A train travelling at 100 km an hour can crash through a 5-foot thick steel-reinforced concrete wall without stopping, while the same train from a standing start won't be able to get through an inch-thin block in front of the driving wheel. Consultant John Maxwell says that's a reminder the size of a problem you are facing is never the ultimate problem. It's the lack of momentum.

Here are some of his tips on momentum breakers to avoid and momentum makers to pursue:

[ ] Momentum Breaker: double mindedness
[ ] Momentum Maker: focus

By creating and following a clear and focused vision, a leader develops momentum. On the other hand, if you aim for nothing or aim for everything, you drain momentum.

[ ] Momentum Breaker: the past
[ ] Momentum Maker: the future

An organization picks up steam when its leaders point to a better tomorrow. Momentum breaks down when the leaders preoccupy themselves with the past.

[ ] Momentum Breaker: individualism
[ ] Momentum Maker: teamwork

If you want to kill momentum, then insist on doing things by yourself. On the other hand, momentum grows through team victories in which many people played a role. "The level of celebration on a team depends upon the level of participation," he notes on the Giant Impact web site.

[ ] Momentum Breaker: indecision
[ ] Momentum Maker: action

Leaders have to act with incomplete information. Momentum and risk go hand in hand. If you always play it safe, then you'll never inspire excitement in those you lead.

With the Canadian economy in recession, businesses are watching their expenses, and increasingly trying to shift towards more part-time workers. In Inc.com, Tamara Schweitzer offers these tips for managing part-time workers:

• Write a proper job description: An employee working part-time shouldn't be confined to miscellaneous or ad-hoc tasks. Indeed, because the employee has only an occasional presence in the office, it's particularly important to be clear about the goal and expectations for that position.
• Assign part-timers to projects: Don't assign part-timers generally to departments or teams, but give them straightforward and task-oriented projects to work on. Keep them away from general tasks like sales where the work flow is not as regimented and requires serving clients whose needs are unpredictable and impossible to schedule.
• Avoid treating part-timers like second-class citizens: Make sure the part-time staff receive important company-wide communications and are kept abreast of major decisions affecting their area. Don't value them by the hours they work but by the function they fulfill.
• Gather contact information: In case something urgent comes up, make sure you know how to reach them when they are away from work. (You'll probably need more than one phone number.) And discuss with them the importance of making themselves available in the off hours if something urgent occurs.
• Schedule regular meetings: Try to have some core hours for your business, like 10am to 2pm, so you can schedule important meetings when everyone is on site.

The value of teamwork is well known, and it is therefore assumed all we have to do is put people in teams and enhanced productivity will result. In fact, Harvard Management Update notes, teams must be trained in teamwork. Members often need help in skills such as listening and communication with different people, and staying focused on the task.

Often organizations try to train team members before the team starts its work. But consultant Tom Ruddy says a better alternative is periodic training since often team members don't know what they need to learn. Start, for example, with a session on the norms the team feels it should follow, allow them to work together for a few weeks, and then bring them to another training session where they revise those norms.

The journal also notes that nothing teaches teamwork like working in teams over a period of years.

In presentations, your first two slides are critical, says sales consultant Michael McLaughlin. Nine out of ten audience members will start reading your first slide even before you start talking, making that particularly important. But the first two slides, together, grab the audience's attention and shape what they can expect.

"To develop content for the first two slides, assume that you have only five minutes to deliver your entire presentation," he advises on RainToday.com. "How would you use that time? You'd probably summarize the essential facts that led to the conclusions you have developed."

• Harvard Business School Professor Deepak Malhotra says parties to a contract often overestimate the level of certainty in the environment and underestimate the likelihood of a future divergence in perspectives. Wisely structured contracts postpone agreement on terms that would be more effectively handled when more information is available, and they include contingencies commensurate with the current level of uncertainty. (Source: Harvard Business Review)
• Taking an organization from good to great customer service ultimately depends on the people who provide that service. Consultant Jim Clemmer says it can only happen through volunteerism -- the willingness to go beyond what is merely required -- by people who serve on the front lines. (Source: www.jimclemmer.com)
• Beware of your shadow side -- when your strengths become a weakness. Your creativity may be an asset, but it may mean that you are overwhelmed by more ideas than you can implement. Your intelligence may serve you well, except when the shadow side leads you to rely too heavily on your own perspective and ignore others. (Source: The Enlightened Manager blog)
• E-mail leads us to be reactive, rather than proactive. If all you're doing is responding to new, incoming messages, by definition you are putting out yesterday's fires. (Source: Timeback Management blog)
• Research by Tracom Group found that more than half of managers consider "effective communications" one of their greatest strengths yet nearly 78 per cent of staff and 85 per cent of executives believe communication skills are a deficiency amongst managers. (Source: Executive Excellence)

6. Q&A with 8020Info:
    Managing the Email Info-glut         Top

Anne P. recently asked: "Have you ever done an issue on effectively managing email? Any tips?"

8020Info President & CEO Rob Wood replies:

Almost everyone we know wrestles with the challenge of email info-glut. Here are some tips we've picked up from research, reading and clients:

• Make your e-mail one page or less, and use separate emails for separate topics so readers don't have to sift through irrelevant information.
• Send minimal attachments for material that could be included in the body of the email.
• Pick up the phone when you have to discuss a dozen different things with one person -- you speak faster than you type. And in general, if your news is shocking or likely to involve an emotional response, don't use email.
• Consultants Mike Song, Vicki Halsey, and Tim Burress (authors of The Hamster Revolution) argue that 20 per cent of your e-mail is unnecessary "me-mail". Check the e-mail you send, under stress, to clear your in-boxes or push out your information, without much thought for the recipients. Too often they are vague, incomplete or redundant.
• Send less e-mail -- and you'll get less e-mail. They say that for every five e-mails you send, you will likely receive approximately three back. Eliminate just one of every five outgoing e-mails and you'll receive roughly 12 per cent fewer e-mails.
• Before sending an e-mail, ask if it's needed and appropriate, and keep recipients to a minimum -- properly targeted to the right person(s).
• Limit use of reply-to-all. Don't use it for minor discussion points, chatter, or trivial thank-you messages. If you must respond, consider replying only to sender.
• Use a subject line effectively to summarize or indicate specific content, not merely describe a category like "Operations" or "Urgent Request". Say more.
• Include key words effectively in the subject line, such as: Request; Heads Up!; For Your Information; As Promised; or Agenda.
• Build a team protocol to signal when no reply is needed. Some teams, for example, include NRN (No Reply Needed) in the subject line. Others set no reply as their norm, requiring team members to request a reply when needed.
• If you can't handle each e-mail in two minutes or less, place them in specific folders for action later and book time in your workday to deal with them like a task on a to-do list.
• Reuse past responses or consider using template text if, say, 80 per cent of your email involves sending the same 5-10 types of messages over and over.
• Switch your "send and receive" e-mail function from 'Automatic' to 'Every Two Hours.'

It's been years since we've seen so many clients using August to get a jump on their fall activities -- they seem to be about three weeks ahead of the normal transition period from summer holidays to "back to school".

We've noted that many of these head-start teams have made good use of five categories to organize their fall communications workplans:

• Engagement (events, meetings and other interactions with target audiences)
• Communication Tactics (using various media to distribute or collect information)
• On-going Tasks (day-in/day-out, weekly or periodic communication tasks);
• Mini-plans (sets of activities to achieve specific outcomes with selected audiences)
• Maintenance (gathering an inventory of stories, data, charts, photos, graphics, testimonials or contacts necessary to support their communications program).

8020Info helps teams develop, communicate and implement more effective marketing communications strategies. We would be pleased to discuss your needs and welcome enquiries at (613) 542-8020, or by email at watercooler@8020info.com.

"If the customer feels like it was poor service, then it was poor service."

   -- Mark Perrault