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Paul Sloane
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Posts by Paul Sloane
7 Things You Should Add to Your Stop Doing List…Right Now!
Apr 2nd
You probably make lists of things to do and follow them through. But what about the things you should stop doing? Successful people do not do the following things but chances are you still do. Make a decision to add these to your “stop doing list” these from today going forward:
- Making Excuses. Successful people do not blame others or make excuses or complain about their bad luck. They take full responsibility for their lives. They know that success and failure lie in their hands. So stop being a victim, stop whining and stop making excuses.
- Drifting. Winners have a plan. They have a direction and a purpose. They do not drift through life hoping for the best. They set goals and then set about achieving them. If you approach each day in a happy go lucky way then stop. Stop drifting and start planning. Develop a vision of a successful you. List what you have to do to get there. Plan your work then work your plan.
- Sitting in Front of a Computer All Day (or worse still…a TV). Sure there are some important things you can do sitting at your screen but do not spend all day there. Get out and meet people, network, learn. Do things with the people you want to lead or help or do business with.
- Putting Things Off. Procrastination is the enemy of success. Decide on your objective, list out the tasks you have to complete, prioritise them and then get on with the top ones. We all suffer the temptation to put off the jobs we fear or dislike. Bite the bullet. Eat the frog. Do the job.
- Just the Easy Stuff. Which tasks do you spend most time on? The important, the urgent, the easy or the routine? If you spend most of your time on easy or less important tasks then stop. You should focus first on the most important jobs, the ones that will move you towards your strategic objective. You should delegate or ignore the low value activities.
- Sitting in Ineffective Meetings. Do you waste time at work in low-value meetings? Most office workers do. Every meeting should have a clear purpose, an agenda and a skilled chairperson who keeps the meting focussed on delivering its objectives. Do not go to poor meetings – just ask for a summary of agreed actions.
- Limiting your Ambition. Successful people have enormous self-belief, drive and ambition. They hold themselves to high standards. Are you holding yourself back? Have you lost some of your self-belief and confidence? Start afresh. Set yourself ambitious goals. Remind yourself of your skills and achievements. Motivate yourself every day.
If you can eliminate the low value activities and the negative things you do then you will free yourself to succeed. Stop doing the things that you know are wasting your time and start building your success.
(Photo credit: Stop via Shutterstock)
Paul Sloane is an author and speaker on leadership, innovation and lateral thinking. His most recent book is The Innovative Leader. He helps organizations improve innovation, creativity and leadership. He is the founder of Destination Innovation. He has written 15 books of lateral thinking puzzles and hosts the lateral puzzles forum. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/PaulSloane.
11 Tips to Get You Employed
Jan 4th
Many people now find themselves looking for employment. It is not easy. The job market is highly competitive with many applicants for each vacancy. How can you maximize your chances of getting a being employed? Try this 11 point plan.
1. Identify your transferable skills
List your main areas of expertise. How many of your skills are transferable to other lines of work? This list constitutes much of what you will be selling.
2. Write and practice saying your TMAY – “Tell Me About Yourself.”
Prepare a short sales pitch for the product you are selling: you. In one minute or less you should be able to explain your key skills (see Item 1 above), your main achievements (with the names of some employers or customers) and a description of the sort of work you are looking for. Your TMAY will be invaluable in networking situations and when interviewers say, “Tell me about yourself.”
3. Set objectives for yourself
Getting a job is a job. It takes many hours of hard work. You have to be your own boss and set goals. If you want to get, say 3 interviews per month, then you might have to apply for 12 positions per week. Set objectives for networking, applications, interviews, skill development, research etc.
4. Polish your résumé
Your résumé (or CV) is the critical document that will determine whether or not you are called to interview. Ideally your résumé should be no longer than 2 pages. It should list your key skills, achievements and recent responsibilities. Have some experts read your résumé and listen carefully to their feedback.
5. Network like crazy
Many of the best jobs are not advertised. How can you possibly hear about them? Your best chance is by networking. Contact everyone you know and tell them about the kinds of opportunities you are looking for. Ask them to let you know if they hear of anything. Go to meetings of local business people or in your specialist field. Meet other people and link to them (see below). Have a business card printed with your name and contact details and give it out to those you meet.
6. Use LinkedIn
There are many internet social networking sites that you can use including Twitter and Facebook. However, by the far the most important for job-seekers is LinkedIn. Register, load your résumé and key skills then link to everyone you can think of – friends, colleagues, customers etc. See if you can get some former bosses, colleagues or customers to recommend you. Join some relevant groups. Use linkedin extensively for research and job hunting. Read up on how to get the most from it.
7. Apply, apply, apply
You need to kiss a lot of frogs to get one prince. Don’t wait for the ideal position to be advertised and invest all your hopes in that. It is better to apply for lots of jobs that you could do. Tailor your cover letter (and if necessary your résumé) to suit the position and its stated requirements. Get into the habit of making your target number of applications every week. Search all the jobsites and use RSS feeds and alerts to find out about suitable new opportunities.
8. Do your research
When you get called for interview try to prepare. Research the company, the position and the interviewer if you can. Use the internet and use contacts to find out all that you can. Anticipate any likely questions and prepare your answers – especially for the tricky questions that point to weaker areas in your application. Prepare some intelligent questions of your own.
9. Sparkle at interview
If you have done your research then you are already in good shape. Remember that the interviewer already thinks you have the necessary skills or they would not have called you so the key thing they are looking for is your attitude. Show your drive and enthusiasm without appearing desperate. Ask some good questions.
10. Stay focused
Don’t let rejection get you down. Be persistent. Keep working your plan even though you hear nothing from many applications and get rejected before or after interview. This is normal. Don’t get angry or resentful. Keep going. There is a great job for you out there – you just haven’t applied for it yet.
11. Have a plan B
If all else fails you should have a plan B. Consider starting your own business, working as a contractor or moving into a very different field. Many people look back on their change of career as the best thing that ever happened to them – though it seemed terrifying at the time.
Good luck with your job hunt this new year.
(Photo credit: Business deal via Shutterstock)
Paul Sloane is an author and speaker on leadership, innovation and lateral thinking. His most recent book is The Innovative Leader. He helps organizations improve innovation, creativity and leadership. He is the founder of Destination Innovation. He has written 15 books of lateral thinking puzzles and hosts the lateral puzzles forum. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/PaulSloane.
8 Questions to Ask Your Aging Parent
Nov 18th
Photo credit: Rosie O'Beirne (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
We spend so much of our lives with our parents and yet most of it is devoted to routine and commonplace things.
But we rarely discuss the profound.
Time is short and unfortunately we are all getting older. There may never be a better time than now to have a meaningful conversation with your parent or parents.
You sometimes hear people say that they regret missed opportunities while their parents were alive and that there were things they wish they had spoken about. Make sure that you seize the chance while you can.
Here are some good questions to ask your parent or parents:
1. Can you tell me a story about your parents or grandparents?
Family history is much more than a family tree and a photo album. It is also a collection of stories which become your family folklore. Be sure to have some stories about your ancestors that you can pass on to your descendants.
2. Can you tell me a story about when you were a child?
Stories about their adventures, hopes, fears and relationships with friends and parents can be fascinating and revealing. Why not record them on video?
3. Can you tell me a story about me as a child?
Your parents will remember funny or embarrassing things about you as a little child. These will be handy when one day your child asks you question 2 above.
4. What is the one piece of advice you would like to share with me?
Your parents have a lifetime of experience and there are still things that you can learn from them. They may share something philosophical, funny or silly. Whatever it is it can pass into the family sayings and mythology.
5. What thing in your life made you the happiest or the proudest?
Let’s talk about the good things in their lives; their achievements, joys and moments of pride. You may yourself feature there.
6. What is your biggest regret? What would you have done differently?
Perhaps this is a sad area that you would rather not explore but sometimes the answer can be revealing and explain things about your parents that you did not realise or understand.
7. What event had the biggest impact on you?
Perhaps it was something to do with a war or a disaster. What was it that made a big impression? See if you can learn exactly how they felt and reacted at the time. It might put something you had only ever read about into the personal context of your parent.
8. What plans should we make for the future?
Many people feel uncomfortable talking about future plans that include what happens after their parents pass. But these are important issues and it is better to broach them. Where will they live if they can no longer manage where they are? Is there a will? What do they want to do with the heirlooms? What sort of funeral would they want?
The next time your see your aging parents don’t just talk about minor domestic matters. Try raising some of the big questions above and then listen carefully to their answers. You may be surprised at what you learn.
Paul Sloane is an author and speaker on leadership, innovation and lateral thinking. His most recent book is The Innovative Leader. He helps organizations improve innovation, creativity and leadership. He is the founder of Destination Innovation. He has written 15 books of lateral thinking puzzles and hosts the lateral puzzles forum.Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/PaulSloane.
5 Great Questions to Ask Yourself After a Failure
Oct 11th
Let’s face it. We all fail.
As we go through life we have relationships that don’t work out, jobs that just aren’t right, exams that we flunk, initiatives that don’t succeed. The more new things we try the more failures we are likely to have. In fact, the only way to avoid failure is to do nothing new.
The important thing is how we deal with failure. It can be part of a downward slide in which lack of confidence reinforces feelings of inadequacy and incompetence. But experiencing failure can be a learning experience and an opportunity for a fresh start. A good way to begin this process is by asking yoruself some tough questions.
1. What can I learn from this? Take responsibility for what went wrong. OK, so it was not all your fault – but some of it was. Successful people don’t make excuses or blame others. They take ownership of the issues. Be critical but constructive. Try to look at the experience objectively. Make a list of the key things that happened. Analyze the list step-by-step and look for the learning points.
2. What could I have done differently? What other options did you have? What choices did you make? How could you have handled it differently? With the benefit of hindsight, what different steps would you have taken?
3. Do I need to acquire or improve some skills? Did the problem reveal some lack of skill on your part? How could you learn or improve those skills? Perhaps there are books or courses or people you could turn to. Make a self-development plan to acquire the skills and experiences you need.
4. Who can I learn from? Is there someone to whom you can turn to for advice? Did a boss, colleague or a friend see what happened? If they are constructive and supportive then ask them for some feedback and guidance. Most people do not ask for help because they believe it to be a sign of weakness rather than strength. It’s not. It shows that you are ready to learn and change. Any good friend will be happy to help.
5. What will I do next? Now draw up an action plan. Will you try something similar or something different? Revisit your goals and objectives. This reversal has been a setback on your journey but think of it as a diversion rather than a halt. You can now reset your sights on your destination and plan a new course.
If you read the life stories of successful people – especially inventors, explorers, scientists or statesmen – you will find that their early careers are littered with failures. Walt Disney, Thomas Edison and Henry Ford are typical examples. Abraham Lincoln, suffered many defeats in his career in politics including losing the nomination for vice president in 1856 and his second run at being a U.S. Senator in 1858. Two years later he was elected president.
The important point is to use your setbacks as learning experiences and make them stepping stones to future success. There are always positives you can take from every episode in your life. Asking yourself these five questions can help find them.
Paul Sloane is an author and speaker on leadership, innovation and lateral thinking. His most recent book is The Innovative Leader. He helps organizations improve innovation, creativity and leadership. He is the founder of Destination Innovation. He has written 15 books of lateral thinking puzzles and hosts the lateral puzzles forum.Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/PaulSloane.
9 Ways to be Innovative When Your Boss Isn’t
Sep 30th
From thinkpanama on flickr
A common complaint that I hear when I run innovation workshops is this, ‘I have plenty of really creative ideas but my boss just isn’t interested in trying anything new. What can I do?’ Let’s leave aside the possibility that this view is itself distorted and take it at face value. It is a tricky situation that most of us will experience at some time. What can be done? Here are some approaches that can prove helpful:
1. Understand his objectives and motivations.
Selling an idea is like selling any other product. You have to understand the needs, motives and priorities of the customer. What are your boss’s ‘hot buttons’? What are the issues that really worry hime or her? Is they motivated by pride, ego, money, career advancement, power, recognition or do they want an easy life? If you can discover their goals and motivations then you can try to present your idea in a way that plays to them. Stress the outcomes of the idea that will help him or her in one or more of these fields.
2. Understand his decision making style
How does your boss make decisions? Does he prefer numbers, reference from trusted sources, evidence of proof elsewhere, avoidance of risk, logic or emotion? Does he make quick decisions or does he like to chew things over for a while?
A recent article in Harvard Business Review by Williams and Miller identified five different styles of decision maker. If you know which style fits your boss then you can tailor your message to give it the best chance of success.
3. Align your idea with corporate objectives
It will help if you can show that your idea fits with current corporate objectives. Show clearly that the suggestion will benefit the larger organization.
4. Choose the right time
Don’t barge into your boss’s office at the end of a hectic day and buttonhole him with your great idea. Chances are he will simply say no. Instead ask him for some time to discuss an important issue and mention the benefit. “Can you spare 20 minutes first thing tomorrow morning to review an idea to significantly improve departmental productivity?” Don’t give the idea away now – you need his full attention to cover it properly.
5. If he is risk averse sell risk avoidance
Sell the benefits of the idea and try to match them to his needs and priorities. Show that you have thought about the risks, costs and downsides. If your boss if risk averse then stress the risks of not implementing the idea. “If we don’t seize this opportunity now, other departments could step in ahead of us and gain an advantage.”
6. Don’t ask for approval, ask for suggestions
With some bosses it is better not to present a fully formed plan but simply to introduce the concept and ask for his input and advice. Do this if he prefers to discuss things and shape them rather than review and approve. This way you can let him form his version of the idea and claim the credit. You will have the quiet satisfaction of knowing that it came from you.
7. Build a coalition of supporters
With some ideas it is better to gain some initial support before asking for approval. Who do you need on your side to help push the idea through? Have a chat with them first.
“I checked with Betty in IT and with Bob in HR and they agreed that we can resource this if it is approved.”
8. Try the company suggestions scheme
If your boss shows no interest (and probably never will) then you can always try the official suggestions scheme. The evaluator may see the merit of the idea. In any event it is registered and that means it can be discussed in the open.
9. Build it anyway
This is the ultimate act of confidence and bravado. Do it in your own time as a ‘skunk works’ project and then you can demonstrate the prototype to garner support. Present it as a fait accompli and boldly shrug off any notions that it needed prior approval.
There is considerable evidence that middle managers block innovations. So if you want your idea to succeed you will need a clever way of gaining approval. Don’t give up; your organization needs innovators!
Paul Sloane is an author and speaker on leadership, innovation and lateral thinking. His most recent book is The Innovative Leader. He helps organizations improve innovation, creativity and leadership. He is the founder of Destination Innovation. He has written 15 books of lateral thinking puzzles and hosts the lateral puzzles forum. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/PaulSloane.
Beating the Meeting Monster
Sep 6th
From Guoman Hotels in London on flickr
Do you spend too much time in meetings? If so, you are in good company. One of the most common complaints of office workers is that their productivity is hampered by too many unproductive meetings. Ineffective meetings lead to frustration. They waste the time of the participants and they undermine the effectiveness of the whole organization.
Here are some ways to tackle this problem.
1. Fewer attendees.
The meeting should be restricted to those whose presence is essential to review the issue and to make the decisions. People who want to be ‘kept in the picture’ should receive a summary email from the meeting chair. If you are invited to a meeting which you know is not really relevant for you or will be poorly run then offer your apologies and ask for a summary. You will rarely regret missing such a meeting.
2. Create a Focus and Agenda.
The purpose of the meeting and any required information or preparatory work should be made clear to all delegates well in advance. In addition to the start time there should be a planned finish time. The chair of the meeting should keep to the agenda and quickly curtail diversions and irrelevancies. If you are invited to a meeting with no agenda then politely reply asking for clarification on the timings and purpose of the meeting.
3. Training.
Anyone who chairs a meeting should have had some basic training on running meetings. This would include keeping to time, keeping focussed, reaching decisions, agreeing actions and handling conflicts. Does your HR department offer such a training course? If so go on the course and encourage others to do the same.
4. Use a Discipline.
There are various formal methods for managing meetings. I like de Bono’s Six Hats. They can help you to focus on the key activities of productive discussion and speedy decision making. This method is particularly good for contentious issues because it takes the conflict out of the meeting and forces everyone to consider all the points of view. Why not try this approach at the next meeting you chair?
5. Ask for Feedback.
Every meeting should be quickly appraised. At the end of the meeting the chair asks, ‘How could we have run this meeting better?’ People can respond directly or anonymously. Either way you will have constructive suggestions for how to make meetings shorter and better.
6. No Meetings in the Mornings.
Author Josh Kaufman recommends that you should allow meetings only in afternoons thus allowing you to block out mornings for essential work that only you can do. He claims that this significantly improves productivity and I am inclined to believe him.
People spend a great deal of time in meetings yet rarely consider how to run them better. Try these ideas and get the meetings monster under control in your business.
Paul Sloane is an author and speaker on leadership, innovation and lateral thinking. His most recent book is The Innovative Leader. He helps organizations improve innovation, creativity and leadership. He is the founder of Destination Innovation. He has written 15 books of lateral thinking puzzles and hosts the lateral puzzles forum. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/PaulSloane.
Ten Questions To Ask Yourself Before You Start Your Own Business
Jul 21st
It is generally agreed that we need more business start-ups. Small businesses are engines for economic growth, innovation and employment. We need more entrepreneurial activity and that means more individuals taking the dangerous, difficult and courageous decision to start their own business. How do you go about starting a new business? Well obviously you need a good idea. Once you have one I recommend that you ask yourself these questions:
- Am I good at this? Do I have the skills; talents and experience that will help me succeed in this venture? Make a list of your strengths and weaknesses. Does this venture play to your strengths? How can you compensate your weaknesses?
- Do people really need what I will offer? Who will buy it and why will they need it? If there is no customer need then the business will fail.
- Can I make money doing this? Once it is up and running will it make a good profit? If not, why bother?
- Do I have a business plan? Things will not go according to your plan but the act of making the plan helps you greatly. You will need a sound written plan if you want a loan or investment.
- Do I have the financial resources to get this off the ground? New businesses generally take more time and more money than you at first expect. Will you be able to build the business and cover your living costs for the period until cash flow is positive?
- Does my family support me in this initiative? It is important to discuss your plans with your immediate family and get their buy-in. It will be needed in the difficult months ahead.
- What is different about my business? Is it similar to other businesses or do I have something unique to offer? Why will customers choose us rather than the competition? It is more important to be different than to be better.
- What is my sales and marketing strategy? Who is the target market and how will I reach them? Can we test the sales proposition with some target clients before we go live?
- Do I have a support network of colleagues or friends who can help me and compensate for my weaknesses or lack of experience? Most successful start-ups are partnerships where there is a balance of strengths. If you do not have partners in the business do you have a network of contacts and helpers who can advise and assist?
- Is there a plan B? If things do not go according to plan is there a fall-back strategy for me personally and for the business? Am I flexible enough to adapt and cope with the vicissitudes of a start-up?
You need positive answers to most if not all the questions. Even then it will take enormous commitment and hard work to make the new venture a success. I am sorry to say that most new business start-ups fail. However, for those that succeed there are great personal and financial rewards. Above all the founder can relish the achievement of having created something of real value to the whole community. Good luck with your start-up!
Paul Sloane is an author and speaker on leadership, innovation and lateral thinking. His most recent book is The Innovative Leader. He helps organizations improve innovation, creativity and leadership. He is the founder of Destination Innovation. He has written 15 books of lateral thinking puzzles and hosts the lateral puzzles forum. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/PaulSloane.
Improve Your Professional Credibility – Write a Book
May 10th
If you are working as a consultant, speaker, trainer, business leader or expert in a field then I recommend that you write a book and get it published. A work published in your name can prove a great asset in building your credibility and reputation with clients.
Before I launched my business as a speaker and facilitator in creativity and innovation I wrote a book, The Leader’s Guide to Lateral Thinking Skills. I spent considerable efforts in researching and writing the book, and then in finding a publisher for it. After that I had to wait to see it in print. But the wait was worthwhile. I use the book as my calling card and leave a copy with a customer or serious prospect. I have found that it helps me to open doors, get speaking engagements, build rapport with clients and win business. Since then I have gone on to publish three further business books with the same publisher, Kogan-Page.
Here are some hints and tips to help you write your business book:
1. Choose a topic that fascinates you. You are going to spend some time researching, writing and rewriting the book so choose a subject on which you are knowledgeable and which really interests you. You will learn a lot by organising your thoughts and researching the subject.
2. Come at it from a different angle. Read other books on the topic and then choose a different approach if you can. It will help if you can position your book differently.
3. Get a publisher before you write the book. You do not have to write the book first. Most publishers want to see a synopsis, chapter list, sample chapter, short marketing piece and bio. Do this first. You may need to write to 20 to 30 publishers before you succeed but you will learn a lot along the way. Many will reject your idea but give you useful advice. As a last resort you can self-publish. It is quite straightforward but if you self-publish you lose the help, marketing and distribution that a publisher can offer.
4. Don’t write a book, write a chapter. If you find the thought of writing 50,000 words daunting then don’t try to do that. I found it easier to focus on writing a chapter. I then sometimes published part or all of the chapter on a blog to get some instant gratification and some useful feedback. Gradually all the different chapters build into your book.
5. Set yourself a deadline. Plan how many chapters you will write each month and give yourself milestones to complete the work.
6. Promote the book everywhere. Once your book is published do not assume that the publisher will do all the marketing. They will do some but it is up to you, the author, to promote it furiously. I gave away review copies, gave radio interviews, gave it to friends and clients, blogged about it and so on.
The monetary rewards are small compared to the effort of writing the book. But the satisfaction of seeing your work in print is reward in itself. The book will then help you to successfully project your status as an expert on the subject.
Paul Sloane is an author and speaker on leadership, innovation and lateral thinking. His most recent book is The Innovative Leader. He helps organizations improve innovation, creativity and leadership. He is the founder of Destination Innovation. He has written 15 books of lateral thinking puzzles and hosts the lateral puzzles forum. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/PaulSloane.