iPods and Work

There are lots of posts on the forums with people who say they like to have their ipod earbuds in at work, because it blocks out the distractions of the office. And yet, we have a note for a future Career Tools cast about comportment, which includes not wearing your earbuds at work.

Why would we be about to suggest something that will make you less effective? Because your wearing of your earbuds and your listening to music is more about your personal preference than the organizational effectiveness. And, we always recommend putting organizational effectiveness ahead of personal preference as a route to management.

By wearing your earbuds, whether you want to or not, you're sending a message that you're not available. You might say: oh, but my team know they can interrupt me. And they probably do. But every time they see you looking at your screen, listening to your music, they weigh up whether interrupting you is worth it based on their query. And more often than they would otherwise, they decide not to.

You might also say: you're right. I DON'T want to be interrupted. And, in that case, you're putting the task ahead of the relationships. You can be successful working only for your own targets. But you can be far more successful if you work to achieve both results and build relationships. Sacrificing a little of your time for others is part of that.

If you're not convinced, think of this. We NEVER see senior executives with earbuds in. C-suite executives, who are thinking high-minded serious thoughts about the direction of the company don't do it listening to music. Mark calls headphone wearers: future individual contributors. Might as well start getting used to it now :-)

Newsletter

Hopefully, you'll have noticed the Newsletter looks a little different this week. We decided after 2 years it was time for a makeover. Our good friend Stephen Hay redesigned it, and we love the result. We hope you do too.

In another change, we've decided to up the frequency. Instead of bi-weekly, the Newsletter will become weekly for 2012. We're excited to be able to share even more content and happenings at Manager Tools with you this year.

Please Forward This Newsletter

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no. 61 | 17 January 2012

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