Displaying All Posts by Peter

Strategic Customer Service: An Interview with John Goodman

If you ask any chief marketing officer about the importance of “positive word of mouth” for their product or company, they’ll inevitably say “It’s absolutely critical, word of mouth is definitely a top priority for our business.” But, when you follow up with the question “What specifically are you doing to create it, measure it and monitor it?” you’ll get a mixed bag of reactions. Some will have legitimate answers, some will fall back onto vague buzzwords in lieu of a more concrete response, and some will try to convince you that it’s not really something you can measure, study or track at all.
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Lumosity Brain Trainer Developer Joe Hardy on Brain Games

Peter North 25th October General Leave a Comment

“Work smarter, not harder” is a common aphorism used by those in constant pursuit of productivity. Generally, it cautions you to avoid hyper-focusing on the work itself, and to make conscious choices about exactly how you are working.

Of course, focusing on both your work and your approach can be a difficult game of mental juggling. Often, you have to simply “be smarter” if you want to “work smarter”. Becoming smarter is not quick and easy, but it’s not impossible either. In fact, a lot of new studies are suggesting that you’re not stuck with the brain that you were born with, and that you can develop your brain much like you’d develop your muscles; with increasingly harder workouts. Read More

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“On Second Thought” Takes a Second Look at Our Thinking Process

Peter North 23rd September General 1 Comment

Regardless of industry, experience or pay-grade, all of our work ultimately consists of a long series of decisions. The thinking process behind them involves either careful, deliberate calculation or the use of instincts, impulses, and “following your gut.” In the workplace, terms like “Jack-of-all-trades,” “wearing many hats” and “thinking on your feet” bring to mind images of multitasking, prioritizing and decisive action. Read More

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Memorable Typos From Mass Email Mistakes

Peter North 11th September Communication 12 Comments

Mass emails are a highly efficient way to communicate information among your peers. Putting your whole group on the same page – literally – eliminates unnecessary back-and-forth emails, and it makes for increased productivity and an overall unified purpose among your group.

Emails sent out to entire departments or companies are thoroughly proofread and heavily scrutinized. But, inevitably a few mistakes make it through the error-checking process, and once in a great while, that error can turn a productive, purposeful message into a confusing (and sometimes comical) blunder. Read More

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Practice Networking, Not Nepotism

Peter North 8th September Communication Leave a Comment

Good business networking is about discovering symbiotic relationships between businesses. The question that good networkers often ask each other is:

“How can I help you?”

Bad business networking is classic nepotism; favoritism granted to friends or relatives regardless of merit. Instead of striving to be the best match for a fellow firm’s needs, parasitic networkers search for the decision-maker of a company and become “friends” with a shallow, tenuous personal connection. Then, they offer a one-sided business relationship with a firm handshake, a few personal perks and a winning smile. Read More

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How to Say No At Work

Peter North 1st September Office Life 2 Comments

Saying “no” at work is a surprisingly difficult thing to do. In the minds of your coworkers, the word can land you with the stigma of negativity. Similarly, turning down a client’s request with a blunt “no” can cause you to lose their favor.

Still, sometimes it has to be done. “No” is sometimes necessary, and if it’s used carefully, it can save both sides of the dialogue from unneeded stress and wasted time.

A List Apart has an excellent guide on how to say no properly, supporting it with valid reasons – yet remaining positive to your coworkers and favorable to your clients.

In the long term, a thoughtful, carefully-delivered “no” can be much more positive than saying “yes” as a thoughtless, knee-jerk reaction.

A List Apart - No One Nos: Learning to Say No to Bad Ideas Read More

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Making Ideas Happen with Scott Belsky: Book Review and Interview

Peter North 27th August General 2 Comments

Creativity is a commendable quality. Good ideas are very valuable, and a person with repeated sparks of genius is priceless. But, even the most creative ideas amount to nothing if they’re not organized, established and executed. That’s where Scott Belsky, author of Making Ideas Happen can empower you with the follow-through needed to bring your intangible ideas into reality. Read More

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Stumped By a Buzzword? Demystify Office Jargon At Unsuck It

Peter North 25th August Office Life 2 Comments

I have a love/hate relationship with buzzwords: I’m greatly amused when I hear a burst of buzzwords come out of a competent colleague’s mouth, but it’s infuriating to watch them used to wiggle out of responsibility or cover up a coworker’s underwhelming skill set. Sometimes I wonder if so-called “business acumen” is nothing more than the frequent use of buzzwords and glittery business jargon.

So, I decided to learn a new sub-dialect of English: buzzword.

I was previously using Buzzwhack as my buzzword dictionary of choice, but I was recently shown Unsuck It, a buzzword haven where you can view their collection of carefully curated buzzwords, submit new entries and even take a shot at “unsucking” one of the undefined terms with a concise, sensible translation. It’s really pushing the envelope of bleeding edge, web 2.0 crowdsourcing! Just kidding, it’s an interesting project, and it will obviously grow as it gains momentum from submissions and definitions. Maybe Unsuck It will become the Merriam-Webster of buzzwords. So, if you wonder what “solutioneering” might mean, or are puzzled by the term “bucketize,” this is the place where you can learn it, submit it or define it.

Unsuck It (courtesy of Mule Design) Read More

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How to Beat Procrastination Permanently

Peter North 24th August General 11 Comments

It’s no surprise that we’ve touched on beating procrastination several times at WorkAwesome – it is productivity’s sworn enemy. On our path to progress, we’re constantly kicking procrastination to the curb, and often it just reappears a few steps farther along the road. Some of us fare better than others in the never-ending contest between procrastination and production, but few of us have taken the time to fully understand what procrastination is, where it comes from, and how to fight it effectively. In fact, most of us only know two things about procrastination; a basic, tip-of-the-iceberg definition, and not to do it. Read More

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Are Desk Phones A Dead Technology?

Peter North 11th August Communication 18 Comments

The landline telephone was invented over a hundred years ago, and it has since evolved into nation-wide data networks, mobile phones and hands-free headsets, all of which can be incredible productivity tools. You can close a business deal while you cook dinner, manage your bank account on a bus, interview an applicant during your drive to work or touch base with your colleagues with both hands on a fishing pole or a golf club. Read More

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Does Value-Based Compensation Increase Productivity?

Peter North 10th August Productivity 7 Comments

Within the model of value-based compensation, you are rewarded strictly for results. The amount of hours spent or the degree of effort is irrelevant; you are paid only for tangible, measurable value produced, regardless of the duration or difficulty of the work.

For those used to a predictable hourly wage, value-based compensation may sound risky. Work impediments like sudden sickness or family emergencies can show up later as missing money on your paycheck. Most feel that the employer should handle the ups and downs of the business and provide workers with a steadier form of payment. Read More

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Is Talent All You Need To Succeed?

Peter North 9th August Career 10 Comments

Talent is considered an innate, natural ability. You’re born with it or without it, and supposedly you can neither gain it nor lose it. Talent isn’t learned or developed; it’s discovered by the lucky owner or by the observant talent scout.

Skills, however, are developed. Skill is acquired through training, so unlike talent, we do have some general control over how skillful we are. You can gain skill as quickly as you can learn, and you lose it as quickly as you forget.

Managers often follow a “hire for talent, train for skill” philosophy, leading us to believe that talent is more valuable than skill. What hiring managers often overlook is that highly-developed skills, besides being extremely valuable, are indicative of a strong work ethic. Skills are a testament to a person’s dedication; talent is nothing more than a gift supposedly given at birth.

If you’re wondering if you can succeed on talent alone, ask the talented writer who never got around to finishing his book, or the gifted athlete who missed too many practices to retain his high-paying contract. They’d tell you that the recipe for success has more than one ingredient, and that talent is nothing without the support of skill and dedication. Read More

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