Research is clear that people respond better – both qualitatively and in terms of completion time – when there is a sense of urgency to their work. While it’s important that leaders not overplay the urgency card (that can dull people’s responsiveness and induce unneeded stress) with their teams, there are many benefits to strategically adding an element of healthy pressure to the workplace.

Here are some “E.A.R.N.E.S.T.” ways to increase a sense of urgency at work:

Expectations – The first thing that people need to know is where things stand and what needs to change. Once you get your team clear on where they are and what needs to happen, you can reasonably expect that they will focus their efforts and energy to move things forward.
Awareness – They also should be made aware of why this task is of increased importance, as in what’s going to happen if nothing changes. In my example, it would be that we need to prioritize dismantling the sukkah to ensure that it gets into the shed before the sky opens up and everything gets soaked. Your consequence may relate to losing customers, taking a loss on a faulty product or service, or an opportunity to gain market share.

How to Decide What to Delegate

In our last post on delegation, we focused on situational leadership and how it impacts the role a leader plays in transferring work and responsibility to others. In this post the focus will shift to when one should delegate, and when one shouldn’t.

Choosing tasks to delegate can be trickier than it seems. There are some tasks, such as high-risk or crisis-related activities, that leaders should never delegate. Other responsibilities, including those that will be performed once or rarely and require much guidance and direction, should also not be included.

To determine when delegation is most appropriate, consider these key questions:

Is this a task that someone else can do, or is it critical that you do it yourself?
Is there someone else who has (or can be given) the necessary information or expertise to complete the task?
Does the task provide an opportunity to grow and develop another person's skills?
Is this a task that will recur with some frequency, in a similar form, in the future?
Do you have enough time to delegate the job effectively and stay on top of things? Time must be available for adequate training, for questions and answers, to check in on progress, and to re-imagine/rework when necessary.

business, coachingNaphtali HoffSeptember 26, 2018Impactful Coaching & Consultingdelegation, business, management, leadership, empowerment, strategiesComment

Learn to Let it Go

When I say that haven’t recited this prayer properly I refer mainly to the above paragraph. After all, there have been people who have hurt me, sometimes in serious ways. They seemed very content with their behavior and most did not seek forgiveness. Even though I recognize that if we all – myself included – willingly forgave one another then we would all be able to approach God for the atonement that we desperately seek. But still, it was so hard to forgive sometimes, especially is their behavior hurt my career and/or affected my family. I suspect that most of us have struggled with this point. We simply have a hard time letting go and are prepared to hold grudges indefinitely when we feel that we were right, even to our own detriment.

Educational Insights from the Business World

Without question, there are several significant differences between the roles and goals of educators and those the ply their trade in the business world. Perhaps most significant is how the two groups measure success.

Educators are focused primarily on student learning and development. To them, a healthy fiscal bottom line is a means through which they can achieve their goals, not an end to itself. Businesspeople, in contrast, are mainly interested in developing successful, profitable enterprises. Learning and development are viewed as necessary to help businesses and their people grow, but do not constitute a primary objective for most businesses.

The fundamental difference of purpose that separates schools from businesses often lends members of each camp to think that there is little to be learned from the other. This, in my view, is particularly true for educators. As a former teacher and principal, I felt a fundamental disconnect from what was occurring in the for-profit world. Many of my peers and colleagues expressed similar sentiment. Any time that I heard of some lay leader or governmental initiative to make schools more like businesses, I became suspicious. “What do they know about education anyway?”, I would ask.

business, education, leadershipNaphtali HoffSeptember 12, 2018Impactful Coaching & Consultingeducation, business, insights, leadershipComment

Being SMART About Your Goals - Sign up for the FREE Webinar!

Do you feel that your time at work is not as well spent as it needs to be?
Are you a busy entrepreneur or team leader who seeks to accomplish a great deal despite being understaffed and overstretched?
Do you have a sense of what you can achieve or become that you can’t seem to actualize?

If you answered “yes” to one or more of the above, then you may need to look more carefully at your goal-setting practices.

Goal setting is a critical component of any growth process, personal or professional. There are many benefits of setting goals, including…

Clarity and Focus – Goals motivate us to cut through the weeds and get focused on what’s really important.
Planning – Goals help us map out the necessary steps to achieve our desired result.
Accountability – Goals force us to set and meet deadlines and be accountable to others.
Transparency – When shared, goals help others understand what we’re focused on.
Self-esteem – Goals raise our self-confidence as we see ourselves grow and progress.

achievement, coachingNaphtali HoffSeptember 4, 2018Impactful Coaching & Consultinggoal setting, achievement, leadership, fulfillmentComment

6 Tips on How to Get Unstuck

The challenge I want to talk about today is something called getting stuck.

Many of us feel it, in our personal lives, in our relationships and of course at work in business.

We think we're capable of doing more. We want to build our businesses, build our relationships, get so much more out of life.

But we just don't seem to know what to do. Many times, as a result, we do nothing.

Tips for Getting Up in the Morning

I had a VERY hard time getting up this morning. For some reason, I was just exhausted. 😫

The thought of getting my day going just wasn’t resonating. I kept trying to justify staying in bed. 🛏

But I knew that I had a lot to do before heading out of town for a mini-vacation (finally!)

So, I reminded myself about what I would miss out on by sleeping in, including the kind of prayer service that most works for me and getting my work day started on time.

How to Build Workplace Symmetry and Win

On October 12, 2000, the USS Cole was attacked while refueling in Yemen’s Aden Harbor. 17 American sailors were killed and 39 more were injured. It was the deadliest attack against a United States naval vessel in over a decade. Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attack.

Though the horrors of 9/11 were still 11 months away, the United States was now in an asymmetrical war. The new kind of struggle, which pits nations or groups with disparate military capabilities and strategies against each other, and features such irregular tactics as counterinsurgency and terrorism, would force the Pentagon to rewrite its rules of engagement after decades of following a WWII and Cold War driven playbook.

Though the battlefield is far from the ideal workplace metaphor, the sad truth is that many employees come to work each day feeling embattled.

Networking Tips for Introverts and Shy People

Networking is important. We all get that. But what do you do if you’re shy, introverted and/or struggle in social settings?

One workaround is social media. Many folks much prefer engaging from behind a picture or avatar than in person. While the quality of the engagement can often be more limited, there’s a ton that one can achieve by showing up authentically online, sharing great content and demonstrating real interest in others.

Another approach is to use FaceTime, Duo, Skype, Zoom or some other online audio/video chat platforms. It can be less intimidating for folks to talk through their technology and preserve their personal space than to actually get in the same room as them. It can also make connecting much easier from a logistical standpoint.

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