Do you feel productive? How do you measure productivity? Maura Thomas joins Kevin to discuss the pitfalls of constant busyness versus true productivity and the need for leaders to prioritize thinking. She shares that leaders and organizational culture can unintentionally hinder productivity. Leaders often underestimate their influence not only on employees' work lives but also on their personal lives, attitudes, and mental well-being. Listen for... 00:00 Introduction 00:07 Importance of creating a desirable workplace 02:15 Discussion about Maura's journey into productivity 06:50 Focus on knowledge work and defining it 08:13 Challenges of measuring productivity in knowledge work 09:01 Impact of leaders' behaviors on organizational culture 10:31 People view leaders differently than they view themselves 12:19 Four quadrants of attention management: reactive, focused, daydreaming, flow 17:20 Task switching has a cost and disrupts productivity 18:45 The difference between being busy and being productive 22:07 It's not just about the tools, but how we use them 24:41 The volume of communication in organizations is too high 26:13 Agreements are needed for communication expectations 27:10 Resetting the culture of urgency is important 28:27 Importance of efficient remote communication 29:15 Tips for effective one-on-one meetings 33:11 Impact of after-hours communication on employee stress 37:23 Closing Meet Maura Name: Maura Nevel Thomas Maura's Story: Maura Nevel Thomas is the author of 6 books, including her latest, Everyone Wants to Work Here: Attract the Best Talent, Energize Your Team, and Be The Leader in Your Market. She is an award-winning international speaker and trainer on individual and corporate productivity and work-life balance, and the most widely-cited authority on attention management. Her proprietary Empowered Productivity™ System has been embraced by the likes of NASA, Google, and Dyson. She is a TEDx Speaker, founder of Regain Your Time, author of six books, and was named a Top Leadership Speaker in Inc. Magazine. Maura is frequently featured in major business outlets including Business Insider, Fast Company, and Washington Post, and she's also a regular contributor to both Forbes and the Harvard Business Review, with articles there viewed over a million times. https://maurathomas.com/ This episode is brought to you by... The Long-Distance Team. Remote leadership experts, Kevin Eikenberry and Wayne Turmel, help leaders navigate the new world of remote and hybrid teams to design the culture they desire for their teams and organizations in their new book! Book Recommendations Everyone Wants to Work Here: Attract the Best Talent, Energize Your Team, and Be the Leader in Your Market by Maura Thomas Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness and Productivity by Gloria Mark Related Episodes Leadership Productivity Principles with Maura Thomas Turning Culture into Competitive Advantage with Jeff Grimshaw Join Our Community If you want to view our live podcast episodes, hear about new releases, or chat with others who enjoy this podcast join one of our communities below. Join the Facebook Group Join the LinkedIn Group Leave a Review If you liked this conversation, we'd be thrilled if you'd let others know by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Here's a quick guide for posting a review. Review on Apple: https://remarkablepodcast.com/itunes Podcast Better! Sign up with Libsyn and get up to 2 months free! Use promo code: RLP

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.