Forget about what worked in 2013. Here’s how brokers can master the latest trends in the workplace.
The fireworks and champagne are over. It’s the time of the year when brokers are organising and assessing their priorities for the year of work ahead.
Fred Schebesta, co-founder of finder.com.au, says that as times change, so too must our approach to work.
The consequences of maintaining the status quo include getting left behind the pack, he adds.
“2014 should be your year to make a difference in the office and get things done with a new attitude and a new way of working,” Schebesta says.
Schebesta offers 14 resolutions to be an effective and efficient worker this year:
1. Go towards pain - If you're experiencing pain, go towards it because that's where your best learning comes from.
2. Plan a blank spot in your calendar every day and use this block of time to do random projects that pop up.
3. Pick the phone up – people are scared to talk to each other these days, but having a chat can be the ice breaker you need to cut through the noise.
4. Tell your boss how you really feel – your boss is not a mind reader; good bosses are compassionate and will help you feel good if you let them know how you're feeling.
5. Plan to have fun – you need to take time out from work to enjoy life; we often have game nights at the finder.com.au office and catch up over dinner.
6. Send hand-written notes – traditional letters are so personal and not sent often enough because they are more effort than sending an email but you will be amazed at what impact they can have.
7. Cull everything – one of the simplest ways to know what you truly need is to cut back on everything. Cancelling your credit card for instance and letting the payment failure notices come in is one example because you see what you’re really paying for and what you need to cancel.
8. Do what you want to do – life is short and there isn’t time to waste doing things you don’t enjoy. If you’re holding back on something, you’ll regret it later.
9. Be remarkable by increasing your average speed – it’s incredibly difficult to get beyond the noise barrier and do things that get you results or help you achieve your goals. It takes a commitment to increasing your ‘average speed’. If you’re already working hard at something, work that little bit harder and that’s where the results start coming at an exponential rate.
10. Have three clear goals – having too many goals creates a cloudy mind. Having three goals makes it easy to remember them, easy to split your time amongst them and easy to remain focused.
11. Follow the footsteps of successful people – One of the most effective habits you can have in 2014 is to find successful people who have already achieved what you want, and follow the steps they took to get there. Note the mistakes they made and avoid those in your own journey.
12. Back yourself – the biggest person holding you back from achieving your goals is yourself. If you back yourself and be confident you will create the right energy to put yourself in a position to achieve what you want. Everyone is given an opportunity, it’s up to you to put your hand up and take it.
13. Work on your remix – Imitate, transform and combine a number of influences to create your own unique mix that makes you who you are. Read books you wouldn’t normally consider, watch movies you wouldn’t normally watch and explore all forms of music. The more you go outside your comfort zone, the better your mix of influences will become.
14. 10x your goals – we often set goals that are too low and as a result we become mediocre. Once you’ve set your goals, multiply them by 10. This will force you to innovate and come up with new ways to get to your end goal that you would have not otherwise considered.
Related:
Top 10 productivity killers
Turbocharge your mortgage broking productivity in 4 steps
How do you plan to be a more productive broker in 2014? Share your thoughts below.
Fred Schebesta, co-founder of finder.com.au, says that as times change, so too must our approach to work.
The consequences of maintaining the status quo include getting left behind the pack, he adds.
“2014 should be your year to make a difference in the office and get things done with a new attitude and a new way of working,” Schebesta says.
Schebesta offers 14 resolutions to be an effective and efficient worker this year:
1. Go towards pain - If you're experiencing pain, go towards it because that's where your best learning comes from.
2. Plan a blank spot in your calendar every day and use this block of time to do random projects that pop up.
3. Pick the phone up – people are scared to talk to each other these days, but having a chat can be the ice breaker you need to cut through the noise.
4. Tell your boss how you really feel – your boss is not a mind reader; good bosses are compassionate and will help you feel good if you let them know how you're feeling.
5. Plan to have fun – you need to take time out from work to enjoy life; we often have game nights at the finder.com.au office and catch up over dinner.
6. Send hand-written notes – traditional letters are so personal and not sent often enough because they are more effort than sending an email but you will be amazed at what impact they can have.
7. Cull everything – one of the simplest ways to know what you truly need is to cut back on everything. Cancelling your credit card for instance and letting the payment failure notices come in is one example because you see what you’re really paying for and what you need to cancel.
8. Do what you want to do – life is short and there isn’t time to waste doing things you don’t enjoy. If you’re holding back on something, you’ll regret it later.
9. Be remarkable by increasing your average speed – it’s incredibly difficult to get beyond the noise barrier and do things that get you results or help you achieve your goals. It takes a commitment to increasing your ‘average speed’. If you’re already working hard at something, work that little bit harder and that’s where the results start coming at an exponential rate.
10. Have three clear goals – having too many goals creates a cloudy mind. Having three goals makes it easy to remember them, easy to split your time amongst them and easy to remain focused.
11. Follow the footsteps of successful people – One of the most effective habits you can have in 2014 is to find successful people who have already achieved what you want, and follow the steps they took to get there. Note the mistakes they made and avoid those in your own journey.
12. Back yourself – the biggest person holding you back from achieving your goals is yourself. If you back yourself and be confident you will create the right energy to put yourself in a position to achieve what you want. Everyone is given an opportunity, it’s up to you to put your hand up and take it.
13. Work on your remix – Imitate, transform and combine a number of influences to create your own unique mix that makes you who you are. Read books you wouldn’t normally consider, watch movies you wouldn’t normally watch and explore all forms of music. The more you go outside your comfort zone, the better your mix of influences will become.
14. 10x your goals – we often set goals that are too low and as a result we become mediocre. Once you’ve set your goals, multiply them by 10. This will force you to innovate and come up with new ways to get to your end goal that you would have not otherwise considered.
Related:
Top 10 productivity killers
Turbocharge your mortgage broking productivity in 4 steps
How do you plan to be a more productive broker in 2014? Share your thoughts below.
