Displaying All Posts by Peter

Realism vs. Enthusiasm in the Workplace

Enthusiasm in the workplace is in a constant territorial battle with realism. New ideas emerge from your group, and they will either get welcomed by the energy of enthusiasm or cut down by the criticism of an overly-cautious environment. Every new idea, good or bad, has a risk and a cost involved. The ultimate challenge in any organization is to separate the viable ideas from the unworthy ones.

Where enthusiasm wins, you may find a daily brainstorm of overambitious ideas, all of which get encouraged, approved and pursued. The aftermath of enthusiasm’s victory is an ever-growing list of large, ambitious projects, and a staff stretched so thin that even the best ideas don’t get the attention they deserve. If you speak up and suggest that the group “picks their battles,” your realistic thinking might look like the product of a poor, negative attitude.

Where realism wins, the best ideas get cut down alongside the bad ones. People become obsessed with managing expectations, limiting the scope of projects, and running a “tight ship.” There’s no room in over-realism for risk; the status quo prevails. Practicality dictates that the ship “stays the course.”

Perhaps the best thing to do is fuel the fire, achieve “double-agent” status, and make sure there’s a constant, healthy battle between the two. You may not want either side to win.

Have you encountered over-enthusiasm? Have you been to a place that is all too cautious and realistic? Click Here to Read Article …

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Working Like A Deep Sea Diver

Peter North 1st July Productivity Leave a Comment

Deep sea divers strain to survive in the depths of their work environment. There’s a lot to be won in those deep waters, but they need a long, meticulous preparation ritual to ward themselves from the intense pressure of their workplace. After the job is done, it takes a long time to “decompress” from their daily routine and recover from the effort.

Surface level work can feel exactly the same. High expectations, low resources and constantly changing priorities can leave you reaching for the nearest oxygen mask. Frequently, workers struggle to hold themselves in “working stiff” mode during the week. As a result, their weekends are mostly spent “decompressing” from the past week and preparing for the next.

Deep sea diving isn’t exactly safe or healthy, but to some it’s a way of life. They wouldn’t have it any other way. Maybe it’s crazy; maybe it’s just good, hard work.

Does your work ever feel like deep sea diving? Have you got a winning formula to prepare for – or recover from – the pressure of intense work? Are you the cautious kind that fishes stress-free on the surface, or do you take the plunge for the big game? Click Here to Read Article …

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Thanking in Advance

Peter North 30th June Communication 12 Comments

Have you ever sent or received an email that ends with “Thanks in advance”? It’s sort of a half-request/half-mandate commonly used between equally-ranked workers. As in, “Do what I’d like you to do, and you’ll have my gratitude.”

Managers and executives have no need for the phrase; they have their own more direct, more concise one. I find their version so much better. It’s unhindered by nuance and there’s no reading between the lines. It cuts to the chase; it gives you a clear objective in mind. It’s two simple words, really:

“Do it.”

You might want to be careful about “thanking in advance.” it doesn’t always sound very sincere, and it might delay your request instead of expediting it. Having a genuinely friendly relationship (and a genuinely friendly correspondence to match) is much more effective.

Does the phrase “thanks in advance” irk you? Do you find it effective? We’re going to need you to “weigh in” on the issue with a comment below.

Thanks in advance! – Peter

Click Here to Read Article …

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Stuck With a Steady Job

Peter North 29th June Goals 5 Comments

It sounds backwards, doesn’t it? How could you be “stuck” with a fairly decent job? In today’s economy, millions of unemployed workers would be delighted to be “stuck” with a steady stream of tolerable work.

But does that mean that we should be satisfied with “steady”?

The difference between a “steady” job and a great job involves the ability to personally invest yourself in your work: If you draw enthusiasm from what you’re doing, and you feel a personal stake in the success of your efforts, then you have a great job. Keep this in mind:

Great jobs are part of your identity; steady jobs are just part of your resume.

Steady jobs are dangerous; they might be just barely good enough to keep you in a permanent holding pattern and stop you from pursuing that dream job. Your boss and your customers are never happy with the bare minimum, so why should you be happy with a job that is just good enough?

Ask yourself this: Is your job great, or just “steady”? Click Here to Read Article …

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Design is Not a Commodity: Graphic Design Pricing Examined

Peter North 29th June Your Job 26 Comments

Stop me if you’ve come across this kind of job posting before:

We’re looking to rebrand our business/website/product/publication, and we’re seeking a graphic designer to help us develop a new corporate identity. If interested, send us your concepts for our logos, layouts, typography and illustrations, and we’ll pick the best work and pay you handsomely for it.

In this scenario, all candidates are to do all the work, and only one will get paid. Although it’s quite common, this practice is clearly unfair to graphic designers, much like asking Target, Walmart and Sears to all send you a toaster, and promising to pay for only your favorite one.

Hire a ton, just pay one

Some websites accept as many as a hundred design submissions, and only one is purchased. The practice of “hire a ton, just pay one” would be indefensible if it weren’t for one issue: While you can evaluate several different fully-built toasters before you buy your favorite, businesses can’t evaluate or compare any design work until it’s all finished and submitted.

As a result, companies get the required variety the only fiscally viable way that they can; by asking for many designs and paying “handsomely” for one. Since logos and illustrations are usually customized for the unique purpose, It’s likely that nobody will ever buy the unchosen work. Unlike a toaster, designs are made for just one customer.

After seeing so many of these fruitless graphic designer job offers, one designer jokingly turned the concept around on its creators:

I am a graphic artist and in need of a job. I have decided to fill this need the same way many people think the can fill their graphic design needs; with a contest!

Here is how it will work;

Send me one weeks worth of salary and benefits. I will keep all of the checks that are sent to me and use all of the benefits. Whoever sends me the best salary and benefits package will win the contest and get the prize of two days of graphic design work!!!

Good Luck! I am really looking forward to receiving your payment packages!

Graphic design is not a commodity

A lot of graphic designers (like the one quoted above) insist that “graphic design is not a commodity.” Their point is that creative design, unlike copper or crude oil, varies in quality. You pay the cheapest possible price for things like gold or electricity, but the same strategy shouldn’t be employed when purchasing graphic design work. With design, the more you pay, the better the quality, right?

Not always.

Designers are correct beyond any doubt; graphic design does vary in quality, and it should vary in price accordingly. But, the quality doesn’t always match the price, and as much as they hate to admit it, designers aren’t always the ones getting the short end of the stick.

Case and point: The logo for the 2012 Olympics to be held in London. This logo cost roughly $800,000 to develop, and it is widely considered to be controversially ugly and amateurish. Many were demanding a replacement logo from the minute this one was unveiled.

(Also, the website for the firm that designed this logo seems to be over 2500 pixels wide in certain areas. Many would consider this yet another unusual design choice.)

Clearly, design is not a commodity. Maybe that’s exactly why it’s unclear how much it’s worth. A business could shortchange a group of talented artists just as easily as it could overpay tremendously for amateurish “clip art.” Have you seen a designer get underpaid? Have you seen one make a killing? Do you like the 2012 London logo, or do you picture it on a birthday cake instead of a billboard?

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Is “The Office” Real?

Peter North 27th June General 10 Comments

For those that don’t watch the American television version of The Office, it is a situation comedy about a failing paper company led by a charming-but-impulsive regional manager. The show’s humor comes mainly from its wide variety of distinct characters (although typical office stories come into play as well), some of which seem like perfect office archetypes. Protagonist Jim Halpert is a rational, level-headed salesman who, after many attempts to bring sanity to his workplace, resigns to just enjoy the humor all around him. Jim can amuse, but there are others:

Dwight, a goofy, abrasive know-it-all with action hero aspirations;
Creed, a creepy, funny should-be-retired colleague whose ambiguous comments are often disturbing and funny;
Kevin, an accountant who, seems woefully inattentive and thick-headed given the nature of his work;
Ryan, the low man on the totem pole who has little else other than Machiavellian ambition and stories of past professional glory;
Angela, the peculiar, pet-loving enigma who has some strange habits that are impossible to ignore; and
Kelley, the customer service representative who, despite her profession, is prone to having wild, dramatic fits over the insignificant.

The show is full of office-related humor, and its meaningless meetings, inappropriate antics and professional blunders leave us saying:

“Wow, that is so true.”

But, is it? Are these characters real? Can you spot them at your job? Perhaps if you can’t spot them, could you be one of them? Let’s not kid ourselves; we can’t all be cool, collected, “Jim Halpert” types. Someone has to be the drama queen, the cutthroat, the dreamer, the know-it-all.

Are you one of them? If so, which one are you? Click Here to Read Article …

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Breakfast, Brunch or Bust?

Peter North 26th June General 6 Comments

Diversity is a commonly used term in the workplace. We have different jobs, skills, backgrounds, ethnicities and personalities.

Breakfast choices can be just as diverse. Your own diversity, for example, may be that the weekend is the only time you seem to eat breakfast!

During the work week, however, take a look to see what your office mates are eating first thing in the morning. You can actually learn a lot about a colleague from their choice of breakfast. How many breakfast types are there? Let’s have a look at the typical menu:

Busy Breakfast: Coffee loaded with cream and sugar. Don’t spill any on that power-tie.
Health Nut: Granola, whole wheat toast, green tea, side of smugness.
Intern Breakfast: Cheetos, day-old bagel, chased with a Red Bull.
Scavenger Special: Leftover danishes from the 10am manager’s meeting, communal coffee, side of stolen snack from adjacent neighbor.
Belt-Buster: Scrambled eggs, bacon, bagel with cream cheese, topped off with a doughnut and an increased health insurance premium.

Can I take your order? Click Here to Read Article …

Buzzword Bingo

Peter North 23rd June Communication 12 Comments

Have you heard of Buzzword Bingo?

The idea is that you have a little fun during a dull meeting by using bingo cards filled with vague, commonly-used office terminology. The first one to connect 5 buzzwords in a row wins.

I doubt anyone has ever truly played this game (and it’s hardly productive), but many of us have found ourselves in a meeting where the conditions are perfect for buzzword bingo. Let’s give it a try now.

How many buzzwords can you find in the following example:

If we have some extra bandwidth while we’re circling the wagons, perhaps we could piggy-back a little morale booster to add value to the meeting and get our arms around the bigger picture. It’s not reinventing the wheel, but if we commit to best practice, this paradigm shift could push the envelope and ramp up to be a win-win situation with a strategic fit that lands us on the fast track towards proactive thinking outside the box.

(Just writing that made my head buzz.)

Do you have any favorite buzzwords? Do some make you laugh? Do some make you cringe? Let’s “bat this around” for a while.

Click Here to Read Article …

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