Productivity Tip: Try Doodle.com for scheduling

I loathe the expression “work smarter, not harder.” To me, it implies you were not working smartly in the first place. However, here’s a free and easy way to cut down on the tedium of scheduling meetings and the e-mail volume that can result from a simple meeting invitation. Recommended a few years ago by a colleague who regularly coordinates international conference calls, Doodle.com allows you to input date and time options so meeting invitees can simply click to choose their preferences. You send out the link and, once your invitees have responded, you can immediately see which meeting date and time is most convenient. There’s also space for respondents to post comments.

I’ve used Doodle.com personally and professionally for planning  conference calls spanning multiple time-zones, group projects, a 20-year reunion, community group meetings and my semi-regular book club. No more piecing together a meeting time by sorting through a dozen e-mails that say: “I can on Friday but only at 2 pm and next Monday and Wednesday are good” or “I’m on vacation on the 12th but back at noon on the 17th.” You practicaly have to build a spreadsheet to figure it out. Use your time more productively. Better yet, use that time you saved to go for a coffee with a co-worker, for a walk around the block, or to pat yourself on the back because you’re just so darn smart.

Please note: This post was not commissioned by Doodle.com. It’s just a site I like and thought might be helpful for you. I also didn’t provide a step-by-step guide or an extensive discussion of other features. The instructions on the site are very easy to follow.

Sometimes the GPS is wrong: set your own course

The voice seemed to grow more insistent: “Take exit on right.” “Make a U-turn.” Did I imagine the “Recalculating” sounded irritated? Derisive? I could clearly see that I was on the right road no matter what the ‘voice’ next to me said. Undeterred, I was certain the GPS was going on old information. Sometimes people in our lives are just doing their jobs, trying to provide helpful information and guidance but do so without the same information you have. While it’s easy to dismiss the guidance of a GPS when you can see there are no off-ramps, it can be more difficult to stay true to your chosen path when someone you know, respect, perhaps even love keeps insisting that you are making an error or should take a different route. So how do you stay the course?

 

  1. Realize the person is trying to help and is coming from a place of caring and concern.
  2. Ask them how they came to the conclusion that you should change course. Really listen. It may help you identify their incorrect assumptions or could provide valuable insight.
  3. You don’t have to agree but genuinely thank the person for their concern.
  4. Validate for yourself that your assumptions are sound, aligned with your values and that you are, in fact, headed in the right direction.
  5. Set key milestones and celebrate achieving them.
  6. Ditch persistent detractors. There is a difference between helpful insights and negative influencers. Spend your time with people who understand and appreciate the direction you have set for yourself.

Has this ever happened to you? How did you stay on course?

For International Women’s Day! 5 minutes for 3 women who changed the world

modified from January 12, 2012

It’s the first time that three women share the Nobel Peace Prize and their stories are of amazing leadership that brought an end to decades-long dictatorships.

So why are they nowhere to be found on Barbara Walter’s list of the 10 Most Fascinating People of 2011? Arguably, their contribution is more remarkable than say… the Kardashians? Are their stories not more interesting than Pippa Middleton’s love life or Donald Trump’s hair?  I admit, I first heard about Leymah Gbowee on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart but it led me to question why media empires serve us a steady diet of drivel and why we eat it up. That’s why I invite you to balance and enrich your leisure time diet by finding out more about 2011 Nobel Peace Prize laureates:  President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Leymah Gbowee, both of Liberia, and Yemeni activist, Tawakkol Karman, the first Arab woman to receive the prize.

Yes, there are only 24 hours in the day, and it’s ok to indulge in some American sports and entertainment brain candy. But today, right now, embrace the opportunity to provide some balance in your ‘entertainment’ diet and discover more about our world and its inspiring leaders. These women are the Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandelas of our time! I promise, you will be moved beyond anything that Hollywood can conjure up.

If you have

I have never asked that you share one of my posts with others but please share this one. Certainly not for me but in honour of these women who, by all rights, should be household names not only in their own countries but throughout the world.

Namaste!

Dr. Seuss Day: A Leadership Lesson for Every Hour

Yes, this is a recycled post. Let’s say it’s in honour of Earth Hour tonight. I realized that I forgot to celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday earlier this month and thought I’d dust off this classic post from my early blogging days. Please feel free to submit your own favourite quotes. I love to learn.

The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn the more places you’ll go.

from I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!

 

7:00 AM Be optimistic & set the tone: “Great day, today! Great day for UP” RT@DTORourke

8:00 AM Set ambitious goals: “You’re off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, So… get on your way!”

Dr. Seuss: Childrens' author or leadership guru?
Dr. Seuss: Childrens’ author or leadership guru?

~ RT@VGonzee

9:00 AM Set direction: “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.”

10:00 AM Think! “Think left & think right & think low & think high. Oh, the things you can think up if only you try!”~ RT@DTORourke

11:00 AM Embrace diversity: “There are so many houses you’ll meet on your way. And wherever you go you will hear someone say…’Come over to my house! Come over & play!” RT@DTORourke

12:00 AM Challenge assumptions (or Try something new at lunch): “Green eggs and ham! Just b/c you’ve never tried it doesn’t mean it’s bad”~ RT@lisaw33  Take the opportunity to eat with your team or someone new ,too!

1:00 PM Celebrate our common humanity: “Some houses are marble and some are just tin. But they’re all alike when a friend asks you in.”

2:00 PM Navigate uncertainty: “You will come to a place where the streets are not marked. Some windows are lighted but mostly they’re darked.”

3:00 PM Persevere (that 3 o’clock slump): “On and on you will hike. And I know you’ll hike far & face up to your problems whatever they are.”

4:00 PM Be authentic: “Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you.” RT@VGonzee

5:00 PM Be true to yourself: “Be who you are & say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter & those who matter don’t mind” ~ RT@rachelshaps

6:00 PM Be honest & consistent: “I meant what I said and I said what I meant.” RT@momstownca

7:00 PM Care! “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” RT@tylertinytot

8:00 PM Have fun! “If you never did, you should. These things are fun, and fun is good.” RT@momstownca

9:00 PM: Rest: “Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one.” ~RT@wallismark

10:00 PM Reflect & Be grateful: “You know you’re in love when you can’t fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams” ~RT@TrueBlissCoach

Thank You! Dr. Seuss, for reminding young and young-at-heart the importance of having fun, respecting others and not taking ourselves so seriously. To my readers, may all your dreams come true!

If you have a moment, I’d like to know what’s your favourite Dr. Seuss quote? Book? Do you think Dr. Seuss was a transformational leader?