Set a Bedtime and Stick to It for Better Productivit

Set a Bedtime and Stick to It for Better Productivity

Many of us don’t get enough sleep. And this isn’t just an inconvenience – it worsens our mood, weakens our memory, scatters our focus, and makes us more susceptible to anxiety. To perform at our best, we need rest. Enough said. Since most of us can’t sleep in later, the only option is to get to bed earlier. And yet we don’t. We stay up late because it’s our only downtime. Start tracking how you spend your time after work. Think about what you can cut back on (mindless Facebook scanning), so you can do the activities you enjoy (watching TV) earlier. Identify an exact time when you want to be in bed. Then give yourself 30 minutes to wind down before attempting sleep. Create a relaxing pre-sleep ritual. Read something that makes you happy, lower the temperature, and avoid blue light (the kind emanating from your smartphone and computer screen). 

Give your Team, ' Range Goals' , instead of single number goals

To Motivate Your Team, Stop Using Single-Number Goals

When you set goals for your team, they need to be both challenging and attainable. If they're too easy, your employees won't be inspired, and if too daunting, they'll become discouraged. People want the sense of accomplishment that comes from working hard to reach something, but you need to strike the right balance. Single-number goals (e.g., how many contracts a sales team must sign, or how many stars a customer must give) are often either too easy or out of reach. To truly motivate your team, shift from single-number goals to high-low goals. These are goals that, rather than targeting a single number, have a high-low range that averages the same. For example, instead of asking people to open 20 new client accounts, give your team a range for success – ask them to open 18 to 22 new accounts this quarter. Evidence shows that these goals can lead to greater success. 

Make Good Writing a Part of Your Skill Set

Make Good Writing a Part of Your Skill Set

Good writers distinguish themselves at work. 

We write all the time – proposals to clients, memos to leaders, emails to colleagues – but we often don't think about improving our writing.

 To communicate effectively and win business, learn to write simply, clearly, and precisely.

 The mistake many people make is writing prematurely. 

They work out thoughts as they're writing, which makes their argument meandering and repetitive.

 Ask yourself: What should my audience know after reading this?

 Make your point up front, and don't use three words when one would do.

 For example, there's no need to say "general consensus of opinion," when "consensus" works. 

Similarly, avoid jargon. If you rely on $10 words too much, readers will think you're on autopilot or don't know what you're saying. 

Avoid terms like "actionable," "core competency," "impactful," and "incentivize."

 And don't be afraid to ask someone for feedback. 

Build the Right Virtual Team

Build the Right Virtual Team

Virtual teams are hard to get right. If you want to effectively lead and manage one, start by assembling the right team.

 You won't get anywhere without hiring and developing people suited to virtual teamwork, putting them into the right-sized groups, and dividing the labor appropriately.

 When building a team, conduct behavioral interviews and personality tests to screen for qualities like good communication skills, high emotional intelligence, an ability to work independently, strong resilience to recover from snafus, and sensitivity to other cultures.

 If you inherit a team, use the same tools to assess people's strengths and weaknesses, and then train them in the skills they're lacking. 

The most effective virtual teams typically have fewer than 10 people, so keep it small.

 If a project is too complex and requires more people, divide everyone into sub-teams that can focus on a narrower goal. 

Autonomy Is Key for Better Motivatio

Autonomy Is Key for Better Motivation

The question of how to better motivate employees has stumped many leaders.

 But if you focus on three universal psychological needs – autonomy, relatedness, and competence – you may find that it's not that complicated.

 Take autonomy.

 People need to believe that they have choices and that they're in charge of what they're doing.

 The way you frame information and situations influences whether someone will feel autonomous.

 So when discussing goals, don't make them seem like dictates or measures by which to hold someone accountable – frame them as essential for the person's success and an opportunity to fulfill a meaningful goal.

And don't apply pressure to perform.

 Sustained peak performance is a result of people acting because they choose to, not because they feel they have to. 

Add Social Fluency to Your Leadership Skill

Add Social Fluency to Your Leadership Skills

Leaders are increasingly expected to have a strong social media presence.

 Yet many still view social media as a broadcast channel, not as a way to connect.

 To become a truly social leader, start using it to listen to your customers.

 Social monitoring and engaging with followers is the best way to collect real-time market intelligence. Focus on connecting instead of promoting.

 You want to be spreading the good word about your company while also interacting with others and answering questions from concerned stakeholders.

 So put down the digital megaphone and think about building relationships. 

You’re also building your personal brand whenever you engage on social media, and, as the company’s number one brand ambassador, you can also improve the company’s image.

 Be authentic and generous. 

Make Office Politics Less Persona

Make Office Politics Less Personal

One of the reasons office politics makes so many of us uneasy is that complex situations are difficult to read and impossible to control. When personalities and motivations intertwine, anything can happen. One tactic for handling office politics is to make its challenges less personal. If you begin to look at politics like a game – you win some, you lose some – you'll become more resilient and have smarter responses when something takes you by surprise. If a situation starts to feel too personal, try to avoid looking your opponent in the eye. In many business situations eye contact is crucial, but in this case, averting your gaze can help you remain calm and avoid the fight-or-flight impulse that rises when you feel under attack. Keeping an even keel enables you to react more thoughtfully, offer productive suggestions, and regain control of the situation.