Multi - Tasking - An Effective And An Ineffective Behavior

There are two sides to multi – tasking. It's keeping a lot of balls in the air without dropping the important ones. It's getting more done with less. It's being effective with the resources available. It demands a high level of energy and commitment. But it's also the enemy of focus. It can be the enemy of effectiveness. Multi – tasking can be the friend of Resistance – that force that keeps us from doing the really important stuff. Multi – tasking can keep us thinking about what we're not doing, rather than focusing on what's in front of us.

I just read an article on MSNBC about a media multi -tasking study. The study was conducted by Stanford University and used college students who were either heavy media multi-taskers or not. The study concluded that the heavy users of media multi – tasking found it more difficult to focus and concentrate, and found it harder to ignore unimportant information than did the not heavy users.

This took a Stanford study to figure out? And the researchers were surprised by the results? I'm shocked that they were shocked. Whether it's media multi – tasking, or any other kind, there's a fine line between getting things done and just being busy.

I know that because every day I fight the urge to be busy as the means of fooling myself into thinking I'm effective. And multi - tasking plays right into the hands of that mysterious force called Resistance that fights like crazy to keep me from doing the things I know need to be done. Multi - tasking can be like a magnet for “thin things”– attracting all the stuff that hangs around the edges and calls for attention. And it feels so good to do the “thin things” - rearranging E Mail files – reading all the accumulated professional journals – organizing the picture files on the hard drive.

An example of "thin things" was on The Apprentice show a few years ago. An accountant who was part of a team competing to complete a complex project appointed herself as the keeper of the balance sheet. The team ended up losing – but their balance sheet was great. It contributed little to the project. She was fired by Trump. She made the mistake of working on “thin things” rather than the main things.

Successful multi – taskers know how important focus is. They know focusing for a substantial period of time on the really important things – the true meaning of “Quality Time” - takes real work. Focusing requires saying no – accepting that certain unimportant things will not get done – or will get done at another time or by someone else. Focusing requires identifying and prioritizing the really important stuff. And it requires the self discipline to not be distracted by all the lightweight, interesting, easy stuff that floats by on the breeze.

Successful multi - taskers know how easy it is to lose focus and cross over that line between being effective and just being busy. They use goals to help them stay on track – even when distractions and demands are coming at them hot and heavy. They know circumstances can change things in the blink of an eye. But they also know that goals can help them get back on course quickly and not lose sight of the main things.

To ensure multi – tasking is a personal strength, examine your own approach to it. We all need to do some of it – some more than others. Busy behavior can become addicting - take the time to analyze what you're doing and why you're doing it. And if the answer is to meet important goals – you're on target. If, on the other hand, much of it is to keep from doing something else that's more important, take the time to develop or modify the few main goals needed to keep focus where it should be. And then work those goals as the way to break loose from the busyness addiction.

Written by Andy Cox, President

Cox Consulting Group, 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph& Fax: 602-795-4100; E Mail: acox@coxconsultgroup.com;Website:www.coxconsultgroup.com; Blog: http://multiplysuccess.blogspot.com

Copyright 200 All Rights Reserved

The Six Steps Of A Project

Reading about the trials and tribulations of Boeing as it brings the 787 Dreamliner to market reminded me of a poster I saw in a clients office. It described the Six Steps Of A Project. They are:

1 - Enthusiasm
2 - Disillusionment
3 - Panic
4 - Search for the Guilty
5 - Punishment of the Innocent
6 - Praise and Glory for the Nonparticipants

At first I thought they were funny, but then realized in humor there is a lot of truth.

Fortunately, unlike the Four Stages of Change - Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing, that always happen in any and all projects and change, the Six Steps, while fairly common, don't. They are reserved for those efforts that really get off the rails, and where the organizational culture focuses on blame rather than problem solving.


I've been the fly on the wall at enough project meetings to know what's going on in the minds of many of the team members.

Here's what one member of a project team may have thought while working through the Six Steps of a project.

Step 1 - Enthusiasm - "High hopes, everyone's on board, we're gonna make this happen - fast. Yeah, sure we're optimistic, but why not? The Project Manager assures me we've learned from the past projects, he knows where the landmines are planted, and we're not going to make the same mistakes - we're smarter than that. Let's go!"

Stage 2 - Disillusionment - "Damn, this is harder than we thought! We really bagged ourselves with that pie - in - the - sky estimate of time to market. I feel like the Old Cowboy in the painting the Boss has on his wall - the one with the caption "There were some things I didn't know about this outfit before I hired on" Ain't that the truth. I wasn't here for the last project, but there are plenty of people telling me it had a lot of the same problems. Gotta keep a positive perspective, but with so many expectations coming up short, I don't know."

Stage 3 - Panic - "Yikes, we're really in the tank on this one. Whose idea was this anyway? Everything we try turns to crap before our very eyes. I didn't know it could be piled this high. The Boss has made it clear he's going to get to the bottom of this pile of you know what, and when he finds out how, why and who screwed things up, it's really going to hit the fan. I don't want to be downwind when that happens."

Stage 4 - Search For The Guilty - "Time to pull the hatch covers shut and hunker down and do what I'm told to do with a "Yessir" and not take any chances. Time to show up on time for those endless status meetings, keep quiet, take notes, look interested and don't make any waves. Bad time for vacations, sick days, seminars or anything else that might make me vulnerable and question my effort. Scratch those Saturday golf games. 24/7 - here we go! I really do want this project to succeed, but I know how easy it is to get caught in the cross hairs when the chiefs are looking to blame somebody. And the person that takes it in the ear seems to always be the person at the bottom of the food chain."


5 - Punishment of the Innocent - "Well, the Project Manager got up and gave his report on where we are in this project, what we have to do to recover and move ahead and what the issues are that need to be put to bed. He didn't get much of a response. There was no discussion from his bosses. They didn't seem that interested in what he had to say. The writing is on the wall, but it's hard to see what he's done that would put him in jeopardy. But the result is we're behind schedule, over budget and nobody is happy. Hope he survives this - he's actually a pretty good guy. If he doesn't, I really want that Old Cowboy painting from his office.

6 - Praise and glory for the non participants - "We got a new Project Manager about three months ago and everything is moving along according to the revised schedule - the one the old Project Manager did. The new PM got a bigger budget and brought in talent to help beef up the Engineering effort, and she obviously has the ear of the the top people. Funny, when she has a meeting and tells the bosses the same stuff the old PM would tell them, they agree and encourage her to press on. We all feel the project is on track, but we can't help but feel the old PM got screwed. He was the shock troop - took the crap - did the modifying and communicated the status without any BS, and the last reward he got was the opportunity to take six months with pay to find a new job. This project wouldn't have gotten off the ground without his effort. Guess he was the wrong person at the wrong time. Too bad. Timing is everything. But that's the way it goes. If anybody asks me to take on a new project, I'm going to say "No Thanks." Better to be safe than sorry. The new PM gave me the the Old Cowboy painting, but told me to take it home - she said it's message is too negative."

If this self conversation sounds familiar to you, it's only because so many project teams get tied up in this kind of scenario. You can bet the team members in this project will think twice before taking risk - and that's too bad. I suspect that in blame cultures a great deal of talent ends up playing it safe - and that's a real waste of talent.

Work to promote problem solving cultures - ones that plan with the Four Stages of Change in mind - at every level. The result of that effort is a much higher level of commitment and engagement. Make the blame game obsolete.

Written by Andy Cox, President

Cox Consulting Group, 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph & Fax: 602-795-4100; E Mail: acox@coxconsultgroup.com;Website:www.coxconsultgroup.com; Blog: http://multiplysuccess.blogspot.com

Copyright 2009 All Rights Reserved

The Key To Personal Power - Know Who You Are

The most powerful and successful people are those who know who they are. That sounds like a no brainer, but it isn't. They know that they are first, the person they think they are; second, the person they want others to think they are, and third; the person others actually think they are. Successful people – people who meet and exceed their goals - work hard getting to know who they are, and work hard to align their three different persons.

When all three are understood and aligned, a tremendous amount of personal power is generated. To the extent that the three persons are different from what their owners believe them to be, potential never becomes power – it's wasted – in sales, in relationships, in negotiations. How can there be clarity in relationships if there is poor personal clarity?

Remember the movie "Dirty Harry?" When Clint Eastwood's character, Harry, describes someone as a "legend in their own mind?" It was a funny line in the movie – not so funny in real life. We all know at least one "legend in their own mind" kind of person. They are people who don't know who they are, on any level – even though they think they do.

I have a friend who sees himself as kind, warm, caring, a good listener and particularly skilled at problem solving. He just couldn't understand why he had such poor personal relationships in the software development company where he worked. He was shocked to find out, after going through a personal assessment and 360 assessment process, that others saw him as highly controlling, a poor listener, a person you couldn’t discuss a problem with without his telling you exactly how to fix it, and a very domineering personality. Quite a gap between what he thought others thought of him and what he thought of himself. Did he change to be more like what he thought others saw? Yes and no. What he did do was take the description of how others saw him, share it , and use the knowledge he gained to better understand the effect he had on people – and the effect they had on him. His comfort zone with his friends, co workers and family went up, as did their comfort zone with him – and the differences in perceptions actually became a source of humor in their relationships. His personal power went way up – he took the time and effort to identify his three persons and share that information. People respect that.

The acquisition of the knowledge of who you are and how you impact others is powerful on all levels and in all types of relationships.

So how does one go about getting this priceless information about themselves so they can apply it to their lives, their careers and their interpersonal relationships?

Step One - You gotta want the information and you gotta commit to the time and effort it takes to get it. This sounds so obvious, but for many people self discovery is really scary, or unnecessary – because they believe they already know themselves quite well. (In my experience, the people that are most convinced that they already know themselves are the ones that would benefit the most from knowing more.) The other reason people resist this process is the concern that they will have to change. Change may be an outcome, but the software developer didn't change his behaviors, but broadened his knowledge of himself and shared that with his people.

Step Two – Take an assessment of your Behaviors, Attitudes and Motivators and Personal Skills. Use a highly validated, professionally developed assessment process that can provide you with usable information . Be prepared to be surprised at what the assessment reports tell you about you. For many people, its a real eye opener! Online personality tests are not the answer – they provide the kind of superficial information that doesn't lend itself to gaining real self knowledge.

Step Three – Enlist the help of people you trust in your process of discovery. Consider them your Mastermind group - dedicated to helping you get to know yourself better. Be sure to offer them your help in their own process of discovery. Be sure the people in your group have observed and been engaged with you at work, at play, or at home.

Step Four– Use a qualified professional and a validated 360 degree process to get feedback from your group on who they think you are. This process can be very targeted or very generic – the important thing is that your group provide information that allows you to reach a better understanding of how others see you, and adds to the body of self knowledge gained by taking the assessments.

If the use of a professional and a validated process are outside your means, do this:
- Develop a list of descriptor words or phrases that you feel describe you – no less than ten, no more than twenty – take them from your assessment report.
- Give your group three alternatives in their answers to each descriptor – either Agree, Disagree or Don't Know. Have your group complete it. Use check marks – you want to assure your group that their individual responses can't be traced to them – that guarantees getting better responses. Provide space for your group members to provide additional descriptors of how they see your behavior.
- Review and compile the results. Be prepared to be surprised.

Step Five – Whether using a professional process or a self developed process, review the results with the members of your group. This can be a tough one. It's purpose is to better understand the responses of the group – not to make individuals in the group defend their responses. In analyzing the responses, look for the biggest differences between your three persons – those give you the strongest indications of where you need to seek greater alignment.

Step Six - Set up a Personal Development plan – use the information you've gained to help guide you toward better alignment of your three persons.

At this point, you've come a long way toward creating the kind of personal clarity that leads to greater success. You now have developed priceless information that you can use every day to be more effective in your relationships. It's not easy, but the results, in so many different parts of life, are worth the emotional investment.

Written by Andy Cox, President

Cox Consulting Group, 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph & Fax: 602-795-4100; E Mail: acox@coxconsultgroup.com;Website:www.coxconsultgroup.com; Blog: http://multiplysuccess.blogspot.com

Copyright 2009 All Rights Reserved

Grit and Goals - The Cornerstones to Success

In today's environment our definitions of what represents success may have changed, but the personal qualities that create the opportunity for success haven't. And when things are really tough, as they are right now for so many, it's essential to review where we stand with those essential qualities.


A recent Boston Globe article concludes that genius will get you somewhere, but to get to the top you have to have grit. The article goes on to say that recent research indicates old fashioned virtues such as conscientiousness and perseverance are better determinants of success than intelligence.


That conclusion would come as no surprise to Ralph Waldo Emerson, who passed away at the age of 78 on April 27, 1882. In his classic Press On, he said:

“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not : Nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not: unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”

Far be it from me to change what Emerson wrote, but I do believe amending his writing to “focused determination and persistence “ would be an appropriate change – and I think he would agree.

In an article in Business Week, Angela Duckworth, a psychologist at The University of Pennsylvania states that after tracking the careers of her classmates at Harvard, she concluded that the most successful were the ones that identified a goal early on and stuck with it, rather than the equally smart folks that flitted from one thing to another.

Whether its the Boston Globe, Ralph Waldo Emerson or Angela Duckworth, all agree an essential ingredient to success is grit, or call it self discipline, persistence, determination – they are all part of the same thing.

Grit is another way of describing someone who sticks with it, doesn't let obstacles keep them from moving ahead and finishes what they start. It describes someone who focuses on an outcome and strives to meet it – realizing that flexibility is required – knowing that when things don't go well, they can adapt and seek resources to help them press on. In the classic movie True Grit, the title describes the heroine – a young woman who is determined to find and bring to justice the killer of her father. She succeeds – it's not easy and she has help – but she never gives up until he is brought to justice.

And the other cornerstone is goals – goals that concentrate and focus the energy of all that grit, self discipline, determination and persistence rather than letting them diffuse and be lost to too many little things. In todays environment, with so many of those different things demanding attention, goals are a critical element of striving for success.

The importance of having both cornerstones reminds me of the story of the man walking in the woods. A runner passes him going at full speed . After about an hour, the same runner passes the walker again – and this time the walker shouts “ Where are you going?” and the runner shouts back over his shoulder “ I don't know, I'm too busy getting there!”

I suspect many of those people Emerson described – the ones with talent, with education, with genius - failed as much from not being focused on the important few as they did from a lack of determination and persistence.

Without goals, even the most disciplined, energetic person simply can't sustain the focus and drive necessary for success. It's impossible to be single minded and focused without goals. But with goals, grit gets fed and grows. And with grit, goals are met, and then redefined to even higher levels of achievement.

A friend of mine was told by his boss that there was such a thing as being too smart, too talented, too educated. He said that happened when those qualities resulted in straying from the few most important things. The boss agreed that Google can be great – Wikipedia can be great – but they can lead the curious astray, and take energy and time from the most important things. That boss said the remedy to that temptation was to stay focused on goals – written goals - every day. He advised my friend to not confuse the attainment of knowledge with the attainment of goals. That boss was right.

Now's the time to take a look at your own cornerstones. Circumstances and changes in conditions can erode any foundation. Give yourself a test. Ask yourself what are the three most important goals in your life. Ask what are the three most important goals you have to meet this quarter, this month this week. Then ask if those short term goals support your three most important long term goals. Your answers - or the lack of them - will tell you what to do – and what you need to do to build an even stronger set of cornerstones for future success.

Written by Andy Cox, President

Cox Consulting Group, 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph & Fax: 602-795-4100; E Mail: acox@coxconsultgroup.com;Website:www.coxconsultgroup.com; Blog: http://multiplysuccess.blogspot.com

Copyright 2009 All Rights Reserved