Career

Living in the Details

As a young police reporter, I questioned why the police department couldn’t tell me the color of the car involved in the accident. It was the kind of detail I wanted to have in my news story. My journalism professors had drilled attention to detail as a key attribute of a good reporter. Miami Herald reporter turned novelist Edna Buchanan also touted the attention to detail.

Rainbow

Yesterday I paused in my work and looked up to see a rainbow. Jason Womak says his camera "is a reminder of the fact that there is more to see, if I’ll stop to see it.”

Turns out they were right, according to Jason Womak, author of Your Best Just Got Better. In a press release he warns that we are often forced to sacrifice quality for quantity. Because there is so much information to take in, he says, we’ve become a nation of skimmers.

The downside of that, Womak says, is we miss essential details that could “help us improve our productivity, build better relationships and live more gratifying lives.”

So how does one pay attention to the details? Womak, a workplace performance expert and executive coach, offers several suggestions:

1)      Stop multi-tasking. “When you multi-task, you can’t give your undivided attention to the things you’re working on,” says Womack.

2)      Carry a camera. I’ve been doing this all year in an effort to focus on the grace notes of each day. Womak says his camera is “a reminder of the fact that there is more to see, if I’ll stop to see it.”

3)      Set a timer for 15-minute intervals. Womak says 15 minutes is just about the right chunk of time for us to be able to stay focused, minimize interruptions and work effectively. “When you’re first getting started on paying more attention to detail, setting a timer can be a great way to self-monitor yourself,” says Womack. “When you know that timer is ticking down, you’ll be encouraged to really dig in and focus on the task at hand.” I often use this approach when I’m trying to clean the house. It’s amazing what one can accomplish in one room for 15 minutes.

4)      Reduce your information stream. One important way to help yourself pay more attention to detail is to simply reduce the amount of stuff vying for your attention.  I’ve recently let several magazine subscriptions expire. If, after a few months, I miss them, I’ll resubscribe. Right now, it’s nice not having a pile of magazines in the house.  I’ve also unsubscribed from several email lists. Just because I purchased an item from the company doesn’t mean I have to get an email every time they have a sale.

“Because we’re so overloaded with information, we often approach our days focused on getting as much done as possible,” says Womack. “But when that is your big goal, you end up ignoring important details, and the details are where big opportunities are found. When you retrain yourself to live in the details, you can improve everything you do and truly make the most of your relationships.”

What are you doing to live in the details?

Thanks to Cathy Jett, president of Virginia Press Women, for sharing a press release about Womak’s book with me. The release and reading his book inspired this blog.

Doing More by Doing Less

My trainer frequently reminds me to breathe when I’m working out. It seems silly to need to be reminded to breathe, but I’m so focused on completing the set of repetitions and using the correct form that I do often forget to breathe. Fortunately, he’s there to remind me.

Glass sculptureUnfortunately, the same is not true at work. I run from one meeting to the next. I multitask. I eat lunch at my desk. Frankly, I’m tired, and I’m not alone. Seventy-seven percent of workers say they are sometimes or always burned out in their jobs and 43 percent of workers say their stress levels on the job have increased over the last six months, according to a CareerBuilders survey.

The other week, I met with a business coach, who reminded me of some simple things I can do to make myself feel less overwhelmed and even more productive. They include:

  1. Take a break
  2. Schedule vacations
  3. Do one thing
  4. Follow 18 Minutes

The idea of taking a break feels counterintuitive. And yet, he was right. When I stop and take a short walk outside around my building, I return to my office reinvigorated and with a clear head.

One thing that keeps me going is knowing I have a vacation scheduled. It’s a carrot for me. I realized several years ago that I needed to sprinkle my vacations throughout the year and get them scheduled. Also, because I know it is coming, I like to wrap up loose ends. It’s a great way to complete assignments that have languished.

My office recently installed WiFi. It’s a blessing in that I can meet anywhere with anyone. It’s a curse because the temptation is great to take my laptop to a meeting and answer emails during a meeting. When I do that, I’m not giving my full attention to either the email or the meeting so I try to avoid it. I put my purse with my cellphone in the trunk most days so I’m not tempted to drive and talk. It seems like a great way to combine two activities, but it’s also a great way to cause an accident. They key is to do one thing only.

My coach also suggested I follow 18 Minutes, written by Peter Bregman and based upon his weekly Harvard Business Review columns. Step 1 takes 5 minutes and is about setting the plan for the day. Bregman says that before turning on your computer, we should sit with a blank piece of paper and decide what will make this day highly successful. In Step 2, we refocus for one minute every hour. At the end of the day, we review for five minutes. It sounds simple. I’m fairly consistent with Steps 1 and 2. Step 3, not so much.

However, the more I follow it and focus on doing one thing only, the more I accomplish. I also breathe more – and that’s a good thing!

25 People Who Helped My Career

In Marshall Goldsmith’s book, What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, he recommends making a list of the 25 people most responsible for your career. But he doesn’t stop there. He then wants us to write a thank you note “to confront the humbling fact that you have not achieved your success alone.”

To reach the top you had help along the way. (Photo by Cynthia Price)

For the past few weeks, I’ve been working on my list. Making the list wasn’t too difficult but I wanted to go the extra step and annotate it to include how the individuals helped my career. It’s been a great exercise.

Almost everyone who has helped my career is still a part of my life, for which I’m thankful. In reading my annotations I was reminded to not settle for “good enough,” to push past my comfort zone and to listen.

I haven’t decided yet if I’m going to write the thank you notes but I suspect throughout the year, I will. In the meantime, I thought I’d thank a few people on my blog (I didn’t include last names since I did not ask for permission to include them):

Roger: My high school journalism teacher taught me that journalism was a noble profession, one in which I could make a difference. He also encouraged me to enjoy life.

Meg: Because of her I learned to take a big chance – to do something I never thought I would do:  lead a national organization. Once I committed I never once doubted that I could do it. I just needed someone – Meg – to push me to do it.

Hugh: Our lunch conversations imbued me with many leadership lessons. Hugh, who is a fellow lover of fountain pens, provided me with my first opportunity to speak on leadership. He also helped my collection grow.

Marilyn: She is the ultimate teacher and the ultimate learner, and that’s what she taught me.

Pauli: While she frustrated me as an editor, in hindsight she was making my writing stronger. I sometimes hear her voice when I’m working on a project so I push myself to improve the project.

Jerry: He gave me an opportunity to grow. I evolved from journalism to media and community relations. I learned to work in a para-military environment and hold my own as a civilian. I learned to assess a situation quickly and make a decision.

Who would your list include? You may not have time to write a thank-you note, but you could acknowledge them by posting a comment to this post about how they helped you.

Is It Time to Recalibrate?

The topic was branding. I had already sent in my registration fee. But the meeting was at 7:30 a.m. and the day before was a long work day. This day was promising more of the same. I should skip the meeting.

Then I decided the topic and the networking were probably just what I needed to recalibrate so I went. I networked and made a few key contacts. The speakers were great. I might hire them for some work. I may also reach out to them to see if they will speak to another group with which I’m involved.

I returned to the office rejuvenated and recalibrated. The day’s challenges no longer seemed so daunting. I looked at my assignments with a fresh eye.

What do you do to recalibrate and get back into your groove?

Do you whine? Do you overeat? Do you shop? Most of us do at times, but the important thing is to stop and check your roadmap so you don’t get lost.

For me attending a morning networking meeting was just the ticket. What keeps you on the path to success?

Have You Thanked Your Mentor?

I serve on the board of Virginia Mentoring Partnership. Our mission is to provide educational services to existing and developing mentoring programs to increase the number and quality of mentoring relationships for children and youth in Virginia.

Mentors are great guides. (Photo by Cynthia Price)

While preparing materials for National Mentoring Month, which is the month of January, our board also discussed a highlight of the month — Thank Your Mentor DayTM, which is celebrated tomorrow.

It’s a day to reach out and thank those individuals who have encouraged and guided you.  I’ve been blessed throughout my career to have several mentors. I also mentor and have participated in several communications mentorships through the Richmond chapter of PRSA.

 

Thank Your Mentor Day promotes four ways to honor your mentor, including:

  1. Contact your mentor directly to express your appreciation;
  2. Pass on what you received by becoming a mentor to a young person in your community;
  3. Make a financial contribution to a local mentoring program; and
  4. Write a tribute to your mentor for posting on the “Who Mentor You?” website.

A mentor is described as a wise and trusted counselor or teacher or an influential senior sponsor or supporter. Who has mentored you and how have they impacted your life?