Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom

Want to Do Something Important? Stop Procrastinating

At the New York Times, I had the privilege of working with Phyllis Korkki, an assignment editor for the business section. In addition to her new role as executive editor of Hooked, an app that tells fictional stories in the form of text messages, Phyllis has written the new book The Big Thing, which is about how to pursue meaningful, creative projects amidst a hectic schedule and a pull to put them off. I recently interviewed Phyllis about how she found time for her own "Big Thing" while keeping up with a busy, stressful job. 

 

Phyllis, how did you plan your own "Big Thing" while working an editorial job at the New York Times?

 

When I was at the Times, I did work hard but I rarely worked more than 40 hours a week. And here's the truth: When I wasn't working I wasn't that busy!  If only I hadn't been so lazy in my off time I could have written plenty of books. I finally realized that the only way to finish my first book would be to create conditions that were similar to those in a newsroom. I found people to hold me accountable for various stages in the project and to give me deadlines at crucial stages. I even paid someone to call me every morning for a week and hector me to wor

 

What are some of the biggest challenges people face in their pursuit of a creative dream?

 

Creative people must break their Big Things into manageable increments. If they don't, their projects will remain big and vague and impossible to start. In fact, some people deliberately (if unconsciously) never start their projects so that their creations can remain grandiosely perfect in their heads. Rather than leading a person toward a more fulfilling and meaningful life, the Big Thing feeds into an unhealthy narcissism. People need to be honest with  themselves about why they are pursuing a project. If its main purpose is to boost their ego, then giving up on it may be the best option. A big creative project should be compelling for its own sake. Accept that it will be imperfect and involve psychic struggles. Know that satisfaction and joy will (eventually) emerge from those struggles. Perfectionism is one of the biggest obstacles to completion. 

 

You describe yourself as a procrastinator. How have you overcome this to achieve such remarkable career goals? 

 

Many journalists will tell you that they went into the field because they are procrastinators who must have deadlines. The great thing about working in a newsroom is that people are constantly breathing down your neck to hand in your story. I would never have gotten as far as I have without urgent deadlines emanating from my colleagues. 

 

If a reader has their own idea for  Big Thing, what are the first 2-3 things they should do to get started tomorrow?

 

1. Commit the idea to paper, and be as specific as possible about what it is. And I mean literally write it down on a piece of paper, with a pen. Tear that piece of paper out of your notebook and tape it to your refrigerator. Write at the bottom of the paper in big capital letters: DO IT!

2. Look at that piece of paper and say to yourself, what is one tiny thing I could do today to achieve this goal. It could be writing just one sentence (c'mon -- you can do it, and I'm giving you permission for it to be a really bad sentence). It could involve sending an email to one person, or buying one paintbrush, or clearing off all the papers your desk, or  ... whatever it is, you can do that one thing. 

3. Announce to your spouse or your bestie  that you plan to do this thing. Say something like: I plan to write a paragraph of my novel by tomorrow. Will you check in with me to make sure I did it? (Offer to do the same for them too, of course!).

 

And that is how a Big Thing begins. It won't ever get done unless you start small.  

 

I know you want to hear more! Check out The Big Thing on Amazon.

Our Digital Future: Machine, Platform, Crowd

The MIT Sloan Expert Series recently presented a webcast with Andrew McAfee ​and ​Erik Brynjolfsson, co-authors of the new book Machine, Platform, Crowd: Harnessing our Digital Future,  Beth Comstock, vice chair of GE, and Sandy Pentland, MIT professor and expert of group dynamics in a digital world.

A crucial theme of the new book is that unsettling, disruptive change is becoming the status quo. Suddenly, companies we think are going to be around forever are being instantaneously upset by start-ups. Machines gain more complex cognitive abilities every day and are rapidly taking over jobs in a way we never dreamed was possible. And the corporate research labs? They’ve got nothing on the collective brainpower of the Internet.

Given these scenarios, effective human leadership is more critical than ever. In Machine, Platform, Crowd, McAfee and Brynjolfsson encourage professionals to leverage technology to make our organizations and industries better and to transform our global world into a more educated, entrepreneurial, and inclusive place. The most powerful force at play today is not solo automation, but the combined strength of humanity and technology. Here are a few key takeaways from the webcast:

Let Go of the Concept of Management

Our traditional notion of leadership came about because the industrial age mandated hierarchies. Today, we don’t have to be so static and rigid about how we organize our companies and need to be adaptable and willing to move things around.

Focus on Connector Jobs

The highest paying, most competitive jobs today and in the near future will employ people who understand how to connect people to people and people to machines for the purpose of exploiting new business opportunities. Consider where in your organization connectors can add the most value.

Hone Interpersonal Skills

Ensure that your team members have adequate training and strong skills in negotiation, persuasion, and coordination. Jobs that require these will not be replaced by bots anytime soon.

For more from this webcast, check out the full post on the QuickBase Fast Track blog.

Announcing My New Book Collaboration: Mom.B.A.!

When I met Karyn Schoenbart in the summer of 2013, I never imagined that I'd embark upon a partnership and friendship that would be one of the most defining of my life.

Karyn's the CEO of global market research firm The NPD Group, and today we publish the book we've been working on together for two years, Mom.B.A.: Essential Business Advice from One Generation to the Next.

The book asks the reader to imagine life would be like if your mother was the CEO of a global company. She could provide the type advice that would propel a career and help them overcome the many stumbling blocks that keep people from fulfilling their full potential at work. That's the idea behind Mom.B.A. 

Mom.B.A. is based on Karyn's lessons to her daughter Danielle, now an established businesswoman in her own right. And in it, we include lessons on everything from effective first impressions and workplace politics to relationship development, skill building, and priority-setting. Alongside current employment research and trends, Karyn candidly shares funny anecdotes, triumphs, and missteps as she recalls her journey from an entry-level market research position to CEO. By the time you finish reading, you'll feel like you know her as well as I do. 

We've fortunately gotten a lot of support from senior leaders in the business community, and here's my personal favorite endorsement:

"Sometimes, matter-of-fact approaches to our biggest challenges are hiding in plain sight. Karyn Schoenbart blends the learnings of her life into a set of guidelines notable for their straight shooting, and credible because they ring with the truth of her own experience. Karyn s excellence as a business leader, as a mother, as a philanthropist, and as a friend are not separate achievements, but instead part of one storyline and approach that she has weaved together beautifully for us in this terrific book." --Oliver Libby, chair and co-founder, The Resolution Project.

I thank you in advance for your support of my latest endeavor and hope you learn as much from Karyn as I have!

 

Bridge the Soft Skills Gap in Your Young Professionals

Why don’t young professionals today hold themselves to a higher standard when it comes to their attitude, work habits, and people skills? In his new book, Bridging the Soft Skills Gap, my friend and colleague Bruce Tulgan explores these five reasons:

Pretend Adulthood

Most entry-level professionals are coming to you straight from school. If they have the most in-demand technical skills, then they are probably coming from college or university; maybe graduate school. That means they’ve probably become quite accustomed to a very luxurious form of pretend adulthood. Of course, there is substantial coursework. Still, they have very little supervision and a great deal of latitude in all manner of their personal habits and conduct. They are accustomed to staying out late hanging with their friends and skipping morning meetings.

Helicopter Parents

Even after they arrive in the workplace, new college grads are still only a phone call or text away from their parents.  Even worse, maybe they are on their own now, for the first time, after being reared by parents who did all the work for them of closely scheduling, managing, and supporting their every move. With their parents doing so much of the work, many young professionals never mastered the basics of taking care of themselves.

High Expectations

The customization of everything has entrenched in young professionals a fundamental expectation that individual accommodation is the norm.  And surely too many people told them each and all, way too often, “You are a special case.” Their basic assumption is that they should be able to just “be themselves” and “express” their true identity at work, even if that might include stuff like failing to follow through on a day when they are “just not feeling it.”

Unpracticed Interpersonal Skills

Communication practices are habits, and most young professionals are in the habit of remote informal staccato and relatively low-stakes interpersonal communication because of their constant use of hand-held devices and social media and instant messaging. They stare at their devices too much, send too many texts, and are becoming increasingly less articulate because they have so little practice having real conversations.

Professionalism Vs Individualism

Much of what older, more experienced people might see as matters of professionalism—attitude, self-presentation, schedule, and interpersonal communication—new college grads are likely to consider highly personal matters of individual style or preference and really none of their employer’s business.

Want to learn how to cope with these young professional characteristics more effectively? Check out Bruce’s book for practical answers and advice for better preparing your young professionals for success.

How to Be Useful Instead of Salesy

When I took the Dale Carnegie class many moons ago, I remember the instructor saying that the worst thing a door-to-door salesperson could do is show up at a prospect’s house and launch into a speech like this:

“I want to sell you a new vacuum cleaner. I saw this thing pick up dirt off my floor, and it had the best suction I’ve ever seen. I can give you a great deal on this baby.”

I, I, I. This salesperson would be lucky if she didn’t have the door slammed in her face.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again

Here’s a cardinal rule of human nature: people don’t care what you want, they want to know what’s in it for them. If the salesperson wanted to sell a vacuum cleaner, she had to first find out why the prospect desperately needed one (e.g. he was feeling frustrated and inferior because his home was unkempt, and it was unkempt because he could never get his carpets completely clean). She had to first help him identify a problem. Then and only then could she present a solution (e.g. a vacuum cleaner with more powerful suction).

Bestselling author John Jantsch has long been teaching how to be effective on a shoestring budget, reminding us of common sense that’s uncommonly used. In his new book, Duct Tape Selling, he agrees with one of my favorite mantras that we’re all salespeople. And John suggests that in trying to get people to do anything for you – whether it’s supporting a pet project or buying a vacuum cleaner – you have to be useful.

The pitch transformed

According to John, the traditional sales pitch is no more. Instead, listening carefully is the new prospecting. With so many online tools available, we have no excuse for approaching people with little or no knowledge about them. So if you want something from a colleague, manager, or client, find out where her head is at first. And think through a message that will directly align with that state of mind.

For the rest of John's advice, head over to Intuit's Fast Track blog.

How to Use Incremental Planning to Your Advantage

Take a look at most current research on the most necessary business competencies and you’ll see adaptability. In most organizations, conditions change on a dime and you must be prepared to shift course accordingly. So although some long-range planning is still desirable, incremental planning is equally if not more important.

According to Patti Johnson, author of the new book Make Waves, incremental planning is:

• Future focused
• Flexible
• Short horizon, with long-term goals in mind
• Collaborative

Incremental project planning assumes you make adjustments as you go and still reach your overall goals, even if they change over time. It’s a fine line to walk, though, between having no plan and having so much structure that you can’t react nimbly in the face of unpredictable challenges.

I recently walked this line myself when I engaged in a research project that was impacted by evolving market conditions. On the one hand, we had to develop a clear hypothesis, a relevant audience analysis, and a sound methodology. But on the other, we knew that our results might be unexpected and affect the recommendations that would be derived from the research.

Even while our data collection was in process, we weren’t entirely sure of our final product. We knew what we needed to accomplish from a business perspective, but we didn’t know how it would look just yet. Some of the higher-ups were more comfortable with this approach than others, but we were able to share just enough concrete planning to satisfy them.

Johnson suggests these steps to infuse your project management with more incremental planning.

Have very clear outcomes

Even if you eventually move in another direction, know where you are headed. Keep your goals simple and achievable and revisit them frequently.

Balance specific plans with flexibility

Plans are essential in order to be in a state of perpetual action. However, making changes to plans doesn’t mean you’ve made a mistake or taken the wrong path. You aren’t necessarily changing your destination, just how you get there.

For more tips from Patti, head over to Intuit's Fast Track blog.

A-Z Retention Strategies from Beverly Kaye

Since employees who quit cost their companies up to 200 percent of their annual salaries to replace, retention is one of the most important issues facing businesses today. Virtual employees are especially vulnerable to retention issues because they often lack the camaraderie that’s present in an in-person environment.  Adapted from the new edition of Beverly Kaye and Sharon Jordan-Evans’ bestselling book Love Em or Lose Em, here are 26 A to Z strategies you can employ right away to keep your virtual team members from quitting this year.

Ask WHAT KEEPS YOU?

Do you know what your virtual employees want from their careers? Never assume. Since you don’t have the benefit of face-to-face communication, you’ll be wrong.

Buck IT STOPS HERE

Your virtual employees are every bit as much of your responsibility as your in-office employees. It’s up to you to make sure they are engaged and want to stay.

Careers SUPPORT GROWTH

Don’t confuse virtual employees with short-term, hourly employees. They need viable career paths too. Facilitate these. Don’t ignore them or get in the way of professional development.

Dignity SHOW RESPECT

Do your virtual employees know that you value and appreciate them? Ask yourself honestly if you are taking them for granted because you don’t have a strong in-person rapport.

Enrich ENERGIZE THE JOB

Are you constantly challenging your virtual employees, or is it the same old, same old? Make an effort to take things up a notch.

Family GET FRIENDLY

Even virtual employees can have work/life integration challenges. Don’t force them to choose between work and loved ones.

Goals EXPAND OPTIONS

Your virtual employees might not be interested in moving up, but they should have some forward-thinking goals. Take the time to help them develop and execute these.

Hire FIT IS IT

Take care to hire people upfront who will not only be successful virtual employees but who will also be a strong fit for your culture.

For the rest, visit Intuit's Fast Track blog.

Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office

Ten years ago, I first read a fantastic book by Lois Frankel called Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office, which was about unconscious mistakes women make that sabotage their careers. Well, apparently not much has changed in a decade because nice girls still don’t get the corner office, and in response Lois has released a new edition of her essential advice guide.

Given that I’m still making some of these errors myself, I thought it might be helpful to show my fellow professional women how to overcome deeply ingrained habits that are presently holding us – and our teams – back. And guys, you owe it to the women you love to share this piece with them.

Needing to be liked

The desire to be liked is so strong in some nice girls that it becomes impossible for them to act in any alternative manner. They become immobilized at the thought of disappointing someone. But there’s a difference between being liked and being respected, and if you’re concerned only by being liked or preserving your workplace relationships, you will not take the kinds of risks that lead to respect. Lois suggests that you use self-talk to counter the need to have everyone like you all the time, because that won’t happen no matter what you do. Replace the thought “but people won’t like me if…” with “people might get upset with me, but at least I will be acting in accordance with my values.” Also, balance your inclination to serve others’ needs with serving your own. Before agreeing to something you don’t want to do, ask yourself how much it will matter if the person’s a little annoyed.

Playing the game in bounds

Even when a woman knows the workplace is a game, she has the tendency to play safe rather than play smart. She obeys all the rules to the letter and expects others to as well. If the policy says don’t do it, then it can’t be done. If it might upset someone, she doesn’t do it. Lois says that you never want to act unethically, but it is a game, and one you want to win. Therefore, you should play the game within bounds, but right at the edges. If you’re not sure where the edges of your company’s playing field are, look at the women in your workplace who are winning the game. Consider what they’re doing that you should be doing too. Also, try writing down two rules you interpret narrowly and always follow. Have you seen other people bend these rules? If nothing has happened to them, take the risk!

For the rest of Lois' tips, please see the full post at Intuit's Fast Track blog.

Things I Wish I Knew about Business and Careers When I Was 22

This year, I released the 10^th Anniversary edition of my first book, the bestselling They Don’t Teach Corporate in College. I wrote the book when I was 26, and ever since then, I’ve learned a ton about what works and what doesn’t in the business world. Today, I’m sharing some of my recent insights.

No one cares as much about your career as you

While your organization and your manager probably do have your best interests at heart, no one will ever put as much time and energy into your professional development as you will because no one benefits from it as much as you. So don’t be passive. Advocate for the best learning opportunities and experiences, and be proactive about keeping your skills fresh.

Careers are peaks and valleys

Even if you were to stay on one career path, which is highly unusual these days, there’s no such thing as getting to the top of the ladder and staying there. Careers are very long, so you have to figure out a way to remain relevant and engaged over time. Occasional momentum loss is normal, but you need to be able to recover.

Plan now for what you want later

When choosing a career, it’s important to think through what you want for your life over the next several years. For instance, if you’re a married 25 year-old in law school and you know you want to be a hands-on mom or dad soon, it’s not the best idea to become an associate at a huge firm. A flexible career doesn’t happen overnight: the right steps must be taken early.

For more, please see the full post at Intuit's Fast Track blog.

Use Your Brain to Build Better Relationships at Work

According to Judith Glaser, the CEO of Benchmark Communications and the author of the new book, Conversation Intelligence: How Great Leaders Build Trust and Get Extraordinary Results, the key to success in life and in work is to prime your brain for trust, mutual respect, and partnership.

Based on advances made in the neuroscience field over the last decade, Glaser’s framework involves understanding what kind of conversations trigger the lower, more primitive brain, and what kind activate higher-level intelligences such as integrity, empathy, and good judgment.

I asked Glaser for a few examples of how neuroscience affects the way we handle challenging workplace relationships and how we can leverage our brain’s natural tendencies to better these relationships, and here were her top tips.

Our Brains Are Designed to Be Social

The need to belong is more powerful than the need for safety. Rejection activates our fear networks and increases the levels of cortisol, which move us into protect behavior. Focus on being inclusive and using physical and verbal touch in order to reduce the level of cortisol and increase the level of oxytocin, which promotes bonding.

Appreciation Reshapes Neural Networks

Appreciation activates a large framework of neurons that are part of the functions of sight, hearing, and perspective. It enables us to see more broadly and think bigger. Better your relationships by focusing on appreciating others’ perspectives even if you don’t agree.

Like what you're reading? Continue to the full post at Intuit's Fast Track blog.