(Author’s Note: The following is a Cliff Note style summary of my keynote presentation and upcoming book titled The Waterfall Effect: Six Principles for Productive Leadership.)



Time is every organization’s most valuable asset.  Yet it is a non-renewable resource; once gone it cannot be recaptured.  Thus, leaders must leverage their time to remain productive.

The Benefits of Leveraging Leadership Time

Leaders who focus on the right objectives, people and activities are leveraging their time.  The result is called the Waterfall Effect – the cascading benefit that flows down through the organization and out to clients and customers.

How can leaders best leverage their time in today’s always-on, frenetic world? How can they ensure that they’re making the best use of this precious, non-renewable resource to deliver the most productive leadership possible? How can today’s leaders reproduce the Waterfall Effect over and over?



Six Principles for Productive Leadership

The following six principles for productive leadership assist leaders in producing The Waterfall Effect.

1. Developing Field Vision.  Leaders must focus on assimilating and responding to today’s dynamic work environments to remain in command of their organizations.  Here are some ways to accomplish this result.

• Visualize the path.  By creating a mental path of the route to success, leaders can keep actions, projects and people moving in the right direction.
• Glance at the goal.  Remaining mindful of, but not entirely focused on, the organization’s objectives allows a leader to move forward in a meaningful but flexible way.
• Call time out.  Being in charge also means staying in command. Knowing when to step back to gather the group together and refocus the effort is an under-valued skill in today’s frantic world.

2. Keeping the Glass Half Full.  How people feel directly affects how they perform.  Keeping the team’s attitude positive requires effort on the leader’s part.  These suggestions will help.

• Cultivate every relationship.  Solid relationships among team members (and others) are the glue that keeps a group working cohesively.  Leaders are well advised to remember this timeless fact in the frenzy of e-mails and teleconferences that consume our days.
• Mandate dignity and respect.  Feeling valued is another emotion-based factor in team dynamics.  If a leader demonstrates dignity and respect for those inside and out of the organization, the message is clear:  people are valuable.
• Embrace the risk of failure.  The notion that “failure is not an option” is patently ridiculous. Failure is always a possibility.  Leaders who embrace the risk of failure demonstrate true courage to those around them.

3. Leveraging The Value of Silence.  Leaders are regularly guiding others and are often looked to for direction.  So much so that they often forget the benefits that accrue from being quiet.  When working in groups be mindful of the following tenants.

• Engagement is something they do. Pundits speak often of engagement and the need for leaders to “produce” this result.  The reality is that engagement is a result, not a product.  Team members become engaged versus directed to be so.
• Count to five. Giving direction is a key leadership function.  However, many times it’s more productive to say nothing.  An effective way to achieve this result is to make a statement, then count to five mentally before saying anything else.  The result can be surprising!
• Take “me” time.  Just as leaders need to know when to Call Time Out for the team to regroup, so too must the leader recognize the value of taking time to gather his/her thoughts and regenerate energy before launching into the next fray.

4. Peeling Back the Onion.  There is hidden potential in everyone.  Uncovering it is more than a leader’s obligation, it’s a leader’s reward.  There are several mechanisms for mining the potential in others.

• Mentoring redux.  Mentoring has traditionally focused on development within a job or career. An expanded view of mentoring – something that advances the individual’s interests, as well as career objectives – can uncover previously undiscovered convergent paths.
• Hire yourself out of job.  Most hiring is focused on filling an immediate need.  This is important.  However, hiring into the future needs of the organization is possibly even more important.  Slowing down during the hiring process and challenging candidates during interviews can ferret out those who may possess skills and aptitudes better suited to the organization’s long-term goals.
• Guide versus direct.  Leaders who constantly answer questions are training team members to be question askers.  Conversely, most people are hired to be solution finders. Instead of just answering every question asked, leaders can achieve a better result by asking leading questions.  This guides the team to the right answer, a much better learning experience for everyone.

5. Setting the Bar.  Given the current speed of interaction, setting and managing expectations has never been more important to individual or group success.  These are the guideposts to facilitate this result.

• Start on the right foot. The best time to set expectations is when a relationship – internal or external – is new.  Leaders who communicate how to best to work together (including response times, etc.) to others are leveraging their time at a critical point of engagement.
• Clarity is king. A sign of great leadership is to give clear instruction to others, including specific deadlines.  The minor effort it takes to accurately define what is needed when provides needed clarity to team members who are also dealing with their own frenetic work environment.
• Be a hero not a zero.  The most common leadership failure is overcommitting and under-performing.  This is largely the result of misplaced optimism – the belief that more will get done in a given time frame than actually occurs.  A terrific way to remedy this behavior is to intentionally under commit and over perform. In the end, everyone is happier and the stress level of the entire team goes down.

6. Triaging Priorities. The modern working environment can be likened to a medical emergency room where constant triaging must be done to ensure the best outcome.  When the day gets hectic leaders are encouraged to remember these principles.

• Multi-taking is impossible.  More and more neurological studies are proving what most of us already know – multi-tasking is impossible.  Focus is where productivity lies and leaders who pursue quiet spaces to work for themselves and their team members produce the best result.
• Use a simple sorting system.  Information is constantly flowing at us. Using a simplified sorting system to separate what is necessary and what is irrelevant will keep the requisite administrative time to a minimum.  QuietSpacing® – one such system – mandates that there are only four types of information: trash, archive, reference and work.  Use it or another system to maximize leadership time.
• Secure clear deadlines. The cousin to clarity is king, securing clear deadlines from others allows leaders to properly prioritize the work.  Often persistence and diplomacy are needed in this pursuit, but the rewards outweigh the effort.

Remaining in Command
 

Today’s world is demanding. That means today’s leaders need some simple tools to lead productively.  The six principles listed above, along with their corresponding implementation suggestions, will help you and your people produce the cascading of benefit promised by The Waterfall Effect.

© 2012, Paul H. Burton. All rights reserved.

Bureaucracy-phobic

Such was my state of mind a few weeks ago as I approached our DMV branch office with the title to my new (old) car in hand.  The mission: to get the old Montana title converted to a new Nevada title.  Simple enough.

To maximize my opportunity for success, I planned to arrive at the local office at 7:15 a.m., a full 45 minutes before it opened. You can imagine my dismay when I pulled into the parking lot to discover that, if I hurried, I might be the 100th person in line!

A Sea of Humanity Flowing as One

The doors were flung open at 8:00 a.m. sharp!  Or at least I imagined they were since I was too far back in line to see the actual doors open.  The people streamed into the building and that’s when I received my first pleasant surprise.

At the door was a greeter and she was directing everyone to one of three different areas in the wide open, airy and well-lit building.  Some were directed to Licensing, some to Title & Registration, and the rest were pointed in the direction of “Additional Services.”

I took up my position in the Title & Registration line.  Waiting there, I had the opportunity to look around. There was plenty of seating, all setup in classroom fashion.  The building had a lot of natural light shining in from the large skylights inserted in the very high ceilings.  It was clean and though certainly institutional, it was nice institutional (if that’s possible)

Queued Up & Waiting

I reached the front of the Title & Registration line where a man behind the counter asked me what I needed to do.  I explained my mission and he gave me a slip of paper with a number on it and directed me to the larger group of chairs, saying that my number would be called in order.  All of this was administered to efficiently and with a professional demeanor.

So professional, in fact, that I almost forgot to be suspicious of the “just wait over there and we’ll call your number shortly” part.  If I didn’t remain vigilant, these people just might make this experience enjoyable!

I sat and waited.  During my wait I determined that there were no less than 15 stations open and servicing people.  Suspended above us in several locations and in clear view was a reader board assigning numbers to stations.  And, to make sure I didn’t miss my opportunity, there was a constant announcement in a pleasant female voice reciting which number was now being served by which station.

The Actual Interaction

It didn’t take long, not long at all, for my number to be called.  I approached the DMV representative seated at her desk and sat down.  She asked what I needed to do and I reiterated my mission.  She immediately turned to her computer, pulled up the appropriate form, and asked for my driver’s license.  Then, to my surprise, she completed the form for me!

Sitting there stunned, I didn’t hear her ask me how I would like to pay my fee – cash, check or credit card.  I came to as she asked again and blurted out credit card.  She slid the card swiper in my direction and I finished the transaction on my side. She printed a receipt and a copy of the new title application and told me that it generally takes three to five weeks to get the new title in the mail.

Epilogue

I wandered back out into the sunlit morning.  It was 8:35.  I’d spent more time in line waiting for the doors to open than I did accomplishing my mission!  Oh, and my title?  It arrived in under two weeks.

Whoda thunk?

What They Did Right

As a student of process and efficiency, I had immediately begun taking notes on my experience as soon as I encountered the greeter at the front door. Here’s what they did right:

1. They understood their primary mission – to assist people with their licensing and vehicular needs – and everything was centered on that core objective.

2. They broke their services down into a simple customer-centric list of divisions – Licensing, Title & Registration, and Additional Services.

3. They took pains to understand the workflow of their business – parsing, queuing, paperwork – and incorporated human interaction steps and technological solutions to ensure smooth operation.

4. The building’s design and decor were well suited for its purposes and were actually “soothing,” such that the physical space accommodated the workflow.

5. The staff was professional and helpful – to the point of completing the forms for us.  (Note, this is also more efficient since they’re much more familiar with the forms than we are!)

Did Apple Take Lessons from the Nevada DMV?

Apple stores are the rage of retail in terms of customer service stories, and it’s well deserved.  Apple does a very good job of customer service. So does Nordstrom and so does Zappos.  But they’re all for-profit businesses.

In this instance we’re talking about a state department of motor vehicles.  Yet, by focusing on workflow and efficiency, and throwing in a mix of good design, the Nevada DMV took what has historically been a fear-inducing experience and made it an award winner.

When was the last time you looked at your business through your customer’s/client’s eyes?

© 2011, Paul H. Burton. All rights reserved.

Once we can quiet the cacophony of the modern work place, the next point of attack is to increase productivity (and it’s cousin – sense of accomplishment) by making the way we actually get work done more efficient.  And, like most things, it’s all been done before.

Texting is Great Practice for Good Communication

Much lamenting is heard about texting.  How we are “disengaging” from our surroundings to remain digitally linked to persons distant.  We also talk about how our use of the English language is suffering from the cryptic abbreviations used in texts.  And let’s not forget the ~ping~ that sounds each time a new text arrives.

These things are all true, but they’ve all been said before about other technological innovations.  What if we looked at some of the positive aspects of texting – specifically, at how it might be making us more efficient communicators?

The 140-character (soft) limit to texting is great practice for achieving the Keep It Simple Stupid (K.I.S.S.) philosophy of life.  It’s even more beneficial if we alter the K.I.S.S. philosophy slightly – Keep It Short & Simple.

Texting is a terrific way to communicate in one line and/or one sentence bursts.  So, if we look at texting as a practice ground for good burst-communication, we’ll find many applications in our daily work life where this skill can reap rewards.

Three Ways to KISS

Here are three applications of this newly reconstituted KISS philosophy as enhanced by good texting mechanics:

1.  Subject Lines. Subject lines appear in many electronic technologies; e.g., E-mail, Appointments, Tasks just to name a few.  If we leverage those one-line blank fields by creating robust Subject lines, we’ll be able to communicate very effectively in 140 characters.  For example, what if our e-mail Subject lines looked like this:

Big & Large – Firm Retreat – September 23-25, 2050 – QuietSpacing(R) Proposal – Executive Summary

or our calendar Subject lines looked more like this:

QuietSpacing QuickStart Demo – John Doe (206) 555-6666 & Paul H. Burton (503) 680-9872 – PHB Initiates

or our to-do Subject lines looked more like this:

ODP: Finance – Deposits – Cybersource thru 7/28 – Google Checkout thru 7/25 – PayPal – Amazon on 10th and 25th

Each of these Subject lines convey a tremendous amount of information without even opening the underlying e-mail, calendar event or task.  Moreover, they are easier to find and file which makes the workflow processing run more smoothly each day.

2.  New Style Short-Hand. We all take notes. Whether it’s in a meeting, on a conference call or when we’re working alone, there are numerous ideas and to-dos that get jotted down along the way.  You may use old school technology (pen and paper) or new school technology (laptop or tablet), but in the end, the notes get recorded in some fashion.  One way to make note taking more effective and efficient is to create a short-hand dictionary to avoid re-writing words most often used and to indicate items of particular interest by category.  Here are a couple of examples to consider adopting when taking notes:

• M = Meeting
• C = Call
• T = To-do

Just start a note with the applicable letter and jot down the subject matter.  Later, we (or our assistant) can quickly peruse the notes to pull out the actionable items before filing the notes away for archival purposes.

3.  Bullet Points and Bullet Points + Narrative. The final suggestion is to continue leveraging our newly acquired brevity skills right in the body of the communication through the use of bullet points.  Though bullet points may have led to Death by PowerPoint, it’s not their fault; it’s the fault of the PowerPoint user.  Bullet points are great ways to list the key points in any communication – if not be the entire communication.  The next time a long(ish) e-mail must be written, consider starting with a list of bullet points that identify the main points before launching into the narrative description below.  It might just be that the bullet points alone suffice!

Mick Jaeger Once Said

One of my favorite quotes is from Mick Jaeger.  Decades ago, he said (paraphrasing), “All the cords on a guitar have been played.  Now, it was just a matter of arrangement.”  Much of what we can do to “fix” the ills of modern technological over-connectedness and consumption is to apply some old behaviors in a new way.  Diligently remembering that technology is a tool and not a set of chains and seeking to Keep It Short & Simple will generate the kind of results that we all want – more done in less time.

© 2011, Paul H. Burton. All rights reserved.

Urgent!  Top Priority!  A.S.A.P.

The problem with this type of deadline setting is that it has become common place and is attached to all manner of work delegation – both urgent and … well … less than urgent (to be polite).   The quandaries this behavior creates are numerous:

• If I have five “Urgents” on my to-do list, which one do I do first?
• Why is an assignment recipient being asked to shoulder the responsibility of gleaning the true deadline in play on any particular piece of work?
• Isn’t deadline setting a managerial responsibility most logically expected of the assignment giver?
• And, if the assignment giver is just shoving the assignment downstream in the same manner it was received from above, doesn’t this notion of who’s responsibility it is to determine an actual due date and time even more pressing?

Lazy Deadlining

Lazy Deadlining is what it is.  Work givers using these deadlines at all levels have simply abdicated their responsibility to determine when a specific piece of work must actually be accomplished.

My case for this position is this:  Urgent! Top Priority! A.S.A.P. do not exist on any calendar that I’ve ever seen.  Therefore, they are meaningless when it comes to the effective workflow management.  Moreover, it is this notion of “management” that directs my attention to the giver of work when seeking the culprit.  The responsibility for clear communication nests within the authority to give work.  It is not the responsibility of the recipient to drive a deadline or magically guess at that deadline is (arguments about “managing up” aside).
But I’m just taking orders too! This is often the position taken by those accused of lazy deadlining.  This translates to, “I have no control over my world and I prefer it that way.”  Hogwash.  No one likes feeling out of control or constantly operating in a reactionary mode.  It’s unsettling, stressful, and, more to the point here, inefficient.

The Inefficiency of Lazy Deadlining

I’m a productivity “expert.”  At least that’s what my web site says.  So I approach workflow management issues primarily from an effectiveness (better) and efficiency (faster, cheaper) perspective.  And the problem with Urgent! Top Priority! A.S.A.P. is that it breaks all the rules that result in better, faster, cheaper.  Here are three reasons why:

• Ping Ponging. Whenever these mandates come down, people DO stop whatever they were doing and jump onto the new task.  This can also be called an interruption and we’ve all heard the statistic that it can take up to 20 minutes to get back on track following an interruption.  And, before you jump on me about how important this task is, remember that these edicts are being routinely issued throughout the day, causing delegates to Ping Pong from one conflagration to the next resulting in numerous unnecessary interruptions each day.  This is neither effective nor efficient.
• Urgency Begets Rushing. When everything must be done right now people rush.  Rushing results in lots and lots of mistakes.  The best thing that can happen when you start making these mistakes is that the work gets to be redone.  The worst thing that can happen is that the mistake-riddled end result is delivered to the giver (think: Client or Customer) resulting in a very bad client/customer experience.
• Chicken Little Effect. A long term organizational problem also results from Lazy Deadlining – the loss of urgency when urgency is truly needed.  This happens when an assignment is rushed back to the giver only to linger for days or weeks on the giver’s desk.  We can only claim the sky is falling so many times before people stop looking up.  This is a loss of organizational effectiveness at a fundamental level.

Clarity:  The Simple Fix

Ironically, fixing this problem is very simple – simply provide specific dates and times (where possible) for all work assignments given.  Moreover, for those receiving work that does not contain specific date/time deadlines, simply ask for clarification. (Note, this need to request clarification applies to those who are passing work down the chain.  This is, if it’s unclear when received, don’t abdicate responsibility, seek clarity.)

For work givers, the solution is just as easy as it sounds – put a date and time on all work delegated.

For work receivers, the solution is to diplomatically seek a specific date/time on every piece of work you receive.  For example, “Thanks for the opportunity to work on this project.  In order to ensure I produce a professional the result in a timely manner, do you know if there is a specific date/time this must be done?”  Or, “I’m looking forward to working on this.  You’ve given several other high urgency projects this week, so can we sit down for a minute and line up the dates/times each is due?”  Or, if you’re talking to a client, try this, “We’ll get on this right away.  Can you give me some idea of what’s driving the urgency on this matter?”

The end game is to achieve clarity so that everyone’s expectations are met.  Remember, A.S.A.P. means something very different to me (the recipient) than to you (the giver) if I’m leaving at noon on my long-overdue two-week vacation.

Specific Application

There are several instances where Lazy Deadlining can be stopped in its tracks:

• E-mail. If an assignment is being delegated in e-mail, insert a specific date and time the work is due right in the Subject line of the e-mail.  Not only does it force the work giver to think about the deadline in the process of delegating, it’s also more easily read and found in the undoubtedly full Inbox of the recipient.
• Voice Mail. Similarly, communicating the deadline when first leaving work in voice mail allows both the giver and receiver to immediately determine how to manage this particular effort as it relates to the other outstanding tasks.
• Group/Individual Meetings. Before the conclusion of one-on-one meetings or group/team meetings, the meeting leader can take a minute to confirm all decisions made during the meeting, identify next steps, those responsible for the next steps, and the deadlines for completion or updates on the next steps.  Thus, everyone has an opportunity to weigh in on the deadline setting effort and they leave the meeting with a clear understanding of the expectations placed on them.

Work Doesn’t Happen in Vacuum

This may be stating the obvious, but work is never assigned in a vacuum.  Both the giver and receiver have a number of things on their minds and on their task lists whenever work is passed up and down the chain of command.  Issuing deadlines like Urgent! Top Priority! A.S.A.P. seems, at first blush, to contemplate this reality by their very intimation to drop everything else.  However, as discussed above, when viewed in the broader perspective, these Lazy Deadline actually create more ineffectiveness and inefficiency during the work flow process than they solve.  The best solution is to slow down just a notch and articulate (or seek articulation of) clear date/time specific deadlines for all work.

© 2011, Paul H. Burton. All rights reserved.

The real issue here isn’t whether to file, but how to file.  My clients routinely fail to file well because they don’t believe they have the time or wherewithal to create a filing system that will actually work. 

Just Look to Your Kitchen for Guidance

Most people cry, “But I’d don’t know where to start!”  whenever the issue of creating a filing system is brought up.  Nonesense.  Just look to the silverware drawer in virtually everyone’s kitchen.  It’s organized, so it can’t be that hard.  Note, the silverware drawer stands in stark contract to the “junk” drawer which is generally a disaster. 

What’s my point?  Ask yourself which system works better for you.  Read on if you answered the silverware drawer.

The silverware drawer is better organized for two reasons. First, like items are grouped together.  Forks go with forks, spoons with spoons, etc.  We have simply arranged things in an orderly/categorical manner.  Paperwork can be similarly organized – by project, client, department, and all the various sub-categories that arise.

Second, there are products you can purchase to assist in keeping the silverware properly sorted.  I’m talking about those drawer inserts with bays for separating everything out.  Again, the same is true for physical and electronic paperwork.  On the physical side, there are manila folders, expanding Redwells, hanging folders and filing cabinets.  On the electronic side, the ability to create folders and sub-folders is built right into the functional aspect of the computer’s operating system.  There are also dozens of systems (like QuietSpacing®) and products that can help you create and maintain an organized filing system.

Rummaging is Best Left to Others

In the end, the decision to create and maintain a good filing system is a decision that requires discipline to execute and follow.  Once you are on your way to creating a system that works for you, you can adjust it to meet any future needs that you face. However, failure to start means failure to succeed.

© 2011, Paul H. Burton. All rights reserved.

•  Adopt. Give the suggestion a try; see if it works for you.
• Adapt.  If the suggestion isn’t working for you, but you like the idea, try to Adapt it to your way of working.
• Reject.  If you can’t Adopt or Adapt a suggestion, toss it out and go to the next one.  We’re just looking for one or two ideas to help you regain command of your day.

With that said, here are my Top 10 Time Management Tips:

 1.  Create a Designated Work Space.  Identify a defined physical space – like your entire desktop - that you clear of everything (I mean EVERYTHING) except the one thing you need to work on right now.  Your DWS should look like a newborn conference room table.  It will help you eliminate the effects of peripheral vision which can be very distracting when piles of other work and your computer monitor are within that scope of vision.

2.  Use Robust Subject Lines.  Be very descriptive in the Subject line of each e-mail.  This will assist the reader determine how important your e-mail is in relation to the others in his/her inbox, as well as assist their ability to find and file it quickly in the future.

3.  Face Away From Traffic.  Facing the door – what I call the Command Central office setup – has the disadvantage of allowing your 120 degrees of peripheral vision affect your focus.  You look up every time someone walks by and, worst case scenario, you catch their eye and in they come!  Though not Feng Shui compliant, facing away from the door eliminates this self-inflicted distraction from your day.

4.  Conduct Regular Core Dumps. One of the leading causes of “noise” in our lives is the self-talk going on inside our heads.  “Gotta remember that.”  “Oh yeah, can’t forget that.”  These mental reminders cause our focus to ping pong around all day long. When you hear these ruminations going on, take a moment to jot the information down on a physical or digital sticky note.  Quell the internal symphony by capturing all the to-dos in a recorded form so you can focus on the exigencies of the day.

5.  Turn off new message alerts.  I can’t say it enough – turn new message alerts OFF!  These self-inflicted interruptions are riddling your ability to focus and be productive.  Just check your e-mail, texts and voice mails periodically throughout the day (even every 15 minutes if necessary) to remain responsive to those who need your attention.

6.  Pick Today’s One Thing.  A great way to feel productive and in charge of your workload is to pick ONE thing each day that you WILL get done.  At the very least, this one thing will move off our plate.  (Note, for you over-achievers out there, I said ONE.)

7.  Reduce Meeting Length by 25%.  Work fills the time allotted.  Thus, if we schedule meetings for 60 minutes, they’ll take 60 minutes.  However, if we schedule them for 45 minutes, they’ll take 45 minutes.  Shazam!  We just found 15 minutes in the day to get other stuff done.

8.  Take Short Breaks Throughout the Day.  Contrary to popular believe, this “life thing” ain’t a marathon. The brain just don’t work that way.  It’s more like a series of sprints.  Cater to your brain’s preference for sprinting by taking short breaks throughout the day.  Even a five minute walk around the building or a quick read of the daily newspaper allows your brain to take a much-needed breather before jumping in to the next big effort.

9.  Schedule Only Four Hours of Work Each Day.  We are all optimists.  We tend to think everything takes less time than it actually does.  As a result, we over-commit our time and end up begging for extensions from those to whom we owe work.  Begging for extensions is a waste of time – what I call activity with no corresponding productivity.  One solution to this conundrum is to only schedule yourself for four hours of work each day.  This means that when you are giving others an idea of when you can get something done, base it on a four-hour workday instead of an eight-hour workday.  That leaves four hours each day to deal with the inevitable emergencies that come up.

10.  Do One Thing at a Time.  Multi-tasking is an inefficient way to work.  There is a growing body of science that supports this conclusion, but just trying having a conversation with someone who is checking their e-mail at the same time to confirm this proposition.  Doing one thing at a time means you can be laser focused on that one thing.  Laser focus delivers all your brain’s resources on this one task resulting in increased efficiency and effectiveness.

There they are.  Ten of my most recommended time management tips.  Take them.  Leave them.  Pass them along.  Most importantly, though, consider each of them to determine where there’s a nugget of value in there for you.  After all, it IS all about you!

© 2011, Paul H. Burton. All rights reserved.

When we hired a new employee recently, we had her review the applicable process sheets before digging into the software. Then, while she was coming up to speed, she referred to the process sheets to guide her way. The net results were faster learning by her and fewer questions to be answered by others = 2x productivity! 

Here are the basic steps to getting this right the first time and keeping it right over time.

Commit to the Time Needed

Like all forms of communication, documenting a process takes additional time and focus.  The key to good process documentation are to (a) capture the process while actually doing it and (b) slow way, way down to make sure you are recording every single step.  One of the greatest risks here is that you miss or skip a step that is “obvious” to you, but not so obvious to the person who is unfamiliar with the process and is relying on your documentation.

Use a Shared Location to Store Your Documented Process

Ensuring that everyone has both (a) access to the documented processes and (b) the ability to update or revise them as necessary over time are critical paths to success.  There are a number of ways of storing written processes in shared environments – office file server, Microsoft SharePoint, Google Docs – but it’s very important that everyone has the ability to revise the documents. 

Processes can quickly become stale and inaccurate if they are not updated.  The time for updating is best achieved at the time a person realizes that the existing process is incorrect.  Allowing them the privilege to correct it immediately greatly increases the longevity and value of each process documented. 

If you are concerned about tracking changes, you can either ask people to note any changes in a different color text (with their intials in brackets) or ask that they save the document as a new document with a sequential version number.  This latter option preserves the old and the new, though it risks some confusion by future users.

Test on the Unwitting

It’s vitally important that someone unfamiliar with the process be asked to follow the documentation to determine if each step is captured and communicated clearly.  The fundamental value statement of documenting processes is that someone new to the situation will successfully complete the process.  The only sure-fire way to determine that is by asking an employee who performs a different role to run through the process using the instructions. 

Periodic Updates

Some processes don’t get much attention over time.  They may only be applicable to a new employee or a little-used feature of your business or software.  Working through every process at least once a year will help ensure you have kept them current.  A note at the bottom of each documented process that identifies the most recent “test date” is a great way to track when it’s time to review a particular process

A Clear Map Guides the Path to Success

Documenting processes can feel onerous when you are working through your first set.  However, the pay back becomes readily apparent whenever someone unfamiliar with a certain aspect of your business is asked to complete a process.  Whether it’s a new employee or existing person pinch-hitting for the day, their ability to quickly review the steps and complete the task with little to no additional assistance makes for a more productive and less stressful day for all those concerned.

For more words of wisdom on this subject, check out this post from Stephanie Calahan and others – http://tinurl.com/49kgpao.

© 2011, Paul H. Burton. All rights reserved.

The 60-minute, CLE-approved seminar was well attended and we ran right up against the 60 minutes leaving time to answer only a few questions.  However, Larry’s presentation platform was able to capture all the questions posed and this post consists of my responses to the many great questions raised during the webinar. 

Note, I’ve aggregated some of the questions by subject matter, so if you don’t see your exact question, please see if it’s been aggregated.  If not, please use the Comment section at the end of the post to re-ask your question and I’ll respond specifically to your inquiry.

Question #1:  How would you save an email that is “Trash,” but you want to keep it in the client’s file?

As you may recall, the QuietSpacing® method breaks everything we receive (physically or electronically) into one of four Categories of Stuff: Trash, Archive, Reference or Work.  When triaging your e-mail, the first thing to do is determine into which Category each e-mail fits.  Anything you want to keep in a client file fits into the Archive Category and is, therefore, not Trash.

Question #2:  Can QuietSpacng® be used with other e-mail programs, e.g., Mac Mail, Gmail (Google Apps), or Thunderbird?

Yes, QuietSpacing® is a methodology – a way of doing something, in this case, managing e-mail.  I demonstrated the use of QuietSpacing® for e-mail using Microsoft Outlook because, frankly, it’s the most robust e-mail client in the market and the vast majority of my clients use it.  However, as a methodology, the value of QuietSpacing® arises out of the ability to quickly determine what each e-mail “is” and how it must be handled.  Functionality varies in other programs, but my experience is that 80% or more of the underlying processing of e-mail via QuietSpacing® can be replicated. 

Question #3: Not everything requires a decision.  Many emails require research before a response can be generated.

Absolutely correct.  However, one of the primary benefits of QuietSpacing® is separating the Work (items requiring research before a response can be generated) from the “Closed” items – Trash, Archive and Reference (items requiring no additional effort other than filing).  Thus, any e-mail you open that requires additional effort before it is complete is Work and should be queued up for future effort.   Remember, right “now” we’re just getting through the batch of unread e-mails in our Inbox to allow us to de-clutter the playing field and accurately re-prioritze our workload accordingly.

Question #4: I see his Favorite Folders with WIP Action, WIP Pending, etc, but when he sets the flag and the reminder, where/when does he mark it as one of those categories such as Action, Awaiting Response, Pending, Reading?

During the training, we broke what is one fluid process into two steps for demonstration purposes.  Specifically, when batch processing through your unread e-mails, you will Categorize each e-mail (Trash, Archive, Reference, Work).  If it’s Trash, you will click the black “X” Delete icon.  If it’s Archive or Reference, you will click the Move To Folder icon (near the Delete icon) and file it in the appropriate folder. If it’s Work, you will click the For Follow Up red “Flag” icon, set a reminder date using the Due By drop down, then – if you wish – you can Move To Folder to a WIP_Folder (WIP_Action Items, WIP_Awaiting Response, WIP_Pending, or WIP_Reading). This last step sets the flag and moves the e-mail into a folder OUTSIDE of your Inbox. 

Note:  Moving e-mails to WIP_Folders is a Power User step that should ONLY be done after you are comfortable that you won’t forget to look in those folders periodically throughout the day.  Stated differently, I recommend that my clients just set the Flag for Follow Up and leave those Work e-mails in the Inbox at first.  This guarantees that you will see all of them when they turn red and pop into your Reminders Window.

Question #5: Is it better to use Cc or Bcc when sending copying yourself in on e-mails you send?

I recommend you use Cc or Bcc for all e-mail you send.  This DOES increase the amount of e-mail you receive, but it also guarantees that you get to handle the disposition of every e-mail in your workflow – including those you send to others that contain instructions or requests for action.  Another way to answer this question of “Why copy yourself on all e-mails you send?” is that if you do, you’ll never wish you had! 

Now, on with the specific question: I personally Cc myself rather than Bcc myself. The reason is that when you Cc yourself, others see that you are tracking this particular e-mail.  It’s my experience that when people know I’m following things, they tend to focus on them more.

Note: There are plugins for this behavior for Outlook and you can also write your own Rule for it in most e-mail programs.

Question #6: Why not just Flag e-mails for a reminder from the Sent Items folder?

This is an excellent alternative to Cc’ing or Bcc’ing yourself on the e-mail you send.  The only risk here is that you must remember to check your Sent Items folder regularly or risk missing something that may require your follow up.

Question #7: On turning off notices - People today (and especially clients) have come to expect quick response times.  Any thoughts on how dealing with the Inbox in batches affects that expectation?  (There was also a related question about teleworking and missing things from the office).

There is a fundamental misunderstanding that has developed with expectations and e-mail.  Candidly, there’s an entire book on this subject should I want to flog it that much.  But here’s the quick and dirty.  Getting alerted every time an e-mail hits your Inbox is a distraction from what you’re doing.  You WILL waste time between checking it and trying to get back in the groove on what you were working on just before that distracting e-mail pinged you.  I say WILL because I’ve timed it with clients and it’s generally about 4 seconds for EVERY e-mail that distracts you.  At 100 e-mails per day, that’s over 6.5 minutes a day or about 24 hours a year of lost productivity – 3 working days of much activity but no productivity!

That’s the bad news (alerts cause tremendous loss of productivity).  Here’s the good news – by deciding to check your Inbox as regularly as necessary to stay abreast and responsive, you regain COMMAND of your day.  Maybe it’s every 15 minutes at first; maybe it’s every 20.  Some days are more hectic than others. Some days you’re on an airplane or attending to a sick child.  The reality is that there are myriad reasons why you don’t see every e-mail the instant it hits your Inbox.  All I’m encouraging you to do is to exercise that command all the time.

As for expectations, the reality is that senders expect what you set for them.  For new clients, etc.,  you can let them know that you check your e-mail regularly throughout the day and will get back to them as soon as is reasonably possible. Moreover, you can encourage them to call you if it’s truly urgent.  The issue here is what are you willing to live with and then setting everyone else’s expectations accordingly.  And, in case you think I’m out of touch or somewhat crass here, please understand that I process between 150-200 emails per day and run two companies.  I’m very aware of the expectations of my senders and I work diligently to align their needs and my abilities.

Question #8: Is QuietSpacing® just a method or is there also an Outllook Add On?

QuietSpacing® is just a method.  It uses native Outlook functionality, so there’s no technology to purchase or maintenance payments to make!  Moreover, because there’s no corresponding technology, the method can be adopted by individuals and groups within large organizations without running afoul of IT policies and procedures.

Question #9: As a billing lawyer, wouldn’t you be losing time by batching e-mails and not billing the time it takes for initial review and action?

In my opinion, reviewing and acting on e-mail is a billable activity irrespective of whether it is processed individually or in batches.  It’s the same as postal mail in that regard.

Question #10: How long do you keep drafts?

The Drafts folder in my Outlook is where I save e-mails that contain descriptive language I use repeatedly in providing prospects and clients an idea of what I do or for submitting proposals.  I could save these in specific Reference folders if I wanted to, but, frankly, I’ve just been lazy in this regard!

Question #11: Please demonstrate that drag and drop?

The drag and drop feature in Outlook is better demonstrated than explained, but here’s a quick tutorial:  Click (and hold) on an e-mail and drag it over the Calendar icon, then let go.  A new Appointment will pop up and the entire contents of that e-mail will appear in the comment area of the Appointment.  The only thing left for you to do is adjust the Subject line of the Appointment so that it’s clear to you and set the Start and End times.  Voila!

Note: This can be done with Tasks too.

Question #12: Is there a particular book or product that Paul Burton sells?

Why YES!  There is both an implementation guide and a DVD that covers all aspects of the QuietSpacing® method and its implementation.  Copies can be purchased online at http://www.quietspacing.com/book/.

Don’t hesitate to shoot me any additional questions you have regarding Power Processing Your E-mail or QuietSpacing® in general.

Good luck!

© 2011 – 2012, Paul H. Burton. All rights reserved.

The background on this is that I work from home when I’m not on the road.  In the last seven years of working from home, my “office” address has changed five times.  Thus, I’ve become quite an expert at setting up home offices.  Here are the three characteristics I found to be crucial to creating and working effectively in a home office. 

1.  There is a Door

There are three reasons for this requirement.  First, if there is a door, the office has a defined space.  It’s not in the living room or the kitchen or wherever.  It’s actually an office.  It can be a den or a spare bedroom, but once you move your work environment into it, it’s an “office” – into which you go to work.  Second, if there’s a door, you can close it.  Closed doors are a great way to segregate yourself from all the other things you could be doing, as well as distancing yourself from all those who might pull you into doing those other things throughout the day.  Finally, it affords much greater privacy – something people on the other end of the phone will appreciate, as will those in the house who don’t need to hear everything going on in your work world.

2.  You Face Away from the Door

Workspaces should be arranged so that you don’t face out the door (when it’s open) into the rest of the house.  The human eye has a peripheral vision range of 120 degrees.  Consequently, if you are facing towards the door and looking down at something on your desk, your eye will detect the movement of something outside your office.  This will result in your looking up.  Ping!  Self-imposed distraction and corresponding loss of focus.  Face the workspaces anyway you like, just not at the door.

3.  You Invest in Good Office Equipment/Furniture

One of the frequent miscues that I’ve made and I’ve seen others make is to not invest in good office equipment and/or furniture.  The tendency is to cheap-out when it comes to the furniture and the technology for home offices.  This is your business!  You don’t need to go over the top with Herman Miller this and Herman Miller that, but spend the money to create a good workspace and get the best equipment (computers, Internet connection speeds, printers, etc.) you can afford.  We all spend a lot time in our home offices, so it might as well be pleasant and productive time.

Well, having core dumped these thoughts on you for the last fifteen minutes it’s time for me to jump on a conference call with two people who are sitting in their respective cubicles in suburban Class A office buildings in different parts of the world.  I, on the other hand, am in my jammies nestled comfortably into my welcoming home office.

Life is good!

© 2011, Paul H. Burton. All rights reserved.

In my work with clients – individuals, groups and organizations – I focus my effort on small changes that you can make to “how” you work to regain a sense of command.  Grouping together a series of small changes is the best way I’ve found for people to really get some positive traction on reducing the sense of being overwhelmed.  Here are my top three:

1. Turn Your New Message Alerts Off and Batch Process.  “You’ve got mail!” ushered in the Internet age, but little did we know that a daily avalanche of e-mail, texts, and posts would ensue.  These micro-interruptions, which occur on average about 100 times each working day, are destroying our ability to get things done and audibly and visually increasing our stress level.  Turn these alerts off and check your e-mail Inbox and text screens periodically – every 15 minutes if necessary.  If you do, you’ll find a sense of calm and quiet returning to your day.
2. Do One Thing at a Time.  We don’t need esteemed institutions of higher learning like Stanford University to tell us that people don’t multi-task very well.  Just try having a conversation with someone who is also checking their e-mail.  You’ll readily see that doing one thing at a time is far more efficient and effective.  This discipline of picking up and working on one thing at a time is more critical today than ever before.  We all choose how distracted we want to be every time we start/stop working on a task.  Remember, there’s a huge difference between activity (rushing about) and productivity (getting things done).  Give yourself a fighting chance by striving to do only one thing at a time.
3. Create a Designated Workspace.  Piles, lists, papers and the like create distraction when located on or near where you’re trying to work.  That’s because humans have 120 degrees of peripheral vision.  Even though most of your focus is on the task at hand, some small percentage of that focus is processing the fact that you have all this other work to do too.  Small distractions reduce productivity and increase stress.  Simply wipe the desktop clear of all things except the one thing you need to work on right now.  You’ll be more focused and get more done. 

I repeat these three suggestions at every opportunity because they make a nice group of interrelated small changes.  Turning off the incessant “Ping” and “Preview” of new message alerts creates a quiet workspace.  Working on one thing at a time increases your focus, which drives greater productivity.  Doing that one thing in your designated workspace reduces peripheral distraction and makes your work effort more efficient and effective.

The quieter you can be – mentally and physically – and the more focus you can achieve, the higher your productivity.  Getting more done not only frees up more of your time, it also drives a greater sense of accomplish and satisfaction.

© 2011, Paul H. Burton. All rights reserved.