Attending meetings that are created mostly for people to share with others various updates from their divisions instead of discussing what needs to be done next. A partnership initially created between two companies to allow them to land a large-scale project ends up becoming a source of distrust between the collaborating businesses, leading to costly delays as each side questions the real motives of the other firm. Spending hours in a committee meeting attempting to decide which option should be pursued over others as the least likely to end in failure.

These are just a handful of some of the scenarios that author Russell Bishop delves into, breaks down and provides clear strategies to overcome and hopefully improve on in his new book “Workarounds That Work: How to Conquer Anything That Stands in Your Way at Work”.

From the very beginning of the book, Bishop makes it clear that the key to overcoming any obstacle or challenge that stands before us is ourselves – specifically our own perception or how we choose to frame a given situation. He divides the work environment into three distinct sections – what we can control, what we can influence, and what we simply respond to – and points out how most times, our focus is on what we respond to and not on that which is within our abilities to control and manage.

Working from this vantage point, Bishop describes three key steps that readers can take to ensure any change or improvement they put forth is more than a mere band-aid solution: Click here to continue reading »”Coffee House Book Review – “Workarounds That Work” by Russell Bishop”

The following is a guest post by Russell Bishop. Russell is an educational psychologist, author, executive coach and management consultant whose clients include Fortune 500 executives in aerospace, healthcare, pharmaceutical and biotechnology, information technology, telecommunications and oil and gas.

Russell serves as the Senior Editor-at-Large for the Business and Living sections of The Huffington Post. He is also the author of the book “Workarounds That Work: How to Conquer Anything That Stands in Your Way at Work”, which I will be reviewing in the next installment of the Coffee House Book Review series. You can learn more about Russell and his book on his website at RussellBishop.com.

When it comes to internal roadblocks or organizational obstacles, more often than not the culprit behind these problems is an organization’s own bureaucracy. Ironically, even bureaucrats need workarounds when they run up against the frustrating bottlenecks created by other bureaucrats. Corporate bureaucracy and its close cousin, business process, often snag their own staffs in an impossible tangle of rules and regulations. Customers and suppliers frequently encounter roadblocks as they try to navigate the labyrinthine maze of the bureaucrat. One of the most perplexing aspects of process and bureaucracy stems from the fact that those frustrating rules were most likely created for good reason, but may have outlived their usefulness.

If you are trying to overcome internal roadblocks, you can complain about the other team, escalate issues through upper levels of management, or simply try to ignore their rules altogether. However, none of these strategies is likely to produce an effective result, much less one that will have the legs to survive. In trying to find an effective workaround strategy, you may need to actually get closer to the other team in order to find your way through.

In my book, Workarounds That Work: How to Conquer Anything That Stands in Your Way at Work, I suggest that the first workaround may be with your own self, with your own mindset. In order to move from blame and complain to effective movement, you may find it useful to ask “what difference could I make all on my own that requires no one’s permission except my own?”

Sometimes, that question alone will point you to steps you can take to Click here to continue reading »”A Simple Workaround to Overcome the Bureaucratic Mindset”

Opportunity.

It’s one of a handful of words which on its own can inspire hope and the sense that we might be one step closer to reaching those personal goals we set out for ourselves.

Opportunities also serve as the driving force that pushes organizations into pursuing new territory, in the hopes of discovering potential new markets for their products/services to boost stagnant or declining revenue shares.

It’s no doubt the reason why we find it so hard to say “No” to new opportunities because of the inherent belief that any opportunity which crosses our path is an open door leading us one step closer to our objectives.

Although we spend so much time talking about seeking opportunities, we rarely consider the importance or value of the quality of the opportunities we’re offered. That’s why most of us approach opportunities from the vantage point of “if we don’t accept it or if we pass this up, what will we lose?”

Perhaps a better question we should ask ourselves when such opportunities arise is Click here to continue reading »”Do You Have A Healthy Relationship With Opportunity?”

Today’s piece is a guest post by Meredith Bell.  Meredith is the president and co-founder of Performance Support Systems, a software company based in Newport News, Virginia. She’s been an entrepreneur since 1982, when she discovered that she didn’t function well in a bureaucratic, political organization. For the several years she consulted to local businesses, helping managers develop the people skills they need to become effective leaders and build strong teams.  You can learn more about Meredith by visiting her blog, Your Voice of Encouragement.

Anyone who knows me well will be stunned to read the title of this post. How can I say there are negative aspects to ongoing self-development? I’ve always invested heavily in my own personal and professional growth – both financially and experientially. And my software company has been publishing assessment and development tools for the workplace for over 15 years.

But as one for whom learning is a passion, I’ve discovered there are some downsides. The four items listed here are related, but each presents its own challenge.

1. Accumulating a lot of knowledge without applying it in the real world
I admit that I rarely read novels. I prefer business books on topics like marketing, sales, leadership and personal development. That’s because I absolutely love my business, and I’m always interested in learning how to improve systems, relationships and of course, our bottom line. But sometimes I start on the next book before I’ve taken time to analyze and use the insights gleaned from the one I just read.

Lesson: For every book or program you go through, list the ideas that make sense for your situation. Then commit to implementing the one strategy that will make the biggest difference in your business or life, and hold yourself accountable for doing it. Click here to continue reading »”The Downsides of Being a Lifelong Learner”