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Author Archives: Columbia Books, LLC
Time to reinvent yourself? How to re-strategize for 2013
Have you met your strategic goals for 2012? 2011? 2010? Have you experienced recession, bankruptcy or downsizing? With the end of 2012 rapidly approaching, planning personal and professional goals for 2013 has become a priority for people in business and entrepreneurship. The fourth quarter of the year is the best time to reflect on the progress of your career or business; in planning for professional and personal goals for 2013, honesty is key. Continue reading
Guidelines for streamlining processes
Overworked employees who are handling larger workloads are experiencing higher stress, and could be on the verge of burnout, so now is the time to question just how efficient your organization is. Continue reading
Posted in Leadership, Management, Problem-Solving
Tagged organization, process improvement, productivity, Time management
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To do or not to do: That is the question
Much of what makes your to-do list, and much of what takes up your time during the day, should not be done at all. If that sounds shocking to you, I have a simple test you can take to determine whether or not the observation is true. Continue reading
Our way of saying “Thanks!”
Thanksgiving is next week, and we want to take a moment to thank you—our valued readers—for reading this blog. Continue reading
Posted in Leadership, Tools, Training
Tagged efficiency, employee training, self-improvement, Thanksgiving
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Fighting bah humbug: Driving employee motivation in stressful times
While we all love the cheer and joy of the holidays, let’s be honest—the holidays can be downright stressful with holiday travel, shopping and parties. In addition to personal seasonal plans, many executives are also consumed with end-of-year reporting and planning for the next year.
With so much activity and pressure occurring in the fourth quarter, the holidays are a time of year when employee motivation may wane due to stress and anticipation of a vacation. However, with end-of-year results on the line, leaders and managers must ensure their workforce stays focused and productive by encouraging employee motivation and providing appropriate rewards and recognitions. Continue reading
Posted in Management, Uncategorized
Tagged Employee Relations, Human Resources, leadership, management, motivation
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The top 5 pitfalls that derail corporate decision making
Despite the wealth of information available to us these days, many of today’s best and brightest business leaders still make poor decisions. This is unfortunate, because sound decision making is at the heart of every company’s success … Continue reading
Posted in Leadership, Management, Progress
Tagged change, decision making, process improvement, progress, self-improvement
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Does accountability for goals run deep in your organization?
Many executives think that because they have set high-level organizational goals and are regularly reviewing progress and designated metrics for these, their whole organization is working toward and accountable for achieving those goals. But in many organizations, that’s not the case … Continue reading
Posted in Goals, Leadership, Management
Tagged accountability, employee training, goals, motivation, productivity
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Focus on the task at hand
A study published in Science magazine suggested that people spend 47% “of their waking hours thinking about something other than the activity they’re actually involved in.” What’s worse, that mental meandering makes them more unhappy than others who are able to focus on the task at hand and don’t allow their minds to wander … Continue reading
Posted in Organization, Time Management
Tagged concentration, focus, Jeff Davidson, Time management, to-do lists
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The power of a template
Does it feel like you’re always busy typing up letters and emails? Does it sometimes feel like you’re sending out the same emails? If you answered “Yes,” what do you do? Do you retype the entire email over and over again, or do you go back in your Sent folder and look for that email you sent out a few weeks ago so you can copy and paste the content? Why not simplify the process with a template? … Continue reading
Do it on your time
I love the practice of shifting when I do things to save time and avoid hassles. When I was a freelancer, I arranged my schedule so that I could do the grocery shopping on a weekday morning and steer clear of the frantic after-work rush during the week or the Saturday shopping frenzy. These days I shop early Sunday morning or on a weeknight after dinner, whenever possible … Continue reading
