Blog
Efficiency vs. effectiveness, what’s the difference?
When you’re in the daily battle of getting things done on your task list—are you being efficient, or being effective? The last thing you probably want right now is a vocabulary lesson—but there’s only two words, and learning the difference between efficient and effective will actually increase your overall productivity. Being efficient Efficiency is how fast and how well you’re getting things done. Imagine you have the task of clearing a path through a jungle. [...]
Go looking for bad news
As a leader, one of the skills you need to develop is to “go looking for bad news.” Part of your job is to find, and then face up to, the problems and aggravations that routinely occur in any business. If you’re not aware of any problems, that’s a problem in and of itself. You need to get in touch with your organization. How? Invite the bad news! No one likes getting bad news. But [...]
Which road will you take?
In his classic poem “The Road Not Taken,” Robert Frost talks about how the road he was walking on while in the woods separated into two roads leading in different directions. He had to decide which of the two he would take. By taking the one less traveled, his life was changed. Frost’s point was that taking the same path as everyone else might only get you average or mediocre results. To be unique, to [...]
PlanPlus Online Vector 2.11 Release Notes
PlanPlus Online is proud to announce the following new features, improvements, and fixes: New features and improvements Added feature where changes to a note in the note popup window will auto-save Added feature where multiple BCC to note email accounts can be configured in the Email Center Added ability in BCC to Note feature where the system will automatically link the contact that is created from the email thread to an Organization based on the [...]
All in: the promise of workplace diversity
On a football team the most famous and recognizable player is usually the Quarterback. Most of us can name the quarterback’s of our favorite NFL teams, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Blake Bortles. But a lot fewer of us could actually name the left guard or the long snapper. While Quarterback’s are generally regarded as the most valuable players a team comprised of entirely quarterbacks wouldn’t stand a chance against a normal team. It’s usually more [...]
Never lose a sales lead
So, you have a website. And you want your website to generate leads for your sales team. But, the problem is, all the leads that come in from your contact us form go to someone’s email. Maybe it’s the manager. Then, the manager has to forward the leads to one of your sales reps. Who then asks the sales rep to do the daily entry to put the lead into…? Um, yeah… that’s the problem! [...]
Do you have this phobia?
It’s not uncommon to have a phobia. But you may have this one and not even know it. Kakorrhaphiophobia is the fear of failure—and who doesn’t have a little of that, am I right? Interestingly enough, the major symptom of kakorrhaphiophobia isn’t actual failure—it’s paralysis. You don’t do anything because you’re afraid you might fail at it. Believe it or not, failure can actually be a great opportunity. That probably seems like a strange thought, [...]
Why highly productive people use Time Blocking
If you’ve been out driving, you’ve probably seen those orange cones and barricades on the road. Even though it’s inconvenient for drivers, those barricades keep traffic from areas that are being worked on—so that workers can do the repairs without dodging cars. Don’t you wish during the day you could set up barricades around your time so you could focus on just completing a task without having to dodge interruptions? Well now you can—with something [...]
Leadership Skills: Good Skills will lead to Good Results
If there is one indisputable test of a leader, it’s the results she or he produces. Getting results is one example of good leadership skills. As Henry Ford once said: You cannot build a reputation on what you’re going to do. Intent without action is just daydreaming. People who are leaders get results. I’ve always thought that any decision well-implemented is better than a brilliant decision not well-implemented. Here are some of the things that [...]
What is Leadership? Can you be a leader without a title?
How many of you feel you’re not a leader because you don’t have a “leader’s title”? When we think of what a “leader’s title” is, we often confuse it with a “boss’s title” such as manager, director, president, or CEO. But there’s a difference between being a boss and being a leader—to start off, you don’t need a title to be a leader. And, simply having a title won’t make you a leader. Everyone has the opportunity to [...]