The lifeblood of leadership and decision-making is new ideas. Annually, we support you in this quest by offering a list of the “ten best.” For 2007, we’re living large and are presenting ten times that – 10 lists of 10 best ideas or resources on 10 topics!
And, in perusing the lists, please know how deeply grateful we at The Wunderlin Company are for the gift of our relationships with you. Best wishes for a peaceful holiday season, and a prosperous 2007.
Our ten lists of ten best
- LRN how 2 TXT
- It’s Hip to be Fit
- Best Business Reads
- Join the Blogosphere
- Polish Your Presentations
- Color Your World Green
- Words to Lead By
- Go for the Goal
- Stretch Yourself
- Inspired Gift Giving
Are you taking full advantage of the capabilities of the mobile network? Check out these tips on how make your cell phone work better 4 U.
1. Send a text message from your cell phone to deliver information to someone without interrupting them.
2. Text messages are limited to 160 characters including “To:” and “From:” fields. Typically that means about 20 words.
3. Most mobile phone plans include text messaging capability, but there may be an extra charge of up to $.10 per message. Some plans include a certain number of messages for no extra fee.
4. The cost per message drops considerably if you text with some regularity.
5. Some service providers allow subscribers to pre-pay for messages at a discount.
6. The mobile network uses the Short Message System (SMS) protocol to send and receive messages. The only protocol you might want to know about is how to shorten some of those long words.
7. Your phone may have a text recognition capability enabling it to complete partially typed words, saving you a few keystrokes.
8. You can type a text message on your computer keyboard for no extra charge. Most service providers and many other sites have a website where you can enter and send messages. For example, Google – http://www.google.com/sendtophone
9. You can send a text message using your email program. Typically the email address to send to will consist of the 10-digit phone number followed by “@” then the service provider’s domain name.
10. You may be able to check the status of the message to determine if the message was received and read by the user. You typically request a Message Delivery Notification to be sent to your phone.
Want to be happier, healthier, and more energetic? People who exercise think more clearly, sleep better, and have delayed onset of dementia. They also get relief from anxiety and mild depression.
1. Set 25-minute timers
Set a timer to get yourself moving. Walk briskly around the building, outdoors, or at least back and forth to the water cooler.
2. Stretch periodically
Get up, stretch your hands over your head, roll your neck backward and forward, give your eyes a break from the monitor, bend at the waist and let back muscles unfurl a little.
3. Walk at lunch and in the afternoon
Schedule a 20- or 30-minute walk at lunchtime and again in the afternoon to increase productivity. Even brisk 10-minute walks offer benefits.
4. Refill Your water bottle
Drinking water each day equal to your body weight divided by two in ounces helps with a flexibility of tissue, recovery from exercise, filling the stomach a bit, and processing fats.
5. Rebuild your office/cube
Stand at your computer instead of sitting. Convert your desk space (or part of it) into a standing configuration.
6. Go out of your way
Use restrooms on other floors. Avoid elevators at all costs.
7. Take an online advantage
Join an online gym which streams aerobic and stretching exercise to your PC.
8. Stick to a program
Give yourself simple rules to follow, such as always exercising on Monday or exercising at least every other day. Don’t link exercise to weight loss.
9. Exercise frequently
To stay in shape by joining games of pick-up basketball, play four or five times a week. Whatever your schedule, find time to exercise often.
10. Reduce stress
With stress, your body prepares for “fight or flight.” Potentially damaging byproducts pump through the body. Regular exercise ameliorates these effects.
Inspired by Chris Brogan and Gretchen Rubin.
If we’ve spent more than a couple hours together, I have probably recommended a book to you. Not only do I recommend these books to clients, I find myself returning to them time and time again.
1. Built to Last by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras, and Good to Great by Jim Collins. Collins’ works provide a clear, useful framework for creating organizations that can sustain themselves. Not all companies cited have turned out perfectly since the books’ publications, yet the insights have proved relevant and enduring.
2. Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss what Matters Most
3. Talking from 9 to 5: Women and Men at Work
4. Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done
5. Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence
6. The Transparency Edge: How Credibility Can Make or Break You in Business
7. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
8. Leadership and the One Minute Manager: Increasing Effectiveness Through Situational Leadership
9. The Art of SpeedReading People: How to Size People Up and Speak Their Language
10. Facilitating with Ease!, with CD: Core Skills for Facilitators, Team Leaders and Members, Managers, Consultants, and Trainers
Just in case you didn’t already know: “Blog” stands for “web log,” a website with journal-like entries contributed by many people, each with an opinion or thought about a topic. The blogosphere has allowed businesses of all sizes to communicate with their customers and audiences in a very immediate way. Content can be easily and continuously updated.
Here is a list of blogs to keep an eye on.
1. Search for the latest
Technorati helps you find whatever is new and developing on the web, such as blogs and videos, and check Google’s blog search to find blogs on favorite topics. *Editor’s Note: Technorati no longer offers a blog search function. Try this article for useful tips to find new blogs.
2. Get your blogs in a row
Use del.icio.us to store bookmarks online. You can access the bookmarks from any computer, use tags to organize your bookmarks, and share links with friends and others.
3. Don’t worry; be happy
Check out the Happiness Project. Author Gretchen Rubin offers self-improvement advice that is smart, literate, sophisticated and just plain interesting.
4. Meet the bloggies
The Bloggies are publicly-chosen awards to weblog writers and those related to weblogs.
5. Research with Blogher
Blogher is a collection of blogs that are of interest to women.
6. Get started
To start your blog, create an account on Blogger or a similar site, name your blog, and chose a template. You can then publish your thoughts and exchange information with others.
7. Solve your techno problems
Lifehacker brings back simple and totally life-altering tips and tricks for managing your information and time. Gina Trapani deciphers the latest in personal productivity technology.
8. Learn how to blog
Discover the nuts and bolts of blogging at this widely-recommended site.
9. View blogging by the big dogs
This site lists Fortune 500 companies that have business blogs and those that don’t. They plan to add share price data to compare the stock performance of companies that blog with those that don’t.
10. Stay current
The slogan from this site is “Blogging the Blogosphere: reporting on blogging news and trends.” Many blog lists (i.e., Top 100) appear here.
You can learn not to dread giving presentations; with practice, you may even learn to enjoy presenting. The most effective approach is to prepare, prepare, prepare. Sweat the small stuff beforehand; you’ll be glad you did.
1. Know your audience
In planning your presentation, identify the main ideas audience members will benefit from hearing about. Clarify their attitudes, knowledge, and skill levels about your subject.
2. Arrive early
Test all equipment. Discover the room set up beforehand so that logistical changes can be made.
3. Begin your talk in a compelling way
Quote someone; offer a startling statistic; present an analogy. Let your listeners know from the first moment that you’re prepared to capture and keep their attention.
4. Stay true to objectives
Be sure you and your audience know clearly from the beginning why you’re speaking and what subject matter and process they can expect. Stick to three or four main ideas.
5. Take mistakes in stride
If you make a mistake, pause, take a breath to recover, and continue. Mistakes happen. The audience will usually care more how you respond to an error than about the error itself.
6. Reinforce your ideas with stories
The greatest speakers throughout history have used stories to add life to their messages. Be careful with humor, however; what is funny to one listener may offend another listener.
7. Use audio-visuals skillfully
When incorporating technology such as PowerPoint, use few words with lots of “white space” surrounding. Audio-visuals add to the understanding of your ideas when they are clear and relevant.
8. Anticipate questions
Be sure you can answer or at least address questions related to your topic, especially questions you hope won’t be asked.
9. Conclude clearly and on time
Add power to your conclusion with a quick demonstration, call for action, quotation or summary. Let your listeners know what will follow your presentation, such as a question and answer session.
10. Request feedback
Ask an objective listener for the things you did well and a limited number of the most important elements you can add or improve. Stay aware of your speaking strengths; it’s an important confidence builder.
Inspired by Thomas Leech, How to Prepare, Stage, and Deliver Winning Presentations.
Every day we all make decisions, large and small, that affect the health of our earth. Steps your organization takes toward a “greener” world can mean a lot. They also make quiet statements about your organization’s commitment to the environment.
1. Turn them off
If every US computer and monitor were turned off at night, we could shut down eight large power stations and avoid emitting seven million tons of C02 annually.
2. Reduce paper consumption
Create hard copies only when necessary. Edit drafts on screen. If you must print large reports, adjust margins, line spacing, and page setting to fit more info per page. Use two-sided printing options. Use recycled paper – and recycle it.
3. Turn your heating and cooling off when not needed
Install automatic setback thermostats and you will enjoy pre-warmed or pre-cooled offices when you arrive at work.. Install motion sensor light switches, especially in rooms used less often.
4. Conserve water
Save water and costs: turn the water temperature down to 120 degrees. Add aerators to existing faucets. When replacing toilets and urinals, opt for low-flush or no-flush. Fix leaks.
5. Recycle cartridges
Use re-manufactured toner cartridges. A growing number of office suppliers take back used toner and printer cartridges.
6. Replace fluorescent lighting fixtures more than 10 years old
The newer T-8 lamp has better color, less flicker, and uses 20 % less energy to produce the same light output. Conversion requires replacing the entire existing fixture but can quickly pay for itself.
7. Minimize water use and keep the office lawn healthy
Change landscaping from lawns to native plants not requiring additional irrigation. For lawns, mow high and often, leave clippings. Fertilize moderately with an organic or slow release fertilizer. Water deeply but infrequently. Think twice before using pesticides.
8. Subsidize transit for employees
A transit subsidy can be a valuable employee benefit, saving employees and employers money. Parking spaces around your buildings become available to additional customers.
9. Provide carpool/vanpool parking preferences
Reserve as many company parking spaces as possible for carpools and vanpools to produce significant savings in gasoline, parking spaces, and greenhouse gas emissions.
10. Install a bike rack
Cyclists nearly always have effective bike locks, but need something to lock them to. Make bike parking visible, accessible, and consider covering it.
Wisdom is available to us from a wide range of sources. Here are some thoughts to reflect on as you anticipate your life and your leadership in the new year.
1. According to most studies, people’s number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. . . . This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you’re better off in the casket than doing the eulogy. – Jerry Seinfeld
2. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.
– Leonardo da Vinci
3. People who don’t get around each other, don’t get to know each other. – Quincy Jones
4. Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress.
– Mahatma Gandhi
5. Next to physical survival, the greatest need of a human being is psychological survival — to be understood, to be affirmed, to be validated, to be appreciated.
– Steven R. Covey
6. If you get to thinking you’re a person of some influence, try ordering somebody else’s dog around. – Will Rogers
7. We must all dare beyond our competence. – David Cooperrider
8. Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. – Margaret Mead
9. f you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be ‘meetings’. – Dave Barry
10. If you want to build a ship, then don’t drum up (people) to gather wood, give orders, and divide the work. Rather, teach them to yearn for the far and endless sea. – Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Effective goals are challenging, obtainable, and measurable. Great goal setting is interactive. Work with each employee to determine what is reasonably challenging and obtainable in a set time span.
1. Promote ownership
On-target goals generate excitement in the employee and support corporate objectives. Ask each employee reporting to you for ideas, review goals with them, and tweak as necessary.
2. Set deadlines
Open-ended goals encourage procrastination and complacency. Quarterly goals often work well. Larger annual targets can be effective, especially when supported by short-term smaller goals.
3. Make sure goals are measurable
Every goal should produce quantifiable data so that you and the employee know the goal was met by the due date.
4. Have your employees write their goals down
Re-writing their goals helps employees visualize exactly what they are trying to achieve and encourages personal commitment.
5. Establish goal posts
Encourage employees to post their goals where they can be seen each day. This keeps them fresh in the employee’s mind and promotes awareness of all team members’ goals.
6. Schedule regular progress meetings
Once goals are set, schedule periodic meetings, providing support to help the employee stay focused. Progress meetings help to give goals the appropriate emphasis and to ensure that nothing slips through the cracks.
7. Limit the number of goals
Aim for quality over quantity. Make sure all goals are meaningful. If a goal is not going to provide measurable value to the company, eliminate it and try again.
8. Base goals on company values
Supporting an employee goal derived from your company’s core values makes accomplishing the goal more likely.
9. Provide positive feedback
Find opportunities to offer encouragement. Periodic positive feedback can make the difference between a goal accomplished and a goal exceeded far beyond expectations.
10. Make the reward worth it
Once his or her goals are met, make sure the reward is something valued by the employee. Personal satisfaction is good, but sustained hard work and effort should come with rewards for exceptional performance.
Yoga stretching enhances balance and flexibility while reducing stress. Now, these age-old practices have been adapted to the workplace for us.
1. Red Light Rejuvenation
Sit back, relax and gently roll your head in circles. Shrug shoulders up and down, breathing in rhythm
2. Keyboard Calisthentics
With hands in prayer position, move in all directions and stretch. Squeeze fists tight. Stretch fingers wide. Interlace fingers and rotate hands.
3. Desk Chair Workout
Bend left arm above and behind your head. Grab elbow with the right hand and stretch up. Breathe. Relax shoulders. Repeat with the right arm.
4. Kick Back Pose
Interlace fingers behind your head. Relax elbows and shoulders. Smile, breathe, and stretch elbows back. Slowly release tightness.
5. Circling Torso
Sit forward with feet flat on the ground, hands on hips if you can. Relax shoulders. Rotate your torso in circles. Relax and breathe.
6. Telephone Stretch
While on the phone, stretch your legs out and rotate ankles and feet. Notice your attention increase.
7. Eye Strain Solution
Take mini-breaks from computer screen. Refocus every 10 minutes by looking out a window or around the office. Each hour close your eyes, let your face soften. Slowly roll eyes in a circle. Take a few breaths.
8. Empty Elevator Stretch
Place right hand on wall. Stand up straight and bend left knee so that your foot comes toward your rear. With left hand, hold toes and foot to buttocks. Breathe, hold, release, switch sides.
9. Late Client Stretch
Place both hands on doorjambs at shoulder height, feet hip-width apart. Gently let body stretch forward. Relax your head and breathe.
10. Copier Stretch
Place hands on the edge of a copier. Stand back with feet apart. Drop head and chest. Breathe and relax shoulders.
Excerpted from: Office Yoga: Simple Stretches for Busy People
Giving is gratifying when you feel your gift is just right for the receiver. At this time of year, however, creative juices can run dry. Jump-start your thinking and make giving a pleasure with the following ideas.
1. Give the gift of music
Consider giving an ipod to that someone special. Find one that fits your budget and the recipients needs. Choose from Shuffle (approx.$70), Nano (from $149), or Ipod (from $249).
2. Offer a memorable experience
Rather than give “one more thing,” present an experience: a fly-fishing outing, tickets to a ball game, a cooking class, a session with a fitness trainer. Even better, go along on the outing.
3. Give them the real “scoop”
We’re talking award-winning Graeter’s ice cream. Order famous French pot ice cream with next-day shipping in the U.S.
4. Give a healthy alternative
You can’t beat Harry and David’s for beautiful fresh fruit. Consider sending a “Fruit of the Month” Club collection.
5. Give something not to be missed
Consider giving bright colored, personalized luggage tags to make a bag “unmissable” on the luggage carousel.
6. Give a gift for the recipient and the environment
The Sierra Club offers a list of environmentally friendly gift ideas for kids, the gadget freak, the artistically inclined, the gourmand. They even offer an idea for someone who has everything.
7. Encourage old-fashioned communication
By sending fine stationery you may inspire someone to compose a handwritten note.
8. Present a journal or life list
Journals and life lists are a great way to record facts and impressions. Select a journal for the birdwatcher, wine conniseur, reader, traveler, or fly fishing enthusiast.
9. Consult the experts
Oprah and Real Simple publishing each offer highly entertaining lists of gift ideas.
To your enemy, forgiveness.
To an opponent, tolerance.
To a friend, your heart.
To a customer, service.
To all, charity.
To every child, a good example.
To yourself, respect.
– Oren Arnold
Excellent, mind thumping suggestions. Thanks