How to Go Deeper

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Summer is the perfect time for extended reading.  For some reason, we feel as if we have "permission" to read when we are on vacation or have a more relaxed schedule at work.   

My summer reading list includes Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport.  It reminds me of Essentialism by Greg McEown.   Deep Work is resonating with me on, no pun intended here, a deep level.  

His point is this: to do work of significance, you must strip away the trivial tasks that our world loves.   These are the shallow tasks that are probably not that important.  

These shallow tasks can include filling your day with email, social media, gossip, cubicle chatter, unnecessary phone calls, and anything else that's taking you away from what's essential.  Did I mention interruptions?  In place of these, it's vital to carve out prolonged periods of focused work, "deep work", where you can be alone with your thoughts and have permission to do the most important tasks.

I'm going back to my reading... What about you?  What are you reading this summer that is striking a chord with your life? 

Podcast Episode 24: How to Run Effective Meetings

Here is the latest edition of the Emergent Leader Podcast!  In this episode, I talk about one of the most vital skills that every great executive practices: running a meeting.

The problem is that most meetings are absolutely terrible.  They either don't have a clear purpose or end late.  This episode will help to change that. 

I think you'll enjoy this episode of The Emergent Leader podcast!  Whether you are a rising leader in your 20's and 30's or a seasoned executive, this episode will help you improve an executive who has to run meetings.  Enjoy!

Podcast Episode 22: Managing Email

Here is the latest edition of the Emergent Leader Podcast.  Episode 22 deals with email and I'll provide four strategies for dealing with email once and for all.

Enjoy the show!

Here are some articles that may be helpful as you study and master the use of email:

The Problem with Listening to "Experts"

Back in October of 2015, I wrote a post called "Time to Stop Listening to Experts".  I shared the story of a dear friend who read everything she could by a particular saint only to find that the saint's advice wasn't helpful for her.  I made the case for mentors instead of "experts".

Here I am again, this time writing in the wake of Pope Francis' recent letter on love and marriage.  The Pope has (not surprisingly) raised the ire of critics.  In an ideological firestorm, those who dislike the Pope have dug in, claiming that Francis is "at it again".

A friend of mine on Facebook railed against the Pope, claiming that his sources "know better" and that Francis is up to no good.  

Oh my goodness!

At the heart of at least some of this is the danger of ideology.  An ideologue is loyal to a teaching or person (read "expert") to the point that they can no longer see the opposing point of view.  A practical application can be drawn from those who follow a politician.  Take Donald Trump.  Those who love him find it easy to ignore the countless disparaging remarks he's made about countless numbers of people.  I'm not immune to this.  As a New England Patriots fan, I'm the first to admit that I give my team the benefit of the doubt while I criticize similar behavior on other teams.

When we become ideologues, we cling to "experts" (or causes or organizations) and this can be dangerous.  

Why?  Simply put, many of those that we consider to be experts either

a) aren't or

b) are but have absolutely no relevance to our lives.

A classic example is Tim Ferris of The Four Hour Workweek.  Nice guy.  Famous.  Wealthy.  But if you actually read much of his book, it's completely impractical for 90% of people.  

I'm eating my own dogfood on this as even some of the "experts" that I've learned from are now those that I ignore.  Mike Hyatt, whom I admire, has to be ignored from time to time as his business can often drown out his message.  It's become predictable that when a "new video series" comes out, it's ultimately just upselling you towards a product at the end of the sales funnel.

There's nothing wrong with this, per se, but I'd rather buy on my own terms.

So what should we do?  In addition to emphasizing mentors, let's find experts who are meaningful to us, at our level.  If you like Ferris, Hyatt, Brogan and Godin, go for it.  For me, I'm drawn more often to imperfect heroes.  These are people who do not have all of the answers.  Their followers are less ideological and more likely to have an open conversation with you. 

For me, this can point to Joshua Becker on some days and Laura Vandercam on others.  Neither try to sell you what you don't want to buy.  Neither claim to be experts.  Todd Henry, who basically is an expert, doesn't feel the need to pound it over your head.  He's on my cool list too.

You've got to find your cool list, those that are imperfect, wise and humble.  

The rest?  Leave them for someone else.  I think you'll be happier as a result.

 

Part 5 of 5: Control Your Calendar

This is part of the series entitled, The Four Skills Every Executive Needs to Practice

In the introduction to this series, we made the case that grad school programs and most organizations don't teaching rising leaders the skills they need to succeed in the workplace.

In Part 2, we discussed the importance of managing your email daily.

In Part 3, I taught a better way to run meetings

In Part 4, we talked about the ways that executives need to synthesize large volumes of information.

In this post, the last of the series, we wrap it up but not before we deal with the final skill: control your calendar.

I once worked with a wonderful woman who would listen to anyone's problems and offer sage advice.

The only problem was that her entire day would be caught up with person after person who wanted to sit and chat. And, you know what happens when someone sits down- they stay down for a bit longer than is really needed.  A five minute chat can quickly turn into 

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My friend's entire day (and week) would thus be consumed with the priorities of others. Instead of being "master and commander" of her own week, she operated at the whim of those around her.

That spells disaster for any executive.

Why? Quite simply, your boss doesn't care about the priorities of others. He or she only cares that you carry out your most important tasks.

So how do you avoid the situation that my friend found herself in and control your own calendar? I suggest three strategies:

“If you don’t pay appropriate attention to what has your attention, it will take more of your attention than it deserves.”
— David Allen
  1. Use one calendar. Whether it's the old-fashioned print version or Google Calendar, it must be used. If you have multiple calendars (I.e. Family, work, civic duties), make sure that they all find their way onto or into your one total calendar. This strategy may seem simple because it is. The problem is that too many people keep their appointments in their head rather than on a calendar.
  2. Use one digital task manager. The second strategy is related to the first except that it deals with your many "todo" items. Just as you will place all calendar items on your calendar, the second strategy calls for the countless little todo's into one digital task manager. I've used OmniFocus and it's great. My current task manager of choice if Nozbe (full disclosure: affiliate link). A digital task manager is critical because it will clear your head with every small item you pop into your task manager. You'll have more peace of mind because you won't be constantly thinking about what you need to do. Your task manager will do that for you.
  3. Theme your week. This final strategy is where the best executives excel. By theming your week, you actually trick your brain into knowing what your day will basically be filled with. For me, this looks like the following:
    • Monday: Personal (I conduct 4 one-on-one meetings)
    • Tuesday: People (We have our two staff meetings)
    • Wednesday: Populous (Out and about day)
    • Thursday: Planning (Taking time off-campus to look at the top priorities)
    • Friday: Prep (Getting ready for the next week)

By practicing these three, simple strategies, you will gradually take control of your calendar. This is the final skill that will nudge your productivity over the top.

Did you enjoy this five part series?  You may want to subscribe to my mailing list and receive the eBook, "The 6 Fastest Ways to Supercharge Your Career".

Part 4 of 5: Synthesize Large Volumes of Information

This is Part 4 of 5 in the series, "The Four Skills Every Executive Needs to Practice".

In Part 1 of this series, we provided an overhead view of the four skills that every great executive practices.

Part 2 dealt with the first skill, managing email.

Part 3 dealt with the martial art of running meetings more effectively.

This post addresses something that most rising leaders might miss- the ability to navigate a seemingly huge volume of information, process it and then use it to make better decisions.

The fact is, most of us have way more information coming at us than we know what to do with.  While we may feel like this is something new, past generations dealt with it as well.  We call it information overload and it's definitely real.

But, even with all of the information available to us on a daily basis, Skill 3 is about much more than just avoiding the overwhelm that comes with too much information.

Rather, it's about three things:

  1. Building a habit of daily reading.
  2. Establishing weekly blocks for reflection in your schedule.
  3. Training your mind to think critically, resulting in quality, objective decisions.

The best executives I know carve their day like a knife through a watermelon.  While the rest of us stress over small, seemingly insignificant details, the great ones just roll with the punches and seem to absorb things better (i.e. smarter) than the rest of us.  

Now let's dive into the three components of making this skill work for you.

  1. Building a habit of daily reading.  I've written about this before.  Podcasted about it too.  It's super important to become an avid reader.  My wife, Cary, finds it hard to sit down and tackle an entire book. As a busy mom of four active kids, there just isn't a lot of extra time.  What does work for her is to use her drive time to work for "reading" or listening to the news.  This is "reading" but not in the traditional sense.  I count Cable TV news as "reading".  Same with books on tape.  Count podcasts too.  If you have a commute, this is a built-in advantage as you may have 30-90 minutes per day that could be converted into learning time.  I like to read at night when I come home from work. I also find podcasts absolutely essential.  Becoming a reader will mean that your decision making is richer, has context and has a literary background that will always benefit you.
  2. Establishing weekly blocks for reflection in your schedule.  This one is often overlooked- schedule time each week to get out of the office and think.  That's right- think.  Get alone with your thoughts and ponder the big rocks that fill your list of priorities.  I often will use Thursday mornings to go to Thinking Headquarters (a.k.a. the nearest Panera!) and review my strategic plan.  If I schedule it, I'll do it. If not, it just won't happen.  
  3. Training your mind to think critically, resulting in quality, objective decisions.  This step is about discipline.  The more you read, the more you'll think and the more you'll be likely to be an objective thinker.  Guess what?  Objective thinkers are almost always more likely to make good decisions.

What kinds of information do you need on any given week?  Financial information, information about your staff, planning materials, reports and much more.  The list goes on and on.

So here's to your practice of this skill.  With an open mind to practicing the three steps above, you'll become an information ninja and make better decisions.