sphinxx news alert    
11 November 2009 | www.sphinxx.com.au   

This week is your last chance to register for Ascend in Sydney and we have some great insights on how women increase their confidence, what a women-run investment bank looks like, and the opportunity to catch up with me for a coffee in Melbourne later this month:

1. Why you’ll never get to the end of your to do list or have an empty inbox
2. A women-run investment bank? Lessons from women in the social economy
3. Could you use a confidence boost?
4. The coffee's on me! Catch up with the SheEO of sphinxx in Melbourne
5. Are your staff surfing the web when you're not watching... and did you know that could make them more productive?
6. Ascend development day 20 November – 2 NEW TABLES RELEASED – BE QUICK TO CLAIM YOUR SPOT

If you have an idea for a topic we should include in a future news alert, please let us know - we’d love to hear from you!

All the best,

Jen Dalitz
Founder & The SheEO, sphinxx.com.au

My email Inbox is out of control... again. So is my “to do” list... and if you saw the state of my home you wouldn’t be surprised that it’s in disarray as well!

I’m frequently asked by mentoring clients how they can take control of their Inbox and get more done each day. It’s become the Holy Grail of business: how to manage ever increasing tasks and requests in an ever busy world. And still have a life. And my response is always the same: is it really that important to do so?

When I talk with executives I usually ask how they manage to get everything done. And I’m unimpressed by the increasingly common response about spending the evening, at home after dinner, responding to emails and clearing the Inbox. Last week a woman told me - victorious - that she’d spent 17 hours straight... from 7am til midnight on a weekend completely clearing her Inbox. There were hundreds of them. I was amazed, and also a little concerned for her.

Is this what life has become: an ongoing battle with a never-ending stream of virtual requests?

Personally I’ve decided I’m never going to win this battle, and I’m not going to give up my weekends trying. But there are a few things I do that help me cope with the avalanche of emails without impinging even more on my precious personal time. Perhaps they’ll work for you too:

1. Get used to it. There will always be too much to do, not enough time and people will always want more from you. So it’s ok not to get everything done - in fact it’s normal and to be expected. What matters is that you prioritise what’s most important - and re-prioritise on a daily basis - so you can focus your time effectively.
2. Delegate more. How effectively are you using your team? They’re there to support you so why not nominate someone to attend meetings in your place, forward emails to your team for them to respond to and if you’re asking people to come back to you with information, nominate someone else to collect and collate the responses.
3. Be realistic about what you can achieve and set realistic expectations about when you’ll get back to people. If a deadline looks dodgy then flag it early and ask if it can be extended. And if somethings not urgent, practice adding one extra day to self-imposed deadlines. Often we expect more of ourselves than others do.
4. Scan your inbox regularly so you know about urgent or important tasks that require your attention. Decide quickly if you need to deal with it then and there, or if you should schedule time to do it later.
5. Be ruthless. Unsubscribe from newsletters and mailings if you find they’re not hitting the mark for you and if you’re regularly cc’d on things that don’t require your input, ask the sender to leave you off future distribution lists. Everyone has the same problem with email and they’ll understand your request.
6. Get organised. Simple tools can help with this - like setting up folders for managing incoming mail. I use email folders and filters to quarantine e-newsletters, items that I’m cc’d on and anything I know won’t require my immediate response (such as confirmations), and for delegating tasks to my team. It works a treat.
7. Newest isn’t always best. It seems at times that I’m attached to my iphone and my laptop... but I still find the simple things are best for managing my follow ups, reminders, meeting papers and projects. I use a Moleskin week-to-a-page diary to slot in follow ups, a simple manilla folder system to manage all my meeting papers, and folders with plastic inserts for managing ongoing projects.

That’s just what works for me... but we’re a resourceful bunch so I’m sure we can expand on this list. Post your comment about what works for you... the top 5 comments will receive a copy of Apprentice to Business Ace - your inside-out guide to personal branding.

My friend Ange sent me through this link to an interesting discussion by a (male) blogger in the UK who suggests there could be a lot to gain from a women-run investment bank. Rod Schwartz highlights the opportunity the GFC has presented to completely overhaul the financial services sector by introducing more balance in the form of more women leaders... and points advantages and momentum women pioneers have already brought to the social economy.

He also points to "Rwanda, where in the aftermath of its 1994 genocide, women have attained many senior positions and the majority in Parliament. And more recently, where Iceland was bankrupted by a set of reckless “cowboys”— women have been given the political and economic reins. In both cases this was not a planned or decreed handover; the people merely turned to women to sort out their mess."

It's worth a read: click here to access the blog.

Could you use a confidence boost?

Confident Women Australia is a new website designed specifically to improve the self-confidence and self-esteem of Australian women. As we all know, these are two major issues that can really hold women back from realising their full potential... so if you find you need a confidence boost from time to time, this website will be perfect for you.

Click here to access the site... and a special post from sphinxx SheEO Jen Dalitz.

The coffee's on me! Catch up with the SheEO of sphinxx in Melbourne

I'm coming to Melbourne this month and will be hosting an open morning tea and afternoon tea on Tuesday 24th and Wednesday 25th November. In these sessions you can share your ideas, ask questions, seek advice or simply discuss with me findings from the sphinxx survey on working women (and what sphinxx and Westpac are doing together to support women in leadership in Melbourne in 2010).

Click here to contact us and reserve your spot.

Are your staff surfing the web when you're not watching... and did you know that could make them more productive?

The internet may be the bane of your existence when it comes to managing the productivity of your staff... or is it? Research by the University of Melbourne has found that workers who use the web for entertainment while at work — whether they're tweeting, watching YouTube videos, shopping, or catching up with the news — are 9% more productive than those who don't. According to Professor Brent Coker at the University of Melbourne, as long as they don't spend more than 20% of their time in the office doing "workplace internet leisure browsing", they will be more productive because people need quick breaks in order to maintain a high level of concentration throughout the day.

Click here to find out more.

Ascend development day 20 November – 2 NEW TABLES RELEASED – BE QUICK TO CLAIM YOUR SPOT

Great news for those of you who have registered already for Ascend in Sydney next week – this event is a sell out! We have however managed to increase our capacity with an extra 2 tables so be quick to register your spot.

Ascend is the sphinxx development day series for senior women in business looking to advance in their careers and to gain the confidence and connections they need to realise their full potential. Each development day features expert speakers, high profile leaders and a panel of business executives who will all share their tips to help you take your career to the next level, along with plenty of facilitated networking.

An exciting speaker line up has been confirmed for our next development day in Sydney on 20th November including:

- NEGOTIATION with Candy Tymson: The Secrets Men Don't Want Women to Know
- LEADERSHIP with Cassandra Kelly, Joint CEO of Pottinger Corporate Advisory
- FUTURE THINKING with Anders Sorman-Nilsson, founder of Thinque Consultancy
- INTRAPRENEURIALISM with Julia Bickerstaff, founder of the Business Bakery formerly a partner of Deloitte for 8 years; and
- SUCCESS STORIES & STRATEGIES, a panel discussion of winning case studies for advancing women.

Click here to download the event brochure and to register online while seats last.

   “Fantastic presenters and extremely relevant content – I took a lot away from each session. Probably one of the best investments I’ve made for my personal & professional development. I would highly recommend other women to attend these sessions to develop new skills & meet other fabulous women!” – Cathy Reber, VP – Head of Global Business Transformation, American Express

We have also just finalised our development day calendar for 2010 so you can save the dates:

Adelaide - Wed 10th Feb, Wed 12th May, Wed 11th August, Wed 10th Nov
Sydney - Fri 12th Feb, Fri 14th May, Fri 13 Aug, Fri 12th Nov
Brisbane - Wed 17th Feb, Wed 19th May, Wed 18th Aug, Wed 17th Nov
Melbourne - Fri 19th Feb, Fri 21st May, Fri 20th Aug, Fri 19th Nov