Right now, we’re all anxious, concerned, stressed, and overwhelmed. Oh, and really uncertain. In other words, highly distracted by what’s going on: the novel coronavirus pandemic. And – if you’re anything like me and most of my clients – you’re also frustrated because of feeling un-focused, un-productive, and possibly just plain exhausted. Give yourself permission to feel all those things …
Future You knows …
The pandemic is a huge, scary unknown. What’s going to happen? Will you lose your job? (Have you already?) Will you get sick? Will someone you love get sick? The constant stream of news and social media anxiety is overwhelming. And it’s easy to get sucked into the worry / fear cycle, especially since there are some very good reasons …
It’s the B word … (but not what you think!)
Boundaries. If you’ve ever said I’m so busy! or I have to… Or you’ve ever thought I’m so tired! or Why can’t someone else… Or you’ve ever felt seriously resentful… Your boundaries were being breached, whether you knew it or not, and whether or not you consciously had a boundary at all. We need boundaries at work as well as in our personal lives. …
The mid-January droop…
I saw a post on Facebook over the weekend claiming that this week in mid-January is the worst week for depression out of the year – specifically, the third Monday of the month. I don’t know how true this is – Wikipedia calls it “pseudoscience,” and it probably is. But I understand why it might be true. The holidays are over. …
Ever considered thinking … smaller?
Everyone implores you to THINK BIG. Go big or go home. Be audacious. Don’t settle. Be all you can be (if not more). Set BHAGs (big, hairy, audacious goals). Shoot for the moon – or is it the stars? It’s exhausting. And often demoralizing. Because let’s face it, when we set those BHAGs, we’re likely to miss the mark at …
What HAVE you done?
No, seriously. What have you done? Usually at the end of the year, we look at what we want to do in the next year. Go ahead. Feel free. But first, consider what you’ve done THIS year. I’ll guarantee it’s more than you think. Because we’re all very quick to put completed projects and successful endeavors behind us and hurry on …
Go ahead. Take a break.
Yesterday, I presented a breakout session at the annual Businesswomen’s Conference, created every year by the Bentonville Arkansas Chamber of Commerce. This was its 21st year, and they do a fantastic job; it always sells out well in advance, and each year seems to get better (with the possible exception of the plain green salad they consider an adequate lunch …
Where’s your power?
Power. It’s a tricksy concept, isn’t it? Kind of uncomfortable for a lot of people. As a leader, you have power. You might be a new manager with just one person reporting to you. You have power. Actually, you have power even if no one reports to you. We all have power. It’s how we use it that matters. Or …
Are you scary?
You might be more scary than you think. A recent Harvard Business Review article cites research indicating that although 66 percent of survey respondents said they were “never” or “rarely” scary to their employees … that wasn’t necessarily their employees’ experience. Simply by virtue of your title, you may appear intimidating to your team – even if that title seems relatively …
Are you ready to WIN? (and that’s NOT what you think!)
I am not a fan of long hours, hustle-at-all-costs, and burnout. Been there, done that, and I don’t even want to see the T-shirt! Yet I’ve attended plenty of meetings where the team was exhorted to “crush it,” “kill your numbers,” “beat the {unreasonable} deadline,” and so on. Frankly, even typing those terms makes me feel slightly ill. So when …