The Newsletter

Issue no. 9|January 19, 2010

Stop Being Ineffective

If you didn't listen to our recent cast "High C Manager - Simple Downfall" because you are not a High C manager, there's one part we'd still like to recommend to you. In it we shared the fundamental truth of personal behavioral change. Many of us who are being ineffective repeatedly fail to change. (And many of us, after several failures, stop trying). Given this newsletter will reach you in January, you may still be thinking New Years Resolutions.


The problem is not with trying to change. Of course, that's a great thing. Our problem is biting off more than we can chew. For instance, if you've had less than effective relationships with others at work, you may have tried to invest in changing your relationship. You've said to yourself, there's X and Y and Z and A and B and C and D and E and F I'm going to do differently and I'm going to overcome this. Probably, your hoped for changes were preceded by an epiphany of some sort. And then you tried for 3 or 6 weeks, or even a few days and you find it really hard, and you stop. Trust us when we tell you, you are not alone.


Marshall Goldsmith makes this point beautifully in his book, 'What Got You Here Will Not Get You There'. He says when you are told to stop being a jerk, stop being a jerk. Don't try to go from jerk to hero. Once you've stopped being a jerk THEN think about what it means to have great interpersonal skills.


Whatever you're working on, rather than envisaging perfection, ask yourself what it is you're doing which is ineffective and start by saying "I'm not going to do THAT". If you're procrastinating, don't start by putting together an 18 page project plan as to how you are going to get back on track. Take one item you are procrastinating on, and work on it until it is finished. You may still have 2 or 3 or more things you are still procrastinating on, but pick one thing and complete it.


If you are messy at work or at home, you don't have to clean your house or your office from top to bottom. Just clean your desk top. Be happy about that. Open a drawer and take a few things out. We refer to this often in casts: don't let perfect be the enemy of good. Stop beating yourself up because you're not perfect. Remember: Good, better, best, never let me rest, till my good is better and my better best.


It's ok if you've been a jerk. That's yesterday. For today, stop yelling. Don't try to clean your whole office: start with your desk. Don't try to reach out to 300 people in your network. Start with 10. Or one!


And because it's that time of year: by the mile it's a trial, by the yard it's hard and by the inch it's a cinch. If you want to get better, stop being ineffective. You can figure out the right stuff to do next week.


Manager Tools Recommended Actions Calendar

One of the questions we often get is.. 'you tell us we have to do all these things at different times, how am I supposed to remember it all?'. Well, if you didn't see this on our blog, to start the new year off on a good foot, we'd like to announce: The Manager Tools Recommended Actions Calendar! This lists all the activities we recommend you do weekly, monthly and quarterly and we will update it whenever we recommend something new. You can add it to your personal calendars at work or at home following the instructions here, or access it on the web here.

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