Handling Urgent Tasks

As an executive recruiter, I've witnessed countless professionals transform unexpected layoffs into powerful career pivots. Here's your comprehensive guide for turning this challenge into an opportunity 📈 Immediate Actions (First 48 Hours): • Document everything from your termination meeting • Review severance package details thoroughly • Address healthcare coverage gaps • File for unemployment benefits • Archive important work samples and documentation • Connect with colleagues before losing access Next Steps: • Give yourself permission to process the change • Update your LinkedIn profile strategically • Review your financial position and timeline • Reflect on your career direction • Start networking with purpose Remember that a layoff is often more about company circumstances than individual performance. I've placed numerous executives who used their layoff as a catalyst for significant career advancement. This is your opportunity to: • Reassess your career trajectory • Target organizations aligned with your values • Build a more intentional professional network • Position yourself for roles that truly excite you The key is maintaining momentum while being strategic about your next move. Don't rush into the first opportunity - use this time to ensure your next role is a genuine step forward. Check out my newsletter for more insights here: https://lnkd.in/ei_uQjju #executiverecruiter #eliterecruiter #jobmarket2025 #profoliosai #resume #jobstrategy #careerresilience

What if you stopped working 48 hours before your project deadline?   This project management chart perfectly captures what happens to most teams. We laugh because it's painfully true.   But what if there was a way to avoid that chaotic "Project Reality" scenario altogether?   When I was a child, we would all be cramming the day before our school tests. During lunch breaks on test days, the school playground transformed into a sea of anxious children muttering facts while neglecting their parathas.   Then I witnessed something that would change my approach to deadlines.   The day before a major exam, I visited my neighbour to borrow her notes. I found her calmly playing carrom. "I never open my books 48 hours before an exam," she said with serene confidence.   I was shocked. Her grades? Consistently stellar.   This simple philosophy transformed my approach to project management:   Always allocate a 20% time buffer at the end of every project, during which no work is scheduled.   This buffer isn't for work. It's for reflection, quality improvements, and the strategic thinking that transforms good deliverables into exceptional ones.   Here are some benefits I have observed using this approach:   ▪️That last tweak in the colour or button dramatically improves UI ▪️Rework requests sharply decline ▪️Sales pitches achieve better outcomes ▪️The final touches which introduce the personalised elements help build strong customer relationships ▪️Board is much more engaged in the conversation and approvals go through smoothly ▪️Output is significantly streamlined and simplified multiplying impact ▪️Less stress all around   Do teams initially resist this approach? Absolutely.   "We're wasting productive time," or "the client/board doesn't need the material so much in advance of the meeting" are the common complaints.   But as teams experience the dramatic quality improvements and the elimination of those dreaded last-minute fire drills, attitudes change.   The next time you're planning a project, fight the urge to schedule work until the very last minute. Those final breathing spaces are where excellence happens.   Have you tried an unconventional deadline management strategy - do share!   #projectmanagement #leadership #execution #productivityhacks

The company had received an urgent order for a new medication, with a strict deadline due to a recent health crisis. Top management insisted on accelerating the production process to meet the urgent demand. Mike, the Operations head, remembered a similar situation from earlier career. In a bid to meet a tight deadline for a critical drug, the team had expedited the production. Although they met the deadline, the rushed process led to several batches failing quality control tests. The errors resulted in significant delays as they had to re-manufacture the batches, and the company faced scrutiny from regulatory bodies and lost trust with their customers. Confronted with a similar situation again, Mike knew the importance of balancing speed and accuracy. Prioritizing speed could mean risking product quality and safety, while focusing too much on accuracy might result in missing the critical deadline. 🎯 This situation highlights a common challenge in any business - The need to balance speed and accuracy. Speed refers to the quickness with which tasks are completed, while accuracy refers to the correctness and precision of those tasks. So how should one decide? Here are some pointers :- [1] Determine the urgency of the task. Analyze the potential consequences of errors. In high-risk situations, accuracy should take precedence. [2] Set Clear Priorities. What's the primary goal for the project/situation? Engage with key stakeholders to understand their expectations and ensure alignment on priorities. [3] Identify which tasks are mission-critical and require high accuracy, and which can be executed quickly without significant risk. [4] Allocate resources strategically, focusing more effort on accuracy for high-impact tasks while speeding up less critical ones. [5] Consider a phased approach to implementation. Start with a smaller, manageable segment before scaling up quickly based on the results. [6] Ensure everyone is on the same page. This can help by quickly addressing issues as they arise and maintaining alignment on the goal/s. Balancing speed and accuracy is an ongoing challenge that requires a nuanced approach. This balance ensures not only timely delivery but also high-quality results, driving long-term success and competitiveness. Have a great week ahead ! *** #business #management #people #leadership #success

Design tools once required years to master. Today, creating premium designs takes one prompt. OpenAI's latest image generator reached 1M users in one hour, a milestone that took ChatGPT five days. Yet, this isn't just about design or OpenAI. The question that came to my mind was: What happens to careers and businesses when skill acquisition reduces from years to minutes? Three shifts I see changing the rules of the game: 1. The Collapse of Adaptation Sequences Technology adoption traditionally followed phases: → Innovators experiment → Early adopters explore → Mainstream integrates → Institutions adapt Now these phases collapse: → Adoption compresses from years to weeks → Large institutions struggle to keep pace → Companies must navigate all phases simultaneously 2. Inversion of Strategic Priorities → Yesterday: Analyze, optimize, adapt gradually → Today: Best practices become tomorrow's liabilities → Tomorrow: Adaptation speed outperforms efficiency 3. The AI Arbitrage Opportunity → AI scales exponentially; expertise grows linearly → Bridging these domains unlocks disproportionate value → Winners combine industry knowledge with AI Organizations now exist in two different timelines: → Traditional Time: Quarterly plans, annual budgets → Acceleration Time: Weekly pivots, daily experiments The competitive gap between these two worlds grows exponentially. Companies unable to adapt to acceleration time will fall irreversibly behind. Success in this reality requires: → Shifting from execution to orchestration → Recognizing distribution as your strongest moat → Prioritizing adaptation speed over operational efficiency Most companies and individuals are still playing by old rules in a game that no longer exists. The greatest risk I see isn't resistance to change. It's incremental adaptation in an exponential world.

Raise your hand if you’ve been interrupted mid-sentence - especially in a meeting full of men. 🙋🏽♀️ It happens more often than we’d like to admit. Women are often interrupted, ignored, or talked over, and it can feel frustrating, demoralizing, and exhausting. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Here's how you can assertively take back the conversation and maintain control: 1. Pause: Don’t just keep talking. Pause, make eye contact, and say something like, “I’d like to finish my thought,” or “I wasn’t done speaking.” This sets a boundary without aggression. 2. Be silent: If someone interrupts you, let there be a brief moment of silence. This gives you space to reassert control and shows confidence in your words. 3. Repeat: If you’re cut off, calmly restate your point and say, “As I was saying…” This gently reminds everyone that your contribution deserves to be heard. 4. Use your body language: Be intentional with your posture. Sit up straight, hold your ground, and use confident gestures to reinforce your presence in the conversation. 5. Involve others: If the interruptions continue, invite others into the conversation to back you up. You can say, “I’d love to hear your thoughts on this, [name], after I finish.” Remember: You belong at the table, and your voice matters. Interruptions don’t show how credible you are. They show that others need to respect your boundaries. And you need to be confident in setting them. Don’t let anyone take that away from you. P.S. Have you experienced being interrupted in meetings? How do you handle it?

Ever felt your mind go completely blank right when it mattered the most? You’ve prepared, practiced, and yet—under pressure—you freeze. During a recent training session, a participant vulnerably shared: “In high-stakes moments—tight deadlines, crisis meetings—I just go numb. I forget what I had to say or do. And every failed attempt makes the next one harder.” Sounds familiar? Staying calm under pressure is not a natural skill—it’s a learned one. Here are 6 quick strategies I shared that can help break this cycle: ✅ Breathe before you act – Slow, deep breaths signal your brain to stay calm. ✅ Anchor yourself – A small gesture (like touching your thumb and index finger) can become a calming ritual. ✅ Practice with distractions – Train yourself in noisy or time-bound situations to build real-time focus. ✅ Reframe the situation – Instead of "I have to deliver", say "I get to express myself". ✅ Visualize success – Picture yourself handling the situation calmly and confidently. ✅ Be mindful, not mind full – Just being present in the moment can help cut out panic and past baggage. Remember: the goal is not to avoid pressure, but to build your muscle to stay composed within it. What helps you stay grounded when pressure peaks? #EmotionalResilience #CalmUnderPressure #CorporateTraining

Time-to-resolution is one of the most important metrics you aren’t tracking. For years, data and AI teams have operated under the belief that more testing would deliver more trust. But data trust isn’t predicated on the number of tests you write or even the number of issues you detect– It’s predicated on the number of issues you resolve. There are essentially four steps to a useful incident management process: - Define your critical data products and create monitors - Define accountability model - Define your communication plan: the right message, to the right team, at the right time ( ie, incident owner, dependent teams, consumers; effective escalation and delegation, etc) - Accelerate your process with useful automation Data and AI trust will always be downstream of your incident management process. And how quickly you can resolve an issue after detection is one of the single greatest signals that your process is performing efficiently. Monte Carlo’s new Troubleshooting Agent is a strong example of a tool that can help teams accelerate their time-to-resolution at scale. It tests hundreds of different hypotheses across your tables to understand why each break happens (whether it was an issue in the data, the system, the code, or the model output itself), and what you can do to resolve it quickly. This process leverages dozens of subagents investigating in parallel, and while it only takes a couple of minutes to complete, it can reduce the average time to resolution by 80% or more. How do you reduce time-to-resolution? What are you learning? Let me know in the comments!

Your 90-day business plan is already wrong. (And that's perfectly fine) Here's what 20+ years working with elite performers taught me about the fatal flaw in business planning: The old way: • Spend months creating detailed plans • Build everything based on assumptions • Stick to the plan no matter what (see my "tough guy"leader post) • Focus on delivering based on your assumptions • Hope that you still create the you want The truth? This approach is backwards. As my friend Rebecca Homkes (London Business School, elite strategy advisor, author of Survive Reset Thrive) says: "Stop planning, start preparing." I learned this truth from 3 unexpected places: • Team sports  • Jazz • Martial Arts In all 3 domains, elite performers don't "plan" - they PREPARE. The difference? Planning assumes you can predict the future. Preparing faces the truth: you'll need to adapt. 🔥 Here's what elite leaders do differently: 1. Track beliefs & assumptions AND take a stand - Document what you believe will work - Update these beliefs as you learn - Adapt immediately when new data comes in - Teach everyone around them to do the same 2. Focus on impact over delivery - Define clear outcomes - Measure what matters - Adjust based on the real results you need so that you deliver VALUE 3. Build adaptable systems - Create strong fundamentals - Bias toward decisions, actions and testing hypothesis - Develop efficient communication that supports rapid adaptation 4. Use operating rhythms that drive progress - Unstoppable rhythm of proactive updates  - Weekly detach and reflect - Continuous improvement becomes automatic My favorite example? Football teams spend 90% of their time preparing. A "game plan" is built on preparing for situations, not predicting them. Coaches watch every play and adapt instantly. Players learn decision-making through preparation. But most businesses? They do the exact opposite: endless planning, analysis paralysis, and beautiful slide decks that rarely survive contact with reality. 🎯 The key insight: Stop trying to predict every detail or perfect your plans.  Start evolving systems that help you adapt. The results? • 2x faster execution (true story) • 50% less operational overhead (also true story) • Teams that thrive through uncertainty. What do you think? Are you spending too much time planning and not enough time preparing? --- 🔍 I'm running a FREE workshop series where I break down these concepts in more detail and show exactly how elite teams implement them.  We've got 25 slots filled I am keeping a few more open. Let’s set you up for a great 2025. Want an invitation? DM me.

How do you prevent mayhem when crises occur that affect you and your team? Bridges collapse. Criminals mow down innocent victims. CEOs have heart attacks. Contagious diseases spread. Layoffs happen. Such crises create havoc as misinformation and fear run rampant through an organization or team. So what’s your part in calming the hysteria among your team? Communication. Communication that’s current, consistent, and complete. When I’ve consulted on handling crisis communication previously, I often get this question from bosses: “But how can I tell people what’s going on when we haven’t yet investigated and don’t have the facts?” That’s never an excuse for delayed communication. Be mindful that when people don’t have the facts, they tend to make them up. In a communication void, people pass on what they think, fear, or imagine. Noise. Keep these communication tips in mind to be part of the solution, not the noise: ▶ Tell what you know as soon as you know it. ▶ State what information you don’t have and tell people what you’re investigating. ▶ Stifle the urge to comment on/add to rumors, fears, guesses. ▶ Communicate concern specifically to those directly affected. ▶ Offer tangible support when you can (time, money, acts of kindness). ▶ Communicate kudos to those working behind the scenes. Accurate, speedy communication creates relationships and cultures that build trust and encourage loyalty. Have you been affected by a crisis? Was it handled well or poorly? Outlandish rumors that circulated? #CrisisCommunication #LeadershipCommunication #BusinessCommunication #ProfessionalCommunication #DiannaBooher #BooherResearch

A common misperception is that the military is all about traditional, top-down org structures. Not true. A great example is Stan McChrystal’s “Team of Teams” model. Time and time again — as a leader in both military and corporate settings — I’ve seen how powerful this approach is. “Team of teams” reimagines organizational structure to succeed in dynamic and fast-changing environments. The goal? To break down silos and create a more adaptable, connected system. Core aspects of this framework include: 1) Shared consciousness Everyone in the organization should have access to the information and context they need to understand the larger mission. This transparency ensures that teams can align their actions and make decisions based on the bigger picture. We call it a common operating picture at Coherent. 2) Common purpose When everyone understands how their work contributes to the organization’s mission, it fosters engagement and drives people to consistently deliver their best. A clear purpose unites teams across functions. 3) Empowered execution Decentralized decision-making gives frontline teams the authority to act quickly and effectively without waiting for approval from higher-ups. This autonomy allows organizations to respond to challenges in real time. 4) Trust Trust is the glue that holds the “Team of Teams” model together. It enables openness, autonomy, and adaptability. Without trust, the connections and collaboration necessary for this model to succeed would break down. By adopting these principles, organizations can unlock the ability and cohesion needed to navigate our increasingly complex world. What do you think is the most important factor for creating a truly adaptable organization?