Thursday, December 18, 2008

Be Productive in Your Lunch Hour: Feel Empowered

With so many responsibilities and obligations our lunch hours (or nowadays, lunch minutes) are usually filled with an enormous ‘to do’ list. Decide this year will be different. If you want to enjoy your lunch break, feel empowered and contribute to your wellbeing, there are multiple things you and try and watch your productivity and daily satisfaction increase!

Reach out – decide to use this time to catch up with a friend, invite a new client to lunch, investigate a local charity and get involved or call a family member.

Get out – enjoy the gorgeous weather, take your lunch to a park, visit a local museum, window shop for someone special in your life, or try a new café. Invest a few minutes outside so that you can remove yourself from your environment and then clear your head, it helps you get more done in the afternoon!

Work out – many people claim they don’t have time to exercise but invest in yourself and your health by spending your lunch break taking a walk or try a new class at a gym close to your office. Use the middle of the day to increase your energy and watch your afternoon energy sky rocket.

Clean out – if you decide to stay in your office during your lunch break decide to clean up your computer and sort your electronic files, delete old unnecessary emails, clear off your desk and wipe down all surfaces. Use this time to clean up and you will feel lighter and more organized for the rest of the day… and week!

Chill out – lunch breaks are designed in the middle of the day to enjoy a few moments to replenish your body and energy. Use this time to laugh with a colleague, do a yoga class, sit in the sun and take in some vitamin D, experiment by trying a new food, breathe deeply, do a yoga class or take a walk.

By applying these 5 strategies you will feel empowered each day to meet every challenge and your personal productivity will skyrocket!

Neen James, MBA is an International Productivity Expert: by looking at how they spend their time and energy – and where they focus their attention – Neen helps women to rocket-charge their productivity and performance. A dynamic speaker, author and corporate trainer, Neen demonstrates how boosting your productivity can help you achieve amazing things. With her unique voice, sense of fun and uncommon common-sense, Neen delivers a powerful lesson in productivity. Find out more at http://www.neenjames.com/

Thursday, December 04, 2008

Get Productive...Start a new career

Many people are currently spending alot of energy concerned about their jobs right now. If you find yourself looking for a new opportunity you can try these tips from an article I wrote that was recently published in Singapore Times.

http://www.jobsdb.com.sg/SG/EN/v6HTML/Article/JS/202/202.htm

Here are the main tips from the article:

1. Get Support.
2. It is not about you.
3.Set up a HQ (head quarters)
4. Update your resume.
5.Mind your language.
6. Stay well presented.
7.Stay motivated.

You can also view other articles for Job Seekers at:
http://www.neenjames.com/modules/smartarticle/item.php?itemid=50

Friday, November 21, 2008

Productivity - Get Help

Having just returned from a 2 week trip to Australia it was confirmed to me that the best way to be productive is to get help.

While I was away my brilliant business manager, Maria Novey, ran the office, managed my email, handled all client enquiries - well she did everything,way too much to list here. It was fantastic to come back after being away (and jet lagged) to know the business was running smoothly and my clients were happy.

Many people buy into the myth that 'I have to do it all myself' or 'It is quicker to do it myself' - that is a productivity myth and a productivity killer. Yes it does take more time to explain how to do something to someone and yes it does require more trust to delegate tasks to someone else but in the longer term your productivity will increase and your peace of mind will be greater.

Today decide to get help. Increase your productivity by getting help. Seek it out. If you can't invest in an assistant recruit help from your kids, your neighbors or a colleague at work. Start small, choose a task and decide to get help. I personally promise you will be more productive.

For more tips check out www.neenjames.com

Monday, November 03, 2008

Get productive... go on vacation

With only one more 'sleep' until I fly to Australia for a few weeks and I am astounding myself with how productive I can be and how much really gets done in anticipation of being away.

If you want to really accelerate your productivity, set yourself a deadline and work like crazy to make it happen. During this past 48 hours I have reached out to several outstanding business proposals, written two articles, cleared my inbox.. totally and updated several projects.

At the beginning of every year it is essential to block out vacation (holiday) time so that you can know what is ahead and plan accordingly.

I have decided not to take my laptop on this trip and trusting Maria with my email and office operations.

So do you want to be more productive before the end of the year, book a vacation, think about Thanksgiving and determine what you can do before you go away... now I have 24 hours left before getting on a 22 hour flight... now what else is on my to do list!

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Managing Growth Productively

Yesterday I was invited to speak locally on how to manage growth - what a great topic to be talking about during these times!

Lauren Sullivan shared a summary of the presentation on her blog: http://auberginecafe.blogspot.com/ - check out what she wrote.

Handwritten Business "Thank you" notes: A Personal Touch

Here are a few of her tips:

1) Invest in a mentor. Either get a coach or ask someone if you can shadow them. If they can give you at least 20 minutes of their time, and they know something valuable to your personal / career growth, then that's a relationship worth building.

2) Align, Energize and Leverage. Align your values, energize what you're doing and leverage what things work well. If you're good at something you can put all your focus on it, which will not only make you extremely happy - but it will develop your niche, and then the money will flow. Outsource all the stuff you hate to do to focus on the things you need to do. You will save time and money, and enjoy life more.

3) Solve the pain. At networking events no one cares about what you do, or what your company does - they want to know how you can help them!! Tell them, and find a better way to present your business card - hold it face forward in your palm so they can read it.

4) Grow your business with current clients. It's the easiest, most effective way to earn more money. Use facts or percents that upsell your business. Manage growth as if you are already there!

5) Personalize it! Send handwritten letters, leave voicemails about interesting things that you clients would like, send them gifts, remind them that you are always there. Even go old shcool - use phone, faxes, office visits more often! For one day break away from social media to get your message across. Change email signature and voicemail every week - or every so often.

Friday, September 05, 2008

Productivity: How to use LinkedIn Productively

There are many online social networking sites available to you to increase your network. One of my favourites is LinkedIn. It is predominately a professional site that is used primarily for business connections unlike other sites that are more fun and informal including Facebook and Myspace.com

If you want to increase your network, boost your productivity and develop your business you can achieve this by getting familiar with LinkedIn (LI) and using this in your everyday interactions.

Set it up – if you are not already on LI, log onto www.linkedin.com and create a free account. Take the time to create a profile for others to view then you are all set up. This is like your online resume.

Spend 15 minutes per day – when you initially set up your account, dedicate 15 minutes per day for 2 weeks to get your profile established, learn the different functionality of the site and invite others to be connected to you.

Expand your network – you can easily build an online ‘rolodex’ by inviting people you want to be connected to can help increase your network. This invitation is emailed to them and they can accept your request.

Use Outlook – LI has the ability to search your outlook contacts against those people in LI, use this facility to quickly build your connections.

Reach out – LI is a fantastic tool to reach out to previous employees or business connections you have enjoyed working with previously.

Use the search facility – if you want to find out if someone is already a user simply use the search function on your home page, type in their name and the system will advise you if they are linked. If so, you can send them an invitation to join your network.

Ask others to introduce you – LI gives you the ability to see your connection’s network so if there is someone you have wanted to meet, you can ask your direct connection to make an introduction for you.

Connect others - Many people frequently ask me to make introductions to people in my network and I am happy to make a ‘warm’ introduction for them. LI is an easy way to do this.

Break the ice – LI is an easy way to find out information about someone before you contact them and also gives you conversation topics when you do connect. You might notice they serve on a Board you are interested in or studied at a school you also attended. You can find common ground in some profiles.

Showcase your connections – LI shows the people and companies you are associated with and helps other see who you have done business with.

Collect testimonials – LI is an effective way to collect testimonials from those in your network. These are then displayed on your profile. It might take someone weeks (or months) to write a testimonial for you on their company letterhead however inviting them to provide a brief testimonial for you on LI is efficient and quick for them. I have found 99% of people I ask to do this are happy to do it.

Provide testimonials – when you have established a network of people make sure you also provide testimonials. It is a nice surprise for people to receive an unsolicitored testimonial from you in their email inbox. Once you create the testimonial it sends an email to the person asking if they want to show the testimonial on their site. I do this regularly and always get a great response from people. Quite often when you write a testimonial for someone they kindly reciprocate too.

Be a subject matter expert – there is a section of LI that allows people to ask questions, you can provide your expertise to those questions and position yourself as a SME.

Review history – LI is an informative research tool if you want to investigate someone’s history of work or college related activities. i.e. Alumni or Boards of Directors they serve on.

Announce news – provide information of case wins, publish press releases and share your good news with your network using LI.

Up to date – most people are more likely to keep their LI profile up to date when they change roles or companies (however they may not send you their new email or company information) – LI is up often more up to date.

Research tool – use LI to pose a question to selected people in your network for research. I use this frequently and people take the time to respond as it appears as an email in their inbox and allows them to provide a quick response.

Dinner dates – if you are going to be in a city on business you can notify people in your network and reconnect with them for a coffee or meal.

Increased web presence – although you may already have your own website, LI provides another opportunity for people to access information about you and also increases your search in Google.

Invest – LI allows you to grow your connections before you need them. If you find yourself looking for a new job; having an established network allows you to reach out to them when you need it.

Introduce yourself – occasionally you may see someone you have wanted to connect with that is connected to someone in your network. You might like to reach out to that person directly via LI and ask them to be connected to you.

LinkedIn is a great business tool. It requires an investment of your time to establish it and maintain it but once you begin using it you will find it can greatly increase your opportunities for connections, new business and building stronger relationships – so log on now!

Neen James, MBA, is an International Productivity Expert: by looking at how women they spend their time and energy – and where they focus their attention – Neen helps women to rocket-charge their productivity and performance. A dynamic speaker, author and corporate trainer, Neen demonstrates how boosting your productivity can help you achieve amazing things. With her unique voice (Aussie accent), sense of fun and common-sense, Neen delivers a powerful lesson in productivity. Find out more and subscribe to Neen’s free monthly e-zine at http://neenjames.com

Monday, July 28, 2008

Productive Creativity: Boost your creative skills

Productive Creativity

In the late 1950’s Dr Roger Sperry began his research regarding the brain, Sperry’s work (later earned him a Nobel Prize for medicine in 1980’s) proved the brain is divided into two major areas: the right and left brain. His research also identified that each of the part of the brain specializes in its own style of thinking and has different capacities.

What he discovered is the left is the basis of logical thought and the right brain is creativity.
The left brain is responsible for:
· Sequential thinking
· Sees details
· Logical cause and effect
· Uses facts
Speaks well
· Good with numbers
· Word puzzles
· Analyzes
· Names things


The right brain is responsible for:
· Insights
· Imagination
· Face Recognition
Spatial orientation
· Drama
· Metaphors
· Music
· Meditation/ Prayer
· Rap/rhyme
· Art/Colours

We want whole brain thinking.

Questions are a great technique to increase your creativity and stretch your thinking, these questions could be for clarification, probing assumptions, probing evidence and reasons, questioning viewpoints and probing consequences.

Great questions to ask
Who is this for? Who does this affect? Who else would benefit from this?
So what?
What is the story? What is the point? What exactly does this mean? What do we already know about this? What else can we assume? What would happen if we…? What other ways could we look at this? What are the pluses and minuses of…?
Where is the best place for this? Where do we want this story to go?
When is this due? When is action required?
How is this relevant? How is this important? How is this a story? How is this related to other projects/clients? How will that affect…?
Why do you think that? Why is this happening? Why is this better than…?


Ideas to increase your productive creativity:
· Be open
· Drive a different way to work
· Order an unusual meal
· Read magazines (fashion, travel, food)
· Ask more questions
· Visit an art museum
· Watch foreign films
· Travel abroad
· Be well read
· Try Neenstorming
· Surround yourself with creative people
· Take a walk

What else would you add to this list?

So today, ask yourself how can you increase your creativity at work?

Recommended resources
Eureka Ranch - http://www.eurekaranch.com/
Jumpstart your Marketing Brain – Doug Hall
Jumpstart your Business Brain – Doug Hall
10 Foundations of Motivation – Shawn Doyle

Monday, July 21, 2008

Productivty - 15 Minute Rule

One of the most common complaints I hear from my clients is, ‘there are never enough hours in the day’. I disagree. We are all given the same amount of time every day. The great thing about time is that regardless of who you are, how old, how rich, how glamorous, time doesn’t care. Time doesn’t decide who it will support more. I do agree that some days we wish we had more time. Every audience I speak for tells me their favorite advice is the ’15 Minute Rule’.

Recently one of my incredibly busy clients told me she wanted to write a book. I had heard her say this so many times before and I knew she was genuine so in a slightly exasperated tone I said ‘just write the book already! All you need to do is write for 15 minutes every day’. Of course she didn’t believe me but she agreed in the January 2007 that she would write for 15 minutes every day (at least) and she did. Regardless of what was occurring within her life she carved out 15 minutes to add something to her book. I am so proud to announce that she completed that book and on 18th December 2007 she held her very first book in her hands. Ah the power of the 15 minute rule!

Create time. While we often can not find an additional hour in our day we can definitely find 15 minutes. Choose to create time.

Make time in time. Understand what activities you are currently doing that can be combined with other related activities. Some may call this multi-tasking. I prefer to think of it of cleverly using all aspects of time. If you know you have to wait for an appointment, take information you can read or a letter you can write while you wait.

Decide now. Choose that you will work on a task or activity for 15 minutes only. You will be amazed how much you can achieve in 15 minutes of concentrated activity. Our lives are so full, our attention so scattered that we don’t often apply focus for a full 15 minutes on many tasks!

Eliminate time robbers. Identify those activities that do ‘fill up’ your day. Each time you waste your time on an activity, phone call or lack of system or process, it is another 15 minutes you could be investing somewhere else.

Arrive early. One technique I use daily is to arrive 15 minutes early for appointments. This early arrival helps me to catch up on reading journals and local papers, provides time to sit and write daily thank you notes, and allows me to make a business call. As I already need to be at the meeting, arriving 15 minutes earlier is a choice I make to allow activities that don’t require my office. In your personal activities, try arriving at the gym earlier to do your abs routine or arriving to collect the kids from school as a time to sort through your mail.

Wake up. Set your alarm to wake up 15 minutes earlier each day. This will allow you to ease into your day and avoid running late first thing in the morning.

Rest well. Stay up 15 minutes longer than you normally would at night to complete some tasks that you might usually put off until the next day.

Phone free. Switch your cell phone and/or desk phone to voicemail for 15 minutes and allow your callers to leave a message while you complete an important task. Not many of us work in roles where 15 minutes is a life or death situation.

Ignore email. If you have a habit of checking your email every few minutes for any incoming messages, stop for 15 minutes. Choose to not answer an email for 15 minutes. You will definitely achieve more.

Shut the door. If you are in an office situation, shut your door for 15 minutes every day. Use this uninterrupted time to consider your strategy for the day, for the week or for the month.

Designate same time. Book the same time in your calendar each week to complete a certain task i.e. filing, paying bills, unsubscribing from junk mail, checking your online accounts, creating a report for your boss or contacting a family member.

Here is a list of things you can achieve in 15 minutes, try these:
Clear emails
Make a business phone call
Write a hand written note
Exercise
Make a healthy meal
Talk to a friend
Update your blog
Thank a colleague
Unsubscribe from unnecessary emails
Shop online
Assess your goals
Speak to a child
Send a birthday wish
Tidy your desk
File
Catch up on reading
Scan newspapers and journals
Write an article

What can you do in 15 minutes?

Neen James, MBA, is an International Productivity Expert: by looking at how they spend their time and energy – and where they focus their attention – Neen helps people to rocket-charge their productivity and performance. A dynamic speaker, author and corporate trainer, Neen demonstrates how boosting your productivity can help you achieve amazing things. With her unique voice, sense of fun and common-sense, Neen delivers a powerful lesson in productivity. Find out more at http://www.neenjames.com/

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Tune into 98.1 WOGL, The Philadephia Agenda, this Sunday with Brad Segall and Neen James

I am excited to announce that I will be featured on 98.1 WOGL, The Philadelphia Agenda with Brad Segall this Sunday, July 20 between 6am – 7am! During the show I will provide a variety of productivity tips including how to be productive in a recession, in the summer and even at the airport! In addition, I will be sharing inside productivity secrets from my latest book, Secrets of Super Productivity.

We hope you can tune-in for this wonderful show. If you happen to miss the show, check www.neenjames.com for an audio file of my interview.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

How to use LinkedIn Productively

There are many online social networking sites available to you to increase your network. One of my favourites is LinkedIn. It is predominately a professional site that is used primarily for business connections unlike other sites that are more fun and informal including Facebook and Myspace.com

If you want to increase your network, boost your productivity and develop your business you can achieve this by getting familiar with LinkedIn (LI) and using this in your everyday interactions.

Set it up – if you are not already on LI, log onto www.linkedin.com and create a free account. Take the time to create a profile for others to view then you are all set up. This is like your online resume.

Spend 15 minutes per day – when you initially set up your account, dedicate 15 minutes per day for 2 weeks to get your profile established, learn the different functionality of the site and invite others to be connected to you.

Expand your network – you can easily build an online ‘rolodex’ by inviting people you want to be connected to can help increase your network. This invitation is emailed to them and they can accept your request.

Use Outlook – LI has the ability to search your outlook contacts against those people in LI, use this facility to quickly build your connections.

Reach out – LI is a fantastic tool to reach out to previous employees or business connections you have enjoyed working with previously.

Use the search facility – if you want to find out if someone is already a user simply use the search function on your home page, type in their name and the system will advise you if they are linked. If so, you can send them an invitation to join your network.

Ask others to introduce you – LI gives you the ability to see your connection’s network so if there is someone you have wanted to meet, you can ask your direct connection to make an introduction for you.

Connect others - Many people frequently ask me to make introductions to people in my network and I am happy to make a ‘warm’ introduction for them. LI is an easy way to do this.

Break the ice – LI is an easy way to find out information about someone before you contact them and also gives you conversation topics when you do connect. You might notice they serve on a Board you are interested in or studied at a school you also attended. You can find common ground in some profiles.

Showcase your connections – LI shows the people and companies you are associated with and helps other see who you have done business with.

Collect testimonials – LI is an effective way to collect testimonials from those in your network. These are then displayed on your profile. It might take someone weeks (or months) to write a testimonial for you on their company letterhead however inviting them to provide a brief testimonial for you on LI is efficient and quick for them. I have found 99% of people I ask to do this are happy to do it.

Provide testimonials – when you have established a network of people make sure you also provide testimonials. It is a nice surprise for people to receive an unsolicitored testimonial from you in their email inbox. Once you create the testimonial it sends an email to the person asking if they want to show the testimonial on their site. I do this regularly and always get a great response from people. Quite often when you write a testimonial for someone they kindly reciprocate too.

Be a subject matter expert – there is a section of LI that allows people to ask questions, you can provide your expertise to those questions and position yourself as a SME.

Review history – LI is an informative research tool if you want to investigate someone’s history of work or college related activities. i.e. Alumni or Boards of Directors they serve on.

Announce news – provide information of case wins, publish press releases and share your good news with your network using LI.

Up to date – most people are more likely to keep their LI profile up to date when they change roles or companies (however they may not send you their new email or company information) – LI is up often more up to date.

Research tool – use LI to pose a question to selected people in your network for research. I use this frequently and people take the time to respond as it appears as an email in their inbox and allows them to provide a quick response.

Dinner dates – if you are going to be in a city on business you can notify people in your network and reconnect with them for a coffee or meal.

Increased web presence – although you may already have your own website, LI provides another opportunity for people to access information about you and also increases your search in Google.

Invest – LI allows you to grow your connections before you need them. If you find yourself looking for a new job; having an established network allows you to reach out to them when you need it.

Introduce yourself – occasionally you may see someone you have wanted to connect with that is connected to someone in your network. You might like to reach out to that person directly via LI and ask them to be connected to you.

LinkedIn is a great business tool. It requires an investment of your time to establish it and maintain it but once you begin using it you will find it can greatly increase your opportunities for connections, new business and building stronger relationships – so log on now!

Neen James, MBA, is an International Productivity Expert: by looking at how women they spend their time and energy – and where they focus their attention – Neen helps women to rocket-charge their productivity and performance. A dynamic speaker, author and corporate trainer, Neen demonstrates how boosting your productivity can help you achieve amazing things. With her unique voice (Aussie accent), sense of fun and common-sense, Neen delivers a powerful lesson in productivity. Find out more and subscribe to Neen’s free monthly e-zine at http://neenjames.com

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Productive Phone Etiquette

You may remember a time before there were cell phones…a time when communications within organizations was more controlled and within business hours. Cell phones have created an ‘open all hours’ mentality for business (and pleasure). People now assume they can reach you at all hours and we have become dependent on the flexibility they give us.

There once was a time we had to schedule, plan, co-ordinate and know our way to a meeting or luncheon. Cell phones have now become a major distractor as we use them for phone conversations, receiving email and texting. I often see people in meetings not paying attention (checking their blackberry), couples at dinner (looking under the table at their phones for text and email) and parents supposedly playing with their kids or watching them play sport (while checking their messages). It is time to master phone etiquette, be fully present in conversations and stand out in the crowd.

Just ask. When my cell phone rings the first question I ask my caller is “how can I help you today?’ This simple, but polite question ensures they get right to the point, avoids chit chat, and ensures we are not spending too much time on the phone. If the caller is in for a long chat I suggest another time we can connect. Try this simple question and see if you spend less (not more) time on your cell phone.

Be present. If you are on the phone with a caller, give them your undivided attention. Too often we proudly ‘multi-task’ and don’t fully tune into conversations. This wastes time, kills productivity and causes us to miss important facts, ask for information to be restated and we can also miss ‘reading between the lines’ in conversations. Be fully present in your cell phone conversations.

Your voicemail. Create an informative voicemail message that provides callers with information about you and when you will get back to them. You might simply include your name, business name, contact details and/or website. Where possible try to record the message yourself so your callers hear your voice when they phone, instead of an automated voice message.

Size matters. Be considerate when leaving voicemails. This is not a time to tell a long and detailed story. It is the perfect opportunity to provide the facts about why you called, what you need and when they can get back to you.

Clear out. Daily check your voicemail messages and ensure you clear out all messages and return them within 24 hours wherever possible.

Reply quickly. Because of its immediacy, people expect fast replies to their voicemails. A response within 24-hours is probably as long as most people would consider appropriate. If you are unable to answer within 24 hours ensure your outgoing message tells callers when you will get back to them.

Watch your tone. Business communications used to all share a fairly dull, formal tone of voice however voicemail is more informal and conversational. It does allow for a more casual and personal approach. Ensure you always use a greeting (‘Hi’, ‘Hello’, ‘Good morning’ and ‘Good afternoon’ are probably more common ) and a sign off (‘looking forward to hearing from you’ or ‘ have a great day’).

Don’t answer. There are times when a cell phone should be switched to silent mode or completely turned off including the movies, meetings, meals in public places, church, temple and funerals. It is also inappropriate to answer in the bathroom (not to mention unhygienic!). Voicemail is a great resource for these times when you are unable to answer your phone.

Ask permission. When you are phoning someone on their cell phone inquire if this is a good time to talk. This simple question will allow them to respond and ensure you have a productive conversation. If it is not convenient to chat they can then suggest an alternative time.

Open hours. Common etiquette used to state you should never call someone before 9.00 am and after 9.00 pm. While business may open earlier than 9.00 am, this is a good standard to adhere to. Unless your know your colleague or client is an early riser it is best to wait until 9.00 am to call and to avoid ever calling clients after 9.00 pm at night.

Out of office. Just like an email ‘Out of Office’, if you are going to be unable to respond to voicemails within your usual timeframe, this might be because you are away or you need some quiet time, advise callers when they can expect to hear from you.

Remember cells phones are a fabulous tool if used productively and with sensitivity for those around you.

Neen is an International Productivity Expert: by looking at how they spend their time and energy – and where they focus their attention – Neen helps people to rocket-charge their productivity and performance. A dynamic speaker, author and corporate trainer, Neen demonstrates how boosting your productivity can help you achieve amazing things. With her unique voice, sense of fun and common-sense, Neen delivers a powerful lesson in productivity. Find out more at http://www.neenjames.com/

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

Productivity: Don't close a sale, open a relationship

While preparing for a presentation this week I was thinking about how I had created a brand new business, reputation and profile in the US after moving from Sydney, Australia 3 years ago. I believe the 5 steps in building productive relationships are:
1. Reach Out - when I first moved here I constantly asked people who they knew, who were the 'movers and shakers' in Philadelphia that I needed to meet. People want to help you, you just need to ask.

2. Network - my whole US business was built on networking. Identify strategic alliances, groups you want to be involved with and serve and volunteer whenever you can.

3. Serve - by constantly asking the question "How can I help you" I was able to learn more about people, their businesses and what they needed. I was forever (and still am) making email introductions to people who needed to meet each other. I also served on many committees and events and currently serve on 3 Board of Directors too.

4. Follow up - do you know that less than 1% of people follow up! That is crazy! We invest so much time and energy on building new contacts, sales prospects and yet we don't invest the energy to follow up. This could include hand written notes, phone calls, coffee appoitments, sending magazine or articles to potential clients, sending them an interesting book or CD - follow up is key.

5. Persist - if you really beleive you want to be in business then you must decide to be persistent. Just because your proposal or product is important to you, it isn't necessarily importat to your potential client or connection. To stay top of mind of others you must persist, persist, persist.

Building productive relationships means you don't ever close a sale, you simply open a relationship.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Increase your Productivity: Get a Mastermind

One of the secrets to my personal and career success has been the establishment of a mastermind group. Don’t know what this is? Well it is a group of like minded people who act like a Board of Directors for your personal and work life.

In Chapter 10 of Napoleon Hill’s inspirational book ‘Think and Grow Rich’, he defines the mastermind as ‘coordination of knowledge and effort, in a spirit of harmony, between two or more people, for the attainment of a definite purpose’. I like this definition and believe if you want to accelerate your personal development and productivity a mastermind group will be the best investment you can make.

I deeply admire and respect the members of my mastermind group, we have been meeting now for 18 months and I have learnt so much from each of them. When I interviewed them on what they thought was important in a mastermind group they used words like:

Small
Trustworthy individuals
Honesty
Accountability
Giving and supportive
Raises the bar on your own performance
Gives you a 30 ft view of your own business
Gives you a different perspective
Allows you to see opportunities and potential you may not have seen on your own
Makes you get out of the ‘day to day’ operations
The key is the right combination of people
It is group cantered

These definitions are vital to any group that meets and I would add some additional thoughts.

Meet regularly – our group meets on the same Monday night each month for 2 hours at the same restaurant. We share dinner, good news, and career and personal highlights. This commitment is one of my most important and enjoyable appointments in my month. I look forward to seeing them each month and I make it a priority in my scheduling.

Choose a location – we meet in a central restaurant and the staff know us, they provide a private room, understand the format of our meeting and take our orders quickly, deliver drinks and food in a timely manner and allow us to finish on time by bringing the bill quickly too. Choose a quiet place that allows you to speak freely, laugh and enjoy each other’s company. Educate the event staff of your format and it will make your meeting time more productive also.

Keep it small – less than 6 people is a good number for a group like this. It allows each person to share their good news each month and also allows time for one member to be a spotlight for discussion.

Create guidelines – determine what your group will look like, act like, create an agenda and decide what is important to you. You might like to read Chapter 10 of ‘Think and Grow Rich’ for some ideas.

Decide the agenda – our group has the same format each month which makes it fun and easy to prepare. Every month we rotate the chair of the meeting, we each share our good news and highlights and then we focus our attention on one team member. That team members knows they are the month’s spotlight and they are free to share anything with us i.e. it could be a business or personal challenge, request for strategic guidance or request to brainstorm ideas. Each of the team members then listens intently to their needs and wants and looks for ways to help, promote, grow or encourage that member. It is a great formula and we each leave the meeting on a high positive note knowing we have shared with each other and also inspired each other.

Share successes – one of my favourite meetings recently was where 4 of the 5 members each had launched a new book! We all shared in the thrill and excitement of being an author (some for the first time), and everyone left feeling they could conquer the world! This is the perfect place to share the good news in your work and personal life.

Be fully present – when we meet, each person is totally engaged in the conversation, fully present and completely listening to the others. This is an essential criteria to ensure you all have the benefit of each other’s wisdom and experience.

Be 100% authentic – it is an honour to share 2 hours with this group each month as they are themselves, 100% of the time! This is a unique environment and for a mastermind to be successful one criteria needs to be that each individual is able to express themselves, their values and their beliefs in the group.

Choose wisely – when you are ready to set up a mastermind group you want to make sure you choose the right combination of people. Our group has entrepreneurs and corporate people, men and women, different ages and nationalities. This diverse group has different perspectives and experiences that benefit the whole group. Try and find a combination of people who can inspire and challenge others in the group to be their very best.

These simple but effective guidelines can help you create a powerful set of minds that will help accelerate your thinking, share your growth and rocket charge your personal success. Start looking for other members today!


Neen James is an International Productivity Expert: by looking at how they spend their time and energy – and where they focus their attention – Neen helps people to rocket-charge their productivity and performance. A dynamic speaker, author and corporate trainer, Neen demonstrates how boosting your productivity can help you achieve amazing things. With her unique voice (Aussie accent), sense of fun and uncommon common-sense, Neen delivers a powerful lesson in productivity. Find out more and subscribe to Neen’s free monthly ezine at http://neenjames.com/

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

How to make your email more productive

As I travel around the country I am constantly fascinated by my client’s addiction to their email. Email was a tool originally designed to help boost our productivity in the workplace but unfortunately it has become a productivity killer. Whether you check it on your laptop or your blackberry, email now takes a huge portion of your daily correspondence time. To help boost your productivity and get control of your email try these simple strategies.

Avoid answering email first thing in the morning – the first thirty minutes of each day should be spent reviewing your strategy for the day and planning how you will achieve your goals. While you can scan your email first thing, please don’t respond immediately. Spend more time on strategy than email and you will achieve your bigger goals.

Use Color coding – most email programs allow you to designate colours to individuals. This ensures when you first review your email you can see who the emails are from easily and allows you to direct your attention to the most important people first.

Drag and drop – did you know you can drag an email from your inbox and drop it into your Contacts to create a new contact or drag it into your Tasks to create a new Task. This simple but effective strategy will also help you reduce your inbox clutter.

Unsubscribe – if you are receiving emails to online information you no longer review or read, take the time to unsubscribe. Yes this takes more time initially but will help you to reduce your inbox volume allowing you to read and review only those emails you want to receive.

Use Out of Office – if you are going to be out of the office for more than 6 hours, use this facility to educate those who email you. They will automatically receive an email advising them you are away. ­

Invest in Spam Filters – tighten your email security by investing in spam filters that will reduce the junk mail you receive.

Keep them short – keep your reply and responses short. If your reply is going to take substantial time, book a phone conversation or meeting with someone to answer appropriately.
Write in action language – use proactive, action language in your emails causing your readers to take action.

Use an email signature – set up a rule in your email system to always send your contact information at the footer of your email. This signature could contain your postal address, phone contact numbers and something about you and your business. This assists those you send your emails to and is free promotion for you each email you forward.

Be polite – email still requires a greeting and sign off. Take a few extra moments to greet your reader and sign off too.

Turn on spell checker – don’t allow poor grammar or spelling to be a misrepresentation of you and your skills. Set up your email to automatically spell check before any email is sent.

Turn off noises – remove any bells, whistles or chimes attached to your email. Don’t be distracted each time your email is received. Reduce distraction and eliminate chimes or sounds.

Use names in email – in the body text of an email advise each person why you sent them the email and the action they need to take. Teach people around you to read your emails looking specifically for their names and the actions you need them to take.

Delete – don’t be scared to delete emails. Once you have actioned it, file it or delete it. Keep your inbox clear.

Avoid BCC – try to avoid the use of blind carbon copy. If you have something to say to someone on email ensure that those who are copied need to be copied.

Avoid FYI – make a personal promise not to send any “FYI” or For Your Information emails. Only forward emails with specific instructions to people on what is required of them and why you are sending it through. Sending FYI emails is lazy.

Avoid jokes – don’t send joke emails, chain letters or cute PowerPoint presentations around the office. Don’t waste other’s time with these types of emails, our inboxes are so full already. Be considerate and avoid sending joke emails.

Stop pressing Send/Receive – get your finger off the button! Stop constantly pressing this button to check if you have any incoming emails. Avoid the temptation and spend time actioning the email you already have.

Watch your tone – be aware that the receiver doesn’t have the benefit of hearing your voice when they receive your email. Make sure it can’t be misunderstood.

Size does matter – be aware of the size of the attachments you are forwarding with your email. Be considerate to others and minimize file size when sending.

Spend 15 minutes – spend 15 minutes per day sorting your email. Take this time to file actioned emails, forward emails to others or delete emails. Daily discipline of your email inbox will allow you to remain focussed and less overwhelmed by email.

Maintain personal and work accounts – keep two email addresses. Only allow yourself to check work email during work time and set up a separate account to check your personal emails in your personal time.

Email is a powerful communication tool when used effectively it will help you boost your productivity. Promise yourself you will start looking at your emails differently today, apply these strategies and get back some of the time you are spending on email each day.

Neen James, MBA, is an International Productivity Expert: by looking at how they spend their time and energy – and where they focus their attention – Neen helps people to rocket-charge their productivity and performance. A dynamic speaker, author and corporate trainer, Neen demonstrates how boosting your productivity can help you achieve amazing things. With her unique voice, sense of fun and uncommon common-sense, Neen delivers a powerful lesson in productivity. Subscribe to Neen’s free monthly ezine at http://www.neenjames.com/

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Building Internal Connections: Productive Networking at Work

Although there are any number of different networking groups and events you can attend, some of the best networking will occur within your organization. To build your reputation internally and understand “who’s who in the zoo” it is worth investing time to get to know the people around you. Try these suggestions to boost your internal networking skills.

Arrange a Lunchtime self-development session. Determine a topic your colleagues would be interested in, simply invite someone into your organization to give a brief presentation allowing time for questions and answers. You don’t need to pay this person; they may be an internal expert you invite. Choose someone who is an expert in their topic area. When organizing the meeting, set up the agenda so that there is time when people arrive to meet each other, allow 20 minutes for the presentation, 10 minutes for questions and a few minutes at the end to continue chatting to co-workers.

Organize a lunchtime sports team. This is a great way to build teamwork internally and also get to know people from other areas within the organization. Put up a notice or send an email asking for interested parties and then form a team i.e. basketball, football, tennis team are all fun and easy to organize. Find a park or gym close to the office you can use and set a regular time and day each week to meet. This is a great way to also get fresh air and exercise while networking. You might even like to get everyone to contribute some funds and organize team t-shirts to wear, your organization may even have some you can use!

Hold a quarterly breakfast forum and invite the CEO. Make an appointment with your CEO’s Executive Assistant and advise them you would like to invite the CEO to a quarterly breakfast where they can meet the team and also answer questions they might have. Once you get approval from the EA, book the next quarter’s date and find a suitable venue. Each person pays for their own breakfast so it doesn’t cost the company any money. Make arrangements with a café close to the office or in-house catering if you have it, and start at 7.30 and finish by 8.45. This allows people to meet, ask the CEO questions and get involved in discussions.

Seek or start a mentor program. Identify people you would like to learn from within the organization and approach them about being mentored for 6 months. If your organization already has a mentoring program, sign up and get involved
Get involved in a charity. Select a deserving charity and organize events within the company to raise money for them. Your company may already have a chosen charity, if so; invite someone from the organization to update your colleagues on suggestions of how you can help. This can be a fun way to help others and also help you get to know those you work with.

Hold a ‘brown bag’ seminar at lunchtime. Invite everyone to bring their own lunch; you can invite a speaker to provide information to the team. The topics might be relevant to them for outside life i.e. health, fitness, family or some way to add value to the people you work with. The topics can come from your colleagues – ask them for suggestions. You can hold these on a monthly basis and allow time within the agenda to meet at least two other people from other departments. Advertise it on the notice boards, email and in the bathrooms (you would be surprised how many people read information in the bathrooms).

Organize cross-function team events. Get to know other teams within the business by hosting a morning tea and asking the other team to explain what they do within the business and the challenges they face, and then you do the same. This is a great way to find about others and also share what you are working on.

Start a book club. Find a few people who are interested in similar books to you, set yourself a book to read every two months. If it is a local author, invite them to join you at one of your meetings to explain more about the book and why it was written. Most authors love to meet their readers. When you get together, chat about what you learned from the book, what your opinions are on the writing style and what you liked most about the book.

Get in a project team. Seek opportunities to work on projects within your team and with other departments. Ensure you have your manager’s permission to be involved. This is a great way to network and learn from others.

Write for the company newsletter. Offer to provide articles or updates for the internal newsletter. This is a great way to work with the production team (who are often volunteers looking for content for the newsletter).

Provide your business card to co-workers. When you meet someone from another department always offer your card. This will give them your contact information if they want to contact you again.

Make the most of getting to know those you work with, take time to learn what they do and how you can work together to achieve your goals.