June 9, 2016 by

Do You Quiet The Noise?

Do You Quiet The NoiseThere are distractions galore today and much more than before! Do you quiet the noise? Here is the reason for this question… when you are working do you silence your cell phone, sign off of all social media, sign out from any email accounts, turn off the TV and in essence create a bubble of silence around you for a period of time?

A number of my clients enjoy working with music on – from their Spotify Account or Apple Music. They tell me it is a form of relaxation to them and the absolute quiet is almost as distracting as too much noise.

There are others who work in an office environment where numerous TV monitors are preset and on all day long to anything from CNBC, MSNBC, CNN among the options. They tell me that they actually tune it out to the point where they are not hearing any of the specific stories. It is almost a version of their noise cancelling device.

How about you? Go to the comment section of this article and share. Let us know What do you do about the noise?

There are other folks who take a different approach.

One personality utilizes the complete ear plug insertion. Yes, they actually place earplugs into their outer ear canal in order to shut out the noise. Did you know there are different levels of ear plugs available depending upon how much sound you may wish to allow in? You may see this at work and at play. Look around next time in your spin class or other workout room where some feel the music is too loud. You may see this as well at a club or even a rock concert.

Another personality is best described as the always plugged in person. No matter where or when they always have headphones or earphones connected to a device playing some type of music. Always as in while working, eating, sleeping and often during a meeting or a first date. Yes, this is true, sad but true.

Are you one of these two personalities? Tell us your story in the comments section of this article.

It is my suggestion to do what works best for you with one caveat. Be respectful and be a social person. Be aware of your performance. It is possible too much distraction going on may cause a drop off in your performance and/or productivity.

Mitch Tublin is an advanced certified coach, trainer and professional speaker based in Stamford, CT.

Are you in career transition or in a rut? Did you know that Mitch specializes in one-on-one coaching with clients in person, on the phone and on Skype? If you are in a rut and are ready to get out isn’t it time? Contact Mitch here.

Filed Under: Business Environment, Habits Tagged With: , , , ,
September 17, 2015 by

The Results of The CNN Political Debate

cnn

[Ritu Jethani] © 123RF.COM

Last night, in fact as this article is being written, CNN held a three hour debate by the Republican Candidates making the cut for the eleven allocated spots. For anyone who complains about watching a baseball game on TV – seriously three hours?

Here are the results of the CNN Political Debate…  

Not exactly! Here is the question for you in your life and your specific business: Is there a result from this debate which would definitively impact your life or your specific business one way or another?

Please do share this with all of us in the comments section.

The remark often made is that Mr. Trump is an entertainer and therefore he has no place in politics. Wouldn’t it be closer to the truth to say that the political environment which we have today, demands a candidate who is an entertainer?

In the grand scheme of life what is exactly changed by these debates? These are shows put on by either cable or broadcast TV in order to attract viewers and sell commercial time which translates across the board into making money. Mmm?

Sounds a lot like entertainment to me? 25 MILLION estimated viewers were tuning in to be entertained!

For a number of years my travels for work often took me to London, among numerous other international locations. One piece of advice given to me was: “Don’t talk about religion or politics, don’t talk about futbal unless you know what you are talking about and never, ever, ever talk about the Queen! Based upon this advice no stand is being taken here in support of any political party or aspiring candidate. For those in the small business community what do these debates or politics in general do for you in your life or in your business?

Seriously, help me out here – talk to me, what is it that is missing or not clear to me?

It is not to say that the topics covered are not important. They are seriously important. Not one single second was spent discussing how to help the growth of the small business owner. Not one single second was spent speaking about the crushing regulations placed upon the small business owners. Possibly worse is – not one question was asked to bring this topic of conversation to the forefront.

Consider the following: A report by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics stated in the third quarter of 2013 total net job growth by firms with 1–49 employees accounted for 40 percent which was 41 percent for large firms with 500 or more employees!

You cannot overlook the role of small business in understanding the state of the economy in the U.S. Small business owners are innovators and entrepreneurs and are the backbone of our communities – their power should not be underestimated!

It you believe these statements of fact – how in the world is it possible that not one single second during this political debate was spent speaking about small business?

Mitch Tublin is an advanced certified executive coach and business consultant who resides in Stamford, CT.

Filed Under: Business Environment, Small Business Tagged With: , , , , , ,
April 24, 2015 by

U DRIVE U TEXT U PAY – Are U DISTRACTED at Work?

U DRIVE   U TEXT   U PAY

distracted-at-workThis is the latest slogan in use to get the attention of the numerous already very distracted drivers of vehicles. The point is – it is a warning that you will be getting a fairly expensive moving violation ticket if you are caught texting while driving. The amount of the fine gets progressively higher as you are issued the next ticket for this offense.

The more important point of this slogan and the effort by the local and State Police is the prevention of the recently higher and higher number of accidents caused by distracted drivers. The numbers are staggering. At least ten percent of drivers are utilizing, looking at or holding onto some type of electronic hand held device while driving. The ten percent number seems low to me based upon my unscientific look around at other drivers while driving. Probably should not do that either as it is distracting.

What may be even worse is the children in the car see the driver texting while driving. Think about it – these are the future drivers who will model what they are seeing from the passenger seat when they are the one behind the wheel.

Which brings me to the point of this article – Are U DISTRACTED at work? The most recent survey conducted of the workforce in the U.S.A. and the U.K. reflected 28 percent to 35 percent of the workforce are fully disengaged from their work, while at work. Close to 44 percent do not respect or even like their managers or leadership at their workplace.

These numbers tell many stories. In fact, these figures would easily support an article about leadership, motivation, culture and much more. For now let’s focus on distractions in the workplace. Specifically, if the distracted driving epidemic exists and pervades our society out on the roads, similarly the handheld devices are a cause for distraction at work.

Further the desktop PC, laptop or any connection to the world outside may be a cause for distractions in the workplace. Here is the rub. A workplace in a lock down mode is setting itself up for a huge problem. The up and coming workforce in the age group under 35 years old right now is not interested in working in this type of an environment. Ask anyone in this age group and they will tell you they are able to quickly scan a few sites or newsfeeds and be caught up on anything going on anywhere on any topic. In a few minutes they are able to assess who is thinking about what on any topic with a few taps on the keys going through their social media accounts.

These are not distractions. These are attributes and tools to be properly utilized in the context of the position in the business held by this person. Unfortunately in many cases the job description is crafted by legal or by someone who has rewritten the former job description from a 1980’s manual.

It is time to assess what is a distraction at work and what attributes may be brought to the table to add value by enabling the broader utilization of the internet in a variety of job functions.

Mitch Tublin is an advanced certified personal and executive coach who resides in Stamford, CT.

Would you like to have a new culture in your business and workplace? Contact Mitch for a consultation to make this a reality

Filed Under: Business Environment, Business Structure Tagged With: , , , , ,
July 11, 2014 by

Do People Feel Your Passion For Your Business?

passionAfter a recent talk, one of the audience members came up to me and said, “Your passion in your delivery from the stage, it was, I mean, I felt it!”

What the person does not know is the amount of practice hours that went into the delivery of the talk! The passion was real and there right where it needed to be.

How about you in your business? Are your customers able to feel your passion for what you do? Do people comment to you on how passionate you are?

Your passion for what you do can absolutely be felt by others. It definitely becomes part of the reason people buy from you and return to buy from you. This transcends a product or a service based business. Your passion may be felt in either case by your clients, customers and potential clients and customers.

How do you stay passionate if you are feeling a bit less passionate than before?

Take a look at what you are doing now compared to what you were doing when you were most passionate. If the more enjoyable activities are seeing less of your time, for example you are strategizing and managing the business more and you find these areas to be laborious, then switch back to spending more of your time doing the activities you find to be enjoyable. You will still need to run the business. It just does not have to run you.

There are situations where boredom begins to settle in. The business has started to become consistent. You have assembled a great team. Now you feel a bit bored.

One way to snap out of this feeling is to learn something new.  For example: maybe you always wanted to write. You just never took the time. Why not begin a newsletter or a blog for your business and write the content yourself?

Another example would be to grow your business into other geographical areas or Internationally. When you review your original goals and plans as you are creating your new plans do not be shocked to find your passion returning as strong as ever.

The point is do not ignore the signs of losing your passion. It is difficult to describe, yet often those around you probably noticed a change in you even before you recognized the change yourself.

Mitch Tublin is an advanced certified executive and personal coach who resides in Stamford, CT.

Filed Under: Business Environment, Inspiration Tagged With: , , ,
July 3, 2013 by

Have a Blast for Business Success

blastWhat is the culture of your workplace? This is the same question for small business owners and larger business operations. It has been said by John C. Maxwell, the New York Times Best Selling Author and Leadership Guru, that culture beats strategy every time. Is your workplace a ‘check your smile and fun at the door’ type of place?

Recently it took me off guard during a visit to a relative start up company to hear some of the conversations about the office politics. One would assume due to the sheer massive size of Google or Facebook that these companies have taken on some of the poor cultural behavior of some other ‘old school’ business operations. The fact that a relative start up was creating political strife, silos and other dysfunctional behavior opened my eyes to certain issues.

The lack of leadership will always present itself in an organization. When leaders lead from the top and set a mindset and behavior for others to follow, these issues do not appear. If they should arise, others will rapidly step in and end the issues through teaching, facilitation of group meetings or other means, in order to set the proper tone.

There is a belief that organizations that are run by younger, more entrepreneurial types, are more in tune with the new generation of younger and more tech oriented workforce. This may not be true at all. Consider a seasoned professional who has raised a few children and has interacted with them and their friends for years all the way through and passed college into the work force. This professional, along with years of parenting may be many times more tuned into the new and younger generation than a single, ‘it is all about me’ CEO of a young high tech company.

Okay, now it has happened again, the flood gates have been opened! Who wrote the book that says everyone needs to be miserable at work?

“How’s it going today?”

“Oh, You know, same ol’ same ol’. How about you?”

“Yeah, another day, another dollar.”

How about lighting up some fireworks and make people smile at work (do not actually set off fireworks in your office, please). Yes, have a blast off meeting to start the day, one day a week. Get people smiling and looking forward to being at their job. There is no reason people cannot enjoy being productive.

Mitch Tublin is an advanced certified executive and personal coach who resides in Stamford, CT.

Filed Under: Business Environment, Business Strategy Tagged With: , , , ,
June 26, 2013 by

Where is Your Sense of Urgency in Your Business?

Business Urgency“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is; “What are you doing for others?”

– Martin Luther King, Jr.

The decision to have your own business is a feeling of freedom and fear blended together. On the one hand, we feel free. Free from the need and requirement of answering to people who we feel have the purpose of keeping us back, of keeping a lid on us. We are able to control our own destiny. We design our work day the way we desire. The results we achieve are from our efforts and our team we put together.

On the other hand, we need to meet payroll. We feel we have no one to turn to and speak with about our concerns or issues we are having with the business. We have to learn. We must continue to grow. We need to run our business, stay current, keep networking, know the competition, be a leader, know your numbers and more.

It has been said that companies in the software business must release their newest product when they are 70 percent to 80 percent ready. Put it out there and obtain feedback and then send out patches and newer versions. The theory and practice is – if you wait for perfection, it will never come, there will always be something else to fix or revise.

Where in your business are you seeking perfection? There are times when there is a learning curve. Who sets the time table?  Where is the urgency to make certain the time to learn is not taking away the time to the market?

The best solution for a business owner to create accountability for themselves is to work with an executive coach on a regular basis. As the business owner you will have regularly scheduled meetings or phone calls where your specific areas of concern will be discussed. You will be called out on areas requiring urgency. A deep network may potentially be opened to you. You may be invited to join a roundtable. A roundtable made up of people just like you. Business owners who are dealing with similar challenges each day as you are everyday in your business.

You probably have heard the statement, “it is lonely at the top”, but it does not have to be this way. Anyone who feels this way is choosing to feel this way. The choice to create a relationship with an executive coach and possibly to join a roundtable are both examples of how to not be lonely at the top. Your executive coach will provide you with a confidential sounding board. Look at the best athletes as an example. Each of them, regardless of their sport, work with a coach to keep them sharp in their areas of expertise.

Mitch Tublin is an advance certified executive and personal coach who resides in Stamford, CT.

Filed Under: Business Environment, Business Structure, Coach Mentor, Habits Tagged With: , , , ,
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