More Than WE Know

It’s been a cold, rainy Saturday in Connecticut which gave me the perfect excuse to do what I would have wanted to do anyway - curl up with a book.

However, I was able to convince myself that I was being productive since the book I chose was Julie Morgenstern’s Time Management from the Inside Out, second edition: The Foolproof System for Taking Control of Your Schedule–and Your Life. I rationalized that the time I spent reading it would be saved by the improved time management I would get as a result!!

(hopefully more valid reasoning than the tale about eating celery because the calories spent in chewing outweighed the calories in the celery itself!)

In the end, I didn’t exactly accomplish more tasks - instead I got a different understanding of my relationship with the tasks on my list.

Julie’s book doesn’t just give tips and lists and spreadsheets for organizing your life into manageable chunks. Although her book does have “time maps” as she calls them, it also gives plenty of weight to the idea that there might just be an underlying reason for the mismanagement of time. In other words, I might not be getting some things done, because I’m getting something out of not having them done.

Julie identifies several psychological obstacles which she reviews in detail. Among them are:

#1 - You have unclear Goals and Priorities

#2 - You are a Conquistador of Chaos

#3 - You have a fear of Downtime

#4 - You need to be a Caretaker

#5 - You have a fear of Failure

#6 - You have a fear of Success

#7 - You have a fear of Disrupting the Status Quo

#8 - You have a fear of Completion

#9 - You have a need for Perfection

#10 - You have a fear of Losing Creativity

I really liked this outline of psychological obstacles to time management, because I think they dovetail with the main psychological obstacles to business success. It makes sense that the two are closely linked - we avoid getting things done that might help advance our business for all of these reasons.

Time management, like business management, involves self-awareness. It is not enough just to put more and more tasks on our to-do lists and carve our days into smaller and smaller slices. Instead we need to become aware of our motivations and our fears. What is driving us?

In my opinion, the best way to gain clarity is to spend some time with yourself (perhaps a rainy Saturday afternoon), take out a paper and pen (or a laptop) and write out what would it look like if you really accomplished everything on your to do list.

Would your life look the way you want it to? Or would you simply have gotten a lot of things done but not made any real progress?

If it’s the former then you are on the right track. You are ready to figure out what is holding you back - fear of failure? a need for perfection? worry about how your success will affect everyone around you? putting everyone else first?

Whatever it is, you need to recognize it and own it before you put any more energy into crossing items off your to do list.

And what if the life you imagine after your to-do list is complete, is still not the life you want? Then you need to go back and start over on your to do list. Take off all the items that other people have added, and all of the “should’s” that you have added.

Ask yourself - What are the things you want to do, need to do, feel compelled to your very soul, to do? Those are the ones that belong on that list.

After giving this question some thought, I realized that my most important goals are to advance my business and find ways to integrate it into my life. As a result, my list today went from:

laundry, pick up clutter, clean the bathroom, go to dry cleaners, go to grocery, get gas, fax letter to the bank, scan photos, and do some office work.

To:

Read. Write. Spend time with my husband.

It wasn’t the most efficient way to spend my day. But it feels much more satisfying than if I had crossed every item off of my to do list. I may not have accomplished everything, but I accomplished the most important things.

Understanding the distinction between being efficient and being effective is the most important key to achieving entrepreneurial success.

What’s on your to do list? Does it align with your overall vision and goals, or is it simply a list of tasks that seem to never end and never get you anywhere? Or do you think the answer lies somewhere inbetween?

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Yesterday I told you about Scott Ginsberg, that guy with the nametag, and his great new book Make a Name for Yourself.

I also told you that I was going to ponder how his extroverted behaviors could be helpful to introverted entrepreneurs.   While none of us wants to wear a nametag 24×7, the idea of being more approachable is appealing.

As I’ve mentioned previously, being introverted is different than being shy, although a person can be both.  Being introverted is a physical trait that leaves you feeling drained after encounters with other people.  This causes many introverts to avoid excessive interaction with others. 

But, I’ve also written that introverts can still be effective networkers by learning to pace their interactions. In other words, while we may not feel comfortable wearing a nametag 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, everywhere we go,we might be comfortable wearing one 1 hour a day, 3 days a week at networking events.  

The key is to set limits that you can live with and then to implement some of the concepts that Scott has put into practice.

Scott’s nametag works because it is an ice-breaker. It makes him more approachable because it gives people a way to start a conversation with him. 

Almost 50% of all people report feeling shy with new people or new situations.  Therefore many people are grateful for Scott’s nametag. It gives them a way to make a joke, say hi, or start a conversation; which Scott then keeps going based on his friendly personality.

So, what are some other ways to get similar results without wearing a nametag?

• smile; it sounds simple but it’s something we often forget to do when we are pre-occupied with our thoughts
• make eye-contact; this is especially effective when something amusing happens – sharing a private joke with someone can be a great connector
• say hello; again, simple but often overlooked
• wear something eye-catching; a hat, brooch, flower, bracelet, t-shirt, ribbon, etc. that gives people an opportunity to initiate a conversation
• carry an interesting book or magazine;  others may start a conversation with you based on what you’re reading
• push a baby-stroller;  a great way to connect with other moms  
• walk your dog;   dogs are natural networkers; they can make the connection and you can follow up on the conversation

So, here’s the simple 3 step plan to being more approachable:

step 1 is to determine which of the ideas on the list feel comfortable to you

step 2 is to determine when you will use them:

• at a networking event
• at the office
• on the playground, soccer field, PTA meeting, or walk around the neighborhood
• while running errands

step 3 is give it a try!

Remember, you can always put boundaries around your availability. 

You don’t have to be approachable 24 x 7 – but it’s nice to know that when you want to be, you can!

I just devoured Scott Ginsberg’s 220 page book Make a Name for Yourself in a single setting and now I’m starting to read it a second time - and I am sure I will be re-reading it again and again.  The book is chock full of valuable ideas and insights that I can’t wait to share with you over the coming weeks.  The hardest part will be deciding which gem to write about first!

I’ve recently become a fan of Scott’s after hearing his story.  You may have heard of Scott already - he’s known as “that guy with the nametag”.  He’s been wearing a nametag 24×7 for the past 2544 days.  (He can claim 24×7 because he even tattooed a nametag on his chest!) 

Scott’s motivation for wearing a nametag is that it made him more approachable. He found that by wearing a nametag, even strangers would start conversations with him!

I’m fascinated by Scott for a couple of reasons.  First, this is such a great Public Relations strategy.  It’s unbelievably low cost (even 2544 nametags can’t cost that much!!), it’s memorable and it’s well-intended. In other words, it’s aligned with the MoreThanWeKnow value of doing well by doing good.  

Scott has been featured in hundreds of outlets such as 20/20, CNN, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Inc. Magazine, The Associated Press, REDBOOK, FastCompany, The Washington Post, Paul Harvey, The CBS Early Show and Headline News. He even wrote “The Quiz” on approachability for COSMO!

In the nearly 7 years that Scott has been wearing a nametag, he has managed to build an entire career out of it.  At 27, he’s one of the youngest members of the National Speakers Association. 

He’s known as an expert on “approachability” and has written books, online and offline magazine columns, and developed training programs that he has delivered to major corporations such as STAPLES, VERIZON Wireless, Boeing, Prudential Financial, UniGroup, Coldwell Banker, Gundaker Realty, Leo Burnett, Manpower and Hyatt Regency as well as many non-profits.

The second reason that Scott fascinates me is that he has got to be as opposite of an introvert as they come!! The idea of wanting all people, any people to connect with you any time, any where is incomprehensible to an introvert. As we’ve discussed in previous posts, introverts need to pace the amount of time spent interacting with other people because it can be physically draining. 

On the other hand, Scott’s actions and philosophy are fascinating to me, an introvert. I find myself wondering if they can be adapted to suit the needs of the less socially inclined among us.  I’m going to ponder this some more and write some ideas in my next post.

In the meantime, I’d love to hear your thoughts.  Is he brilliant or crazy? How approachable are you? How approachable do you want to be?

For more fascinating reading by Scott, check out his blog.

For more info on the challenges of networking for the less extroverted among us, read:

 Four Survival Tips for the Introverted Entrepreneur

How to Go From Shy Networker to Brilliant Conversationalist

Six Tips to Successful Networking for Shy Entrepreneurs

Challenging Advice for the Shy Entrepreneur

Situational Shyness and the Aspiring Entrepreneur

 (photo by MikeKorn)

It’s a blustery Fall Saturday in New England and I’ve spent the day in one of my favorite activities: curled up in a chair, sipping tea, with my nose in a book.   I’ve been totally absorbed in a book called Women Don’t Ask: The High Cost of Avoiding Negotiation–and Positive Strategies for Change. 

The book focuses on women’s reluctance to negotiate.  Even when women do negotiate we tend to set lower targets and walk away with smaller pieces of the pie.  The book gives an example to illustrate the impact this can have over the life of a corporate career:

Suppose a man and a woman, both 22, start out their careers after college and are offered identical jobs at a salary of $35,000.  The man negotiates an increase of 4.3 percent to $36,505 while the woman negotiates an increase of 2.7 percent to $35,945.  During the course of their career, this pattern persists, with the man receiving average increases of 4.3% and the woman receiving average increases of 2.7%.  By the time they are 65, the man’s salary will be $213,941 and the woman’s salary will be $110,052. 

This example may be from a corporate setting, but it is easy to imagine a similar scenario in a small business setting.  If a man and a woman both have 12 clients that they meet with once per week, and she charges $150 per hour for consulting services, and a man charges $175,  he will make $1200 more per month or $14400 more per year*.  Or viewed another way, he could make the same amount of money as she does, with two fewer clients, giving him much more free time as he will need to spend less time consulting, marketing and closing sales.

Many Women Entrepreneurs I know are uncomfortable setting their fees and have trouble sticking to them once they are set. They frequently give discounts before being asked or needlessly apologize for their fees when stating them. 

This book has many powerful insights about why women do this and how WE can change. I know I will be discussing it further in upcoming posts.

But in the meantime, what is your comfort level with setting fees for your services or prices for your products? How comfortable are you with paying yourself a salary from your business? Do you like to negotiate or do you avoid it? Do you know what your services are worth? 

*assumption is a 48 week year with 4 weeks off for vacation, holidays, and illness

Mirassou Vineyards is holding a contest to give an aspiring Woman Entrepreneur the opportunity to make her business dreams come true. 

The winner will receive $50,000 as well as the support of a team of professional consultants: a business and marketing plan writer, a graphic designer, a financial planner, and a legal expert as well as mentoring from an experienced entrepreneur member of the National Association for Women Business Owners (NAWBO).

Mirassou is offering the award in honor of the great-great Grandmother of the current owner of this six generation winery.  The family credits Henrietta Mirassou with the optimism and tenacity to keep the family winery in business, at a time when women entrepreneurs were extremely rare.  They want to foster that same optimism and strength in today’s Women Entrepreneurs.

In addition to the contest, Mirassou also provides some interesting tip sheets for women in business for themselves based on the book  by Elizabeth Cogswell Baskin
How to Run Your Business Like a Girl: Successful Strategies from Entrepreneurial Women Who Made It Happen

The application is short and easy to submit.  Deadline is December 15, 2007 and is open to U.S. residents at least 21 years of age.  

Be sure to check it out - and let me know if you win!!!  

Cheers!!