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Brain booster

So driven that you can’t relax? For the highest achievers, it can be hard to stop and take a break, but it
turns out that rest and relaxation is exactly what helps us maintain high levels of achievement. This may
feel like a paradox, but conduct your own experiment to see for yourself. Research has shown that short
naps improve the vigilance and judgment of air traffic controllers. Getting a full night’s sleep improves
memory. Staying unplugged on vacation decreases the likelihood that you’ll leave your company.
Stepping away, switching off, relaxing, and protecting your workout time all contribute to higher
productivity and better job performance. While wishing for more hours in your day is futile, wishing for
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more energy during your day is achievable.

Tips to develop Drives results

1. Have a big idea? Convert it to action. Ever get on board with a big initiative, only to run out of
steam? Create inspiring plans in an off-site and then forget about them? Or set an audacious goal in
January and lose track of it by February? Big ideas produce big results over the long haul. In fact,
they can be downright transformative. But to see results, you need to translate ideas into action. If
you are part of something big, keep it front of mind by making it visible. Post a photo or other
reminder on your screensaver so you see it every time you open your laptop. Create a visual model
or time line and share it with others. If it involves the whole organization, get HR, marketing,
communications, or other relevant groups involved. Create a communications plan. Put time on the
calendar to get things moving. A vision is just a good idea until you take action.

2. Not bold enough? Take reasonable risks. Won’t take a risk? Micromanaging to avoid mistakes?
Running another analysis of last month’s figures? Rethinking decisions? If this is you, practice
pushing yourself forward. Sometimes producing results involves taking chances and trying bold new
initiatives. Doing those things leads to more misfires and mistakes but sometimes better results. Treat
any mistakes or failures as chances to learn. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Up your risk comfort.
To get results, you need to keep things moving. Making decisions. Approving plans. Start small so
you can recover more quickly. See how creative and innovative you can be. Let go of perfection and
aim for excellence. Satisfy yourself; people will always say it should have been done differently.
Listen to them, but be skeptical. Ask yourself what’s at stake. And what’s the worst that can happen.
Then turn the question around: What good things will not happen if you fail to act? Allow reasonable
time to consider options, then make the best decision possible. Conduct a postmortem immediately
after finishing. This will indicate to all that you’re open to continuous improvement whether the result
was stellar or not.

3. Procrastinator? Start now. Are you a lifelong procrastinator? Do you perform best in crises and
under impossible deadlines? Do you wait until the last possible moment? If you do, you may miss
deadlines and performance targets. You might not produce consistent results. Some of your work will
be marginal because you didn’t have the time to do it right. You settled for a B when you could have
gotten an A if you had one more day to work on it. And you might be causing yourself and your
teammates unnecessary stress. Save “crisis mode” for your own time. When others are depending on
you, get going. Start earlier. Try doing 10% of each task immediately after it is assigned so you can

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