HOW TO MANAGE YOUR TIME IN THE WORKPLACE.

 How To Manage Your Time in the Workplace.

Minimize distractions under your control

Where possible, control over your immediate work environment
can be crucial, effective and productive.

Clutter: A cluttered office can increase stress and be the result of delayed decision making.
Determine a place free from distraction (no cell phone or text messaging!) where you can maximize your concentration and be free of the distractions that friends or hobbies can bring!

You should also have a back-up space that you can escape to, like a library, departmental study center, even a coffee shop where you can be anonymous. A change of venue may also bring extra resources.
What is the best work space you can think of? What is another?

 

Weekly reviews

Where possible, control over your immediate work environment
can be crucial, effective and productive.

Clutter: A cluttered office can increase stress and be the result of delayed decision making.
Determine a place free from distraction (no cell phone or text messaging!) where you can maximize your concentration and be free of the distractions that friends or hobbies can bring!

You should also have a back-up space that you can escape to, like a library, departmental study center, even a coffee shop where you can be anonymous. A change of venue may also bring extra resources.
What is the best work space you can think of? What is another?

Prioritize your assignments

Weekly reviews and updates are also an important strategy. Each week, review your assignments, your notes, your calendar. Be mindful that as deadlines approach, your weekly routine must adapt to them!

What is the best time in a week you can review?

Achieve “stage one”--get something done!

When beginning your workday, get in the habit of starting with the most difficult subject or task. You’ll be fresh, and have more energy to take them on when you are at your best. Colleagues, clients and customers (even bosses!) are also less likely to interrupt you at the beginning of your workday.

For more challenging projects, try to be flexible: for example, build in “reaction time” when you can get feedback on assignments before they are due.
What topic or procedure has always caused you problems?

Postpone unnecessary activities until the work is done!

The Chinese adage of the longest journey starting with a single step has a couple of meanings: First, you launch the project! Second, by starting, you may realize that there are some things you have not planned for in your process.

Details of an assignment are not always evident until you begin the assignment.
Another adage is that “perfection is the enemy of good”, especially when it prevents you from starting! Given that you build in review, roughly draft your idea and get going!
You will have time to edit and develop later.

What is a first step you can identify for an assignment to get yourself started?

Identify resources to help you

Postpone tasks or routines that can be put off until a project stage is finished!
This can be the most difficult challenge of time management.

Learn to say “later”…
As workers we always meet unexpected opportunities that look appealing, then result in poor performance on a test, on a paper, or in preparation for a task. Distracting activities will be more enjoyable later without the pressure of a deadline, meeting, or review, etc. hanging over your head. Think in terms of pride of accomplishment. Instead of saying “no” learn to say “later”.

What is one distraction that interferes with your work flow? How can you effectively manage it?
Distractions:
If possible and permitted, minimize external distractions and improve concentration by relocating to an empty meeting room, closing a door, using headsets, ignoring in-coming telephone calls and email, etc. In your workspace, if colleagues interrupt, deal with the matter courteously and efficiently and excuse yourself to return to your task at hand. If in a meeting, it is crucial and respectful to stop any extraneous computing, reading, emailing, etc.

Use your “free time” wisely

Are there colleagues with special expertise?
How experienced is your supervisor?

What does the Internet provide? Are there specialists in the library that can point you to resources? What about professionals and professional organizations. Using outside resources can save you time and energy, and solve problems.
Write down three examples for that difficult subject above?
Be as specific as possible.

Think of times when you can accomplish "bits" as when going to a meeting, waiting on an associate, etc. Perhaps you've got notes to review? But before you test drive the latest iPhone recorder app at work, there are 4 things you should remember:

1. You Could Be Fired.

   You Are Being Recorded.

   If you are caught you could be terminated, and there will likely be little an attorney can do for you. Texas is an employment-at-will state. There are exceptions of course, but the bottom line is you need to balance the potential reward against a very real risk.

2. Don’t Delete Any Part Of The Recording.

   You would be surprised how many times employees' workplace recordings hurt their case because of what they say on the recording. And here’s the kicker, you can’t just decide it didn’t help and delete it, which leads to tip #3.

3. Record What People Will Likely Deny Later.

   If you delete any part of the recording or attempt to edit it, the recording might never be admitted into evidence in the case, and worse, you will subject yourself to a spoliation of evidence charge, meaning the jury may be instructed they can presume what you deleted hurt your case and that is why you deleted it. That’s not something you want the judge instructing the jury. 

4. Record What People Will Likely Deny Later.

   If it’s a sexual harassment case, record the harasser making inappropriate sexual remarks or others admitting they were sexually harassed by the same harasser. If it’s a discrimination case, record the discriminatory remarks made by your supervisor. Record termination meetings. But remember what you record that doesn’t help you will often be used against you.If you are walking or biking to work, when best to listen? Perhaps you are in a line waiting? Perfect for routine tasks like flash cards, or if you can concentrate, to read or review a chapter. The bottom line is to put your time to good use.

What is one example of applying free time to your studies?

Review notes and readings just before meetings

Review meeting notes just after

This may prompt a question or two about something you don’t quite understand, to ask about, or after. It also demonstrates that you are interested and have prepared.

How would you make time to review?
Is there free time you can use?

Review your ten applications above.

The first 24 hours are critical. Forgetting is greatest within 24 hours without review!
How would you do this?

Is there free time you can use?

Select one, and develop a new work habit.

Try something you have a good chance of following through and accomplishing. Nothing succeeds like a first successful try!

Effective aids:

Create a simple "To Do" list

Daily/weekly planner

This simple program will help you identify a few items, the reason for doing them, a timeline for getting them done, and then printing this simple list and posting it for reminders.

Write down appointments, meetings and deadlines on a chronological log book or chart.
If you are more visual, sketch out your schedule
First thing in the morning, check what's ahead for the day
always go to sleep knowing you're prepared for tomorrow

Long term planner

Use a monthly chart so that you can plan ahead.
Long term planners will also serve as a reminder to constructively plan time for yourself

Utilizing these tips can be the foundation of time management.
Many managers also find this resource scheduling software
a useful tool in guiding their team toward a successful conclusion.

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How do I prepare for the job interview?

Your cover letter received a positive response and you have been invited to a job interview. Truly a reason to rejoice, but this is also the point at which many applicants get nervous and start to doubt themselves. Thus, the most important thing is solid preparation for the job interview. With the following tips you will learn what you need to be aware of.

 

It is all about the soft skills

There is generally no reason to doubt your professional competence if you received an invitation to a job interview – otherwise the HR manager would not have contacted you at all. Now it is about your personality, your communication skills and your ability to deal with stress. In other words: your soft skills. Soft skills are not so easy to learn and develop. Those who are actually more reserved come across as unbelievable in their job interview if they try to present themselves as communication geniuses. However, it is always recommended to go to your job interview with a healthy helping of confidence. This is best achieved with a good night's sleep and being well informed in advance of the requirements of the job.

 

Get information about the employer in advance

Many candidates do not really know what their potential employer expects of them. This is unacceptable, particularly in today's information age. For example, most employers have a website where you can get precise information about your job and the employer. What does the work focus on, how large is the team, who makes decisions? These questions are not an end in themselves: the better informed you are, the more precisely you can estimate the extent to which your qualifications are suitable for the job.

 

Answering these questions gives you security that shines through in your job interview. Of course, you will not have access to all the information or answers, but when it comes to preparing for a job interview, getting as much information as possible about your future job is essential. If you want insider information and even more information, it makes sense to consult a recruitment consultant who helps you through your preparations for your interview. For this to be effective, the vacant job needs to have been announced via a recruitment consultancy.

 

Show the employer that you are interested in the job

The information you gain during your preparation for the job interview also has a positive side effect: you demonstrate to the employer that you are really interested in the job. It is also an excellent idea to have a few questions ready for the employer during your job interview. You thereby show a deeper interest and can also get clarification of any ambiguities.

 

The job interview is not just a one-sided opportunity for the interviewer to get to know you, and during your preparations you should not forget that you also have something to offer-namely your individual abilities and your energy. And even if the job interview does not go so smoothly, you can still gain valuable experience that helps you the next time around.

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10 things every leader should know.

Leadership comes in all different shapes and sizes. Just look at the two most recent CEOs of Apple: Steve Jobs and Tim Cook. Both have very different ways of leading. Cook is known to be more amicable and communicative. Cook said “We have talked about things and been more transparent about what we’re doing”. Jobs on the other hand was famously demanding and strident, with Ken Segall, a former Apple employee saying “all the big decisions were made with relatively few people”. Just as people have varied personalities, work styles, traits and habits, these differences translate into multiple leadership styles. If you’re introverted , for example, your leadership style will be wildly different from someone who is extroverted. And the average style of leadership in Spain will be significantly different in comparison to that in Japan or perhaps the Nordics, as culture also plays a huge part. But, regardless of where you are from or your personality there are some essential things that every leader should know. Here are our 10 things every leader should know.

• TRUST
  
  By making good business decisions, executing properly and showing confidence in your leadership, you will engender trust in your team which will subsequently lead to success.
   
• CREATE SHARED GOALS
  Having common and shared goals will help you in determining your employees’ potential and how each member can contribute to the success of the company. It is also a very inclusive approach creating a better sense of community.
   
• BE YOUR COMPANY VALUES
  Before you communicate your company goals or brainstorm what they might even be, you need to live them. Your values should be at the core of who you are before you broadcast them.
   
• TEACH
  Good leaders impart knowledge. In doing so you will help employees to grow and flourish. This will encourage them to one day create and lead on their own.
   
• REWARD GOOD BEHAVIOUR
  When someone does something exceptional, share the news with the team. In doing so you create a culture that rewards good behaviour and this will in turn motivate your team to do well.
   
• EMBRACE CHANGE
  Change is a natural occurrence in life and in business. Good leaders are always prepared for change and seek out opportunities in times of flux.

• LOOK AFTER YOURSELF
  No one wants an overworked and unhappy leader. Making sure you get enough sleep and a good work life blend will ensure you’re ready to tackle any challenges. And your employees will appreciate it too.
   
• TRANSPARENCY AND COMMUNICATION
  Fostering positive communication and transparency will promote honesty in the work place. It will also mean people will feel free to speak their mind truthfully and without hesitation.
   
• HAVE STRONG CONVICTIONS
  Say what you believe and stand by it. Any good leader should have high standards and wants to drive change, having belief in yourself and your convictions will make you a confident leader.
   
• BE THE LEADER YOU NEEDED
  When you were progressing through your career, remember the times when you needed a leader. Be that person. Be the leader you needed in your career.

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LEAD EMPLOYEES BY AGREEING ON OBJECTIVES

Lead employees by agreeing on objectives.

Creating business plans, setting business goals - these leadership responsibilities are generally time-intensive and always entail new challenges. With an eye on success and goals, it is sometimes difficult to see how to balance the needs of your employees and your business plan. But people and business goals are closely connected. Your qualifications and abilities help realize goals and advance plans. Investing in highly qualified employees and developing their talents pays off in the long run. Make sure your employees feel that each one of them makes an important contribution to the realization of business goals. This strengthens identity and motivation. Clearly communicate your goals so that there is a shared consensus. We will show you how to reach an agreement on goals and optimally lead your employees.

 

Analyze plans, develop strategies and determine key qualifications

State clearly from the very beginning what you want to achieve in the next weeks, months and years. The next step is to decide how the needs of people and your business goals come together. Which qualifications are needed and which employees have them? Which abilities must be further developed to achieve your goals? Reaching an agreement on goals also begins with a decision on which abilities are needed in the future. Which of them do you already see in your employees? Which must be further fostered, and which individuals are not already in your company?

 

Reaching an agreement on goals - fostering talent

In the next step it is important to motivate employees and supervisors to work together to determine where action is required. The leaders of individual departments are best suited to determine qualifications and hidden talents, thereby creating a realistic picture of employees and their role with regard to business goals. Talents that were previously not needed may prove useful over the long term, in terms of achieving goals. Determine which people could achieve new things in different areas of responsibility. Using the rotation principle, you will quickly discover which employees can be appointed to fulfill a variety of roles and which employees are well suited to new tasks. Key qualifications can be strengthened in a targeted manner with further education opportunities, mentoring, and other educational programs. In this way you can train your employees while keeping an eye on the future.

 

Filling holes in your staff

Once you have an overview of the situation in your company you should determine what you lack to achieve your goals. Work on your employees' qualifications if your concern is reconciling the needs and demands of employees with business goals. The qualities you find lacking can also be supplemented with new staff members. The entire process requires constant further development, hard work, and an eye for anything that may be necessary in the future. Keeping an eye toward the future gives you enough time to recruit and train talent, further educate reliable employees, and to make use of hidden talents in new fields of activity.

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EFFECTIVE TEAMWORK FORMATION

Effective team formation: onward to success in a group.

 

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. This is also true in the professional world in terms of team work. Individual employees contribute to the group to achieve company goals. Effectively forming a team is therefore an important task. Today, many projects can only be realized by multiple employees working hand in hand. With effective team building, you ensure that processes are optimal and quick.

 

Preparation

Team development has a lot to do with preparation. Define clear objectives in advance: What roles are there in the team? What should the team achieve together? How are tasks distributed and linked together? First decide what the team should do and then plan who is best suited to completing tasks. Be open about the objectives and tasks: the more transparent the structure is for group members, the better everyone knows what he needs to do.

 

Team building

Effective team building requires a lot of intuition on the part of the manager. Determine who fits well together. Should your team have its own leader or does every member have the same rights? Distribute tasks amongst team members in as balanced a way a possible. Fairness, respect and trust are the core elements of effectively building a team. The group dynamics should also constantly be assessed. Plan weekly conferences in which you discuss current and past tasks as well as possible problems with your employees.

 

Four phases of team development

In 1965 American psychologist Bruce Tuckman developed a phase model for team development. Amongst other things, the model shows that even effective team building involves conflicts, as feelings are inevitably present and important anywhere that people work. First, the new group gets to know all the members in the "forming" phase. The relationships between the group members are still open and the first rules are developed. In the second phase, the "storming" phase, one often sees conflict and discussion. The conflicts in this phase lead to the initial organizational agreements. This method of defining roles ends in the "norming" phase in which discussed rules contribute to cooperation and the team finally finds its legs. Performance is then observed in the "performing" stage, and tasks are successfully executed thanks to the previous phases.

 

Strengthening the team

A team that routinely executes day-to-day tasks may function well, but its productivity can always be improved. Here, the keyword is motivation. You can best motivate your team by giving them challenges that strengthens the team as a whole. The challenges may be new tasks that must be overcome or special games that form the basis of effective team building. Group excursions and experiences also help strengthen the team.

 

Thank the team

Praise is necessary after successful team development. Thank your team in regular intervals to show that you value them. It can be as simple as a "thank you" at meetings or something bigger, such as a party or excursion. Or you can invite your employees to go to dinner. Saying thank you in this way is sure to be well received by your employees and simultaneously further strengthens the bonds in the team. This doubles the fun of effective team building.

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WHAT MAKES A GOOD LEADER OR A GOOD MANAGER

What makes a good leader or a good manager?

Leadership and management come in various shapes and forms. And not everyone can go on to become a great leader , nor can everyone become a great manager. They are two distinct roles which require different skills to achieve success in either. Understanding what each role is will better inform you whether you’re a leader or a manager. Either way, it’s useful to know how each operates.

Managers: executors for a leader’s vision

Generally speaking, managers will administer the ideas of the leader. A leader will strive to innovate and champion new work policy, they will steer the direction of the business and have a level of courage that is required for good leadership . Imagine leaders as trendsetters and managers are those who follow those trends, making sure the workforce adheres to those trends. It isn’t dictatorship, though employees who are confident in their leaders will understand that the trends that they are following are good trends. Trends that come from a place of understanding, innovation and expertise. Call it vision, if you will.

Managers are not purely facilitators to a leader’s vision, however. They help to further the vision of a leader by ensuring that employees follow. Managers are the guardians who oversee the activities of the business. It is important to have a team of good managers because they can be the difference between helping a company drive towards success or not. Leaders aren’t without blame either. A bad leader can be even worse than a bad set of managers because their bad decisions can lead to the ending of a company. The most recent example is Marissa Meyer at Yahoo! During her polemical tenure, she attempted to revitalise Yahoo! through multiple (and unsuccessful) acquisitions. It didn’t take long for Yahoo! to be bought by Verizon for a meagre 4.8 billion dollars. Essentially what managers do is organise, facilitate, assign and define purpose. If you imagine that leaders ask the questions what and why, it is the managers who ask how and when.

Follow the leader, reap the rewards

Although both intertwined, both have to think differently about how they approach their role – it isn’t just a case of following the leader blindly. Leaders have to believe in their ideas with all their gusto and convince people that this is the appropriate vision for the business and managers then have to ensure that the leaders vision is being carried out properly which requires high levels of strategic planning, delegation and its own sense of leadership, too.

Leaders often break the mould – while managers deal with complex systems and how best to utilise their team in those systems, leaders tend to find the best people to have around them and then the system is built around that. A key difference between leaders and management then is that leaders inspire their workforce and that is invaluable. Leaders think more long-term, they take risks and seek transformation and shape a credible workforce. Think of it like parliament, the leader of a political party is the one with the vision and the people who help him or her carry out that vision are the elected politicians. Managers, like members of parliament, are important for organisational success, no doubt, but it is the leaders who really steer a company (or political party) towards success with their vision. They go hand in hand – a good leader will need a good manager, of course, but finding the right leader is a lot more difficult than finding a good manager.

Leaders and managers – a necessary symbiosis

Good managers need to be open to new ideas, they need to adapt to unsuspecting change, expect excellence from their employees and communicate regularly and efficiently. Likewise, leaders need to be able to demonstrate these skills too. However, it is the way in which they utilise their repertoire of skills that highlights the key differences in the way managers manage and leaders lead. Leaders will come up with the ideas, they will be the catalysts for change and they will demand excellence from their managers. Managers will then filter this down to their team. Therefore the relationship between a leader and a manager must be co-operative and collaborative in order for it to function properly and bring success. Business requires strong leaders and managers, these are essential for a successful workforce.

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AUGUST 31 (PLAQUE OF APPRECIATION)

Plaque of Appreciation.

Last August 31, 2017 The General Manager of Boracay Adventures Inc Mr. Peter Tay Received an award from the Embassy of the People's Republic of China as Plaque of Appreciation because of His contribution in providing assistance to Chinese Nationals in Philippines.

This is another victory for him and for his company, and everything happened because of the help of his employees, This shows how His Leadership is really good and Truly be called a good Master.

 

 

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