What a week it’s been. For many, the order to work from home can be a big bonus, and others dread
the thought. Even those that enjoy working from home a day or two a week can eventually start to feel
a bit isolated.

Having gone through the change from working in an office of over 400, to working remotely out of a home office, I know the transition can be difficult for many. At first it can seem new and fun, but then you realize you have a hard time focusing on what needs to be done because, well, you’re home! Home is where you relax and try to get your mind off of work. Here are some suggestions to help bring a little structure to your workday when working from home:

• • Try to set up a designated work room or area, even if it’s just the other end of the dinning room table from where you would normally sit. You want a zone that is your work focus zone. When you are in that zone, you are there to work. And to the best of your ability, have family members understand that when you are in that space, you are “at work” and need to minimize distractions and interruptions as much as possible.
  • For some (me included in the beginning) I had to stay with my normal morning routine and exercise, shower, eat breakfast and “dress for work”. It is very tempting to work on your favorite sweatpants and tee shirt, but for a lot of people that keeps them in the “I’m at home” state of mind and work gets harder to focus on. Put on the clothes you would normally wear to work. This, and having your work zone in the house, will help you mentally feel like you’re at work.
  • Structure your day to simulate what you would be doing if you were at the office. Do you have normal times of the day where you check your emails, or dedicate to a project? Keep that same schedule and structure when working from home.

  You may also start to miss the interaction and social aspect of working with coworkers. You are probably already set up to join in on the virtual meetings, and that is an important part of staying connected to your team as well. But you may still feel a bit isolated from other coworkers you normally talk to during the day. Stay in touch with them. Send them an email or, even better, talk with them on the phone. There’s a high likelihood they are feeling the same way. Don’t afraid to reach out. You’ll both be glad you did.

  This is a very unique and unsettling time and has many people feeling very anxious. Don’t fight it, it’s normal to feel that way. But also remember, this is a temporary thing and things will turn back to normal soon. We are taking extraordinary measures now to limit the impact of this virus. And once that is achieved things will turn quickly back to where they were before. Who knows, maybe your family will be a better understanding of what it is you do when you go to the office.

  Take care of yourselves and each other (family, friends, and coworkers). The next few weeks will be an adjustment. But focusing on what you need to do for work so you’re ready when things get back to normal will also help you keep perspective on the bigger picture and hopefully keep you too busy to dwell on the doom and gloom that is on all of the news updates. Stay informed, be safe and smart in your actions, but don’t dwell on all of the negativity.

Now more than ever it’s easy to get distracted at work. Between emails, people coming and going, LinkedIn and Facebook alerts and of course the phone, it’s little wonder that you struggle to accomplish everything you have set out for the day. Sure, you tell your spouse, friends and family that you have no choice but to go in early, stay late and work on weekends. But are you really making the best use of every minute of the day? How much time do you honestly spend in the mental twilight zone looking at your ex-colleagues LinkedIn profile or checking your fantasy football lineup? You might not want to admit it, but there are some small steps you can take to be more efficient with your time and get more done.

Mindfulness

It might be hard to see the correlation, but studies have proven that incorporating the practice of mindfulness into your daily routine helps you stay focused and be more productive. So, what exactly is mindfulness? It can be anything from breathing exercises to a meditation routine to keeping a gratitude journal. The good thing about practicing mindfulness is that it doesn’t take a lot of time. Even just a few minutes practiced on a daily basis can do wonders.

Time Blocking

Maybe you’re good about time blocking. You set aside time throughout the week to check and send email, engage new prospects and get necessary tasks done. But how often are you interrupted? Either by someone else or of your own volition? In short, you know the importance of time blocking, but it often becomes difficult to stick to. Someone walks in your door, the phone rings or you see the email with the big red ! that says it just can’t wait. Which leads us too… Plan your time blocks with a purpose. What do you want to get accomplished during that time block? Having a goal for the time block will help you stay on track.

Setting Professional Boundaries

If you’re in any kind of position of leadership or you manage a team of people, you have to set professional boundaries. Of course, you have to have an open door, make sure everyone has the proper training and resources to do their job and meet the objectives set by your superiors. But what about you? Don’t you need time to do your job instead of everyone else’s? This is why it’s important to make clear to everyone involved that you too need time to get things done. Whether that means locking your door for an hour after lunch or not being available on Wednesdays after 11:00 am, you need to make it clear to everyone that while you’re there to support them, you too need time to do your job.

Define Happy Hour on Your Terms

Who doesn’t love a break for some interoffice levity and time to shoot the breeze? It’s healthy, no one will question that. But when that two-minute check-in about Sunday’s game turns into a 45-minute conversation about more than running backs, you’re wasting time. The last thing you want to do is kill collegiality and morale, but you still need to get work done. If you want to be at the top of your game, define what and when happy hour is. It’s important but, should be dictated on your terms.

Smart Phones Make You Dumb

It’s a bit worrisome to think about how much smartphones dictate your every move. Yes, they are a convenience that allows you to work remotely and always be on call. But have you ever stopped to think about how they affect your productivity? That new Instagram like or Facebook post. Mindless notifications populate your screen constantly and at the end of the day don’t matter. They only serve as a time suck to make you jealous. After 30 minutes in fantasy land, you look at the clock and it’s 3:30 and you wonder where you left off.

If you want to be more productive and efficient with your time, set aside periods of time when your phone is off and tucked away in your drawer. That text will be there in an hour. In the meantime, do yourself and everyone else a favor and get some important work done.

Know When You’re at Your Best

There are certain times of the day when you’re more productive than others. For some it’s before the sun comes up and for others it’s late in the day. Knowing when you’re the most productive is vital to your success. If you’re someone that likes to sleep in until 7:30, read the paper and have a leisurely morning until 10:00 then more power to you. On the other hand, if you like waking up early and getting a pile of work done before most people wake up, all the better. The key is to find the time of day when you’re most productive and structure everything else around that.

The workplace demands a lot from you. There’s the pressure of managing those under you and meeting the expectations of those above. Balancing everything is a full-time job to say the least. There’s a reason divorce rates are on the rise and mental and physical health are gaining traction in the national conversation. If you want to increase your productivity, reduce stress and get the most out of each and every day, try implementing some of the strategies above. You might just find yourself excelling in your job and getting home in time for dinner with those that really matter.

Leading a team of people in the workplace is a monumental responsibility. Not only are you charged with maximizing productivity and efficiency, but it’s your job to keep morale high, have an open door and make sure expectations are clearly communicated. If you’re in a position of leadership you’re sure to encounter difficult situations that hamper the productivity of your team. How you handle these challenges can be the deciding factor in whether your team is successful or not. Below we discuss our best strategies for managing your team effectively and making sure productivity is maximized.

Communication is Essential

At some point in your career, you’ve probably had a manager that constantly made you feel like you were walking on egg shells. You never knew whether you were exceeding expectations or failing miserably. Simply put, this individual didn’t communicate and trying to do so with them was difficult at best.

If you’re team is going to succeed, it’s paramount that you not only clearly communicate with each member of your team, but make clear the expectations of up-front professional communication to everyone involved. If communication happens through appropriate channels in a safe space, job responsibilities are clearly defined and people feel empowered to ask questions or seek help, cohesiveness can thrive.

Know Strengths and Weaknesses

Whether you want to admit it or not, as a leader you have strengths and weaknesses. While being aware of your own skills and shortcomings is essential, knowing those of each team member is vital as well.

Maybe someone on your team is great with analyzing raw data and numbers. You probably don’t want to employ this individual to strategize a creative presentation. Leave that to the outgoing creative person that thinks outside the box.

When you create an environment that allows everyone to stay in their lane and utilize their innate abilities, you foster a freedom that allows everyone to feed off of each other and be excited about the work they are doing.

Environment is Key

It has been widely documented that the physical environment in which people work greatly affects how they feel. Does your team function best in an environment where everyone has their own office and a door they can close or is a shared space that welcomes creativity and sharing of ideas better? Whatever your team’s work environment is, it should reflect the culture of the organization and allow people to comfortably go about their tasks in the most efficient manner possible.

While the physical environment in which people work is key, having the necessary infrastructure in place is equally important. Making sure that your internet connection is solid, that IT help is readily available and that all systems are functioning properly and up to date allows team members to do their job with limited interruptions.

Incentives

There is nothing more motivating than incentives in the workplace. While monetary bonuses and rewards are always popular, there are plenty of other ways to motivate your team with minimal cost. If a deadline is on the horizon or a sales goal needs to be met, incentivizing your team with things like paid time off, a catered lunch or skipping out of the office early on a Friday for happy hour can do wonders. Frequent rewards for a job well done keep everyone’s spirits high, are motivating, and make people feel like they are working toward something greater than themselves.

Stay Out of the Way

One of the struggles for almost every leader is striking a balance between managing and giving people the freedom to do their job. While it’s important that you make sure each person on your team is performing as expected, creating the space for individuals to fully utilize their skills is important as well. When you build trust within your team and allow individuals the autonomy to do their best work, they do so with tremendous pride and your team can flourish as a result. This is also a key to keeping your best performers from looking for challenges elsewhere.

Mutual Feedback

It’s human nature to want to know how you’re performing. Consistent feedback is crucial so that everyone is on the same page and expectations are met. Scheduling frequent reviews with each team member is a must.

During these reviews, it’s important that the conversation be an open discussion about performance and anything that might be missing. This can go both ways however. As the manager of a team you need to have a conversation about a team members’ performance, but taking it a step further and asking for feedback about the job you’re doing as a leader as well can provide important insight. Ask them what you can do to help them be more effective in their job. You may learn about issues you hadn’t even thought of. When professional back-and-forth dialogue exists that is helpful for all parties involved, your team only stands to benefit.

It’s no mystery that leaders are needed in every organization. Without leaders to provide direction, motivation and oversight, most companies would perish. Some leaders are better than others though. If you find yourself in a position of managing a team or department, utilizing some of the tactics above can mean the world for your teams’ productivity and set you apart as someone who is both respected and effective.

Do you want to learn more? Contact me, Jeff King, owner of RQ Focus. I help business owners match with the right employee for their job opening in the life science industries.

Do you find yourself not accomplishing everything you set out to do each day in the work place? Does the adage “not enough hours in the day” ring true on a regular basis? Do you constantly put the needs of others before your own? If your answer is yes to any of these questions you are likely what is commonly referred to as a “people pleaser.” Helping others is a core value and certainly an admirable one but if you’re not careful, it’s one that can be dangerous for your productivity, state of mind and physical health. If you frequently find yourself stressed and burned out at the end of the day, learning to tactfully say NO is a skill worth developing.

Make Yourself a Priority

You probably make it a habit to help others and go the extra mile. But when was the last time you made it a priority to take care of your own needs before someone else’s? In order to be at your best, you have to be in the right spot to do so. Prioritizing things like exercise, getting enough sleep and taking a day off all go a long way in helping you recharge and stay fresh.

Set Healthy Boundaries

By nature, the word “no” carries a negative connotation that most people are afraid to express. However, it has many positive benefits that not only will find you in a healthy frame of mind but being more productive as well. The first step to saying no is setting healthy boundaries and sticking to them. This simply means clearly stating your priorities and limits and communicating them to those around you. If you make this behavior a regular practice, it lets people know that you can’t be taken advantage of and they will respect you for it.

Check Your Schedule

You’re probably inundated with requests to take on more work or help with items outside the scope of what you normally do. While it’s easy to immediately say yes to helping out with something, it’s perfectly acceptable to let someone know you need to look at your schedule and will respond accordingly. If you have the time to fit something extra in great, but if you’re already committed then letting people know is reasonable as well.

What’s in it For You?

While asking the question of what potential gain you might receive in return for helping someone out might seem selfish, it’s important to consider. There are plenty of people out there that are all too ready to accept help but unwilling to return the favor in the future. Before you commit to taking on work for someone else, ask yourself the question of the likelihood of that favor being reciprocated.

Ask Someone You Trust if You’re Unsure

We are all asked to help out from time to time. If you find yourself on the fence of saying yes or no however, take the time to seek the opinion of someone you can confide in. By verbalizing your concerns, you not only gain a valuable outside opinion, but allow yourself to consider all the options more clearly. Even if you don’t take the advice, you’ll at least have more information to help you make the decision that is best for you.

Delegate

The demands of the modern workplace can be overwhelming. Trying to accomplish every task on your own can lead to burnout in the office and negatively effect your health and relationships outside of work as well. If you work on a team or within a specific department, realize that your colleagues are there to help. By delegating tasks or projects to the people around you, you not only save yourself time, but demonstrate to others that they are valuable and can be trusted. This spells good news for everyone involved.

Provide Context

One of the most critical components of saying no is providing context. If you simply tell someone no you risk coming off as aloof or not caring. But if you make it a point to honestly explain to the person requesting your help that your plate is already full and that you are willing to say yes in the future, you come across as respectful and honest.

Say Yes to the Person and No to the Task

Empathy is a sign of high emotional intelligence. If someone asks for your help and you simply don’t have the time or resources to do so, tell them that you understand the situation they are in but that you simply can’t this time around. Saying no in this manner makes it clear that you value the person in question and are willing to help in the future.

Saying no is counterintuitive for most people. However, learning to do so in a tactful manner when it makes sense goes a long way toward increasing your own productivity and well-being. If you take the steps necessary to make yourself a priority, set professional boundaries and evaluate all your options before you say yes or no, you’ll be in a position to make the best decision for yourself and those around you.

When the days get shorter, it can be more difficult to find motivation to get our work done. Without the sun, we easily fatigue. This is a problem when you have work to accomplish! An experienced professional knows that business never pauses. Since we can’t wait until next summer to get our work done, it’s important to build healthy habits that keep us productive in the colder months. The following are tips to feel energized, productive, and happy in fall.

Get Your Vitamin D

Vitamin D is the essential vitamin in the sun that boosts your mood and energy. During the summer, obtaining enough vitamin D is usually not a problem. It can be more difficult as the days get shorter and colder.

There are two easy ways to obtain vitamin D. The first is light therapy boxes or sun lamps. This works particularly well for people with office jobs that do not experience natural light during the cold winter days. According to BerkleyWellness, fluorescent sunlamp produces high-intensity ultraviolet-B (UVB) rays that trigger vitamin D production in the skin.

Secondly, you can consume vitamin D through a capsule. This can be cheaper than the initial investment for a good sun lamp.

Exercise During Lunch

With cold weather, often comes the lack of motivation to workout. Our morning run is more difficult when it is 35 degrees F outside! However, exercise is necessary for your body to receive year-round.

Many gyms offer 30-minute classes at noon. Try to fit the class into your lunch break. HIIT classes are very popular for full body interval training. You could also dress warm and go on a walk during lunch.

Get up and move. Your mind and body will thank you.

Eat Healthy Foods

Just because summer is over, does not mean your diet should suffer the consequences!

Sure, peaches are non-existent and avocados are a dollar more expensive. However, there are seasonal vegetables that can still give you the nutrients that you need to stay energized through your work day.

The Produce for Better Health Foundation released a seasonal produce list for September, October, and November. The following are some of the most common items. Learn more on their website.

Fall Produce

• Acorn Squash
• Asian Pear
• Broccoli
• Butter Lettuce
• Brussel Sprouts
• Cauliflower
• Endive
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Grapes
• Guava
• Pumpkin
• Pomegranate
• Sweet Potato
• Swiss Chard
• Turnips

Ergonomic Furniture

When we are sitting at a desk for hours, maintaining good posture can be difficult to accomplish. We might not even notice that we are hunched over our computers. That’s when ergonomic furniture comes in handy.

What is ergonomic furniture?

We most commonly recognize ergonomic furniture as stand up desks. The furniture allows us to stand comfortably as we work at our computers. In doing so, we are able to obtain 30% more oxygen that energizes our body.

Now, ergonomic furniture has become more advanced. Relax the Back has a number of ergonomic office products to help you keep a healthy body, including;

• Footrests
• Stand up desks
• Lumbar support

Motivation and productivity is a challenge for many workers in the winter. It is important to be prepared this fall. Keep your body active and healthy to accomplish your goals throughout the winter. Your business will not pause until next summer!

I am a life sciences recruiter in the Bay Area. I help employers and job seekers in the pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device industries. Contact me, Jeff King, for more information

Telecommuting is the dream. You get to work where you want and when you want. For many businesses, telecommuters can work great. They maintain happy and productive employees with a low turnover rate. Other businesses do not have the flexibility for telecommuters.

As a specialty recruiter for Regulatory and Quality professionals, I have seen when telecommuting works in extremely professional settings. Regulatory employees have more success telecommuting. The majority of their work is research and document generation and review which can be completed at home with the proper tools. On the other hand, Quality employees need to be onsite more to support manufacturing and product development. Each employee has their part to ensure that products meet FDA standards but the different tasks assigned to their profession prevents telecommuting for many of the employees.

When Is Telecommuting Appropriate for Companies?

Research Positions

If your employee’s research project requires only a computer and internet connection then they can probably work remotely. In the industries I represent, this applies to Regulatory employees but can, to a more limited extent, apply to some Quality professionals as well. You may choose to start your employees in the office to prove that they are responsible. With time, give them the telecommuting option to improve employee happiness.

Little Interaction with Coworkers

If your employee’s job requires a physical presence then a telecommuting job is not efficient for your company. For example, office manager, product testing, or supervisor. However, telecommuting works well for project-based, data analysis or computer programming work.

Already Working Considerable Amount from Home

Does your employee bring their work home? Employees that bring their work home are usually stressed and overwhelmed, which could lead to their resignation. This can also be true if their commute into your office is a difficult one. If your employee can work remotely half of the time or even full time, let them. The best remote workers depict responsible work ethic. You may want to call your employee into the office for an occasional meeting, but if the work is getting done when they are remote, allow the option.

When Is Telecommuting Not Feasible for Your Company

• Position requires high amount of supervision
• Position requires a lot of live interaction with co-workers
• Employee deals with sensitive or confidential information
• Employees must attend meetings

A large part of building a great company is making your employees happy. Now, more companies allow employees to work remotely. You can increase productivity and avoid high turnover. If your employee is asking to work remotely, evaluate their position and whether it would fit your company’s needs. A great employee can be hard to find. Do your best to make them happy and you will draw more forward-thinking workers.

Meetings – we have to have them but they can be giant time consumers in our work day. For many companies, meetings are prolonged from chit chat and ramble. Others are poorly organized. This can be frustrating for employees that have piles of work.

As a Specialty Quality and Regulatory Recruiter, I have seen the processes of many different types of companies. Some works. Others ends in disaster. Meetings can be crucial to organize your team and make sure you are on the same page.

I have outlined tips that can create more efficient meetings. Start implementing these tips to save valuable time at work.

Review Attendee List

It’s frustrating for employees who are sitting at meetings that they know that they don’t have to attend. A meeting could add an extra hour onto their work day. Before you ask for a meeting, consider who really needs to attend.

The employees that should be at meetings will contribute to the project. Unnecessary attendees will only waste valuable time at the company’s expense.

Distribute Written Agenda in Advance

Be prepared before the meeting. Create a written agenda and email it to your attendees. That way, they will be prepared with the information that they need to bring. Your employees will not be pulling up information spontaneously on their lap top. You have already prepared them for what you need to discuss.

Manage the Meeting by the Clock

It’s easy to waste time chatting about weekend plans, family, or sporting event. However, meetings are not the time to have these discussions. Create a timeline to keep the meeting moving.

For example, 10 minutes for project status. 30 minutes for planning.

Determine the timeline that works best for the productivity of your team.

Take Notes

We can’t remember everything. As a business leader, it is essential to take notes. Record project status, updates, and plans. Type out your ideas and send the record to attendees after the meeting. This will prevent your team from forgetting details. You will not have to repeat information at the next meeting.

Start On-Time

Along with following a time schedule is starting on-time. Tell your employees in advance the meeting will begin promptly at the arranged time. Start the meeting even if some of your attendees are absent.

Punctuality is professional and necessary in the workplace.

Tardiness is embarrassing for most professionals. Starting your meetings on time can help influence your team to arrive promptly.

Sleep – we know that we need it but between work and life, getting enough hours can seem impossible. However, it’s essential to make time for seven to eight hours of sleep per night. Sleep deprivation can lead to serious mental and physical health problems that impacts your work performance.

If you are a business leader, you may find that you need to hire another employee to get the sleep that you need (that’s where a specialist like me can help you find someone to help you sleep better and not lose even more sleep).

Not convinced? Learn how sleep deprivation could impact your mental and physical health:

Memory

Without adequate sleep, your body has trouble absorbing information. If you are sleep deprived at work, you could forget to complete daily tasks, phone calls, or even show up to meetings. Forgetting can severely hurt your job performance. In the worse scenarios, forgetfulness leads to losing your job.

According to WebMD, there are three stages of memory:

• Acquisition — learning or experiencing something new
• Consolidation — the memory becomes stable in the brain
• Recall — having the ability to access the memory in the future

Acquisition and recall occur while you are awake. However, consolidation requires sleep. If you do not get the sleep you need, your brain will have a hard time absorbing new information. That means, double the work or training time.

Moodiness

After a sleepless night, you may notice yourself irritable and moody. Not only does this create a bad day but can be annoying for everyone around you.

University of Pennsylvania researchers found that subjects who were limited to only 4.5 hours of sleep a night for one week reported feeling more stressed, angry, sad, and mentally exhausted. When the subjects resumed normal sleep, they reported a dramatic improvement in mood.

High Blood Pressure

Sleeping seven to eight hours a week may treat high blood pressure.

Sound too good to be true?

It’s actually pretty simple.

Sleep helps regulate your stress hormones. Lack of sleep could decrease your body’s ability to regulate stress hormones which leads to high blood pressure.

Make sure you receive adequate sleep if you experience high blood pressure. Missing sleep could make your blood pressure difficult to manage.

Weight Gain

Do you ever notice that you want to snack when you are tired? Your brain is looking for food for energy. Unfortunately, no almonds, chips, or vanilla latte will make up for a bad night’s sleep.

Sleep deprivation can cause increased levels of a hunger hormone called ghrelin and decreased levels of the satiety/fullness hormone called leptin, which could lead to overeating and weight gain.

Poor Balance

Lack of sleep can impact your coordination. This can lead to workplace trips and falls. It’s important to get enough sleep for any office setting.

Taking care of yourself is important to all aspects of your life. Make time for sleep and, at work, make sure you have a team you can rely on to meet your goals to reduce your stress. I can’t do much to help you with your sleep, but I can do a lot to help you build a great team.

Delegation can be difficult for many business leaders – even scary! When you delegate, you are handing over responsibilities. Often, these could be tasks that you performed well for years.

Wouldn’t it be better for the company to just continue the tasks yourself?

Rarely.

Delegation can improve the productivity of a company. You can complete work faster and grow branches of the business. It can even help you keep your most valued employees by giving them new challenges. If delegation is a struggle then follow these five steps:

1. Trust Your Employees

The first step to delegation is trusting your employees. If you cannot trust your employees you will never be able to delegate.

Ask your employees if they would like to take on more responsibility. Tell them if this could lead to a raise or promotion. You can even make this part of your employee development plan.

2. Establish Your Priorities

Create a priority system for delegating tasks. You can divide tasks into categories – for example, urgent, important, and low tasks. Delegate the urgent tasks first.

3. Hire If Necessary

No delegation systems work without a strong team. You may determine that you need to hire after you establish priorities and the status of your employee.

As a Specialized Quality and Regulatory Recruiter, I have helped business leaders hire productive employees to handle delegation, and to upgrade the caliber of their team.

4. Include Instructions

It would be great if your employees could read your mind. Unfortunately, most businesses don’t have that technology! Include detailed instructions to get your delegated tasks finished correctly and also set clear expectations. Eventually your employees will not require lengthy instructions which can save you hours, or even days of work.

What to Include in Your Instructions

• Detailed Milestones
• Deadlines
• Small Tasks

Delegating is a major step for any business leader. If you feel you need to add to your team, contact me to discuss your needs and we can create a solution plan for you. Contact me at jking@rfocus.com or (541) 639-3501.

Asking questions can be the simplest and most effective ways of learning. Innovators, brilliant minds, and curious thinkers ask questions. If you are not asking questions, you could be missing out on opportunities.

As a business leader, information is imperative. You need to understand what your employees and clients need, as well as where your organization can improve.

Not convinced? Learn why asking questions can be imperative in the workplace:

Questions Encourage Creative Thinking

An innovative company is always coming up with new ideas. Brainstorming sessions are a productive method to inspiring new ideas. Questions can create the creative thinking that you need for a great brainstorming session. Open-ended questions are some of the most efficient, such as;

• I wonder if/why…
• What would happen if…
• In what ways can we…

Questions Create Reflection

There are periods where we all just focus on getting the job done. However, if those periods turn into years, we can lose the spark that makes us creative leaders. Constantly ask yourself questions, such as;

• Why are you in business?
• What is your favorite part of your job?
• How did you create change this year?

Questions Start Change

It’s easy to get stuck in a rut. During those periods, we know that we need to make changes but we can’t find where to make it work. Your questions could open a new way of thinking that keeps your company innovative.

Now that you know why to ask questions, it’s important to recognize how to ask. You don’t want your important question to go unnoticed.

• Watch your tone by keeping it casual.
• Use follow-up questions by focusing on listening.
• If you are looking for information, start with the tough questions. If you want to build relationships, start with the easy questions.
• Keep the questions open-ended.