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By: Kathy Kent Toney, CEO & Founder of Kent Business Solutions  Image by Oleksandr Pidvalnyi on Pexels I don’t know about you, but I find it crazy that the Holiday season is upon us. Where did this year go? That being said, many people look forward to all the festivities. But for many, it can be the worst of times. The first Christmas song on the radio can cause a sense of dread in the stoutest hearts of some people. As we all know, the holiday season can magnify family issues during get-togethers. Some may feel stressed because of so many added activities to their plates. Others don't have loving families or friends to surround them, and they feel lonely and isolated. And when you throw in work responsibilities, it can be a lot to handle. So, what's a person to do to successfully navigate the holidays without losing their mind? Here are three tips to help you do just that: 1. Permit Yourself to Carve Out Some “Me” Time This idea is constructive for those who feel stressed with too many responsibilities or have strained relationships. It's easier said than done! Sometimes the root issue is that we believe it's an unattainable luxury. In those instances, the solution can be as simple as permitting ourselves to carve out this time and then actually doing it. Doing so looks different for each person. It could be taking a run through a park or reading a book at a coffee shop. It's helpful when you make arrangements with your family members, significant other, or spouse to do this and follow through. 2. Breathe Deep Awhile back, I ran across the Wim Hof Method of deep breathing to reduce stress and increase mindfulness. I was initially skeptical until I tried it myself, and it works! This method helps clear out brain noise or chatter to think clearer and be more at peace. It's allowed me to fall asleep faster, which is a welcome benefit to calm my sometimes overactive brain. If you're not interested in trying this method, spending time rhythmically breathing deep breaths can help calm you down and get you more centered. 3. Practice an Attitude of Gratitude This approach is helpful for everyone, especially those who fall into the feeling-isolated category. Since I'm single, I've found that being grateful for the little things, even the lonely times, can help me better navigate difficult times. Notice I said "practice." It's not easy to be thankful when facing challenges, but if you can practice being grateful, it can transform your outlook into a more positive one. These tips can help you in some way, whether you fall into the stressed-out, isolated, or both categories. In any case, I wish you the best holiday season, be it Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa! # # # Speaking of stress, do you have any projects you know you need to start but don't have the capacity to manage those projects? I have good news for you! Now you can start saying "yes" to things you haven't had time for in the past. As a fractional project manager, I help business leaders move long-delayed projects forward to a successful conclusion. If you're interested in learning more, click the button below to schedule a chat!
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By: Kathy Kent Toney, CEO & Founder of Kent Business Solutions  I love this time of year. The air is crisp and clean, and—this is a bonus for me—there are no more bugs or the need to mow my lawn. For that, I’m VERY thankful! lol Speaking of being thankful, Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because it’s a time to reflect on all the things I’m grateful for—good friends, amazing business colleagues and clients, fulfilling volunteer opportunities, and many more blessings I don’t have time to list. And, I’m thankful for those of you who take the time to read my musings. I appreciate you doing so! I aim to provide value in all I do, and I hope that comes through my writing. All that being said, I wish you and your family a HAPPY THANKSGIVING. Whether you’re eating turkey, ham, brisket, or something else, I hope your extended weekend is full of plenty of rest and good memories in the making. ‘til next time, Kathy
By: Kathy Kent Toney, CEO & Founder of Kent Business Solutions  Most business leaders over the years have experienced the failure of at least one project. In those instances, many executives have looked at what techniques would help to ensure success for future projects. One different way to view these failures is to hone in on what didn’t work in those situations. Flipping the switch on these scenarios can provide valuable insight into what could’ve worked. Along those lines, what are some common mistakes that project managers can avoid to help ensure success? 1. Failing to Think Outside the Box to Avoid Potential Problems Unfortunately, many Project Management (PMs) are so focused on putting out fires instead of thinking outside the box to help prevent the occurrence of possible challenges. Great PMs are tuned into what could potentially go wrong. They are forward-looking, ask questions, and are on the lookout for problems before they ever occur. 2. Prioritizing the Unimportant over the Important Too often, PMs will focus on minutia instead of the most important things: ensuring the client is happy, tracking to budget, and keeping the project on time, to name a few. For instance, it doesn’t matter nearly as much if someone hasn’t updated a chart or properly marked a task as 40% instead of 50% complete. A good PM constantly weighs what’s most important and tackles those items first. 3. Under-utilizing the Best Aspects of the Team When PMs don’t take the time to understand their individual team members’ strengths and weaknesses, this can sabotage the team functioning at more optimum levels. For example, Bob may excel at performing a particular task, but instead, the PM assigns the task to Suzy who isn’t as skilled at that particular job. Also, some team members may require more oversight than others. Finding out these abilities and assigning team members to perform tasks that match those skills can tremendously boost team productivity. 4. Neglecting to Regularly Test Early-On Assumptions At the beginning of projects, PMs often have to make assumptions based on a scarcity of available information. When more data becomes available, it’s important to test and revise assumptions against this information. Failure to do so can result in serious errors that can affect project success. These are a few examples of steps PMs can take to avoid issues that can lead to project failure. Speaking of avoiding failure, Scrum is a wonderful project management approach that helps identify problems before they ever become issues. As a certified Professional Scrum Master, I’ve experienced this reality repeatedly in my line of work. I’ve also seen how the use of Scrum typically decreases the amount of time to finish projects, and it doesn’t matter what type of project it is. If you have any projects that you would like to undertake but have limited internal resources to complete them, or you are stuck in the middle of a project with little hope of moving forward, I’d love to have a conversation with you! In the meantime, check out one of my case studies of how the use of Scrum helped a local manufacturer successfully launch a new product in record time. By: Kathy Kent Toney, CEO & Founder of Kent Business Solutions  Transitions--doesn't life seem to be overflowing with them these days? We all have gone through difficult changes in our lives, some by choice and others not of our choosing. There’s leaving a place, be it a job or physically moving, where we would love to have stayed but couldn’t. And then there are the situations where bridges were burning down all around us, and we couldn’t get off the bridges fast enough! Either way, it’s not fun, but how you handle these situations can make all the difference in the world. For instance, you can:
By doing so, you can leave those situations with high levels of integrity, self-respect, and goodwill. Here are three things you can try towards this end: 1. Recognize When It’s Time to Leave This may seem like a no-brainer, but sometimes when you're in the thick of things, it hard to recognize the signs that it's time to leave. To make my point, how many of us have stayed in a job too long with poor results? It’s happened to me too frequently! Here’s one example: I had just moved to Kansas City, didn’t know anyone, and had to take any job I could find. I landed a role as an admin at a good company. And I must admit that I admire admins for what they do because I am NOT good at it. I had a great boss, so I could tolerate it at the time. Even so, it was time to leave, but I wasn’t too motivated to make the change. Even so, I was experiencing the following:
Out of this experience, I’ve learned to recognize these signs of when it’s time to leave and then to do just that. Here’s my advice: Once you recognize signs like this, carefully consider if it’s time to make a move, and then decide accordingly. If you choose to stay, analyze why you’re experiencing these feelings and work towards a resolution. 2. Try to Keep Your Bridges from Burning Down In this same example, things got intense when new leadership came in. They started me down the path of firing me. Thankfully, I was able to find a great job before they could. Once I told them I was leaving, I decided to prove that I was not the slacker they thought I was. I prepared desktop procedures for my job, even though they didn’t ask me to. Throughout the whole process, I was respectful. I think all of this shocked them! Management accepted my two-week notice and gave me the second week off. Woo hoo! In the end, it paid off! My advice: If you are in a similar situation, be the bigger person--don't burn your bridges. Retaliation and non-conformance will get you nowhere. And you never know, you may have to cross those bridges at a later date. 3. Ensure Continuity Next, do something like what I did. Help the next person coming in to fulfill your responsibilities to be successful. A potential benefit is watching difficult leadership reframe what they think of you! Kill them with kindness, I say! These tips are just scratching the surface. You can do many other things to leave intentionally and graciously. Doing so can bring a sense of satisfaction, self-respect, and higher levels of integrity. And who doesn’t want that? # # # Speaking of burning bridges, many companies feel burned by past IT projects that didn’t succeed and now don’t want to step their toes into the water again anytime soon. That’s one reason why Michael Cantu and I wrote our book, No-Nonsense Digital Transformation! We wrote it with these rightfully cautious leaders in mind. If you’d like to learn how to successfully plan for and execute IT projects, then click the button below! By: Kathy Kent Toney, CEO & Founder of Kent Business Solutions  Image by drobotdean on Freepik With the Great Resignation in full swing, many business leaders are scrambling to find ways to help prevent their good employees from jumping ship. One way to help counteract the exodus of talent from organizations is through recognizing and rewarding employees for their service. Here are 10 creative ways to give kudos to your employees: 1. Share Employee Content on Your Blog If you have employees that like to write (and that's not their main role), share their content on your company's blog. 2. Recognize Outside-of-Work Success Share your employees' successes outside of work on social media channels, your internal website, or your company's website. 3. Showcase the Monetary or Volunteer Impact of Employee Efforts If an employee's efforts on a project contributed positively to the bottom line, highlight that in some manner to your employee base. You can also draw attention to employees who support charitable contributions through either donations or volunteer time. 4. Provide Stipends for Long-Distance Commuters Employees living far away or who often experience heavy traffic during their commutes could receive stipends to help pay for gas. 5. Use Gamification Apps to Fuel Productivity and Motivation Gamification gives employees an entertaining way to meet company requirements, such as training. What might often be a tedious process could be transformed into something fun. Check out what Edgagement, Hoopla, and Gametize apps have to offer along these lines. 6. Share Kudos from Customers Create an Employee Wall of Fame to highlight customer feedback directed at particular employees or teams. 7. Share Employee Kudos At the start of your meetings, recognize employees for the small, daily wins. These are often overlooked, but these shout-outs can go a long way towards increasing employee morale. 8. Surprise Employees with Snacks or Meals Bring in or order food during busy workdays. It lets your employees know you appreciate their hard work. 9. Provide Sabbaticals for Long-Timers For employees who have been with the company for five, seven, or 10 years (for example), consider providing them with sabbaticals. That way, they can take quality time off work to pursue their passion and return to work refreshed and ready to re-engage with your company. 10. Use the Power of a Post-It Note I left this for last because it's something you can start doing today! Who doesn't like a personal touch to show appreciation? A simple post-it note with a meaningful message that you place on an employee's desk is a simple act that can go a long way to show appreciation. These are just a few things you can do to recognize and reward your employees. Doing so can help keep employees happy and can also help build a foundation of increased loyalty to your company. And what business leader wouldn't want that? # # # I have an announcement! I am now providing a new service to prospective and current clients. I'm still determining my messaging, so here's the bare-bones description: If you or anyone you know are stuck in the middle of a project and don't know how to get it moving forward... Or, you want to start projects, but don't have the internal bandwidth to undertake them, talk with me! I have over 30 years of project management expertise, so I can help accelerate projects over the finish line. Interested in learning more? Click the button below to schedule a chat! By: Henning Schcwinum, Co-Founder & Managing Partner of Vendux LLC  Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay This week I am honored to have Henning Schwinum as my guest writer. He has great thoughts to share on SMARTER Delegation as a Leader! # # # Delegation is a core element of successful leadership in companies large and small. Good delegation saves time, develops people, grooms a successor, and motivates. It provides growth and development opportunities and allows a leader to focus on other priorities. Poor delegation, on the other hand, will cause you frustration, demotivates and confuses the other person, and fails to achieve the task or purpose itself. Delegation often fails for a number of reasons: lack of clarity, the preparation and resources available to the delegate, and choosing the wrong person in the first place. As such, delegation is a management skill and a business process that's worth improving. It is a series of deliberate actions or motions leading to results. It is not a gutfeel, spur-of-the-moment type activity. Let’s start with what to delegate. When deciding, use the same rule you apply for goal setting: SMART or SMARTER.
Then, have a clear understanding between yourself and the delegate because every time you delegate work, three core elements of delegation are in play. (1) Authority, (2) Responsibility, and (3) Accountability form an integrated process and must be applied as a unified whole. 1. Authority Can Be Delegated As a leader, you can transfer pieces of your formal authority to another teammate when assigning a task to that person. In essence, you can deputize your teammate to take action on your behalf within the boundaries of the delegated (transferred) authority. 2. Responsibility Cannot Be Delegated, but It Can Be Assigned As a leader, you can assign responsibility to another teammate in terms of the results that need to be achieved. However, you need to keep in mind that you only assigned responsibility to your teammate. You can never entirely hand off any of your responsibilities to someone else. Assigned responsibility should be made in terms of the goals or results to be accomplished, not the detailed specifics for doing the job. 3. Accountability Accountability is the moral compulsion felt by a teammate to meet the goals and objectives of an assigned task. As a result of accepting a task assignment, your teammate, in effect, gives you a promise—either expressed or implied—to do their best in carrying out the activities associated with it. Having taken on the task, your teammate is obligated to complete it and thus is held accountable by you for the results produced. And for start-ups and smaller, growth-minded businesses Amy Volas has some very encouraging news: “Every single scaling company will reach a point where delegation is essential for future growth. …if you can truly empower the brilliant people you've surrounded yourself with to offset what's bogging you down while providing them with a chance to take on more, learn, grow, and thrive, the returns will be tenfold.” # # # Contracting an interim or fractional executive is an act of delegation. I encourage you to reach out to Henning to find out how he and his team can make you successful. __________________ Derwin Dexter Sy – Why Is Delegation So Hard? LeadingBlog – The 3 Core Elements of Delegation Amy Volas – Why Delegation Isn’t an Option, But a Necessity in Sales Leadership By: Kathy Kent Toney, CEO & Founder of Kent Business Solutions  Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash Are you experiencing some challenging work situations that are getting the best of you? Are you looking for creative ways to keep a positive attitude like the dog in this video? His cone of shame didn't stop him from having a good time! If you’re looking for additional tools to help your remain positive and also reach creative solutions, here are three tips to get you headed in the right direction: 1. Accept Your Current Situation I like to call this "relinquishing your right to a different current state." Sometimes we can hold on so tightly to what we want in a situation, that it can cloud our judgement. If we can let go of desired outcomes on a personal level, it can free up our mental space so that we can embrace new ideas and solutions. Once you’ve tried this, you’re ready for the next step. 2. Brainstorm Solutions If a team is involved, you can do a reverse brainstorming exercise. This approach is where you work backward from the end state that you DON’T want to happen. This can be very effective at generating ideas that can prevent this situation from ever happening. This technique isn't just for teams; you can also do this on a personal level. 3. Pick Your Best Solution and Put it into Play Next, choose the best one that will solve the problem. If you’re having a challenging time picking the best approach, I’ve included a free Project Prioritization Tool below. Once you have selected your best option, implement your new game plan. I hope these tips helped you! In the meantime, if you have any questions about the best ways to optimize your organization, I'd love to hear from you! I'm all about helping organizations become profitable beyond their imagination. P.S. Don’t forget to download your FREE Prioritization Tool by clicking the button below. By: Kathy Kent Toney, CEO & Founder of Kent Business Solutions  Image by Fauxels I don't know about you, but it's been ages since "business as usual" was a part of our everyday work lives. With so much uncertainty these days, sometimes it isn't easy to know what the best next steps should be. Not only that, how do we, as business leaders, increase employee satisfaction to help stop The Great Resignation bleed in our organizations? Here are four things you can do to improve employee satisfaction and, at the same time, optimize your organization. 1. Create Clear Connections Most people crave a sense of belonging and want to make a difference. Employees that see a direct linkage between what they do and how it impacts the organization, and society in general, are going to be more inspired and productive. Companies that can step back from their everyday way of doing business to assess how they can make clear connections between individuals, their jobs and the organizational purpose/mission will most often come out ahead. 2. Expand Workforce Development Efforts A lot of organizations have been guilty of just placing workers in roles based on what they’ve always done in the past, because it’s a tried-and-true approach. Many of these employees feel pigeon-holed and frustrated by this. Countless employees are capable of so much more! Organizations now have an opportunity to re-evaluate how they encourage and offer more opportunities for employees to fulfill their potential. This is not the time to pull back on workforce development efforts! Companies that encourage employees to fulfill their potential have a greater chance of building a more resilient workforce that can more effectively weather difficult times like we’ve been experiencing. 3. Maximize the Relationship between Employees and Technology The pandemic has challenged the idea that machines can completely replace humans. Just look at the evidence of non-essential, robotic-based factories being shuttered for weeks on end at the height of it! Interactions between workers and machines are so much more powerful together than on their own. Organizations that embrace the idea of finding ways to integrate teams of employees and technologies will be the most successful in the long run. They’ll not only be able to streamline costs, but provide greater meaning for the workforce. 4. Leverage the Power of Knowledge Management During crises like the pandemic, people’s hunger for information reached epic proportions. Could there be a way to carry over a thirst for knowledge and translate it to running a business more effectively? The answer is “yes”. Companies can encourage a culture where knowledge sharing and creation becomes an everyday occurrence. That way, when a valuable employee walks out the door, all the knowledge he has accumulated in his or her brain doesn’t walk out with them. If you want to grow in any of these areas, I would love to help! The areas I’m really focusing on right now are People/Technology Integration. I'm fascinated with ensuring a more seamless experience between the two, with an emphasis on IT systems and Artificial Intelligence. Michael Cantu and I talk in-depth about these topics and the digital transformation possibilities for organizations in our best-selling book on Amazon, No-Nonsense Digital Transformation. If you liked to learn more, click on the button below! By: Kathy Kent Toney, CEO & Founder of Kent Business Solutions  Image by Alexandra Bakhareva - Pexels I've been talking to a prospective client over the last couple days about the benefits of Scrum and how it would be a great tool to use for their CRM implementation.
Not sure what Scrum is? In short, it's a project management framework is used for developing products. Anyway, it got me to thinking--it's been awhile since I've talked about the value of Scrum. So, I thought I would share with you an experience I had with a client to illustrate how this Agile tool revolutionized this manufacturer's business. Prior to my engagement with my client, they had a very cumbersome, rigid product development process. This became evident when it took them two-to-three years to develop their last new product. Considering the complexity of the product involved, it took them waaay too long! They were like a truck stuck in the mud! The CEO knew there was a better way. That’s why he hired me! And because I'm a certified Professional Scrum Master, this project was right up my alley. The first thing I did was to carry over lessons learned from their previous development effort into the new process. I did this to prevent those issues from happening again. Next, I trained them on Scrum and we developed the new process together. In just two months, the process development piece was complete and I left the project in their very capable hands. And the results were great! Eight months later, they launched not only their originally planned product, but five other component systems that fit across their whole product line. If you take the additional products they developed into account, they experienced a product speed-to-market increase of over 100%! They are so thrilled with Scrum, they are implementing it company-wide, including non-product related functions, like Marketing. And the results have been great so far! So, if you want to prevent your project from getting stuck in in the mud and want to kick it into high gear, Scrum could be your answer. And if you're interested in learning more about Scrum or how to transform you business, I'd love to have a chat! Just click the button below to schedule a time By: Kathy Kent Toney, CEO & Founder of Kent Business Solutions  Image by Walter Torres - Pexels With all the crazy stuff going on in our world, finding peace of mind and a serene center may be difficult. I don’t know about you, but that’s certainly been the case with me lately. I've been playing catch-up after Michael Cantu and I launched our paperback version of our best-selling e-book, No-Nonsense Digital Transformation, last month. I have more than I can do at this point! In times like these, I love to use the following techniques to help me feel more serene and present in my circumstances. I’m sharing them with you in hopes they’ll help you, either now or in the future, when life gets crazy. 1. Practice the 5-Senses Grounding Technique When I’m too excited about something or am stressed out, and my brain is going 90 mph, practicing these grounding techniques helps me. I’ll find a quiet space to focus intently on these five steps, moving slowly from one to the next. 5: Acknowledge FIVE things you see around you. ... 4: Acknowledge FOUR things you can touch around you. ... 3: Acknowledge THREE things you hear. ... 2: Acknowledge TWO things you can smell. ... 1: Acknowledge ONE thing you can taste. You’ll hopefully feel calmer and more present in your circumstances when you finish. 2. Share Your Life with Friends If you’re anything like me, I work from home with no one but my dogs to keep me company during the day. The isolation can sometimes get to me. Since I am an external processor, I make it a point to reach out and share my life with friends to have in-depth, authentic conversations. Doing so helps me to stay more centered. And even in times of excitement, sharing your recent experiences with friends can be fun. That can even uplift them! 3. Journal I’ve been journaling since my late 20s, and it has been my lifeline. If you have a myriad of emotions you’re experiencing, working through those with pen and paper can be therapeutic. It’s certainly been that way for me. And there’s proof of how powerful journaling can be. Studies show that journaling can reduce the adverse effects of stress, decrease the symptoms of chronic health conditions, improve clarity, and help with problem-solving. If you’re unsure how to start, there’s no set formula. Just start! You don’t have to think about what you’re going to say. Just let the words flow. I hope these tips will help you reduce your stress levels. If you have a chance to try them out, I’d love to hear how they worked for you! # # # Speaking of stress, are you facing challenges in your organization that seem unsolvable? That’s where I love to come in! As a business transformation expert, I enjoy helping organizations solve their most pressing problems. If you’re interested in learning more, I’d love to hop on a quick phone or Zoom call to help point you in the right direction. Click the button below to get started! |
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