Manage Up: Have as much contact and visibility with your boss and boss’s boss as possible. Make interactions mostly business and put in some casual conversation. (It can be very lonely and isolating at the top.) Do what I call casual encounters — except you plan them. [Read more…]
I stumbled upon a TEDX Talks, given by Lucy Hone, the Director of the New Zealand Institute of Wellbeing and Resilience. You learn in the program she had been studying the area of resilience before the famous earthquakes in Christchurch of 2011. Working with victims and communities post event helped her create practical applications of what she had learned academically. In 2014 she suddenly and tragically lost a young daughter in a terrible car accident. It was then she realized she needed to teach herself what she knew professionally if she wanted to move forward and help her sons. Her continued research and personal experience helped her narrow her understanding of resilience into three categories of mindset and behavior. [Read more…]
In challenging times, it is not hard to imagine many peoples’ stress levels being high, some extremely high. Everyone is talking about it. The media is relentlessly analyzing it and there are times you are probably having a conversation with yourself that goes something like this, “I really need to get a grip on my stress.” You are not alone. [Read more…]
Challenging times provide another lens to look at the many aspects of our lives — the people, the places, our values, our fears.
One large piece positioned for reevaluation could be around the place you work and what you do. I am not referring to only the physical office but the quality of your work life and how it fits with your goals and aspirations. It is a difficult time in the world of work but not all sectors or levels are being impacted negatively. Deciding should not be immediate in most instances but looking at the pros and cons might offer options and insights. [Read more…]
We know all the phrases, “look for the silver lining,” “there are opportunities in a crisis,” and “leaders are born in wars.” There is truth to all of these, maybe even some motivation and solace.
Not to diminish or deny that much has been lost, changed, or left open in this pandemic. Many people have suffered unthinkable amounts of pain and suffering. We respect and honor their courage and resilience. I do think there can be a silver lining, opportunities, and leadership emergence for many of us. [Read more…]
In past issues of the Competitive Edge Report, I discussed many aspects of leadership: Leadership in Times of Chaos, Leadership Advice — Leadership Not Management, and Leadership Lessons from Captain Sullenberger (“Sully”). Recently several of my executive coaching clients have been faced with extraordinary challenges — layoffs, regime changes, downsizing, employer realignment, illness, natural disaster, and now this pandemic. [Read more…]
Times of crisis and significant stress can bring great clarity to our lives. What is important at home and in work becomes obvious because demands are immediate and sometimes life changing.
It can be a career wake-up call for both satisfaction and a need for action.
Here are some of the positive and negative things I see as possible career questions and opportunities presenting themselves because of the situation we are now dealing with. [Read more…]
A behavior common among very successful people is setting high standards for others and especially themselves. Whether the actions are going to be seen by their boss, family, colleagues or done strictly in private, it doesn’t seem to matter. High achievers place the bar at the top rung for almost everyone, anything, and everything. [Read more…]
Procrastination comes from the Latin — to put off until tomorrow. We all do it sometimes, occasionally for good reason. Some of us, or our employees, do it often, causing frustration and disruption to everyone.
Why would anyone act in a way that causes problems? It makes no sense. Despite the logic of starting, we still procrastinate. Many professionals will tell us there are tricks and techniques to help you meet deadlines, get daily tasks finished, or rev-up a new project. Some of them work. But they don’t address the core issue around procrastination — negative thoughts and emotions about ourselves and the work at hand. [Read more…]
Problems at more senior levels of management are rarely because individuals lack intelligence, skills, experience or confidence. A problem boss is almost always about behavior — poor behavior.
Sure, the guy is smart, but his default motivator is yelling. She’s knowledgeable but takes credit for everything. You either know, work with, or watch, these so-called “leaders.” So, have I! [Read more…]