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You are here: Home / Archives for Business Goals

A List: Top 5 Ways to Fail at Everything

February 4, 2015 By Scott "Q" Marcus

I am fascinated by lists.

man-looking-at-list

In college, my “go to” book was “The Book of Lists,” which was, um, well — basically a list of lists.

In today’s digital age, most are on-line. One site I found had the most popular “bucket list” ideas. Some of the trendiest objectives included visiting virtually every locale, jumping into a pool fully clothed, and — I kid you not — covering someone’s car in post-it notes. You scamp, you!

Techcrunch posts the most common Google searches. It contained “Ice Bucket Challenge”, “Ebola,” and “Flappy Bird” (a game). Sadly, the loss of “Robin Williams” generated the most searches.

Finally, Listverse, whose raison d’être is to make lists, presented its most popular of all time. Claiming spots in that prestigious ranking are “Top 15 Amazing Coincidences,” “Top 10 Amazing Facts About Dreams,” and the most popular list ever: “10 Fascinating Last Pictures Taken.”

Different times of year spawn season-appropriate lists. January might bring forth “Ten Tips to Getting Organized in the New Year.” In April, we’re informed of “Most Common Forgotten Tax Deductions.” June could give rise to “Top Wedding Ideas of Successful Brides.” (Of course, I don’t know what an “unsuccessful bride” would be.)

I want my own world-famous list. So, I thought of something no one else has done, which I now unveil: (insert fanfare please)

“Five Things You Can Do to Make Sure You Never Achieve Anything.”

In reverse order (because that makes it more exciting I guess):

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Business Goals, goals, humor, Newspaper Column, Overcoming Obstacles, resolutions, Weight Loss Tagged With: achieving your goals, attaining your goals, goals, humor, making lists, specific and measurable goals, to do lists

Change in Pace: 3 Ways to Improve Boring Meetings

September 10, 2013 By Featured Author

boring meeting

Meetings are boring, but surviving them seems to be a right of passage in the American workforce. Part of your job description could probably be listed as “endure endless meetings” – even when you are the manager running the show. Meetings do not have to follow the same stale formula without any deviation. You can make the exception to the rule through mixing extra planning and liberal doses of creative thinking into these office gatherings.

Involve everyone

The simplest antidote to a boring meeting is to get everyone involved in the discussion. People become more invested in a meeting when they feel like their presence matters.

Involve the entire group in a meeting and you can enhance the quality of decisions. A study done at Cal-State Northridge found that group discussions are effective in making more information available, generating more ideas, reducing individual bias and producing a decision with fewer errors.

It can start with taking attention away from the person leading the meeting and turning the spotlight back on the group. Encourage people to speak out with ideas and suggestions. Ask open-ended questions. Breakout into group discussions. Give everyone in the meeting a chance to get involved in the decision-making process.

Avoid information overload

Meetings can feel overwhelming if there is too much information to take in all at once. You can prevent this problem by setting an agenda ahead of a scheduled meeting. The agenda can guide what things are discussed in the meeting and offer a road map for the direction of the meeting.

It helps to tackle one issue at a time. Multitasking can serve a good purpose in some situations, but can be a negative influence in a meeting. WebMD notes that the average person can actually lose time shifting between two tasks and take longer to accomplish each task.

One meeting cannot focus on every problem at hand. Set priorities and tackle issues one at a time in order of importance. When things are more specific, it can allow for shorter meetings and better results.

A good rule of thumb is to focus on the issues that are most pertinent to the people in the meeting. This will make it easier to solve problems because you can involve those same people in creating a solution. It allows them to take ownership of the meeting and become more engaged in driving the discussion in positive directions.

Make it count

Meetings represent a significant investment of both time and money. There is no excuse for having a meeting that does not accomplish a tangible purpose.

Make each meeting count by following up on the decisions made in the meeting. The founder of GoDaddy, Bob Parsons, notes that effective leadership requires always moving forward. A leader, according to Parsons, should never stop investing, improving or doing something new because a lack of improvement causes organizations to die.

When you solve problems in meetings, apply those solutions outside the conference room. A meeting that produces measurable results is not a waste of time. Measure progress and offer positive reinforcement to the whole staff when goals are met. It will reinforce the original meeting’s value.

About the Author: Samuel Perry is a PR consultant who lives in Arlington, Va.

Photo used from Flikr by Robert Couse-Baker

Filed Under: Business Goals, Guest Author, Misc, Productivity Tagged With: business leadership, meetings, multitasking

Honor Those Who Make Our Country Work

September 2, 2013 By Scott "Q" Marcus

Special Labor Day Monday Motivational Memo

congratulating-employees

In addition to enjoying a day off (if you get one), on this Labor Day, recognize the folks who work to make our lives better.

Whether it’s the: [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business Goals, Current Events, Holidays, Motivational Monday Tagged With: compliments, employees, labor day, thanks, working

Eat Your Frogs

July 22, 2013 By Scott "Q" Marcus

Every day do one thing that makes you uncomfortable – but helps you reach your goals.

Do it before you do anything else.

As one of my mentors says, “Winners do what losers won’t.” (Of course, we’re not talking about weight loss here!)
frog-on-couch

He refers to it as “eating a frog.” After all, if you had to eat a frog every day first thing, everything you did after that would seem so much easier. When my wife (whose also self-employed) and I compare notes at day’s end, we actually say, “I ate 3 frogs” or “I ate 2 frogs;” meaning how many things we did that we had delayed.
Delaying unpleasant tasks does not make them go away, it simply lowers your attitude, making you less productive the entire day.

Eat a frog every day. It keeps you motivated and keeps away depression.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Business Goals, Excuses, goals, Motivational Monday, Overcoming Obstacles, Power of Attitude Tagged With: attitude, life balance, lifestyle change, productivity, quality of life, unpleasant tasks

Why a Job in Healthcare is so Fulfilling

June 28, 2013 By Featured Author

Healthcare professions offer some of the most interesting and varied jobs around, where going to work each day means helping others to get well and live a better life. Take note of some of these important reasons why the healthcare industry is capable of providing a quality job for you.

Personal Patient Care Needs

Image via Flickr by PennStateNews

There are a wide range of jobs that come under the banner of healthcare, and many of these jobs involve a large amount of personal patient care. It takes a very special person to be able to deal well with people on an individual basis, but for those who enjoy this kind of work, it is extremely rewarding. Unlike in many other jobs, there is also much more opportunity to connect with people.

A travelling nurse requires a whole range of skills in order to complete the job successfully, and these skills are often not ones that can be taught. Patience, kindness, and interest in others are just three essential qualities needed for this job. One of the main requirements for a travelling nurse is going to patients homes and care homes to visit and care for terminally ill and very old patients, and although this can be a tough job at times, it can also be extremely fulfilling to know that you are helping those in need.

Mentally Stimulating Job Functions

One of the key aspects of job satisfaction is how mentally stimulating a job can be. The healthcare industry is full of jobs that require above-average intelligence levels and a sharp mind to complete the requisite training provided for a healthcare administration degree. Bryant & Stratton healthcare programs, for example, can provide students with a in-depth knowledge of healthcare concepts plus the ability management of health services and facilities. Positions in this field also require knowledge of finance and law, disaster planning and management, and even information systems. Any job that requires all of these things is sure to challenge a bright mind and keep it engaged.

Varied Job Locations

If the thought of sitting in the same room day after day does not appeal to you then a job in healthcare such as a travelling nurse, massage therapist, or nutritionist can be an ideal opportunity to work in different locations. This not only breaks up the monotony of going to work every day, but allows you to experience new locations and visit different healthcare centers in your region.

A qualified massage therapist is able to work just about anywhere in the world, and this gives you the freedom to work and live how you wish. Job positions for massage therapists include working for sports teams, on cruise ships, at a spa centre, or as a home call therapist. This makes the job extremely exciting, and opens up a world of possibilities.

From traveling nurses to autism therapists and nutritionists, the healthcare industry has a wide range of fulfilling jobs available to suit all personality types. If job satisfaction is what you are looking for, what could be better than going to work every day to help others and improve their quality of life? 

About the Author: Susan Pizarro is a freelance writer based out of Florida with a degree in Marketing. She loves writing about personal finance, health, and frugal living tips; and she enjoys travelling the world and trying different foods.

Filed Under: Business Goals, Guest Author Tagged With: careers, financial security, getting a job, guest author, healthcare administration, healthcare professions, healthcare programs

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