Its not the medium – or even the message
Most of us have done some form of study that involves a section on improving communications. We learn about the importance of making any message appropriate to the target audience – using the right language, using appropriate images, and so on. We also learn about choosing the medium for the message according to factors such […]
Small Can Be More Efficient
SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises) have a number of problems reaching optimum productivity when comported to ‘the big boys’. It is harder for them to achieve the same economies of scale and hard for them to put the same pressure on their suppliers to contain costs. They are less likely to employ consultants and advisers, […]
Engage Your Employees
There is increasing evidence that high performance and productivity comes from workers who are engaged with the organisation …. aware of, and preferably sharing, its value set; aware of, and preferably invested in, its longer-term mission. Engaged individuals are much more likely to contribute to formal and informal innovation processes, much more likely to be […]
Plan Your Planning
We all know that to.be successful in our career, we have to plan ahead, in our job, we have to plan ahead’ in our life, we have to plan ahead. Although we know this is true, we often forget to do it When should we do it? So, when do we do it. Forgetting about […]
Productivity at all costs?
We have all seen examples of business leaders focusing exclusively on productivity growth – and failing to develop the business. Elon Musk – and his (‘hard-nosed’) approach to managing Twitter (now ‘X’) is just one example. Does this mean that a very strong focus on productivity is wrong? As often is the case, the answer […]
Should You Take a Holiday?
The answer to the question is obvious. Yes, you should. We all need a break from work occasionally to rid ourselves of accumulated stress, to refresh ourselves. But I’ve learned that there are things you can do to help maintain productivity whilst still having x complete break. Firstly – prepare for the vacation. One of […]
Keep It (Very) Simple
Sometimes keeping things simple yields the best results. This is particularly true for start-ups and small businesses. Don’t get sucked into complex (and expensive) systems of control or ‘improvement’. Stick to the basics. Set realistic goals (consistent with your declared mission and vision). If the goals are long-term, set intermediate targets. Communicate those goals/targets throughout the organisation […]
Do We Have To Make A Choice?
Climate-change activists often insist theirs is the right way. They insist that everything we do (or more often not do) must help ‘save the planet’, rather than make us richer or more secure. Yet, in all fields of human activity, the two can co-exist, even help each other…. If we look at green policies and practices […]
Does Time Matter?
Of course it does! However, concentrating on squeeing every last drop of productive output from each day and multi-tasking to get more done can lead to burnout, to stress and anxiety and to a drop in performance. If this sounds like your existence, then think about what it represents. Time is managing you, rather than […]
A Lesson in Communication
Doug Conant was the CEO of Campbell Soups in 2001 when the company’s business was at rock bottom due to several organisational issues including a toxic culture. Among the many leadership strategies, Doug adopted, one of them was to engage with each staff member and personally, connect with them. He did something that was unheard of […]
The Need for Balance
I have talked previously about the need to balance the pursuit of efficiency with a need for resilience – we need to be able to cope with supply chain, labour or other problems. We have also talked previously about the need to balance a concentration on throughput with the need to maintain, or improve, quality. No […]
How Good Are They?
Over the last couple of decades (before the pandemic) lots of middle income countries and middle-performing companies were integrated into global supply chains. Advanced nations and advanced companies had no choice as they needed new sources of materials, parts and skills. These new supply chain partners soon learned what was expected of them and with […]
Technology isn’t always helpful
Just imagine you were the CEO of Walmart several years ago. You can see that Amazon is starting to gain a foothold in markets beyond the books and music where it started. You know you have to have some kind of response, some preparation for when Amazon (or someone like Amazon) starts to intrude on […]
Is it OK to use the word ‘productivity’?
At the personal level, many people associate the word ‘productivity’ with working (too) hard, suffering a poor work-life balance and increasing stress. At the organisation level, many people associate the word ‘productivity’ with working harder, restructurings and layoffs. At national level, few people understand the word ‘productivity’ – talk about it confuses and frightens them. […]
Who Are You?
Your personal productivity depends on how well you know yourself. What interests you? What are you good at? What don’t you like doing? In the past, when have you performed well – and what were the circumstances? Each of us is different. We have different interests, different motivations, different abilities, different skills. This means we […]
