October 3, 2017 • Volume 8, Issue 18 • ISSN: 2154-3240

In This Issue

♦	Feature Article: Limit Your Options
♦	Ask Amanda: I’m concerned that investing in my team isn’t worth it—what should I do?
♦	Practical Tips: Skill or Will?

Limit Your Options

It sounds counterintuitive but limiting your options can help you perform better. The idea is that avoiding relatively insignificant daily decisions preserves your brain’s executive function for more critical tasks. It’s why Steve Jobs limited his daily wardrobe to jeans and a black turtleneck.

One way to help yourself is to always identify your three major daily priorities for the day. That way you know exactly where your focus needs to be.
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	Contribute more than you criticize.

Practical Tips: Skill or Will?

There are two main reasons for underperformance: a skill gap or a will gap. As a manager, you’ll benefit from determining upfront which of these situations you’re dealing with, and you’ll get better results much more quickly. On paper it seems like it would be easy to distinguish—you either want to succeed (will) or not; you can do the task (skill) or not.
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I have an inexperienced team who always asks for “training.” I realize they have knowledge gaps but when I try to educate them, they just look at me blankly and I can tell it’s not registering. Then weeks later, the very issue I tried to avoid happens. It makes me hesitate to spend my very limited budget on them. What do you suggest? D.G., New York, NY

Educating your team is the mark of a great manager. To do it effectively, tailor your approach to the people you’re trying to educate. I think the key to your situation is your phrase “weeks later.” It’s easier to learn when the relevance of the information is readily apparent—especially if you’re in a fast-paced environment.
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