Phillip Van Hooser's Blog: Build Performance Blog, page 15

Feeling Overwhelmed? Think About This!

Are you feeling overwhelmed? It’s time to flip the script and change your mindset. Here’s how.

Feeling Overwhelmed? Think About This!

I want to talk with you about something that’s come up a lot as I work with leaders…

The thing that I hear again and again and again from so many people is the feeling of overwhelm at work and in life. I believe there is something you can do about it.

Now… I’m about to make a BIG sweeping statement, but it’s one that I’ve put my stake in the ground on and believe to my core. That statement is — OVERWHELM IS A CHOICE.

The fact of the matter is that you have the sole power to make choices that help you or hurt you. I talk about this concept in-depth in my book LEVEL UP (Available on Amazon—shameless plug because it’s a great tool for leaders.)

OVERWHELM IS A CHOICE.

You can make the choice to think about everything going on in your life from a negative perspective -OR- you can make the choice to think about everything going on in your life from a positive perspective.

Your choice in the midst of chaos largely determines your overall success and happiness.

I challenge you today to look at your life right now and say “everything I have going on right now is shaping me to become the person I need to be in order to crush my goals as life moves forward.”

 

At the end of the day, the choice is yours.

Are you going to make a choice FOR yourself, or AGAINST yourself?

Instead of choosing to be “overwhelmed”

Leadership of a Higher Order

I’ve long defined leadership as a person’s ability to offer service and their willingness to take action on behalf of others. But there is leadership — and love — of a higher order.

Leadership of a Higher Order

In this space I normally write about leadership topics relevant to the workplace.  However, on this Memorial Day Weekend 2020, I instead address leadership of a higher order.

I’ve long defined leadership as a person’s ability to offer service and their willingness to take action on behalf of others.  But my definition of leadership pales in comparison to a far greater definition of leadership and love.

Leadership of a Higher Order

In the Holy Bible’s Gospel of John, Chapter 15, Verse 13, Jesus reminds us, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” (New King James Version)

This Memorial Day weekend I plan to pause and remember gratefully the services offered, actions taken and sacrifices given — including the sacrifice of life itself — by soldiers, sailors and airmen and airwomen, on behalf of friends, country and the freedoms we enjoy. May God richly bless them all.

#MemorialDay2020 #sacrificebeforeself #greaterlove #leadershipandservice #GodBlessTheUSA

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The Overlooked Truth of Change

There is a truth about change that often gets disregarded or altogether missed. Sure, change brings unexpected problems. That’s where most of us want to focus. And since the COVID-19 crisis, we’ve all experienced multiple unexpected difficulties. But the most successful leaders among us focus on something quite different. These folks understand, prepare for — even seek out — something else. What is this overlooked truth of change?

Are You Ready for Change?

My last road trip before non-essential business ground to a COVID-19 induced halt was to suburban Detroit.  There on March 9, 2020, I led a half-day executive leadership workshop for one of the most respected electrical contracting firms in Michigan. 

Just a few days later, out of an abundance of caution, the firm temporarily shuttered its operations and furloughed a number of employees. Bob, the CEO, made the decision to wait out the pandemic. But this company executive couldn’t know his community would soon desperately need the service of his company.

A Challenge Unlike Anything Experienced

During the early days of the virus, Detroit was one of the hardest hit U.S. metro areas.  The number of infected was staggering and was escalating by the day.  Despite concerted efforts to sanitize, shelter in place and social distance, official forecasts regarding the disease were sobering.  A frightful realization came with these dire forecasts. Adequate health care facilities were sorely lacking for the number expected to need help. Something had to be done and quickly.

In the midst of this, Bob unexpectedly received a call from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on behalf of his electrical engineering firm.  Plans were shared with him regarding the immediate construction of a 1000-bed hospital — and the related need for electrical services. 

The required professional services would have to be completed within a two-week period.  On top of that, Bob learned the construction services — design, material, labor — would need to be self-funded with the government to provide reimbursement sometime after the project was completed.

Unquestionably, this project presented a challenge unlike anything experienced in the long, distinguished history of the firm.  Success was not a given. That realization notwithstanding, Bob readily agreed to the project.  “Why?” I asked.  “Because it is what we we do — it’s really what we stand for,” was Bob’s focused response.

“The Most Intense Project Ever”

So began the single “most intense project” this engineering firm had ever undertaken.  For two relentless weeks, crews worked around the clock.  Thousands of phone calls, emails and texts were exchanged.  Critical meetings took place whenever, wherever and with whomever necessary.  Design, material and labor-related decisions were made in record time. Labor and management forged a working arrangement allowing “things to happen as needed,” without unnecessary delay.

In the end, the hospital’s electrical services were designed, constructed and completed within the predetermined 2-week time period.  In recounting the effort, Bob proudly described the experience as the “most rewarding experience of my career,” before adding, “now we pray that no one ever has the need to use this building.” 

That’s right. By the time the building was finished, the tide had turned.  The “infection curve” had flattened and was beginning to trend downward.  The newly constructed hospital currently sits unoccupied. 

A glaring example of government waste?  Absolutely not. Instead a testament to the focused efforts of prepared leaders, healthcare professionals, even ordinary citizens who did what they could, where they were, with what they had — in the face of immense stress and in spite of great uncertainty.

When Is The Best Time to Prepare for a Crisis?

No one could have predicted the onset of COVID-19 crisis.  However, this company leader could predict that sooner or later, some sort of significant challenge was sure to befall his leaders and the organization they lead.  Rather than stand idly by and wait for that fateful day with unprepared leaders, this leader did what the good leaders do. He went to work preparing his leaders before a crisis hits — not after. 

Yesterday, 63 days since my last session with this impressive group, we continued our leadership training via Zoom. The timely subject? “Helping Leaders Manage Change, Fear and Stress.”

I emphasized several hard truths about change and fear including…

Change is most challenging for those who are most comfortable.
Most change is a result of FORCE, not CHOICE.
Unfamiliar experiences are breeding grounds for new fears.
Unsuccessful experiences can compound our fears.

Then we dug into a different way to look at change…

Change is predictable; it impacts everyone; and it is not necessarily BAD.
To grow personally and professionally, we must confront our fears.
Finally, when change does occur, there will ALWAYS be new problems and NEW OPPORTUNITIES.

That’s it — the most often overlooked truth of change.

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Change ALWAYS Brings New Opportunities

When he shuttered the office and sent employees home, Bob wasn’t expecting an opportunity for the “most rewarding experience of his career” to materialize. He didn’t anticipate that he and his team would be leading the “most intense project ever” — a project requiring the highest degrees of planning, decision making, communication, coordination, personal and professional commitment.

The reality is leaders don’t have the freedom to pick the time and place where their leadership skills will be most needed and applied for the greatest benefit. Nevertheless, successful leaders need to be prepared with the skills to seize the opportunities change brings long before the occasion arises.

This company leader and his team are a living object lesson for being prepared when opportunity knocks. I’m proud of Bob, his entire team and the work they did for their neighbors and community with the stakes never higher. Leadership job well done!

The bottom line is the best leaders are ready to offer service and take action when needed.

The questions we all need to answer are these: Are we — as leaders — ready to capitalize on the new problems and the new opportunities change will inevitably bring? And if not, what are we doing to get ready?

Not as ready for leading as you need to be? I can help. Let’s talk.

#managingchange #newopportunities #leadershipchallenges #leadershippreparation #leadershiptraining #truthsaboutchange #readytolead

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“Marie Kondo” Your Work Life

Marie Kondo taught the world to get organized at home. Could some of her concepts work at work? I think, yes!

“Marie Kondo” Your Work Life

Right now, you’ve probably been thrust into a season of change when it comes to work, for some – the season is chaos! Juggling full-time work (now from home), homeschooling your kid(s) That’s almost over because of summer right? ;), your kitchen has become a cafeteria, there’s no time for a break, maybe you’re leaving work and coming home to it all, etc.. Chaos. Is that you? Here’s what I know: Chaos brings stress and stress decreases performance.

Now more than ever, to make sure you’re successful in this new work environment, you need to intentionally “spark joy” (as Marie Kondo would say) into your life.  Here are 3 ways to help eliminate stress and create a more joyful workday!

1-Clean Out Your Tasks

Just as if you were cleaning out your closet, I want you to clean out your tasks.

Whether you’re at home or in the office these days, eliminating unimportant tasks will feel like a weight lifted off your shoulder. Take time (even if you have to get up extra early one morning so you have a minute to yourself) to look at everything you’re doing. As yourself these three questions:

1-What can you take off your plate?

2-What doesn’t HAVE to be done during this season?

3- What could someone else easily take care of?

After you have your answers, eliminate the unimportant stuff! This may require you to have an intentional conversation with your boss, your employees, your spouse, your kids, etc. But in the end, it’ll help you keep your sanity…and that’s worth it’s weight in gold!

2-Organize Your Day

Just like Marie Kondo taught you to intricately fold shirts and pants, the same principle needs to be put in place for your daily schedule – intricately schedule your day.

A well-communicated schedule will make a night-and-day difference to your stress level. Whether you’re working from home all day or still in the creating a set schedule will help you be more efficient and eliminate stress.

I have been making “Nothing Before…” lists. So, no matter what comes, I decide to do nothing before [insert a time] – you can pick whatever time works for you each day. When I decide to organize my day this way, I make sure that I am not distracted by things that aren’t helping me be more productive. For example, I’m working from home with three kids right now. If I have three important work tasks that need to be completed that day, they are the first priority…long before I waste time cooking a second breakfast for my kids

Two Ways to Check Work from Home Productivity

Just last week I had an exchange with a colleague asking my take on how to check an employee’s work from home productivity. Jerry wrote, “I’m fielding a new question from my clients who now have a WFH workforce and…one of their first questions is, ‘How do I know my people are working from home?'” Jerry’s question boils down to how supervision from a distance can work effectively. Let’s take a closer look.

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Two Ways to Check Work from Home Productivity

The question of an employee’s work from home productivity is an important one. One that I’m not sure most leaders and managers completely have their arms around yet.

But the work from home trend is likely to only increase. According to an article by Brookings on April 6th, “nearly one in five chief financial officers surveyed last week said they planned to keep at least 20% of their workforce working remotely…“

Distrust Doesn’t Encourage Work From Home Productivity

A recent article reveals one approach that is, frankly, troubling to me. The article, “Just Because You’re Working From Home Doesn’t Mean Your Boss Isn’t Watching You,” detailed real and perceived circumstances fraught with long lasting concerns.

New technology and tactics for ensuring work from home productivity are resulting in the perception of mistrust between bosses and employees, feelings of “being spied upon” and ultimately the erosion of company culture.  Each is a significant concern if the leader’s longterm goal is to build stronger, more engaged relationships with employees.

Work from home employees are under mounting stress and pressure. From homeschooling children, to health concerns, and now the added worry of hypocritical performance evaluation. The growing disconnect between leader and employee really doesn’t encourage greater work from home productivity.

Communicating Intentionally Can Help

The one thing I know for sure is that all of us must stay in touch with our employees, especially when we can’t see and interact with them in person.

I have a professional protege who works for me. For several months before the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, she has been working from her home.  Every Monday morning we have a scheduled “What’s Coming Up” meeting by phone.  It could just as easily be via Zoom, WebX, FaceTime, etc, if I really wanted to ensure she was out of her pajamas. But I don’t care.

From a professional perspective, all I want to know is what she will be working on in the coming week. Does she need any help? When does she expect to conclude her in-process projects? And she wants to know if that schedule meets with my approval.  If yes, great!  If no, we have some talking to do to realign the expectations and the related necessary efforts.

We communicate intentionally. While setting mutually agreed upon expectations, we’re maintaining our leader/employee connection and reinforcing performance standards.

The main thing is not to forget about each other.  We’re in this together, even if we’re not physically together.

What Gets Measured Gets Done

Remember the axiom, “What gets measured gets done.” (Attributed to Rheticus in the 1550’s and more recently to management guru, Peter Drucker.)  So be very specific regarding your expectations, level of performance and appropriate timelines.

Managing work from home productivity is tricky, but it can be done successfully. Here are some additional ideas and a helpful tool for maintaining connection with remote employees while managing their work from home productivity.

So my answer to Jerry’s question, “How do I know my people are working from home?”

Communicate with intent. Set specific expectations. Inspect what you expect.

Engaged, connected leaders don’t rely on technology for that.

#workfromhomeproductivity #inspectwhatyouexpect #whatgetsmeasuredgetsdone #engagedleadership

 

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3 Cs for Results-Driven Action

Be one of the few people that achieve success by following the 3 Cs of results-driven action as you navigate your everyday personal and professional life.

3 Cs for Results-Driven Action

Do you want to be more successful? Understanding the right action you need to take is critical for earning success. Without a high-level understanding of what you do and do not need to do — you’ll be left with long-term lackluster results. How frustrating that would be – for both you and your employer!

I recently wrote a book for professionals in the business world titled: LEVEL UP: Elevate Your Game & Crush Your Goals (Releasing June 2020) and I open the entire book, laying the foundation, with the 3 Cs we’re going to very briefly discuss today.

The 3 Cs for Results-Driven Action will help you take control of your future success and eliminate wasted time and energy!

C – Correct

The first of the three Cs is: CORRECT. You must take correct action…anything else will lead you off track from accomplishing your goals!

I suggest the first step in establishing what correct action looks like for you is to get your perspective in check. Understanding who you are, what you want to achieve, and how the world really works is key to correctly seeing what action you need to take.

How do you know if your perspective is currently correct or incorrect?

Answer this question for yourself: When is the last time I sat down and deeply analyzed who I am, my goals, and the world around me?

If your answer is never, you could be taking incorrect action.
If your answer is sometime before your mid-20’s, you could be taking incorrect action. Why? The decision-making part of your brain isn’t fully developed until you’re in your mid-20’s.
If your answer is 6 months ago, then you may very well be on the right track!

Hear me carefully, correct, results-driven action is critical to building the right foundation for you to grow from.

C – Calculated

Calculated action means that every action you take is on purpose, for a purpose. In other words, every word you say and move you make is to get you closer to — not further from — crushing your goals.

How do you learn what action to take and when? You must deeply understand the people around you.

Newsflash: There is no one in the world who is a self-made success! If you want to be successful, you’re going to have to be willing to learn about and work well with other people. You must deeply develop your knowledge of who the people are around you, what they like and dislike, what motivates them, etc.

Why do you need to do that?

People are forming opinions about you with every interaction they have with you. Their opinion of you matters because it determines how they treat you. They may be your door to opportunity! Make sure you’re interacting with them intentionally. And, here’s the thing, their opinion of you will have less to do with you and more to do with them…

How do you make them feel?
Do you cause them to have more/less faith in you?
Do your actions make them want to invest in or get rid of you?

That list could go on! People have different personalities, motivations, etc. You need to understand them so you can adapt your actions and create forward progress in your personal and professional life.

C – Consistent

I believe your success hinges on your willingness to choose to be consistent. Consistent action may be the hardest part of all of this. Most people don’t consistently perform well which is why most people are not where they want to be in life.

The key to being consistent is to stay focused on your goals. When you clearly know what it is you are trying to accomplish, you will not succumb to incorrect, uncalculated, inconsistent actions in the heat of a moment. Instead, you’ll choose the right actions, the right response, and the right decision.

My question to you is: Do you know exactly where you’re headed? Do you have a clear goal? If not, you’ll be taking a lot of action that may lead you nowhere.

I challenge you today to get serious about naming and understanding your own priorities so that when the rubber meets the road, you won’t lose your motivation and your consistency.

If you want to dig deeper into correct, consistent, calculated action that earns you the respect and trust of others, pre-order copies of LEVEL UP for you and your team today!
Results-Driven Action for Success

The bottom line is, you can have that hunger, that burning desire, or that small voice impelling you to live your value. But that feeling alone will not get you any closer to crushing your goals. You have to take action…and by action I mean correct, calculated, and consistent action – right now. That is your only option for success. I believe we have the ability to EARN everything we want. I’m wishing you massive success!

#professionalism #success #emergingleader #leadershipdevelopment #levelup #earnrespect #earntrust #earnloyalty

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Questions to Guide an Intentional Leader

Are you just an accidental or incidental leader? Neither is a good long-term leadership strategy. So if you’re looking to be more purposeful, here are 3 strategic questions to guide you to be an intentional leader.

Strategic Questions to Guide an Intentional Leader

I get this question asked of me quite a bit from people who aspire to be leaders, or people who aspire to be better leaders.

“So Phil, in your work with leaders, what advice would you give to me or to others like me who wish to be better in their leadership performance?”

My answer always begins with this — be intentional. Be an intentional leader. Being an intentional leader is different than being an accidental leader or even an incidental leader. Let me explain.

Are You an Accidental or Incidental Leader?

An accidental leader is that person who stumbles upon a circumstance and situation and is forced to respond. They may respond very well, but on the other hand, there was no intentionally behind it at all. It was completely accidental.

An incidental leader is someone who has a particular thing that they do well, a particular incident or circumstance that they’ve learned to manage well. It’s only incidental and it’s the only method they’ve mastered. Then when they experience other leadership problems or challenges, frankly, they try to solve the problem with the only, incidental solution that worked for them in the past.

Neither of those — accidental or incidental leadership — work well over time for the well-rounded leader.

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Or Are You a Well-Rounded Leader?

The well-rounded leader, the one that has a long career and a successful run as a leader is the one who is an intentional leader. They know what they want; they know that they’re willing to commit to it; and they know that over time, they should be successful.

So let’s assume for a second, you take my advice, that the first step in the process is that you determine yourself to be an intentional leader. So then what?

Here are three strategic questions that I’d like you to consider as you begin your approach toward being an intentional leader.

1. What Do I Value?

The first question to answer is this: What professional values do I hold most important? I can’t answer that for you and you can’t answer it for me. If I answered it for you or you answered it for me then it wouldn’t be intentional from our own perspectives.

For me, honesty is at the top of the list. Integrity — doing the right thing because it’s the right this to do — is critical. For me, courage and being able to act courageously as a leader is important.

But that doesn’t mean those should be your values. For me to be intentional about leadership these values fit my cause very well. But the question is for you — what do you value intentionally?

2. What Do I Want to Accomplish as a Leader?

Once you create the list of what you value intentionally, then ask yourself the second question. “With these values in place, well-identified, what do I intentionally hope to accomplish as a leader? You know, there are different ways to lead. There are different circumstances and situations in which to practice leadership. For example, when I first got out of college, my intentionality as a leader was to be a manager — a leader in a manufacturing environment. On purpose, with intentionality, I got there.

But an interesting thing happened. After a few years of working in that capacity, learning and growing, I decided I want to accomplish more as a leader. And from that new value system and that new purposeful goal, I worked to create a leadership business — speaking, training, writing, consulting.

In other words, intentional leadership values and goals will likely give you room for more intentional growth and advancement. And as you achieve more, it’s important to continue asking yourself these questions.

So the first two questions: What do I value as a leader? What do I want to accomplish as a leader? And then the third question. And this is the most simple question and yet it might be the most complex to answer.

3. How Do I Want to be Intentionally Described as a Leader?

How do you want others to intentionally characterize you as a leader one day? Not today, not tomorrow, but one day. What do you want others to remember about your leadership?

In Stephen Covey’s ever-relevant book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, the reader is encouraged to begin with the end in mind. And I completely agree. If you can begin today — intentionally knowing your values, intentionally knowing what you want to accomplish, and intentionally know what you want others to say about you — then most of the decisions that you’ll need to make to get you where you want to be, have already been made.

So today, 1) think about your values,  2) think about what you want to accomplish, and 3) think about what you want others to say about you. The answers from these 3 strategic questions will get you started on the right foot toward being an intentional leader.  And while you’re thinking about intentional leadership, here are 3 things an intentional leader doesn’t do.

Helping Others

Among my professional values, I include being helpful. I believe in offering assistance and information that helps other leaders be intentional about reaching their goals. With that in mind, here’s my virtual course on building leadership integrity, respect and trust. It’s just one way I can be true to my values and goals and help you achieve yours.

If there is any other way I can be of assistance to you, it would be my honor —  please let me know how I can help.

#intentionalleader #strategicleadership #leadershipvalues #leadershipgoals #leadershipreputation #intentionalleadership

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Blind Spots in Step 1 of Your Strategic Planning Process

To successfully complete the strategic planning process, you need ALL the information. Use this tip to help uncover information hiding in plain sight.

Blind Spots in Step 1 of Your Strategic Planning Process

Uniquely, I’ve experienced working on the front lines and sitting at the Board table — at the same time. This was incredibly eye-opening from a leadership perspective. Year after year I saw blind spots – or disconnects — from what leadership sees/thinks is happening versus what is really going on day to day. Some blind spots weren’t worth dissecting, others changed the course of leadership’s direction.

Without connecting leadership and the front-line, leaders make decisions without all the information. That’s like putting on shorts in April because it’s sunny, but then walking outside to feel that it’s only 37 degrees. You can’t make the best decision without all the information.

Step One in the Strategic Planning Process

You’ve gathered your team to take on the strategic planning process. It likely consists of top leaders among all departments, right?

The first step in the strategic planning process is typically centered around your vision statement, mission statement, and ultimately figuring out who and where you are right now. So each leader on the team has read the reports, analyzed the audits, and formed conclusions about where you are. They’re ready to knock out step one!

Gathering that team and analyzing the formal data is a smart move to make. However, if that’s the only move you make, you’re asking for blind spots and disconnects. You have to uncover those! If you don’t, you’ll likely end up with a strategic plan that fails.

ONLY 1/10 organizations successfully reach all of their strategic goals. 

–  Brightline™ Initiative

Dig Deeper Than The Numbers

Go deeper than Internal/External Reports/Audits. I want you to start involving front line employees, or at least front line supervisors. Whether you want to believe it or not, their experience – even if it’s limited — can uncover information that a report or audit never can. The reports may show that you are performing well, but if you’re out of touch with your front line people, you may miss that they see and feel a completely different story.

Process for Getting Your People to Open Up

When you involve more people in a process, things can get complicated. If you need our help, let’s talk!

Here’s a process you can use to help break down barriers between leaders and employees in order to uncover the information you need. Added benefit – most employees will LOVE that you included them and value their input.

1-Explain the strategic planning process to employees. If someone has never served as a leader, they may have no idea what strategic planning even means. Help them understand what you’re working on before you start trying to get information from them.

2-Communicate to them that you need ALL the information in order to make the BEST decision for them and for the company. Show them how important they are to making that happen.

3-Discuss your vision statement, mission statement, values, etc. Whatever it is you use to define your organization talk about it with employees and ask them if they think each of those are an accurate picture of daily life within the orgization.

4- Show and explain to them the audits and reports you understand up to this point. Make sure you do this in a way that they can understand. They may not have the same experience or education to understand them as quickly or as well as you do. On the other hand, if you try to make it too simple for someone who is already knowledgeable enough to understand, you may hurt feelings.

5-Ask them where you’re wrong. That may be hard for you. People appreciate a humble leader. Listen carefully as you let them talk. Take notes. Learn.

6-Once the strategic planning process is finished, follow up with the employees you involved. They’ll be wondering about the outcome because they’ve now played a part in it. Don’t leave them hanging. Nobody likes that.

Successful Step One

Leaders need all of the information to make the best decisions…not some of the information, not the information they want to believe, not the information that is easy to gather…but ALL of the information. When you gather more information directly from your employees, you’re giving yourself a better chance at successfully creating and implementing your strategic plan.

Ready to take your strategic planning to the next level, I’d love to help with a virtual presentation or training session —  let’s talk.

 

#strategy #strategicplanning #strategicplanningprocess #strategicplan #strategicplanningtips

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Coping with Stress? Take the 7 Question Test

Four times in the next two weeks, I’ll be talking with business clients about coping with stress, fear and managing change. These are some very real and difficult challenges for all of us. But especially for leaders. Leaders not only have to deal with their own personal reactions to change, fear and stress. They also have to figure out how to help their employees do the same. This 7 question test will help you know how well you’re coping with stress. Then offers some practical ways you and your people can not just get through this stressful season of change, but come out of it better than ever!

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The 7 Question “Coping with Stress” Test
1. Am I “awfulizing”?

You’re probably asking yourself, “Is that even a word?”

Well, let me explain.

When somebody asks, “So, how are you doing? How’s it going working at home? How are the kids? When do you think it’s going to be better?”…

And every response is, “I’m awful! Working at home is awful! The kids — they’re awful! And it’s going to be awful for the foreseeable future!”…

THAT is “awfulizing.”

You know I’m over exaggerating slightly. But you understand “awful” is all some people can see during the stressful moments in their life. For them, the effects of everything that’s going on — “it’s all awful.”

Make no mistake, plenty of studies indicate that people who focus on the negative aspects of what’s going on in their lives actually realize negative physical effects. This 2016 article in Forbes discusses what negativity does to our immune system…and it’s not pretty.

So I encourage you to check yourself.

I know after about a week or so of social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, I couldn’t take much more. Not interacting with people… not being able to do what I wanted… reading and consuming too much social media — all of it negative… I realized I was beginning to “awfulize.”

I realized I needed a fun way of coping with stress and the negativity of it all. So I started a mustache challenge on FB! (If you see what it’s all about, check it out here!)

A “mustache challenge” may not help everyone coping with stress. But the point is to find something that will take your attention off the negative and change your attitude. What would that be for you?

2. Am I being honest with myself?

Let’s go back to Question 1. I had to honestly look at how I was handling my reaction to this new reality. Only when we’re honest about how we’re coping with stress can we consider the steps necessary to proactively manage the situation. As you consider the next questions in this “coping with stress” test, challenge yourself to be honest.

3. Am I eating and resting as I should?

We all know that if we put the wrong fuel in our vehicles, it’s going to affect the car’s performance. The same is true for the body. When we put the wrong kind of fuel in our body, it affects our performance as well.

When I grew up, we were just told to eat what was good… Eat what tastes good… Just don’t eat a lot of it and you’re going to be okay.

Now we have so much information about food. We know what we should and what we shouldn’t be eating. We know what to eat for the good of our mind, our body, our overall health and performance. WebMd offers this diet for stress management.

It’s not only what we put in the body that helps coping with stress. It’s also giving the body an opportunity to recharge.

Stress researchers have determined there is a link between stress and sleep. Appropriate rest is a key component in fighting the stressors that we invariably are going to experience.

So we need rest — but how much? Experts say between seven and eight hours of sleep. But…

“According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 35.2 percent of adults in the United States are getting less than 7 hours of sleep each night.”

So how are you doing on diet and rest?

4. Am I exercising daily?

The single best mechanism for coping with stress — bar none — is physical exercise.

Why? Because in a state of stress, the body prepares for “fight or flight.” In other words, some sort of physical activity. We’re either going to fight that which is seen as being a threat. Or we’re going to try to remove ourselves — flee from the threat.

Both of those circumstances require elevated physical activity. So when the body feels stress, it prepares itself for fight or flight.

The problem is, last time I had a fight was in middle school. And I don’t even remember the last time I actually ran from something that stressed me. So without physical activity, all of that stress — and the body’s chemical reaction to it —  stays bottled up inside.

On the other hand, if we are exercising regularly, we are releasing the chemicals and pent-up energy that we have in our bodies. Physical exercise is and always will be the single best stress relieving mechanism.

Take a walk. Or go for a run. Walk the stairs. Garden, clean the house. The activity doesn’t matter as long as it’s physical.

5. Am I learning to accept change?

Am I learning to accept change? We may resist it, but change is inevitable. In his post, Martin, my business partner, offers these ideas for leading people who resist change.

Be very clear where you, as a leader, are taking your followers. Articulate the future with as much detail and transparency as you can.
Work with your followers to develop a path to that future. Involve them in the planning. People support what they help create; engage them to garner their support.
Listen carefully to your followers. They may be aware of pitfalls you don’t know about.

Be clear. Have a plan. Listen. Those are some really good concepts for us to use personally and as we help our people cope with change.

6. Am I organizing my time effectively?

Spending too much time on unproductive, inappropriate activities adds stress to everything we have to do. Effectively coping with stress means we have to honestly evaluate how well we’re using our time. 

I mentioned it earlier, but one of the biggest time wasters is consuming too much social media. Consider setting some limits and reallocating that time to more worthwhile efforts.

7. Am I finding people to talk with?

One of the biggest challenges of this social distancing process is the lack of personal interaction… Restricted face to face interaction with family, with friends, colleagues and employees… That’s hard on most people. 

Be honest. As you’re coping with stress, fear and change, have you found some people to talk with? Do you have a a few people that you can confide in?

What about your people — do they have someone to talk with? Have you checked on them? If not, here are 3 ways to build connection with your people during extremely stressful times.

How Well are You Coping with Stress?

So you’ve taken the test — now, how well are you managing the challenges of leadership during this time of massive stress? Are you able to effectively guide your people through it all to emerge better and stronger than ever? Time will tell for all of us.

If you need immediate guidance and encouragement for working through the change, fear and stress of it all, I’d love to help with a virtual presentation or training session — let’s talk.

#copingwithstress #managingstress #stressmanagement #stressmanagementtips #challengesofleadership #virtualpresentations

The post Coping with Stress? Take the 7 Question Test appeared first on Van Hooser Associates, Inc..

One Thing Holding Back Your Strategic Plan

Creating the best strategic plan is a process – you know that. However, surprisingly, many leaders miss the very first step in the process. Let’s talk about the first thing holding you back from your best strategic plan yet!

One Thing Holding Back Your Strategic Plan 

You’re probably familiar with some of the many steps that must be worked through in the strategic planning process – steps such as visioning, SWOT analysis, addressing scalability and sustainability, just to name a few. However, many leaders overlook a critical step in the process — one that must come first! Could you be missing it, too?

In my blogs over the next several months, I’ll be digging into how to improve your strategic planning process from many angles. Today I am starting at the very beginning of the strategic planning process. Before you ever start talking business strategy with your people, you — as a leader — must take action.

What action should you take? Let’s talk.

The Missed Step in the Strategic Planning Process

Most leaders are great at following straightforward processes. However, the step in the process I’m encouraging you to take is not obvious. Because of that, it’s probably the most often missed step in the strategic planning process …and it should be the very first step out the gate!

What is the step? Get to know and understand your team. Sounds simple, right? In theory, yes. But anytime you involve people into a process, you create room for uncertainty.

You might be thinking, “Why is getting to know and understand my people so important, and why must it come first, Alyson?”

First, you need to know that I’m not asking you to be able to spout off your people’s favorite pizza toppings. When I say know and understand your people, it’s for a very defined purpose —  uncovering their fears.

You can have the most qualified team, but if your team is operating deep down from a place of fear, your strategic plan will be affected.

The fact of the matter is that everyone experiences fear at some level. As a leader, when you are able to predict and manage your people’s fears from the very beginning of the strategic planning process, you unlock success-driving ideas and thoughts that would go otherwise unshared.

Here’s What We Know

Fears differ among people and they show up differently in different settings. A few examples:

If a team member is most concerned with meeting their social needs, they may hold back on an out-of-the box idea they have for fear of not fitting in.
An innovative, intelligent team member might be privately extremely risk averse. Even if a really great strategy comes to mind, they’ll likely never communicate it to the team for fear of the negative risk…regardless of the incredible positive rewards that could stem from it.
Another team member may be a really talented communicator and able to sell ideas well – even mediocre ideas. Could it be that the rest of your team goes along with the idea because they fear they can’t come up with a better idea? It’s possible.

Creating a strategic plan that ensures you’ll be successful in the future depends on your ability as a leader to accurately predict and manage your people’s fears.

Here’s What You Can Do About It

You have to OWN your ability – and I mean take full responsibility — of increasing your understanding of your people for the purpose of learning their individual fears holding them back in the strategic planning process. So, how can you get started?

First, educate yourself on what exactly you need to learn about them. 3 chapters in my new book LEVEL UP: Elevate Your Game & Crush Your Goals will help you do that.

Secondly, learn their personal stories. I dig into this in chapter 9 of my book where I show the importance of learning and listening to personal stories from your people. Stories unlock secrets that might never have been told to you otherwise. These secrets will give you clues as to what they really care about, what is motivating them right now, and most importantly for our purposes today à what they’re afraid of.

Hear me carefully though, your people will never tell you their stories if you don’t first build a relationship with them. The best way to do that is to spend time with them.

Strategically Connect With Your People

Here are 3 ways to spend time with your employees:

1-Lunch

Not much brings people together better than food. Schedule regular one-on-one lunches with your people. If they are working from home, do a virtual lunch!

2-Team Game Nights

The thing I love about games is that once you’ve played with people several times, you start seeing their true colors come out. Who will be competitive, sneaky, shy, etc.? If you’re leading people virtually, group games can be played online, too!

3-Open Invite Events

Invite your employee’s kids, spouse, or a friend to take part in something! You’ll learn more about your people when you get to know their people. If you’re all still in the office, invite employees to bring in a pet. If you’re working virtually, bring their kids onto the call for some fun.

Strategic Plan for Success

A solid strategic plan is the price of admission to success! You cannot create the best strategy if fears are ruling the conversation. Understanding your team deeply will help you eradicate fears. Once you’ve done that, you’re truly ready to start creating the strategic plan that will catapult your success!

Stay tuned for next week’s blog on strategic planning: Inspiring Creativity Among Your Team

When the time is right (Check out this blog for Strategic Planning timing: Strategic Planning Won’t Help You If…) Phillip and I are here to help you with all your strategic needs! Call or Email us!

 

#strategicplan #strategicplanning #employeerelations #employeerelationships #improveemployeerelationships #leadershipdevelopment

The post One Thing Holding Back Your Strategic Plan appeared first on Van Hooser Associates, Inc..