Two Flat Tires and 5 Tips for Managing Crisis

I'm biking to work and crisis happens as both tires blow out!. Trying to manage my time by getting to work and getting in shape at the same time I thought I was on top of the game then it all comes crashing down. Projects can be like that. We may be cruising along with the wind in our hair and all of the sudden something goes wrong and you move into crisis mode. Your stranded!

Crisis can take many forms. It could be lost funding in the middle of a project, employee "no shows" on a business day, the power shuts off on the building, your star performer walks out and goes to the competitor. A few tips for handling a crisis may be beneficial. 

1.) Stay Calm: You can easily become overwhelmed when everything hits you at one time. Take a moment, relax, put things in perspective and realize you can overcome any challenge.

2.) Think through Your Options: Take a moment before you act and think through your options. In most cases you can see that there are a number of possible routes.

3.) Act Concisely: Once you have a plan start acting concisely to overcome the challenge. Make sure your actions lead directly to a solution versus creating a bigger problem.

4.) Resolve the Issue: Resolve the crisis by first getting through the immediate problem and then find a longer term solution.

5.) Plan for the Next Crisis: Now that you learned about a potential crisis make sure you adjust your process to handle future crisis or adjust your crisis management plan.

In case you were wondering how my two flat tires turned out. I found out that it is possible to bike on the rims for a mile. I discovered that not to far from my workplace is a bicycle repair shop that will fix it after work. While waiting the 20 minutes they took complete the repair I found some cheap tennis shoes. Both my tubes only had small holes and a $2 repair kit was brought home to salvage them. Not all was lost!

Self-Defense as a Conduit to Fitness

Fitness is boring and it isn't hard to fall of your routine if you are bored. When someone mentions the words self-defense or self-defense you immediately get "ewwww" or "yuck" because it conjures up a 1970's Bruce Lee wanna be. But self-defense is much more than that and has taken on new forms for younger generations. There are plenty of different options for all types of people.

Most of the self-defense enthusiasts are not your 20 year old studs that have something to prove. They are either small children working on coordination or older people who want to stay in shape. I have met the 20-30 year old competitive fighter but most of the people who engage in self-defense are not interested in this type of activity.

The benefits of self-defense are massive and range from the psychological to the physical. Once you have mastered basic techniques you will feel more confident about yourself. Your body language and movements change that signal to others that you are confident and worthy of respect. On the physical side your body will change as you engage in the coordinating and cardiovascular aspects of the sport.

To join or not to join is a personal choice. Fitness isn't always about running up and down the street or pushing massive weights to gain bulk. It should be balanced in its approach and sports and activities like self-defense is one way to do this. Search around and see if you like Karate, Kepo, Jiu-Jitsu,  Aikido, Boxing, Wrestling, or anything else that suits your fancy.

Creating Functional Teams with Quality Enhancements

Teams are formed to create collective knowledge that leads to higher quality results than would not be possible without teamwork. Who is on the team and why they are on the team is an important consideration in developing a selection strategies. When a strong team is formed they have the ability to master serious challenges within their core competencies.

Within any team there are two major considerations, or circles of influence. There are people that have specific knowledge needed to complete the job effectively that constitute the core group and then there are those added to enhance the end product. Therefore groups have essential members and quality control members.

Essential members might be the people needed as a minimum to complete a project. There could be the designer, marketer, accountant, and operations manager. Without core members the project would never get off the ground as the essential skills and knowledge would not be present.

Beyond the core group there are people who have the capacity to enhance the quality of the outcomes. They may have specific knowledge of core customer demographics, may be design experts that can make the product more user friendly, or could have comparable knowledge of the market.

Employee Ethics and Behavior Starts at the Top

Poor employee behavior isn't always the problem of a bad apple but can be a symptom of bigger issues at the top of the organization. All poor behavior and ethical lapses occur within a socioeconomic context that includes personal, professional, economic, and psychological aspects that make such actions more or less likely. When multiple poor behavioral situations and ethical lapses occur the top becomes suspect.

The vast majority of people are followers. They follow each other in dress, mannerisms, behavior and thoughts. If someone jumps up and throws an opinion into a crowd people begin to accept that opinion quickly without critical thought only because others seem to agree. Behavior may not be as individualized as we believe.

The behavior of employees and executives is largely determined by the expectations of people around them (Oxley & Oxley, 1963). In other words, a single bad actor could be an outlier but multiple bad actors are more associated with the contexts of where they live and work. Organizational leaders should be held to account for multiple incidents.

Consider how multiple ethical violations from different people are more likely to be a result of leadership. Sometimes these incidents center around a single department or manager while other times they represent the entire organization. When this occurs policies, procedures, cultures, and leadership become suspect.

The people at the top set the expectations in behavior and mannerisms for everyone else. If production is rewarded based on certain metrics then it will be these metrics, and nothing else, that will matter in the overall assessment of performance and its subsequent reward. It is hard to blame the individual employee for doing what is not only in their best interest but also expected by the leadership team.

Change is not impossible but does require some strategic rethinking. The metrics may need to be switched around or rotated with new metrics to keep people thinking and changing. There may be different metrics used to help round out decisions. Lines of communication can be improved and different people can be hired to work within the organization. A better assessment of stakeholder concerns could be necessary and incorporated into the culture of a workplace. 

Oxley, G. & Oxley, G. (1963). Expectations of Excellence. California Management Review, 6 (1). 

Four Traits for Selecting Your Next Business Crew

Any good ship must have the right crew. That crew includes people who can contribute to the overall mission in a successful way. Knowing what you are looking for through using pre-selection criteria can help to ensure you are hiring wisely. The storms of business can be rough and having the right team ensures the mission is achieved.

The right team should have three main factors that include 1.) Knowledge, 2.) Skills, 3) Abilities and 4.) Personality. Most recruiters are aware of KSA but do not always include personality in the mix. The best knowledge, skills and abilities without the right personality isn't going to work out anyway.

1.) Knowledge: Knowledge comes from experience, training and education.
2.) Skills: The realized abilities that have tangible market value for accomplishing job tasks.
3.) Abilities: The abilities that can be enhanced to create future skills.
4. Personality: The ability to work with others and accomplish tasks.

Strategies that Motivate Workers

Motivation is worth its price in gold as managers scramble to find the key that gets their employees to work harder and accomplish more. The secret to motivation is to understand and treat each employee as unique  contributors.

Not all workers are the same. Some are motivated by external factors while others are more internally motivated. Active listening to each employee can make a big difference in understanding their needs. Some examples might include:

Money: A powerful basic motivator for maintenance and status.

Recognition: For those seeking status and social influence.

Purpose: For those who want to make their life meaningful.

Creative and intellectual: Important for those who want to use their minds and creative abilities.

Independent: As mature they wany independent work.

Time Management Through Staying on Task

Its not easy to stay on task when life is full of distractions. Every work day has its interruptions, crisis, questions and multiple projects. It is the way that modern business operates. Staying on task is not easy but can help you get your work done on time and ensure that your projects are completed with sufficient quality. The way in which you approach a project can make a big difference.

Distractions can be real or imaginary. Real distractions occur all the time in the workplace and are hard to avoid. If you are working on something very important you might want to consider closing your door, putting your calendar on meeting mode, or forwarding all calls to voicemail. The process will work in the short-run and for important projects but can't be used on a regular basis.

Distractions may also be imaginary. It may be equally beneficial to focus only on one project at a time. Sometimes we like to multi-task but there really isn't any proof that multi-tasking gets more work done than working on a single project at a time. Even if you only work for an hour straight before moving onto another pressing project it works out well.

Sometimes you might have two or three projects going. No one says you have to finish it all at the same time. This means you can break these projects up into hour sequences. If you get distracted you can go back and work on it again until you complete your chunk of time. If you put enough hours in you can actually complete your work.