​During a recent interview for a story in Referee Magazine, the woman I was speaking with talked about the difficulty in getting basketball officials to change their behavior.  By that, she meant their ability to take a new rule or point of emphasis and change how they make that call (or calls) on the court during the coming season.  It is hard to change, even in small increments, as she pointed out.

When it comes to basketball officials, they look at video, they receive on-court observations and feedback and they get classroom training from experts and rules interpreters.  Even with all those tools, it takes a dedicated referee to absorb the new rules and get the plays consistently correct during the season.

For most of us, when it comes to a business situation, the ability to change how we address a problem is more difficult than it is for the basketball referee situation noted above.  The same applies to changing something in our personal lives.  We don’t receive instruction on what to do differently.  We often don’t get feedback on how to do something correctly.  And what little time is dedicated by a boss or coworker to explaining something or providing training is frequently minimal to non-existent.  So we are left to meander on our own.    Is it any wonder that businesses can’t change a process or get employees to move in a new direction?  It doesn’t happen in a vacuum.
 
Over the past several weeks, a good friend and I have raised the concept of changing one thing you do each week.  If something isn’t working for you, stop and think about one way to do it differently, then do it.  Examine the broken process and find a new concept of component you can add.  Then implement it.  If you aren’t receiving responses to your sales calls, change your pitch.  This week, find one part of job you can change for the better and focus on that.
 
Several weeks ago, I was working for a client that wanted me to generate a specific number of weekly sales leads.  I did that.  The numbers got put in the system.  But those numbers were not generating a conversation, much less a sale.  I examined what wasn’t working.  I approached the issue differently (making a stronger connection with prospective customers) and tried a new approach.  Within two weeks, I doubled the connections made with potential customers, and those led to lengthier conversations for my client.  That’s what they wanted.
 
This week, if something isn’t working for you, step back and look at what you are doing and consider a new path.  Do it.  See what happens.  If there is no change, take another look the following week.  You’ll keep learning and growing.

​There are many ways experts suggest to organize your mind.  You rarely hear about how writing helps you get your thoughts (and thus your actions) in order.  Writing may actually be one of THE best ways to help you develop your business leadership skills in a positive way.
 
One quick way to use writing in your professional development is to take notes during meetings or discussions, and then go back and look at those notes later to pull out the most useful tips.  Many of us take notes.  How many of us go back a day or week later and see what they said AND how they apply to our business or personal lives?  I would suggest most of us do not.
 
If you don’t read the notes and do something with them, what was the point in taking them initially?  Seriously!  They are only words on paper with no value if you don’t apply them later.
 
So, USE your notes.  Make it a habit to go back and read them at a preset time.  Pull out one thing (or more) that you can accomplish based on what you had written down.  Then put that on a personal/professional future agenda for yourself.

This is a start.  The act of writing, rereading, then utilizing key lessons from your notes will continuously help you grow and become better organized. You’ll follow through more effectively.  You’ll accomplish more.  You should end up embracing new ideas and open yourself to unique challenges.  

​In the old days, keeping your in-box empty meant processing paper.  Now it’s about processing electronic transmissions.  How effectively you get through multiple submissions dictates your success in managing many other issues.  Cleaning your electronic in-box is critical to this effort.
 
We’re all hit with email garbage.  Texting trash is also starting to pile up as spam people figure out how to overwhelm you with useless information and offers.  Sometimes it seems like too much, it we let the incoming information pile up to the point where it’s easier to throw up our hands in defeat and submit to the feeling of, “I can’t keep up!”
 
I argue that you can.  The solution is simple.  Set aside time each morning and once or twice more during the day to focus solely on cleaning out your electronic in-box.  Give yourself 10 minutes.  Read the subject lines.  Delete anything that doesn’t pertain to your job and the functions that fall under your purview.  If there is an important business focus, save that transmission until you have more time to focus on a coherent and respectable response.
 
If you stick to this routine, you’ll clear your mind, and focus on the more important tasks of the day. You’ll reduce your feelings of being harrowed and time-pressured.  They won’t go away completely because tomorrow more stuff is coming your way.  So, be prepared, take action and stay with it – keep that in-box clean.  You’ll be glad you did.

​Have you ever sent a business communication (typically an email or text) and asked more than one question?  What happened?  Did you get an answer to all the questions you raised?  I’d guess probably not.
 
In today’s attention deficit society, people gloss over electronic messaging.  They are thinking about the next task, not paying attention, wondering what’s for lunch.  So they don’t focus on what you wrote.

If, for example,  you wanted to know when next week’s IT meeting was scheduled AND where, you’d likely only get an answer to one of those questions, particularly if you didn’t specifically identify both AND keep your message short.
 
I’m not sure what the solution is to this, but I suggest you keep your emails and text messages concise and direct.  Don’t write three lengthy paragraphs, then expect the responder to send you back exactly the information you need.  That person is lost after one long paragraph and two will just send him into deep space.
 
Here’s the way to do it:  “Jody:  Good to see you this morning.  1) What day and time is next week’s IT meeting?  2) What room will it be in?  Thanks, and looking forward to catching up with you.”
 
That message stands a chance of getting all the information you want.  If not, then you just need to ask one question per transmission, walk over to Jody’s office and talk to him face-to-face, or pick up the phone and call.  You’ll get answers then, but make sure to confirm whether it’s east coast, central, mountain or Pacific time.  That’s a whole ‘nother ball game.