Attracting, Energizing, and Retaining the Best Talent with Maura Thomas

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: