Rob Kaplan, Professor of Management Practice at Harvard and author of "What You’re Really Meant to Do: A Road Map for Reaching Your Unique Potential,” is interviewed in this Business War Chest to discuss tips to learn how to manage yourself and reach your unique potential. 

5 Tips to Reach Your Unique Potential 

1.  Know your strengths and weaknesses.

Many small businesses fail due to a lack of awareness of their owner's weaknesses. If you need help identifying your weaknesses, ask others who will tell you the brutal truth. The good news is that you don't have to fix all your weaknesses - but you do have to surround yourself with people who complement you.

2. Understand your passion.

Small business owners often believe that they need to do tasks no matter what - whether they are passionate about the task or not.  If you are doing tasks that you do not enjoy, you are not going to do them very well and your business will suffer.  It is critical as a small business owner to delegate to others the things you do not like to do - as those tasks will be done better by someone else. 

3. Identify 3 critical tasks & who is responsible.

Identify the 3 tasks that your company needs to do superbly well. Then determine which of those 3 critical tasks you will do and which you will need other people to do. As a small business owner, remember that you do not need to do everything yourself. What you need to do is bridge the mismatch between what the business needs to get done and what you can get done.

4. Understand your own failure narrative. 

Most small business owners know their success story, the story of why they started their own business. But one of the keys to reaching your unique potential is articulating the the trauma in your story, the failure narrative - the story you fear other people are telling about you. What do you believe you are not good at or can't do? Until you can recognize your failure narrative, you will not know how that story is effecting your leadership and influencing your decisions. By defining your failure narritive, you can face it and achieve success.

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Do you avoid starting large projects? 

Maybe you don't know where or how to start.

Use the Zeigarnik Effect to increase productivity.

According to the Zeigarnick Effect, when a project or task is started, you are more likely to finish it. The brain compells us to finish a task that we have already started. We experience discomfort when a task is not completed and the brain naturally wants to complete unfinished business.

Don't try harder. Get started.

If you have a large project that you are avoiding, just start it. Start on any part of the project, and by virtue of having started the project, you are more likely to finish it. Starting a project is the biggest barrier to productivity. Beat procrastination by starting. Starting on a piece of the task, no matter how trivial, will draw you to finish the task.

8 Tips to Using Science to Increase Productivity 

1. Make a list of your projects. Save time and stress by creating a comprehensive list of projects. 
2. Determine the highest priority project. Stop trying to work more, identify what matters most.
3. Break down the project into smaller tasks. Your brain finds smaller tasks less overwhelming and thus easier to start. 
4. Set a deadline. You are more likely to complete task, if you have a deadline.
5. Start working. You are more likely to complete a task, if you have started it. 
6. Set blocks of time to work, folllowed by breaks. Don't try to work hard all the time. For example, set aside chunks of time for specific tasks, followed by 15 minute breaks.  
7. Document progress. Track tasks accomplished in each time block. Seeing how you actually spend your time will help you realize how long tasks actually take to compete.
8. Stop multi-tasking. Multi-tasking actually makes you less efficient. Multi-tasking decreases mental clarity, and it actually takes longer to get things done. 

How do you stay productive? Let us know in the comments below. 

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Tech columnist David Pogue shares 10 simple tips for computer, web, smartphone and camera users. While you may know some of these - there's probably at least one you don't.

Watch the video. 

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Join us tomorrow, Tuesday, April 30, 2013 starting at 6 PM for the Back To Back Bay Pub Crawl! 

Show your support for local business affected by the Boston Marathon Bombings and get #BackToBackBay! Please join us in the Back Bay tomorrow starting at 6 PM.  

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Steljes compiled a list of 10 apps that make it easy to collaborate while on the move. Kibits was included along with Adobe Connect Mobile, Collaborate Marketplace, Hojoki, RabbleBrowser, SMART Bridget Conferencing App, Vablet Office, Yammer, YouSendIt, and Zapier.

Take a look at this slideshare and let us know if you agree. What apps you use to make collaborating easy while on the move? 

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Todd Wilms, SAP's Head of Social Strategy, shares what he has learned over the last 20 years in a variety of marketing leadership roles at PayPal, Citrix, George P. Johnson agency, and PeopleSoft. The slideshare includes 10 lessons he learned that helped shape his future and his leadership and management philosophy. 

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A recent Business Insider article posted tips from Tim Ferriss, author of The Four Hour Workweek, for how to escape the 9-to-5 mindset and get more done in less time, leaving more time to relax and be happy. Here is our take.  

6 Tips to Escape the 9-To-5 Mindset

1. Change the way you execute. If you always use the same approach, you will always get the same results and not make any gains in efficiency.

2. Know when you are unproductive - and don't try to work through it. 

3. Do less, not more. Stop trying to work more, and start working on what matters most.

4. Empower your employees to make decisions. The more decisions employees make, the more productive everyone is. 

5. Stay focused. Throughout the day, ask yourself if what you are working on is getting you closer to what you want to achieve. 

6. Minimize interruptions. Instead of constantly being interrupted by the requests of others, stick to your own agenda. Set regular, specific times to read and respond to requests from others - including emails. 

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According to David Allen, the author of Getting Things Done, the key to continued use of any productivity tool is the definition of aclean edge - a user defined, precise boundary for what content is going to be kept in the productivity tool and kept current, complete, and consistent. 

Definiton of Clean Edges

Before using a productivity tool, it is first necessary to define what content will be put into the tool. Once the clean edge or boundary is defined, everything inside needs to be input into the tool - ALWAYS. As soon as the content becomes dispersed, spreadout over multiple tools, or left in your head, the value of the tool is lessened. Everything within the clean edge needs to be kept in the tool. 

Current, Complete and Consistent Content

David Allen goes on to explain in the video below that continued use of a productivity tool is contingent upon keeping the content within the clean edge current, complete and consistent. As soon as the content becomes out-of-date, incomplete, or inconsistent, the motivation to input and use the tool will fade away. When the hurdle to populate and update the tool becomes greater than the perceived benefit, the tool is no longer used.

How do you define what content is kept in Kibits?  How do you keep your content current, complete and consistent? Let us know in the comments below.

Watch David Allen's video explaining his concept of clean edges: 

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Customers are using social media to voice their interactions with brands. Companies need to integrate social media with customer service and be prepared to interact with customers on social media channels. Customer support can no longer only consist of a phone number and email address.

Customer Service is now Social Customer Service

Companies need to embrace social customer service - listening at the brand and category level through social media platforms for issues and concerns and responding in the same platform to the complaint and to the positive feedback.

Responding to customers through a social media platform can be an efficient way to create brand value and loyalty. Customers value quick and effective responses and appreciate when their concerns are heard. Customers touched through social customer service are likely to become public advocates. 

We at Kibits aim to provide excellent customer service by listening via social media, responding quickly and effectively, and valuing concerns.

How do you provide great customer service? Let us know in the comments below.

Learn the cost of not providing great customer service with this infographic:

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“Nothing is less productive than to make more efficient what should not be done at all.” 

- Peter Druker

Great leaders don't work harder and longer. Great leaders get the right things done. No matter how small or large your organization is, time is your most precious resource. Ensuring that you and your employees are working on what matters most - is critical to the sucess of your company. 

EFFECTIVENESS VS. EFFICIENCY

Effectiveness means "doing the RIGHT thing"

Effectiveness is the degree to which objectives are achieved and the extent to which targeted problems are solved.

Ask yourself - is what is being worked on adding value and moving you closer to achieving your goals?

Once you have decided that what you and your employees are working on serves your objectives and goals, the next step is to look for ways to increase efficiency. 

Efficiency means "doing the thing RIGHT"

Efficiency is the comparison of what is actually produced or performed with what can be achieved with the same consumption of resources - money, time, labor, etc. 

Identify areas for improvement on how to achieve the desired result, giving consideration to alternative approaches. Improvement results when you change the way you execute. If you always use the same approach, you will always get the same results and not make any gains in efficiency.

After you have determined that you are working on the right things and are working efficiently, then you can work on productivity - doing the right thing in the right way.

4 Tips to Getting the Right Things Done: 

1. Set Daily Objectives. Set your objectives for the day according to what is the highest priority. Identify a max of 3 objectives for the day and prioritize them so at any point in time you are always working on your most important objective.  

2. Work Efficiently. Minimize interruptions. Have consistent, secure and reliable access to the information and people you need.

3. Stay Focused. Throughout the day, ask yourself if what you are working on is getting you closer to what you want to achieve.

4. Review. At the end of the day, review what you have accomplished, challenges, successes, and learnings.

By working effectively and efficiently, you can achieve your business objectives and have more time for your life. 

What helps you stay productive? Let us know in the comments below.

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