Peak Advisor Alliance - Blog (Entries tagged as systems & productivity)

A Handbook For Happiness

nospam@example.com (Peak Advisor Alliance) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 08:06:54 -0600

In this post you can pick out tips for living a happy and productive life. The handbook includes 52 tips, but don’t try to do them all. Pick out a couple to start with and go back for more later.

Mobile Apps To Help You Be Productive

nospam@example.com (Peak Advisor Alliance) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 07:56:31 -0600

And, no, we’re not talking about playing Angry Birds. In this post, you’ll learn about some iPhone apps that will help you be more productive. An added bonus – many of them are free!

What Separates the Elite Achiever From the Rest?

nospam@example.com (Peak Advisor Alliance) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 07:54:27 -0600

Would you be surprised if I said, doing less? Read this to learn more.

Managing Your Time

nospam@example.com (Peak Advisor Alliance) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 08:34:00 -0500

Are you effectively managing your time or do you find yourself getting derailed much like the author of this blog? Read this for some suggestions on how he’s getting back on track and take his quiz to see how you manage complexity.

Give Your Co-Worker a Hug

nospam@example.com (Peak Advisor Alliance) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 08:11:28 -0500

It is commonly assumed that if you get support from your co-workers you will be happier and, therefore, more productive. But, what you may not realize is that if you are the one giving the support the same positive effect will occurs.

So first, read this article for more, then get up from your desk and share some positive encouragement with a co-worker. Not only will you feel better, you’ll probably put a smile on someone else face and you’ll both be more productive.

The Downside to Multitasking

nospam@example.com (Peak Advisor Alliance) — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 08:14:50 -0500

Is there one, you may be asking? Yes, according to Clifford Nass, director of the Communication Between Humans and Interactive Media Lab at Stanford University.

“We are creating a culture that encourages workers to be less effective, handle information poorly and have a tougher time in social relationships. What does the workforce look like where people can’t pay attention, where people can’t think deeply, and where people lack emotional skills? It’s a pretty scary world,” said Nass.

Read this article to learn more.

Ron Carson Talks Technology

nospam@example.com (Peak Advisor Alliance) — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 15:21:00 -0500

Check out Peak Advisor Alliance’s Ron Carson shares his experience on how technology has changed his financial advisory business and why advisors need to always be investing in technology.

Will You Thrive in Difficult Times? By Ron Carson

nospam@example.com (Peak Advisor Alliance) — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 14:01:59 -0500

By Ron Carson, CFP®, ChFC

Standard & Poor's just put the U.S. government on notice that if we don't get our act together, we'll lose our AAA credit rating. Predictably, the stock market tanked and a new measure of uncertainty has entered the landscape. How can you ensure that your business remains successful in this era of wild market swings and economic and geopolitical uncertainty?

Many advisors cease to be successful when times get difficult and I believe that is because they don't have a clear thought on what direction they're moving in.

Author Jim Collins writes that so often people want to take their business from good to great. The problem is with the transition. Most people think that good is good enough and when we achieve that level, we're usually not motivated to make a lot of changes, positive or otherwise. So good is simply the mortal enemy of great. We don't have great schools because we have good schools. We don't have great government because we have good government-well, maybe that's being too generous! We don't have great relationships because we have good relationships.

Many people, I believe, will confront, at the end of their lives, the horrifying truth that they had never achieved greatness in their life because they simply settled for good. And the other horrifying fact is that they had the ability to achieve greatness; they simply allowed their time to run out. That's why we constantly reiterate that the difference between those people that succeed and have a high quality of life and those people that don't, is that the successful people have a guiding light, that mission and that vision that allows them to stay focused. You see, the challenge is not the opportunity; the challenge is reacting to the right opportunity.

Collins also talks about greatness as being cumulative. That's why systemization is so important. You need to have a way of delivering consistency over time. You have to have disciplined people engaged in disciplined thought and take disciplined action cumulatively over the life of your business. Great systems combined with great people is an unbeatable combination. The moment you feel the need to manage someone, you probably have made a hiring mistake. Building a great company and finding and developing great people is not easy, but all of us at Peak Advisor Alliance stand ready to help you.

I also like what Collins said at an FPA Conference. He asked the audience how many of them had a "to-do list" and everybody's hand went up. Then he asked how many had a "stop-doing list." He said great companies make use of the "stop-doing list." Quit doing things you don't need to be doing and continuously ask yourself, "Do we need to do it anymore?" I have the belief that if it's not broken, break it. If you don't break it and re-invent yourself, your competition will.

Collins talked about his research and found that CEOs of great companies focus on activities that result from answering these two questions.

1) What are we passionate about?
2) What can we be the best in the world at?

Hey, this is simply reinforcement of my belief that the mission and the vision are the most important components of being successful. He also talked about those companies who are considered great and that stand for something. He found that what they stand for does not change over time. Mission and Vision sound familiar here? Those who build greatness are ambitious; first, for the cause, second, for the company, and then finally, for the client. They're never in it for themselves.

Discover what you were made to do and commit to doing it the best you can. Use your mission and vision as guiding lights. If you fall short of your potential or cut a corner in your life, you're probably the only person who will ever know that you didn't give it your best. The goal and what the mission and vision allow you to do, is to achieve your inner greatness and know you did your absolute best. And, to this end, you haven't failed until you quit trying.

A “System” for Being a Better Writer

nospam@example.com (Peak Advisor Alliance) — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 08:01:48 -0500

In this digital age, you may find yourself writing more than ever. But, are you an effective and productive writer? Do you have a system to pump out new content? Here’s an outline of the five stages of the writing process. Follow this and use it as a framework for writing well and easily.

If You Want Faster Results—Slow Down.

nospam@example.com (Peak Advisor Alliance) — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 08:10:00 -0600

Surprising, yes, but if you want faster results, then do just the opposite—slow down. Slow down by taking time to develop a strategy. Barreling ahead with nothing more than determination will kick up a lot of dust but, when the dust settles, you’ll just have rearranged the dust. Start with a plan, then become determined to implement. That’s the ticket to fast results. Read Slow Your Roll by Men’s Fitness.

In what area do you need to slow down so you can speed up your results?

Do The Right Thing

nospam@example.com (Peak Advisor Alliance) — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 14:02:00 -0600

It’s great to be an advisor. You get to come and go as you please, work with the clients you want, and never have to mess with unpleasant things like compliance, paperwork, and marketing. That’s why you build a team, so they can be experts in all of those things you don’t want to do.

How do I keep these cornerstones of my business moving in the right direction?
I worked with an advisor that couldn’t keep his team leader focused. He was always “putting out fires” and not completing the vital tasks that needed to be done. We introduced the 6 Most Important and Vital One^TM (scroll down to Tools for more on our 6 Most) to the team leader. Sure, the advisor had been using it, but he’d never really shared it with the staff. Now he had a way to focus everyone in the office.

How do I make this work?
Make sure that each team member is filling out the 6 Most before they leave work each day. Let your team know you will be reviewing their sheets. Then, collect them at the end of the week, and review the 6 Most with each of them.

Here’s what to review:
1. Did they complete things in the order of importance?
2. On average, how many things are they completing each day?
3. If things rolled over to the next day, do they keep the number at six, or did it become a long to-do
   list.
4. Don't be afraid to share your 6 Most with your employees.
5. Use this process to help your teams’ productivity and encourage their activity, do not use it as a
   form of punishment.

Make it a habit.
Stick with it! Inspect the 6 Most and coach your team on their efforts. They’ll be more productive and everyone (including your clients) will be happier.

Try a 90-Minute Focusing Plan

nospam@example.com (Peak Advisor Alliance) — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 07:41:48 -0600

Yesterday, we shared an article about the key to focusing on something for an extended period without experiencing a diminishing returns effect. Today’s link adds a real-life example of how to do it. Read A 90-Minute Plan for Personal Effectiveness from the Harvard Business Review.

Here’s the Secret to Being Able to Focus on Something...

nospam@example.com (Peak Advisor Alliance) — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 07:45:53 -0600

...FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD

You know it’s important. You cleared your calendar and now you’re grinding it out, hour after hour, to complete that important task. But, what do you do when you reach that point of diminishing returns and your extended focus period becomes less and less productive? Keep pushing? Throw in the towel? Splash your face with cold water?

This article tells you the simple thing you can do to dramatically improve your ability to focus on something for prolonged periods. Read Brief Diversions Vastly Improve Focus, Researchers Find from News Bureau Illinois.