Helene Lerner's Blog, page 81

Get Ready for Summer!

Summer's almost here, and for some of us it already feels like it. Let's plan to make this summer the best one yet!

Video Editor: Michelle Purpura

Ignite Your Passion, Purpose and Potential!

[image error]If you're feeling stuck, wondering if "this is it," or just aware that there has to be more to life than this, it's time to make a change. I know it can be scary, but when we create positive change in our lives, the results are undeniably powerful. Here are the first three steps you can take today to ignite your passion, purpose, and potential so you can live the life you always imagined.

Step 1: Hone Your Mindset

It is my belief that you will only reach the level of success you believe you can achieve. "You can only have the success in life you believe you are worth." If you don't believe that you are worth more than what you have right now, you will never move beyond your status quo. Start by upgrading your mindset. Use affirmations like, "I am worthy of everything I want and desire." This is the first and most critical step to achieving it! If you are a yogi or meditate, keep up the practice and continue to expand your belief in yourself and your endless capability.

Step 2: Craft Your Vision

Without a vision, “any road will take you there.” You have to have a vision for yourself that is holistic, integrated, and looks beyond just your career. Ask yourself questions like:

What is my ultimate objective?
What is the legacy I want to leave?
What experiences do I want to have?
What is my ultimate dream job and why?

Use the answers to formulate a vision for your life that excites you and inspires you to take action.

Step 3: Define Success for Yourself

So much of my work involves helping people define success for themselves. Is your idea of success your own or are you going after things your family, spouse, employer, or the media has told you will make you successful? Success is an individual thing and you have to be willing to move beyond the noise in your head to define success for yourself. Seeing what works for you may not work for someone else. It's as personal as your fingerprint or your DNA. Be willing to determine how you will know you are successful. Think about how your outside interests, family, and friends impact your vision of success. 

Taking these three steps will help you take a giant leap towards creating a life you love to live!

-Cornelia Shipley, Career Coach
www.corneliashipley.com

Get Into the Boardroom

[image error]Landing a seat on the company Board of Director’s does not just happen. You have to prepare now (the earlier in your career the better) to claim your seat at the table. What follows are the 11 things you can do to position yourself for a successful board bid:  

Communicate. The first step is to communicate (verbally and through your actions) the value that you would bring to a board. Let people know the benefits of your service to their organization.

Inform. Let your community know that you are ready and willing to serve on a board. You will need sponsorship and you can never start too early.

Request Support. Reach out to your leadership and get support from them for your board aspirations. They will likely be able to not only help prepare you but also connect you to opportunities. The higher you are in your organization the easier this will be so make sure you time your support request appropriately for the culture of your organization.

Evaluate. Consider board opportunities through the lens of what you wish to accomplish through your board service. Have clear criteria for when you will accept a board seat and the role you wish to play on the board.

Serve. Hone your experience and expert status by serving on a non-profit, academic or professional association board.

Network. Create relationships with influencers to deepen your connection to the board. Gather mentors, coaches, and sponsors with board connections to help you on your path.

Establish relationships. In particular, you should also establish relationships with search firms and existing Directors who can advocate for you to join the board.

Demonstrate peak performance. Always perform at your peak - a board will not want to bring on someone who is not at the top of their game!

Go Global. Enhance your understanding of the global market by taking a global assignment with HIGH exposure to emerging markets and markets critical for your companies’ success.

Educate Yourself. Be sure you know the roles and responsibilities of being a Director so that you are prepared to fulfill them when the time comes.

Gain Experience. It's important to have profit and loss leadership experience in your industry or field so take that broadening assignment that allows you to understand how your company and industry make money.

Becoming a Director starts with you - your skills, your expertise, your network, and your value. Most importantly, it is about you creating advocacy for your seat in the boardroom. Set yourself up for success and start positioning yourself for board service today!

-Cornelia Shipley, Career Coach
www.corneliashipley.com

How to Beat Work Burnout

[image error]Burning out is easier than it should be. The advancement of technology was originally supposed to allow us to work less, but in practice that hasn’t exactly worked out. Now we’re expected to be available 24/7 through cell phones, email and video chats, so it shouldn’t be surprising that people are working themselves into the ground. If that’s how it’s going for you now, there are things you can do to ease the situation. And they don’t have to include a walk around the neighborhood. 

Reset

As soon as you realize you’re getting burned out on a project, the best thing you can do is take a break. You can’t always take a physical break away from your desk, so mastering the art of a mental break is crucial. Meditation, of course, is wonderful for this, but it can be difficult to master. Even the act of practicing meditation can help you get your focus back. If that isn’t your thing, simply taking five minutes to look out a window or visualize your favorite vacation is a good way to reset.

Prioritize

It’s easy to get stuck in busy work. Emails, phone calls and non-urgent paperwork can eat through hours of a day, and leave you feeling like you hardly accomplished a thing. That’s why having a set routine can be beneficial. If you have set times to check email and leave the paperwork for the last hour of work, you can easily spend most of your time doing what’s most important.

Delegate

No matter what, there comes a time when the paperwork needs to be finished. If you’re struggling with busy work that can be done by someone else, see if they’re up for the task. It might be something small, like matching up receipts, or even something at home. In addition to taking some work off your plate, it also makes you seem more approachable. Hiring a cleaning service was the best thing I ever did; I can come home and relax instead of worrying about a dirty kitchen. 

Sleep It Off

Sleep is undervalued in our society, but it’s the number one thing you can do to improve your ability to function. Sleep loss is associated with quite a few personal issues, including delayed reaction times, difficulty with focus and creative thinking, and numerous long-term health diseases. Aiming for a minimum of seven hours every night can have a drastic effect on how you feel.

Take Care

Keeping yourself healthy should be a non-negotiable priority, but many people let it fall by the wayside. Feeling bad and burning out, especially if it happens often, means you need to take a look at your whole life, not only work. Aspects like a good diet and exercise routine are two of the most important things you can do to keep yourself healthy and prevent burnout. Make time for them and guard them religiously. You might be amazed at the changes you see. 

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Sarah Landrum is a marketing specialist and freelance writer trying to balance her career and writing with a social life and staying healthy – and trying to avoid burnout. She is also the founder of Punched Clocks, a site dedicated to sharing advice on all things career. Subscribe to her blog or follow her on Twitter @SarahLandrum for more great tips.

The Lioness Leader: Be Courageous Under Stress

[image error]As a leader, you are often responsible for helping navigate your team through intense times of change and stress. It's important that you be an example of courage for your team to follow in order to navigate these challenges effectively. Here are 7 simple ways to bring out your inner Lioness Leader and show courage under stress:

Take the necessary action. Often times in stressful and challenging situations people are unwilling or unable to make a decision and take action. This is especially true when personnel issues arise. If you have a poor performer on your team be willing to first and foremost TELL THEM! Be clear and specific about what they can do to improve and when you need to see improvement. If your employee fails to shift in the allotted time be willing to make the tough call and help your employee find something they are better suited to do. Your team will appreciate your decisive action and the clarity with which you give feedback and set expectations. 

Don't be an ostrich. Ostriches stick their head in the sand to avoid what's happening around them. As a lioness leader, be willing to face challenges head on. Craft an action plan designed to move you and your team forward. 

Communicate Clearly. If you "beat around the bush," it may signal that you lack the confidence to say what needs to be said, which may decrease your team's confidence in you and your ability to make decisions. Have the courage to have authentic conversations (even when they're difficult). Your team will admire you for this and know that they can trust you to be open, honest and clear with them.

Invite feedback. The higher you rise in your organization the tougher it may be for you to get clear, specific, and direct feedback about everything from customer opinions about your product to issues with your performance and leadership style. Be willing and open to how others see things. Ask for perspective and be open to their responses.

Be a change agent.  In every way possible, be willing to share your innovation and creativity . Challenge the status quo with new ideas and be willing to be an early adopter of new technology and process change in your organization. 

Share the spotlight. Lionesses aren't stingy. Give credit and praise to those around you. Be willing to thank your team, mentors, boss and supporters for their help. This will inspire more great work from your team, which will have long-term positive impact on your overall productivity and results.

Drive accountability for yourself and others. Creating a culture of accountability starts by holding yourself accountable for the commitments you make. This act alone serves as both an example and a strong support for you holding your team and colleagues accountable. Now there's no reason to be mean, and every reason to be clear and kind. 

These 7 actions will help you to demonstrate courage in the most stressful of situations while enhancing your personal brand and professional reputation. 

-Cornelia Shipley, Career Coach
www.corneliashipley.com

Why Grandma's so Special...

There are very few things as wonderful as a Grandma's love. See our heartfelt video in honor of Mother's Day. Video editor Michelle Purpura.

Manager or a Leader who are you?

[image error]Management and leadership go hand in hand, however they are not the same thing. It's important to understand the difference, the role you are currently playing, and what behavior is called for in the moment. Here are some easy guidelines to determine what side of the coin you are on and how to shift when necessary.

Managers
Leaders


Focus on process
Focus on people


Short-term perspective
Long-range view


Asks 'how' or 'when'
Asks 'why' and 'what'


Focus on the bottom-line

Focus on the future


Follows established protocols
Creates original protocols to follow


Follows the leader
Leads the pack


Does things the right way

Does the right things


Maintains and accepts status quo
Challenges the status quo and develops new ways


Relies on control of the team
Inspires trust and confidence from the team


Administers and plans
Innovates and motivates

Take a look at the list above. As an aspiring leader, focus on the leader behaviors and strive to shift from manager to leader. Leadership happens at every level of an organization, so make sure you demonstrate these behaviors regardless of your job title. Your team will know you are their leader through your actions.

 

Dare to Live Fully: The Power of Listening

In this episode, Helene's guest is Jill Campbell, COO, Cox Communications. Early on, Jill learned the importance of listening from her father. He said, “God gave you one mouth and two ears. There’s a reason for that.” Today she shares her tips on how to hear what’s really going on to get ahead.

On listening as gift…

HELENE: Artful listening goes beyond hearing the words a person is saying, it is about picking up on other cues, such as tone of voice and what’s not being said. Listening is not only good for business, it’s the greatest gift we can give people.

On being aware…

JILL: For me, listening is being completely present in the moment and focused on the person who is speaking, not thinking about what you’re going to say. Discern what they’re trying to tell you and what they’re not saying, so you can draw them out. 

A personal note from Helene…

I think Jill is one of the most amazing leaders. She’s someone who speaks from both the head and the heart. We need more like her. 

To hear more from Helene and Jill, click here.

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR ITUNES PODCAST, DARE TO LIVE FULLY, TO STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE LATEST EPISODES!

Mother's Day is Around the Corner...

Mother's Day‬ is around the corner! We asked the WomenWorking community what they loved most about their mothers, and here are some of their thoughtful answers...

Video editor: Michelle Purpura

Effects Of Your Stress On Your Team and Family

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As a leader, everything you do has an impact on your team’s performance. You may think you hide it well, but unfortunately your stress level can also make a huge impact on your team. These are 3 key signs to watch out for in regards to the impact your stress is having on your team (and your family): 

Decreased productivity. Are your team members missing deadlines or taking longer to get routine tasks completed? Are you noticing that your team seems generally more distracted or maybe your children seem irritable and distant? Be willing to check in with your team (and your family) by asking this question: Have you noticed anything different about me in the past few (days, weeks, months)? This question (if you are open to the answer) may allow your team to disclose the impact you are having on them and give you some insight into how you can begin to shift your behavior. 

Your team is disconnected. Are you noticing that your once cohesive team is now short tempered and there is a lot of infighting? Your once collaborating team seems to have imploded. Suddenly your team is behaving in ways that are either creating delays or leading to internal sabotage. Pay attention to the mood of your team and take action to recreate connection and cohesion. This may be a great time for team-building activities or to have them work with an outside facilitator or coach to improve communication.

Increased turnover. Employees don’t leave companies they leave managers – bad managers to be more specific. Now you may not be a bad manager but your stress may be impacting your employees in ways that are inviting them to leave. You may be creating an unpleasant environment where your team simply no longer wishes to engage. If you notice your team is experiencing a mass exodus, look inward to see if your stress level may be a mitigating factor. Work with a mentor or coach to get the feedback and create an action plan to decrease the stressful environment on your team. 

If you are under stress, know that if you are not careful it will negatively impact those around you. As a leader, it is your responsibility to take care of yourself so that you can take care of your team. If you start to notice any of these signs, be wiling to make the changes necessary to eliminate your stress and the impact it is having on your team.

-Cornelia Shipley, Career Coach
www.corneliashipley.com