The Cranky Middle Manager Show #311 Serial Innovators Claudio Feser
The Cranky Middle Manager Show #250 The Get It Done Guy Stever Robbins
Posted on 20. Aug, 2010 by Wayne in General, Podcast
Today we celebrate our 250th show by doing what we always do….bring you great guests with lots to say. Today Wayne talks to Stever Robbins, the “Get-It-Done Guy” who will talk productivity for individuals and teams. We also look at the origin of the term Eminence Grise, which anyone in a corporation should know, and quote Edison. Just another day in Crankyland.
This young punk is the “Get it Done Guy”, Stever Robbins. He’s the author of “Get-It-Done Guy’s 9 Steps to Work Less and Do More”.
2 new webinar workshops this month!
How to Create and Manage Remote Teams September 24
Web Presentation Basics- for those who have to present online and want to learn how not to suck at it on September 26 and 29
If you have questions about these workshops, group discounts or any Greatwebmeetings.com training program, contact me.
Don’t forget the Connected Manager Blog on BNET. 3 Posts a week on managing remote teams and staying connected.
Show notes
0:00 Welcome to our 250th episode. No splashy party, just another interesting conversation with someone way smarter than me. Since we’re talking about getting things done, we thought we’d introduce you to the term “eminence grise” and its namesake, Francois Leclerc de Tremblay. My mother taught me early that power has nothing to do with the org chart.
3:40 The quote of the week is from Thomas Alva Edison who knew a thing or two about the difference between being busy and actually accomplishing anything.
4:15 Say hi to Stever Robbins, author of “9 Steps to Work Less and Do More”. He also has his own podcast with quick and dirty productivity tips. Why do we struggle to get things done? The usual reason is we’re not sure what we’re supposed to get done. Task lists are a problem and have been since the cave man scribbled “hunt buffalo” on a cave wall. I never thought of “to do ” lists as impressing potential mates. Still doesn’t work that way.
8:16 The big problem with tasks is that we lose sight of the big picture. Stever also realized that people were getting things done before the computer. Don’t underestimate the power of the simple notebook.
11:07 What’s the problem with email? How did it turn from productivity tool to time sucker? Stever offers some great tips for managing the beast. The main thing is to treat it like a handwritten letter… is it really worth the effort? If so it’s worth taking your time and doing it right.
15:07 Are you aiming for “inbox zero?” Dream on. Stever has an unorthodox solution- delete them all, go in and save only the ones you can’t function without. Self-delusion is underrated as a tool.
21:00 Replying to email instinctively is a timekiller. Try actually thinking about what you want to accomplish and say about it.
23:45 Let’s assume you want to actually keep your job. Stever has great tips for working with your team- including modeling whatever behavior you want them to copy. Using actual messages as the subject line in your email is a great way to help them actually understand your message.
Stever’s Resources
The Quick and Dirty Tips podcast
Anything by Marshall Goldsmith including
The Cranky Middle Manager Show #249 It’s Not Just Who You Know Tommy Spaulding
Posted on 12. Aug, 2010 by Wayne in General, Podcast
Today Wayne Turmel returns from vacation to talk to Tommy Spaulding about creating lasting, positive relationships. Tommy’s name first came up when we were talking to Steve Farber and he plays a prominent role in Steve’s book, Greater Than Yourself. Tommy’s book, “It’s Not Just Who You Know- Transform your life and your organization by turning colleagues and contacts into lasting, genuine relationships.” Whew. Oh and we talk about the census and a quote from Johnson…because it’s been at least a couple of weeks.
Tommy Spaulding talks to us about making lifelong connections and how it’s NOT networking…well it kind of is. He’ll explain.
2 new webinar workshops this month!
How to Create and Manage Remote Teams August 27th
Web Presentation Basics- for those who have to present online and want to learn how not to suck at it on August 23 and 26th
If you have questions about these workshops, group discounts or any Greatwebmeetings.com training program, contact me.
Don’t forget the Connected Manager Blog on BNET. 3 Posts a week on managing remote teams and staying connected.
Show Notes
0:00 Welcome to the show. I’m back from vacation but just as cranky as ever. Today we’re talking networking, or at least taking count of the people around you and what they mean to you…and vice versa. That got me thinking about censuses, and that got me thinking about Hesham Abdel Malek ben Marwan, who in 600 AD started taking stock of people around him.
3:00 The quote of the week is from Samuel Johnson. Is it better to seek people out or accept those who come to you? Tommy might have something to say about this quote….
4:00 Welcome Tommy Spaulding. He first came to my attention in Steve’s book “Greater Than Yourself”. (hear the full interview with Steve here). Tommy’s story is proof that connections and human relationships are more important than technical skills.
6:11 What’s wrong with what we normally think of as “networking”. Tommy thinks it’s a curse word, which might be a bit strong, but it’s primarily about helping ourselves. That’s a limited view of how to create true relationships. he prefers “netgiving” which is a bit of a semantic twist but I’ll go with it. Much like The Go-Giver by Bob Burg (and you can hear that interview here too). Of course if you’re looking for books, it’s really “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie that got him started on this path.
10:25 There are levels of relationships- “5 Floors” as Tommy calls them. Level one is purely transactional. Level 2 you might share a little personal information (NSW- News Sports Weather) conversations. Level 3 is exposing a bit of yourself to the person and Levels 4 and 5 are very open and candid. It’s a little counterintuitive but work with him.
14:00 As he does in the book, Tommy shares an example of building a level 4 or 5 relationship. It’s all about working with and for other people without thinking of yourself first that it all comes together. The term Tommy uses is “relationship captial” which i’m not comfortable with but this whole conversation kinds weirds me out so there you have it.
21:02 Tommy gives us some practical tips, one of which he calls, “Pardon me while I talk to your wife…” which is all about including the spouses and others when you’re working with someone. Ignore the people around your folks at your peril.
24:50 More tips: on the back of everyone’s business card that you get, write something that came up during the conversation so you have something about them that will help you connect.
27:15
Tommy’s Resources
The Cranky Middle Manager Show #248 The ABCs of Management Bob Parkinson
Posted on 03. Aug, 2010 by Wayne in Podcast
Today Wayne Turmel talks to JR (Bob to the initiated) Parkinson about his book “Becoming a Successful Manager”. We also discuss the uncredited inventor of the English dictionary, my new Connected Manager column on BNET and a quote from Mark Twain. Eclectic and erudite just like the fine folks who listen to this show….
2 new webinar workshops this month!
How to Create and Manage Remote Teams August 27th
Web Presentation Basics- for those who have to present online and want to learn how not to suck at it on August 23 and 26th
If you have questions about these workshops, group discounts or any Greatwebmeetings.com training program, contact me.
Show Notes
0:00 Welcome to the Cranky Middle Manager. Today we are talking about the ABCs of Management, and thus we’re thinking about spelling and words and that brings us to today’s dedication. Robert Cawdrey not only invented the first English dictionary, but the credit then went to Samuel Johnson. Sounds about right. Also, he was worried that if we didn’t all define our terms we wouldn’t know what we were talking about…and he was right there too.
4:30 The quote of the week is from Mark Twain who knew a thing or two about choosing the right words…and when not to use them.
5:20 Welcome Bob Parkinson back to the show (you can hear his first interview here). Do we really need another book about becoming a manager? Apparently we do. The ABCs of management are: Attitude, Behavior and Culture.
7:20 Is becoming a manager any more difficult than it ever was? The biggest challenge is that the workplace may not be an actual place at all. Working remotely has fundamentally changed the demands of the job.
10:45 How does a manager listen and pay attention to people he or she never sees. A big part of your job is NOT doing things, it’s helping them get it done.
15:13 How do you empower employees? They need 5 things to know exactly what’s expected:
- What needs to be done?
- When does it need to be done?
- Who is responsible for getting it done?
- Why does it need to be done?
- How will success be measured?
17:13 For this to work you have verification. The employee has to be able to show that they’ve done what they’ve been asked to do. The manager has to verify that he or she was heard correctly in the first place. Just because you said it, doesn’t mean they understood it. Make sure they can verbalize what the heck you wanted.
20:30 What’s the difference between getting to root cause and finding out what happened and putting people on the spot? For the record, Bob calls the question profound. This has never happened. Ever.
23:40 What is the one communication tool or skill managers would magically develop if Bob had his choice? They have to realize they are dealing with people first, employees second. The gift of respect is often lacking.
Bob’s Resources