Mike, Author at The Third Zone

Aug 07 2019

Are You Achieving Your Personal Success Plan for the year? Or Has It Fallen By the Wayside?

Businesses and organizations of all types are known to create business plans at least annually. These are shared with various leaders, divisions and departments with all focused on achieving them. They are reviewed with regularity and hopefully, they are achieved. .

This is all good and the norm. However, the same approach definitely applies to individuals wanting to move up a ladder in their personal careers. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to get the same determination and focus. This becomes a missed opportunity. This is especially the case when we are in a time of low unemployment which provides individuals with a comfortable sense of job security. Feeling secure is what we all want and yet, what is overlooked is the opportunity that can accompany it. Such times are also the most ideal ones for us to personal business plan

determine where we want to be in our jobs or careers at the end of a year. In other words, create our personal business plan around the goals we have. Such a plan allows us to actually look to the future and where we would like to go in order to enhance our career … including the added income this often represents. I experience more and more individuals actually thinking about this and creating their plan to achieve it. This is actually exciting and the right way to start.

Consider the advantages of making your plan. They include:

Providing someone with a sense of direction in terms of goals
Provides something on which we can continually focus as a measure to how we’re doing
Helps us to recognize obstacles and thus, the ability to make a needed change to stay our course
Provides the guidelines for our decision making as we progress through the year

Terrific! The plan is in place and unfortunately this is where progress stops and too often. The second KEY element of realizing the desired success in one’s plan is the execution of it. Execution is a concept easy to talk about howe strategy to success ver, more challenging to actually follow through on and therein lies a potential stumbling block. Once you convert your plan into specific actions and behaviors you have a plan you can manage and measure. Here are some attributes leading to successful execution:

Having a sharpened focus by informing us of what we need to do in order to successfully execute the plan.
Provides a roadmap of what we need to learn and master in order to enhance the competence our advancing will require.
Builds our passion for what we want to achieve and the associated enthusiasm for doing what is needed to what is needed.

Be warned. There are some real factors that tend to interfere with true progress and the achievement of our intended success. These include:

One’s personal resistance to change because it often takes us to a zone of discomfort. Whereas the status quo might make us feel more relaxed it does not move us in our desired direction. Giving into this becomes a big factor in personal plans being abandoned.
Feeling there is a lack of needed resources that will enable us to move upward in our planned direction. Giving into this feeling without exploring what’s possible and how to acquire what we need is to basically abandoned our personal plan and the related goal.
Experiencing the personal politics that can be pervasive in so many office environments can be enough to derail a personal growth and success plan. This is where our commitment to where we intend to go is so important so that we are willing and able to withstand the opinions and resistance of others around us.

growth sign

Execution is essential to the equation of success. Just as a new year’s resolution requires a committed plan, the goals we have for our own success do as well. And yet, without the determination to execute in a specific and meaningful manner, our plans and the related success it can bring become nice ideas.

It’s now August … early in the second half of 2019. With 5 months remaining there is still adequate time to make serious progress in getting to where you want to personally be. Maybe you’ll take out your plan, dust if off and jump into full-fledged execution. That’s all it takes! Execute today and win tomorrow.
Mike Dorman

Jul 24 2019

The Very Real Pitfalls and Costs of Wondrous Technology at Work

Two weeks ago the subject of my blog was ‘When Technology in the Workplace Becomes the Time-wasting Virus of Meetings’. I was not surprised by the attention it received because it’s something that so many of us have experienced. I was surprised by the responses it generated by some who indicated that the impact on meetings was only the tip of the iceberg.

What some were fast to point out is that as wondrous as all of the technology is in terms of what it allows us to do and accomplish at a much greater rate of speed, we have given up something that is still seen as a very important aspect of organizational and company success. It’s called communication and connection. Obviously I needed to do some research that would give merit to this train of thought … or not. I did and I share with you what I learned … something that may be no surprise to you.

multitasking woman

First, I will point to some of the positives that the ever-evolving creation of new, better and faster tech has brought to our work and lives:

- The increased speed related to communication
- The ability to hold ‘virtual’ meetings making for efficient use of time
- Faster and easier access to needed information
- Increased individual comfort given our ability to conduct most all business sitting at our desk

From the standpoint of business these attributes seem to be positives.

Efficiencies have been redefined.
Working ‘smart’ has taken on expanded meanings.
Accomplishing more in the course of a day is a benefit … at least by the heads of the organization, division or department.
The accessibility to all has grown well outside the boundaries of time in the office.

So far, so good. And it would be good until individuals began experiencing the adverse aspects of today’s technologically advanced and advancing work methods. Here are some of the ways people are beginning to feel the costs and pitfalls of living and working in such a world:

Reduced social interaction
If there is no longer the need to communicate in a face to face manner there is less opportunity to learn and further courtesies such as listening, tactful presentation and basic politeness. It’s hard to imagine that we will arrive at a place wherein business will not benefit from these skills.
Addiction to our tech tools
The apparent inability of so many of us to engage with another in a business or personal environment without reaching for and/or responding to some text, call or email for any extended period of time has and does impact the nature of relationships.
The ‘isolationism’ that accompanies the addiction to technology
To the extent that interaction with others adds potential depth and value to whatever we are working to do, this has become significantly diminished. Some speak of the increased sense of loneliness and stress … even while surrounded by others.
The impacted ability to concentrate and remain focused where needed
We feel the buzz when an email arrives, the ping with a new text message or the ring when we are receiving an incoming call. Regardless of what it is, in each case we feel compelled to be responsive … now. Whereas the form of communication is faster and even more efficient, getting our heads refocused on what we had been doing before we allowed the interruption is wasted time.
Hello speed … goodbye valuable non-verbal communication
Being able to emphasize our communication using various facial expressions and body language is gone … going in both directions. What this has allowed is a misinterpretation of the message delivered because of what we no longer have access to.
The ability to hide behind a protective wall of ‘say anything in any way’
If I can express myself in any manner without a concern or sensitivity to how I say something, a sense of decorum and acceptable expression is out the window. People who experience this speak of the very negative impact it has on the very relationships needed to be successful in the work being done with others.
The elimination of work time-frames thus allowing the workday to be 24/7
The idea of work-life balance becomes an awareness of the past. Feeling the pressure to always be available as a requirement of the job impacts the time and focus we feel free to devote to other areas of our lives.

An article in the Deloitte Insights expressed it this way. “There is no question that digital and mobile technologies give … and they also take away. Getting the most from technology and people isn’t about simply demanding restraint. It’s about designing digital technologies that facilitate the cultivation of healthy habits of technology use, not addictive behavior. And it’s possible for leaders of organizations to play an active role in designing workplaces that encourage the adoption of healthy technology habits.

help phone

Technology may have physically freed us from our desks, but it has also eliminated natural breaks which would ordinarily take place during the workday. A research conducted by the American Psychological Association revealed that 53 percent of Americans work over the weekend, 52 percent work outside designated work hours, and 54 percent work even when sick. Flextime, typically viewed as a benefit of technology providing greater freedom, actually leads to more work hours. Without tangible interventions, there’s little reason to think this behavior will change anytime soon.”

Along with all of the positive and wondrous benefits that advancing technology has delivered have come varied impacts on its’ users that are revealing negative consequences. As organizations become more aware of this and as the users begin to

realize the negatives infiltrating other areas of their lives, controls are being put in place designed to bring a realistic and beneficial balance back to those who find themselves on ‘the other side’ and want to return to a life that provides time and opportunity for all of its’ aspects. Perhaps it’s time to take stock of your work environment and how it has changed you in this regard. It’s only a guess and yet raising the issue will probably be greeted with applause from others having the same concerning experience.
Mike Dorman

Jul 11 2019

When Technology in the Workplace Becomes the Time-wasting Virus of Meetings

About 3 or 4 years ago I wrote a blog about the impact that advancing technology and the various tools were having within the business world. Where it was particularly evident was in the multitude of meetings and the length of them th

at seemed to be more and more prevalent. Then, participants felt that …

They needed to respond to an email that was on a very important issue immediately
They saw this being away from their desk as a chance to catch up at the same time they were certain that they didn’t miss a thing going on or being said in the meeting they were in.
They had to excuse themselves from the meeting if the message they received absolutely needed an immediate response and required a telephone call … now

At that time what many noticed was that the management, department or team meeting that used to be 30 to 60 minutes waste basket time 2 in length had grown to be 2 or 3 times that. Then, so much time was spent waiting for important input from a participant who was busy doing work he or she deemed critical or important. At least it was seen as more so than whatever was being discussed in the meeting. Maybe you remember those days. Unfortunately, rather than things getting better, today, in 2019, the issue and related problems have only been amplified.

As to why this is happening there are a few contributing reasons.

The sophistication of the tools from smartphones to pads or laptops has increased and this has increased what information we can carry around with us. Therefore, and with the rationale that whatever has come before us is important and must have an immediate response, that’s what we do.
We have, unfortunately, become used to ‘these’ meetings going on and on and are actually taking much longer resulting in what many consider wasted time.
We are too often questioning why we have even been included in any particular meeting to begin with and therefore see our responding to calls, emails or texts as much more important.

When working with a client who is trying to become more productive in the time spent in the office, the issue of lengthy meetings is often way up on the list of problems over which they feel no or little control. And when they are in that meeting and watch others spend time on their phones or laptops, eventually they think that they too should be using the time to handle their own issues … and they do.

Obviously this becomes self-defeating on multiple levels … to the individual, co-workers, the company and potentially, even to the customer. And from organization to organization several things have been tried in order to regain control.

Some have banned the use of phones or laptops altogether through a ‘check it at the door’ approach. The problem encountered is that some of the very information needed to present or refer to during the meeting is no longer available in real time and that causes additional delays
Some have scheduled specific breaks to occur every i.e. 30 minutes to allow all to check their phones for messages and respond if necessary. Although ideally that seems like a good plan participants tend to abuse the scheduled break time and fail to return when scheduled and needed. This too, only serves to delay the meeting especially if the one missing in action has pertinent input for the rest of the attendees.
Others have simply asked those attending to ‘pl-e-e-ze’ refrain from looking at or responding to incoming calls or messages. It’s a nice request that requires very good personal discipline that some just aren’t motivated to exercise … again because what they are responding to is just more important in their view … personally and to the company.

Have no fear. This blog is not encouraging that organizations should simply give up and give in to what the wonders that technology has wrought. There actually are steps that can be taken that have the effect of regaining control while giving control … all for the good of the organization.

Kathleen Owens penned an article entitled “How To Get Employees To Plug In To Your Meeting And Not Their Devices” in which she offers ways that can change the pathway to greater achievement at less cost both in terms of time and money. She said that “When you bring your own device (BYOD) to a meeting, you’re not multitasking; you’re ignoring. It’s become hard to imagine a meeting in which all attendees simply listen–no smartphones, no tablets, and no laptops to distract. We’ve all had the desire to yank a device away from a distracted employee, or we’ve been guilty of staring at our own devices during meetings. The modern meeting is so full of people “multitasking” on smartphones or laptops that it’s easy to wonder why anyone attends them at all. She suggests:

Become more selective in the people invited and expected to attend the meeting or as Owens indicates, “some meetings deserve to go away”. Especially with the likes of emails, senders often load up the ‘send to’ line with anyone they believe should know about it. The problem is that this is interpreted as mandatory and thus many meetings have attendees that really aren’t directly related to the topic and, at most, should be informed of decisions made if that is seen as important. If you find yourself in such a meeting and it really doesn’t apply to you, taking care of other things via your phone or laptop seems like the best use of this otherwise wasteful time.It has been proven that face-to-face meetings produce better results. And, according to a recent LogMeIn report, 73% of workers are taking a laptop, smartphone, tablet or combination of these devices into in-person meetings. The problem is that the main justification for using laptops and smartphones in meetings doesn’t benefit the actual meeting. Rather the beneficiary is the person with the device at the expense of everyone else in the meeting.
It’s multitasking that the book should be thrown at. The problem isn’t necessarily pointed at meetings. Rather research has been shown that when we multitask our IQ falls 10% however our errors increase 50%! And BYOD can’t be blamed alone as there have always been distractions i.e. when people used to be called out of meetings to take a call.Talk about something we should ban, we can’t blame BYOD alone for this. We’ve always had distractions. As scientist and businessman Simon Ramo said in a Businessweek article, “Are cell phones in meetings any more or less distracting than people being called out to take phone calls?” Bottom line is that modern technology has increased the opportunity for distractions which are bad for productivity.

Build a better meeting.
The best ways to keep meetings productive is to keep them short and focused and always have an end goal in mind. Don’t just print an agenda to hand out at the start of the meeting–upload the agenda to a shared file-server a day or two before the meeting. Ask people to collaborate on it, accessing the shared document to suggest additional top-line discussion items. By giving employees a say in the meeting’s structure and topics, they’ll feel more empowered to engage and influence the meeting’s outcome. Or, when starting a new project, you could hand out pens and notebooks to each person in the meeting, encouraging them to write not type, and to use a designated notebook for the project at hand.

Owens concludes that ”bringing our technology to meetings simply isn’t going away and neither are meetings. It is a leader’s job to run effective meetings, and sometimes that means encouraging a devices-off approach or actually incorporating device use into meetings. BYOD isn’t killing meetings, but new devices are giving distracted employees and poor management another weapon with which to beat the poor meeting to death.”

To the extent that you can take the lead in your organization that addresses the productive streamlining of your meetings I’m fairly confident that you will hear the loud and clear applause throughout the organization. It seems like a worthwhile endeavor!
Mike Dorman

Jun 26 2019

No Lunch Breaks ~ Are We Fooling Ourselves or the Company?

When working with individuals in the workplace I estimate that at least 50% of them describe their days in the office as working from their arrival in the morning until they leave for the day as being devoid of any mid-day or lunch break.

vending machine

Whether they are 8 hour days or 11 hour days the reason given is that they are just too busy and at most, ‘grab’ a snack from the vending machine to help them get through their days with ‘energy’.

Further to this, when they analyze their productivity throughout the day, the morning is often identified as their most productive time. They are awake, alert and driven. This is great if one can fill their afternoons with less important and more routine tasks however this is not the way days or the related work flows.

When asked why they don’t allow themselves to take an ‘away from the office’ mid-day break I hear some of these responses:

My company and especially my boss seems to discourage taking a break because we have so much to do and his job isto get the team to meet the expectations
I believe taking time away will reflect poorly on my work ethic and that, in turn, will limit my opportunity for advancement
I don’t need to recharge myself as I’m flying at maximum height and speed so why waste productive time?
I am able to organize my day to do the things needing energy and concentration around times of the day when I feel I have this at the maximum level. No problem!
I eat at my desk and get the nourishment needed. Thus, there is no value and only productive costs related to leaving for a break.
No one in the company takes a lunch break away from their desk. It’s the culture and I need to fit into that.

There have been numerous studies that actually trash these excuses and reasons. Factually, this practice impacts the health, mindset and the productivity in a big way. Here are some of the known benefits that justify a reconsideration on the part of organizations and the individuals as to the values inherent in breaking and getting away from one’s duties and desks. Taking breaks …

Increases productivity. The opportunity to recharge the brain while setting aside any issues that create pressure and stress enables one to return to the work with renewed energy. The accuracy and overall performance rises and carries us through the second half of the day with greater success.
Reduces Stress. Stress results from overloading the mind with too much data and/or activity. The lunch break that is skipped or eaten at the desk allows both stress and fatigue to work its’ way in and that can carry with it a sense of hopelessness, negative behavior and irritability. Viewing a lunch break as a key way to stay the productive and positive course makes it a necessity rather than a luxury.

Fends off job burnout. Without providing an intentional break on a consistent basis it can take a toll on one’senthusiasm for the work they do. In addition to impacting the organization’ bottom line, it also becomes a threat to the health and well-being of the person.

Boosts creativity output. Staying glued to one’s desk stifles our ability to visualize new or different approaches to whatever we’re working to achieve. The lunch break out of the office clears our head and allows us to re-approach the work with a refreshed and clear mind.

Increases a sense of job satisfaction. Taking lunch every day does a lot to avoid a building sense of resentmentthat often accompanies the person who feels stuck at their desk because they see themselves as just too busy to take that break. Instead, taking lunch away from the desk and/or office translates to the potential of being able to like and value the work and the opportunity we have to do it.

The Tork organization has done considerable research on workplace conditions to include the benefits of taking a break for lunch vs. the negative impact of not doing so. According to the survey:

Nearly 20% of North American workers worry their bosses won’t think they are hardworking if they take regular lunch breaks, while 13% worry their co-workers will judge them.
38% of employees don’t feel encouraged to take a lunch break.
22% of North American bosses say that employees who take a regular lunch break are less hardworking.

As the survey points out, these statistics are really a shame because regular breaks create better employees. In fact,

out to lunch steak

according to the survey, nearly 90% of North American employees claim that taking a lunch breaks helps them feel refreshed and ready to get back to work.

It’s a well-known fact that in many other countries there are businesses that actually close for 1-2 hours so that all employees leave the office and have a break. I’ve heard many scoff at this for it appears to them that those working just aren’t that connected, involved and committed to their work. At the same time I have to

office closed sign

wonder what the learning has been that has enabled this to become the way of the working world in such countries? Could it be that people are happier, more productive and more engaged in helping their organizations prosper? Perhaps it’s worthy of trying it. You just may like it on all fronts.
Mike Dorman

Jun 12 2019

Complacency vs. Opportunity at Work ~ The Choice We All Have

There has been a lot written about what creates complacency with some in the workplace and much of it relates a personal lack of clarity as to career direction or one’s not having an affinity with the direction they chose. Others are simply burned out and zapped of strength and desire to forge ahead because the nature of the company has changed … perhaps through growth that has taken away the excitement associated with the startup they originally joined.

Yet, I come face to face with another interesting and different phenomenon. It is related to the level of unemployment. It appears that when unemployment is at a high point in the working world, those in jobs realize the importance of keeping

the job they have. They tend to put out more effort to do things that will provide some degree of insurance that they will not be at risk of joining the ranks of the unemployed and looking. This takes various forms that might include asking to learn new tasks … demonstrating a willingness to put in more overtime … operating with a greater sense of flexibility that moves away from a rigid ‘job description’ to one of ‘whatever needs to be done’. The result for these individuals is that they actually learn new skills and in the overall, enhance their value to the organization.

Conversely, when unemployment is at a lower point much like it is today, some interpret this a job security perhaps believing that they would be hard to replace and with that ‘comfort’ tend to become complacent … in their job and the lost energy person

specific work they do. Thus, they become more aware of and less willing to put in extra time even when needed. They do the work they were hired and expected to do however don’t tend to reach beyond to learn or take on greater responsibilities. Generally speaking with their job more of a guarantee, they tend to coast along and in so doing just might be jeopardizing their career and ultimate goals.

Often, when I make this point to a coaching client I can see the lightbulb go on for it’s a perspective that some haven’t considered and thus, not acted upon. The exciting part happens when one does change their view of the situation and gets onto the bandwagon of determining how they can and should be operating … as if it’s a time of high unemployment. Converting complacency to opportunity carries with it some serious and real energy and that carries significant benefits.

Realistically speaking and regardless of the rate of unemployment, pushing oneself into an unknown arena also pushes find ur comfort zone and leave

ourselves into a zone of discomfort. We’re over the edge of what we know and do well. Our willingness to take that leap happens because we believe that it will reap benefits … to the organization and perhaps most importantly, to ourselves. It is often our hesitance to willingly do this that carries with the state of being complacent.

Here are some signs that perhaps … just perhaps … you are operating in the zone of complacency and recognizing this will help one move in the direction that takes advantage of the opportunities that are always present to some extent.

Showing up, doing your job as you know it and remaining in your comfort zone
Finding yourself wanting to continue using past approaches rather than pushing to improve methods and systems that could bring greater efficiencies
Resisting being an active participant with other work associates in a desire to streamline and explore improvement
No longer striving to do your best and rather focus on ‘good enough’

I’m sure there are more signs and yet, what is so valuable is our ability to recognize that, regardless of the level of unemployment, our viewing either situation as an opportunity to gain knowledge and recognition for how one has chosen to operate will have the impact of advancing our career and overall success. I grant you that times of lower unemployment as we are experiencing today are not necessarily a main cause of complacency. However, it appears that they can certainly bring it to the forefront without our realizing that this has taken place. As Bonnie Marcus stated in an article written for Forbes Women … “If you assume that the status quo will remain in place (like your job), you are setting yourself up to be blindsided. If you stay in the safety of your complacency without a notion as to what’s happening in the company or in your industry, your safety zone can become a danger zone overnight. Changes are occurring all around you that can make your skills and competencies obsolete. Potential mergers and downsizing can be potential landmines unless you are tapped into the politics of the company and listening carefully to the warning signs that change is about to happen.”

Dictionary.com’s definition of complacency is “a feeling of quiet pleasure or security, often while unaware of some potential danger, defect, or the like; self-satisfaction or smug satisfaction with an existing situation, condition, etc.” It seems to me that focusing on the opportunities that we can create in our work overrides any circumstance related to the level of employment. Or let’s say … it should! Right?
Mike Dorman

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