The 2 Minute Takeaway Podcast

Smart leaders understand you need to be working on the right thing and not just the next thing that crosses your desk. There are only so many hours in a day and it can be easy to be seduced by random tasks.  What if you started to think about your focus as a valuable resource [...] The post Are You Working on the Right Thing or Just the Next Thing? appeared first on Ken Okel .

The problem with waiting until you're ready is that you may let perfectionism keep you from doing anything. There are moments in business when you need to act, even if you don't feel 100% comfortable. Not doing anything may feel safe, but it may also hold you and your business back. Let's unleash your potential [...] The post The Problem with Waiting Until You’re Ready appeared first on Ken Okel .

Even the best leaders may struggle with how to lead through uncertainty without faking confidence. It's understandable that when faced with an unexpected challenge, you may not know what to do.  But you need to remember your employees are watching you in these moments and hiding in your office is not a solution. Let's make [...] The post How to Lead Through Uncertainty Without Faking Confidence ap...

Busy leaders often discover they are afraid to take a five minute break. It can be very easy to rush from one situation to the next and never stop.  The problem is that, over time, you're going to start to burn out. What if you could be smarter with how you manage your work-life balance [...] The post Are You Afraid to Take a Five Minute Break? appeared first on Ken Okel .

If you feel pressed for time at work, then you might want to think about what you would do with 15 minutes of extra time. While it may not seem like a lot of time, if you invest it well, then you could see a great return.  While you may not know when you may [...] The post What Would You Do With 15 Minutes of Extra Time? appeared first on Ken Okel .

Your out of office message could be missing something very important. Whether it's through the phone or email, people want to receive a key piece of information.  If you don't provide it, then you could open the door to frustration and even lost business. Make sure being out of the office doesn't mean being out [...] The post What Must Be in Your Out of Office Message appeared first on Ken Okel .

Understanding how to stay calm under pressure is a leadership skill that continues to grow in importance. We live in a rapidly changing world and there are going to be times when things go wrong.  In the moment, it's understandable you may react poorly to these challenges. But does that undermine your performance and your [...] The post How to Stay Calm Under Pressure appeared first on Ken Okel .

The top complaint about meetings is all about people talking way too much. Especially when they really have nothing to add to the conversation.  I uncovered this complaint when I asked my LinkedIn followers to tell me what annoys them most about these gatherings. While you may feel their pain, you don't have to experience [...] The post The Top Complaint About Meetings appeared first on Ken Okel .

Leaders who take the time to think about what could go wrong will often prevent big problems from happening. It's possible your high-performing team has overlooked something important that could impact a project's success.  What if you took some time to consider some of these negative scenarios, no matter how unlikely they may seem. Learn [...] The post Think About What Could Go Wrong appeared fir...

Busy leaders may find themselves saying, "But that's not me!" when employees react to an increase in bad behavior. Whether it's being overly demanding or dismissing concerns, these issues can become performance and retention issues.  Often, bad behavior is the product of understandable stress but should it be allowed to continue? Learn how to quickly [...] The post But That’s Not Me! appeared firs...

Smart leaders embrace the chance to play the missing employee game. This simple task can help you better prepare your business for unexpected employee absences.  In life, unexpected things can happen that will take valuable staff members out of your organization for weeks. Will this be a time of productivity or panic? Prepare for the [...] The post Play the Missing Employee Game appeared first on...

In a world of increasing workloads and shrinking attention spans, it's important to know how to communicate with email skimmers. These are the people who quickly scan your messages but don't read them in their entirety.  This practice can lead to recipients missing key details, miscommunication, and delayed responses. Let's help you compose messages that [...] The post How To Communicate With an E...

If technology is not your area of expertise, then you may feel like you've missed the Artificial Intelligence honeymoon. The bad news is that you're likely behind a lot of your competition in this area.  The good news is that, with a focused and strategic approach, you can start to embrace Artificial Intelligence in your [...] The post Did You Miss the Artificial Intelligence Honeymoon? appeared f...

In this jumbo edition of the podcast, you will learn how to unlock the potential of others. This is important because at some time, you may need the members of your team to raise their game, in order to meet an unexpected challenge.  Join me as we go into a busy airport, where a group [...] The post How to Unlock the Potential of Others appeared first on Ken Okel .

Some focused review of your policies and procedures can prevent mistakes at work. These are the problems that cost you valuable time and money.  Why should you do this? Sometimes your great plans have an unexpected flaw. You'll hear a funny example of how this can happen in this week's episode of The 2 Minute Takeaway [...] The post Prevent Mistakes at Work appeared first on Ken Okel .