This blog post on "Too Busy Being Unproductive to Learn to Be Productive" had three great questions to help you with your productivity:
Answer three critical questions before you begin: (1) does this work need to be done at all, (2) should I be the one doing it, and (3) is there a better way to do it than the usual or prescribed way? The right answer to all three questions can save you a lot of time.
For someone who doesn't like to spray the monkeys, these questions provide an excellent framework for both small innovations and productivity.
Never heard about these darn monkeys? Here's the fable...
Start with a cage containing five monkeys. Inside the cage, hang a banana on a string and place a set of stairs under it. Before long, a monkey will go to the stairs and start to climb towards the banana. As soon as he touches the stairs, spray all of the other monkeys with cold water.
After a while, another monkey makes an attempt with the same result all the other monkeys are sprayed with cold water. Pretty soon, when another monkey tries to climb the stairs, the other monkeys will try to prevent it.
Now put away the cold water. Remove one monkey from the cage and replace it with a new one. The new monkey sees the banana and wants to climb the stairs. To his surprise and horror, all of the other monkeys attack him. After another attempt and attack, he knows that if he tries to climb the stairs, he will be assaulted.
Next, remove another of the original five monkeys and replace it with a new one. The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked. The previous newcomer takes part in the punishment with enthusiasm! Likewise, replace a third original monkey with a new one, then a fourth, then the fifth. Every time the newest monkey takes to the stairs, he is attacked. Most of the monkeys that are beating him have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs or why they are participating in the beating of the newest monkey.
After replacing all the original monkeys, none of the remaining monkeys have ever been sprayed with cold water. Nevertheless, no monkey ever again approaches the stairs to try for the banana. Why not? Because as far as they know that’s the way it’s always been done around here.
24.11.07
CEO Read
A quote I cherish is "leaders are readers", and how fitting then is a site with the moniker 800 CEO Read?! Check out the review on a book I read and loved, Mavericks At Work. I'll be frequenting this site for new titles to add to my ever-growing list of books to read.
Sidebar: how's this for an interesting 'full circle' experience. After perusing 800 CEO Read, I was intrigued about Gary Hamel's latest book, The Future of Management. I wanted to purchase The Definitive Drucker(my library copy proved to be worth owning) , so off to Chapters I went to dole out some funds for both reads. While in the business/leadership section, a young fellow asked me a couple of questions. This led to quite a dialogue about what he was looking for and the books I had read and recommended. In the end, my official recommendation was for him to check out both the changethis and 800 CEO Read websites! PS I didn't purchase Hamel's book, but did walk away with EHE's book as well as The Art Of Possibility. Watch for my flags on these two.
Sidebar: how's this for an interesting 'full circle' experience. After perusing 800 CEO Read, I was intrigued about Gary Hamel's latest book, The Future of Management. I wanted to purchase The Definitive Drucker(my library copy proved to be worth owning) , so off to Chapters I went to dole out some funds for both reads. While in the business/leadership section, a young fellow asked me a couple of questions. This led to quite a dialogue about what he was looking for and the books I had read and recommended. In the end, my official recommendation was for him to check out both the changethis and 800 CEO Read websites! PS I didn't purchase Hamel's book, but did walk away with EHE's book as well as The Art Of Possibility. Watch for my flags on these two.
The Personal MBA
I ended up on squidoo's site to check out The Personal MBA. I can't imagine the rigor required to define 69 books.
Here's the gist from the site itself:
The core of the Personal MBA is a list of the very best books the business press has to offer. Some books will give you tools: processes or actions you can apply immediately to your improve your life and work. Others will give you ideas: help in envisioning what you and your business are capable of becoming. All of them will give you mental models: useful ways of thinking about the world that you can use to your advantage in a wide variety of situations.The Personal MBA Recommended Reading List is the tangible result of hundreds of hours of reading, research, discussion, and evaluation. By reading these books and applying what you learn to your daily life, you will progressively develop a greater understanding of business and increase your effectiveness in the working world. Each book in the list has been selected for a single purpose: to maximize your educational return on invested time.
This appeals to the reader/learner in me. I know the impact reading business books has had on me, so definitely support the idea that reading books like these gives you incredible insight and business advantage. What I'm not convinced of is that these 69 books are the right books for everyone. I think I prefer my meandering journey over a prescribed list. However, you can be I will be checking the list for recommendations.
Happy reading!
Here's the gist from the site itself:
The core of the Personal MBA is a list of the very best books the business press has to offer. Some books will give you tools: processes or actions you can apply immediately to your improve your life and work. Others will give you ideas: help in envisioning what you and your business are capable of becoming. All of them will give you mental models: useful ways of thinking about the world that you can use to your advantage in a wide variety of situations.The Personal MBA Recommended Reading List is the tangible result of hundreds of hours of reading, research, discussion, and evaluation. By reading these books and applying what you learn to your daily life, you will progressively develop a greater understanding of business and increase your effectiveness in the working world. Each book in the list has been selected for a single purpose: to maximize your educational return on invested time.
This appeals to the reader/learner in me. I know the impact reading business books has had on me, so definitely support the idea that reading books like these gives you incredible insight and business advantage. What I'm not convinced of is that these 69 books are the right books for everyone. I think I prefer my meandering journey over a prescribed list. However, you can be I will be checking the list for recommendations.
Happy reading!
Latest Web Addiction - changethis.com
As I wandered across several blogs, I came across this site: changethis.com. My business book reading has been halted in a serious way while I indulge in manifesto overload. Here are some of my fave's and why... wait, argh... stop. Trying to create my fave list has just resulted in another hour of manifesto reading. Just check it out yourself already!
A Mighty Heart
The Brave Life and Death of My Husband, Danny Pearl
by Mariane Pearl
This book needs no "from the cover". Cast your mind back to 2002 and recall the kidnapped journalist whose death was broadcast over the internet. This is his story. Incredible
I had two flags from this very powerful book...
pg 59 War held no appeal for Danny or for me. What interested us was the challenge presented by peace. People often see peace as the simple absence of war, but it is instead the result of courageous actions taken to initiate a dialogue between civilizations. Both Danny and I saw our profession as a way to contribute to the dialogue, to allow voices on all sides to be heard, and to bear witness.
pg 272 ... the words of a poem by Diane Ackerman called "School Prayer" - words I have tried, and keep trying, to embody with my whole life:
"I swear I will not dishonour
my soul with hatred,
but offer myself humbly
as a guardian of nature,
as a healer of misery,
as a messenger of wonder,
as an architect of peace ."
by Mariane Pearl
This book needs no "from the cover". Cast your mind back to 2002 and recall the kidnapped journalist whose death was broadcast over the internet. This is his story. Incredible
I had two flags from this very powerful book...
pg 59 War held no appeal for Danny or for me. What interested us was the challenge presented by peace. People often see peace as the simple absence of war, but it is instead the result of courageous actions taken to initiate a dialogue between civilizations. Both Danny and I saw our profession as a way to contribute to the dialogue, to allow voices on all sides to be heard, and to bear witness.
pg 272 ... the words of a poem by Diane Ackerman called "School Prayer" - words I have tried, and keep trying, to embody with my whole life:
"I swear I will not dishonour
my soul with hatred,
but offer myself humbly
as a guardian of nature,
as a healer of misery,
as a messenger of wonder,
as an architect of peace ."
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