One of the most powerful things you can do for your career … and even for your life, is to drive your day rather than have your day drive you.  Basically that means consciously deciding how to spend your time rather than it just happening.  Don’t get me wrong, that does not mean work,work, work … it might mean consciously deciding to nap, play or just “chill out”!

Here are 10 tips for taking control of your time:

1.  Be a BIG Calendar user … use it to plan your time.

2.  Block off time in your calendar for meetings with yourself … and treat them like any other meeting (be punctual).  Sales people might block time for prospecting; recruiters might block time for contacting their candidates; managers might block time for any number of projects that otherwise don’t get done!

3.  Build regular commitments into your calendar in advance.   That monthly meeting with your boss, the prep time for the monthly presentation you give, the end of month/start of month tasks you do regularly like progress reports etc.

4.  Use To Do Lists.  You can use electronic lists, paper lists … whatever works for you.   They should contain any significant task (or group of tasks).  eg.  Follow up with my 20 candidates might be there as one entry … but isn’t complete until all are done.  Some people advocate one big list, pthers suggest multiple lists … I have a list for each of my major “projects”

5.  Prioritise your tasks.  You might use Covey’s Important/Not Important/Urgent Not Urgent matrix … or a simple A,B,C system.  But work on the high return items first.  There is a good sense of accomplishment in ticking off those completed tasks!

6.   Manage your phone and email … do not let them manage you!  Just because the phone rings you do not have to pick it up … use your caller id to know if it is important!  Just because an email lands in your desk you don’t need to read it right away.  It is far more effective to process email in batches at a time that works for you and your job.

7.  Multi-tasking versus multi threading!  You cannot be efficient when you do two things at the same time.  Having said that, reality is you will have several tasks “on the go” at the same time.  The trick is to be totally focused on the one you are processing for the time you are processing it.  Then focus on the next task.  This way you can keep several tasks moving forward at the same time, but deal with them effectively.

8.  Build time into your calendar for thinking/strategising/organising yourself.  Some people like to do this last thing in the week to be prepared for the following week and others do it first thing in the week.  do what works for you.

9.  Build in your socialising/networking time.  Avoid the ad hoc “water cooler chat” … but allot time to build and maintain relationships.  This way time does not get eaten up by idle chatter … you are consciously managing it.

10.  Revisit your time management methods every now and then … and certainly if you change job.  It can ALWAYS get better!

Please know, as mentioned at the beginning, good time management can actually enhance your life by giving your more time for those things that are important in your life.  If you want to golf 4 times a week (and I don’t know why anyone would want to do that) then figure out how you can do it … plan it into your schedule and make other things fit around it!

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Kevin Dee is CEO of Eagle (a Professional Staffing Company)
Want to know where Canada’s hot jobs are?   Visit the Eagle Job Centre!
Gain a competitive edge!  Join Eagle’s Executive Consulting Network!
Have you tried Eagle’s (very cost effective) VirtualRecruiter service?
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How many times have you been surprised that the service you thought you were getting was not quite what you expected?

The holiday home rental property by the sea is actually three blocks from the sea … but that qualifies as by the sea to the owner!

The software you bought does not actually do everything you thought it would.

The seller neglected to mention that trailer you bought has a non standard hitch.

Have ever gotten a story about “an incident” that perhaps wasn’t quite the same when you got more facts?

Your child tells you about how unfairly they were treated by the teacher.  The teacher tells you the whole story!

Your employee talks up all the extra hours they have been putting in at the end of the day.  You then find out that they haven’t been showing up in the office until much later than you thought.

I hear from salespeople all the time that “that client” isn’t spending … based on input from the sales person’s contact!   Meanwhile other parts of the client organization are spending like drunken sailors!

So what? 

The point here is that very often there are many perspectives or points of view to consider.  Sometimes (most times?) one person just does not have all the facts.

If you base your decisions upon one perspective, no matter whether you trust that person or not, you might not be happy with the outcome.

If you want to make the best decisions then …

Ask lots of questions!

Get as many inputs as possible.

Do NOT base important decisions on just one source!

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Kevin Dee is CEO of Eagle (a Professional Staffing Company)
Want to know where Canada’s hot jobs are?   Visit the Eagle Job Centre!
Gain a competitive edge!  Join Eagle’s Executive Consulting Network!
Have you tried Eagle’s (very cost effective) VirtualRecruiter service?
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The underdog is the “one who is not supposed to win“.

How many times have we seen the “little guy’ overcome the odds to win … just like Rocky Balboa winning his title fight in the movie (several movies actually).

How do you react when you are the underdog?  The one not supposed to get the promotion.  The one not supposed to win the contract.  The one not supposed to come away with the prize.

You can use the position to your advantage and overachieve.

You can choose to be motivated by the relative positioning … using it to fire up your competitive streak.

You can determine to show them … because after all “Its not the size of the man in the fight, its the size of the fight in the man“!

OR …

You can use it as an excuse … “we tried, but we knew we weren’t going to win”!

You can “roll over” and accept the inevitable.

You can “give it a college try”!

Kevin’s thoughts …

1.  If you don’t think you are going to win … you are not going to win.

2.  If you are going to play then play to win!

3.  It doesn’t really matter what others think, it is what you think that counts.

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Kevin Dee is CEO of Eagle (a Professional Staffing Company)
Want to know where Canada’s hot jobs are?   Visit the Eagle Job Centre!
Gain a competitive edge!  Join Eagle’s Executive Consulting Network!
Have you tried Eagle’s (very cost effective) VirtualRecruiter service?
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It is human nature to gravitate towards people that we like, and that like us.  In our personal lives that is our choice … although I will make the comment that you should never make assumptions because some of the strongest relationships are born out of adversity!

If you are a salesperson it is your job to service your clients … whether you personally like them or not.

It is your job to pursue new clients, whether they appear to “approachable” or not.

It is your job to represent your company professionally and treat all of those clients and prospects with the respect they deserve.

Here are some indicators that maybe you are missing the boat …

1.  You find your self meeting with a few people very frequently … and they might not be your top prospects.

2.  There are some clients that you treat better than others … and it has nothing to do with their spend.

3.  You find yourself avoiding contacting certain clients … for no good business reasons.

4.  The people you spend the most time with are just like you!

5.   You don’t look for new client contacts outside of your comfort zone.

I understand that when we have strong relationships with clients it can lead to business.  I also understand that there are a lot of clients that don’t want to be friends with their supplier, they just want good service at a fair price!  You MUST have a reasonable relationship with ALL of your clients … regardless!

Another thing to consider is that as we mature it is possible to broaden our horizons, and to develop other interests.  People whose company we might not have sought a few years back suddenly become much more interesting to us and vice versa.  So that client you don’t like too much today might actually be your best friend a few years from now.

Finally, it might be that you don’t particularly like a client because of some conflict … yet very often, if you handle the conflict well, these clients can become big supporters.

The bottom line …

These are clients of your company … and they ALL need to be serviced accordingly.

If you are not treating ALL of your clients with an appropriate amount of care then someone else surely will!

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Kevin Dee is CEO of Eagle (a Professional Staffing Company)
Want to know where Canada’s hot jobs are?   Visit the Eagle Job Centre!
Gain a competitive edge!  Join Eagle’s Executive Consulting Network!
Have you tried Eagle’s (very cost effective) VirtualRecruiter service?
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The world is filled with ideas … but ideas without action are meaningless.

I have heard the phrase “I could have done that” many times … but they didn’t!

There are plenty of people who will be quick to tell you what you did wrong … of course most of them did nothing.

You will get advice from people that have read books, been educated in a subject or who just think they know the answers … but these are people who will not actually put into practice those recommendations.

It is impressive how compelling an “expert” can be with their opinion … but is it based on experience or theory?

If you need advice, find someone who has “walked in those shoes”.

If you are willing to actually take action then you are already passing the talkers!

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Kevin Dee is CEO of Eagle (a Professional Staffing Company)
Want to know where Canada’s hot jobs are?   Visit the Eagle Job Centre!
Gain a competitive edge!  Join Eagle’s Executive Consulting Network!
Have you tried Eagle’s (very cost effective) VirtualRecruiter service?
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If you are a footballer (soccer player) you will have heard your coach shout this many times … keep your eye on the ball!  It is a particularly disconcerting phrase because that same coach might, not 5 minutes later, accuse you of “ball watching” … which is NOT a good thing!

What does it all mean?

1.  Keep your eye on the ball.  In soccer you will strike the ball most effectively if you watch the ball as you hit it ( not unlike that ”other” game, golf).  If you let your eyes drift off to the goal, a natural tendency, then you are likely to not hit the ball as crisply as you should, and it may end up going in a different direction than you intend.

2.  Ball watching.  While engaged in a match your job is to take in all of the action, be alert to the movement of the opposing players as well as be aware of where your own teammates are.  There can be a tendency to lose focus on the big picture when you focus on the ball alone … this generally happens when something exciting is happening, a near goal etc.  The problem is that your opponent may well end up unmarked with space to cause some damage!

Lessons for business people.

1.  When executing on a plan you need to “keep your eye on the ball“.  The day to day activities that you complete towards your plan (the tasks) are what will lead to success.  It is easy to be distracted by other “options”, “opportunities” or “distractions”.  Success comes to those who execute best!  Focus, focus, focus!

2.  Periodically you need to take a more strategic look at what you are doing.  You do this by stepping back from the “tasks” and reevaluating your plan based on new conditions.  You can make sure the plan is still relevant and make corrections as required.  Once you are comfortable with the plan it is back to action!  If you are “ball watching” you might just miss out on opportunities, allow your competitors some advantage or miss out on changing market conditions!

Kevin’s take away:

Clearly those footballers are smart people!

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Kevin Dee is CEO of Eagle (a Professional Staffing Company)
Want to know where Canada’s hot jobs are?   Visit the Eagle Job Centre!
Gain a competitive edge!  Join Eagle’s Executive Consulting Network!
Have you tried Eagle’s (very cost effective) VirtualRecruiter service?
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Very often in life you will find yourself talking to someone, they are paying attention to what you are saying, BUT they are hearing a slightly different message than the one you are delivering.

I think that one of the biggest difference between a “seasoned professional”, in almost any field, and a “newbie” is their understanding of the nuances in their profession.

I operate in the staffing world, where the key roles for our business are sales and recruiting.  Both of which involve significant people interaction and both of which require an ability to grasp the importance of the nuances in our business.

For example … regular contact with our clients is extremely important.  However if I am a client and the only time I hear from a salesperson is when they are asking me for business I might not be as welcoming as when some percentage of the time they are bringing value in other ways.  So a salesperson might differentiate them self by the small things … a thoughtful message; forwarding interesting articles of interest; a call out of the blue for a beer/a lunch/a coffee; etc.

Another example might be the recruiter who ignores the calls from people wanting to hear about a job, or get feedback on an interview.  You can be successful in the short term, but if you have a reputation fro treating people poorly it will catch up with you.

In almost any profession if I do not value the significant difference between an email, a telephone conversation and a face to face conversation then I am missing out.  Having a face to face with a colleague, employee, client etc will always be appreciated over the email!

Some more examples we all see regularly …

There is a difference between a server in a restaurant who serves all of their clients efficiently, and one who does the same with a smile and a kind word.

There is a difference between the professional who provides you efficient service, and the one who takes time out to know you a little, while also providing good service.

There is a difference between the teacher that teaches a curriculum, and one that recognises those students that might need a little extra help.

Almost every job offers the opportunity to differentiate based on a very small shift in empathy, focus or just plain friendliness.

Do you understand the nuances that could help you in your field?

Probably even more importantly … do you care enough to want to understand those nuances?

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Kevin Dee is CEO of Eagle (a Professional Staffing Company)
Want to know where Canada’s hot jobs are?   Visit the Eagle Job Centre!
Gain a competitive edge!  Join Eagle’s Executive Consulting Network!
Have you tried Eagle’s (very cost effective) VirtualRecruiter service?
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If you are lost … ask for direction.

If you are unsure of what to do … ask for help.

If you can’t decide which way to go … pick one.

If you are struggling for success … try some NEW things.

Learn from others.  Learn from your own experiences.

Be brave … what is the worst that can happen?

“Insanity:  doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different  results.”   Albert  Einstein

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Kevin Dee is CEO of Eagle (a Professional Staffing Company)
Gain a competitive edge!  Join Eagle’s Executive Consulting Network!
Find Canada’s top hot jobs, updated in real-time!  Visit Eagle’s Job Centre!
Have you tried Eagle’s (very cost effective) VirtualRecruiter service? ________________________________________________________________

Entrepreneurs are a little nuts … they have to be, but their passion keeps them going through the challenges they face.

Entrepreneurs can have a great idea but until the market accepts it, that idea will need to be nurtured and fed … consequently 30% of businesses fail in those crucial first five years.

You will see entrepreneurs engaged in their communities.

You will see them burning the midnight oil.

You will see them bending the ear of everyone who will listen as they talk about their company.

There is an entrepreneur out there today working on the next big thing … and it will create a lot of jobs here in Canada.

There are thousands of entrepreneurs out there running small businesses that will grow, businesses that employ a lot of people and contribute enormously to Canada’s economy.

Entrepreneurs will push that piece of string uphill for a long way before they run out of steam!

What can YOU do to help an entrepreneur?

Can you make an introduction?

Can you buy their product?

Can you recommend their solution?

The entrepreneur’s win is a win for all of us!

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Kevin Dee is CEO of Eagle (a Professional Staffing Company)
Want to know where Canada’s hot jobs are?   Visit the Eagle Job Centre!
Gain a competitive edge!  Join Eagle’s Executive Consulting Network!
Have you tried Eagle’s (very cost effective) VirtualRecruiter service?
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Every now and again it is important to be reminded of some old lessons.  Things we “know” but perhaps have forgotten, or at the least they are no longer top of mind.

The serenity prayer is a classic … because if we become obsessed with things we cannot change then it will detract from our true mission in life, whatever that might be.

Here are some basic truths …

1.  There have always been evil people in the world and there always will be … witness the bombs in Boston as just one small example.

2.  There will always be (smart) people on both sides of most significant arguments.  Politics is a classic … the vote on gun control in the US, the support/hatred of Margaret Thatcher just a couple of topical examples.

3.  However much you achieve there will always be more to do … just a fact.  If you are building a company it is never done.  If you are working towards equality in the workforce it is never done.

4.  There is always more to learn … and at times, in certain circumstances even the brightest of us can feel a little silly.  What do you know about the latest developments in technology, bio-sciences or medical discoveries?  What detail do you know of political history or history of a given region in the world?

5.  No matter how clearly you communicate … there will always be some people who hear a different message than the one you intended to deliver.

The intent of this post is merely to clarify that if you stay focused on the things you CAN influence then you will be at your most effective.  If you waste energy “tilting at windmills” then you lose your effectiveness.

The call to action is FOCUS your energies on where they can have the most impact!

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Kevin Dee is CEO of Eagle (a Professional Staffing Company)
Want to know where Canada’s hot jobs are?   Visit the Eagle Job Centre!
Gain a competitive edge!  Join Eagle’s Executive Consulting Network!
Have you tried Eagle’s (very cost effective) VirtualRecruiter service?
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