Top 5 Tips to Avoid a WOTM

It’s Friday at work and there is calmness in the air until the bell on your Outlook email begins to ring sounding off the start of your marathon of all day meetings. Meetings can be a great way to share information, connect with colleagues and obtain insight on leadership views when managed effectively.

Yet, sometimes we may get engulfed in a deluge of meetings that may not meet our expectations of what we think is an ideal meeting. Lucy Murray, a professional communicator recently referred to this phenomenon as “Waste of Time Meetings” or “WOTMs”. You may have seen the signs of a WOTM on the horizon recently at work.

For example, a WOTM will omit a time managed agenda with tangible items. Instead, you will walk into a room filled with free flowing conversation that is not actually focused on the topic identified in the meeting invite. Any effort to redirect the conversation to the specific topic is met with denial and smirks from those enjoying the “time out.” By the time you look up, an hour has passed and nothing has been accomplished except an agreement to meet the same time next week to discuss the same topic covered in the original WOTM.

Another sign of an impending WOTM is the lack of an agenda. That’s right; the agenda serves as your “meeting guide” which is used to help everyone stay on track with the time. An effective agenda is supposed to spark ideas as well as ensure the dialogue makes progress. It is courteous to create a meeting agenda for your participants then share it before the actual meeting so they will know in advance how the session correlates to their work efforts. Otherwise, if a person gets a meeting invitation and it is not part of their “What’s In It For Me” (WIIFM) purview, then they will ignore your future meeting invitations. Also, remember not to ignore the “WIIFM Factor” when planning your next meeting. The sessions should be planned to meet their expectations.

Another culprit is the perception that a meeting is a WOTM although it may be useful for participants. A “perceived WOTM” may occur during weekly group meetings where the same people talk each week and a “cast of hundreds” stands around listening for an hour or more. They will have little to no opportunity to actively engage in the session which makes them wonder why they have to be in the room in the first place. There are only so many times you can say a meeting is for the edification of the listeners. Part of listening includes active engagement between all participants in a meeting.

A way to combat the potential WOTM is to take a step back and think about what you can possibly learn the next time you participate. Then if the signs of WOTM sneak up on you like a snow shower in D.C., take the time to talk to the organizer and tactfully share suggestions on how to improve the next meeting.

Top 5 Tips to Avoid a WOTM

1.      Create an agenda and stick to it (your colleagues’ time is a precious commodity)

2.      Target your agenda to the audience to meet the “WIIFM factor”

3.      Ask participants to share their thoughts on the topic

4.      Rotate the weekly meeting speakers to give others the opportunity to contribute to the process

5.      Donate the time back to staff if you genuinely do not have a good reason for the meeting. They will appreciate the extra time to focus on tasks.

Leadership Lessons

Lao Tzu once said “A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.” Everyone defines leadership differently in this world. Some believe that a leader exudes charisma, offers a valid vision or inspires the staff to do above and beyond their daily routine. Yet, we’ve all experienced the “good, bad and ugly” in terms of leadership. Consequently, some may try to move forward in their careers by seeking leadership that reflects a balance between a “task manager” and a manager who inspires her team to be innovative every day. Some leaders can provide the right tempo by leveraging leadership lessons that may result in positive influences on their employees.
Effective leaders ensure their team has the tools to get the job done. For example, if you manage a team of web designers and they do not have the latest open source software to create interactive content, then the team will fail no questions asked. Part of the process includes staff asking for the resources they need to get the job done and managers to simply listen to how the latest and greatest tools will amplify effectiveness. Read more.

Amplify your Professional Writing Skills

Some people are natural born writers who can easily string together concise messages with little to no effort. The rest of us are “writers-in-progress” who know it takes time to craft an effective business message. The best approach to strong business writing is varied and based on the several things:

• Solid research
• Editing skills
• Turning critiques into coaching tips

Government communications continues to incorporate plain language, 508-compliant materials as well as solid research to create accurate messages. Consequently, your writing needs to be fact based and verifiable so that senior leaders can trust the messages they are about to convey are credible. It is important to conduct a thorough search regarding your writing topic by viewing diverse data sources to obtain the complete picture.
Moreover, the ability to generate good written products also relies on accepting feedback from multiple editors and then making the changes as necessary. Some of the feedback from editor’s including your boss may be hard to accept. Yet, there is always a lesson to learn from hearing the “hard stuff” at the office regarding one’s writing skills. In addition, sometimes speeches require writing from a team of communications professionals making one cohesive message from a diverse pool of resources. When they collaborate and develop a cohesive message it is the result of everyone agreeing that no one person “owns” the speech. It is a group effort.
Channel writing critiques into lessons learned:

• Listen to feedback and then walk away to absorb the critique
• Ask questions if you do not understand the suggested changes
• Be honest in your coaching
• Learn to be more receptive to input, the bad or otherwise scathing
• Avoid “group think” by using the “tenth man rule” so that you can openly object if everyone simply agrees to maintain harmony
• Cut yourself some slack on the self-criticism
• Try writing a variety of products to enhance your skills

Mic Check: Public Speaking 101

It’s Wednesday and your manager gives you a new task: write and deliver a speech for 100 people at a public event in two days. You will either react in one of two ways: thrilled at the professional development opportunity or fearful of speaking publicly in front of large crowds. Fear of public speaking may happen to anyone at any time. It also happens to veteran speakers because each new public speaking event is a new experience for the speaker.  There are a few quick steps you can take to prepare for your speech using quick and easy microphone (mic) check tips.

Public speaking can bring about great professional development opportunities. For example, public speaking engagements may build speaker confidence. Each time you create an audience-centric approach, you have the ability to engage your listeners using an informative or persuasive message. 

Another way to enhance your speaker confidence includes incorporating research, audience demographics and concise messaging for the target audience. 

In addition, check the speaking event location before your speech as part of your prep work. It is important to know the event logistics, test the microphone and other electronic devices before the speaking engagement. Then conduct a “test run” on your speech to hear the final message aloud and make updates as necessary.

Moreover, according to a Psychology Today article, when a speaker focuses solely on the perfect message, they make the mistake of focusing on the errors instead of messaging. The perfectionist principle is a hindrance that can stop even the most ardent speaker in her tracks. A way to move beyond this type of barriers is by continuing the audience engagement despite any real or perceived missteps. In addition, the ability to avoid high levels of self-criticism may lead to more enjoyable public speaking engagements while boosting one’s confidence.

Also, it is okay to be nervous when you are about to deliver a speech. Instead letting your nerves take you to an extreme fear factor level; try to channel your energy. For example, leverage your internal locust of control to reach a calm and collected mental place. In addition, create a pre-speech music playlist to help amp up your positive energy so you can deliver the best message to your audience.

Breaking Down the Fourth Wall on Project Management

Imagine your manager gives you a new project to manage and you are required to develop a strategy for the next year. A few other requirements are identified and you are sailing along great until it happens. You realize that the program requirements have now put you in a “box” where all the parameters are in a fixed, non-flexible position making it a challenge to move forward. What do you do, especially if the requirements create barriers instead of bridges to your goal?
Sometimes the challenge to starting a new task lies in the ability to see beyond the basic scope of the assignment. For example, maybe your group has a fixed set of templates for project plans based on historical data. While they may provide a spring board to a new endeavor, they may not be the best tools if they’ve never been revised in the past five years. Consequently, it may require you to develop new tools and resources to manage ground-breaking endeavors.
Also, when some project managers receive a new task, they feel beholden to manage the task by only using the processes their boss outlined for them. That is a nice “check the box mentality” but it will not always yield the results you may seek, especially if the resources provided are antiquated.  A good program manager will take a step back before just jumping into the fray, assess the situation from all angles and then develop a solid strategy. Sometimes that includes having the courage to break down that fourth wall of project management to take a few risks.
Take the time to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) to your project by collaborating with internal partners who are willing to see the “big picture perspective.” I’ve learned that leveraging a solid SWOT analysis may help to increase your awareness and acceptance of issues and innovation in project management.
Lastly, there may be an unwritten office rule that that staff may only use canonical documents for all projects as some sort of tribute to the original creator of all things SOP in your agency. This is a direct path to stifle creativity and sink your project plan. Moreover, allegiance to the team is one thing; however projects cannot be managed effectively by tradition. One of the great things about project management is having the ability to explore the unknown using a strategy that acknowledges potential variables, troubleshoots issues that will impact your deadlines.

Office Rebel: Benefits of Coloring Outside of the Lines

Each year, some employees do their best to stay focused by following the office rules and political climate succinctly. While this is a way to play it safe, it often yields the same results: a “check the box mentality” of task management. Yet, have you ever wondered what life is like on the other side of the canonical practice at work? Sometimes, it takes breaking down the fourth wall by “coloring outside of the lines” by moving beyond outdated processes so you can achieve great things.

Welcome to the wild side where office rebels deliver great things daily due to their initiative and innovation. For example, an office rebel will research the historical context of a task, determine the lessons learned then implement new processes to yield better results in a timely manner. This type of industrious behavior comes from living on the fringe as well as knowing how to bend new technology to one’s whim.

Moreover, innovation in the federal space is not confined to a desk for eight hours or more daily. It includes learning from others, networking with thought leaders and trying new things in the pursuit of agency goals. Basically, the ability to innovate does not occur via email. Creative collaborators get out from behind their desk, create a plan and then become a catalyst for positive change.

Also, when an employee continues to approach work in the same manner using outdated rules, their ability to grow and learn new skills becomes limited. Back in the day, some people referred to going above the minimum requirements as “going outside the 9 dots.” When was the last time you achieved more than just the basic goals? Have you ever wanted to do more? An office-rebel-in-training understands the benefits of being an “individual contributor” by creating and innovating off the clock to yield extraordinary results at the office.

5 Tips to keep the low morale vulture away at work

Recently, the news has focused on low morale at work due to a variety of issues. The way some employees view their jobs is through a double lens that highlights either their work or the people around them. Sometimes, when there is a conflict in these realms, an employee's feelings about their job may decrease based on their:

• passion for their work
• work environment

When people select a career, it is usually because they enjoy getting paid for the work they love to do each day. This sentiment may be hampered when there are scarce resources that influence a person's ability to stay happy about their efforts. For example, a lack of advancement, challenging work or professional development opportunities may cause issues with staff who want to strive for great things.

Another effect on a person's morale is their workplace environment. Take a moment and look around the office the next time you arrive at your job. Are the folks engaged, forward leaning and ready to take risks to move the organization forward? Or, are they just getting by to supplement the daily routine because they are inundated with work that truly requires more people to effectively complete it?

Moreover, office politics may cause a reduction in one's passion for work because the "in-group" gains acknowledgment, advancement and recognition based on relational aspects instead of business acumen. Another challenge is preventing the "out of site, out of mind" mentality. For example, some managers may assume that if you are out of the office teleworking or not in their line of sight, you are simply not important enough to them to give you more high visibility tasks. While this is a perception issue, it is still something that needs to be managed with tactfulness and directness to keep you "visible" in front of some managers.

Either way, the problem of low morale is symptomatic of every workplace. While one person may not readily change the issue of low morale, you may possess access to improving your personal feelings about your job.

5 Tips to Improve your office morale

1. Increase your awareness of your career needs and create an action plan to move them forward
2. Build a coalition of trusted advisers who are subject matter experts and encourage them to be your "go-to project team" 
3. Expand your personal and professional network by being actively engaged at work each day
4. Update and practice delivering your elevator speech to promote your skills to others
5. Gain more face time with power brokers