1. Have the courage to get great at saying “No Thanks” to any activities that don’t advance your priorities.
2. Take 60 seconds every morning to do a written game plan for a productive day. “The things that get scheduled are the things that get done.” as I shared in The Greatness Guide.
3. Take a few seconds each day to turn off all your technology and work deeply on a key project with zero distraction.
4. Take 60 seconds to breathe deeply and focus on your progress. This will re-energize and refuel you.
5. Take 60 seconds to un-clutter your work area so you create space for your creativity to flow.
Below please also find his video on three best keys to being super productive:

Robin Sharma is a speaker of Speakers Connect . Contact us at info@speakersconnect.com for more information or to book Robin to inspire your team / audience on leadership.

Flicker album of Robin speaking in Hong Kong.

香港的職場近年來發生革命性的變化，在投資銀行的年輕一代顯得特別明顯。我們這班本地的小夥子似乎給內地來的對手比下去，目前的情況每況愈下，越來越多位置給別人搶走。大家不信，到IFC看看，便知道所言不虛，四處都是講流利普通話的“外來者”。

人家似乎能夠讓老闆相信：樣樣都可能！再難的事情都有辦法解決。得、得、得，我幫你搞定。還有，我認得誰、誰、誰，我家裏認識他；他女兒跟我在耶魯一起讀研究生。說起來一本正經，老闆由半信半疑轉換爲信到十足。

我們這邊廂有點接不上來，首先不在耶魯讀書，不認識此人的女兒，更不用說家裏根本不認識此人。再說，事情要按照別人的說法來做的話，不一定行得通。臉上表情一看就知道，不同意；就算同意，也無法想辦法通通氣。

我 們想說：我們有國際視野。沒想到對方在耶魯讀書，自己沒法比。我們做事穩妥，不會“放飛機”；事情在我手上，再困難也會搞定。以前一直以爲低調是好事，總 是悶聲不響，總是默默耕耘，正所謂“沈默是金”。說實話：我們就是缺點面子，不缺點子，但是少一點膽子。可是在“ 錢作怪”的日子，我們弄不出“錢生錢”的本事，最多替老闆省點水電費，說起來是有點吃虧。視野放得開，心胸放得下，國內多跑跑，平時多給力，讓普通話飛。 我們有自身的價值，還沒全面體現出來而已。

其實兩地專才各有優點，不能說誰較優勝。中國人在發展當中，其中最重要是「道」．既是道理的「道」，也是道義的「道」，即是說方法一定要踏實。兩地人才要以這個「道」為基礎，爭取學習機會，各展所長。

網上重溫:

http://programme.rthk.hk/rthk/tv/programme.php?name=tv%2Fmoney&d=2011-05-07&m=episode

From 《原來錢作怪》Facebook Page

Contact us at +852 3489 9246 or info@speakersconnect.com to engage Mr Eddie Wang to inspire your team and clients on concrete knowledge of doing business in China.

Great tips from our leadership guru, Robin Sharma:

I wanted to share 17 of the tactics I’ve learned that I know will help you lean into your productive best in this age of dramatic distraction:

1. Turn off all technology for 60 minutes a day and focus on doing your most important work.

2. Work in 90 minute cycles (tons of science is now confirming that this is the optimal work to rest ratio).

3. Start your day with at least 30 minutes of exercise.

4. Don’t check your email first thing in the morning.

5. Turn all your electronic notifications off.

6. Take one day a week as a complete recovery day, to refuel and regenerate (that means no email, no phone calls and zero work). You need full recovery one day a week otherwise you’ll start depleting your capabilities.

7. The data says workers are interrupted every 11 minutes. Distractions destroy productivity. Learn to protect your time and say no to interruptions.

8. Schedule every day of your week every Sunday morning. A plan relieves you of the torment of choice (said novelist Saul Bellow). It restores focus and provides energy.

9. Work in blocks of time. Creative geniuses all had 2 things in common: when they worked they were fully engaged and when they worked, they worked with this deep concentration for long periods of time. Rare in this world of entrepreneurs who can’t sit still.

10. Drink a liter of water early every morning. We wake up dehydrated. The most precious asset of an entrepreneur isn’t time – it’s energy. Water restores it.

11. Don’t answer your phone every time it rings.

12. Invest in your professional development so you bring more value to the hours you work.

13. Avoid gossip and time vampires.

14. Touch paper just once.

15. Keep a “Stop Doing List”.

16. Get up at 5 am.

17. Have meetings standing up.

Robin Sharma is a speaker of Speakers Connect . Contact us at info@speakersconnect.com for more information or to book Robin to inspire your team / audience on leadership.

Flicker album of Robin speaking in Hong Kong.

At age 35, John Wood left an executive career track at Microsoft Corporation to form Room to Read, a nonprofit organization that “combines the heart of Mother Theresa with the scalability of Starbucks” to help children across the developing world break the cycle of poverty through the power of education. Razor-sharp business acumen honed at Microsoft, combined with a passion to change the world, makes Wood a unique, inspiring and popular speaker with universal appeal.

Wood founded Room to Read out of deep concern that nearly one billion people lack basic literacy and that over 200 million children in the developing world are not enrolled in school. “I was blessed with a solid education, which was a wonderful foundation for my future. As a result, I had a great career at a company that encourages people to dream big dreams. I started Room to Read as a way to give that same opportunity to children in the world’s poorest places. Education is a hand up, not a hand out. It is within our power to be the generation that ends poverty, so we need to think big and execute flawlessly.”

Since its start in 2000, Room to Read has sponsored the opening of more than 1,100 schools and 9200 multi-lingual libraries across the developing world. The organization has distributed over 7.4 million children’s books in multiple languages and supports nearly 8,800 girls with long-term scholarships. Wood describes these results as “total tip of the iceberg” as Room to Read plans to increase this literacy network to 20,000 libraries and schools serving at least 10 million children by the year 2015. The organization currently operates in nine countries in Asia and Africa, including Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Laos, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, South Africa and Zambia.

In his award-winning memoir, Leaving Microsoft to Change the World, Wood tells the story of how he raised over $80 million of financial commitments from a “standing start” to develop one of the fastest-growing non-profits in history. The book was described by Publishers’ Weekly in a starred review as “an infectiously inspiring read.” Now in its 14th printing and translated into 20 languages, it is popular with entrepreneurs, philanthropists, educators, and internationalists alike, and was selected by Amazon.com as one of the “Top Ten Business Narratives of 2006″ and voted by Hudson Booksellers as a “Top Ten Nonfiction title of 2006.” The book was also featured during Wood’s appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show and the resulting “Oprah’s Book Drive” with Room to Read raised over $1 million from viewers. Because of the positive response from viewers, the show has re-aired on numerous occasions.

During his career at Microsoft, Wood ran significant parts of the company’s international business divisions, including positions as: Director of Marketing for the Asia-Pacific Division; Director of Marketing for Microsoft Australia; and Director of Business Development for the Greater China region.

Wood holds a master’s in business administration from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, a BS in finance from the University of Colorado, and honorary doctorates in humane letters from the University of San Francisco and Westminster University.

We at Speakers Connect is thrilled to have John Wood,author of best-seller “Leaving Microsoft to Change the World” and founder of “Room to Read” joining our speakers bureau

Contact us at Speakers Connect at info@speakersconnect or +852 21654126 if you would like to engage John Wood for your next event, or viist us for more international speakers from us.

In the video below he shares the secrets of how to do your best work…

Robin Sharma is a speaker of Speakers Connect . Contact us at info@speakersconnect.com for more information or to book Robin to inspire your team / audience on leadership.

Flicker albums of Robin speaking in Hong Kong.

Below please find the presentation of Emma:

Emma Reynolds is a speaker of Speakers Connect, Asia’s leading speakers bureau. Connect us at info@speakersconnect.com or +852 2165 4126 to book Emma to inspire your team at your next event / conference!

Listen closely and follow his suggestions, you will be glad that you do…

Robin Sharma is a speaker of Speakers Connect . Contact us at info@speakersconnect.com for more information or to book Robin to inspire your team / audience on leadership.

Flicker album of Robin speaking in Hong Kong.

1. Be clear what your audiences need

The first crucial step of finding the right speaker for your event is to clarify what your audience need. Having worked with clients from different industries and background, we found that many of them were indeed not very clear about what they expect. One most common enquiry we get is, “We need a leadership speaker…” When dig deeper, nevertheless, we found that mostly what the client need is not a “leadership speaker”, but rather a speaker who can advise on change management, or whom can help identify the business trend etc. A better starting point in clarifying your expectations, is asking yourself, or your audiences what challenges you are facing. Working with experienced professional speakers bureau can also help clarify your needs.

2. Decide on date, time and book early

Good professional speakers are always in hot demand with hectic travel schedules. Therefore, determining your event date early and booking in advance can help ascertain you get the speaker you want and best fit your needs. Working with professional speakers bureau, especially the one in your region can also help you identify the speakers who will be around and are appropriate for your event, and as a result help save in traveling expenses, or even get a discount for en-routed arrangements in some cases.

3. Decide on budget

Fees for engaging celebrity speakers, especially ex-politicians, authors of international best sellers and prestigious businessmen, could be rocket high. No doubt their experiences, stories and fame worth the dollar. Having said that, it does not mean that speakers charging a more modest fee are necessarily not as good as the high-charging ones – many of these speakers actually have extremely good contents to share. Therefore, be clear about your budget and communicate with your speaker agent openly can help them to find you the appropriate speaker within your expected fee range.

4. Identifying the right speakers

If you visit the homepage of any speakers, or that of the agencies, you will find that all speakers look extremely good on paper. How can you identify the speaker who is truly good and suitable for your event? Below are a few indicators:

Speaking video – Most speakers nowadays put up videos / YouTube links of them speaking. Make sure you have watched them and like their style. You may also wish to observe the audience size, responses from the live audiences and event scale from the video.
Direct conversation – Whether you are dealing directly with the speaker, or through an agency, do not just rely on email or other written communication – in stead, do request to talk, or meet (if possible) with the speaker directly, before confirming the engagement.   Ask a few questions related to the topic you want the speaker to present to see how he responses – look for unique insights, industry specific knowledge, relevant stories and experiences from the answers, and also get a feel of how well prepared the speaker is for the conversation, and whether his / her style fits your organization / audience.
Repeated bookings – Whether a speaker gets repeated bookings from the same client are always a good indicator of his quality. We have, for instance, a company booking the same speaker for 3 times consecutively in one year – starting from engaging the speaker for the Exco meeting, to the senior management meeting, to the high-potential leadership training. We also have another example with different business units of the same company booking the same speaker, for they have been referring the speaker internally.   Therefore, do ask the speaker whether he / she gets repeated booking from any of his / her existing clients.
Expert advice – The advantage of working with a professional speakers bureau is that it is our job to identify the most appropriate speakers for the clients, and the quality of the speakers they represent directly impact on their reputation. Responsible speakers agencies are selective of their speaker intake. Do ask the bureau you are working with on their speaker selection criteria.
Customization – One size never fits all. Look for speakers whom customize their presentation contents for individual clients, based on their research of the industry and specifically the client.

5. Candid Communication

To ensure the presentation of the speaker best fit your needs, make sure that you communicate candidly with the speaker the followings:

• Company information, background
• Specific expectation of the event
• Current challenges faced (if any)
• Size and demographic of the audience

Hope the above list proves useful in your future speaker search. Please feel free to contact us at info@speakersconnect.com if need further information, or speaker recommendation of your upcoming event.

Technology is allowing managers to oversee production remotely, completely changing the models of management.

Leading Futurist and author of best-seller, Mike Walsh, was quoted in an article in the December 2010 edition of Virgin’s inflight magazine, Voyeur on the office of the future.

In the piece Mike discusses the rise of ‘immersion rooms’ capable of modular virtual stacking, equipped with pressure mats, motion sensors and full screen wall projections.

Below are some more interesting predictions:

• The idea of being stuck in an office in a high-rise all day will seem old-fashioned and amusingly absurd.
• You won’t just see a screen projection of your colleague, their hologram will walk into your room.
• Offices will be places that facilitate interaction between staff, where you can drop in to catch up with colleageus.

Indeed, techonological advances have been changing the way we work.  Below are some of the key inventions:

1943:  Ballpoint pen

1966:  Pocket calculator

1973:  Typewriter

1973:  Telecommuting

1974:  Desktop Computer

1981:  Laptop

1983:  Mobile phones

Late 1980s:  Hot-desking

Read the full article on the Office of the Future here.

A recent TV Interview of Mike (by Polish TV) in English:

Mike Walsh is one of the most sough-after speakers of Speakers Connect. Contact us at info@speakersconnect.com for more information or to book Mike to inspire your team / audience on what’s next in business.

Is it just a piece of paper hang on the wall, or the values that are truly lived in the hall?

Business strategist, Ian Berry talks about what is more important than the Vision and Mission Statment:

Does your organiation has a compelling story to tell in the hallway?

Contact us at  Speakers Connect at info@speakersconnect or +852 21654126 if you would like to engage Ian for your next event, or viist us for more top-notch Asia Pacific Speakers from us.