for you. One of the most useful tools for figuring that out is learning how to think critically. For the next four weeks, we will explore both what critical thinking is and how you can use it to make wise choices regarding your time, energy, attention, and money. Here in part one of this four-part series titled, “Let’s Get Critical,” we take a minute to define it.

What Is It?

Critical thinking is your ability to analyze, objectively interpret, systematically evaluate, and integrate information to form reasoned judgments.
It’s like being a detective. You ask lots of questions, look for clues, and figure out the best solutions.
Acquiring knowledge is part of critical thinking, but you also have to be able to think logically, organize data, consider alternative perspectives, and discern between fact and opinion.
Critical thinkers are adept at dissecting complex problems, uncovering hidden variables, and making choices based on evidence.
Critical thinking requires you to recognize your assumptions, double check them with reliable sources, and test them to see if they are still valid.
It’s not about being skeptical. It’s about identifying the one great decision among all the good decisions and rethinking your opinion in light of new information.

What Can it Include?

Analysis: To solve a challenge using critical thinking, first organize the facts you gathered into categories like people, processes, and performance. Examine how the data impacts those categories and ask yourself if you’ve collected all the information necessary to draw a conclusion. If you are unsure, ask your team, “What am I missing?”

Interpretation: Based on the accumulated available information, clearly articulate, preferably in writing, both your decision and the reasoning behind how you reached it. You don’t know what you think until you see what you say.

Evaluation: Share your conclusion with leaders in the affected categories and let them ask you the hard questions. Does your conclusion hold up under their scrutiny?

Testing: Take your colleagues feedback and use it to iterate your conclusion. Test your theory on a sample before rolling it out to the whole.

What Could It Look Like?

Let’s say you are on your company’s marketing team and you are launching a new product in a competitive market. It’s not enough to come up with flashy slogans and eye-catching graphics. Team members must parse market data, research consumer trends, and study competitor strategies. You may have to question your client’s assumptions, challenge biases (both theirs and yours), and weigh alternative solutions in order to design a comprehensive marketing strategy. You have to ask questions. Who is the target audience? What other similar products already exist? Why would our target audience like ours better? When you gather enough data you can do a limited roll out in a test market.

Next week we’ll explore how you can use critical thinking to improve your job performance. In the meantime, what process do you use to think critically? Please share in the comments.

Optimization Obsessed

Photo by Mike Anderson

We often talk about continuous improvement in this space because making processes better is a good thing. But too much of a good thing is still too much. When does optimization reach the tipping point?

It’s a Tool

Optimization is neither inherently good nor bad. It is a powerful tool to streamline operations and enhance productivity. As with any tool, its effectiveness depends on how you use it. Optimization requires new projects to fit within an existing standardization model. That improves your efficiency, but it can also dilute the qualities that set you apart from your competition. Plus, you can only scale so big before the individuality and personal connections that define your company start to diminish.

The Human Touch

Optimization is about control and eliminatIng waste to achieve the best possible outcomes. But when every interaction is governed by predetermined algorithms, the spontaneity and warmth of human interaction can get lost in translation. Clients may feel like a number in a system instead of valued customers. Clients look for more than products and services. They also want connection, empathy, and understanding. Building and maintaining relationships, meeting individual needs, and providing tailored solutions are elements that cannot be fully replicated by automated systems.

Let It Rest

Rest is as crucial to job performance as training. Tired minds make mistakes and lack the compassion crucial to client interactions. The relentless pursuit of continuous improvement can both overwhelm and burnout your workforce. Implementing strategies to promote employees’ well-being is essential both for morale and sustainable optimization. For example, encourage managers to model work-life integration, support your staff’s self-care efforts, and provide opportunities for breaks and bonding. Your business is not a machine that can run continuously without pause. It is a collective of individuals whose well-being directly impacts the success of your organization. Lack of down time makes systems more fragile. Factor time to recharge into your optimization processes.

Strike a Balance

Limiting your company to just delivering products or services will put you out of business. You need to create an experience that resonates with your clients on a personal level. Decreased client satisfaction, disengaged employees, and a loss of innovation are signs that your optimization has gone too far. To course correct, seek feedback from both clients and employees on a regular basis.

Clients: If the data shows clients perceive a decline in the quality of their service, ask your team: Are we sacrificing the human touch for the sake of efficiency? Are we neglecting the unique needs and preferences of our clients in favor of standardization? How many Account Executives received praise from their clients in the last month? Build flexibility within your processes to allow time for stakeholder customization and care.

Employees: Listen to your team without judgement and make sure they know there will not be negative repercussions for their honesty. Note their concerns. If they say they feel like robots, or if burnout becomes pervasive, then the personal touch may be slipping away. Recognize the value of diversity and belonging. The resulting input can help mitigate the depersonalizing side effects of optimization. Evaluate your systems regularly and recalibrate them to allow for as much customization as makes sense. Regular check-ins, open communication channels, and fostering a positive workplace culture speed up your optimization efforts.

How do you maintain perpetually balancing between efficiency and empathy? Please share in the comments.

Beginnerhood

This is part one of four in a series titled: Independently Owned and Operated.

Whether you are upskilling or taking on increased responsibility, your success hinges on tolerating the discomfort of being bad at doing something new long enough to get good at it. How does owning your beginnerhood help you achieve your goals?

Learning a New Skill

Beginnerhood is an unavoidable phase in pursuit of any skill. For example, when you first learn to code, you write the source code, then compile, link, and execute it over and over again until you get the result you want. It doesn’t take long to get both stuck and frustrated. If you remind yourself this phase is temporary, then you realize the discomfort will eventually go away because mastery comes from practice. Don’t shy away from trying new things because you are afraid to fail. Live in the discomfort long enough to learn from it.

Taking on Increased Responsibility

Whether it’s leading a team, handling larger projects, or managing important accounts, initially you will feel uncertain and maybe inadequate. To be successful, be humble. Acknowledge your initial shortcomings and state your desire to learn quickly. You will make mistakes. When they happen, frame them in your mind, and in your status reports, as part of your process for getting better every day. You are expected to stumble. You are also expected to persevere through challenges. You will not immediately have all the answers. Seek input from your teammates. Being vulnerable with them builds trust.

Overnight Success is a Myth

We all want instant gratification, so we think being bad at something is a setback. Expecting instant mastery is not only unrealistic but can also be a significant barrier to your professional development. The temptation to quit shortly after beginning can be strong. Pat yourself on the back every time you take the next step in doing something new. It helps get you through the awkwardness of your early attempts.

The Power of Resilience

Resilience is an underrated power skill. It’s the secret sauce of success. When you get discouraged by missteps, frame each stumble as a valuable lesson. Instead of seeing it as a deficiency, use it as a stepping stone. Bouncing back from initial failures and learning from those mistakes builds the strength you need to overcome future obstacles. Resilience doesn’t come from a string of unbroken successes. It comes from rising after every fall. Normalize setbacks so that you view them as opportunities for growth rather than insurmountable obstacles.

Cultivating a Growth Mindset

When you use these tools, you cultivate a growth mindset. You believe you can develop your abilities through dedication and hard work. This perspective transforms anxiety into excitement. You welcome challenges because they are opportunities to stretch your abilities and expand your skills. Successful people own their beginnerhood and workplaces can play a pivotal role in encouraging a growth mindset. When you focus on effort, perseverance, and resilience you create an environment where the team feels empowered to tackle new challenges without the fear of being judged.

Are you going through a beginnerhood? How are you handling the discomfort? Please share in the comments.

Your Top 12

Thank you for spending 2023 with me! As we begin a new year together, here are the top three articles in each category: Time, Energy, Attention, and Money (T.E.A.M.), based on the most views.

Energy

Attention

Money

I appreciate you discussing these topics with me in 2023. I hope you found them useful. There are more in store for 2024!

What decisions around time, energy, attention, and money are you facing in the new year? Please share in the comments.

All Your Call

What does self-care mean to you? Is it a spa day? Is it organizing your desk? Is it playing Baldur’s Gate 3? Self-care is intentionally preserving and enhancing your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health and well-being. For you, a spa day may be the perfect self-care ritual. For your work bestie, taking time to declutter their workspace is self-care. For another coworker, choosing their own adventure in a role-playing video game is self-care. What works for you may not resonate with your teammates. Tune into your unique needs and make choices that align with your well-being.

Taking time for self-care can make you feel guilty, but prioritizing your health is not a luxury. It is the foundation of healthy work-life integration. Discovering your unique self-care routine is a process of trial and error. Explore different activities and be open to reassess what truly brings you both joy and balance. Here are some suggestions.

Meditate: Use a guided meditation app, deep-breathing exercise, or find a quiet space and write a 250 word reflection. Taking a few moments each day to practice mindful meditation can help calm your mind, reduce stress, and improve overall mental well-being.

Exercise: Whether it’s going for a walk, attending a fitness class, or practicing yoga, exercise not only promotes physical health and good sleep but also releases endorphins. These are “feel-good” hormones that positively impact your mood. Regular physical activity uses your body to take care of your mind.

Sleep: Speaking of sleep, sufficient and quality sleep is a highly underrated form of self-care. Try to go to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time every day. Create a comfortable environment by adjusting the room temperature, noise level, amount of light, and all the variables that help you get an adequate amount of rest each night.

Detox: Take a break from the constant influx of information from your digital devices. Put your screens away an hour before bedtime and read a book. Avoid social media for a weekend. A digital detox increases your mental clarity and reduces your stress.

Create: Paint, build a model pirate ship, or play a musical instrument. Whatever your outlet for self-expression and emotional release is, make time for it. Such activities are therapeutic. They allow you to process your emotions and tap into a part of yourself that your work-life responsibilities may not use.

Nourish: Fill your body with high quality fuel. Replace that doughnut with blueberries and low-fat yogurt. Go meatless for one meal a week. Instead of snacking on potato chips, try almonds. Take time to read nutrition labels. When you consume food and drinks that are low in simple carbohydrates and sugar you are literally taking care of yourself.

Connect: Maintain key relationships. You can hang out in-person, videoconference, text, or call. Whatever medium allows you to spend time with the people you love helps you maintain a sense of belonging, support, and emotional fulfillment.

The next time you wonder, “Is this self-care?” remember that you get to make that decision guided by your unique needs, desires, and understanding of what makes you feel well. You may find extra time on your hands this week between Christmas and New Year’s Day. If so, please use it to do something that makes you feel good. Even if that something is nothing at all.

What will you do to take time for yourself this holiday season? Please share in the comments.

Check It Off

Stand up, close your eyes, and balance on one foot for 10 seconds. Did you feel your body adjusting for the entire 10 seconds to keep you from falling over? If the constant tension of managing your time feels like balancing on one foot with your eyes closed, it helps to have a decision-making process to fall back on. Let’s explore the four Ds of time management: delete, delegate, defer, and do. How can you implement these strategies to get your urgent tasks as well as your most important tasks done?

Delete

Not every task is of equal importance, and some activities may not significantly contribute to your overall goals. By regularly purging non-essential tasks, you free up valuable time and mental bandwidth so you can focus on the more critical aspects of your work. First, identify items that are low-priority, redundant, or simply unnecessary. Then, pull out your latest job performance review and compare it to your task list. To effectively delete, ask yourself:

Would completing this task move me closer to the goals set in my latest evaluation?
Is this task aligned with my priorities?
What value does this task add to my work or the organization?
Can this task be eliminated without compromising overall productivity?

Delegate

Recognizing you can’t do everything on your own and empowering your team to handle specific tasks can significantly increase overall efficiency for the whole organization. By sharing responsibilities, both you and your team can optimize your time, energy, and attention for the tasks that require each person’s specific expertise. This practice cultivates a more productive, collaborative, and pleasant work environment. To effectively delegate:

Identify tasks that can be performed by others without compromising quality.
Assess each team member’s strengths and assign tasks that align with their skills.
Clearly communicate expectations, deadlines, and relevant details.

Defer

You want to get a task done so you can check it off your list and move on to the next but some tasks would be more efficiently done if you stop to think about them. You should take time to contemplate tasks whose results have lasting consequences on processes, people, and/or payroll. These decisions usually require multiple sources of information and/or resources that may not be at your fingertips. Deferment allows you to address tasks at optimal moments and avoid unnecessary stress for you, your team, and your organization. To effectively defer:

Evaluate the urgency and importance of each task.
Identify tasks that can be postponed without negative consequences.
Create a realistic schedule that allows margin for completing deferred tasks.

Do

Procrastination often leads to increased stress and a backlog of tasks. This hinders your overall productivity. If you promptly address tasks that can be completed in the moment, then you will prevent a workload buildup and maintain a sense of control over your responsibilities. To effectively do:

Prioritize tasks based on urgency and importance.
Set aside dedicated time for tasks that require immediate action.
Break down larger tasks into smaller, more manageable steps.

Mastering the four Ds of time management is a powerful decision-making strategy. It helps you create a more streamlined and efficient workflow and ensures your time is spent on tasks that align with your organization’s goals as well as your personal priorities.

Do you use the four Ds? Please share how in the comments.

Overthinking is Scary

Mom texted me a photo of a new shirt she bought. The caption on the front says, “Hold on, let me overthink this.” It’s perfect for Halloween. What’s more scary than your imagination?

Overthinking is like overcooking. When you overcook something its quality decreases and it doesn’t taste as good as it would have if you hadn’t overcooked it. As you attempt to make the best decisions and achieve your worklife goals, how do you avoid getting trapped in the web of excessive overthinking? Let’s talk about how to recognize overthinking and ways to stop.

Symptoms

Dwelling on a single situation to the point where it becomes counterproductive
Ruminating on past events
Second-, third, and/or fourth-guessing your choices
Dissecting every possible aspect of a problem
Having trouble focusing on the job at hand
A persistent knot in your stomach and/or a constant low-grade headache
Making decisions, even simple ones, feels overwhelming
Lack of self-confidence
Negative self-image
Questioning the intentions of your coworkers
Perpetually seeking validation from your manager

Strategies

Goals: Having a clear sense of purpose can help you stay focused and reduce the temptation to overthink. What can you do right now to get closer to your objectives? For example, if your goal is to move from inside sales to account management, then befriend an account manager. Some action steps may be identifying a mentor, scheduling an informational interview, and requesting a ride along.
Limits: Allocate a specific amount of time to think about a particular issue then commit to making a decision within that timeframe. This forces you to be more efficient in your thinking.
Mindfulness: Techniques like meditation and box breathing can help you stay grounded, reduce the urge to overanalyze, and help you manage stress.
Reflection: Seeing what you’re thinking helps you redirect your thoughts. When you get the fear out of your head and onto the page, it shrinks.
Feedback: Getting input from trusted teammates or your supervisor regarding complex decisions can provide valuable perspectives and help you make more informed choices. Save this strategy for decisions that will result in having a big impact.
Process: Develop a systematic approach to decision-making. List your options, weigh the pros and cons, and set a deadline for making choices.
Data: You have access to an overwhelming amount of information. Be selective about the data you consume, and avoid endlessly researching a topic.
Move: Physical activity clears your mind and reduces your stress.
Kindness: Instead of berating yourself for overthinking, acknowledge it as a habit you’re working to change. Self-compassion can help you break free from the cycle of self-criticism.

It’s essential to think critically and make informed decisions but excessive analysis erodes your productivity and well-being. Control your thought processes by recognizing the symptoms of overthinking and implementing strategies to overcome it. Balance thoughtful consideration with taking action. Sometimes, the best way to move forward is to simply take that first step without overthinking it.

What do you overthink about at work? Please share in the comments.

Philosophy 101

A couple of years ago, a family friend shared his philosophy of leadership with me:

Show up on Time
Be Nice
Be Prepared
Start with Conviction
Stay Calm
Stay the Course

We were not talking about workforce at the time, but since then, I found it applicable in multiple work situations. Can you relate to the following examples?

Show up on Time – Leaders aren’t late. The rule of thumb is: If you aren’t 10 minutes early, you’re late. Last week, I walked into a local coffee shop at 2:52pm for a 3:00pm meeting with two people. I immediately saw both of them seated at a table, and they already had their drinks. Showing up on time is a show of respect.

Be Nice – Kindness counts. It’s especially appreciated at networking events. Everyone gets nervous walking into a venue, looking for someone you know, and trying to look cool. Be the person who starts the awkward conversation. Introduce yourself, ask them where they work and what their role is, offer to go to the food table with them. This last kindness offers both of you an out when you need to mingle.

Be Prepared – Margin matters. Let’s say you receive a calendar invitation for a virtual meeting. Schedule an extra 15 minutes prior to prepare. A week before the meeting go over the agenda. If you have not yet received an agenda, request one. If there is no agenda available, is this meeting actually an email? Ask the organizer why this meeting needs your voice. If it doesn’t, then you don’t need to be in the meeting. Ask the organizer to send you the minutes from the meeting. This request should prompt the organizer to either put an agenda together, cancel the meeting, or excuse you from it.

Start with Conviction – Know your why. You feel strongly that your plan to move a project forward is best, but can you put that feeling into words that will convince your manager? When you can present your strategy in words, both written and spoken, explaining not only what needs to be done, but also why it should be done, the positive energy you create influences your team to believe the same way you do.

Stay Calm – Fear often presents as anger. The more you disagree with a coworker who is emotionally invested in controlling a project, the more frustrated they get and the less they can constructively receive your push back. If you counter their frustration with curiosity, then you pour water on that fire instead of gasoline. You can ask, “You seem very passionate about your plan for this project. Please say more about why.”

Stay the Course – Don’t give up too soon. If the process you used to solve your challenge did not return the outcome you expected, then analyze how you received the result. Identify tweaks you can make. Seek feedback from teammates involved in the process. Iterate the process and try again. Failure only happens when you stop trying. Everything else is data gathering.

Many thanks to John Orr for sharing his philosophy. John is the Lead Pastor of The Stone Church. In the photo above, he’s the man in the Georgia Bulldogs T-Shirt.

Do you use some of his principles at work? Please share your experience in the comments.

Homing from Work

The term “work marriage” has been around since 1987. If you smoothly run a household alongside your partner, then you’ve mastered skills that can be useful in the workplace. It’s normal to transpose your relationships between home and work, but is it a good idea? Let’s explore how we can transfer the skills we learn during long-term romantic relationships to the workplace in a healthy way.

Communication

In both marriage and the workplace, communication can be as clear as mud. For example:

Your spouse signs all your children’s paperwork for school, so you ignore the permission slip sitting on the dining room table. Two days later you receive an angry text from your spouse because they were called to immediately go to the school and sign an emergency permission slip before your first-grader’s class left for the field trip without them.
Translating this to the workplace, your project manager updates all your team’s workflows, so you ignore the change pending your approval sitting in your inbox. You receive an angry email from your manager because you missed a deadline.

In both scenarios what we have here is a failure to communicate resulting in a conflict. The conflict resolution tactics you use with your spouse are also helpful in your work relationships. Address issues promptly, avoid blame games, and seek solutions. It helps to remember that the goal isn’t to win an argument, but to improve the process. Be candid yet respectful and open to feedback. When you think you are over communicating, that is actually about the right amount of communication.

Patience

When you’ve been married long enough, you’ve weathered storms and sat through endless sports matches, spelling bees, and talent shows. Transfer this patience to the workplace, where tight deadlines and forgotten passwords can test your nerves. Exercise your emotional intelligence by remaining calm, refusing to panic, and offering support to your coworkers. There are approaches you use to soothe your spouse and allow them to both decompress and process stressful situations. You can apply these approaches in the workplace. Knowing when to both actively listen and when to offer advice makes you a valuable asset in any relationship. Professional boundaries differ from personal relationships, so be mindful that a little strategy goes a long way. Best practice? Less counseling and more curiosity.

Teamwork

How many times have you and your spouse had to decide on a restaurant or a movie? You have plenty of experience in the art of compromise. Apply this to your workplace interactions, where differing opinions are as common as casual Fridays. Finding middle ground leads to creative solutions and demonstrates your inclination to collaborate. Marriage is a partnership, and so is your office dynamic. Just as you and your partner tackle household chores together, cooperating with colleagues should lead to smoother projects and better results. You’re all working towards a common goal. Add value where you can, appreciate your coworkers’ contributions, and celebrate even the smallest progress.

The communication, patience, and teamwork skills you hone over years of marriage can be a blueprint for managing relationships at work, but tread lightly. Adapt these skills to fit the unique dynamics of your workplace without turning it into an episode of Friends.

How do the skills you use to get along with your partner translate to your work relationships? Please share in the comments.

The Cure

Work standards seem to change daily. For example: Should we go fully remote? Hybrid? Every employee everywhere in the office all at once? But there is a constant; the pressure for perfection. Perfectionism is like a virus spreading through your organization. Let’s talk about how embracing curiosity can help you cure it.

Help Yourself

If you feel like you have to get work done right the first time, every time, then you don’t want to work. Turning projects down puts you on the fast track to unemployment. But adopting a curious mindset puts you on the fast track to continuous improvement. Accept the project. Ask yourself, “What is the worst that could happen?” Then plan for it. Having a plan helps you build confidence and resilience.
It’s likely that the worst will not happen, but a lesser problem will. When it does, be proactive. Demonstrate you can recognize problems, reframe them as challenges and opportunities, and brainstorm ways to move forward.
Perfection is neither necessary nor constructive. If perfection is your goal, then setbacks will emotionally devastate you and eventually lead to burnout. Curiosity, however, helps you bounce back from setbacks by focusing on the learning process rather than the result. You become more adaptable and better equipped to navigate the inevitable challenges.
Curiosity drives you to explore new areas, learn from different disciplines, and consider diverse perspectives. When curiosity is a habit, you perpetually broaden your knowledge base and develop your reputation as a skilled risk taker. Perfectionists often avoid taking risks, because they are afraid they will fail and coworkers will judge them for it.
Curiosity empowers you to step out of your comfort zone and seize opportunities for professional growth. Whether it’s pursuing a new project, volunteering for a challenging task, or taking on a leadership role. This is the type of talent every organization wants.

Help Your Team

If perfection is the standard your organization expects, then your team routinely feels like they failed. Perfectionism stifles creativity and innovation. On the other hand, curiosity sparks new possibilities. When you experiment and question the status quo, you find unique solutions to problems.
You can reframe failure as a learning tool for your team. The next time a coworker is blamed for missing the target, support them. For example, at the next team meeting say to them in front of everyone, “This is great. Thank you so much for bringing this to our attention. Since that piece did not turn out the way we wanted it to, what do you think we should keep and what do you think we should try next to get the outcome the client wants?” This turns the problem into a puzzle. It diffuses embarrassment and redirects thinking toward the next iteration.
A culture that promotes curiosity over perfection encourages open communication and collaboration. When team members are not afraid to ask questions and to seek help from colleagues, it fosters a supportive work environment where knowledge sharing and ideation thrive. In such a workplace, employees are more likely to feel engaged, valued, and motivated.

Focusing on curiosity over perfection is a powerful shift in mindset that can transform your approach to work. By embracing failure as part of the learning process, you build resilience, expand your skills, and create paths for advancement.

When a project at work does not meet expectations, how do you redirect your thinking toward curiosity? Please share in the comments.