The Integral Business Development System

Did you know that 80% of your revenues come from 20% of your customers? Or that 80% of your work gets done in 20% of your time?

In the past 7 years I have taken clients from an 80-hour work week to a 50-hour work week within 90 days.

I have worked with clients who reported a 100% improvement in their working relationships — with employees, customers and peers — in less than 90 days.

And I’ve had clients who increased their revenue by up to 50%.

To discuss the possibility of working with me call 650-704-5384, or submit the easy form below:

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And if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email me.

Sri Dasgupta
Phone: 1-650-704-5384
Email: sri [at] srirupadasgupta.com

To schedule your 30-minute complimentary consultation, please provide the information below:

Once you submit the form, here is what will happen:

• I will contact you to schedule your session on a date and time that is mutually convenient.
• After we schedule your appointment, you will get the prep form to prepare for your session.
• On the scheduled date and time of your appointment, I will call you at the phone number you give me, for your session.

I look forward to talking with you soon!

When you hear “structure”, what comes to mind?

Most people think that they need “structure” to be productive and effective. And by “structure” we usually means schedules, plans, time limits, etc.

However, what we often forget (me too, at times!) is that the structure depends on the nature of the task. One size does not fit all. And using the wrong structure to organize your work can lead to stress, overwhelm and frustration.

What do I mean by this?

For instance, the most productive way to complete known or discrete tasks quickly and efficiently is very different from the most productive way to interact with other people or do creative work.

• “Discrete” tasks are those that have a clear beginning and ending. And you know exactly how to do them.

  For example, your daily “to do” list consists of these kinds of tasks. Do laundry on Saturday afternoon. Email person XYZ the final report on Monday morning. Upgrade software on Thursday between 5:00 - 7:00pm.

  So the best structure to complete these kinds of tasks quickly and efficiently is to schedule a block of time in your calendar, and do them when that time comes.

• Interacting with people, or engaging in creative work, on the other hand, requires a very different structure.

  You cannot schedule a finite block of time to write an article or design your marketing campaign. Or expect to discuss and resolve a complex issue in a one-hour meeting. (Well, you can but it doesn’t often work so well!)

  These processes can’t be forced into blocks of time. You need a very different structure to be productive and effective in these
  domains.

  For creative work, you need time and space for ideas to coalesce, and the work to evolve. Similarly, people need time and space to absorb and integrate new information and concepts.

  You can still complete it by a deadline, but you must approach it differently.

No matter what you do, your work most likely has a combination of both types of tasks.

For example, if you’re designing a marketing campaign or product, you need structure that give you the time and space to research, reflect, design, reflect and research some more, and so on, to be most productive and effective.

(Rushing this process can be counter-productive because it often ends up in “re-work” or less than ideal results.)

And when you’re ready to implement your marketing campaign, the structure changes. Once your campaign design is complete, you know all the tasks that need to be done and in what order.

So you can schedule these in your calendar and get going.

The structure that supports you and your work the best depends on the nature of your work, as well as your environment.

In other words, what else is going on in your life? Who are the people you have to interact or coordinate with? (And as you know, we each have our own work and our own pace!).

ACTION STEP

Here is an easy yet very effective way to find out the best way to approach your work, in order to get the most out of your time and energy.

Each day, for a whole week, make a note of the following situations as you go through your normal day (and don’t limit it to just your “work day”):

1. What is the nature of the work or task that you’re trying to complete? Is it known or discrete (like chores, stuff you’ve done before), or unknown and creative (like designing something new, or engaging in a type of work for the first time)?
2. What is the structure you’ve setup for yourself, to do this work? How did you choose this structure?
3. Does this work involve other people? Or can you do entirely by yourself?
4. How do you feel as you do this work (e.g. focused, engaged, frustrated, distracted, etc.)?

As before, these are questions to keep in mind as you go about your normal day. Write down what you observe at the end of each day.

At the end of the week, review your notes and answer this question: Are you using the right “structure” given the nature of your work? Why or why not?

It’s now time to go through all your notes from the past 3 weeks — so this is a bonus lesson for you!

Answer these questions as you review your notes — see what you discover:

• What connection (if any) is there between the structure your time or work day, and your feeling productive and effective?
• Do you have a preferred or “default” structure - one that you automatically tend towards?
• What connection (if any) is there between your preferred structure and your obstacles?
• What did you learn from answering these questions? How will you use this information?

What? No notes?!

Well, you have some options:

1. Use what you remember to answer the questions above.
   
   If you’re mildly interested or just curious about this topic, this is a good option for you.

   Since most of us have “selective memory”, your results will be less than ideal — but it will be adequate to satisfy your curiosity.

2. Re-do lessons 1, 2 and 3 — this time write stuff down!
   
   If you’re serious about addressing these issues, and you’re a self-starter, this should be an easy and effective option for you.

   The results you get will serve you well.

3. Work with a coach. Click here for details on how I work.

If this topic is critical for your professional success (and personal well-being) invest in yourself.

This option is especially good for you if you have difficulty mobilizing yourself to make changes — even when you want to.

Suffering is not a requirement for success!

Now that you have some idea about how you define “productive and effective”, let’s consider what prevents you from being this way.

Here’s an interesting story about “obstacles”.

Several years ago, when I used to manage a Technical Support department, one of my call center employees expressed intense frustration with her lack of productivity.

“I can’t get anything done because I keep getting interrupted by the phone!”

Hmmm, I thought. Your work *is* answering calls from customers all day long. So what is going on?

After talking with her at length, I found out several interesting pieces of information.

The software products supported by the call center were getting more and more complex, so support calls were getting complex too. Issues were taking longer to resolve.

Previously, she’d be able to resolve the issue during the initial phone call from the customer. Now, more and more, after she hung up the phone with the customer, she’d have to research the problem some more, find a solution or at least a workaround, and call the customer back with the answer.

However, new calls came in while she tried to work on the previous unresolved calls, leaving her feeling frustrated, fragmented and overwhelmed.

When she felt this way, she couldn’t focus on her work, she became impatient with customers for not “getting it”, and annoyed with the product developers and managers for creating a complicated product.

Her job required her to go with the flow, answer calls and resolve problems as they came in. But circumstances were preventing her from doing so.

During our conversation I also found out that she had thought about what might solve this situation: If she could find a block of time to work on such problems, without being interrupted and without feeling pressured about calls piling up, she’d be able to quickly and effectively solve the customer issues, and get back to answering new calls.

What’s the point of this story?

Well, the better you understand the nature of the problem, the better your solution will be.

I read an article in Fast Company magazine about the importance of design. And in it there was a reference to a person at Ford, a Giuseppe Delena, who was quoted as having said, “Don’t tell me you need a bridge, show me the canyon!”

What an excellent metaphor!

All bridges have the same function - to get you from point A to point B. But the design of each bridge totally depends on the terrain.

For example, what’s the nature of the “obstacle” between point A and point B? Is it a river, a canyon, a bay, a highway or railroad tracks? And what else is in the area? Granite mountains, marshlands, houses, open land, other roads?

I’m no expert on bridges, but I can understand how the length and height of the bridge, whether it’s a suspension bridge or not, what construction materials are used to build it, all depend on the nature of the “obstacle” to be bridged and the surrounding area.

So:

• What are your “obstacles”?
• What’s between you and the goal of being more productive and effective?
• And what else is going on at work, and in your life?

Because your answers will most definitely affect the solution.

For my call center employee, being productive and effective meant resolving as many support issues as possible, during her normal working hours.

She had three main obstacles:

1. First, her time was fragmented due to the nature of the job.
2. Second, most days she didn’t have anyone to cover the phones for her, so she could work on these complex problems without worrying about new calls piling up.
3. And third, the product designers and developers didn’t realize or understand how the customers were being affected by the product design.

In order to truly resolve the situation, she first had to identify the REAL problems.

Otherwise we might have simply addressed the symptoms, which would have been like treating a broken leg with a band-aid.

So what do you know about what prevents you from being productive and effective? What else can you learn about it?

ACTION STEP

Read through your notes from last week.

What do you notice about the following:

1. What allows you to be productive and effective, as you define it?
2. And what prevents you from being so?
   * Is it your mood and/or your attitude?
   * Is it the other people around you?
   * Is it a specific situation - in other words, are you productive and/or effective only at certain times and in certain contexts?
3. Is there a connection between being productive and effective?

The more “data” you have, the better you’ll be able to see the patterns and themes.

So if you want, repeat the assignment from last week again this week, to gather more data.

Make a note of your discoveries - we’ll use it next week in Lesson 3 (What is the best structure for your work?).
– Sri

One of the most important things in achieving any goal is being clear about the objective. I assume your goal here is to become more productive and effective at what you do.

However, I’d like to get a little more specific than that.

So let me ask you some questions.

• What are your expectations of this “e-course”? In other words, what outcomes or results are you looking for, exactly?
• How will you know whether these “lessons” have been a worthwhile investment for you?

Many of us have a tendency to dive right into solving a problem before we truly understand what it is we’re solving, and what solution would satisfy us. (I know I tend to do this when I’m eager about something!).

Here’s a story that really highlights this point:

A colleague of mine shared with me an anecdote that really highlights the relevance of this point.

My colleague teaches a class in project management.

As you can imagine, for any project to be successfully managed and completed on time and within budget, everyone on the team - and especially the project manager - needs to be clear about the objective. What exactly does the “customer” want, and by when?

In this class, she gives the students an exercise to build the tallest tower using little building blocks. As soon as she finishes talking, students dive right in. When done, each one sits back with their completed towers.

My colleague is amazed that this happens in every class.

Apparently, students rarely pause to ask:

• What kind of tower do you want?
• And they almost never ask clarifying questions like, how tall is tall?
• Should we each build individual towers or work together as a group to build one big tower?
• Can we use the extra blocks you have, or only the ones on the table?
• How much time do we have to build this?

Without this level of details, the towers range in shape and size, based on each student’s interpretation - which may be not at all what the “customer” (in this case, my colleague) had in mind when she assigned the exercise.

The same principle applies to our own “projects”.

My point is this:

We need to understand clearly what we want to achieve, what exactly the outcome or result is that we want, before we can start working towards “it”.

So when you say you want to be productive and effective, what *exactly* do you mean?

For me, productive means different things in different cases.

For instance, I consider a weekend to be productive if I get a lot of chores done, have some “alone time”, and also have some social time with friends and family. However, a day can also be productive if I’m able to complete just one very important thing.

It depends on what my expectations were for that day or weekend. And I feel I’m effective when I get the results I want with minimal effort.

But it’s not important how I or the dictionary define these terms.

What’s important is how YOU define them.

• How do you recognize a productive day?
• How do you know when you’re being effective, and when you’re not?

This is important, because you are your own “customer” in this case. Also, this level of clarity helps you recognize when you’ve achieved your end goal — whatever it may be. And in this case, it will help you determine at the end of the “e-course” whether it was a worthwhile investment for you.

ACTION STEP

So, here’s a simple — yet very powerful — exercise that will help you get to this level of clarity immediately.

Each day, as you go about your normal day, make a note of the following situations (and don’t limit it to just your “work day”):

1. When during the day did you feel effective? When did you feel ineffective?
2. When during the day did you feel productive? When did you feel unproductive?
3. In each case, what specifically led you to feel this way?

*** IMPORTANT NOTE ***

This is not meant to be another “to do” on your list!

Rather, this is something that you notice about yourself as you go about your normal day.

Since extremes are often easier to notice, at first you might only notice those. After a while, you will gradually notice other less extreme scenarios.

Whenever you can, write down what you noticed during the day. We’ll use this information later in the program.

Next week, lesson 2: What obstacles are in your way?
– Sri

Do you have a question or a comment? Please let me know.
– Sri

email: sri@srirupadasgupta.com
phone: +1.650.704.5384
eFax: +1.253.399.3559

527 West Frederick Street
Lancaster, PA 17603
USA

Or simply enter your question or comment below:

I was surprised at how well the phone format worked (I was skeptical at first). It was a pleasure working with you, Sri — you have a very inviting, welcoming and non-judgmental demeanor that made it very easy [for me] to work with you. I find very little support in my work environment, so I was especially grateful to work with someone who was objective, yet still cared enough to help me explore my challenges.

- J. Ray,
Berkeley, CA

… Be an influential and well-respected leader?

… Or an effective and productive business owner?

… Enjoy an overall sense of well-being and peace of mind?

You can.

Integral Development Programs

I use a unique methodology that teaches people how to tap into 6 different types of “intelligence” and 3 domains of competence.

The purpose of these comprehensive programs is to help people get both short-term and long-term benefits:

• Achieve the results and outcomes you want right now, AND
• Learn how to build on, refine, adapt and apply the skills you acquire during this process, to a wide range of other situations and problems in the future.

These programs are custom-designed for for each person.

It takes into account not just the specific results and outcomes the client wants, but also the context within which he/she wants to achieve these goals, his/her existing commitments and priorities, and any other relevant factors.

This ensures a cohesive approach and lasting results.

The Integral Development Program includes:

• An in-depth assessment
• A custom-designed program
• All books and materials
• Two 60-minute sessions each month, in-person or by telephone
• Additional sessions, as needed or requested
• Unlimited e-mail communications between sessions

The typical Integral Development program lasts about 6 months.

To explore whether such a program is right for you, call 650-704-5384 or schedule a complimentary consultation.

Mentoring Sessions

These private one-on-one consultations can be scheduled on an as-needed basis.

You can use these to focus on and address specific topics, issues or concerns that need immediate attention.

• Mentoring sessions are 60-minutes in duration, and are conducted by phone.
• I call you, so you don’t have to bear the cost of a long-distance or international call.
• You get a prep form to help you gather your thoughts in preparation for each session, so you can get the most out of your time.
• You also get a written summary of the session by email after the call, to help you implement and follow through on what we cover during the session.

To schedule a session, or for more information, click here.

Team Development Programs

For any team to be successful, it is critical for team members to work together effectively.

Without it, there is usually repeated re-work due to miscommunication (or no communication), which leads to bad feelings between individuals, which in turn results in a less than desired work environment,

Comprehensive coaching programs are custom-designed for teams that want to resolve recurring miscommunication, personality conflicts and build an effective and productive way of working together.

For more information, please feel free to contact me.

To schedule a mentoring session, please complete and submit the easy form below.

Once you submit this information, here is what will happen:

1. I will contact you to schedule your session on a date and time that is mutually convenient.
2. After we schedule your appointment, you will get an invoice by email. The current fee for this service is $200 USD. Your appointment will be confirmed once you make your payment.
3. As soon as your appointment is confirmed, you will get the prep form to prepare for your session.
4. On the scheduled date and time of your appointment, I will call you at the phone number you give me, for your session.
5. Within one business day after your session, you will get an email summary of your session.

If you have any questions before you schedule, please feel free to contact me.

Sri teaches people how to earn more by doing less. One client doubled her business after she cut down her working hours. Another got promoted once he stopped working so hard towards it (he’d been trying hard for over a year).

She is also the author of Effortless Networking: Everyday Wisdom to Transform Your Business and Life.

Sri has been educated as computer scientist, artist and coach, and has over 10 years of experience as a senior manager within the corporate sector and 5 years of experience as a small business owner.

Sri has a B.A. in Computer Science and Studio Art from Smith College, (Northampton, Massachusetts). She received her coach training and certification from New Ventures West (San Francisco, California).

Prior to starting her coaching business practice, Sri worked in the software industry for 14 years, in various leadership and management positions, such as Technical Manager of Global Knowledge Management, Director of Customer Support, Director of Technical Development.

Her unique background allows her to see any situation from many different perspectives, and as a result, identify the crux of complex issues quickly.

She actively uses this ability in her coaching practice.

Sri works with her clients in a variety of ways. For complete details, click here.

Sri is past President of Silicon Valley Coach Federation (SVCF), and the past Chair of the Ambassadors’ Club at the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce.

She has taught regularly for 2 years at the San Francisco Small Business Administration (SBA), and currently serves on the Advisory Board for WeMeUs.

Sri lives in Pennsylvania now, with her husband, two young children and two elderly cats.

She loves dancing Argentine tango. She also enjoys good conversations, potluck dinners and play dates, as well as traveling around the world, learning about other cultures, their arts and tasting their wonderful food!

Sri coaches leaders and emerging leaders to find their voice, be true to themselves, and step into their power.

She has custom-designed coaching programs to help her clients

• Communicate effectively
• Network and market themselves confidently
• Earn the trust and respect of others
• Address conflict skillfully
• Influence others more easily, and
• Be better leaders overall