More Projects Delivered with Less Stress – Part 2: The Practicalities

Prefer to watch rather than read?   Click here, five minutes, with captions.

Last time I went through the principles which simply let you deliver more projects with less stress.

Yes, totally true.  Read it here.

The super-short summary is that by lining them up and focusing on finishing instead of starting, you get benefits earlier which lowers stress and interruption, while also reducing switching cost.  It’s one of the key aspects of the method I call The Project Factory.™  

Here’s a picture of the principle:

I finished by saying: “I know what you’re thinking – ‘great, but that’s not how the real world works’. 

I know – I live in it too.  Which is why there’s a Part II to this article coming soon…”

Which is what you’re reading right now.

Why Modern Work Sucks…and what to do about it

(Prefer to watch on video than read?  Click here.  5 minutes, with captions.)

What’s the standard response to “how’s work going?”  It’s the deep sigh.

It seems that a lot of modern work just sucks. I’ve got some good news – there are reasons for it, and there are also some things we can do.

A quick warning though – this is NOT the solution. Anyone peddling that is a charlatan. Instead, it’s a few ideas to help. Because that’s all anyone can ever give you.

Standards and Devotion – Leadership that changes people’s lives

Prefer to watch on video than read?  Click here – 5 mins with captions.

Ever had a leader that changed your life?  A teacher, a coach, a manager?  Would you like to be able to make that sort of difference?

What’s needed is simple, but not easy – the combination of Standards and Devotion that Frances Frei and Anne Morriss write about in their book Unleashed, which you should read.

Four Boxes!

So, what are we talking about?

Standards are as it sounds – the performance we want out of people. The level they are supposed to meet.

Devotion is about how much we care for another.  Their wellbeing, their success, whether they are OK.

Manager Poker – the quick way to destroy ownership and accountability.

Prefer to watch on video than read?  Click here, 4 mins with captions.

When playing poker, or more importantly in my life with my three kids, when playing Uno, it’s important to hold your cards close to your chest.

We see the same in organisations – managers holding their cards close.  I call it playing Manager Poker.

It’s no good.

Truth Serum? Could we handle work reality?

Prefer to watch rather than read?  Click here for the video, 5 mins with captions.

Indulge me in a little work fantasy, which combines two very unlikely sources – authors Jan De Visch and Otto Laske…and Jim Carrey!.

Jan De Visch and Otto Laske are researchers and consultants, and one of their brilliant books is Dynamic Collaboration. 

In this book they refer to Job 1 and Job 2: