Category: Uncategorized

You want to engage your staff around a bright, hopeful future. At some point in the past, a two-paragraph vision statement did the trick. But lately, it’s gone stagnant. What should you do to restore the inspiration it once provided? Should you change the words, or try something different?

To read prior columns visit https://blog.fwconsulting.com

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit longtermstrategy.substack.com/subscribe

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In your company’s strategic planning activities, you hope to make more than incremental improvements. Instead, your team dreams of brilliant decisions and breakthrough results. But are these a matter of luck? While fortune plays a role, Digicel’s introduction to the mobile telephony market is an example of a new competency: “category design.”

Christopher Lochhead would be proud of Digicel. He belongs to a cohort of content creators who call themselves the “Category Pirates.”

For past columns, visit https://blog.fwconsulting.com

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit longtermstrategy.substack.com/subscribe

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You have noticed that as you make more promises to people to get things done, the risk of not delivering goes up. Sometimes, the fact that you made the commitment falls through the cracks…as if it were never made.

Over time, this reduces your effectiveness and your reputation for getting things done. People start to avoid you, seeking out others who are more reliable.

You want to intervene before this gets worse, but just trying harder to remember may not be enough. You want a real solution such that you manually capture new tasks flawlessly, regardless of the circumstances. You want to be someone who never forgets to complete a commitment.

Where can you start to create that kind of track record when it comes to your task management?

Join me on this solo episode as we explore this challenge that affects all knowledge workers.

 

Get full access to Francis A. Wade at 2timelabs.substack.com/subscribe

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When it comes to task management, you know that one size doesn’t fit all. AND You are someone who has increased your workflow over the years – more tasks than ever, and a future of more task management, not less. At the moment your current approach works BUT…you suspect that it may run into problems as you add that project/child/hobby/elder-care/sport/travel/promotion/continuing education/high schooling-to-college-to-marriage to kids…

How do you adjust your approach when you realize that you need to change your methods as task volume increases…and you can only see a future or more tasks? Knowing that this is a problem isn’t enough – you want more.

Tune into this episode to hear from me and my special guest, Dr. Frank Buck, as we solve this challenging problem together.

Get full access to Francis A. Wade at 2timelabs.substack.com/subscribe

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Your company is aware of people analytics. It wants to use these techniques to increase productivity. But it’s not clear who should champion this transformation: HR or another unit?

In companies across the world, COVID has accelerated the call for data-driven innovation. Consequently, managers in your organization are concerned. Productivity has fallen due to work-from-home arrangements, but are they thinking about improving it in the best way?

To access other articles see https://blog.fwconsulting.com

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit longtermstrategy.substack.com/subscribe

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Like everyone else who does knowledge work, you receive a lot of emails – more than you’d like. You have harbored dreams of a world in which you could escape this hated chore, but over here in reality, there seems to be no way to alleviate the pain. Or is there?

Some people suggest that you simply ignore most of your email. Others say that you need to empty your inbox and even keep it that way all the time. In practice, most people spend more mornings, nights and weekends catching up on email than they care to admit. During the day, they prefer to do what they call “real” work. Not the fake work of reading and replying to email.

In this solo episode, I’ll be sharing my thoughts about this problem and explore new thinking that can help us make some headway.

Get full access to Francis A. Wade at 2timelabs.substack.com/subscribe

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You know your company should be crafting long-term, post-COVID plans. Why? The pandemic has created once-in-a-lifetime opportunities waiting to be exploited. But you have been so busy just keeping the organization alive that you either have half-a-plan, or none at all. Should you make the investment in strategic planning now even though the times remain turbulent?

To read my columns, visit https://blog.fwconsulting.com

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit longtermstrategy.substack.com/subscribe

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Your company is considering its next strategic planning retreat. But the last real one, held just before COVID, didn’t anticipate a pandemic. So, the plan had to be shelved. Now, attendees are reluctant to schedule a new session. Do you give up on the idea?

Check out my past column on strategy and productivity at https://blog.fwconsulting.com

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit longtermstrategy.substack.com/subscribe

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COVID disrupted many of our regular routines, some of which have not recovered. In particular, if you work from home, you may notice that seeing the same people every day and working in the same space is quite convenient. But it’s also predictable – in the bad way. Many of us have lost a certain thrill that comes from being in close proximity to others and the surprises which go with it. They don’t invite us out as often, and we don’t meet up as frequently…outside of Zoom.

In a way, we don’t have as many new things to look forward to. Not surprisingly, this has an impact on our daily happiness. Having something – anything – to look forward to has an impact on our happiness.

Is there a sustainable solution to this dilemma?

I’m Francis Wade and join me and our special guest, Laura Vanderkam as we tackle this challenge.

Get full access to Francis A. Wade at 2timelabs.substack.com/subscribe

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You’re a corporate leader who wants to inspire your organization. But you aren’t naturally charismatic, nor are you famous. Is there a way to energize and motivate stakeholders who must play a part in the transformation you envision?

A startling number of CEOs forget what it was like to be inspired in a manner that leads to hard work. They think of themselves as unicorns, born to lead. It’s a mystery to them why everyone doesn’t wake up with the energy they have, excited about the chance to accomplish great things.

Some give up. Their secret sauce cannot be replicated, so they don’t try. The best they can do is threaten, trick, or bribe staff into compliance. That’s “the only way to treat these people”, they convince themselves. More

Find more articles on this topic at https://blog.fwconsulting.com

 

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit longtermstrategy.substack.com/subscribe

Podcast: Play in new window | Download