Multi-tasking and other crazy recipes for success ASK YOUR CAREER COUNSELOR By: Ernie O.

Cecilia MY FRIEND TITA PUANGCO wrote about the art of living the present moment in this section last January 27, 2013. A reader, Richard Keeler, emailed me to ask about the meaning of multi-tasking. He also asked if I believe that a person is capable of doing two or more things at the same time and still produce quality work. Richard reacted to Titas advice to focus at the single task in front of us. Living the present momen t means doing that job or task with perfection, precision and completion. This enables us to do quality work. Sometimes, the world can be confusing. One time youre told to simply focus on what youre doing. Later, youre told to do mo re things at a given time. Whore you going to believe? The trick, Tita says, is to open ourselves to changes that may happen during the day and go back to the to do list in a peaceful and natural next moment. Focus or multi-task? I dont think the question is which you should do in order to succeed in life and career. In my life, I have been so irrevere nt that when asked to choose between two alternatives, I often choose both if the same would work in combination more effectively. Also, I dont always catch the ball every time its thrown at me. Nevertheless, discussing Richards killer question will surely benefit the working people. In my career, I have mastered a number of crazy, unorthodox techniques that helped me. Some will find that my advice can be oxymoronic. That these worked for me is no guarantee that they will work for you. In some cases, theres no harm in trying. In others, I advise that you dont try it at home or at the office.

Focus. Constancy of purpose, focus on what you set out to do, and the ability to disregard hecklers, self-defeating mindsets, and assumed constraints can fuel career success. Many people succeed because they dont know that they will fail, that it has never been done before or that it cant be done at all. Dogged determination to pursue what you want in life and career, coupled with the ability to avoid dist ractions, often spells the difference between success and failure.

Multi-task. Theres so much to do and so little time. Life is too short. You cant manage time no matter what you think or do, you cant add to or deduct from the 24 hours you get per day. Dont manage time - manage the things you do with the time you have. Learn to do more with less. Try to do two or more things at the same time, provided doing more things at a time does not make you less effective in one or another. At the end of the day, it is now how many things you have done that matters - it is how much love and quality you put into all you did. Make it easy or make it difficult?

Make it easy on yourself. I agree with Burt Bacharach when he wrote the song Make it Easy on Yourself, first sang by Dionne Warwick. Whenever possible, simplify matters. When faced with a problem, first understand whose problem it is. If it is other peoples problem, dont make it you own. If you will benefit from solving others problem, do it well. Dont die a hero for somebody elses cause. If you choose a job, person, issue or problem to die for, it should be worth dying for. If not, live life to the fullest, without unnecessary complications.

Make your job difficult. A lot of people dont want to do difficult jobs. Thats the reason theyre at the bottom of the corporate pyramid. The easy jobs are for the great mass of humanity. The more difficult jobs are at the top, and they fetch huge sums. In most companies, 20% of the people get 80% of the payroll, while 80% of the people share in the remaining 20% of the payroll. Unfair? Thats the way it is, and no law on distributive justice can change that. Difficult jobs get the best pay and perks. Easy jobs get peanuts. Thats the way of the market. When I realized this truth early in my career, I always tried to make my job difficult, by doing part of my bosses jobs. In the end, I often get promoted to my bosses jobs, which dont pay peanuts. Shut up or speak up?

Speak up. Most working people simply plod aimlessly, without making waves at work. Theyre often just a face in the crowd. Those who wa nt to stand out must first get noticed. Performance does not speak for itself. Unless you speak up, some bosses will never even notice that you exist. Sometimes, crazy ideas can make a difference between career success and obscurity. To trust or not to trust

No one cares about your ideas. In the rat race, no one cares about your ideas unless he or she can own and gain from them. In some companies, youre paid to do, not think. In others, you hear that you are among their most important assets, and that they want to hear your ideas. But when you open your mouth, others will drill holes into your crazy idea. Youll regret coming to work that day they called for the meeting. When youre in a company like that, look elsewhere and fire your boss but not before you find another job. If by chance your organization is open to your ideas, make sure you make sense. Create a good impression with your ideas that produce positive results.

Trust your boss. Nobody moves up in the career ladder unless he gets close to the powers that be. Bosses tend to promote those they trust. Career movement is a personal matter no matter how many times bosses tell you that its purely business. Develop a professional relationship with your boss, based on mutual trust. Breach of trust is a reason for losing ones job. Utmost trust by a boss means a passport t o a great career.

Dont entrust your career to anyone. Never entrust to anybody your career advancement. You have to take personal responsibility for your own career. Dont believe your boss or HR manager when he or she says, Just do your job and I will take care of your career. No t all bosses are genuinely interested in the career of their people. If you want to move up, know your desired career destination and how to get there. Dont leave anything to chance. Have fun or dont play

Dont play games while working. Bosses abhor horse play at work. Youre supposed to produce value-adding results and this requires serious attention to tasks. Avoid gossip, office politics, office romance, or anything that can distract you or others from creating value for the customers. Happiness and productivity dont always go together.

Enjoy what others hate to do. Being serious about work does not mean you cant have fun doing your work. When theres more fun than fear at the workplace, people become motivated to perform well. No matter how much fun you inject at work, there are tasks that people simply hate to do like preparing minutes of meetings, breaking the bad news to the boss or to subordinates, making presentations to the Executive Committee, writing articles for the company newsletter, dialoguing with the unions, etc. Fortunately for me, these things that others hate to do are what I love doing as a human resources practitioner. Todays workplace has changed and continues to change. In the past, youll get by if you simply dont do anything silly. Today, doing just what youre told to do no longer guarantees superior performance and great career. The rules of the ambiguity-laden, crazy workplace change faster than you can master them. Develop the knack for the unusual, untried, unorthodox, and un-ordinary. It could be so crazy that it might work! (Ernie serves in various capacities at the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM), Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) and the People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP) and other professional and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). In 2011, he was given recognition as Diplomate in People Management (DPM) and voted "Best Newspaper Columnist of the Year" (for his Sunday Inquirer column) by PMAP in 2011 and 2012. He was PMAP President in 1999 and is Executive Director of PMAP HRM Foundation, Inc. in 2012. He is the President and CEO of EC Business Solutions and Career Center, a human resource consulting firm. His new books, "Life's Big Lessons" and "Life's Big Lies" are now available at book stores. He can be reached at ernie_cecilia @yahoo.com)

Taken from: Philippine Daily Inquirer Issue: FEBRUARY 17-23, 2013 Jobmarket Section Pages H-10

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