LEADERSHIP

Meetings on Meetings…

How many meetings do you have during an average work week? How productive are they, really?

You’ve likely heard some tips on how to improve meetings…

Stay laser-focused on the topic at hand, take notes and put action items into place, yada yada. 

Shani Harmon from Forbes likens this to health and wellness. We know what we’re supposed to be eating and how many hours of sleep we need, but do we really stick to that?

Harmon claims that we keep going to pointless meetings because they serve as a great form of procrastination. Not only that, but they certainly make you look busy on the work calendar.

How do we really improve meetings?

• Figure out your TOP priority: what are you getting paid to do?
• Schedule time for it: label your calendar based on your top priorities
• Priorities > Meetings: if meetings align with your top priorities, by all means, attend those meetings.
• Multi-tasking isn’t real: Set your phone down during the meeting. Go old school and use paper and pen to take notes.

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MANAGEMENT

Success in Productivity Apps?

Check out the following apps these top execs and CEOs are using to keep their days productive according to Business Insider.

1. Brian Smith – Founder of UGG boots. Go to productivity app: Pandora. Brian credits the Dark Side of the Moon album, particularly the song ‘TIME’ for the inspiration behind UGG.
2. Danielle Canty – Co-founder of BossBabe. Go to productivity app: Evernote. Every Sunday, Danielle reflects on her week and plans the next using Evernote.
3. Scott Shainman – President of Getac North America. Go to productivity app: Fantastical. This app allows Scott to separate his events and reminders, but still use the same calendar.
4. Kenny Rueter – CEO and co-founder of Kanajbi: Go to productivity app: Todoist. Kenny uses Todoist to organize his list of top priorities. This app syncs across all devices, so Kenny always knows what he needs to do.

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CULTURE

Remote Team? Over-Communication is Key

Tamara Littleton is the founder of the Social Element, a social media agency with global reach. Her team consists of over 300 employees…all remote.

When asked what a crucial requirement is for building a remote team, Tamara answered with “over-communication” (amongst other things).

Tamara offers a few tips when it comes to over-communicating with your remote team.

• Reading between the lines: Email can be tricky. It’s tough to recognize someone’s tone, which can often lead to negative communication. Tamara suggests encouraging remote employees to have meetings on video calls rather than email.
• Keep everyone in the loop: Announcements may not be enough for your team. Sometimes they go unnoticed. Get creative like Tamara’s team and announce critical information through an internal newsletter. This could include webinars, updates, staff birthday’s, etc.

Tamara’s interview with Forbes is jam-packed with more tips for your remote team. Check it out here.

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