The Idea Dude

CONNECTING THE DOTS ONE AT A TIME

Sunday, May 20, 2007

The art of getting things done

Ben at InstigatorBlog is creating an ebook on productivity tips. I was tagged by Chris, another great blogger on branding and marketing. I was in awe with all the entries that Ben has accumulated. Probably prevented me from starting this post. In the end, it was more important to share than be right! So here's my own little contribution really based on how I do things. When you have as small a team as we have at TheGoodBlogs, being productive is a number one priority.

  • Never reinvent the wheel.
    Lose the "not built here" syndrome. Before you start, find out if others have done it before and learn from their successes and mistakes.
  • Take time to figure out what's strategic and what's tactical.
    Strategic things are part of your core fundamentals to your business. Tactical things can be outsourced.
  • Take time to network
    Your total potential is the sum total of your entire network because the accumulation of additional intellect and critique can only make you run faster.
  • Fail fast
    Break a large project into little pieces so you can make changes quickly or even abort. Learning by failure is not an option
  • Take time to learn
    We're generally so busy we forget to update our own skillsets. Getting new skills on a regular basis is one of the best investments to give you that productivity boost.
  • Take time to teach.
    Invest in others and the return will be ten-fold. Don't be the bottleneck.
  • Learn to be agile and versatile.
    In small companies, job descriptions are non-existent, sometimes the best person for the job isn't available. Build a team that can step up and fill shoes when necessary.
  • Don't forget the team.
    Creating and keeping high energy levels and great attitudes should be a number one priority. You are only as good as the collective effort of your team.
  • Pick one thing a day and complete it.
    Nothing more demoralizing than working on the same feature every day for two weeks and seeing no light at the end of the tunnel. Also makes your peers very nervious.
  • Delayed commitment by design.
    Give new ideas a chance to settle in. Shooting them down to quickly or getting to excited may mean either losing a potentially great disruption or wasting valuable time.
  • Know your team.
    Understanding the strengths and weakness of each team member so you know what to expect and creating the best-fit scenario.
  • Teach everyone to lead.
    Being a leader is not being a manager. Not everyone should be a manager but everyone should be a leader. Challenging people to lead means everyone in the company will look to improve the company regardless of job description.
  • Inspire
    Nothing like the adrenalin of achievement. Inspire people to go beyond what they think they can be capable of, and it's a win-win situation for both the individual and the company.
  • Look for people who are curious and creative.
    They will find ways to solve what are seemingly insurmountable problems. They are also the ones that tend to take the initiative because of their own self-motivatation to create things.


Hope this inspires you!

4 Comments:

Blogger Chris Brown said...

Great ideas!! I love the flip-flop of * take time to learn * take time to teach. That is so important!!

Thank you!
Chris

1:09 PM  
Blogger The Idea Dude said...

Thanks Chris for planting the seed! I love the flip-flop analogy, didn't think of it that way before.

1:19 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Vern, are you planning to write the whole book on your own?
Yeez, what a list! ;-)

Specially like the last one: find curious people - IMHO always a winner

Karin H. (Keep It simple Sweetheart, specially in business)

11:19 AM  
Blogger The Idea Dude said...

It kinda ran away from me! <sheepish grin>

Ironically, it took me so long to get around to this because I didn't want to look like a lemon in Ben's group! and when I did get down to it, probably took all of 20 mins.

11:31 AM  

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