1. Keep one to-do list. Include everything you want or need to do in one place. Writing it down helps get it off your mind and leaves you free to focus on the task at hand.
2. Do the most important thing first. Before you leave work in the evening, decide what one thing you need to accomplish the next day. Do it first thing in the morning, when you’re likely to have the most energy and fewest distractions.
3. Schedule time for non-urgent things. It’s easy to get caught up in the pressing issues of the day. Block off time in your calendar to do things that would otherwise get squeezed out, like writing, thinking creatively, or building relationships.
4. Live like a sprinter, not a marathoner. When you work continuously, you’re actually progressively depleting your energy reservoir as the day wears on.
5. Monitor your mood. When demand begins to exceed your capacity, one of the most common signs is an increase in negative emotions.
6. Schedule specific times for activities in your life that you deem important but not urgent.

Today’s management tip is based on “Six Ways to Supercharge Your Productivity” by Tony Schwartz.

1. They use too many head tilts. Head tilting is a signal that someone is listening, but they are also subconsciously processed as submission signals.
2. They physically condense. One way that status is nonverbally demonstrated in a business meeting is by physically taking up room.
3. They act girlish, women are viewed as much less powerful when they pacify with girlish behaviors (twirling hair, playing with jewelry, or biting a finger.
4. They smile excessively. While smiling can be a powerful and positive nonverbal cue, when excessive or inappropriate, smiling can also be confusing and a credibility robber.
5. They nod too much. When a man nods, it means he agrees. Excessive head nodding can make females look like a bobble-head doll.
6. They speak “up.” Women’s voices often rise at the ends of sentences as if they’re asking a question or asking for approval.
7. They wait their turn. In negotiations, men talk more than women and interrupt more frequently.
8. They are overly expressive. Women who express the entire spectrum of emotions often overwhelm their audience.
9. They have a delicate handshake. Women with a weak handshake are judged to be passive and less confident.
10. They flirt. Women gain likeability, but lose the competitive advantage in a negotiation when they flirt.

For any woman leader this article is a must read. It also would help if you try consciously to notice if you display any of the behaviors listed below. If you do, rather than being disappointed (and I know you will be) think about ways of addressing them. It certainly will make you feel a bit better. It will give you a positive focus on the situation. Also, if there is someone who you trust and can rely on for their advice ask them to be your “buddy” and observe you for a week and then let you know what they think? Perhaps you can help each other and improve your leadership skills?

This cannot be ignored. How do we address this situation? Here are a few suggestions from Leila:

• Gather details by observing pattern of behaviour.
• Call out this behaviour and expect change.
• Share ideas and make suggestions and not recommendations.

For more information go to Leils’s house of corrections.

1. Distinguish this from venting
2. Take “no-whining allowed” stance
3. Call people on it

I watched this short video and would like to recommend it to you. The video lasts less than 5 min and you will be glad that you invested time in watching it.

• Perfectionism messes you up and messes up the people around you, because perfectionists lose perspective as they get more and more mired in details.
• We can never achieve perfection, yet so many of us die trying…
• It can lead to obsessive-compulsive disorder. Hmmm. Does this ring a bell?
• People do not like to be around someone who is “Perfect”, “Always right”…

So what to do if you are a perfectionist? How to overcome that predicament:

• Allow yourself to be wrong in front of others.
• Be a hard worker rather than a perfectionist
• Spend your energy making yourself likable.

The above advice was based on an article by Penelope Trunk “Perfectionism Is a Disease. Here’s How to Beat It”

If you’re like most people, you have a routine that prepares you for your workday. Do you honestly pay as much attention to this as you did when you were first got your job? The following tips will help you focus on why these things are still important:

• Wear clean and unwrinkled clothes every day. If ironing your clothes or taking them to a dry cleaner is not realistic for you, consider wrinkle-free clothes.
• If you wear a suit or a uniform have several and rotate them throughout your work week.
• Try to colour coordinate and create a total look. You don’t need to spend a fortune to do it. Experiment, be creative and ask for help if you don’t know how to do it.
• If you have limited money make sure that you update your wardrobe with new shirt or top. Even old suit will look much better with new trendy top.
• Make sure that your clothes fit. Don’t wear clothes that are too small or too big. In either case others will notice that and it does not look professional and it may create unwelcome perception of you.
• Don’t always buy the same type of clothes. From time to time buy something different. When you are shopping ask for suggestions. Try new things to see what you feel comfortable with. You may be surprise yourself.
• Make sure that not only clothes look good, before you buy make sure YOU look good in them. No need to follow latest trends if what you wear does not flatter your appearance.
• Create look that reflect your personality. Depending on type of job you do keep it well designed yet simple.
• Make up. Make sure that your make up emphasises the good points. No need to draw attention to things that you are not so happy about.
• Change your make up style every 5 years. See what is now in fashion and suits you. One of the easiest ways to tell a woman’s age is her make up. Most of us apparently stick with what we look good in our early 20′s.
• Get good haircut few times a year. You can find time for it. Yes you do. It will make you feel better.
• Don’t have the same hairstyle as you had when you were very young. If you do, chances are it will age you. There are so many different styles to choose from. Ask  your hairstylist and he/she will advise you what may suit you.
• Hair colour. Get it right and you will look great. Get it wrong and it is a common invitation for managers, peers and customers to form a negative perception of you. It can affect your position, employee evaluations, and customer rapport. Again a hairstylist can help you with that.

Spending a few extra minutes in the morning when you are assembling your wardrobe can benefit your reputation and your career. Please remember most of us are very visual. The way you look, your posture and smile will make great difference. We communicate very storng message about who we are in first 30 seconds. Before we have chance to say anything. From now on, make sure that you communicate message you will be proud of. The one that will help you achieve your goals. A good appearance is your responsibility.

• We recognise that each business and its leader is unique.
• We know that traditional “one style fits all” leadership programs do not in fact fit all.
• We work with you to provide you with a customised leadership solution.
• Our leadership training enables you to bring about changes at the individual, team and enterprise levels.

Fact 1 :: Leadership is relational – That is, it is something you do with people, not to them. Put simply, you cannot be a leader without followers, and like all relationships, it can be a fragile thing.

Fact 2 :: Leadership is not hierarchical – Formal authority or a title doesn’t make you a leader. For the sake of your organization, leaders should be found at all levels.

Fact 3 :: Leadership is contextual – The circumstances that you inherit or inhabit as a leader are your starting point. You need to size up and tap into what exists and bring more.

By using our unique model and by working with you we can provide solutions that suit your enterprise and at very competitive rates.

The time for change is NOW. Proven results. Discover how.