Inspiration | Elisa K. Spain

Multitasking Isn’t All Bad

February 14, 2016February 12, 2016 by Elisa Spain1 Comment

Multitasking might reduce productivity but it may also boost creativity. Research shows that at least at this stage of evolution, we humans are less productive when we multitask. Article after article reminds us we actually accomplish less multitasking than if we simply did one thing at a time and saw each task through to completion before starting the next one.

What these articles fail to mention is the impact of multitasking on creativity. Have you ever found that when designing a new product or creating a new program that taking a pause, working on something else and coming back to it actually boosts your creativity? A recent study detailed by David Burkus author of “The Myths of Creativity”, supports this experience.

The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Sydney and examined three groups of students tasked with completing an “alternate uses” test — a common creativity drill wherein subjects are given an object and asked to come up with as many uses for it as they can.

The first group was given four straight minutes to work on the exercise.

The second group was given two minutes to work on it, then told to work on a different creativity test — namely, they were tasked with coming up with synonyms for a list of words. They were then given two minutes to return to the original test.

The third group was given the same two minutes on — two minutes off — two minutes back on structure. But during the subjects’ two minutes off, rather than taking on a different creative task, were instead given the much more passive activity of completing a survey that asked them about themselves.

When the results came in, they were fairly stark. The first group, the one that worked for four minutes straight, generated an average of 6.9 ideas during the alternative use test. The second group, which took on creative work in between different legs of the alternative use test, generated 7.6. And the final group, which stepped away from creativity tasks for a few minutes, came up with 9.8 ideas.

In short, multi-tasking is not all bad. In fact, in the right circumstance it may actually be good. So, the next time you have a creative project you are working on, go ahead and stop, go do something completely different and more mundane and you may find a creative boost.

Ah, The Power Of Retrospection

February 7, 2016February 3, 2016 by Elisa SpainNo Comments

As part of the big purge, I had a wonderful realization. Looking back, all that stuff that seemed so important, turns out… really isn’t. If only we, especially as leaders, could see this prospectively.

And, we can. Once again, it is a matter of pausing. Simply stopping and asking the following questions:

Does what I am about to do, need doing? I find this one is particularly important to ask about the stuff that seems urgent, which leads to the second question.
Does what I am about to do, need doing, right now? I find, I must make a case to myself why it’s not urgent or I will just do it. In short, life really is not an emergency.
If it really does need doing, am I the right person to do it? The question isn’t will I do it better, it’s what is the best use of my time. And, if I do delegate it, can I do it with a realistic, rather than a now deadline?

Is It Empty Or Filled With Possibilities?

January 17, 2016 by Elisa SpainNo Comments

For the last month or so, my husband and I have been purging, shredding, scanning, throwing away, and donating stuff. We decided to welcome the new year with less.

For me, less stuff opens up possibilities. Less stuff gives us the freedom to go where we want, if we want, now or in the future. The way I see it, getting rid of stuff opens up space; space to expand and to more easily see and access the things that bring me joy; and in some cases, exchange the old for the new.

For others, stuff is what connects us to the past. Without stuff tightly filling a space, rather than an opening, there is a void, a loss to mourn or a fear of what the future might hold.

Opportunity or emptiness? Abundance or scarcity? These are questions to ask ourselves, as we choose to lighten our collection of stuff (or not).

It's That Time Again…

January 3, 2016 by Elisa SpainNo Comments

What time? In business we call it goal setting time. In our personal lives we call them “new year’s resolutions”.

Here’s how Webster’s defines each of these:

Resolution: “to make a definite and serious decision to do something”

Goal: “something that you are trying to do or achieve”

Hmm, resolution sounds much more committed and yet, the common lore is resolutions are broken soon after made. Why is that?

Here’s the process most follow for business goals:

we set goals for the period
we prioritize the goals and choose the most important to focus on
we identify the steps we, and our team, need to take to get there
we identify the dependencies that exist and order the process accordingly
we establish monitoring systems and milestones, so we know how we are progressing toward the goal

In short, for business goals we have a process and for those who follow the process, results follow.

In my experience, working with business leaders, some follow a similar process for personal goals and many do not.

I wonder what has to change in our mindset for us to begin to treat personal goals or resolutions as “definite and serious” with the same level of importance as we do our business goals?

For some, it is a health scare that reminds us that life is short and our families depend on us.

Is that really the only way to get from here to there?

Are Your Expectations Too High Or Too Low?

December 13, 2015 by Elisa SpainNo Comments

How do you know?

Sometimes we set our sights too low and don’t achieve as much as we can.
Sometimes we expect too much from ourselves and constantly feel as though we don’t measure up.
Sometimes we expect too much from our team or our key vendors and they feel as though they can’t please us.
Sometimes we expect too little or don’t ask for what we really want from our employees or our vendors and we end up taking on too much ourselves instead.

How do we know which it is? For me the litmus test is this…

How often are our expectations of ourselves or others met?
What does our gut say about that percentage? Too high? Too low?
What then is the next step to get our expectations in line with what is possible?

Right People At The Right Time…

November 22, 2015 by Elisa SpainNo Comments

Most of the clients I have worked with over the years founded their businesses; same is true for the members of my Vistage CEO group. These folks often join Vistage because they want to grow and build a professionally managed business. They are grateful and loyal to the folks that helped them get started. And, sometimes these two objectives are at odds.

The CEO knows in his head that change won’t happen without changing some key players. (After all, if the folks that are there were going to get you where you wanted to be, you would be there already). And, in his heart he is torn.

As humans, when confronted with substantial change, particularly within a structure, the mind tends to go immediately to “what am I going to lose?” Often there is much to gain, occasionally something to lose, but this is our mind at work, much less than the process at work. The question becomes, how do we overcome these fears and realize that forward progress only comes with transformation?

Here are some questions to consider, as you think about your own evolution:

Owner: Am I in the right role in the organization? Am I best suited to be the investor, the operator, or both?
Owner: The age old question, are the right people in the right seats on the bus to get to the destination I want?
Owner or Key Executive: Am I spending most of my time do the things that are in my genius?
Owner or Key Executive: Am I performing at the same level (or higher) today as I was when I began? If not, what change could I make so that I am?
Owner or Key Executive: Am I making decisions out of loyalty rather than what is best for the organization? If so, what is the cost? And what really is loyalty?… Are we doing someone (or ourselves) a favor keeping them (staying) in a role that we are not excellent at? How might the organization (or I) benefit by moving on if I am not performing?

As Time Goes By….

November 15, 2015 by Elisa SpainNo Comments

Lots of talk these days about the increasing role the millennials are playing in the workplace. At the same time, many boomers remain in the workforce. The result: younger people managing folks older than them.

Millennials tell me they often feel uncomfortable in these situations. Today, I was talking with a young man taking over a family business. He shared with me that while he is excited about the opportunity, he is wondering why none of the “seasoned guys”, who have been with his father a long time, wanted to buy the business from his Dad. He is also wondering how they feel about him being their boss.

While the dynamics of a family business are different, I hear the same story from millennials in all types of organizations. And, I remember when I too was in a similar situation. I was 24 and became the manager of 3 divisions of a large company. Two of the direct managers were older than me and one was my age. Turned out the most challenging one, as you may have guessed, was with Nevin, the one my age. He wanted the job I had.

Here is what I learned from this experience. It is up to both the manager and the now junior employee to make it work. The best situation for me was with Rita, a graceful woman 30 years older than me. Rita didn’t want my job; she loved the job she had. And, while I was her boss, I learned a ton from her. She was gracious in sharing her wisdom and I credit her with helping me become a better leader. Nevin was a bigger challenge; we had some rough waters for some time. What we learned was there was a place for both of us and we could learn from each other. The result, we remained friends for many years to come. When I moved on, he took over the role I had, and years later, I introduced him to a friend who helped him launch a writing and speaking career he had dreamed of.

If this resonates with you, whether you are the boss in this situation or the older or peer subordinate, what are you doing to make the extra effort to make this work for both of you?

As The Leaves Begin To Fall….

November 8, 2015 by Elisa SpainNo Comments

Those of us in the northern climates are enjoying the annual fall display. For me, it is a reminder of the cyclicality of life and of business. Time to reflect on what has passed, celebrate our successes and remind ourselves that whatever may have been our failures, we get an opportunity in the new year to begin again.

In my experience, putting some intentionality, around what I want to happen, ups my chances of being able to look back at this time next year and notice and measure progress and success. With that in mind, I offer these questions to consider before the year comes to an end:

What was one significant 2015 accomplishment?
Have I articulated my vision for my team and have I validated that everyone knows what it is?
What is our theme for 2016?
What are our specific business objectives for 2016?
What are the specific initiatives (action items) for achieving these objectives?

Tell Me A Story…

November 1, 2015 by Elisa Spain1 Comment

We humans seem to learn best, relate best and connect best, with stories. As children we learn the culture and norms of our society from fairytales and fables told by our parents. In the beginning of communities and societies, we told stories to the members of our “tribes” to initiate them into the tribe.

In organizations, we learn the culture and norms of our company from stories. For our teams and our customers, the stories they hear about the company and the stories they tell about the company matter. And today they share stories within their social networks, spreading the stories so much further than was possible before (via Yelp, Glassdoor, Twitter, to name a few).

The questions that come to my mind are:

What stories are you telling yourself, your team, your customers?
Are you intentional about the content of these stories and who you are telling them to?
What greater impact could you have by telling stories and fables of your own?