Juggling Elephants Blog

A small idea as we look to improve ourselves in 2008 and beyond is to think "baby steps". We want to lose that extra 20 pounds by next week or write a novel by the end of the month. We want to improve relationships today and be perfectly organized in just 15 minutes. This can be overwhelming and not realistic.

But, something that does seem doable is to focus each day on just doing a little more, being a little better, doing one element of a big goal. A simple task can go a long way as you pace yourself for life’s marathon rather than a sprint. It might take a little longer but at least daily progress moves us closer to a great performance.

Labels: priorities, time management

I was recently listening to the radio when the old song, "Little Things Mean A Lot" came on. For some reason, the lyrics reached out and grabbed me:

Give me your arm as we cross the street
Call me at six on the dot
A line a day when you're far away
Little things mean a lot

Give me your hand when I've lost my way
Give me your shoulder to cry on
Whether the day is bright or gray
Give me your heart to rely on

A little sappy? Maybe. But I was reminded of how important doing the "little things" can be to building our relationships. Simple things such as speaking kind words, reading to a child, doing something without being asked and a simple phone call, e mail or card to say "Hello." Small things that can make a big difference.

What are some things you could do today to help improve things in your relationship ring?

Labels: relationships

While cleaning off one of my desks I found a great article on beating stress from an old Reader's Digest. It's a good prescription for beginning the healing process after an elephant you were attempting to juggle has fallen on you. The list also gets you started on preventing them from falling on you again. They include:

• Make time for yourself. Reserve part of a day each week for just you.
• Develop a method to calm yourself. Meditate, breathe deeply or just closing your eyes for a few moments ( I have a special folder of music on my mp3 player for just such occasions).
• Analyze what you love and hate about your work. Plan strategies to take care of the items you hate and celebrate what you love.
• Settle for less than perfect. Set boundaries on work or other overwhelming tasks.
• Take good care of yourself. You know what it means... eat healthy, exercise, sleep well, etc.
• Cultivate a support network.
• Set limits. Take time before saying yes to a new commitment-you will find that your responses are much more logical and less emotional.
• Plan for the future. Take small steps (see Thursday's blog) to making things better professionally or personally.

Labels: Reflection, stress reduction

At the beginning of the year, it can be very overwhelming to look at our "circus" and think of all the areas where we want to improve our lineup. It can even get depressing for some. New Year's resolutions and our goals for the upcoming year can seem daunting and with almost one month gone in 2008 we forget about them so that we don’t have to face that we are falling short so quickly.

I take strength from the thought, "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time." Break down your goals into bite size pieces. Spread your goals throughout the year and also be realistic as you make resolutions. Like we say in the book, "What's the best time to bring this new act into the lineup?" Focus on one per week or one per month. One-Two well executed improvements (see blog from Tuesday) are better than 4-5 sloppily attempted that are ultimate failures.

Lastly, look at what acts can be removed from your circus as you look to add new ones. Nothing weighs more heavily on a performer than a line up that is too crowded... that loud crash is an elephant that just fell on someone-don't let it be you!

Labels: goal setting, personal growth, resolutions

Fast Company Magazine is a fantastic monthly publication that highlights today's hot business trends and looks at what might be on the horizon tomorrow. Robert Safian is the editor and his letter from the editor this month had a powerful thought. He is speaking about the success of Mike Rowe and his cable show, Dirty Jobs:

But Rowe's story also allows us to examine an underappreciated aspect of economic success: the genius of expertly executed craftmanship. It is the glue that cements ideas, on one end, and hard work, on the other, to fuel productivity. Either type of asset is squandered if inappropriately deployed. Execution is the great differentiator in our global economic competition.

What a great equation! Ideas + Great Execution + Hard Work = Productivity.

Reviewing the equation each day may help determine which one is lacking in my performance and what changes I need to make to get the standing ovations I want from others or myself.

Labels: planning, productivity

The Pfizer corporation conducted internal studies to determine how much time their talent was losing to support tasks instead of focusing on higher level responsibilities. The results, to me, were interesting:

• 20-40% of their work load was "support work" which could be outsourced to other individuals or groups.



• No level of the organization was immune. From VPs to Directors to Managers, the amount of time lost each week was 5-15 hours.
  

Following the study, Pfizer decided to take action. They decided to enlist the services of groups that would complete these responsibilities and tasks at a much lower rate than those who were currently doing them. It's part of a program called "OOF" or Office Of the Future.

What about you? What are some tasks you are currently completing that would best be delegated to others so you could focus on "the bigger acts" that would make a more major impact on the success of your circus.

Read more about the Pfizer program at http://21cvision.blogspot.com/2008/01/pfizer-oof-office-of-future-program.html

Labels: delegation

Today we received this endorsement of the book from a young reader in Australia:

I would just like to say that I really enjoyed your book! It opened my mind. I also think you might be interested to know that I'm only ten years old so of course my three rings would be school, relationships and self. But thank you very much for writing such a wonderful book!

As we often say, readers may call their rings by different names due to age, responsibilities or other factors. That's okay by us. Our hope is that the metaphor helps them to get more of the important things done now, regardless of their age.

According to an article in today's USA Today, more Americans are realizing the need to cultivate their "inner person" or as we say in Juggling Elephants, the "self ring." One of the key benefits mentioned is that it gives people a new way of looking at what they are already doing. Read the article at:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2008-01-13-spiritual-growth_N.htm

I had to laugh yesterday. A business associate called and in the conversation he mentioned his frustration with one of his employees. When I asked him how long this had been going on, he said "three months." "Three months!" I replied. "Why have you waited so long to address the issue?" His reply was all too common... "I just didn't know what to do."

It can often seem overwhelming to map out a plan for improvement for an individual, but failure to do so not only affects their performance-it also affects YOURS. Sometimes a simple process to follow might get them on the road to a standing ovation and you can stop juggling THEIR elephants. Once you have determined the desired outcome you want to see in one of your performers, try these steps to make it happen:

1. Figure out what motivates them. Determine some realistic and meaningful ways you can provide the motivators.
2. Be the Ringmaster. Most people like to work with people who are goal-oriented and focused on achieving certain objectives. If they recognize that their performance is part of a bigger goal, they are more likely to go along with the plan. Share your strategic plans and objectives-often!Use small steps. Break the desired outcome down into smaller parts. Reward them when they achieve each step and encourage them to continue their growth (using some of the identified motivators from step 1).
3. Keep the spotlight focused on the act. Determine possible distractions that could cause the performer to fail, and remove or minimize them when possible.
4. Minimize their juggling elephants routine. Remember, they have other acts to perform besides the new ones you have for them.

I am always intrigued by people who have losing weight as one of the acts they want to perform in the new year, partially because it is normally one of my goals as well. What I have found, however, is that when I focus on the loss side of the equation, I feel defeated. Who wants to lose anything? What helps me stay motivated is focusing on the things I will gain by choosing a healthier eating plan:

• Being able to out distance my 12 year old daughter in running.
• Comfortably sitting on the floor with my 4 year old, playing one of her favorite games.
• Having more sustained energy for my work day and when making presentations.

What about you? What standing ovations will you gain by finding success with your new act?

Book clubs are enjoying the use of Juggling Elephants. Here's a response from one book club leader:

Thank you so very much for your support of our Book Club!

We met this morning on the topic of Juggling Elephants and I can report that the book resonated with all 12 members of the team! The building principals and program directors found it to be an applicable and easy metaphor to follow and everyone reported at least one "Ah Ha!" moment! Additionally, two principals are now thinking about how they can use the text with their staff members and at the High School level they are considering using it with students in the future!

The discussion questions you suggested were great. However, I must admit that we only used about four of them ... the conversation just kept going on its own around those questions!

Let us know if your book club is using our book. We'll work with you to discover ways to make your experience with the book even more successful! E mail is info@jugglingelephants.com