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What Leaders Can Learn From Great Teachers

By John Rampton | Knowledge Base | No Comments

“The best teachers are leaders, and the best leaders are also teachers,” says Harvard Business School Professor Thomas DeLong, who has taught over 20,000 MBAs and executives across the globe since 1997. According to him, teachers, as with leaders, “should be like a mad scientist who can’t wait to get to the classroom to share the experiment. If you adopt this mindset, students will remain intellectually and spiritually in the classroom with you.”

With that in mind, as parents are rejoicing their children are returning back to school, here are some leadership lessons they can learn from teachers.

Have the ability to influence.

Leadership ability is often measured in the context of business performance in many organizations, Will Fan, CEO of NewCampus, writes in Forbes. However, there is more to it than just a focus on the bottom line.

“I’ve found it’s actually the ability to inspire individuals with their own agendas and cause others to rally behind a common goal that makes an effective leader,” he adds. “In a single word, it’s influence.” Efficiency gains follow.

“If you think about it, influence is largely about communication,” says Fan. “It’s about casting a vision so clearly that people get behind it with the full extent of their talents, abilities, and strengths.” Then, like teachers, the most influential leaders allow their team members to reach their full potential.

Keep your eyes on the big picture.

There are times when learning can be tedious, complex, and even dull. And, yes, great teachers are aware of this. However, by acknowledging their feelings, they help students see the bigger picture. Which, in turn, helps them move past these moments.

They know that challenging times are necessary to reach the ultimate learning goal. Moreover, they have a perspective that students cannot have and use that perspective to help people overcome challenges.

Successful leaders have a similar perspective. And, because of this, help those they lead through the mundane by raising their eyes towards the future.

Offer incentives.

“To keep my students on their toes, I give extra credit points every day,” says Dawn Bevier. “I offer three points to students who raise their hands and correctly answer simple questions during class discussions.” For difficult questions, I award five points.

“And when the school year begins, I make it clear to them that there are no extra credit points to beg for at the end of the semester,” she adds. “I tell them they have to gather them in the here and now.”

The semester ends with some students having seventy-five points or more.

“I think this ‘on your toes and in the moment’ extra credit opportunity is initially successful for obvious reasons,” Bevier explains. A student’s grades are important to them — and grades make a difference in their lives.

However, as time passes, it subconsciously motivates for reasons beyond extra credit points, which is ironic (and wonderful).

The reason for this is twofold.

It becomes a competition. In order to prove their intelligence, a student wants to “one-up” each other.
It is a source of pride. The more difficult five-pointers they get, the more confident and assertive the students become.

In what way does this teaching strategy relate to your business?

“When I offer these small incentives and competitive aspects to my instruction, students are constantly engaged — always thinking, listening, and working,” Bevier states.”And isn’t this the behavior every business owner wants their employees to display?”

What’s more, research shows that incentive programs “[increased] performance by an average of twenty-two percent,” and when “team incentives were offered, performance was improved by as much as forty-four percent.”

Best of all? These incentives don’t have to be cash-based. You could, for example, offer time-based rewards like leaving early on Fridays. But, most important, incentives should be based on the individual interests of your team members.

Turn expertise curriculum.

To attract and engage their target market, businesses engage in content marketing by sharing highly valuable resources and tools online, states Scott Barron, Founder of Yabwi. Getting the attention of key decision-makers is an essential part of business development. Why? There are too many competitors on the market, and people are distracted by so many media sources.

“Business leaders would be wise to tap into the expertise of educators in order to utilize modern approaches to curriculum design to build engagement internally (with employees, managers, etc.) and externally (with clients and communities),” Barron adds. “Understanding how people learn and how to craft instructional experiences that strengthen relationships offers a unique marketing advantage.”

“We’ve proven that such a platform of influence works through our own growth strategy, Barron says. “And we’ve shared this expertise with companies like 3M, Johnson Controls, and many others.”

Inspire trust by practicing empathy.

The job of an educator involves working with a whole bunch of different people like administrators, parents, community members, and students. They come from varied backgrounds, hold multiple priorities, and express their ideas in diverse ways. Because of that, educational leaders don’t make assumptions or dismiss anything anyone else has to say.

Similarly, leaders should also foster strong relationships with business partners, employees, stakeholders, and shareholders by developing emotional intelligence. Leaders should learn to value different perspectives and respect others’ points of view. It is important to remember that every individual sees things differently, so leaders can take the opportunity to use compassion in most situations. Compassion is a large part of emotional intelligence — and you can learn it.

Additionally, trust plays a crucial role. Despite a certain degree of authority associated with teaching, good teachers instill a sense of trust among learners. Leaders can also use the same method to support their teams.

Care about others’ success.

Students’ success is the top priority of exemplary teachers. They’re patient, and they’re willing to go the extra mile. And as a result, they do whatever it takes to help the student succeed.

Even though they understand and are willing to play their roles, they understand ultimately; that students are responsible for their performance. But, they still set up their students for success through knowledge, support, and guidance.

And this is true among business leaders. In the words of Stephen Covey, “An empowered organization is one in which individuals have the knowledge, skill, desire, and opportunity to personally succeed in a way that leads to collective organizational success.

Plan purposefully.

As a teacher, planning is a must. After all, by planning lessons in advance, teachers enter the classroom prepared to teach new concepts and facilitate meaningful discussions rather than winging them. In the absence of a lesson plan, it is easy for students to lose focus, and teachers are left scrambling for ideas.

In addition, when teachers and students are both engaged in the educational process, every day can be transformational.

Moreover, teachers use purposeful planning to identify where students are headed, what success looks like, and what is the most efficient way to achieve that success.

This is precisely the same (in all its variety) with successful leaders. It’s an imperative skill as planning archives the following:

Helps you determine future goals.
Expands decision-making.
Establishes abilities and expectations.
Encourage your team to develop new skills, engage them in new and challenging activities, believe in them, and take an interest in their career development.
Encourages creativity and innovation.
You will be able to identify your resources, who is currently available, track time, and manage time effectively.
Focus on what truly matters. In turn, this reduces overlapping and wasteful moments.

Learn to be flexible.

It’s not uncommon for educators to have a tough time getting students to understand lessons and concepts. A variety of factors can cause difficulty in understanding lessons. For example, those without basic math skills may struggle to comprehend complex formulas. There’s also a chance the teacher delivered the content in a way that was hard for students to understand.

There’s no way a great teacher would overlook this issue. So instead, they analyze their teaching methods and identify the underlying problems. As a result, they adjust their teaching styles to fit the needs of their students.

There are times when business leaders become too consumed with their projects. Despite not getting the desired results from current strategies, they refuse to acknowledge they aren’t working. The business world would benefit from learning from educators. Specifically, being ready to change directions at any time. Leaders can experiment with different approaches and see if they work for their teams.

Bonus tip: It can be almost impossible to be flexible if your calendar is too cluttered and rigid. So, just like teachers have a prep period, I would leave some white space in your calendar. For example, you could leave the block from 11:30 am to 12:30 am open for a prep period. Then, we can use this time to grab some food, return emails, or plan for an afternoon meeting. Or, you can simply relax.

Embrace teachable moments.

A teachable moment occurs when a teacher offers their classrooms a unique insight into a topic that has captured their attention. To seize teachable moments, the teacher or parent must sense and seize them when they occur. In most cases, it’s a brief tangent from a lesson plan or conversation about something relevant or interesting. Kids are inherently more interested in topics they can relate to and feel how they apply to their day-to-day lives.

“When leaders teach is almost as important as what they teach,” writes Sydney Finkelstein, the Steven Roth Professor of Management at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College for HBR. “The successful leaders I studied didn’t wait for formal reviews or check-ins. Instead, they seized and created opportunities to impart wisdom.”

For example, Costco Wholesale co-founder and retired CEO Jim Sinegal knew lessons could appear at any time when working with Price at Price Club. Apparently, Sinegal “spent day and night teaching,” whether advising on retail tactics or making himself a more effective manager.

Likewise, Chase Coleman III, a protégé of hedge fund CEO Julian Robertson, said that Robertson was similarly “out to teach you a lesson” by showing “how to do things and how to run a business.”

“Some leaders ensure on-the-job learning by working in open offices that allow them to observe employees, project accessibility, and encourage frequent conversations,” adds Finkelstein. “Others opt for more-conventional offices but make a point of maintaining open-door policies and spending lots of time circulating among their staff, which means they can offer lessons on the spur of the moment—when people can best process and embrace them.”

Image Credit: Max Fischer; Pexels; Thank you!

What Leaders Can Learn From Great Teachers was originally published on Calendar by John Rampton.

Time Management Skills Successful Business Owners Must Have

By John Rampton | Time Management | No Comments

Time. It’s something that we all take for granted. But, as a business owner, it’s your greatest resource. Without enough time, you’re less likely to achieve your goals. You won’t be able to focus on what’s really important. Less time — adds stress to your already hectic life. And, you can kiss a healthy work-life balance goodbye without it. Here are the time management skills a successful business owner must have.

For the business owner — here are the essential time management skills that you will want to possess.

Work the hours that suit you.

Here’s one of the best things about being your own boss. You can work whenever you want. Of course, that doesn’t mean you can slack off or just come and go as you please. What this means is that you aren’t forced to work that 9-to-5 schedule if it doesn’t fit you well.

For example, let’s say that you’re a parent. Your working hours could be when your children are in school, let’s say around 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. When they’re doing their homework, you could then use that time for administrative tasks or reviewing your calendar for tomorrow.

Another option would be to work around your energy levels. If you’re a morning person, then knock out your most essential tasks bright and early when you have the most energy. Night owls, on the other hand, are more productive in the late morning or afternoon.

What’s more, well have our own ultradian rhythms — which are the body’s rest-activity cycle. But, for most of us, that means that we can only focus for 90 to 120 minutes before we need to take a break.

Keep a time log.

Want to get more done? Then keep a time log so that you can see how you’re spending your time. Additionally, time logging will let you know what your biggest time-wasters are. It will keep you from over-or-underestimating how long certain things take down the road. And, tracking your time encourages you to stop multitasking and hold yourself accountable.

There are actually a couple of ways that you can conduct a time audit. The first would be to track everything that you do throughout the day, such as your morning commute or the time spent on a specific task.

The other way would be to set a timer for every 15 minutes. When the time is up, write down what you did during that block of time.

You could also use time tracking apps and tools like Toggl, RescueTime, or Timely to keep tabs on your digital usage.

Focus on what you do best.

“As much as you need a strong personality to build a business from scratch, you also must understand the art of delegation,” Richard Branson once said. “I have to be good at helping people run the individual businesses, and I have to be willing to step back,” he added. “The company must be set up so it can continue without me.”

When you stop trying to do everything on your own, you’ll not only free up your valuable time. You’ll also make more money. That’s because you have the right people working on the right tasks.

For instance, even if you’re familiar with the basics of accounting or coding, you’re going to spend more time on these tasks, then an expert would. And, you’re more likely to make a costly mistake.

Implement the Two-Minute Rule.

In the famous words of David Allen, “If it takes less than two minutes, then do it now.” Sounds simple, but think of all of those small things that add up. Instead of taking a minute to respond to an email, you wait until the end of the day when your inbox is overflowing. That dish you didn’t wash after lunch? It becomes a dish full of dirty plates.

Furthermore, this rule helps you form new habits. And, most importantly, it can help overcome procrastination. As an example, instead of declaring that you want to read more, start with a small goal like read one page daily.

“The idea is to make your habits as easy as possible to start,” says James Clear. “Anyone can meditate for one minute, read one page, or put one item of clothing away. And, as we have just discussed, this is a powerful strategy because once you’ve started doing the right thing, it is much easier to continue doing it.”

Break your activities down into simple problems.

“Utilizing your consciousness requires more energy and can be avoided by simplifying your problems,” writes Mario Peshev for Entrepreneur. “Excellence in time management revolves around establishing a process and breaking it down into small, atomic operations that are easy to grasp and don’t require intensive resource consumption.” Cutting down your resource consumption is what makes business owners successful. They’re able to take a “complex task and decompose it into pieces, thus making the remaining process easier to comprehend and follow,” adds Peshev. “The simple operations are simple, and executing them doesn’t require dozens of follow-up questions preventing you from checking tasks off your list.”

Don’t fall into the urgency trap.

As a business owner, you have a lot of responsibilities. To make sure that you achieve them, you need to have a system in place. For me, that’s writing down my to-do-list and adding the most important items to my calendar. It’s a simple and effective tactic to make sure that I don’t forget to do anything. And, it allows me to block out time for these actions, so I don’t schedule something else.

Here’s the problem, though. With so many things to do and so little amount of time to get to them — which tasks do I start with? Well, that depends on your specific priorities. These are usually the activities that move you closer to your goals or have a date attached to them. So, your top priorities should always be scheduled first and come before everything else.

Unfortunately, a lot of us get sidetracked by things that are less important — even though they seem deserving of your time and energy. Eventually, your time management and productivity suffer — which is never good for business.

To avoid this, don’t fall into the urgency trap. Identify which items you must do, defer, delegate, and drop. Stick to listing no more than crucial tasks for the day. And focus on your priorities when you have the most energy.

Schedule “me” time.

Scheduling “me time” isn’t a waste of time. Me-time may turn out to be your secret weapon against stress and lack of focus. The more you add to your schedule, the busier you’ll get. Over time you’ll be burning your candle at both ends. As a result, you’ll become burned more. Or, even worse, you’ll be putting your mental and physical health in peril.

Always schedule free time in your day. It doesn’t have to be much. But, if you have an hour of blocked time throughout the day where nothing is listed on your schedule — it can do wonders for you mentally and physically. After all, free time makes us happy, encourages self-care, adds flexibility in our calendars, and recharges our batteries.

Cluster similar tasks.

Switching between tasks all day isn’t practical. It’s chaotic and encourages us to multitask. Think about it. You respond to an email, then rush out the door to speak with a supplier, and then come back to file paperwork. And, in between all that, you have to attend to any problems that your customers or employees are experiencing.

As opposed to jumping all over the place, organize your day by blocking similar tasks together. For example, block out a specific time to clean out your inbox and return call, another to file paperwork, and one more for problem-solving. Depending on your business, you may also need to box out time for meetings, checking your inventory, or testing your products.

Identify and eliminate distractions.

Distractions are the leading cause of poor time management. But, how can you remove them when they’re constantly screaming for your attention?

One way would be to keep a distraction log. It can be as simple as a piece of paper or Word Doc, where you jot down what interrupted you from work and when. For instance, if an employee takes a break at about 10:30 a.m., they may stop by your office to chat with you. The problem is that this is when you don’t want to be disturbed. To correct this, either take a break around the same time or close your office door.

You can also eliminate distractions by putting your phone on ‘Do Not Disturb’ mode, installing tools that block distracting websites, or scheduling check-ins or phone calls instead of taking them when you have something else planned.

Arm yourself with the right tools.

Finally, surround yourself with the right tools. An online calendar is an obvious choice. But, you may also want to use a tool like Calendar to automate all of your scheduling needs. Evernote and Todoist care useful for managing your tasks. While Hootsuite, Pardot, and Xero can put your social media, email marketing, and accounting in autopilot.

By using these tools to automate your most tedious and redundant tasks, you’ll have the availability to focus on your priorities.

The 11 Biggest Symptoms of Poor Time Management

By John Rampton | Time Management | No Comments

Whether you realize it or not, time management plays a huge role in how successful you are in life. For starters, it can reduce stress, allows you to prioritize what’s most important, and improves your reputation. Time management also helps you make the right decisions, eliminates wasted time, and gives you the freedom to do the things that you truly enjoy in life.

Here’s the thing. Just because you have a full calendar and receive daily reminders doesn’t mean that you’re effectively managing your time. It just means that you’re busy and not necessarily spending your days as productive as they should be.

But, how can you tell that you need to adjust your time management game? Here are 11 symptoms of poor time management to let you know and how you can cure them.

1. Poor punctuality.

Sure. There are times when something out of control, like getting a flat tire, causes us to run late. However, that’s not the same as having the reputation of being that person who is never on-time.

This may not seem like a big deal. But, it actually shows that you’re not respectful of other people’s time. “Essentially, running late is very poor manners,” etiquette expert and founder of The Good Manners Company, Anna Musson, told The Huffington Post Australia.

“There are a multitude of reasons as to why, but the overriding reason is it suggests deep down you think your time is more valuable than others’.” Musson also explains that during “the Victorian times, there were often six-course dinners all perfectly timed according to wine and service.” That meant if someone was late, “it could throw out the whole evening.”

Besides being disrespectful, tardiness also costs money and lowers productivity in the workplace. For example, even if you just ran five-minutes late to a meeting, that means all of the participants are just sitting there waiting for instead of doing more important work.

There are several ways that you can change this behavior. But, Musson suggests that one of the first things to do is to pretend that anything you have scheduled starts 30-minutes earlier. So, if a meeting begins at three P.M., schedule it in your calendar for 2:30.

2. Constant rushing.

Do you feel like you jumping from one thing to another without being able to catch your breath? If so, that’s another red flag regarding your time management.

Like running late, sometimes this is unavoidable, like if you got caught in a traffic jam on the way to a meeting. However, most of the time it’s because you’re either waiting until the last minute or overextending yourself.

To rectify this, be more realistic with how much you can do in a day — tracking your time for a couple of weeks can help you with this. After that, you should know how much you can get done in a day so that you aren’t planning to do more than you can.

Also, schedule buffers between calendar entries. This means if you have a meeting that ends at 1:30 PM, you would schedule the next one at 2 PM or later so that you aren’t immediately going from one meeting to the next.

3. Decreased quality of work.

You might not realize this as a business owner or leader. But, if it’s been brought to your attention that your work has been sloppy as of late, then that’s another sign to be aware since it shows that you’re rushing just to complete a task.

The only way you’ll become aware of this is to solicit feedback from others. For example, before submitting an article to Entrepreneur, I always have a teammate look through the piece to make sure it’s acceptable. If they notice a pattern of poor writing, I expect them to bring this to my attention. I may have been too busy with other work and write the pieces too quickly. Knowing the team member will let me know if I’m off somewhere, leaves me free to keep my mind clear. Also, I can make sure not to repeat the same errors in the future.

4. Frequently missing deadlines.

I don’t know about you. But, I hate missing deadlines. Personally, I feel that it shows that you are unreliable. And, if that’s the case, then you can be certain that customers and clients will take their business elsewhere to more reliable businesses.

There are actually a number of reasons why this may be the case. But, a lot of the time it’s because you’re either dragging your feet and just have too much on your hands. Again, be real with how much you can get done in a day. Also, learn how to say “no” to time requests if you’re already working at full capacity. You can also learn to outsource better. And, try to build your schedule around when you’re most productive.

5. Inability to set and achieve goals.

Goals help us identify our priorities. They give us direction and motivation. And, most importantly, they give everything we do a purpose.

But, do feel that a majority of what you do lacks a purpose? Or, do you feel that you’ll never be able to achieve the goals that you have set? If so, it may be because you haven’t taken the time to set and achieve goals that are SMART — which is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely.

6. Procrastination.

I’ve alluded to this a couple of times. But, procrastination is one of the most glaring signs that you have a time management issue.

To be fair, some people actually thrive waiting until the last minute to complete important work. In fact, it even feels good to procrastinate. But, it’s definitely something that is not recommended. After all, studies have found that it can lead to anxiety, stress, and depression. If kept up, it can eventually impact your physical health as well.

Kicking your procrastination habit isn’t always easy. But, the first place to start is to figure out why you’re procrastinating. From there, you can find the best way to stop waiting until the last minute. For example, instead of focusing on your most important activity for the day in the afternoon, block out time in the morning for it since this is when we have the most concentration and energy.

7. Easily distracted.

I get it. The workplace is full of distractions. But, if you constantly let them interfere with your work, then expect consequences like running late, rushing, missing deadlines, and procrastination. You can also forget about reaching any of the goals you set as well — whether they’re SMART or not.

The first step is to identify your biggest distractions. After that, you can eliminate them. For instance, if your smartphone interrupts you every time you receive a notification, then either turn it off or put it on silent.

8. Overextension.

Another symptom of poor time management is overextension. This is where you take on too much work or make too many commitments. For example, if you’re already spending more than 40 hours per week working for the clients that you already have, why would take on even more clients? Or, if next Thursday already has three meetings in your calendar, then you probably don’t have time for a fourth.

Again, be realistic with what you can get done in a day. If you already have a full plate, then don’t add anything else. Instead, schedule it for another time when you do have the availability.

9. Multitasking.

Let’s be honest here. Multitasking does not work. However, when you’re strapped for time, you may try to do the impossible and do more than one thing at a time.

Instead of multitasking, focus on thing at a time. Once that is done, then move on to what’s next. It may not sound like an effective. But, single-tasking is much more effective and time-efficient.

10. Unhealthy habits.

Who has time to sleep, eat healthy, or exercise when there are so many other things that need to get done? Hopefully, we all do. After all, neglecting your health because think that you don’t have time is never a good thing and can result in a wide range of productivity and health concerns.

Make getting 7 to 8 hours of quality sleep a priority. When taking a break between work, go for a walk or do some exercises in your office. And, skip the junk food by preparing your meals for the week on Sunday afternoons.

11. Burnout.

Finally, if you aren’t managing your time the right way, then you’ll eventually get burned out. As a consequence, you’re putting your career and health in jeopardy. The reason? You’re working yourself to the bone just to play catch-up. Eventually, you aren’t sleeping, eating garbage, and so stressed that you’re making yourself sick. This can then lead to diminished work, relationship problems, and lowered creativity.

Schedule frequent breaks throughout the workday. And, most importantly, spend time away from work so that you can enjoy your life. That means when you’re spending time with your family during dinner or a weekend excursion you aren’t preoccupied with work, such as responding to emails or phone calls.