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June 28, 2008

Critical Skill 10: The 4 Keeper Traits of Productivity — Are YOU the New Killer App?

ME Liz Strauss wrote this at 10:28 am

Think and DO!!

Finding Ideas Outside of the Box logo 2

Are you guilty of having too many ideas?
Do people run when you get a brilliant thought?
Been there. The Internet and the innovative offline world are bursting with what ifs and how abouts.

BUT . . .
ideas vaporize when all we do is think about them.

We need to DO something with ideas to make something happen.

The 4 Keeper Traits of Productivity

In this series, I’ve laid out critical thinking skills important to success in a world of thinkers. Each is a way of using our minds to work with information and ideas to solve problems and move actions forward. The first nine skills aren’t much without the ability to manage and to apply them.

Productivity gets noticed because it produces results.

Various Language Products Written or Managed by Liz Strauss

Self-sustaining productivity gets noticed.

Whether it’s millions of books made especially for kids or it’s millions of kids who learned to read, because teachers cared that they did.

Results are the point. What good is all of this critical thinking without something to show for it?

Self-sustaining productivity has four keeper traits.

They all begin with C.

  • Commitment. Keep believing in your goal. Self-sustaining productivity demands that we stick to plan even when something shiny looks attractive right now. Commitment brings our priorities into focus when we’re distracted.
  • Competence. Keep training to achieve it. Without high-end abilities, skills, and experience, it’s hard to produce high-end results. Things move more quickly and with fewer problems when we’re geared for the challenge. It’s hard to be productive, if we don’t know what we’re doing.
  • Consistency. Keep your standard high. Self-sustainining productivity relies on effective and efficient performance.
  • Credibility. Keep your promises. We’re most productive when do what we say we will. Credibility is the trust and confidence that inspires people to help.

Self-sustaining productivity is confidence in relationships on the street, in the workshop, and in the boardroom. It’s confidence in ourselves and confidence that others invest in us.

I wrote this paragraph in the introduction to this series.

Intellectual property–content–is an asset that not only gets produced, but reproduced, reconfigured, and repurposed for variety of media. Those who produce intellectual property are builders of wealth. An original idea that solves a problem or presents an opportunity is worth more now than it ever has been. Those who develop and mold original ideas are the new “killer app.”

Be social. Network all you can. But don’t neglect the time to stretch your mind.

What are you doing to think ideas, solve problems, and make new realities?

Yeah, you. Can you be. . . will you be . . . are you the new killer app?

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related articles
The 10 Skills Most Critical to Your Future
Finding Ideas Outside the Box
Personal Branding: Strengths Assessment Tool
Brand YOU–What’s the BIG IDEA?

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7 Comments to “Critical Skill 10: The 4 Keeper Traits of Productivity — Are YOU the New Killer App?”

  1. June 28th, 2008 at 10:56 am
    Karin H. said

    Hi Liz

    How timely ;-)
    After trying to get something to work all afternoon I’ve given up - but not before I asked someone else to please have a look at it (Monday of course, not everyone works every day).
    Productivity stalled for the moment, but with the same intent in mind to keep at it - be it on another level. Switched to the next task for the project so, that when - not if ;-) - the problem is tackled productivity is ‘on the fast track’ again.

    (If it will turn out the next ‘kill app’ - who knows, perhaps. In my eyes worth the effort and struggle).

    Your post reminded me of: even with little steps a goal can be reached. If not today, then tomorrow or the day after.

    Have a good weekend

    Karin H. (Keep It Simple Sweetheart, specially in business)

  2. June 28th, 2008 at 11:25 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Karin!
    It’s so nice to have you with me on a Saturday! Yeah, each thing we push forward just a little and consistently makes a difference in getting those big things out of the way. :)

  3. June 28th, 2008 at 8:36 pm
    Suzie Cheel said

    Thanks Karin,
    for this “even with little steps a goal can be reached. If not today, then tomorrow or the day after.”

    I have been feeling that way recently after achieving a huge goal, I have slowed down so much, that I am having to rethink how I operate on the web and at the same time grow a new business.
    Liz this comment is me to a T at present- working out what I let go of to be productive.
    “Be social. Network all you can. But don’t neglect the time to stretch your mind”

    So easy to get caught up in the non productive side of blogging and networking.

    Not to be productive and finish Beach Notes so the world sees it this Sunday.

    Thank you for the series.

    Suzie

  4. June 28th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
    Jannie Sue said

    What a great little shot in the arm. Thanks!

  5. June 29th, 2008 at 11:49 am
    Lisa said

    Hi Liz,

    I enjoyed your article and it is just what I needed to move forward and stay productive.

    Thank you for your words of wisdom!

    Lisa
    easyMLMTipsandTool.com

  6. June 29th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Lisa!
    Welcome!
    Stay on track and you’ll get where you’ve set out to go. :)

  7. June 30th, 2008 at 1:30 am
    Trip Around the Blogosphere - June 29, 2008 | Pajama Professional said

    […] Strauss outlines the 4 Keeper Traits of Productivity. It seems like every blogger or online businessperson I encounter online has a ton of great ideas. […]

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