During the women’s gymnastics Olympic team final, one of the commentators mentioned that Aly Raisman doesn’t feel pressure because she doesn’t label it that way. She labels it excitement. Labels matter. We all feel pressures and emotions, but we get to choose the labels we use. If you have lots of work to do and dead lines creeping up on you, you can choose to feel overwhelmed or you can choose to feel in control. If you choose to be overwhelmed, you talk about having too much to do and not enough time. You think about and mention all the disruptions and stress. You hope, unrealistically, for better luck tomorrow. You are a victim of your circumstances. Well, I have news for you. There is ALWAYS too much to do. There is NEVER enough time. Disruptions and chaos are natural occurrences. If you don’t accept these realities, you will ALWAYS feel overwhelmed. You will remain a victim. If you choose to be in control, you think about priorities. You handle or dismiss interruptions quickly. You focus on the important things. You do what you can do and make the best of circumstances. You don’t use phrases like “not enough time” and “too much to do.” You aren’t a victim, you take control, and you are in control. Choose “busy and efficient” instead of “overwhelmed.” You’ll be more successful and have something in common with an Olympian.
Rewarding performance doesn’t work. Employees are not rats in a cage pushing a lever for a pellet. Rewards promised, whether bonuses, raises, or carrots, have a short-lived, minimal, and, sometimes negative, impact on productivity. People work hardest when they care about the results, when the activity fits their natural inclinations, when they are challenged, when they are learning, and when they have made a personal commitment. In other words, people work hardest when their motivation springs from within.
You can: Love the activity Love the result Love neither Some people love cooking, running, or making customers happy. Motivation is not a problem when you love the activity. Others love eating the things they cook, the way they feel after running, or the business that comes from happy customers. Motivation is not a problem when you love the result. Trouble arrives when you love neither the activity, nor the result. In that case, there are three choices:
Ignore the endless volumes on how to motivate yourself and employees. Watch this 3-minute video instead!
Find the reason to smile in every lesson and opportunity that you encounter in 2012 and you will have a more successful and joyful year.
We have a soap dispenser built into our kitchen sink and it never runs out of soap. Of course it is my husband who fills it along with a myriad other things that are his wont. Have I have ever acknowledged this and thanked him? Do you think I should make a point of doing so? I hope you said ‘yes’ to the latter, and now that I have written about it, I will likely mention it and thank him this evening. It is one of many things he does that keeps things running smoothly. And while he knows I appreciate him in general, the point is that there is still value in expressing appreciation for specific little things that make my life easier.
When someone reacts with emotion, especially at work, people often get weird. Not the emotional people, it’s all the people around them who get weird. They start tiptoeing around the issue so as to prevent provoking something other than a plain vanilla reaction. Or perhaps they become manipulative and devious. After all, if someone has an emotional reaction, they are beyond logic, right? So that leaves only three choices: trick the emotional person into agreement, hope they don’t notice when you slip something past them, or drop the issue entirely along with any hope of progress on whatever front is involved. This set of options is pitiful, pointless, and painful, though not uncommon. Fear of emotion in the workplace drives bizarre and counter-productive behaviors.
This is a tough year for year-end bonuses and holiday bashes. Many businesses are worried about disappointing people if they drop year-end traditions on the one hand and angering people if they spend money that “could go toward more important things like salaries and jobs” on the other. So what’s a business to do? People need a bit of celebrating, socializing, and acknowledgement of their efforts and accomplishments. Here are some ideas I’ve collected from clients and other sources. Hold a holiday potluck in the office and share recipes or hold it at the CEOs home instead of going out Have a meal catered on site instead of eating at an expensive restaurant Celebrate with a luncheon instead of dinner, which is generally more expensive Close the open bar
Those predisposed to pessimism have abundant evidence to justify their sense of gloom and doom these days. Optimists may even feel their positive outlook under siege. Here are some tips for remaining upbeat: Avoid grumps and whiners. They will only make you feel worse. Take care of yourself. Eat well, exercise, and take time for yourself. Concentrate on the things you can control, not those beyond your reach. Laugh. Seek the people, reading matter, shows and activities that make you laugh. Be generous with others. Be patient, helpful, forgiving, and supportive. Avoid generalizations. Specific things are going wrong. Lots of them, I’ll grant you. But other things are going well. Attend to your cash flow and emergency reserves. Limit the amount of news you watch and file those financial statements quickly. Be confident in who you are and what you have accomplished. Economic difficulties don’t change that; they only change how and when you pursue your dreams. Make smart investments that position you for a strong future. Consider investing in: Professional development Building strong relationships with customers Reconnecting with past customers Getting your operational house in order Clarifying your strategy Facilities and equipment that may be exceptionally inexpensive right now This too shall pass. Will you be ready? Call us for help in making the best of current circumstances: 617-939-9654.
“Everyone is having trouble so I don’t have a chance and it’s going to get a lot worse before it gets better.” Depressing just to read such a statement, isn’t it? I am sure you have heard plenty of similar statements in the last many weeks. The times are simply crazy. But we can choose how we react to them and control the statements we make!