In This Issue

News from Joan (right)

(below) When “Being Rushed” is the Problem… Rushing is Never the Solution.

Quotes for the Month


Job Seeking Tips:Top Ten Questions to Ask a Prospective Employer


Quick Links

News from Joan!

I will be providing a six-part communication and management principles lecture series for interns, residents, and faculty in the Pathology Department at U.T. Houston, Texas Medical College, July through September 2010.

What Clients Say About Joan

"Joan is an excellent management coach--warm personality, highly intelligent, and extremely insightful. She has repeatedly helped members of my team to develop personal and professional skills to enhance their careers. It is always a pleasure to work with Joan and there is always a clear value in her services and advice.
Top Qualities: Great Results, Personable, Expert"
-Tom Barce, Assistant Director of Practice Support at Fulbright & Jaworski

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Olympic champions have coaches.
So do many successful executives.
How about you?
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Need a Breakout Speaker for Your Local, Regional, or National Professional Association or Business Networking Group?
As a professional speaker and former trainer, Joan will give your organization great ideas and practical tips they can implement immediately. View a list of topics and in-depth descriptions

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1. When “Being Rushed” is the Problem… Rushing is Never the Solution.

By Bill Crawford, Ph.D,
noted speaker and author of "Life from the Top of the Mind"

If there is one thing that almost everyone can agree on today, it's that we all have too much to do and not enough time to do it. Whether it's meeting deadlines at work, picking up the groceries and the kids, getting that report out, or getting that school project in, this inequitable amount of work and time seems to be a fact of life for almost everyone.

Further, the resulting feeling of being rushed is also universal and thus, I thought I would offer some ideas on why this doesn't work, and what we can do instead to make the best use of our time, even when there isn't enough of it.

For those of you familiar with my "Top of the Mind" philosophy which is based upon the latest brain research, you know that the reason rushing in response to being rushed is doomed to failure is because we are being driven by the lower 20% of our brain. This part of the brain can only do two things, fight, or push harder and go faster (i.e. rush) or flight, give up, give in, and just stop trying.

In fact, this is why well-meaning advice such as "just calm down" or "don't rush" never works. The lower 20% of the brain hears this as "give up" or "be late," and the part of us that knows how important it is for us to accomplish the task rejects this idea. Unfortunately, this only leaves us with fight, or go faster or… rush, which would be fine if this did indeed help us finish faster, however, this is rarely the case. As we all have experienced, when we rush, we make mistakes which require us to go back and repeat steps, and since speed versus quality has become our prime objective, not only do we take longer; the quality of our work suffers as well. Not good.

What is amazing is that we all know this! In other words, ask anyone if rushing to finish a project or task is a good idea, and you will get a resounding, "No!" The reason for this "reasonable" response is that when people are being asked the question, they're not "being rushed," which means that they are in the part of the brain (the “Top of the Mind”) that reasons and makes purposeful choices.

The answer is to come from the other direction. In other words, let's use our natural tendency to increase adrenaline when pressed for time as a way to increase our focus on the task, and then take the manic or frantic edge off by enacting what I call "The 2% Solution."

It's actually quite simple to describe, but like many skills, it will take some practice to perfect. Basically, it's about just noticing when we are rushing in response to being rushed, or running short on time, and slowing down just 2%, or doing everything just 2% slower.

There are several reasons this works. First, the ability to notice our speed and take that manic or frantic edge off by going 2% slower is driven by the upper 80% of the brain (versus the lower 20%).

This means that we are making purposeful choices versus reacting to a fear of being late. Secondly, we don't have to wrestle with the fear of giving up or giving in because we are only going 2% slower. Finally, when we notice that even as we slow down by 2% we are still going faster than we would if we had plenty of time, we feel good about our efforts to finish on time and the fact that we are proceeding with speed, but not at a frantic or rushed pace.

Bottom line, we are looking at the situation at hand and making purposeful and deliberate choices that we believe will be more effective. We will also make the statement we want to make about who we are (i.e., I am someone who keeps my agreements) and in a way we would teach or recommend to someone we love.

Because we are using this neocortex (or “Top of the Mind”) criteria for what we are doing and how we are doing it (i.e. 2% slower than rushed), we are bringing our best to the task at hand.

If you would like for Dr. Crawford to create a presentation for your organization, feel free to contact him at 1-888-530-8550 or DrBill@billcphd.com
See Dr. Bill Crawford's Website: http://www.billcphd.com/index.php

Quotes for the Month

“An unhurried sense of time is in itself a form of wealth.”
—Bonnie Friedman, in The New York Times


“One must not lose desires. They are mighty stimulants to creativeness, to love, and to long life.”
—Alexander A. Bogomoletz


"Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.
—Carl Sandburg, US biographer & poet (1878 - 1967)


“Insanity in individuals is something rare - but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 - 1900)

Job Seeking Tips: Top Ten Questions to Ask a Prospective Employer

In addition to job duties and general expectations, pay, and benefits, you want to find out if this is a job you want and one in which you can be successful. Below are some sample questions you can ask to gain greater insight. Adjust the questions for your specific situation. After the manager answers each question, you will probably want to ask additional questions to get a more detailed understanding.

1. Could you draw me an organizational chart and tell me how this department/job serves and relates to other departments?
-Tells you who are clients and power centers.

2. What are the three top issues or accomplishments you want to see resolved or achieved this year in this department/job?
-Tells you what needs to be fixed or accomplished ASAP.

3. What resources (people, budget, equipment, etc.) are available to resolve or accomplish these goals?
-Tells you if the company or manager are serious and realistic about what it will take to fix the problems or accomplish the goals.

4. What authority will the person in this job have to make the changes required to accomplish the goals?
-Tells you if you will have the power necessary to accomplish the goals.

To read the rest of the top ten questions, Click here

If you want to power up your resume, job search, and interview skills, give me a call at 832-458-0455 or email me at joan@bolmer.com for a free consultation.

Quick Links

Tips for Managing ADD Employees


"How to Handle Sticky Employee Discussions with Ease and Success"


What Fuels You? pdf


Favorite Resource Links

Check out Joan's paintings
and notecards.

Happy Summer

Glorious Morning