MARKETING
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As you plan your email marketing for the final month of 2024, be sure to include “time for reading,” says digital marketing veteran Chris Marriott. And the material he has in mind are your competitors’ ads. “Email in particular gives retailers a great opportunity for a rapid response to a competitor’s challenge. For instance, if a competitor promotes a deal that your brand can beat, a quick email might interest consumers,” he says. So be sure to ask the big-box and e-commerce chains to keep you in the loop.
COMMUNICATION
Pick Up the Phone
In almost no time at all, the phone call seems to have become the technological equivalent of an intrusive, unexpected knock at the door. But while texting gives you more control over your time, there are still instances when it is still far better to pick up the phone and dial. “It’s a much more efficient way to communicate,” says Catherine Blyth, author of On Time: Finding Your Pace in a World Addicted to Fast. It goes double for situations when communicating emotions, such as if an upset customer has reached out: “When in doubt, pick up the phone. If the emotion is complex, be in doubt,” she says.
BRAINSTORMING
Write Down Your Ideas
Don’t think you have great ideas? Tiago Forte, author of Building A Second Brain, recommends a 30-day test. “For 30 days, once or twice a day, when you have an insight or idea, write it down in a digital notes app. At the end of 30 days, open it up and look at this treasure trove of knowledge and try and tell me that some of the total collected information is not going to be valuable for all your future projects and goals,” he said on Dan Pink’s podcast.
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SAFETY
First Aid Primer
In a recent Tested Q&A with Adam Savage, the Mythbusters star offered several tips on first aid: Always make sure your first-aid supplies are close at hand, organized so that you know where everything is without thinking about it, and that you can grab what you need with one hand (should you be bleeding with the other). So, if your one first aid kit is a zippered case stored in the back-room kitchen, you’ve got some reorganizing to do or additional kits to buy.
COMMUNICATION
Help Long Emails Go Down
Writing a long email? Break it into two parts, leadership expert Erica Dhawan says. “Start with a quick summary at the top and then go into the details.” It helps people greatly digest the message, she writes in Digital Body Language: How to Build Trust & Connection, No Matter the Distance.
PROBLEM-SOLVING
What Could You Do?
Faced with a problem and not sure what to do? Instead of asking yourself “What should I do?” ask “What could I do?” According to a study by researchers at Harvard Business School, the “could” question widens the possibilities, generating more and better potential solutions, whereas “should” tends to limit the possibilities to what comes to mind first and what has been tried before.
MANAGEMENT
2025 … Bring It On!
2025 draws closer and with it the tantalizing thought of what you might be able to achieve. The consultants at McKinsey recommend setting an “aspirational goal” and an “acceptable result.” An ambitious goal raises your odds of success. But it also boosts your odds of feeling like a failure. In contrast, if you fall short of the aspirational goal but deliver the acceptable result, you haven’t failed. The other advantage of an aspirational target is that it tells everyone on your team that “we are open to doing things differently,” the report says.
PRODUCTIVITY
Put It in a 9-By-5 Box
Procrastinating on a task? Forget about completing it: Put it in a time box of 45 minutes instead, Luciano Passuello writes on litemind.com. “You overcome your resistance towards the task, and chances are that when the time is up you’ll have built enough momentum to continue working on it much longer.” Passuello adds a neat trick: His computer emits the sound of a round of applause when he reaches the allotted time.
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OPERATIONS
Team Reading
You can’t spend too much time or effort on “hiring smart” (the alternative is to manage tough, which is much more time consuming). But here’s a strategy to speed up the process: Read résumés in teams if possible. Teams of three to five people who work well together are more accurate and insightful about potential employees than individuals are, says Dr. Pierre Mornell, author of 45 Effective Ways for Hiring Smart!
INSPIRATION
Get in the Ring
Waiting for just the right opportunity? Or until you’re ready? You may be waiting forever. That was among the key takeaways from Wharton professor Adam Grant’s latest book, Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things. “Put yourself in the ring before you feel ready. You don’t need to build confidence before you take the leap — your confidence grows through taking the leap,” he writes.