If you want to understand how hard it can be to automate, consider the many attempts to replace cashiers with self-checkout systems. To wit, CVS pharmacies were once lousy with self-checkout systems, which I personally tried to use, many times, to get out the door faster. Almost every time, some loud error sent me to […]
Archive for leading teams
Productivity Investments that Pay for Themselves
How to Achieve More by Doing Less
Most of us try to increase productivity by doing more things faster. As a result, we wind up overloaded and exhausted. Like a hamster on a wheel, we’re playing a game we can’t possibly win. In this episode, we talk about the value of investing in your own margin. I’ll show you how to accomplish […]
End Your Fear of Power Sharing
4 Reasons to Relax That Grip
It started with my first day on the job. I’d just been named senior leader at a growing organization with a generously-sized staff. Yet there were problems, as there are in any institution, and I was determined to solve them. All of them. Right away. Communications was a weak point, so I decided to personally […]
Go Viral, and Stay That Way
3 Ways to Create a Self-Perpetuating System of Growth
The question prodding us to increased productivity is almost never, “How do I fit more work into my day?” That question leads to productivity “hacks,” an exhausting pace of work, and endless to-do lists that never completely get done because there are only so many hours in the day. A better question to ask, instead, […]
The Science of Meditation
Taking Mind and Body to the Next Level
Three years ago I boarded a crowded, somewhat dirty bus and set off for Wat Suan Mokkh, a Thai forest monastery. The grounds featured giant monitor lizards and bats that would fly low at dusk, almost touching you with their wings. Though the bat-filled evenings were a highlight of my trip, they were not my […]
I Love Energy!
Why Productivity-in-a-Bottle Schemes Fail
“Are you tired, run down, listless? Do you poop out at parties? Are you unpopular? The answer to all of your problems are in this little bottle!” This quote, from Lucille Ball on I Love Lucy, is both hilarious and timeless. Her Vitameatavegamin bottle made some pretty large promises that only required an alcohol content of […]