So you think you can multitask? Not a chance!

If you're a parent,  a supervisor, a coach, or a grade school teacher, I bet you think you multitask all the time.  

Sure you can do multiple things simultaneously.  However, the idea of multitasking implies that you are successfully and effectively focusing on two (or more) different activities at the same time.  The operative word here in FOCUSING.  You might be able to effectively perform two tasks at once as long as only one of them requires your attention.  It's why you tell your teenagers not to text and drive.  It's why you don't let them watch TV while doing their homework.  

TASK SWITCHING
When we think we're multitasking, we are really task switching.  That's what author, Dave Crenshaw, calls it in his book The Myth of Multitasking.  We focus on one task for a few seconds, then switch our focus to the other task for a few seconds.  Both tasks don't have our full focus continuously.  For example:  You read your email during that conference call but you only tune into the call when you hear your name mentioned. You are talking to your sister on the phone while folding laundry. You're listening to her complain about her job until you find an busted ink pen in your jean's pocket. Then you're no longer listening to sis as you check all your clothes for ink spots. You park your car at the grocery store and don't remember where the car is because you were busy dealing with rambunctious kids while you were parking.  

Still not convinced?  Watch this video and see if you notice everything going on.

Distractions and Interruptions
Distractions and interruptions are the reason we cannot effectively multitask. A London based study revealed that when a person attempts to multitask, his concentration is diminished to the same degree as if that person were medically sedated.   Other things, people and priorities catch our attention and take us on a tangent.  And, we become "sedated" - unresponsive, lacking focused, not clear headed. 

Striving to be un-sedated
The next time you attempt to multitask, think about what you're focused on and what you should be focusing on.  Think about your top priority at that moment.  Be aware of your own reactions and interactions.  Notice how often you ask others to repeat themselves or don't remember the content of a conversation or communication.  In 2015, my goal is to be "unsedated" while I spend time with my family and friends, as well as my clients.  I don't want to miss any precious moments or important information. 

Let Them Learn Right Where They Are.

More and more often my clients are looking for ways to get just-in-time learning to new leaders regardless of location, job functions, and work hours.   They are facing the fact that everyone won’t and can’t physically gather in a room at headquarters for each training initiative.  So, I’ve been doing my research on leadership training and mobile learning.  Here are a few facts I uncovered recently.

·         The average age of managers when they get leadership training is 42. Yet the average age when they become managers is 33, according to an ATD study.

·         Less than 10 percent of employees under the age of 30 get the opportunity to participate in leadership development, according to a Ken Blanchard Companies study.

·         More people have mobile telephones around the world than have access to indoor plumbing, according to the United Nations.

Investing in current managers and future leaders today, rather than a decade too late might finally be a feasible possibility with mobile learning solutions.

When ATD published Mobile Learning: Learning in the Palm of Your Hand in 2011, the report mentioned a not-yet-common term called the app.  It also questioned whether recently introduced tablets would soon dominate the world of mobile devices. That year, 57 percent of surveyed learning and business leaders predicted that they would be using mobile learning in the next three years.  In 2013,  a similar study found that only 15% of the surveyed organizations were designing and/or utilizing mobile learning.  This year’s (2014) survey revealed a growth spurt: 28 percent of respondents confirmed that their organizations made internal learning content available via mobile devices.   Mobile learning adoption continues to be grow, albeit, slowly. 

What I learned from the ATD study is there are a couple of factors influencing organizations’ ability to adapt and adopt mobile learning applications. 

The decision to build it or buy it is one factor.   Organizations have four basic options: 1. 1. OEM learning apps  2. Enterprise wide solutions vendors   3.Outside consulting services; and/or   4. Internal development.  The ATD Study analysis shows better performance and learning effectiveness for those organizations that opted for internal development of their mobile programs.

The other factor compromises several element, all of which are obstacles to adopting mobile learning solutions.  The top drawbacks can be summarized succinctly as lack of money, fear of the unknown, and technology problems.  Organization leaders are asking whether or not they have the time, human capital and technical support to embark on such initiatives. 

If you’re organization has or will soon add mobile learning, share you thoughts, lessons learned, best practices and questions with us on social media.

What You Say Says Alot About You.

Noted author and human behavior specialist, Marshall Goldsmith, conducted a survey of 200 employees recently.  The results reveals one resounding truth:  We bash our bosses.

Many of us take jabs at our boss at work when we’re talking to co-workers. We bad-mouth our bosses after work to anyone who will listen.  And we even talk trash about our bosses on weekends when we’re with our most captive audience – our family. Astoundingly, workers spend about fifteen hours a month doing this.

A little bit of boss bashing is understandable. Its how many people vent their frustrations and release stress.  But, the potential therapeutic gains are often outweighed by the negative impacts.

What do you accomplish when you critique a person who isn't even in the room? They can’t respond to what you’re saying.  They can’t explain (or defend) themselves.  Certainly, no corrective action or improvements can be expected.  It’s a completely unproductive exercise.

In fact, the only thing you may succeed in changing is your reputation.  Your colleagues’ opinion of you could be tarnished when they discover you tend to gossip about and slander teammates.  Your remarks may come across as petty or even belittling.  Sound business teachings tell us to be respectful of people when they are absent; don’t talk about them behind their backs. In the book Speed of Trust, Stephen Covey calls it ‘showing loyalty’. 

The reality is this:  Boss bashing doesn't build better bosses. Imagine what you could accomplish if you dedicated fifteen hours to something substantive like going back to school or spending quality time with your spouse.  The next time you start to bash your boss, think about what you may be doing to yourself and those around you. If you have a legitimate issue that needs to be addressed, put on your brave face and talk to your boss about it.  The book, Crucial Conversations, gives some great pointers on this.  If you feel you can’t talk to leadership, consider whether or not you really have (or want) a future at that organization.  You have options; it’s up to you.