Fast Focus on Your Success

Welcome to FAST FOCUS ON YOUR SUCCESS

susan.battley@battleyinc.com — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 13:35:00 GMT

Way back in the last millennium I produced and hosted a weekly radio program that focused on leadership and career effectiveness. And way before internet radio broadcasting became mainstream, my program - which I called Fast Focus on Success (tm) - was available online to a global audience. Its pioneering status was recognized by the Clinton White House Office of Science & Technology.

I am excited to revive the series in two versions. One version is the blog you're now reading. While I certainly can't claim front-mover status in the blogosphere, my goal is still to analyze trends, news, people, and burning issues that impact leaders and those aspiring to leadership positions. And...to emphasize the reader - YOU - I've updated the title to Fast Focus on Your Success.

It's a fast world, and seemingly getting faster all the time. We're all doing so much that it's tough to find time to reflect and learn from what we're doing and what we've done. This is a huge issue for the CEOs, executives, entrepreneurs, and technical professionals I work with.

So I will focus here on timely commentary and actionable insight that's linked to real-world challenges and opportunities.

There's sure to be cross-fertilization with my firm's complimentary e-newsletter - which will also go by the Fast Focus on Your Success designator. You can subscribe here. The same applies to articles I pen for a variety of business and management periodicals.

Avoiding the "Smart People Trap"

susan.battley@battleyinc.com — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 15:07:00 GMT

This week I've been in a number of situations where some variation of the comment, "We know what we're doing because we're smart," has cropped up.

I'm sensitized to this comment - and variations thereof. In fact, a red flag goes up in my mind, as this phrase often suggests to me that the speaker has fallen into the Smart People Trap.

What Is the Smart People Trap?

The Smart People Trap is a pitfall resulting from overconfidence and over generalization of our intellectual abilities and professional expertise. It's a term I use to describe a phenomenon that can occur at meetings and in the executive suite, as well as elsewhere in our personal lives. In essence, we fall victim to faulty reasoning which then leads us to make subpar decisions and take subpar actions.

Consider these examples of faulty reasoning:

We're smart, so we can:

Pick up needed information as we go along rather than plan in advance.
Basically make winning decisions on any topic.
Engage in untested shortcuts to get the job done.
Manage or ignore known risks.
Ignore rules and norms that apply to people less smart than we are.

In the extreme, the Smart People Trap promotes decision making that results in acute disaster (NASA's Challenger O-ring fiasco) or criminal conduct (Enron's Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling).

The point I want to make here is this: If you're really smart, you'll recognize and avoid the Smart People Trap.

Given the economic and business stressors that we're coping with and navigating through, it's vital for all of us to have a robust decision making process in place, and not fall victim to our own "smarts."

How to Make a Great First Impression

susan.battley@battleyinc.com — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:24:00 GMT

Whether you're interviewing for a new position, starting a new job, networking, or otherwise "out there" in this tough, attention-deficit environment, making a good first impression has never been more important to success.

I'm constantly asked about this topic by job seekers and new graduates. However, I find that many seasoned professionals can benefit from refreshing and upgrading their impression management skills too.

Three Action Tips

1. Create a positive emotional encounter with the other person(s). Your personal likability is critical. For example, you may have a blockbuster resume, but if the interviewer doesn't like you, you have just de-selected yourself.

2. Ask relevant questions that show interest in the other person's views, experiences and opinions. Then shut up and listen. For example, ask a new colleague: "What would be helpful for me to know about this department now or find out first?" Avoid the trap of self-focus or excessive self-promotion.

3. Emphasize similarities and goodness-of-fit in your interactions. Life - and business - are matching games. For example, in an interview be prepared to clearly communicate how what you possess in terms of skills and track record addresses a critical business need or initiative.

Remember, people have to buy into you before they will buy from you -- or be interested in helping you.

Prime Directive: Never underestimate the power of personal likability and rapport!

Living Effectively - Enduring Advice from Antiquity

susan.battley@battleyinc.com — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 22:44:00 GMT

In the Nothing-New-Under-the-Sun category, I recently saw the fabulous exhibit Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

The exhibit included works and artifacts from Ai Khanoum, a city founded in the 4th century BC after Alexander the Great's conquest.

This tomb inscription, part of the Delphic precepts, is reproduced in the exhibit. It strikes me as being as relevant today as it was in ancient times:

"As children, learn good manners

As young men, learn to control the passions

In middle age, be just

In old age, give good advice

Then die, without regret."

Timeless and universal advice for us all!

Summer Vacation - Work Balancing Act: 2009 Success Tips

susan.battley@battleyinc.com — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 18:14:00 GMT

*News Release*

(New York Metropolitan) - While two out of three adults plan to take a vacation this summer, according to a recent Harris Poll, getting out of the office can be especially challenging this year. Downsizing means there are fewer people to cover for those on vacation, and technology can make it difficult to disconnect completely from workplace responsibilities and stress.

How can Americans refresh amidst all the stress in their professional and personal lives?

Internationally renowned psychologist, Dr. Susan Battley, who advises world-class professionals and organizations on maximizing their performance and talent potential, says that planning and the right mindset are important before, during and after your vacation.

Battley says, “First, recognize that vacations have tremendous work-related benefits in making you more productive and creative. They also improve your mood and decision-quality. You should not feel guilty about taking time off that you’ve earned.”
Furthermore,

* Recharging mentally and physically is what top athletes do between competitions. Take a lesson from their playbooks.
* In these challenging economic times, making winning decisions is critical to ongoing career success.
* Enlightened bosses encourage their people to take vacations because they want a high-performing workforce. So they need to lead by example and take vacation themselves.

Dr. Battley’s Smart Vacation Planning Tips

1. Before You Leave the Office

- Arrange coverage and brief others on important issues, especially your boss.
- Clarify expectations about your availability and accessibility while away.
- Don’t over-commit on pending projects.

2. While On Vacation

- Disconnect "TO" something, not "FROM" something. Apply the principles of attraction to vacation planning. Select a locale or activity that has real interest for you: Strong attraction neutralizes work distraction. Examples: family trip, re-connecting with friends, volunteer work.
- Set a vacation time period that works for you. Many people now opt for briefer vacations that allow them to disconnect and relax fully rather than longer vacations where work piles up in their absence.
- Use technology wisely. If you do need to touch base with the office, try to arrange a fixed time that it is convenient for you.

3. Returning From Vacation

- Schedule a "Bridge" work day. Give yourself a day to "sneak" back to work before your official return date. This will allow you to get caught up before the usual work demands hit your calendar.
- Thank those who covered for you.
- Implement new ideas you came up with when your mind roamed free.

“In these uncertain times, it’s more important than ever for people to feel a sense of control, “ says Battley. “Vacation time should be a time of control and choice, even if it’s to do absolutely nothing at all!”
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Contact Info: Susan Battley, PsyD, PhD is a leadership psychologist, author and adviser to world-class CEOs and organizations. Her expertise has been featured in numerous business and media outlets including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Harvard Management Update, CNN, CNBC, and NPR. She is CEO and founder of Battley Performance Consulting based in metropolitan New York. Full online media kit is available at: www.SusanBattley.com

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Perils of the Open Door

susan.battley@battleyinc.com — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 23:47:00 GMT

I recently had a discussion with a senior executive about his productivity and time utilization. He was aware that he probably wasn't getting as much done in a timely fashion as he could or - given today's challenging business environment - he should.

In fact, he got more of his core work done when he was out of his office rather than in it.

When asked to describe his management style, he proudly declared that he believed in transparency, high communication, and being accessible. Furthermore, he had an open door policy.

Uh-oh! No wonder this harried leader couldn't get work done. People were literally lined up to see him from the moment he got to work. He'd lost control of his calendar and schedule.

Here's a case where good intentions - being accessible to his people - undermined this executive's ability to allocate time and focus to key strategy issues and implementation. His highest value to the organization was not getting his highest priority.

Perils of the Open Door include:

Getting bogged down in "urgent but not important" activities and problems
Sacrificing proactive, high-impact initiatives for reactive firefighting
Promoting dependency among your directs, who seek your approval before any and every move or decision

Corrective Action Steps include:

Take control of your schedule. Set aside a certain amount of time for non-emergency walk-ins and phone-ins. If you have an assistant, be sure s/he is an effective gatekeeper.
Push back. Learn to say "No" to requests that you know are not critical or essential. Encourage your people to come up with their own options and solutions.
Be strategic in your accessibility. Plan your communication and outreach activities so they are as impactful as possible. Set up mechanisms such as meetings, town halls, electronic newsletters and intranet bulletin boards to keep dialogue open.

Remember, an open door can become a trap door in terms of your performance and productivity. Here's another instance of your time being your most precious asset and resource.

Supercharge Your Meetings

susan.battley@battleyinc.com — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 21:05:00 GMT

Often, it's the simple things that are the most difficult to get right. I think that business meetings fall into this category. People have just become resigned to having large amounts of their time snatched from their work week.

Even meetings that have a good reason for happening often take up more time than they need to, and don't generate optimal results because insufficient thought and planning have gone into them.

Time is our most precious resource. We can't reclaim it. For maximum productivity and collaboration, consider these action steps to get the highest return on time (ROT) possible on meetings.

Six Power Tips to Supercharge Your Meetings

1. A clear, compelling reason to meet should be identified and communicated in advance of the meeting. This primes the motivational pump and focuses people’s attention. Too many business meetings are a waste of time because this prime directive is overlooked.

2. The meeting agenda should be circulated in advance, since attendees are likely to have different thinking and communication styles. (For example, some people possess a rapid “think-out-loud” style, while others are more reflective and need to think through matters carefully before they will speak an opinion or suggestion).

3. Desired outcomes should be communicated at the beginning of each meeting to calibrate attendees’ expectations. For example, is the meeting for brainstorming or decision-making? Is the meeting primarily for operational information flow or in-depth discussion? When a meeting’s outcomes are consistent with expectations up front, everyone feels encouraged, motivated and focused on next-step action. This is especially the case with full-day or multi-day management retreats and offsites.

4. People support what they help to create. Attendees need to be heard to become engaged and committed. Meeting leaders should be inclusive and not just use a meeting as a bully-pulpit to pontificate.

5. Inclusiveness means having a system to collect everyone’s opinions, not just the loudest or most talkative. A round-robin system works well and prevents people from talking over one another.

6. Focused attention is critical to successful meetings, so ban distracting technology such as cell phones, PDAs, etc. from the room. Psychologically, this sends the powerful “meta-message” to attendees that the meeting agenda and content are of prime importance.

Most meetings, whether they're team meetings, board sessions, or large offsite events, are successful in direct proportion to the planning that's done in advance. there are no shortcuts.

Color Code Your Performance?

susan.battley@battleyinc.com — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 12:50:00 GMT

Recently, I was stuck in a windowless conference room, an unwilling victim of "PowerPoint Gone Mad." The font was so small, the presenter's voice so monotone, that I struggled to find something in my surroundings to keep my eyes and mind from glazing over.

The walls were blah beige. No help there. Then I noticed a red "Exit" sign. If only I could have exited!

But the sign reminded me of some interesting research on color and performance I'd read about.

The Science article, titled "Blue or Red? Exploring the Effect of Color on Cognitive Task Performances," reported that red enhances performance on detail-orientedtasks, whereas blue enhances performance on creative tasks. The color red is also associated with avoidance, as in warnings of danger or caution. Think STOP sign.

(Who among us does not associate red ink with errors and incorrect answers?)

The color red - when used as room color or other background color - can make people's work more accurate. On the other hand, the color blue enhances people's creativity.

Blue-sky thinking, here I come!

Obama and Leno - Oh Too Clever?

susan.battley@battleyinc.com — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 02:23:00 GMT

Last night President Obama appeared on the Jay Leno Show. I admit that when I first heard about Obama's guest appearance I had mixed feelings. I wrestled with conflicting thoughts. Viewing the actual show only generated more ambivalence and questions for me.

Can a sitting President take populism - or celebrity - too far? Have talk-show hosts like Leno, Jon Stewart, and Oprah hijacked the American consciousness and attention span?

On the other hand, was Obama's decision akin to Willie Sutton's answer to why he robbed banks? Sutton replied, "Because that's where the money is." The Tonight Show is where people can be found these days.

A leader's image is shaped by his actions more than anything else. Is Obama the late-night show guest just the newest incarnation of FDR and his fireside chats? Does there come a point when Presidential gravitas and dignity suffer - for the position if not the person? Are these questions that only those over the age of 45 or 50 even consider relevant, let alone important?

Coming on the heels of Comedy Central Jon Stewart's smackdown of Jim Cramer on March 12th, the "info-tainment" trend seems stronger than ever.

So much for cleverness, repartee and ad-libbing last night. Obama's Special Olympics gaffe underscores the down side risks of sans teleprompter glibness.

Isn't there a lot of work to do, Mr. President? Some might wonder if schmoozing with Leno in the midst of our economic woes sends the right message and tone for now. So let's skip the talk-show circuit for a while.

Check Out Our New Website

susan.battley@battleyinc.com — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 19:13:00 GMT

I am excited about the launch of our new corporate website. This extreme makeover was akin to a complex building project: tons of decisions, some technical, some creative, and lots having to do with content. Whew! Kristin von Bernthal, owner of Das Dollhaus did a super job.

Here's the official press release:

Battley Performance Consulting today launched the redesign of its website, www.battleyinc.com, to provide visitors with enhanced information, learning tools and multimedia resources.

The firm, based in metropolitan New York, provides strategic leadership and organization effectiveness services to world-class institutions in the US and abroad.

“Our website has always been an important tool for us to share information about the business applications of behavioral science,” said CEO Dr. Susan Battley. “The redesigned site’s new look and improved functions will insure an engaging learning experience for our users.”

The revamped site features an exciting new video series on executive performance written by Dr. Battley. An updated resources section includes proprietary interactive quizzes that visitors can take to assess their current professional effectiveness.

“Our new website coincides with us embarking on our second decade of helping exceptional leaders achieve extraordinary results,” Dr. Battley noted. “In addition to providing information about our firm’s consulting and speaking services, the site is intended to give visitors immediate ‘news they can use’.”

The new website includes:

Improved overall usability
Diagnostic surveys and quizzes
Numerous resources for executives, human resource professionals, meeting planners, and reporters.

Visit www.battleyinc.com to discover the redesigned website for yourself.

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Oprah, Organizations and Maintaining Positive Change

susan.battley@battleyinc.com — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 00:31:00 GMT

Last month Oprah Winfrey devoted much program air time to addressing her weight gain of 40 pounds over the past few years. She described how she went off course, deviating from her regimen of exercise and healthy eating. She discussed the mental rationalizations she told herself as her weight slowly crept up.

I was particularly attentive when she brought on the people who had helped her achieve her earlier weight and wellness goals. There were her nutritionist, her personal trainer, and her medical advisers.

What had caused Oprah's backslide? She identified two reasons. The first was a medical problem with thyroid functioning. The second was: She had stopped using her personal change team.

I find that organizations that have invested heavily in positive change - and with great results - can be as much at risk of reverting to former states as Oprah was, especially if an unexpected challenge or stressor comes along . And for the same reason: they have not established a system or mechanism for maintaining their hard-won successes.

Why does this happen in organizations? Often management can be over-confident in their abilities to consolidate and maintain their accomplishments on their own. Or they can be naive about the powerful counterforce that is habit.

For example:

An in-house mentor program created for talent development and retention goes from monthly to quarterly meetings, only to fall off the radar altogether two years later.
A company president who had worked hard to improve his coaching style with directs reverts to being impatient and a micro-manager.

Oprah's lesson is one that leaders should heed: if you want to preserve positive change, you need to invest on an ongoing basis in the resources - processes, experts, etc. - that will help keep you and your enterprise in high performance mode. Otherwise, things are likely to revert to they way they were.

Mastery Makes for Miracles

susan.battley@battleyinc.com — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 22:40:00 GMT

That the passengers and crew of US Airways Flight 1549 all survived their emergency landing is indeed a "Miracle on the Hudson." What caused both engines to fail shortly after takeoff is still to be determined. What is patently clear though is the role that the flight's crew, and especially the pilot Captain Chesley Sullenberger, played in the successful outcome.

Capt. Sullenberger, 57, is a former Air Force pilot with more then 40 years of flying experience.

Mayor Mike Bloomberg hailed Sullenberger as "masterful."

Research shows that mastery takes a minimum of 10,000 hours to achieve.

While the debate continues about whether or not highly experienced leaders may not be as open to change and innovation as less seasoned ones, yesterday's amazing feat reminds us that when the stakes are high, true mastery can make the difference between success and disaster.

The Positive Power of Sleep

susan.battley@battleyinc.com — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 04:07:00 GMT

Attention, peak performing leaders and professionals.

Do you want to reduce your chance of getting a cold? Cut your risk of heart attack? Sleep research continues to yield important information about how our minds and bodies benefit from a good night's rest. Consider these two recent studies.

Researchers note in The Journal of the American Medical Association , December 24-31, 2008 issue, that getting an extra hour of sleep was associated with a 33 percent drop in participants' odds of developing coronary artery calcification over five years. [JAMA. 2008;300(24):2859-2866].

A study published recently in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that people who sleep less than seven hours per night are three times more likely than those who sleep at least eight hours to catch a common cold after being exposed to a cold-causing virus. Put another way, sleep fights colds.

Now for the reality check. In a National Sleep Foundation survey, nearly a third (32%) of respondents say they only get a good night’s sleep a few nights per month.

Time sleeping is time well spent. Be good to yourself, and reap the rewards of greater productivity, creativity, stress resilience and overall well-being.

Reflections on "Rebooting America"

susan.battley@battleyinc.com — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 15:45:00 GMT

Thomas Friedman, award-winning author and columnist, recently wrote a dead-on, thought-provoking opinion piece in The New York Times titled, "Time to Reboot America."

In it, Friedman makes a compelling case that America is on a fast-track to becoming a second-rate country with a deteriorating infrastructure, serious brain drain problem, and dysfunctional view of wealth creation. He cites as examples:

Bailouts of companies that have become giant wealth-destruction machines
Public schools with no national standards
Immigration policies that force out some of the best scientists and engineers we've educated in American colleges
Energy prices that do not encourage investment in 21st-century renewable power systems or efficient cars

Friedman goes on to write that America needs to reboot now if we are to maintain of place as a world leader. New leadership with a new vision - and the will and mandate to execute the vision - is desperately needed. This, clearly, is Friedman's hope for Barack Obama and his presidential team.

When I was a university professor teaching European economic history, I often used a cartoon to make a humorous point about the waning of the Middle Ages. The cartoon shows two peasants laboring in a field. In the caption, one peasant says to the other, "Hurry up, Bodo. We need to get the harvest in because tomorrow the Renaissance starts and everyone will be painting."

On a serious note, we will not have any advance notice if - and when - our premier economic and political status goes into irreversible decline relative to others' ascendancy. Leaders, you and we all need Reboot Camp on a national level!

End-of-Year Review Mode

susan.battley@battleyinc.com — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 16:33:00 GMT

For the next few weeks, as the year winds down, I will be in look-back and look-ahead mode with my blog.

And what a year it was! An awesome roller-coaster. Let's see, there was:

The drama and surprises of the Presidential campaign and election
The sub-prime mortgage crisis
Oil at record price levels
The demise of legendary financial institutions Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers and of an independent Merrill Lynch
Fannie and Freddie Mac, IndyMac Bank, AIG, and the $700 million Wall Street bailout/rescue/to-be-determined
And now Detroit's Big Three hat-in-hand in Washington

What lessons can be learned? What are key leadership issues and priorities for 2009? I'll write about these in my upcoming entries.