This is all about when you do your work, rather than where you do it. And it’s usually remote, but not always.

With a traditional synchronous model, you and your team will keep similar hours, meeting and working together in real time – maybe online, maybe face to face. With asynchronous work, people do their part whenever they want or need to. And rather than talking to colleagues, they find out what to do by tapping into systems and databases.

Does that sound appealing to you, or a little bit isolating? Well, according to Martin, it depends on how it’s done.

The Asynchronous Mindset

Martin recently shared his experiences and tips in a new book, co-written with his business partner Rob Rawson, called “Running Remote: Master the Lessons From the World’s Most Successful Remote-Work Pioneers.” And it's a Wall Street Journal and Publishers Weekly Bestseller.

When I talked to him for the latest Mind Tools Expert Interview, Martin explained the “asynch mindset,” based on “deliberate over-communication, democratized workflow, and detailed metrics."

Here's an excerpt. (You can stream the audio clip below or read a transcript here.)

My Experience of Asynchronous Working

As an independent journalist, I’ve spent many years working remotely and asynchronously, with mixed results.

When I was doing a master’s degree in the U.K., asynchronous work offered a financial lifeline. I was an associate editor for a New York-based magazine, and I edited articles while my editor slept, sending completed work in time for when he switched on in the morning. This situation suited all of us.

Earlier in my career, I was the Mexico correspondent of an American business magazine. Based in Mexico City, I worked alone, day after day, keeping in touch with my editor in Houston via email and occasionally text and phone.

I thrived on the autonomy this gave me, and loved coming up with new ideas for the magazine that I could run with, without anyone else weighing in. This kind of grassroots decision making is one of the positive features of asynchronous working, according to Martin.

But on the downside, it was sometimes difficult to motivate myself, and the days could drag. And if I needed a quick answer to something specific and unusual, which wasn’t in any policy or guidance document, well, “quick” was rarely an option. I had to wait until my editor came back online.

In-Person Communication Wins

Looking back on these experiences, I find the faces of my editors swimming into focus. Because we did meet up occasionally, and it is those face-to-face interactions that stand out most vividly when I think of those jobs.

Although a passionate advocate of asynchronous working, Martin agrees that synchronous communication remains an important piece of the remote-working puzzle. In fact, in his own hierarchy of communication, “in-person” comes top, and every year, his own company holds a face-to-face retreat for all its employees.

“We’ve recognized that synchronous time is so important to be able to, number one, build rapport between all of our different team members and trust, but also allow us to be able to really close the chapter on one year of the business and open up another chapter in the business,” he explains.

There are two reasons why they don’t do it more often: cost and efficiency. It’s expensive to get everyone in the same place, and it takes much longer to disseminate information in real time, rather than via a prepared document. Plus, with written information, you know that every recipient gets exactly the same message, and people can refer to it as often as they like.

Martin’s hierarchy of communication continues with voice and video calls, instant messaging, and finally email, as the foundation holding up the pyramid.

Be in Tune if Not in Synch

But however you communicate in asynchronous teams, perhaps what matters most is the attitude of team members.

I once worked with a graphic designer whose location changed from week to week. Over the course of one project, he moved from Spain to Mexico to Colombia.

The time zone changed, but his efficiency and excellent communication didn’t. The project ran smoothly, with great results. But I know that if he’d dropped the ball, even for one day, I would have railed against his digital nomad lifestyle!

Liam Martin’s model of remote asynchronous work relies on every member of the team being a hardworking self-starter, who will always read attachments to emails, no matter how long and dense they look, and will never feel sub-par or distracted or lonely.

If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that working in isolation doesn’t suit everyone. So I can understand why managers continue with the synchronous model, despite the allure of its opposite. It may be slower and more costly, but it fits how humans behave. And while it’s still humans doing much of the work, that makes a lot of sense.

Listen to the Full Story

You can listen to or read my full 30-minute interview with Liam Martin if you're a Mind Tools Club member or if your employer is a Mind Tools for Business licensee.

Martin and Rawson's book carries a prominent endorsement by Cal Newport, another expert we've already featured on Mind Tools. Search his name at the top of this page, and you'll find our in-depth review of his book "Deep Work" and our exclusive Expert Interview with him.

If you're not already a member, join the Mind Tools Club now to gain unlimited access to 2,400+ resources, including our back catalog of 200+ Expert Interviews. Or find out more about Mind Tools for whole organizations, big or small, by contacting our enterprise team.

Meanwhile, catch more excerpts and insights from my guests by searching our Expert Interview blog topic and by signing up free to the Mind Tools Expert Voices podcast.

The post "If you trust your employees..." Liam Martin on Asynchronous Work appeared first on Mind Tools.

You may have started a new project or exercise regimen, or you're finally trying to finish writing that book. Your accountability partner is a trusted person who provides meaningful support as you work toward those goals.

Over the course of my career, I've been a better starter than a finisher. I love the thrill of generating ideas and launching projects. As I've matured, I've come to understand and value finishing. But that doesn't mean it's any less of a challenge, especially on larger projects.

For those bigger or longer-term initiatives, I've found that often an accountability partner can help me to stay on task – and yes, even finish!

But having a partner isn't like having a genie that will grant you three accountability wishes. It takes work and responsibility for both parties.

"If you want to go fast, go alone; but if you want to go far, go together."

African proverb

Accountability You Can Count On

The best and most effective accountability partnerships I've been a part of have had these six characteristics in common:

• Clarity. Have clear objectives in mind for your project or goal. And know exactly why you're seeking someone to help hold you accountable.
• Honesty. First, be honest with yourself. Why do I want to work with an accountability partner? Then be honest with your partner. How can they best help you to achieve your goals?
• Reciprocity. Make sure that your partnership isn't just a one-way street. Even if you're the person who's being helped, find ways to say "thank you" and perhaps help your partner with a challenge or goal they may be facing.
• Consistency. Set consistent times to meet. Share expectations and topics prior to each meeting. Follow up with action steps. Who does what next?
• Closure. Even if the partnership is ongoing and long-lasting, remember to close specific chapters as progress is made and projects are completed.
• Celebration. Make a big deal about your successes, no matter how small. And remember to express gratitude to the person who's helped you stay on task.

Accountability Partners' Checklist

Asking questions is a great way to define roles and responsibilities – and to set clear expectations up front for both partners.

One accountability partner I worked with for many years would ask some version of the same questions when I'd come to him with a new project, challenge or idea:

• What's your specific goal?
• What is your plan for achieving the goal?
• How much time will it take?
• Where will you find the time?
• When do you expect to finish?
• What might get in your way?
• How will you overcome this?
• What will success look like?

By getting me to answer these questions up front, he was already starting to hold me accountable. When I've been able to return the favor, and helped colleagues to stay accountable, I've found that it's just as rewarding for me as for the person I'm trying to help.

And by helping them to stay on task, I learn along the way and shore up my own accountability behaviors.

Help Is All Around – If You Know Where to Look

As you seek an accountability partner, understand that one type of partnership may not fit every situation or goal. I have colleagues who've joined accountability communities that meet regularly to help all members focus and make progress toward their individual goals.

And recently I've co-partnered with an accountability partner. They help me and I help them.

No matter the accountability path you choose, remember the basics: work with someone you trust; set clear goals; respect the time, talents and energy your partner is sharing; show up, do the work; share results; and thank them.

About This Week's "Accountability Partner" Chat

During Friday's #MTtalk Twitter chat, we discussed what to look for in an accountability partner, and how to be a good one. Here are all the questions we asked, and some of the best responses:

Q1. What does the phrase "accountability partner" mean to you?

@PG_pmp "Accountability partner" – a person who one can rely on at the time when needed most.

@SoniaH_MT To me, an accountability partner means a person who: is mutually trusted, has my best interest in mind, wants me to succeed, calls me out when I deviate from my stated course, offers me help when I seem to be struggling toward that stated goal.

Q2. What difference does an accountability partner make?

@Midgie_MT They help me to "stay honest," in that I cannot use excuses when I do not do something. It helps me to maintain focus rather than get distracted or use other jobs/tasks as a reason to not take action on my priority goal.

@Yolande_MT When you want to go rogue on your plan, knowing you have to report to your accountability partner is a great psychological "tool" to keep you on track.

Q3. Shouldn't we just hold ourselves accountable?

@Tanjiskas If no one is watching it is easy to do the easy thing we are used to. Our brain finds a way to justify doing the things we are comfortable [doing] with it. Tricks us into thinking that it is safer to keep everything as it is.

@SarahH_MT Well yes in an ideal world perhaps we would all hold ourselves accountable without the need for someone else to help us. But life is not that simple and anyway, why plough on alone when an accountability partner could help us thrive? Better together, right?

Q4. When have you found it most helpful to have an accountability partner?

@DhongdeSupriya The goals I know I won't be able to sustain, like walks after work... because I know I have someone waiting for me, I am able to push myself.

@harrisonia I would have loved to have accountability partners for things outside the workplace. It would've been helpful having these partners for accountability with industry advancement/opportunities or weight loss/management.

Q5. What qualities do you look for when you select an accountability partner?

@hopegovind Honesty, transparency, accountability, openness.

@NWarind Courage first, then sincerity.

Q6. Can you hold others accountable without being accountable yourself? Explain.

@BRAVOMedia1 One can only give what they possess within themselves. So one must be accountable in order to be a supportive mentor for others.

@SoniaH_MT If you hold others accountable without being accountable yourself, this is called being a hypocrite. (Especially as a leader, how can you ask me to do what YOU won't do?)

Q7. How far can/should you go when holding someone accountable?

@Midgie_MT I believe there is a limit between encouraging them to take the actions they said they were going to do, and pushing them to do it or insisting that they stay on course. Life happens and sometimes we do need to alter course.

@MikeB_MT It may help to have ground rules up front. So here's why we've engaged in this accountability partnership. Here's how we will meet and communicate. Here's how we know we're helping each other. That may help determine if I've gone too far (or not far enough!).

Q8. What should you not do as an accountability partner? Why?

@SarahH_MT Don't take over or make it all about you or make assumptions about how easy you think it should be. Don't judge them for doing things differently to how you would do it. And don't manage them or tell them off.

@ColfaxInsurance You should never seem like you're forcing someone to do anything. Set up a schedule to check in, don't nag all the time about whatever it is you're helping them stay accountable for. They'll end up resenting you if you come across as demanding or pushy.

Q9. Imagine you're an accountability partner, and you feel you're wasting your time. What do you do?

@TheTomGReid Affirming, encouraging, educating, are never wastes of time, though it can be [a] "pearls before swine" situation. Dispense kindness whenever you can. If another's choices cause you pain, it might be time to back away.

@Dwyka_Consult Ask if they still need you. If they say they do, have a conversation about expectations

Q10. How can you coach someone to become a great accountability partner?

@HloniphileDlam7 By demonstrating accountability and giving people the opportunity to transform and unlearn negative behaviors. Guiding and coaching individuals without embarrassing them is key.

@Yolande_MT Remind them to be assertive but gentle, have empathy but not be manipulated, have mercy/grace yet be willing to motivate and stretch someone.

To read all the tweets, have a look at the Wakelet collection of this chat here.

Coming Up

While an accountability partner can play a major role in helping a person to accomplish a goal, people sometimes become defensive when they're held to account. Some people are just more defensive by nature.

In our Twitter poll this week, we want to know why you think people become defensive when you ask them a non-confrontational question. Vote here.

Accountability Partner Resources

(Note that you'll need to be a Mind Tools Club or Corporate member to see all of the following resources in full.)

Developing Personal Accountability

Working With Lazy People

Managing People With Low Ambition

Blanchard's ABCD Model of Trust

Performance Agreements

Helping Your People Develop Emotional Intelligence

Holding People Accountable

Supporting Your People

Taking Responsibility in a New Leadership Role

Engaging People in Learning

The post How to Be an Accountability Partner – #MTtalk Roundup appeared first on Mind Tools.

Seasoned Workers

Think about your own working life. Are there any jobs you've held that haven't been affected by seasonal pressures?

I spent my teenage summers serving drinks in the stylish setting of an opera house in peak season. But later, when I was an English teacher at a private school, the quiet months between academic years were far more frugal.

And then there was the month I spent picking grapes in an Italian vineyard, which – as anyone who's done this work knows – is far less romantic than it sounds! We were up at the crack of dawn, laboring at the vines until the scorching midday sun made it impossible to continue.

For the owner of the vineyard, this was a crucial period that he could not afford to mess up. He needed flexible but reliable workers to complete the harvest safely and on time, bringing a year's hard work literally to fruition.

The Risks of Too Much Seasonal Pressure

It's not just in the foothills of the Apennines that the pressure is on. Across many industries, employee stress, job dissatisfaction, and even burnout are all real risks at peak times of the year.

Maybe you're in the retail sector and have to deal with your biggest workload during the holiday season. Or perhaps you're trying to hit your production targets at the end of a difficult quarter, or preparing a new course for the approaching college semester.

Whatever your sector, you'll likely suffer when several of your co-workers take a vacation in the same month. And, if you're one of the people who's going to be absent, you'll be working extra hard to get things done before you go.

There are other risks, too. External factors, like changes in the weather, can affect practicalities such as transportation and sourcing materials. And sufferers of the dreaded "winter blues" know all too well how the changing seasons can affect individual performance and health.

Your Tips for Coping With Seasonal Pressure at Work

Our article, Dealing With Seasonal Changes in Workload, has some great advice on how to cope during difficult times of the year. But, as a new member of the team here at Mind Tools, I wanted to hear directly from my co-workers, and from our friends and followers on social media, too.

Have the Right Resources

On Facebook, So Khalifa shared her strict rules on staff vacations: "I won't let myself be short-staffed. There is a system for any vacation, so only one member from any department will take a vacation. And when he or she comes back to work, another can take a vacation."

Mind Tools' Senior Content Editor, Keith Jackson, was somewhat puzzled by the concept of a slow season: "I'd like to know when the quiet times of the year are supposed to be! It seems that the demand for learning is year-round, so the Mind Tools learning locomotive chugs along unceasingly!"

Keith recommends planning your tactics well in advance, so you're prepared for the times when seasonal pressures take hold.

"For example, requests for vacation time will be high over Christmas and New Year, so you need to start thinking about deadlines and staffing levels several months in advance," Keith says. "That means creating work schedules for high-pressure periods, and approving holiday requests early – and fairly! – to ensure that the organization's commitments to customers are fulfilled. Sometimes, that can mean running work pipelines in parallel. That is, getting work due over holiday periods prepared early, in addition to team members carrying out 'normal' duties."

Remember Self-Care

On Twitter, @Dwyka_Consult highlighted the importance of looking after yourself. She said, "I appreciate quiet times at work because I get all kinds of things done that I don't normally have time for. My busy times aren't always predictable, and I make sure that I eat healthily, drink enough water, exercise, breathe, and think positively while I work."

On the Mind Tools Club forum, frequent contributor Zuni talked about a time of great pressure in a previous role. "I used to work in an industry where all the stops were pulled out to hit the year-end financial targets. The final quarter is always the big push. Inevitably what happens is that people get run down. When you take your foot off the gas, you get sick."

So how did Zuni cope? "What worked for me may seem a bit counterintuitive. I did work long days but I took rest breaks throughout the day. While my colleagues were working through lunch, I took a brisk walk outside. And I kept to my fitness schedule. On days I was more fatigued, I would cut back on my workout. But, I still went, and it certainly helped relieve stress."

Focus on the Positives

There can also be a positive side to seasonal fluctuations, according to Mind Tools' Charlie Swift. "I've benefited from other people's seasonal pressure several times, by getting temporary contracts, either to support overloaded teams or to be part of a short-term pop-up team created just for the season," Charlie recalled. "This made for engagingly varied work, cultures and colleagues, and lots of appreciation and thanks!"

But, when the pressure's on, "You have to put the rest of your life on hold. Make sure you get enough sleep and decent nutrition, and keep calm until reinforcements appear, or the tide of work finally ebbs."

Build in Resilience

"No one can keep going on an emergency setting long term," Charlie continued. "So, fiercely honest contingency planning and resilience building are key to both individual and organizational performance."

And, when the workload eases, you can start to prepare for the future. This final thought came from Midgie, from the Mind Tools Club forum team, who uses quiet periods to "review the past year and think about the new year, my goals and objectives, my priorities, and how the best version of me can shine."

How do you deal with seasonal pressure in the workplace? If you have any thoughts or suggestions to share, leave a comment, below.

The post Seasonal Pressure at Work – Your Top Tips for Survival appeared first on Mind Tools.

McKee mentions those early career experiences in her new book, "How to Be Happy at Work." When I talked to her for our Expert Interview podcast, I asked her how she found happiness when she was doing that low-paid menial work.

Three factors pulled her through, and gave her a measure of happiness despite the insecurity that often accompanies that type of job. These were: purpose, or meaning; hope; and friendship. In McKee’s case, these three factors were intertwined.

Not Feeling Good About Yourself

"I remember one job I had, I was working for a woman named Mary. I was essentially cleaning her house and doing other tasks around her home," she recalls. "And, as anyone who's done that for pay knows, that can be hard.

"You maybe don't feel so good about yourself, especially if you think you could do more. But I needed that job, so I really didn't know what to do," added McKee.

McKee began to observe Mary, who was a successful accountant.

Watching and Learning

"I started watching how she was living her life, and I thought, 'Wow, I really admire what she's doing as a professional woman. Let me just open my eyes and see what in fact she's done,’" says McKee.

Over the next few months, the cleaner and her employer struck up a friendship.

"I think she saw something different in me, based on the questions I was asking her. Over time we developed a relationship that was really mentor-mentee. She really did help me see that I could do something better," she says.

"I was still cleaning her house, but I found a lot more meaning in that work. I had expanded the definition of my job to include these conversations with Mary. My relationship with Mary became part of my job, and the rest didn't feel as awful because of that," she adds.

The Value of Purpose, Hope and Friendship

Purpose, hope and friendship made all the difference. Now, McKee believes that those three elements can lead to happiness in any job, and her academic research backs up what she discovered all those years ago, when she was cleaning for Mary.

In "How to Be Happy at Work," McKee offers advice on finding – or creating – these three factors, if we feel they are lacking in our workplace.

When it comes to purpose or meaning, "we need to look for opportunities to make a difference," she says. For example, whatever our organization, "we can find ways to fix systems and processes that don't work very well. All of us can find ways to create, make and innovate in the workplace. We just need to lift our head up away from that computer and look around and see what we can do."

Where Do We Want to Go?

The second factor is hope. "In the workplace, we need to feel that where we're going is where we want to go, and it's got to be bigger than our job or our career," she says. "Then, of course, we need plans. We've got to actually try to get there, which means setting out some goals, setting out some milestones and some action steps, and then just marching forward."

And finally, there's friendship – a component of happiness that is mentioned less often than the other two, but is no less important.

"We need to feel that we belong," McKee says. "We need to feel that we're with people who are part of a tribe that we're proud to be a part of, too. [So we should] try to understand other people.

"Trust before you are trusted, give before you get – those are the kinds of actions that are going to create strong, positive relationships that will not only infuse us with a sense of meaning and happiness at work, but will help us carry on and get through the challenging times that we all experience in our jobs," added McKee.

Being Happy With a "Resonant Culture"

While she believes that the responsibility for a person's happiness rests firmly with that individual, organizations do have a role to play. If managers can create what she calls a "resonant culture," it will be much easier for team members to feel that all-important sense of purpose, hope and friendship.

In this audio clip, from our Expert Interview podcast, McKee shares her thoughts on creating a resonant culture at work:

Listen to the full 30-minute interview in the Mind Tools Club.

What are your top tips for finding happiness at work? Join the discussion below!

The post How to Be Happy at Work appeared first on Mind Tools.

"’Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse…"
– from The Night Before Christmas, or A Visit From St. Nicholas

So goes the much-loved poem that will be read to countless excited children all round the world this Christmas Eve. If only reality matched the serene scene so perfectly portrayed by the poet!

Christmas Chaos?

No, my Christmas Eve involves the now traditional mad rush home from the office. This is followed by a dash to the stores for last-minute essentials, and then a wrapping frenzy as I try to get all the presents looking lovely before they are put in stockings and under trees – all while I try to fit in my favorite Christmas movie ("Scrooged") and eat a mince pie or two.

As much as I try to be, I'm not always prepared for Christmas. In fact, I'll go so far as to say I'm never prepared for it. Much of December is spent fighting off that creeping, uncomfortable feeling that I'm forgetting something, or some things… But, just this once, I've decided to give myself a break. And you should, too.

Just look at the stats! Long-distance trips rise by 54 percent over Thanksgiving and by 23 percent during Christmas and New Year. The U.S. Postal Service will deliver nearly 850 million packages and more than 15 billion (yes, billion!) total pieces of mail this year alone during the holidays. While, for most retailers, the holiday season represents 20 to 40 percent of their total annual sales!

So, what can we do to make sure that we stay on top of it all, and give ourselves time to really enjoy the festivities?

Get Organized

For many of us, the festive period means being super-busy at work, too. Whichever sector you're in, you'll need to make sure that workloads are covered, and that projects are delivered on time and to the same quality as usual. This might mean being unpopular when you say "no" to vacation requests. You can avoid some of the last-minute pain by asking people to submit their holiday requests well in advance, and by being seen to be as fair as possible when sharing out cover.

Planning is also essential if you are going to stay productive. Let's face it, distractions are everywhere at this time of year, and they're often more fun than the things we should be concentrating on. So, if you find yourself thinking about mince pies and mistletoe, when you should be analyzing spreadsheets and schedules, help yourself to stay focused by setting up To-Do Lists and prioritizing your tasks well ahead of the holidays.

Beware the Zombie Office

For some people, work can become a bit of a "dead zone," particularly in that eerily quiet period between Christmas and New Year.

You might find that you're surrounded by empty desks, that half the lights are off, the coffee shop's closed, and even the cleaner is on leave. It's as though you're the last human on Earth; if a zombie apocalypse happened, would you even know about it?

If this sounds like what you're looking forward to, don't waste your time. Use it wisely!

Yes, you could spend this rare undisturbed time in a YouTube wormhole, catching up on all those epic fail and cat videos that your friend sent you. Or, you could say "no" to procrastination and finally get round to ticking off some of those non-urgent tasks.

Make Things Easy For Yourself

It can feel as though the closer you get to Christmas, the faster time flows.

You've got the presents to buy and wrap, the tree to decorate, the lights to put up, food to order, travel plans to arrange, and a whole host of events to attend with family, friends and co-workers. Your to-do list has become longer than Santa's Naughty or Nice list and just looking at it makes you tired.

With all of these competing demands it can be easy to become overwhelmed and exhausted. So, make life easy for yourself, by seizing a few "quick wins."

Take advantage of online wishlists and gift-wrapping services, and avoid any unnecessary travel. This will save you from battling through crowds, facing the worst of the weather (in the Northern Hemisphere, at least), and spending on peak-time transportation.

It could save your organization money, too. After all, what's the point in opening the office if it's just you and a few others that will be in? But beware the attractions of home – make sure that you have a "door you can shut" when you need to work.

Keep Calm and Enjoy the Festivities!

While you're juggling the party arrangements and getting those reports in on time, remember to pause occasionally. After all, "Christmas comes but once a year," so spread some festive cheer in your office. Decorate with a tree or a team Advent calendar, put on some Christmas tunes, offer round some seasonal snacks, and be generous!

Finally, know when to switch off from work. And I mean off! Log out of your email, and deactivate your notifications. After all, Christmas is more than just a long list of tasks and rushing from here to there. Christmas should be about enjoying those around you and the moment at hand.

So, when you do get a break, why not treat yourself to your favorite Christmas coffee, put your feet up and relax, and call the people you miss, or settle down with a good book? As the Grinch who stole Christmas once said: "Maybe Christmas doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more."

Are you working this Christmas? What tips do you have for staying focused? How will you balance festive fun with work? Share your thoughts in the Comments section, below.

The post Will Your Holidays be Christmas Chaos or Christmas Calm? appeared first on Mind Tools.

So, if you're a poor communicator, you’ll always be a poor leader, regardless of the merit of your ideas. Put like that, this soft skill packs a punch, and it’s worth spending time developing it.

Communicate Like a Leader

Booher's new book, "Communicate Like a Leader," is a handy manual full of practical tips for "connecting strategically to inspire, coach, and get things done," in the words of the book’s subtitle.

In bite-size chunks we get guidance on people management, including hiring and firing; conversations, including networking; negotiating; writing, including email and social media; and executive presence, Booher's area of special expertise.

Executive Presence

We delve into this last topic in detail in our Expert Interview podcast. "Executive presence can boil down to four key areas," Booher tells me. "It's how you look, how you talk, how you think, and how you act."

The last of these, how you act, is determined by "character and integrity, your track record, reputation and competence," and because of that, it's more difficult to learn. But the good news is, it's not so hard for leaders to improve in the first three areas – how you look, talk and think – and this can pay big dividends.

"These have a great deal to do with how credible you are," Booher says. "You have an enormous advantage when you stand up to make a presentation, when you look the part, when your voice sounds the part."

This makes perfect sense, but sometimes nerves get in the way. For her previous book, "Creating Personal Presence," Booher surveyed professionals at all levels to find out what skill they felt was their weakest. Thinking under pressure came out top.

Good First Impressions

Booher's survey respondents realized the importance of making a good impression, particularly in front of an audience, and also how challenging it can be.

In this new book, Booher provides some practical advice that can help in most situations where you need to think under pressure, whether you’re making off-the-cuff remarks to a group of colleagues or answering questions from an audience.

Use the LEAD Format

For those moments when you have to improvise a speech, Booher suggests following her LEAD format. That's an acronym for Lead, as in the lead of a newspaper article, a summary of the event or situation; Elaborate; Anecdote; and Digest, as in a concise conclusion.

Then there are the times when you’re called upon to answer questions – for example, if you're appearing in a panel at a conference. You may not be able to prepare for specific questions, Booher says, but you can prepare in other ways.

• First, anticipate potential questions that you may be asked, especially around sensitive issues.
• Second, buy a few seconds of thinking time. You could look reflective, take a sip of water, or ask the person to elaborate on the question.
• Third, begin with a broad generalization that everyone can agree with. For example, you could say, "I know we all want to see these charities thrive and be able to help people in need. Determining the proper contribution can be difficult for several reasons..."

This process will help you arrive at a more considered answer, while maintaining a credible presence.

The final section of Booher’s book concerns meetings, where strategic communication can make all the difference. In this audio clip, from our Expert Interview, she shares some of her tips for success in meetings, including phrasing the agenda items as questions and assigning time limits to each of them.

Listen to the full 30-minute interview in the Mind Tools Club. ¦ Install Flash Player.

What are your strengths and weaknesses in business communication? Join the discussion below!

The post How to Communicate With Presence appeared first on Mind Tools.

For some bizarre reason, you decide to go rogue. You're going to keep the sheet music for this particularly challenging piece locked in your briefcase. You're going to play the entire symphony from memory while the rest of the orchestra follows the score.

Now, you're a good musician and you're familiar with the piece. But the likelihood is that at some point you are going to come unstuck. You may hit a wrong note or you may even miss a complete section.

Jeopardize the Performance

You're only one small piece of the orchestra but, if you see this folly through, you may jeopardize the performance. The whole musical process will break down. The conductor will have to stop the orchestra and start again from the beginning. Mahler will turn in his grave!

All this can be avoided, of course, if you decide to literally play safe and to follow the dots on the sheet music.

I use this far-fetched scenario not to illustrate how a musical maverick could mess up Mahler, but to show how missing one small step can threaten a bigger process. And, also how, by following the music – or the plan – you can avoid, or at least minimize, the potential for mistakes.

Missing Key Steps

At this point, I have to hold up my hands and say that I have a pretty good memory. That's surely a good thing, I hear you say. Well, it can be. But, in a work setting, it has been a problem for me, because I have relied on it too much. And there have been a few occasions where it has let me down.

This came to light a few years ago when I had quite a complicated job that involved collating, co-ordinating and publishing articles from co-workers in various parts of the world across different time-zones.

My boss could see that I was struggling to manage the several small projects simultaneously – to keep "all the plates spinning" so to speak. I had got close to missing print deadlines on a couple of occasions, so he invited me into his office for "a chat."

"What's your plan, Ian,"? he asked.

"I don't have one, Martin. I just want to get the job done," I replied.

"Well, I suggest you make a plan, Ian. Otherwise, you won't get the job done."

4-Step Action Plans

He went on to explain what he meant. I didn't realize it at the time, but the information Martin was sharing with me was basically a 4-Step Action Plan.

Action plans are simple ways of keeping on top of small projects. They are designed to stop you missing key steps in a process and, in a worst-case scenario, having to go back to the beginning.

I incorporated Martin's action plan suggestion into my working routine. And, fairly soon, I found that my professional life had improved. I knew what had to be done at a glance. The plan told told me when I needed to delegate, and who to delegate to. Then I used a double-check system to make sure I didn't miss anything, and regularly reviewed how things were progressing. I wasn't trying to play the whole symphony from memory!

Your Experience

Have you any thoughts or advice on how best to use action plans? Do you use them? Do you like them? Have your say by adding your comments in the box below.

And check out our 4-Step Action Plans Infographic.

The post Action Plans: 4 Steps to Strike the Right Note appeared first on Mind Tools.

I currently work as a temporary assistant, meaning that I'm essentially left to my own devices for much of the time. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy that way of doing things, although my workload does tend to fluctuate quite a lot.

For instance, I might be given a fun and interesting task, and complete it quickly. But it needs to be signed off, and I have to wait for the colleague overseeing that work to be free to assess my performance and explain things to me.

Or, I can find myself struggling to find things to do in between large projects, especially if my everyday tasks have become straightforward and quick to complete.

Manage Your Own Time

But let's be clear, working by yourself as a "temp" does have a number of sizable advantages. I can think of six off the top my head.

First, and most notably, you get to manage your own time.

Second, you also have more freedom to choose what tasks you want to do first. And, third, you're normally given quite a varied workload, so that you are doing tasks for lots of different people and teams.

Fourth, you have nobody to delegate to when you're a team of one, and often that's no bad thing. It saves you quite a chunk of time not having to talk someone else through the details of a project, or having to monitor their progress.

Fifth, stress levels are also easier to manage in this type of role, as you're not making the final decision. Finally, at number six, you get to leave your work at work, and leave the building on time. Well, most days!

Isolation and a Team of One

Sometimes, though, it can be really hard to avoid isolating yourself. For example, where do you sit for lunch? That's been a big struggle for me previously. On many occasions, I've found myself sitting in my car, just to avoid awkward conversations with complete strangers about what my five-year plan is, or what I think of the current manager.

And when I have stayed in the office for lunch, I've often ended up sitting on my own, worrying about what people might think of the lone girl in the corner. In some companies, I've been invited to lunch but ended up sitting in silence, afraid to make conversation with the office "cliques."

During the first week of a job at a wedding venue, I was really excited and kept thinking I'd be super busy – wow, how wrong I was! Halfway through the day, my manager (the only other person in the office) popped out for the best part of three hours, leaving me to "get to know" the website by myself.

I found myself alone, trying to work out what my role actually was and how to do it. Looking back, I think that the owners didn't really know what my role was. After a week, I realized that the situation wasn't going to change and I left.

Sampling a Career

Working on a temporary basis has given me the opportunity to explore different roles and companies. It has helped me to take the time to discover the career that I'd really like to pursue.

I've also been able to work with many different people in many different teams, which has helped me to broaden my skill set.

Almost without realizing it, I chose to work in a team of one, and it has certainly given me more confidence and made me more organized. It's also improved my decision making, as there's normally nobody to turn to for an answer.

So, what's your experience of working as a team of one? Leave a comment below. For more tips on how to make it a success, take a look at our article.

The post Six Ways I Beat the Blues of Being a Team of One! appeared first on Mind Tools.

The challenge came as part of a presentation skills course. It helped me to realize that slides are often used as a crutch for the presenter. Most people, we learned, use far too many words in their slides. Attendees are unable to concentrate on what you're saying when they're trying to read them. You'll more likely frustrate the members of your audience than engage them.

Worst of all, you may be tempted to use your slides as a script. If you read from them with your back turned to the room, you're not fully engaging with your audience. My neck prickled with embarrassment when I realized that I had been guilty of exactly this mistake in the past.

You're better off, I heard, printing the slides and giving them to the audience as a handout. They'll be able to digest the information at their leisure. Even better, they won't have someone talking at them while they're trying to read!

So, the course trainer tasked me with making a conscious effort to present ideas, data and findings in pictures. I didn't have to say that sales were great if I showed a photo of store shelves picked clean. The audience chuckled before I could finish the sentence, anyway!

I then discovered that well-chosen pictures had the power to reveal nuances that the listener wouldn't have considered otherwise. The trainer told me, "If your slide is peanut butter, what you're saying should be jelly." One, she explained, should complement the other.

Once I had grasped the importance of capturing an idea in pictures, I realized how immediate it could be. I started to challenge myself to reduce the time between a slide appearing and the audience responding. The quicker the laugh or murmur of understanding, the more immediately I'd been able to reinforce the idea.

So why limit my newfound love of clear visuals to presentations? I started using pictures in other areas of my work. On one occasion, while working as a community manager, my boss asked me to write some copy that described my employer's product. It was a toy that helped young children to learn basic computer coding. I considered various paragraphs describing the "programming board" and "instruction bricks," but nothing I wrote seemed to make things clearer.

Eventually, I recommended that we go with an illustration of the item and its various components instead. And when he asked me to write a blog post describing how the product worked, I suggested that we create an interactive, software version of the toy and embed it in our web page. Parents would be able to see the product for themselves without leaving their browsers.

The larger lesson that I learned from that course was this: everyone in your team is pulling in the same direction, in pursuit of the same goal. There's no need to build a wall separating your copywriters, social media managers, and other "wordsmiths" from your video editors, illustrators and designers. Pictures strengthen copy and vice versa. When you encourage your teams to work together, each enhances the other's work, and your entire organization moves closer to its goal.

If you're interested in reading more on the topic of thinking and learning visually, take a look at this week's article on Flow Charts, and find out how they can help you to communicate and streamline your business practices.

The post The Day I Learned to Think in Pictures appeared first on Mind Tools.

The last two images are more related than you might think. Scrum is a project management approach designed to increase speed and flexibility through teamwork and incremental working. Its early proponents called it the "rugby approach," because of its emphasis on teams achieving results together, step by step. The fact that the process often includes short huddled meetings helped the name to stick.

Scrum is part of the Agile software development movement, characterized by a lighter-weight, team-centered approach to creating software. The methodology is now widely used outside the world of software development too.

So sports metaphors aside, what exactly is Scrum?

"The main characteristic [of Scrum] is to do things incrementally, build a little bit, see how people like what you've built, and then use the feedback from that to figure out the next thing that you're going to do," explains Scrum and Agile expert Mike Cohn, founder of Mountain Goat Software.

To illustrate how this works in practice, he talks about his dentist. During a recent visit, she asked him what he did for a living.

"I said, 'If you wanted to start a new software product for your dental practice, the traditional way would be to have somebody write a 100- or 200-page document describing everything you need. And then people would go away and build that software, come back in a year, and probably give you something that didn't really match your needs'," he says.

"In an Agile or Scrum approach, what we do is go to that dentist and say, not 'What do you need?' but 'What do you need most? What do you need next?'"

With the general goal far in the distance, the team then builds just one thing to show to the dentist.

"Then she can say, 'No, that’s not what I want,' or, 'Yes, it is.' And then, based on that, we build the second thing and then the third thing," Cohn continues. "So it's about having teams working together with their customer collaboratively and building just a little bit, rather than trying to get the whole thing specified out up-front."

In our Expert Interview, Cohn describes how this way of developing projects is working well in some unexpected environments. There's a website that helps people to plan their weddings using Scrum, for example, and it's also being used effectively in schools. He knows some children who are learning about the pyramids using the Scrum approach.

"The way these nine-year-old kids are doing this is they'll work as a team. One of them will perhaps draw pictures of the pyramids, the other one will prepare a little oral report that they'll give, and things like that," he says, adding, "One of the teachers refers to her students as her 'little Scrum monsters' because they are so interested in working that way."

Scrum may often be fun, fast and motivating, but what effect does it have on the quality of the finished product? Cohn says this approach can lead to very high-quality results, but standards need to be monitored every step of the way. It makes no sense to try to retrofit quality later, as an afterthought.

And as you continually check the quality of your product, you should also check that you're actually building the right thing, Cohn says.

"[We could] go away for a year and build a super-high-quality thing, no bugs, and then hand it over to our customer and the customer says, 'That's not what I want'."

What a lot of wasted time and effort that would be. That's why regular meetings between the development team and the customer, internal or external, are a central part of the Scrum process.

So how much planning is involved in Scrum, bearing in mind the need to stay nimble and be able to switch direction after every meeting? In this clip, from our Expert Interview, Cohn reflects on the nuances of planning a Scrum project.

Listen to the full Expert Interview in the Mind Tools Club ¦ Install Flash Player.

Have you been part of a Scrum or Agile team? How did this approach help the outcome of your project? Join in the discussion below!

The post Join the Scrum appeared first on Mind Tools.