Articles and blogs tackling issues and encouraging continuous improvement
Daily Strides
One goal of SMART’s IMPACT Project is to encourage and provide a framework for continuous improvement. IMPACT Players set a goal of getting a little better each day. Sometimes the strides are big, and sometimes they are baby steps. It is the forward motion that matters!
Sharpen the Saw
Are you regularly investing in yourself? It’s important to take care of yourself so you can take care of business.
Check out this video where we examine Stephen Covey’s ‘Sharpen the Saw’ principle …
Stop Saying “But” and Start Saying “And”
Do you ever catch yourself saying things like, “I love that idea, but we need to do it differently?”
As soon as you say the word “but,” the other person immediately forgets the part about you loving the idea. Because you completely invalidated it with the “but” and everything that came after it. Instead, use…
Make Work Light
Author and researcher, Liz Wiseman, takes a deep dive into what makes an IMPACT Player in her book, Impact Players, How to Take the Lead, Play Bigger, and Multiply Your Impact. If your goal is to have greater influence and impact, you’ll find lots of good stuff here to unpack. For starters:
“While others add to the load, Impact Players make heavy demand feel lighter.
Decision Fatigue
In a standard day, the average person makes 35,000 decisions! What to eat, what to wear, turn left, turn right, start this project, make that call. No wonder the term “decision fatigue” was created to describe this drain on our mental energy.
Focus Sprints
A Focus Sprint, more formally known as the Pomodoro Method, is a popular time management technique that could work for you. In short, you focus on only one task at a time and set a timer to track the time you spend on that task.
Solution-Oriented Questions
Problem-solving is a universal skill needed in any role, any industry. So, it’s not surprising that strong problem solvers are highly valued assets to any team. You can strengthen this skill and leverage successful results by utilizing a process to help you identify and solve problems. Start by asking the right questions about the problem.
Gray Zone Leadership
At SMART, we hear this leadership trait described many ways by our client partners: proactive, self-starter, able see the big picture, the X-factor. The clear fact is they value and seek out this trait in team members. The IMPACT Project is about the same, encouraging SMART Professional to look for opportunities to add value and make improvements for their companies. Those opportunities to lead are often not spelled out in a job description but operating with this mindset can help you make a big IMPACT.