Tip of the Week Blog
February 2007, Week 3 Organizing YOUR Way ('Total Slob' Types)For Staff... Total Slobs, who are sometimes Pack Rats too, are the complete opposite of Right Anglers. They have a high tolerance for mess and not much experience in straightening it out. But even Total Slobs can become organized by using these guidelines: 1. Accept responsibility for yourself and your environment. 2. Work gradually at improving things. 3. Adopt systems that are convenient and simple. 4. Motivate yourself with rewards and incentives. From How to be Organized in Spite of Yourself by Sunny Schlenger and Roberta Roesch (pp 179-187). Gossip - Raising Its Ugly Head You can manage gossip exactly as you would manage any other negative behavior from an employee in your work place. Use a coaching approach, when possible, to help the employee improve his or her behavior. But, when needed, gossip management starts with a serious talk between the employee and the manager or supervisor. If the discussion of the negative impacts of the employee's gossip has no effect on subsequent behavior, begin the process of progressive discipline with a verbal warning, then a formal written verbal warning for the employee's personnel file. Productive Use of Legal Assistants & Paralegals Don't Expect Anyone to Read Minds... One quick (true) tale: A paralegal was asked to draft a cover letter ("due yesterday") for a name partner. He quickly drafted the letter and sent it out with the important documents. A few days later, he was scolded by the partner for doing what was requested. Apparently, the partner had changed his mind but neglected to tell the paralegal. The partner told him that he should have known that the letter wasn't needed. Hmmm, do you think the paralegal would be so prompt next time?
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January 2007, Week 2 Organizing YOUR Way ('Everything Out' Types) I'm an Everything Out person - I like to see my files, notes, and to do's in front of me. As you can guess, this can get very disorganized and messy. I'm reading a book right now that's helping me and I'll pass their tips along: 1. Do a desktop survey to determine if you still like and/or use the items kept there. Remove any that doesn't serve a purpose. From How to be Organized in Spite of Yourself by Sunny Schlenger and Roberta Roesch (pp 129-141). What Going On With Vista? For Administrators... Windows Vista is coming, whether we like it or not. Microsoft's newest operating system is quickly becoming a reality and will be on the market and in new computers within a couple of months. Does your office need to worry about that? Do you need to upgrade? I am not an IT expert, but I have looked into the issue since I need a new laptop myself. From what I can see, Vista is a good operating system but (like any product) does have its flaws. I'm going to buy a new laptop that is Vista capable and contains a free upgrade. However, I won't upgrade until much later in the year. Like any new software product, there will be bugs and I'm going to wait until the major ones are worked out. But that's just one business owner's opinion... Contact Management Managing client and business contacts is key for any lawyer, but especially for the mobile lawyer. The best place to have your contact information is on your phone. If you don't have one already, then consider getting a smartphone, such as Palm's Treo 680. Having constant access to your e-mail is no longer a luxury. If you rely heavily on communicating by e-mail, another option is one of Research In Motion's BlackBerry devices, which have decent phone features, but mostly excel at processing e-mail. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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