PRODUCTIVITYThe Rule of Three
Want to improve the productivity of email and avoid flame wars? Use the “Rule of Three,” writes Jim Schleckser in INC: If you can’t resolve something in three emails or less, it’s time to pick up the phone. “I know, it’s old school. But people will often write things in email they would never say to someone in person.” If you find yourself about to enter into an endless email flame war with someone, skip the reply and just call them, he says. “It’s been my experience that this results in a 100% success rate in resolving the issue, usually within minutes of getting on the phone, while limiting unnecessary email.”
HIRINGExperience Doesn’t Equal Performance
When hiring, don’t mistake experience for past performance. Setting requirements like “Three to five years of experience in a pet retail or service setting” is no guarantee of a solid hire. The data is clear, says behavioral psychologist Adam Grant. “Past experience rarely predicts future performance. What matters is past performance — and current motivation and ability. It’s how well people can learn to do a job, not how long they’ve already done it,” he says.
PLANNINGInvite a Vendor
If you hold an annual company strategic retreat for your business, why not invite representatives from your key vendors to sit in for a session or two? Share just about everything. Your vendors will understand you better, and they can usually provide ideas to help you sell better. Jason Jennings, author of Think Big, Act Small cites this policy as a key strength at Sonic Drive-In, one of America’s fastest growing fast-food franchises.
OPERATIONSClear to Neutral
When you enter a kitchen and find the sink piled high with dishes, you’re less likely to want to dive into cooking a meal. The same applies to your office when you have to clear a pile of stuff off your desk to start working. Enter the idea of “clearing to neutral” — a ritual where “whenever you finish an activity, you [move] everything so [it] is in neutral position.” According to Thanh Pham, at the blog Asian Efficiency, when you return to such an environment, it eliminates all of the friction — both physical and mental — and you can quickly get started with what you need to accomplish.
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MANAGEMENTWords to Remember
Advertising guru Roy Williams offers a quote that’s worthy of printing and putting in a frame in your back office: “I can’t understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I’m frightened of the old ones.”
COMMUNICATIONSPhone Form
When you meet with someone in person, whether a member of your team or a visiting vendor, make a point of turning off your phone completely, says Chris Bailey, author of Hyper Focus. “(It) shows them they’re important to you, and that you’re ready to give them 100% of your attention.”
MANAGEMENTCreate More Levels
Are your business’s titles limited to Owner, Manager, and then a bunch of random associates or assistants? They shouldn’t be, says Marcus Buckingham, author of First, Break All The Rules. Having additional employee levels creates an inspirational framework for higher achievement. You can do something as simple as following the law-firm model — have “Junior” and “Senior” team members — or as seen in real estate, you could have one “Club” or several based on sales or other achievement levels.
PRODUCTIVITYPrep an Easy Work File
As busy as most business owners and managers are, there are also frequent periods of forced downtime, as you wait for someone to get back to you with a quote, for the lunchtime rush of customers, for a seasonal project to be implemented. For such times, Greg Rudolph, founder and CEO of Board Blazers, recommends keeping an “easy work” file on your desktop. “This includes simple tasks that might require lots of time but can be easily interrupted, such as data entry, reading, or small unfinished items from the day before. That way, you have a simple task ready to go whenever you find yourself with a few free minutes in your day,” he tells INC.
