The QLog

From Entry Level to Next Level

Over the past year, I’ve talked to about a dozen very successful people about how they climbed the corporate ladder past their initial entry level position. Although a number of techniques differed, there was one that everyone mentioned: going the extra mile with more time at the office. I probably noticed this trend as it had also been the same strategy I employed during my first job at a large firm. You will work more in the beginning; however, it pays large dividend later.

Although there are many variants, this seems to be the most common method:

1)      In the morning, arrive 30 minutes before your supervisor and focus on your most important task for the day (or, alternatively, 30 minutes before your usual start time).

2)      In the evening, stay an extra 30 past quitting time and focus on your most difficult long term assignment for that half-hour (or, alternatively, 30 minutes after your supervisor leaves).

After a few months, people will take notice, including co-workers, your boss, and senior managers…and you will get a reputation as a hard worker. However, this strategy as a way to get promoted ONLY works if you produce superior results to your peers. If your output is merely ordinary, then extra time will make it appear as if you can not get your regular work completed within the usual time period.

Bottom Line: if you properly employ this extra 5 hours per week right, you can close the big sale, or complete twice as many support tickets, or finish the big special project before the deadline. Then you will be recognized as a vital individual who gives more than expected and produces value way beyond the average employee.

What is Swissness?

I was in Switzerland early this week for an all day vision and strategy meeting; however, while visiting, I learned about the concept of Swissness that many businesses over there are beginning to use to define and differentiate themselves from other firms worldwide.

What is Swissness? It is a fuzzy and open-ended concept, but it implies quality, efficiency, value, and style. Just think about the traditional products and services that have characterized Swiss workmanship:

• Swiss Chocolate: Gourmet chocolate from Switzerland is considered by many to the best due to the highest purity and quality standards during production.
  
• Swiss Watches: These precision devices are also emblems of fashion. Time pieces from Switzerland fetch high prices on the market due to high-design and high-quality.
  
• Swiss Army Knifes: These multifunctional tools predate the PDA, as it was first developed in 1897. It is a value-add blade and a compact, many tools-in-one device.
  
• Swiss Banking: Swiss banks have a worldwide reputation providing sophisticated and discreet financial services, including customized offerings and tight security. There are about 400 banks in Switzerland, including Credit Suisse and UBS, as well as many smaller and private banks that focus on very exclusive clientele.

Overall, the traits of Swissness are what everyone and every organization should make their own, regardless of location. Products and services that possess high quality, high value, high style, and high efficiency are also highly prized and desirable.

If Not You, Who?

Are you the right person for the job? There are only so many hours in a day, a week, a month, a year. You can do some great things, but you can not do everything. The two follow-up questions should be: Does it fit your strengths, passions, and values? Is it important? Once those has been answered, this last part is easy:

1) If this fits with your life mission and is a priority, do it now!

2) If not, who would be the ideal person to tackle it? 

If Not Now, When?

This is a good question to ask about any dream, goals, or projects that has been lingering for some time, either as an incomplete outcome or as something you just have not yet started. Definitive start dates combined with real deadlines are both good antidotes for procrastination.

1) If you have a planned a specific time to begin, then the delay probably makes sense.

            
2) If you can not answer the question within 10-seconds, consider how passionate you are about the subject matter. Do not use the ‘someday’ excuse as that often leads to ‘never’.

Stone By Stone

Q: How do you build a Castle?

A: Stone by Stone!

We live in a society that glorifies instant gratification; however, most big goals require time and effort. Like Castles, goals are built stone by stone. Persistent and incremental action is the rule, but the outcome is worth the hard work. This is why I suggest choosing goals that fit your values, your strengths, and your passions.

Mind the G.A.P.

No, I am not talking about the Tube in London. I am referring to your 2007 Goals.
G.A.P. can mean two very similar concepts in this context:

1)      Goal Action Plans

2)      Goal Achievement Processes

Goals are not enough. After clarifying what and why, it is time for focus on the how. Processes and Plans are the missing ingredient for many people. They have clarified their targets, set deadlines, defined metrics to measure their progress, but have not outlined a plan or found a consistent process to move them forward. This absence is not for you! Do not rely on chance or trial-and-error.

Note: The bigger the planned outcome, the better the plan and process should be.
If there is a large gap between your annual goals and your current progress, it is time you use G.A.P. thinking to close that void.

The Law of Action, part 2

I’ll admit it: it would be wonderful if all the effects within our world could always be distilled down to a singular causes. This would make learning about how the universe works so much simpler as it would mean that most phenomena could be explained via a few simple formulas such as If X, then Y. If everything were this easily deconstructed, instead of many years of schooling, one would be able to achieve a world-class education in a matter of months. Alas, this is not the case.

Even after several hundred years, the reductionist program within the sciences has only scratched the surface of the observable world as our cosmos is both subtle and complex. Although many entities can be explained by breaking them down into their components, few real-world things can be reduced to a single cause, rule, or law alone. The same applies to the human experience.

Success is like a mighty oak. It begins as a hopeful, yet small acorn. When the conditions are right, it takes root, and begins the journey towards becoming a large tree. If this blog were an advice column for young, green saplings, I might suggest the following 'rules' that are essential to reach one's leafy potential:

•           The Rule of Dirt: Avoid sand, swamp, and clay. These are poor conditions. Your choice of location is vital to you reaching your dream. Choose the best soil possible. 

•           The Rule of Bright: The Sun is your friend! There is great pleasure within feeding one's leaves in the warms of the sunrays. Photosynthesis is the key to fast growth. Do not allow yourself to sprout within the shadow of others, instead, always pick an area with good light. 

•           The Rule of Wet: Water is the true key. It is pure; it is good. Wetness is the one path to treeness. Avoid deserts and seek a moist home.

Bottom Line: could one expect a tree to grow if all three of these rules were violated? The answer is a resounding no. Additionally, farmers would not be happy to learn that an entire growing season would occur without just one of these important variables (e.g. light, water, soil).

Yet, it is impossible to claim that one of these is more important that the others. Although the general outline for becoming a tree can be broken down into easy to understand principles, it is impossible to claim any one thing as the only important element for this outcome. The lives of humans are much more complex than even the tallest oak. As a result, it should be no surprise that there might be a multiplicity of important rules to thrive as a sentient being, with some factors influencing outcomes more than others. While a number of authors have advocated that the main tenet for our happiness is the "law of attraction," I suggest that this law is better understood as secondary, and the much grander formula is found within the "law of action".

The Law of Action is nothing new. In fact, it is the core of the Protestant Work Ethic. The Law of Action is an ancient concept and appears to be found within all the world religions. In the West, this idea is best captured best by the Christian aphorism "as you sow, so shall you reap" which is based on several New Testament passages (II Cor. 9:6, Lk. 6:38, Gal. 6:8). The older Hebrew Bible discusses this idea as well, such as Hosea (8:7) which states "For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind" and the Book of Job (4:2) says "Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same." Likewise, very similar ideas exist within other traditions, such as Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism, for what is the concept of karma but the embodiment of this very same ethos? The whole teaching of Zoroastrianism can easily be compressed into three simple commandments: Humata, Hukhta, Huvarshta (translation: Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds). It starts with ideas, but ends with action. 

K.I.S.S.S.

I am sure you've heard of KISS: Keep it Simple, Stupid. I have never liked this acronym for two reasons. First, it calls people stupid. Yet, even it the phrase has been ‘Keep It Simple, Smartie’ I would have not been a big fan, as this too wastes valuable information space. The last character is merely dead-weight.

I prefer my own K.I.S.S.S. principle which is an abbreviation for Keep it Simple, Strategic, and Systematic. Why? Simplicity, Strategy, and Systems are the keys to creating a highly successful business or life. These three aspects can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of any process or plan.

Three C's of Problem Solving: Content

The best way to have single high-quality idea is the following:

1) Quantity: Generate a lot of ideas. Clearly, ten ideas allow more possibly options than a single one. As Emile Chartier observed “nothing is more dangerous than an idea when it is the only one you have.” Additionally, the law of large numbers and the law averages will assist so that perhaps 1 out of 100 ideas will be truly superior to all the others, leading to an 'Eureka' moment. Quantity leads to quality!

2) Stimulus: Increasing one's simulus is the best way to increase the quantity of possible ideas. This means you should have a large number of inputs. General rule of thumb: more information on the relevant subject matter is better than less. This is why one of the best strategies when solving a problem is to Increase the Content within your own mind. New ideas need a substrate. New ideas need a catalyst. If you are working on solving a problem, gather more data, as novel ideas nourish on old ideas.

The Tuesday Tickler

I would like to introduce you to an alternative and unique weekly tickler system: The Tuesday Tickler.

It is a very simply system as it consists of 52 folders, each one for a weekly review. It is called a "Tuesday Tickler" as I originally designed it for a client who wanted to check non-critical documents each Tuesday mornings. Of course, this could just as easily become a Monday Tickler or a Saturday Tickler.

While I would suggest the standard tickler (both analog and digital) for a daily use for most people, this weekly system is highly desirable for some individuals and industries.

If you would like a digital version, you can download a free version here.