The formality in the workplace hinders a supportive environment that helps teams and companies achieve success. Principals treat everything like a report card, pink slip or detention, and rehearsed full school assemblies. Everything is by the book and everyone, even staff, fears being "sent to the principal's office". This method is unhealthy if applied to a work environment. If your boss thinks he is entitled to his/her respect, they are acting like a principal. Instead, coaches are much more effective. If your boss cheers for you, trains you, and wants to see you (and subsequently him/herself) succeed they are acting like a coach. Can you still achieve the results if you use a flexible coach approach to being a boss? YES!

1. Play your own game
• Just as a soccer coach can't play the game for you, your boss cannot do your work for you either. You need to put the effort in the see results. You don't learn from watching your boss play the game but a coach is there to apply his expertise to your technique. Everyone doesn't kick the ball the exact same way but it still makes it into the goal and coaches know that. Principals expect you to learn it "my way or the highway" if you want to fit in.
2. Watch for cues
• A conductor (coach) cannot make each instrument play the right notes at the right time. The best he/she can do is direct you when, where and what to play. If you miss the cue, you are at fault and it means you might need to practice on your own more than what is expected to make the grade. Principals would simply replace you because upholding the reputation is more important than giving you a second chance.
3. Be a player on the team
• Coaches know that a game cannot be won with one good player, it is a collective. Coaches will pair you with others that have different strengths and weaknesses than you. You might not be the star that makes the winning score but your efforts assisted and a coach knows that. Principals only care about results and do not see the people behind it whether one or many.

How can you start making a dent in your "to do" list when you only have 10 minutes? Today, I was motivated by this post by Project Eve and my friend Miranda's recommendation of the book Switch. When you feel overwhelmed with too much to do, you don't know where to begin! I think daily my boyfriend says he is "too busy" to help clean the house. The point of today's post is that a little goes a long way. Here are some ideas:

1. Just start it
• If you remember my post on resolutions, starting a good habit is harder than stopping a bad habit. So if you can hold yourself accountable to take the first step and not worry about the second, you'll be surprised how much you'll get done. My workout trainer says "you can do anything for 30 seconds" and I think the same is true for when it is "only 10 minutes".
2. Add it up
• The funny thing about 10 minutes is that you only get 3 of them in a half hour. Any amount of time can be broken up into smaller, doable chunks. Then at the end of the day, or hour, you can add it up and be surprised with what you accomplished. Why do you ever procrastinate when you can be this successful in 10 minutes? It's just like penny fundraiser drives that end up building a brand new school playground (true story!) - every little bit matters.
3. Finish the unfinished
• Some people have trouble finishing what they started and applying yourself for only 10 minutes can solve this problem too! Having something to show for efforts is a ego boost and you deserve that virtual pat-on-the-back, don't you? Pick the low hanging fruit at the bottom of your priority list and spend 10 minutes closing it out.

Do you occasionally suffer from road rage? Are you a Colorado driver that doesn't know how to merge using the full 1/2-mile merge lane? Do you speed every day or do you stop for a full and legal 3-seconds at stop signs? Drivers rarely fully adhere to the traffic laws that stop signs try to enforce. But why? Here are some thoughts on how poorly traffic signs grab our attention and some marketing tactics you can use to avoid these mistakes.

1. Look for one, find two
• What do stop signs and Coca-cola have in common? They both have white writing on a red background and whether they successfully grab your attention depends little with marketing abilities and more to do with the environment. Is there a cop watching the intersection? What did the car in front of me do? Is it convenient to stop by the vending machine or the drive-thru on your way out? Whether you order a Coke over Pepsi depends more upon what the restaurant has to offer and whether your friends are drinking soda or water or beer. Tactic: Choose and control your placement around your competition. 
2. Associated impressions
• No one likes capital letters. STOP is like using all caps in an internet argument to tell other how IMPORTANT this sentence is! Symbols are more effective: European signs, the Apple computer symbol, etc. Do you recognize an octagon shape immediately and image it colored red? Tactic: Use colors and symbols for quick recognition.
3. Surprising alternatives
• Paper or plastic? Twitter or Facebook? Sometimes having an option makes users do a double take. If you are given options or meet abnormal substitutions, it makes you stop and think. Instead of stop signs, traffic controls use roundabout or yield signs because they can be more effective in reducing accidents in certain locations. Can you offer alternatives that keep your audience on their toes causing them to willing consider your product? Tactic: Be your own challenger and have options.

Last week I published a review of Made to Stick. I think this book is read not only by marketing professionals but really anyone that wants to add a little creative spice to their work. What I've found though when talking to people is that not many people (except explicit artists), consider themselves to be "creative". Well, throw all that thinking away because I am here to say YOU ARE.

"If you're a great spotter, you'll always trump a great creator. Why? Because the world will always produce more great ideas than any single individual, even the most creative one." -Made to Stick

1. Borrow it
• Honestly, borrowing someone else's genius idea is genius too. You recognize it is something awesome that can be repeated. Remember being kids in paint class yelling "No copying!" Well copying is a form of flattery... and really, did your fish's blue stripes ever look the same as the original? It is creative to borrow great ideas because you make them great again!
2. Recycle it
• You can easily recycle a old idea and reuse it in a new situation. There are tons of ideas of Pinterest that come up with unique ways to use old jeans, binder clips, and wine bottle corks. Just clear out a closet, find something you bought and never used, and actually use it! That is being creative because you are using it for a purpose you didn't originally intend it for!
3. Combine it
• Creative doesn't mean you have to come up with a brand new idea that no one has ever thought of before. Creativity is also combining any number of "regular" ideas and making them into something new. Facebook is a hit because it combines technology and the little black book. Even a poster slogan or website design can be a combination of ordinary already used ideas that turn into another singular creative masterpiece.

Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Other Die
by: Chip Heath and Dan Heath

Did you know that “Nice guys finish last” was a misquote from a baseball manager? A “sticky” idea, no matter if it was intended or not, can help you be SUCCESsful – as long as it still communicates your core values and message. The book gives 5 ways that, combined, can give you the best chance of creating an idea that is made to stick.

• Simple – How can you tell if something is simple enough to stick? “Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery. Define and describe your core message in as few words as possible, maybe with alliteration or something catchy, to find its essence. The authors gave the example: Alien is Jaws on a spaceship. Genius!
• Unexpected – A great way to surprise your audience is to do a twist on an already sticky and popular quip like “The only constant is change…” (Isaac Asimov). Knowing the knowledge base of your audience is key to surprising them. Humans know what the color blue is and what bubblegum tastes like so when a girl in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory turns blue from roast beef flavored gum, we remember it!
• Concrete – To be concrete you need to keep to the facts. A goal of being the “best” or “most efficient” can mean different things to different people. Using words like “bigger than Google” or “99 cents cheap” however creates common ground. Many times putting yourself in someone else’s shoes helps you understand what concrete data means the most to your customers or your manager.
• Credible – Being specific with statistics is not always enough. To get people to believe that your story applies to them and their situation, you need to break down the facts into something that can be grasped. The authors recommend the Sinatra Test of “If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere.” So give one plausible example, whether negative or positive, that makes the audience believe your credentials are true for any situation.
• Emotional – We are all too familiar with the “What’s in it for me?” question so make it a habit to get them to care before they ask for it. This was an interesting chapter because it rejected Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Money is not always a motivator and neither is self-interest so evoking a memorable feeling may be more difficult than you think!
• Stories – Everyone knows the Jared and Subway story and knows how a powerful story is worth repeating. The authors provide 3 types of plots that work well: challenge (near impossible “David and Goliath”), connection (building an unusual “Romeo and Juliet” relationship), and creativity (involve the listener in solving an “Indiana Jones” puzzle).

Not only is this a great book with decent recommendations of how to make something stick, but the book itself is a great example of something sticky. The book is filled with a simple “sticky” concept, capable applications, well-known brand examples, heartfelt questions, and stories in every chapter. I’d recommend this book to anyone seeking something to spruce up a presentation, document, or task.

I enjoyed reading this article by Brad Hoover this week about the most dangerous word being "try" because it "simply shows a lack of belief, passion, commitment, and confidence". It is hard to disagree with this claim, but I'm going to argue that "tomorrow" is the most dangerous word to use. Such as in the statement "I'll do it tomorrow", tomorrow is not a three-letter-word but I think it one of the worst words you can use.

1. Procrastinating
• Maybe "later" or "never" is more accurate? The "I'll do it tomorrow" just rolls off the tongue and is so easy to discard and forget until a later date. You don't really mean tomorrow, you just mean "not today".
2. Not admitting fear
• Usually when we use the word tomorrow we are referring to starting something or finishing something. You may want to take a harder look at how often you hear this and if there is a trend. Is the assignment itself what you are avoiding? Or is it simply a bad habit you have formed that stands between you and success?
3. Avoiding action
• It can be even more serious if it is when you are waiting for someone else to do it entirely. It is like blaming your bad day on luck or hoping to win the lottery to relieve your credit card debt. You don't believe you have any control and simply wait around for someone to come change it for you or that the problem will just disappear on its own. Bad idea! Take charge!