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Critical Skill 4: Part 4-Process Design Tool

May 15, 2006 by Liz Leave a Comment

Designing a Process Step-by-Step

Future Skills

Use this worksheet to gather information when you’re designing a complex process as described in Critical Skill 4: Part 2-Designing a Complex Process and Critical Skill 4: Part 3-A Virtual Process.

The Process Design Worksheet

Fill in as much information as you can before you begin the process design. Then use the worksheet throughout the process to guide you. You can use this form even when you delegate process design to a team that reports to you.

1. The Leader of the Process Design Team will be ____________________________

2. Assign the Visionaries and Explorers. Who are the big picture, global thinkers who will help decide on the work flow? Which stages of the process will each of these team members represent?

Name: ______________________ Stage(s): __________________________________
Name: ______________________ Stage(s): __________________________________
Name: ______________________ Stage(s): __________________________________
Name: ______________________ Stage(s): __________________________________
Name: ______________________ Stage(s): __________________________________

3. What steps will the work follow? Note: This discussion should include the big picture thinkers listed above only at this point. The detail people should not be present. (Take notes on the big picture process discussion using separate pages. Summarize or draw a flow chart to summarize the process the above team designs in the space below.)

The Proposed Process

4. Assign the King’s Guards and Risk Managers. Who are the detail thinkers who will challenge the proposed process design? Which stages of the process will each of these team members represent?
Name: ______________________ Stage(s): __________________________________
Name: ______________________ Stage(s): __________________________________
Name: ______________________ Stage(s): __________________________________
Name: ______________________ Stage(s): __________________________________
Name: ______________________ Stage(s): __________________________________

5. When the process is defined, the big picture people share the summary/flow chart with the detail folks before a meeting occurs with all team members. Any member of the team can list questions and concerns here.

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

6. The Explorers and Visionaries present the process design in detail to the King’s Guards and Risk Managers under the moderation of the leader. Now is the time to find the holes in the thinking — to validate the process and the plan.

When that discussion is complete, the process will stand as a working plan. The entire group should agree that this is the process, until the process doesn’t work, at which time, any member of the group can ask the team leader to call a meeting to adjust the plan.

Process isn’t hard if you take charge of it, instead of letting it drag you along.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related articles:
Critical Skill 4: Part 1-Process Models
Critical Skill 4: Part 2-Designing a Complex Process
Critical Skill 4: Part 3-A Virtual Process
10 Skills Most Critical Skills Series on the SUCCESSFUL SERIES Page

Filed Under: Checklists, Outside the Box, Successful Blog, Tools Tagged With: bc, Critical_Skills, designing_a_complex_process, future_skills, inputs, outputs, process_checklists, process_tools, time_goals

A Timely Reminder

April 22, 2006 by Liz Leave a Comment

When was the last time that you . . .

  • found a new blog in your niche to read? New blogs offer new communities of readers with fresh ideas and new points of view. Join their discussion by leaving meaningful comments and trackbacks. New friends there might read your comments and want to find out what you’re writing.
  • tweaked your blog description and checked your directory listings? Blogging is flexible and adaptive. How much has your blog changed since you last read your blog description? Have you visited the directories that you listed your blog in? Listings have a way of disappearing over time. Even when they don’t, they might need revising.
  • organized your archives as your readers would want them? Great archives are super blog promotion. For more on how to think like your readers see Watch What You’re Doing.

What other reminders might we need now that spring is here?

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related articles
Blog Review Checklist
Blogger Forums as Promotion
Blog Promotion Basics [for Everyone]
Audience is Your Destination

Filed Under: Blog Review, Checklists, Marketing /Sales / Social Media, Successful Blog Tagged With: bc, blog_promotion, blog_review, communities, directory_listings, personal-branding

Perfect for Friday Productivity Checklist

April 7, 2006 by Liz 7 Comments

Personal Branding logo


Productivity.
Everyone wants it, thinks they have some of it, and loses it faster than they realize. Here are some things you might check and do on a Friday afternoon to feeling better about starting the week again on Monday morning.

Perfect for Friday Productivity Checklist

    1. End your “real work” a half-hour early on Friday. Most folks don’t want to interact with you late on Friday anyway. If you need that half-hour to finish your work, start next week by planning to finish a half-hour earlier.

    2. Use that half-hour to organize everything on your desk. Put things away. Lay out things that still need attending to. Mark what needs to be done. Make a to-do list, if that’s your way.

    3. Make a plan for next week–at the least, decide what you will tackle first on Monday and what your three most important goals will be.

    4. Do an office check. Are the things you use most closest to where you use them? If not, move them, so that they will be. Are the files you access most on your computer only one click away? If not, move them so that they will be.

    5. Order the Monday tasks by putting what you can get done fastest first. Do this for two reasons. It will start your week with a quick sense of accomplishment, and you’ll be able to pass on what you finished–that means that when you move on to task two, someone else can be starting on what was your task one.

Then consider the week closed, leave the office at work, give your brain a break, and have a weekend. What a great way to promote yourself and your brand to anyone who walks by on their way home for the weekend. It says a lot for your personal brand–almost everyone wishes their office looked like it could be in a magazine . . .

Whether you work in a building away from home or in your bedroom, it’s boost to your Monday to walk back into a space that’s ready to work in.

What do you think when you see an office that looks well taken care of?

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related articles
Brand YOU–You Are What They See
Brand YOU–What’s the BIG IDEA?
Don’t Let Burn Out Singe Your Brand

Filed Under: Business Life, Checklists, Personal Branding, Productivity, Successful Blog Tagged With: bc, management, orgiinzation, Perfect_for_Friday_Productivity_Checklist, personal_branding, Productivity, Productivity_Checklist, self-promotion

Eye-Deas 3-Photo Content Checklist

March 22, 2006 by Liz Leave a Comment

Seeing your Work

Finding Ideas Outside of the Box logo 2

Images–photos and artwork–can be used in two ways: as illustration–to extend or explain the content–or as decoration–to bring readers in and add interest to the page. Either way, choice of images reflects your personality, your thoughts, your brand, and your business.

Decorative Images Versus Illustration

If you’re using images solely for decoration, you can wander outside the box fairly far and folks usually will call what you do “art.” Even if your readers don’t like your choices, they will most often glance over and then continue reading, unless your choice is something that makes readers uncomfortable–say, a giant eyeball that seems to be watching them. It’s possible that a choice such as that will make them stop reading and move on.

Images used as illustration might show how to do something or how something looks. Readers rely on illustrative visuals to get more meaning from the words. Visuals can bring an idea home, by making it clearer or stop the reader cold by being a distraction. Placement is important here. The image should be close to the words that talk about it, so that readers don’t have to work to make the connection. A caption helps readers in the same way.

Photo Content Checklist

Content is king and images have content too. It’s not hard to underscore the impact images can have on your writing. They can kick up a notch and be the added value that brings readers back to you. Here are some rules about what you might consider when choosing an image to support your words.

  • When showing people, look for a diversity that reflects the culture around you. People are used to a certain level of diversity. Straying too far from what folks are used to can lead them to subconsciously discount your message as biased, or to see it as less than authentic.
  • Stereotypes just aren’t cool. It’s true that Mom often cooks dinner, but lots of Dads do it too. This is not being politically correct. It is choosing to show the exception, rather than always showing the rule. The folks who are the exception will thank you.
  • Keep in mind your readers are not you. They’ve had different experiences; might use different currency;, could be in a different season of the year. Making room for the differences without making a big deal of them can show you are inclusive–rather stuck in your own world view. Opening your view helps them feel comfortable. People everywhere like to see positive images of people who do what they do–who wouldn’t?
  • Watch for other unconscious bias in your choices. As humans we are drawn to the things we like and away from those things that we don’t. This could be happening in the images you choose. For example, a gardener may too often choose gardening photos. Go back through your blog and check the photos you’ve used. Is there a particular bias–beyond that required by the content you write about–that shows in images you use?
  • Look for “photo no-nos”–unbecoming details within photos that could be distractions, particularly if you are using photos taken by an amateur. Some examples might include hands with dirty fingernails, any animal’s posterior right in the camera, animal sex organs, action in the background that is unwanted or distracting. Read the words in every photo. Sometimes they say something rude.
  • Take care when cropping. It’s easy to crop out the interest. Any object by itself is rarely of interest. When cropping, try to put the main idea forward and just a hair off-center. A well-composed photo takes the eye from the upper-right corner area in a c-shaped counterclockwise spiral into the center.
  • Size the photo to fit the piece that you’re writing. Use the “Goldilocks Rule”–not too large, not too small, but just right. Look at your favorite websites, blogs, and print materials to get a sense of what works for you. Keep in mind if you have a huge splotch of color or a photo in your blog header, you already have a large image on the page.

Keep those in mind when using photos to illustrate and decorate your writing. Readers might not be able to explain what has changed, but they’ll notice it just the same. You’ll probably hear more comments about how wonderful your writing is.

See what I mean?

Photos are the fastest ways you change the look and feel of your blog. You can change your blog daily and signal your readers what’s in store right now. With great photos, you add depth to your readers’ understanding that your brand stands for quality in every way.

I’m sure you check photos for other “photo no-nos.” What are they?

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related articles
Eye-Deas 1: Have You Started Seeing Things?
Eye-Deas 2: Test Ideas with Photo Searches
Great Photo Resources to Support Readers
Turning Reluctant Readers into Loyal Fans

Filed Under: Checklists, Content, Idea Bank, Outside the Box, Personal Branding, Successful Blog, Tech/Stats, Writing Tagged With: bc, cropping, finding_ideas_outside_of_the_box, images, personal-branding, photo_content, photos, problem_solving

Personal Branding: Strengths Assessment Tool

March 21, 2006 by Liz Leave a Comment

Strength and Weakness Assessment

Personal Branding logo

Here’s a tool to help you assess what you have to work with.

Capitalizing on My Strengths

  • What am I asked to teach others?
  • __________________________________________________
  • __________________________________________________
  • __________________________________________________
  • __________________________________________________
  • What responsibilities are delegated to me?
  • __________________________________________________
  • __________________________________________________
  • __________________________________________________
  • __________________________________________________
  • What kinds of meetings and tasks am I asked to lead?
  • __________________________________________________
  • __________________________________________________
  • __________________________________________________
  • __________________________________________________
  • What special skills do I have that others rely on?
  • __________________________________________________
  • __________________________________________________
  • __________________________________________________
  • __________________________________________________
  • What parts of my job would be hardest to fill?
  • __________________________________________________
  • __________________________________________________
  • __________________________________________________
  • __________________________________________________
  • What traits make me a valuable member of the team?
  • __________________________________________________
  • __________________________________________________
  • __________________________________________________
  • __________________________________________________
  • What are the things that only I can do?
  • __________________________________________________
  • __________________________________________________
  • __________________________________________________
  • __________________________________________________

How does each strength meet a need in the marketplace?

Strength _________________________________________________________

Means that ________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

Strength _________________________________________________________

Means that ________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

Strength _________________________________________________________

Means that ________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

Strength _________________________________________________________

Means that ________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

Strength _________________________________________________________

Means that ________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

Strength _________________________________________________________

Means that ________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

Making My Weaknesses Irrelevant

  • What weaknesses do I have that correspond to my strengths?
  • __________________________________________________
  • __________________________________________________
  • __________________________________________________
  • __________________________________________________
  • __________________________________________________
  • __________________________________________________
  • __________________________________________________
  • Who might I talk to that has a strength where I have a weakness?
  • __________________________________________________
  • __________________________________________________
  • __________________________________________________
  • When might I do the following?
  • Volunteer for jobs that play to my strengths.

    _________________________________________________________

    Find opportunities to learn about shoring up my weaknesses.

    ________________________________________________________

    _________________________________________________________

    Find people to work with who have strengths that balance my weaknesses.

    _________________________________________________________

    Remind myself to check tasks for what strengths and weaknesses I’ll be using.

    ________________________________________________________

    _________________________________________________________

My Personal Brand

With what I already know about capitalizing on my strengths and weaknesses, I can say this about my personal brand.

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

This is one kind of assessment tool you might use to get ideas from your head onto the page where you can look at them to make decisions about what to keep and what goes away.

Like any great city builder, you want your personal brand set on a foundation of concrete, not on sand. You can’t promote yourself, your brand, or your business, until you know who you are. If you take the time to think through these questions you’ll be farther than most folks are.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related articles
Building a Personal Brand–YOU
Brand YOU–Capitalize on Your Strengths
Brand YOU–Making Your Weaknesses Irrelevant

Filed Under: Checklists, Marketing /Sales / Social Media, Personal Branding, Productivity, SS - Brand YOU, Successful Blog Tagged With: bc, blog_promotion, business, personal_branding, promotion, resume_planning, self-awareness, self-promotion, strengths_and_weaknesses

FIOTB–Tool 1: Content Development Tool

March 13, 2006 by Liz Leave a Comment

Finding Ideas Outside of the Box logo 2

Because thinking outside of the box is unstructured, it can can lead to “swiss-cheese solutions”–answers that have holes in them–things that we just didn’t think of in our unstructured thinking. So I find that using structured tools relieves the stress of checking to make certain that all bases have been covered.

Content Development Tool

Ironically using boxes makes it easier to think outside the box. I use this content development tool to make sure that I have considered a topic from every direction before I start getting it ready for any audience. This tool works equally as well for planning an interview, a brand, an article, a small meeting, or a major presentation.

Purpose/Getting Attention: What does my audience want to know?

  • What are my main points and ideas?
  • __________________________________________________
  • __________________________________________________
  • __________________________________________________
  • __________________________________________________
  • What facts and details support them?
  • __________________________________________________
  • __________________________________________________
  • __________________________________________________
  • __________________________________________________

Presentation/Keeping Interest: How is it that I will show and tell them?

  • How will it look?
  • __________________________________________________
  • __________________________________________________
  • __________________________________________________
  • __________________________________________________
  • How will I say it with simple elegance?
  • __________________________________________________
  • __________________________________________________
  • __________________________________________________
  • __________________________________________________

Brand YOU/Reader Satisfaction: Why will they be glad they listened?

  • Analysis, predictions, interpretations
  • __________________________________________________
  • __________________________________________________
  • __________________________________________________
  • __________________________________________________
  • What value-added will leave my audience feeling satisfied?
  • __________________________________________________
  • __________________________________________________
  • __________________________________________________
  • __________________________________________________

Whether you’re inside or outside of the box, you need to know the what, how, and why of the information you’re offering any audience about any topic. That’s why I’m sharing this tool before we begin talking about getting ideas and solving problems.

I use it all of the time. It’s here now, if you need it.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related articles:
Got the Idea. Now What Do I Do with It?
Editing for Quality and a Content Editor’s Checklist
Introducing Power Writing for Everyone
Why Dave Barry and Liz Don’t Get Writer’s Block

Filed Under: Business Life, Checklists, Content, Outside the Box, Productivity, Strategy/Analysis, Successful Blog, Writing Tagged With: bc, content_development_tool, content_tool, finding_ideas_outside_of_the_box, generating_ideas, thinking_outside_the_box

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