Posts tagged “resilience” (Page 3)

As a business leader, it’s likely that you spend most of your time focused on your day to day actions. Of course, this is important, but it can be just as important to ensure you’re having the right thoughts throughout the day, as well. When was the last time you examined your daily thoughts?

Your inner voice has a powerful effect on your overall attitude and outlook. If you are constantly having negative thoughts, you could be setting yourself up for a number of unhappy experiences. Negative thoughts can contribute to the following bad habits:

• Procrastination – If you’re constantly telling yourself that your work doesn’t matter, or that the outcome will probably not be what you want, you’ll likely find many reasons to put off getting that work done.

• Stress – Constantly dwelling on the negative or assuming that the worst will happen creates stress, which can lead to many different emotional and physical health issues.

• Negative Effect on Others – If your inner voice is making you feel negative about yourself and your work, your attitude is likely visible to others, at least in subtle ways. Even if you don’t voice your negativity, you are likely putting out a “negative vibe” to others. This can demotivate employees and affect your personal relationships, too.

Check Yourself
Take the time to write down the negative thoughts that plague your mind. Then, write down the thoughts you should use to replace the negative ones. Keep the list where you can see it for a few days. Whenever you find yourself thinking negative thoughts, force yourself to replace them with the kinder words on the list. It will take some discipline on your part, but you will find, over time that you have reprogrammed your brain to be more positive in your thoughts and outlook. When you reach this point, you should find yourself happier and sporting a much more positive outlook on life.

Life is full of unexpected twists and turns. Each of us can look back and remember times when we got news for which we weren’t prepared. Happy unexpected news generally elicits a pleasant response, however, sometimes bad news elicits more of a reaction than a response.

Do you know the difference? The details that differentiate a response from a reaction may be subtle, but these can make a big difference in the decisions we make and in how we present ourselves to those around us in the face of bad news. Here are some differences between the two.

• A reaction happens immediately, a response may take a little time. In the face of bad news, it can be a good idea not to react too quickly. Your immediate reaction may be different than your response would be if given a little time to process the news.

• Reactions are emotional; responses are thought out. We have reactions; we formulate responses. When you respond you have come to some decisions about how you plan to handle the situation. When you react, you say the first thing that comes to mind, and you aren’t careful, you may act on that initial emotion.

• Reactions shouldn’t always be shared, but responses can be important to share. When you are a business person, it’s critical to be careful about sharing your initial reactions to things that happen with others. For example, let’s say you just found out that you have lost your largest client. Your reaction may be one of panic, but if you share that panic with your employees, they may fear for the business and for their jobs. Certainly, you will have to share the news with them, but by waiting until you’ve had a chance to determine how you will handle the situation, you can formulate a response that is measured and that appropriately communicates the situation.

It is human nature to react to news quickly. However, it is important to sometimes avoid the temptation to react out loud, especially in front of others. Taking the time to formulate a well thought out response will help you to keep things in perspective and to share that perspective with others when the time is right.

Many of us struggle with the feeling that we don’t get enough done in a day. In fact, many of us may feel that we don’t get enough done most days of the week. There are many different things you can do to increase your productivity during the workweek, but one of these things might be the simplest key to enhancing your output each and every day. It’s a simple thing called mindfulness.

Being mindful simply means doing what ever you’re doing with intention and with a focus on maximizing your time. When you are more mindful during the day, you are able to fit more work into the same amount of time by minimizing distractions, focusing on the task at hand and making yourself more aware of what you are doing and what you intend to accomplish. Here are some simple steps you can take to make yourself more mindful.

1. Have goals for the day. Each day you should have a list of “to dos”. Within this list, there should be a few things that are “must dos”, along with other items that must get done, but that are not as time sensitive. Each day, you must complete your “must dos” before going home. By knowing exactly what you have to get done, you’ll start your day in a more organized fashion, and you’ll have a goal of accomplishment each day.

2. Work in time segments. It is important to structure your day so that nothing takes up too much time. Have phone calls to make? Plan to make all your calls at once during a single period of allotted time. If one hour is a reasonable amount of time, allot yourself that amount and move on. You’re less likely to dally when you know that you have a limited amount of time to complete your task.

3. Minimize distractions. When you focus your work in time segments, it is easier to complete the tasks assigned to that time. However, it is still possible to get distracted by people who want to chat, emergencies that arise or by your mind’s own tendency to wander. When you are mindful throughout the day, you will find that you recognize distractions more easily, and find it easier to break away from them.

Mindfulness is a habit, just like any other. In the beginning, it can be difficult to show the discipline required to stay mindful throughout the day. However, with a little practice, and with the reward that comes from knowing how much you’re able to accomplish, mindfulness will soon become one of your favorite habits.

The more you learn about the people surrounding you, the better you will become at developing their skills, your own skills, and the better you will be at satisfying your customers. One of the most important pieces of being a good leader is being a good communicator. And, one of the most important aspects of being a good communicator is being able to ask great questions.

Knowing What to Ask

Asking the right questions helps you to get to the bottom of a situation, so that you can learn from it. This aspect of asking questions involves the “who” “what”, “when”, “where” and “why” that helps you to truly understand the situation. Asking the right questions involves digging deeper to understand the reasons behind the simple answers.

Learning to ask the right questions can help you to get to know employees and customers better, so that you can target your conversations and actions for the future, as well as helping you to focus on the important details of right now. Alternating factual questions with questions about feelings and perspectives will help you to get to the bottom of any situation. You’ll learn more about how people think and about their culture and belief systems, since these things affect their overall behavior and perspective.

Knowing How to Ask

Asking the right questions is important, but so is asking the questions the right way. When you take the time to phrase questions properly and ask them in the right tone of voice, you are certain to get more and better information. It is important to make your audience feel comfortable. When others are threatened by your questions, or how you ask them, you’re certain to miss out on some of their reasons, their concerns and their motivations. Keep your tone calm and friendly. Learn to mask irritation in your voice and facial expressions that give away your thoughts.

Body language is also an important part of knowing how to ask questions. Pay attention to your posture and how you hold your body when talking to others. It is critical to not look or sound confrontational when asking questions.

Asking the right questions in the right way can help you develop into the leader and communicator you desire to be. As you learn more about those you work with, you’ll find more and more ways to improve yourself and your business.

Even the greatest achievers have seen great failure from time to time. In fact, most of the greatest achievements were realized after multiple attempts. Over the course of your journey there are bound to be times when you have to pick yourself up and start over again. It is important to learn how to get yourself back on track whenever you’ve seen a setback in what you’re trying to accomplish. Here are some tips to get you going.

1. Evaluate what happened. It is important to pinpoint exactly what got in your way of achieving your goal. Look at items such as equipment, knowledge and expertise, time and resources. Make a list of these items so that you’re able to correct them before you move on. Be critical. This is the time to be brutally honest about what did not go well.

2. Make a list of what you did right. It is just as important to document the successes in the project as the failures. These successes give you a blueprint to use going forward. Each attempt should be a little easier because you are never starting from square one after the first time. Sometimes it may seem as though you are completely starting over, but you always have experience to bring with you.

3. Make adjustments. Using your list of successes and failures, document the changes you need to make to be successful the next time around. Include a timeframe and schedule to help you stay on track. Eliminate processes and resources that were an impedance to progress, if needed. Gather new resources identified in the evaluation process. Be realistic as you’re moving forward. Some of the things you need may simply not be available or may be outside your budget. Determine how you will get around these constraints.

4. Don’t get discouraged. Few people succeed in anything extraordinary the first time around. Your last attempt may have given you just the information you need to be successful next time.

Celebrate every success and learn from every failure. Use these to give you fuel and information for the next go round. Nothing great was ever achieved quickly or easily. Stay strong and you’re bound to be working toward something amazing.

It’s very easy to get caught up in your own life and your business’ work. In fact, many successful leaders find their days completely full with work and family commitments. However, the most happiest and most successful people make time to give back to their community through some type of volunteer work, even though it may mean taking time away from work to do so.

A few stats…

12.5 Million Canadians volunteer every year
2.1 Billion is the number of hours that Canadians volunteer – that equals 1.1 million full time jobs

And that’s not all…
54% of all non-profit and charitable organizations have no paid staff…
73% of businesses either support or accommodate employee volunteering
95% of Canadians engage in at least one form of social support

1. Volunteering helps you see the bigger picture. When you work with a charitable organization by donating your time, you get a fresh perspective on the world. It helps you to move past the realities of your own little world and see other priorities in life.
2. Volunteering makes you feel good about what you do. No matter how many things you have to move around to make time to volunteer, you are certain to feel better about yourself, your life and your contributions to the world when you take the time to give something back. Research has even shown that people who volunteer live longer, healthier lives.
3. It helps you to make connections. The people you meet while volunteering can become some of your most important connections. These people may become an important part of your personal or business life. You’re likely to find that you meet a more diverse population of people when volunteering than you do through work, which helps you to enlarge your circle with different perspectives.

There are many different types of organizations looking for volunteers and many different types of roles to fill within these organizations. It is easy to find something that suits both your passion for others and your personality. Whether you work in your church, a local school or a charitable organization that caters to humans or animals, you’re certain to find that volunteering makes as big an impact on your life as it does on the community you serve.

Something interesting to note: Children and youth are more likely to become engaged citizens if they see someone they admire helping others including their parents or grandparents
So if you ever think that that you don’t make a difference – think again – you do – a BIG difference

Many things about our attitude help determine our success. However, our state of mind and view of the world may be one of the biggest determiners. All of us spend some of our time reminiscing about the past, and looking toward the future, all while living in the present. However, the wrong mix of these three times of your life can impede your success. Are you spending the right amount of focused on each time of your life?

• Your Past – Remembering your past offers many benefits. The lessons learned in your past can help guide you to better decisions today. Relationships formed in your past can be valuable today, and are part of what has shaped your personality. On the other hand, spending too much time in your past can be harmful. Thinking too much about who you used to be may prevent you from being everything you can be today. And, holding onto old ways of doing things can prevent you from learning new technology or improved techniques.

• Your Present – Your present is where your mind should be most of the time. This is where you experience your life, so be sure not to miss it. As you’re living your life, however, remember the lessons of your past and maintain the relationships you’ve had for years. In addition, remember to plan for your future. Many people think only about today, and fail to prepare for their life ahead. This can be especially true when it comes to money. Failing to plan for your financial future can make enjoying the present much more difficult later.

• Your Future– It is important to plan for your future. However, it is also important not to spend too much time waiting for your future to bring you happiness or prosperity. Many people have the mentality that they’ll be happy when they make their first million, or when they have the new car, or when they get married. Too much time spent focusing on something that hasn’t happened yet causes you to miss the happiness and opportunity that exists today.

Your past, your present and your future are all important parts of who you are and who you will become. Allow each of these times of your life to help you to be the best you can be today, and to prepare for being even better in the future.

“Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.”  Corrie ten Boom, author

Business leaders always have lots going on, and are frequently faced with financial and other uncertainties. It’s only natural to worry about what the future holds. However, just because it is natural to worry doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. Worrying can cause the following problems:

• It shifts focus. Very often, when we worry, we are focused on things about which we have no control. This takes our focus off the activities we can control, which are those things that lead to our success in business and our personal life. Losing focus on these important activities can cause us lost business and opportunity.

• It steals our joy. When we are worried, we are constantly focused on the worst possible outcome of a situation. In reality, many situations will have the best possible outcome, and few will have the worst. In the meantime, while we’re worrying, however, we aren’t enjoying our life.

• It accomplishes nothing. Worrying doesn’t change the outcome of our situation. It simply makes us focus on it longer.

Here are some ways to reduce the worry in your life.

• Think the situation through for a defined period of time. When something is bothering you, it can make you feel better to give it some attention. Once you consider the likely outcomes, you’ll probably discover that the situation is not as bad as you thought. Just be sure that you specify exactly how long you’ll spend thinking about the situation, and then move on.

• Take action. If there are things you can do to affect the outcome of the situation about which you’re worried; do them. Then, you can let go of the worry knowing you’ve taken every step possible to influence the outcome.

• Stay busy. Focus on positive activities. When you’re busy, you’ll worry less.

Everyone goes through periods of worry. To overcome these, it is important to take specific positive steps to prevent the worry from taking too much of your precious time and energy.

As a leader, you’re bound to face crises and emergencies from time to time. It is human nature to react with stress when faced with crises, whether real or imagined. Over time, you’ve likely learned to take certain steps to ensure quick and proper resolution to the crises you face. However, you may be missing the all-important first step to facing any stressful situation. For the purposes of this discussion, we’ll simply call that step “breathing”.

While we realize that stress doesn’t likely make you actually stop breathing, it can cause you to act in a panic mode, that creates additional stress on your body and that may cause you to make poor decisions. “Breathing” in this sense means taking a couple of important steps.

1. Slow down and take a minute. This part of the process really does involve taking a physical deep breath and slowing down for a second. In a panic, you’re likely to overreact due to an adrenaline rush. Slow down the adrenaline by physically calming your body. Take a walk, head to a quiet place for a few minutes, or listen to some music. Use whatever methods work to help slow your heart rate and calm your mind.

2. Think the situation through. Sometimes, it’s helpful to consider the worst possible outcome in a situation. Often, when you realize what the worst possible outcome could be, you’ll realize that the “crisis” isn’t really a crisis after all. If the worst possible outcome is very serious, you’ll know that you’re justified in reacting swiftly.

3. Consider multiple options. There are almost always several choices in how to handle a situation. Taking the time to consider several options before you make a choice helps ensure you take the best course of action. When you reach this phase, it’s often a good idea to discuss the options with someone else. When you’re stressed, you may not see all the pros and cons of each decision.

Sometimes, there is no perfect answer to a stressful situation. It is important to accept your own decisions and move forward from them.

Stressful situations can paralyze leaders. However, when these situations are handled calmly and effectively, leaders build resilience and credibility with others. The next time you’re faced with a stressful situation, take a minute to “breathe” and see if you find that the situation isn’t really as stressful as you first imagined.