Time Management & Productivity Pro Laura Stack Looks at Delivering Substance Over Style in New Blog

Sept. 25, 2012 - PRLog -- DENVER, Colorado, September 24, 2012 – Some employees are better at looking the part than actually fulfilling their roles. In her latest blog titled “Unstylish Efficiency: On Delivering Substance Over Style,” time management and productivity expert Laura Stack takes issue with those employees who work overtime to create the appearance of accomplishment, but fall short in actual productivity.

Stack likens the phenomenon to Billy Crystal’s iconic “Fernando” character from SNL. Modeled after Fernando Lamas, Crystal’s Fernando hosted a superficial celebrity interview show, in which he often exclaimed, “It is better to look good than to feel good,” and he told every guest, “You look marvelous.”

According to Stack, Fernando captured the nonsensical “style over substance” attitude that doesn’t work for very long if results aren’t being delivered.

In fact, Stack says that beyond a certain basic level, style doesn’t matter one bit if no results are delivered at the end of the day.  

“If you let style dominate your thinking, you’ll eventually be revealed as the hollow shell you are and may very well find yourself on an express elevator to the ground floor,” Stack says. “Even in the fashion industry where style seems to reign supreme, only results really matter.”

Stack says that only a laser-like focus on maximizing workplace productivity is going to guarantee the results that matter. Rather than wasting time developing a competent disguise, Stack tells readers to hone their time management skills, improve their abilities to block distractions, and prioritize task lists and schedules.

“Sure, you need to look and act professional at all times and present a personable front,” Stack says. “But it’s more important to do everything humanly possible to meet and ideally beat your deadlines and serve up the best-quality results you can.

“Even when the final goal seems near at hand, don’t slow down! Instead, accelerate! Refuse to slack off until you’ve passed your goal.”

Stack advises those in management positions to lead with authority. A results-oriented attitude becomes even more essential to those responsible for an entire team’s results.

“Lead by example, working harder and more efficiently yourself,” Stack says. “Nothing stimulates performance and drives team results like confidence and exuberance on the part of the leadership.”

Stack reinforces an “honesty is the best policy” management approach. Leaders should strive to keep employees in the loop regarding company goals and the team’s role in moving the strategy forward. When milestones are reached, Stack encourages management to celebrate with staff.

“If you reward your people (and yourself) for performance, then you’re all more likely to produce the results you need, guaranteeing you avoid the bugbear of emphasizing style at the expense of substance,” Stack says.

“I’m not saying you can’t spice up your work with your own distinctive style and flair, but that can only take you so far, because spice alone doesn’t make a meal.”

Without the accompanying substance of productive results, Stack says style becomes no more than empty calories, leaving a bad taste in the mouths of everyone involved.
For more information on delivering productive results, visit TheProductivityPro.com website, Email Laura@TheProductivityPro.com, or call 303-471-7401.

About Laura Stack:

Laura Stack is a time management and productivity expert who has been speaking and writing about human potential and peak performance since 1992. She has implemented employee productivity improvement programs at Wal-Mart, Cisco Systems, UBS, Aramark, and Bank of America. Stack presents keynotes and seminars internationally for leaders, entrepreneurs, salespeople, and professional services firms on improving output, lowering stress, and saving time in the workplace.

The president of The Productivity Pro®, Inc., a time management firm specializing in high-stress environments, Stack is the bestselling author of five books:  “What to do When There’s Too Much to do” (2012); “SuperCompetent” (2010); “The Exhaustion Cure” (2008); “Find More Time” (2006); “Leave the Office Earlier” (2004). The 2011-2012 President of the National Speakers Association and recipient of the Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation, Stack has served as a spokesperson for Microsoft, 3M, Xerox, and Office Depot and is the creator of The Productivity Pro® planner by Day-Timer. Widely regarded as one of the leading experts in the field of employee productivity and workplace issues, Stack has been featured nationally on the CBS Early Show and CNN, and in USA Today and the New York Times.