I’ve got a problem: It’s difficult for me to follow the experts advice that when you write a blog, you should focus on one narrow topic and go very deep with that subject. Perhaps it’s because there are just so many great topics to explore!

Do YOU ever struggle to stay focused?

With so much information distributed through various media sources and technology tools, it’s becoming more difficult than ever to filter out what we do NOT want to see, read or hear.  I’m overwhelmed. Am I the only one? I doubt it.

So along with spring cleaning, I’ve made a commitment to purge my household of extraneous distractions. (If they’re lucky, the “kids” and cats get to stay!) Here’s how I’m going to do it:

1. I’m canceling one of the two newspapers I subscribe to. One of them, while local, is mostly ads anyway and the rest of the local info I can get online. I feel very guilty disposing of newspapers I haven’t read. For some reason, I feel compelled to read it before it goes into the recycling bin.

2. I’m not renewing four magazines that, like the newspaper above, often go unread and pile up in the grape crate by the fireplace where I store the magazines. (I’ll gift those National Geographic magazines to my daughter because I just KNOW the articles will be of interest to her one day!)

3. I’ll unsubscribe from a number of email newsletters and whittle them down to one per topic (one on politics, one on blogging, finance, business). The rest have GOT to go! It’ll make a huge dent in the size of my email in-box for sure! Along with that, I’m asking friends to remove me from their “Pass this email to 7 of your closest friends…” distribution lists. The notes they send are all very sweet, but do you notice how you keep getting the same ones from different friends? (If you have a small circle of friends, this can end up like the Bermuda Triangle, where you just keep going round and round!)

4. This weekend I’m sorting through four bookcases and donating extraneous books (or those I’ll never read) to Goodwill. I’m a book junkie, so this will be a painful experience, believe me. I have books everywhere and am usually in the midst of four or five at the same time! I have to move ‘em over to the other side of the bed at night, so I can crawl in.

5. Despite my love of online communication tools, I’ve decided to limit my time on social networking sites. Rather than allocate a specific amount of time each day (or twice a week) to posting on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, I’m now posting ONLY when I have something helpful and informative to add. For example, I’ll post a link to an interesting article or a tip that others would find helpful to solve a specific problem.

6. I’ve resolved to manage the phone more effectively. No, I’m not into caller ID or screening my calls. But I WILL be more disciplined in how I schedule calls to give me longer periods of uninterrupted concentration time. I may even take the laptop OUT of my office so I can finally get my book re-written and published on deadline. For some, their struggle is to limit social calls or even set an agenda for professional calls, just like you would in any type of meeting. (Do you follow an agenda when you have meetings at work? Many don’t.) Either way, I believe you become a more concise communicator when time is limited.

7. And finally, I’ve decided to launch a new blog specifically for independent business owners and narrow the scope of THIS blog. This way, I’m not trying to be all things to all people. Folks who sign up for the new “Colorado Business Coach” blog at www.laurabenjamin.com/blog, will get articles and tips specific to their concerns as independent business owners. Those interests might include legislative issues, marketing tips, hiring/firing, time management skills, financing, how to fire a difficult customer without ruining your reputation, whether you should hire your spouse or child, etc. Yes, some of the topics might overlap, but independent business owners (small or large) have a very different set of challenges to face than someone who collects a regular paycheck. (Or those who used to collect a regular paycheck!)

Yes, it’s a bright new day when one can “find” an additional hour of time to use in a more constructive manner than sorting through tons of written or electronic communication! Maybe I’ll finally get back to my exercise regime! Perhaps I can take on one or two more clients and spend more time with my parents, sons and daughter too. Certainly, I can find the time now to resume horseback riding lessons.

Do you have a tip to share that’ll help us “find” additional time in the day? If so, please login and post a comment. We need all the help we can get!

Laura B., writing from Colorado Springs at 6711 ft. above sea level

Hi folks! I know it’s been quite a while since I’ve posted and you’ve probably wondered, “Now what HAS that Laura been up to?!?” It’s been a busy time for sure, but I’m back and there are plenty of good things happening I’d like to share with you.

Over the next three posts, I’ll feature three ways you can show others what you’re capable of. Too often, we buy into other people’s perceptions and allow those opinions to shape our identity and self-confidence (or lack thereof). How others see us may eventually influence the way we see ourselves. Occasionally it’s to our advantage. Most of the time, it’s not.

A negative self-image can influence what jobs, partners, schools or clothing we choose. Negative self-talk can cause us to lower the bar and settle for less.

Clearly, the lady I’m honoring in this blog post did not settle for less. You may have already seen the singer, Susan Boyle, but if you haven’t, I strongly encourage you to watch this performance. Please pay careful attention to the “non verbal communication” she receives from the audience before her performance. Also, notice what the judges say to her following that performance about their expectations.

Click here to watch Susan Boyle’s performance (Also check out her rendition of “Cry Me a River” recorded in 1999)

And here are some questions to ask yourself, your team, your students or your kids after you have them listen to this performance:

• Why do we assume that people who look a certain way are not capable of exceptional performances?
• What are the costs of those assumptions? (relationships, productivity, motivation, morale, etc.)
• How do YOU overcome the assumptions of others and show them what YOU are capable of?
• Do you ever surprise them? If so, what results or outcomes do you then achieve?
• Why don’t you just “go for it”? What will you risk? What have you got to lose?

Enjoy! It’s good to be back!

Writing from snowy Colorado at 6711 ft. above sea level,

Laura

Welcome new subscribers from the Human Resource Association of Central Ohio.  It was a delight to speak to their chapter on Employee Engagement and Retention, especially since we all would like to be engaged and feel like we’re doing work that is personally rewarding. So allow me to introduce you to Mark, Courtesy Shuttle Driver for Holiday Inn On The Lane at Ohio State University. Doesn’t he look happy?

Mark is a great asset for Holiday Inn. He is an excellent example of what customer service looks like. Not only did he work with my schedule to get me to the airport on time,  with just an hour between ending my speech and flight departure, but he shared sound wisdom on the ride to the Columbus OH airport.

He said (and I paraphrase)…

“We all have a gift. And we have different ways of sharing that gift through the work we do.  You share your message through your SHAPE:

S – your spirit or spirituality, regardless of what beliefs, faith, religion you support

H – your heart, the passion you show for what you do

A – your abilities, HOW you show your spirit and heart

P – your personality, the unique traits that make you who you are, distinct from everyone else

E – your experiences, the area we typically share first with others (job, hobbies, etc.)

To be effective – to be a team player – you’ve got to ‘have the uniform on’. We all have these SHAPE qualities within us. It’s how we share our gift. You do it through your speaking and I do it by making sure our customers get where they need to go on time.”

HOW I KNOW MARK REPRESENTS THE SPIRIT OF EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

I believe Mark underestimates his value just a bit. Here’s how I know how he’s a great example of someone who’s engaged in his work and gets a great deal of job satisfaction:

• He lives his beliefs by applying his “gift” to his work. We all have numerous ways to do this and everyone’s opportunities are different. I’m betting that regardless what kind of work he does, he’ll always have the same spirit of generosity.
• He is engaged because he engages others. He could have let me sit there in the shuttle without saying a word. Yet I also believe that if I’d preferred silence, he would have picked up on that and extended the privacy. (But I just can’t help myself, ya know. Give me a friendly person and I’ll pick their brain no matter how tired I am!)
• He likes to learn from others. He had questions about the work I do and seemed genuinely interested. He also mentioned the wisdom we can learn from “Seasoned Saints” – people who have lived long lives, learned a lot and are willing to share their knowledge to help others.
• He didn’t expect recognition for himself. In fact, he was quite surprised and a bit embarrassed when I asked permission to use his story and share his photo in this blog.  (I “bribed” him by saying it would be great PR for the Holiday Inn!)

What do YOU think? Are there more ways we can tell whether someone is really “engaged” or not (other than the ring!)? What did it feel like for you when you were really “into” your job? What did you do, say, think or feel? How about the supervisors and managers out there? How do you know when you’ve got a ‘live one’ versus a dead man/woman walking? Feel free to post a comment and let us know your secrets!

And thanks again to Mark and all the fine folks at the Human Resource Association of Central Ohio for showing such gracious hospitality!

Next up:  wait’ll you hear the story (and see the photos) of how a team of claims adjusters at Travelers Insurance showed their boss how much they appreciate her!

Writing from 6711 ft. above sea level,

On the heels of the recent brouhaha regarding Facebook changing their Terms of Service (TOS) (first they changed them, then due to the backlash, they changed them back – for now anyway!) it raises an interesting concern about how much information we share about ourselves – in print, in person or on the web.  So here are a few tips I’ve pulled together on the topic. Please feel free to comment and add to the list:

• Hopefully, everyone knows by now NOT to post anything online or send via email that you’d never want your mother, your boss, the college entrance committee or a prospective client to know about you
• Just in case, lets be careful which social networking sites we hook up to our blogs, websites etc., just in case our writing, photos and videos become the property of someone else in the future.
• If someone in your life critiques your life, your friends, your choices, then ask yourself if you’re sharing too much information about your life, your friends, your choices. Sometimes we give them waaay too much ammunition!
• Business Tip: On the other hand, sharing information about yourself, your views and your affiliations will attract like-minded people. And yes, the act of putting a stake in the ground will exclude some. But as I recently heard on a Chris Brogan interview, people want to feel like “you’re one of us rather than a voice from above”. We don’t want to be preached to – we want to talk with.

Affiliation becomes increasingly important the more powerless people feel. We all want to feel like we belong. So, if you have the guts to clearly identify your positions and your beliefs, you open yourself up to criticism but also build collaborative relationships by quickly attracting those who feel the same way you do

Next up: The wisdom I learned from Mark, a Holiday Inn shuttle driver in Columbus, Ohio!

Writing from 6711 ft. above sea level,