Shiny Object Syndrome (SOS) is that feeling we get when we are easily distracted. It happens a lot when we are delaying something we don’t feel ready to tackle. It is right up there and often overlaps with being a “procrastilearner.” Procrastilearning is when you keep substituting research and learning, more than you need to, prior to making a decision. Don’t get me wrong, do your research, check out your options, but not ad nauseam and definitely not in lieu of actual work outcomes. Shiny Object Syndrome (SOS) occurs a lot in grant writing and fundraising. People aren’t always comfortable asking for money, whether it is from a donor or through a grant. Subsequently, SOS kicks in and every email, google ad, and/or colleague recommendation of a tool comes back into play. I see it most often when it comes to grant and funding research. Back in the day options for researching grants and potential funders most often resided at the local library where a big fat book of possible funders might exist. Those days are long gone and if you have a laptop and an internet connection you can make more magic happen from the comfort of your office than you ever could schlepping to and from the library. The biggest obstacle in making your funding dreams come true is investing a ton of time on how to find funders, and what database, and/or tools you should utilize. Any tool. plus work, is far superior and provides better outcomes than endless research of what avenue to take. Honestly, the biggest difference in funding and grant research tools is price tag. The option you go with won’t make or break your efforts. What will make or break your grant writing and/or other donor requests is the work you’ve put into building relationships. No tool can replace what a solid relationship will provide. Relationships are truly the best investment of time. Spending money on a tool often trumps building relationships because it is easier, and as we all know, easier doesn’t always equal better.
Lack of Concentration=Less Productivity
What is the cost of distraction within the workplace? Do the math… if it takes approximately 20-ish minutes to return to the point of focus prior to a distraction, social media continues to increase our level of distraction, well you get the picture. Ongoing distractions impact our ability to concentrate. We live in a world that is fully aware of this problem, creating terms like continuous partial attention (CPA), and apps to deal with it. Continual distraction is bad for not just workplace productivity and profit, it is bad for employee health and wellness too. “We have known for a long time that repeated interruptions affect concentration. In 2005, research carried out by Dr Glenn Wilson at London’s Institute of Psychiatry found that persistent interruptions and distractions at work had a profound effect. Those distracted by emails and phone calls saw a 10-point fall in their IQ, twice that found in studies on the impact of smoking marijuana. More than half of the 1,100 participants said they always responded to an email immediately or as soon as possible, while 21% admitted they would interrupt a meeting to do so. Constant interruptions can have the same effect as the loss of a night’s sleep.” (Source: “The Lost Art of Concentration”) Dr. Wilson’s 2005 research shows a clear correlation between distraction and concentration. Social media distractions have grown substantially since his study subsequently so have the impacts. So the question becomes, knowing their is a negative impact on employee health and wellness, as well as positive organizational outcomes, why do we fail to address the issue? The more distracted we are, the harder it is to concentrate. This dynamic leads to higher anxiety and stress as employees try to do more in less time, rushed, and with less attention to details. Again, the outcome for companies and employees is not a positive one. Creating an environment that requires, and supports mindfulness is difficult as our culture continues to veer in the opposite direction; however, it is necessary unless management is ready to lean into and accept lower productivity and an ongoing reduction in quality. Employers are in the midst of normalization of deviation due to social media which results in both short and long term losses.
Influencer vs Sales Professional
Last week I had a fantastic conversation with a professor who teaches sales and marketing on the university level. We discussed perception vs. reality in sales within our world which is full of real and wishful “influencers.” Bottom line is influencers talk at their audience, as that is their deal, they influence. In the world of sales however influencing isn’t a long term plan, especially in business to business sales which was the topic of our discussion. Sales is relational, unless you are operating with a ‘one and done’ attitude-big, but temporary gains. Building a business requires engaging with people and listening to their needs, challenges, etc. Like the saying goes, “people don’t care what you know, until they know that you care.” Sales is about listening and shining the spotlight on the customer not yourself. Most of us are already burned out on the barrage of social media showing us the greatness of others so hearing it from someone that wants you to give them money too isn’t an incentive to buy. If you’ve ever networked you more often than not get the mini version of the difference between sales and attempted influencing. It is the reason many of us dial our networking back to the level of infrequent. Talking at me, pushing your product in my face and space while telling me your story doesn’t engage me, and rarely interests/engages others. A sale via that approach isn’t relational, it is more in the realm of ‘I’ll buy it if you please go away,’ a one and done exchange. The professor I spoke with summed it up nicely explaining introverts are often the best sales people due to being good listeners. As an introvert I’m biased to believe his statement as gospel; however it does make sense as we reside in environments that often demand we focus outside of ourselves, as well as compare ourselves through media, social and otherwise. Selling is optimized when engagement is the priority. Selling is sustainable when the customer has an opportunity to feel accommodated.
Low Investment, Increased Employee Productivity
Decades ago, when I was a stressed out adult probation officer, someone gave me a book on meditation. I was hooked upon experiencing the positive outcomes of meditating. I occasionally taught meditation classes in groups and even to high school staff. Decades later I’m busy running a business, teaching in higher ed. and generally trying to have a balanced life to boot. Nevertheless I do still meditate every single day. Why? Because it reduces my stress and sharpens my focus in a world that is constantly throwing every possible distraction at us through a myriad of media. I’m not alone in the taming the beast of stress related distraction, and you don’t have to look very far to see institutions such as Harvard, the Mayo Clinic, Yale, etc. have explored, studied, and validated the positive outcomes. If you knew even 10 minutes of employee mindfulness/meditation would boost your company’s growth through more engaged employees, create a safer environment with more focused employees, and reduce your healthcare costs why wouldn’t you pursue it? If you’re thinking 10 – 20 minutes of employee time would result in lost productivity, I can guarantee you that same amount of time is currently being lost due to the almost 70% of employees nationwide who are actively disengaged in their jobs. As far as employee engagement tools go meditation has scientifically proven positive outcomes, and the price tag to implement it is minimal, and maintaining it cost zero extra dollars. You’ll be hard pressed to find a stronger return on investment.
Accountability Gets A Bad Rap
Oversight is very popular, and obviously necessary within the workplace. Accountability seems to be less of a mandate, and that is a problem. The only way to engage yourself, employees, and/or customers is to combine oversight and accountability. I’m not sure when accountability fell out of fashion, but a lack of accountability equates to lost employees, lost profits, lost vision. I’m talking about accountability on every level. Are you being honest with employees about the job they are interviewing for and/or the culture of the company? Are employees working within a dynamic that they operate knowing win or lose people at every level of a decision making, or production making process will be held accountable? Is the organization showing appreciation for those exceeding the bar? Are people being both rewarded and held responsible for both the good and the bad? You get the picture. Accountability seems to surface during conversation that are wrapped within something that may or has gone wrong. This is where it gets its bad rap. Regardless of whether or not your organization is engaged in accountability, it is impacting you. Best to stay ahead of the curve and implement it on a level that makes your brand, product, and workplace more attractive to both employees and customers. Doing so will show a return on investment. Not doing so will create a people, product, and paid loss.
In Demand Jobs Week Vs In Demand Employee
This week is “In Demand Jobs Week” with all kinds of workforce activities going on. What is an “in demand” job? That probably depends on where you are located. Regardless of the job, this week also merits reminding those who are looking for employment, as well as those hiring, that the employee is the one “in demand.” No matter how a job is marketed, it comes down to is the employee the right fit. Recently while doing mock interviews at an area high school I was asked for what is the best advice I’d give to someone preparing to interview. It is as follows, be authentic, be yourself. The level of disengaged employees is over 70%, a number that should concern employers and job seekers. That level of disengagement is a clear statement in our focus on jobs rather than the people we need to fill them. Job seekers, be yourself and you’ll land in an organizational culture that fits you. Employers, is your organizational culture one that fits the employees you are trying to attract?
Leadership vs Ego
How do you know if you are a good leader? Step one, lead without ego. I just saw “ego is not your amigo” somewhere. First I laughed, and then I thought how true, and how unfortunate more of us don’t realize that. Ego can not only get in the way of your success, it can block your talent overall. If you are more interested in if you are going to get or are getting the credit, than actually getting things done, you have an ego issue. The problem with ego, is it spins into all kinds of unattractive behaviors which in turn will lift the veil on your “leadership” or more likely the lack there of. Once people get a whiff of your ego, they’ll write you off as inauthentic. Once people sense it is about “you” rather than “we” they’ll drop their level of engagement. We operate in a very ego driven culture; subsequently, it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that approximately 51 percent of employees are unengaged, and 17 percent are actively disengaged. That is significant, and obviously a huge drag on productivity. Einstein said it best, and I’ll leave it at that…
Board or Bored
The following is a link to a recent article I wrote for The Big Buzz Idea Group’s e-newsletter. Enjoy! Board or Board, The Magnificent Seven
Unknown Cost of Compromise
The struggle is real people. Everyone has had a moment when they ask themselves, ‘do I address the issue, or do I let it slide?’ The ‘slide’ option is most often the easiest path to take. Afterall, if the issue isn’t addressed it either goes without notice (or minimal fuss) or it goes away faster-in theory. This ‘theory’ plays out nicely on paper in Seth Godin’s blog Counting Beans , which illustrates nicely what the cost of compromise can be. The blog frames ‘compromise’ as the moment one decides to place ‘win’ over ‘worry’. The moment you short change what is right for what is easy and/or a short-term win. Bottom line, every action has an outcome. So the question becomes what is the long-term outcome of compromise for the sake of perceived ‘wins’ or ease? What is your desired outcome? How are your decisions framing the culture in your organization’s culture?