Laura Stack is the President/CEO of The Productivity Pro and is the Author of Super Competent. Read the Super Competent Book Review.
Dena: You are referred to as the Productivity Pro. Why is helping people be productive important to you?
Laura: I started my speaking and training business in 1992 by teaching professionals and organizations how to achieve their goals through increased productivity. Random House published my first book, Leave the Office Earlier, in 2004. Many things have changed in my life and in business during the 18 years I've been a professional speaker. One thing that has not is my passion for personal productivity and peak performance. It was then, and continues to be, my professional mission in life: to build high-performance performance productivity cultures in organizations by creating Maximum Results in Minimum Time® with greater profits.
Dena: Who did you write Super Competent for?
Laura: I’ve written SuperCompetent for two primary groups of people:
- Those who are already SuperCompetent. These people are generally seen as High Potentials in their organization and have already been identified in leadership development programs or formal succession planning as “someone to watch." This book will help them achieve peak performance and work at their productive best. Because of they are typically Type-A personalities who tend to work incredibly hard, they often put in long hours. Organizations need to retain these individuals and help them accomplish more in less time so they can better balance work and life.
- Those who want to become SuperCompetent and “fill in the blanks” on their skills. These people are perhaps competent in their current situation, but know they could be SuperCompetent if they received the right coaching. This book will help them learn to think like a SuperCompetent, so they can grow and eventually be seen as a High Potential in their organization. Fortunately, being SuperCompetent in life isn't a matter of DNA. Anyone can master the six keys to becoming SuperCompetent.
Dena: Is Super Competent only for the 9 to 5 crowd?
Laura: No, these six keys to performing at your productive best apply for entrepreneurs and stay-at-home parents just as much.
Dena: What motivated you to write Super Competent?
Laura: I've been counseling CEOs, managers, professionals, and entrepreneurs since 1992, and I have to tell you it has been a long time since I've seen C-suite executives straining under the kinds of stresses we're seeing right now. I know I don't have to tell you about it; you know firsthand. The pressure is peaking at all-time highs. It seems everything that should be going up is going down, and everything that should be going down is going up. Hiring freezes, budget cuts, productivity quotas, globalization's heavy footsteps hot on your heels…it all points in a single direction:
Success will come to those who can accomplish more in less time and consistently perform at their productive best. The people who achieve their fullest potential are not SIMPLY competent; they're SUPER Competent.
After all, competence is simply expected and the minimum standard to stay in the game nowadays. Consider this: if you gave notice you were leaving the organization, would leadership fight to keep you? If this doesn’t describe you, does it apply to someone with whom you work? Why do some people succeed at every challenge they undertake? Are they superhuman? No, they're not perfect; however, they are skilled and capable enough to master almost any task. Are they natural leaders? No again. Competence isn't the same as leadership; in fact, in my opinion, it's something much greater. We've all seen people in positions of leadership who fell short the moment they were faced with unfamiliar conditions. So, are the SuperCompetent exceptionally brilliant? Again, no! You can be a raving genius and yet not be nearly as capable as the person seated in the next cubicle.
Dena: Why is it important for people to continually up their level of competence?
Laura: There's no one size fits all answer. My "why" is likely different than yours, and one of the keys to productivity is finding your "why." For most people, an external reason like "My boss expects more of me" isn't always the most motivating factor. You must get to the heart of why you do what you do to be truly motivated. Is the need to be more productive exciting to you, or does it exhaust you just to think about it? If the latter is true for you, perhaps you haven't gotten clear on why being productive is important.
It all comes down to your personal goals and what you want the picture of your life to look like. Sure, you may need to be more productive at work to make your boss happy or boost company revenues. But how can you turn it around and make it important to you personally? If time with your family is what motivates you, then make getting things done at work about finishing that project on time, so you can enjoy your weekend free from work stress. If making more money is what drives you, give yourself achievable daily or even hourly goals of what you need to accomplish to make those extra sales. Figure out what truly motivates you, then try to relate each task to a goal you have set for yourself—not one that someone else has set for you. For example, if you're in sales, your organization sets a sales goal for you. While you should absolutely do your best to achieve it, make it about you at the same time. How many sales are required to earn the commissions you need for a family vacation, buy the fabulous pair of shoes you want, or get the country club golf membership?
Dena: What is the biggest block to competence in the modern office?
Laura: I believe there are six keys to being productive that people should follow and don't. These simple principles are fundamental to the study of productivity and are evergreen, regardless of the technologies and changes in the workplace. In a nutshell, you’ll always have to:
- Determine what you should be working on;
- Make time for it;
- Focus on those tasks;
- Organize the information needed to complete it;
- Be responsible for your results; and
- Never give up.
