Many business people could take a lesson from athletes. Training teaches them a lot beyond physical strength and endurance. The best athletes internalize lessons about resilience that can help in all areas of life. This is one reason why so many of them go on to have successful second careers once they are no longer athletes. Here are three things intense athletic training teaches you about resilience.

• Muscle memory is important. Repetitive training teaches your body to do things on autopilot. Muscle memory is good for things other than sports, and it helps you to do what needs to be done even under extreme stress. For this reason, practicing the characteristics you need as a business leader is very important so that they become second nature to you.
  

• You never quit. The best athletes don’t quit when they lose. They know that losing is part of training, and each time you get up and try again, you get a little better. The best athletes have the mental stamina and the drive to reach their goal, no matter how many times they fail on the way to reaching it.

• There are takeaways from every failure. One of the reasons athletes are able to keep going after a loss is because they examine that loss and use it as training for the next match. The loss is analysed and specific adjustments put in to place based on this analysis. The knowledge that the loss will make them better contributes to the ability to get up and try again.

Taking a few lessons from athletes can help you stick to your business plan and keep moving forward even when you feel like giving up. Continued practice makes you better, and a strong passion for success can help you move forward even after a devastating setback. The setbacks are always opportunities to improve, so long as you see these that way and are willing to examine your mistakes and make plans for the future. Great athletes are equipped with more than just well-trained bodies. Their minds are equally well trained, and provide great lessons for those of us in business.

Having One Vision DOES Make a Difference  

 I had a dream to run a conference  to celebrate the courage of women as they move forward, in spite of challenging circumstances, from lives in unhealthy conditions.  I didn’t know where to start or exactly what I should do since I had never done anything like this before.

The goal was deliver a conference to 100 women moving forward at no cost to the participants.  These women would not normally have the resources to attend a conference such as this and that each participant leave the conference feeling more confident and empowered than when they walked in.  

The first thing I did was reach out to my community to ask for support.  I was amazed at the responses I received. From one email I had enough volunteers to form a committee, I had volunteers for the event and professional speakers, trainers and coaches volunteer their services..  The first annual “Women Moving Forward Conference” plans quickly got underway.  We confirmed a no cost venue within the first two weeks, however due to construction it would not be available to us.

Our committee rallied together and created fundraisers.  We did Wingman Parties, bake sale and Zumba parties to raise enough money to pay for the things we needed.  The conference took place on Saturday June 1, 2013 at the North York Memorial Hall.

We had financial donations from private contributors and had food, beverages and door prizes donated from companies such as Starbucks, Loblaw, BBM, Novotel, Druxy’s and many more.

Our main keynote speaker Kelly Falardeau (author of “Self Esteem Doesn’t Come in a Bottle”) was flown in from Edmonton using a donation of air mile points.  One of our committee members knew Juno winner Divine Brown and she volunteered her time and was our opening keynote speaker.

As you can imagine the details and follow up was ongoing.  One of my committee members and I went to women’s shelters, outreach centres for women and organizations such as the WYCA to promote our event. When I look back on the magic of the planning and execution of everything I am amazed at how six women with very different skills sets came together and stayed together through the year it took to make it happen.

Kelly arrived on the Thursday before our event and she also pitched in to fill the gift bags and all the last minute details   She commented several times that she had never seen a group of women work so well together.  There was a synergy that was present on our committee that was accepting, non judgmental and supportive.  It simply worked.

When I sat down and thought about what it was that made our team so successful, it was clear to me that each of us shared the same common goal.  If there were personal agendas they were not apparent.  I talked to our committee about this and they all agreed.  When things didn’t go the way they were planned or someone dropped the ball, there was no finger pointing or blaming.  We simply did what needed to be done and kept our vision of the experience we wanted our participants to have.  Having the same common vision DOES make a difference.  It makes a difference in how one responds to the day to day events in running a conference or a company.

I speak with leaders all the time and they often express frustration with their teams that they are “not on the same page.”  There are many ways to create a shared vision and I will share some of those in my next blog. 

The first annual “Women Moving Forward Conference” was a huge success, beyond what we expected and are now in planning for our second event.  One woman said “It was the best day of my life” and we will all keep that in mind as we move forward creating future events.

To Laugh or Not to Laugh?  That is the Question

by Cindy Stradling CSP, CPC

It is common knowledge that humour is good for us.  It can go a long way to reduce stress and lighten up a difficult situation.  Laughing can help employees connect with one another and also helps them be more in the present moment.  Sometimes a joke can completely change the outcome of a situation.  The old adage “Laughter is the Best Medicine” is still true today.

Often, though we may not think of funny and leadership in the same sentences.  After all running a company can be very serious business. Effective leaders know how to use humour to set the tone and send the powerful message that “work can be fun.”  There is however a time and place and of course any jokes should be office appropriate. Sometimes we can all get so caught up in what we are doing that we forget to take time to laugh.  Ask yourself

• When was the last time I had a good laugh with my co-workers?
• If you are a leader, what can you do to lighten things up once in a while?
• On a scale between 1 – 10 (with 1 been deadpan boring and 10 being off the charts hilarious), how would you rate your company/department on a “fun place to work scale?”  If you are not sure look around, what do you see, are people serious all the time or do you see people smiling and enjoying working together.

I have worked with a lot of organizations that have lost the “sense of play” due the serious nature of their business and difficult economic situations.  Those who have recognized the negative impact have taken steps to shift their culture and have yielded great results.  Happy employees can produce more effectively.

There are many reasons to add more humour to your day and here are my top five:

1)    It can help defuse a difficult or a sensitive situation.  Simply smiling and making a remark that would help those involved look at things with a little humour.  Of course the comments need to be completely appropriate.

2)    As a leader, being able to laugh at one self and show that you are human too can go a long way to connect with your employees. They are less likely to feel intimidated by you or your position.

3)    Great teams laugh together.  Encouraging fun activities both inside and outside the office can bond a team.  It can greatly enhance corporate culture and create memories that the team can look back on and have a good laugh.

4)    As a leader creating a culture that allows for laughter and fun in the workplace can be very motivating.  Energy is higher and people are more productive when they are happy.  If the opposite exists people can feel stifled and exhausted and can burn out.

5)    People will remember the key points of presentations when the leader is able to share a funny story from the past. An “in the good ole days” can show progress and provide a good laugh in the process.

“A sense of humour is part of the art of leadership, of getting along with people, of getting things done.”
Dwight D. Eisenhower

Building Amazing Teams

by Cindy Stradling CSP, CPC

Through all the research I have done and in my personal experience I have found there are many factors required to build amazing teams.  The key one is communication, which is really not surprising because it is the key to any great relationship, whether in a personal or professional context. 

Often when I speak to clients about their particular situation when they are looking at having a team development session delivered, they frequently want the same results.  They want their teams to develop more cohesive, a new level of respect for each other’s differences and a bond of trust that allows for open and authentic communication.  There are many ways to design programs and exercises that can create these outcomes. 

The most important step is to tie the outcomes of any training initiative to the company’s mission and vision.  By doing this, it gives people the tools and skills to learn to walk the talk and everyone is working for a common goal.  When leaders clearly define what they want to create with their team, there is a higher likelihood that the learning will transfer back to the work place. 

Effective leaders know that building an amazing team something that needs to be worked at everyday, not just when they are engaged in team building activities.

Here are my recommendations to building an amazing team:

• Team members have a clear understanding of their role on a team and they understand what is expected of them
• They have Team Operating Agreement (or sometimes called a Code of Conduct) – this is an agreed upon set of rules on how the team members will interact and communicate with each other.
• Team members are empowered to make some of their own decisions (this is of course once they have the adequate training, experience and skills)
• They have a sense of collaboration – that everyone feels they are an important part of the bigger picture
• Effective teams have excellent communication skills – they are able to give and receive honest feedback
• There are opportunities for individual growth and continuous learning
• Encourage social interaction with the team members – a pub night out can go a long way to building deeper relationships (of course this is only if any drinking is kept to a minimum)
• There are opportunities for team members to express their creativity
• A sense of fair play needs to be present – that everyone has the same opportunities to advance and that everyone is treated equally
• Leaders need to provide ongoing feedback on what is working and not working, not just once a year during appraisal time

Acknowledgement for a job well done goes a long way to encourage employees and teams .  It is also important to acknowledge when someone takes initiative to make things better. This will encourage others to attempt new more efficient ways to do things.

Procrastination ~ Good or Bad???

Definition: The act of replacing high-priority or important actions with tasks of lower priority, or doing something from which one brings enjoyment, and thus putting off important tasks to a later time. – Wikipedia

If you are someone who procrastinates, you will be pleased to know there are two types of procrastinators, active and passive.

Active procrastinators purposely delay tasks because they are more focused and productive when they work under pressure.  They know how to use their energy, and the adrenaline rush to fuel them to meet their deadlines, just in time.

Passive procrastinators are often paralyzed by indecision, worry and can often interfere with your relationships.  Passive procrastinators live with anxiety, guilt and stress over the frequent missed opportunities and deadlines.

We often paint procrastinators with the same brush and consider it a negative trait.  The most important point here is to identify the type of procrastinator you are and then decide if there is value in you changing.  There may not be and you can continue the way you are.

We are all leaders in our own lives and whether you hold a leadership position or not it is important to fully understand yourself.  It is worth the time to explore the impact that procrastination has on your life and the lives of your team.  By making a list of the Costs and the Benefits of procrastination can provide you with the information to make the decision if it is worth taking the necessary steps to change.  Effective leaders “walk their talk” and need to understand the example they are setting for their team.

A few examples of these benefits include:

• Avoidance of possible failure ( or success)
• People stop expecting you to do things – reduced anxiety
• Sometimes problems simply solve themselves
• You get to only do the tasks you enjoy

If you decide that you want to change, our Alliance partner Mark Ellwood has created an accountability website that can support you.  It is a website where you can post the activities you want to achieve and through the website you can connect with an accountability buddy.  Visit the website:  http://www.buddyhive.com/

Mark has the following tips to help you overcome procrastination (there are more on his website):

Unpleasant tasks

Situation: Tasks that are rarely turn out to be as bad as you think.

Tip: Do tasks first. Early in the day is usually the best time to schedule them.   reward yourself once they are completed

Complex Projects

Situation: Something looms ahead of you: starting a small business, getting a job, preparing the annual budget. The job is too big or will take too long to do now, so you put it off.

Tip: Larger jobs are easier to manage if broken into smaller tasks. Start with even the smallest task.

Fear of failure (lack of self confidence)

Situation: Sometimes people want to avoid the consequences of failure, so they delay. (People also suffer from fear of success!)

Tip: Have a clear mental picture of the completed task and how you and others will feel at that time.  Focusing on the end result, not just the process.

Perfectionism

Situation: Projects delayed due to people wanting everything to be perfect.

Tip: Clearly defined deadlines with accountability to others will support you.

Tip: Recognize that sometimes 80% for you may well be 100% for someone else. Know when less detail is required and only provide what is needed

For the summer months I thought I would like to share with you some of the great articles written by my Alliance Members.  Please enjoy the following article submitted by Sharone Bar-David:

Successful Delegation

Sharon works with managers to become more effective leaders.  She realizes how difficult it is even for seasoned and capable people to delegate, and how, when they do so, the process often goes awry.

Below are some tools for delegation that maintains the sanity of all involved, avoids micromanaging, and definitely curtails the habitual “it’s easier to do it myself” approach.

Oddly, the principles of successful delegation apply equally well at work and at home with your partner and children.

There are two stages to any good delegation: the Set-Up phase (where you set up the assignment), and the Execution phase. In the Set-Up phase, ensure that you free up time for the conversation. Make it a focused discussion, not an on-the-fly process. Attention at this stage will pay off in spades later. Consider doing the following:

1. Contextualize. Relay why this job is important and how it fits in the larger scheme of things.
2. Define the Results. What’s to be done & when. Focus on WHAT, not HOW.
3. Specify Resources. The resources (technical, human, financial, training) that the person can access while executing the job.
4. Parameters. Convey limitations and potential hazards that may impede success.
5. Set Standards. The standards that will be used to measure success.
6. Define support. When and how you will be available to support the person and when are the expected check-in points.
7. Negotiate. Adjust the above based on person’s feedback.
8. Get commitment. Ensure understanding, confirm expectations.

In the Execution phase:

1. Follow up. See how things are going, at the times defined in the plan. If you over-do it, you’re micromanaging.
2. Evaluate and correct. Make necessary modifications and offer suggestions as needed.
3. Cheerlead. Express satisfaction and demonstrate appreciation for a job well done, even when not yet complete.
4. Reward. And do so both publicly and privately.