Last week we started a most interesting blog series based on a collection of videos posted by Inc.com that features 21 videos worth more than an MBA. It is a very intriguing idea, that spending time efficiently watching very smart videos could help you in your career. So far, the first 3 videos did not disappoint. We recapped the first 3 videos on the list that all talked about motivation. This week’s 3 videos are all about management.
- Why Work Doesn’t Happen at Work
This first video today features speaker John Fried who talks about “Why Work Doesn’t Happen at Work”. He points out how businesses build office spaces for their people to come and work. It seems reasonable. However, he has been asking people where they go when they really need to get work done. The answers include places, rooms, times, or certain days but no one ever says “the office”. How many of you have spent a day at the office, but never actually got any work done? How often does that happen “at the office”? He explains that because of the interruptions, meetings, and other distractions, most people only get a few minutes at a time to actually get work done. Most people and especially creative people need peace and quiet to get things done, not short bursts of time. He also explains that sleep and work are very closely related. They are both stage based events and in order to get to the really deep or meaningful stages, you have to go through the first ones without interruptions. Would we ever assume someone slept well if they were interrupted all night? Then, why do we expect people to work well if they are interrupted all day? Managers must learn to let employees work when and where they will not be interrupted. Managers often cite voluntary interruptions as the problem; however it is really the involuntary interruptions. He says the problems aren’t social media breaks, but they are the “M&Ms”. M&Ms stands for managers and meetings. You don’t find managers or meetings in the places that people list as where they go to get work done. Managers call meetings, which stop the work that all the employees could be doing. Enlightened managers can make the office a better place for people to get work done. He has 3 suggestions to remedy this situation.
- No talk Thursdays. Even just one Thursday a month, even in the afternoon no one can talk to each other. You will be shocked at how much gets done on that one afternoon each month vs. the rest of the month. If you try it, you can expand on the idea.
- Switch from active communication and collaboration to passive ones. Instead of face to face meetings, use email or chat. You can then opt when you look at and answer those.
- Cancel the next meeting! Everything will still be just fine!
- Why We Have Too Few Women Leaders
In video number two this week, Sheryl Sandberg explores “Why We Have Too Few Women Leaders” why women reach less leadership and C-level positions than men. This is also a Ted Talk and it is a little over 15 minutes. She gives some statistics to clarify the disparity of women vs. men in leadership positions.
- 190 heads of state, 9 are women.
- 13% of parliament worldwide is made up of women.
- 15% to 16% of business executives are women, and those numbers have stayed stagnant since 2002 and are even declining.
- Nonprofit women executives are only at 20% in an area where it is thought that more women lead the way; yet still the top C-level positions are still a very small number.
- Women face harder choices between success and family.
- Married senior managers ⅔ of men had children and only ⅓ of women senior managers had children.
She ponders how to fix this and change the numbers. She explains that the source of the problem is not keeping women in the workforce. Too many women are dropping out of corporate America. Staying the workforce isn’t the right thing for everyone; but if you do want to stay in the workforce and succeed, she has 3 ways for women to get there.
- Sit at the table. All too often, women, even executives don’t feel they can sit at the table. Too often women underestimate themselves when men tend to be overconfident. For men, success and likeability go hand in hand, but for women, it is the opposite. Men are reaching for opportunities more than women.
- Make your partner a REAL partner. Studies show that with households where both the man and the woman work full time and have a child, the woman does 2 times the household chores and 3 times the child rearing responsibilities than the men. Why? she mentions that as a society, we put more pressure on the boys than the girls. Studies show that households with equal earning have ½ the divorce rate than others.
- Don’t leave before you leave. Too often, women start thinking about bearing and staying home with children way too early. That mentality often causes women not to concentrate on reaching for advances and continuing to make their job challenging and interesting. For women, the job has to be challenging, interesting, and rewarding enough to convince them to go back to it rather than stay home permanently.
The message to managers is to see both genders equally and notice when there are even subtle differences. The resolution is very complicated and there is no one answer, but changing society is not an easy thing. Women should be able to be liked for their accomplishments. The world can be a better place with more women leaders.
- Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are
Our 3rd video this week on management is from Any Cuddy and she tells us how “Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are”.. She explains how your posture can influence your chances of success. This is also a Ted Talk and is 21 minutes long. We know that body language affects the way others see us. It can be facial expressions, handshakes, or any other non-verbal body behaviours. Did you know that even the correct use emoticons can positively influence the reader? However, social scientists have discovered that your own posture can influence your brain and effect whether we feel confident. Our body positioning shows how we feel, but also can make us feel how we posture ourselves. Her research explores if it is possible to change your posture to change how we feel about ourselves. In fact, changing your posture to a more stronger and larger presence can help you “fake it ‘til you make it”. The body can shape the mind and role play can shape the mind as well. You have to watch this video to see the details of her experiment with high power positions and low power positions and how that affects testosterone and cortisol and how they can also affect job interviewees. After researching and living this herself, she has realised that it isn’t “fake it ‘til you make it”, but “fake it ‘til you become it”! Taking 2 minutes to power posture can convince yourself and change your lif
