Tip #289: Jump-Start Creative Thinking In The Workplace

When it comes to creativity, there is no definable or surefire process that works for everyone. Still, there are techniques that you can employ to help jump-start creativity, or at least foster its growth. And sure, some people are more creative than others, but everyone can benefit from exercising these simple yet powerful techniques.

The Business World Is Constantly Changing

. . . And So Should You.

Without creative thinking, today's innovative ideas will become stagnant tomorrow. And if your business makes the mistake of playing it safe, it will open the door for an innovative competitor - a door that will not only take market share from you but also clients.

6 Tips To Jump-Start Your Creative Thinking Process:

1. Set Attainable Goals - Before sitting down with your team, draw up a list of your goals. These goals should not be handouts, but should not be impossible to reach either. Strike a balance so your team will still break a sweat, but won't burn themselves out struggling to reach their goals.

2. Prepare Before A Brainstorming Session - We suggest avoiding unplanned brainstorming sessions. Instead, we suggest giving your team advanced notice so they have time to prepare and get their creative engines running earlier.

3. Add A Visual Element To The Mix - The more dimensions a brainstorming session has the more likely it will produce something useful. We suggest having something to sketch on and have often times found large whiteboards as a way for everyone draw out their ideas.

4. Change Perspectives - After years of cultivating your company's unique attitude, you run the risk of being biased and inefficient at getting things done any other way. However, taking on a new persona when thinking creatively is an invaluable skill to possess, as it introduces adaptive thinking to the equation.

5. Think In Terms Of Opposites - Often times creative thinking sessions focus on the obvious. We have found unique ideas can come out from exploring the opposite. Reverse engineering an idea or process can yield an innovative thought.

6. Make Connections That Were Never An Option - One aspect of creative thinking is to approach something from a totally new angle, and one of the best ways to force that approach is to make connections between two or more seemingly unconnected items. During a brainstorming session, create a long list of ideas. Then pick two or three ideas at random and try to develop connections until the ideas blend together into one new, unique idea.

Summary: While no creative thinking technique can guarantee results, almost every technique you and your team use will contribute to a brainstorming session. In the end, if your goal is to breathe new life into a product or service or look at problems and solutions internally, you need derail yourself from your current business mind-set and adopt a more creative thought process. After all, when there is nothing to lose, there is everything to gain.

Tip #288: 6 Tips To Improve Listening Skills

Effective Listening Is Not Only Challenging, But A Learned Skill.

By nature, people tend to focus more on what they are saying than on what they are hearing. For example, you probably put more effort into leaving a voicemail than you do listening to voicemail left for you. This is because listening is, for most people, a very natural, passive action. And since we are always hearing, the idea of consciously listening to another person may not seem necessary. However, there is a world of difference between "hearing" and "listening." The difference is that listening requires effort.

6 Proven Ways To Improve Your Listening Skills.

1. Give A Speaker Your Complete Attention - All too often, people let their thoughts drift when someone is speaking. They think about a current project they are working on or a task that they have been assigned. They even think about matters unrelated to work. The best way to combat this distraction is to actively concentrate while listening. We recommend taking notes when someone is speaking as it forces you to maintain focus on the speaker.

2. Avoid Snap Judgments/Interrupting - Another thing listeners are prone to is early evaluation - that is, making a snap judgment based on something the speaker said without hearing them out completely. Snap judgments lead to interruption, which is not only rude but a sure sign of an ineffective listener. Whether you agree or disagree with a speaker, hear them out to the end before responding.

3. Listen To HOW Something Is Being Said - There is more to listening than just absorbing the words being spoken. A speaker's posture, their tone, inflection and any other gestures or motion need to be assimilated as well. How something is being said is every bit as important as what is being said.

4. Send Nonverbal Cues That You Are Listening - Communication is a two-way street; the listener may not be talking, but they are still expected to communicate with whomever they are listening to. Mostly, a speaker wants reassurance that they are being heard. Match their eye contact, nod your head when appropriate and learn forward with a look of intent and interest. This will also help with your focus.

5. Use Paraphrasing To Improve Your Listening - Like taking notes, paraphrasing is another technique that will help sharpen and hone your listening skills. Effective paraphrasing is completely dependent on how well you listened. Paraphrasing can also be used to show someone that their message was delivered successfully and understood.

6. Ask Questions - Not every message is understood on the first attempt, however, and might require clarification. But that clarification is the listener's responsibility. If you do not understand everything a speaker says, it is imperative that you ask questions. Follow-up questions are the truest sign of an attentive, active listener. More importantly, you cannot perform your job 100% if you do not have a clear understanding of what is expected of you.
   
   Summary: Effective listening starts with a conscious effort on your end. It is important to recognize the difference between hearing someone and listening to someone. When listening, display signs of interest. Taking notes will help you focus on a speaker, and will also supply you with material to use when paraphrasing or asking follow-up questions. Remember, communication in the workplace is absolutely essential, but it does not occur naturally - it takes practice.

Tip #287: 9 Tips To Help You Prepare For Retirement

There Is A Lot More To Know About Retirement Than Most People Realize.

Retirement is expensive, and for the overwhelming majority of us, retirement is absolutely essential. If you want to avoid pulling your hair out over stress during the later stages of your employment, you better learn all that you can now and draw up a plan based on what you learn.

9 Tips To Help You Prepare For Retirement:

1. Know Your Retirement Requirements - Experts estimate that you will need about 70% of your preretirement income in order to maintain your standard of living after you retire. For lower earners, up to 90% or more might be required.

2. Learn About Social Security Benefits - Social Security only pays, on average, about 40% of preretirement earnings. That means the remaining 30-50% needs to come from money you set aside. To learn more about Social Security benefits, call the Social Security Administration at (800) 772-1213.

3. Pension And Profit Sharing Plans - There are all sorts of benefit plans out there: Benefits from previous employment, benefits from a spouse's plan and any benefits currently available to you. Request an individual benefit statement from your employer to learn more, and learn more about protecting your pension by consulting an expert.

4. Tax-Sheltered Savings Plans - The most common of these is the 401(k) plan, although there are several other types of tax-sheltered savings plans. The best thing you can do for yourself is to sign up for a 401(k) plan and contribute as much as you can. It can lower your taxes and accumulate more money over time through compound interest and tax deferrals.

5. No Plan Where You Work? Ask For One - Not every retirement solution is complex. Simplified employment pensions are available to certain employers. So if your employer does not offer a retirement plan already, suggest that they do and recommend ordering IRS Publication 590 for more information.

6. Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) - Another smart investment is an Individual Retirement Account, into which you can put up to $4,000 a year and gain tax advantages. There are two types of IRA - the traditional IRA and the newer Roth IRA. What separates the two is the treatment of your contributions and withdrawals. Also, the after-tax value of a withdrawal differs based on the type of IRA selected.

7. Resist Tapping Into Savings - Dipping into your retirement savings is a big no-no. Doing so will result in loss of principal and interest, and could possibly even compromise your tax benefits. When changing jobs, immediately move savings directly into an IRA or a new retirement plan.

8. Get Started Sooner, Not Later - There is no right or wrong time to start saving. The best time is now - to get a jump on things. The sooner you start putting away for retirement, the more time that money has to grow.

9. Do Not Hesitate To Ask Questions - These tips are only designed to provide casual insight into retirement planning. You should use this e-tip as a springboard to conduct more extensive research on your own. Pose questions to anyone who might know something about this subject - your employer, your union, your bank, your financial advisor, etc. Get some advice, get a plan, then get started.

Summary: Proper preparation for retirement calls for more than just signing up for a 401(k) and shoveling money into it regularly. If you want to come out on top when you retire, you need to realize that retirement is expensive. Develop a plan, set goals and stick to it. If you learn the system inside and out and get a jump start on your savings you will be retiring in style when the time comes.

Tip #286: How Telecommuting Can Benefit You & Your Business

Telecommuting Can Save A Business Money.

Think about it. Why shell out for an employee's work-related expenditures, like gas, if they can perform their tasks just as efficiently from the comfort of their own home? Furthermore, money can be saved by downscaling the office space required to run your business.

5 Things To Consider About Telecommuting:

1. Telecommuting As Compensation - As I mentioned earlier, telecommuting is on its way to becoming a norm in the workplace. Work-related costs, such as gas, are causing many businesses to compensate employee expenses. Among their various options, telecommuting is one of the most affordable.

2. Is Telecommuting Viable For You? - As nice as it would be to call a trip downstairs your ride to work, not every job can be performed from home. This is something you should consider before hastily pitching your telecommuting proposal. But if your job can be performed via e-mail, remote desktop, internal messengers and/or video conferencing, telecommuting might be right for you.

3. The Cost To Telecommute - Telecommuting can be cost effective, yes, but that does not mean it is 100% of the time for 100% of the businesses out there. For as much as you think telecommuting could save you, it could also cost you. Think of what you may need at home: an extra phone line/work cell phone, fax machine, work-dedicated computer, broadband internet connection and the proper space to conduct your work.

4. Document Your Expenses - One of the perks of telecommuting is the potential for a home office deduction come tax time. However, claiming a home office deduction can be tricky. There are a lot of IRS hoops to jump through for this claim. The best thing you can do is to get everything in writing. Get a letter from your employer outlining how the arrangement benefits the business, not just you. Also, keep tabs on all your work-related expenses, like those mentioned above in Tip #3.

5. Put Your Employer's Needs First - When proposing a telecommuting arrangement, always spin your angle so it emphasizes the benefits of your employer and not what it can do for you. Be sure to present some hard facts, like statistics, as they tend to strengthen your cause more so than an emotional appeal.

Summary: The rapid onset of new technologies in the past forty years has drastically altered the office landscape. Soon it will be just as common for a business to operate virtually as it is to run one conventionally. There are several things to consider before making the switch to telecommuting, however. In particular, focus on how telecommuting benefits the business, not you. Make sure you will be able to do your job just as well at home, without any loss to productivity or efficiency.

Tip #285: Think Green: 7 Tips To Reduce Paper Waste

These days, "thinking green" is part of our every day lives - including the workplace - but it does not require a major overhaul to make this a reality for your business. In fact, some battles can be won simply by shifting attitudes, like the attitudes towards paper usage.

Going Green WILL Save Your Business Money.

There are many efficient ways to reduce the amount of paper your company uses. Some only require the click of a mouse, e.g., changing print margins on a word document from the default 1.25'' to 1". By making this change through your business, you can reduce paper usage by 8%. It really is that simple.

6 Tips For Reducing Office Paper Waste:

1. Use Both Sides Of The Paper - This should be obvious. By using the front and back of a piece of paper, you cut your paper use - and paper costs - in half. There is no reason for multiple paged documents not to be printed double-sided. For one-sided documents intended for one-time use, reuse the blank side for draft work or scratch paper.

2. Only Print What Is Necessary - Any time you go to print, ask yourself if it is really necessary to print the item in question. If only some of the page requires printing, be selective about what you print. That is, use "print selection" to print exactly what you need instead of printing the whole page or document.

3. Go Electronic Whenever You Can - Nowadays sending information electronically is almost always faster and more secure than sending information out over fax or mailed letters, and in the process cuts down on paper usage.

4. Start Recycling In The Office - If your office is not already recycling paper products, now is the time to start - especially since it will save your company money. Furthermore, consider purchasing recycled-content paper made from paper pulp recycled without the use of chlorine, as it helps protect against air and water pollution.

5. Maintain Your Printers/Copiers - Properly maintained copiers are less likely to jam or error while printing, which results in wasted paper. Since printing in an office is unavoidable, it is generally smart to keep copiers and printers in good repair anyway.

6. Think Smart When You Print - Excess paper can cost you money in many ways. For instance, a 10-page single-sided report being mailed out will cost twice as much in paper usage and additional postage charges. By printing double-sided, you will save money in a variety of ways.

Summary: It might not seem like much, but changing your printing and paper usage habits in the workplace can go a long way. This small change requires no costs and absolutely no sacrifice, but still saves your company a bundle in paper costs while exercising green business practices. So if for no other reasons than the ones listed above, you should go green and get the most from your paper. If nothing else, it is just smart business.

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