In these times of economic downturn, many organizations are restructuring and making rather dramatic changes in their internal processes and/or external services.  Often staff members are  given instructions about implementing the changes without a great deal of consultation.  This leaves them feeling  resentful and stressed.  Sometimes they grumble amongst themselves and the negativity grows and becomes entrenched.  The impact of this negativity is burnout,  increased sick leave and customer service deterioration.

How can employees deal with this situation more constructively?  First, it will be important to learn as much as possible about the change - why and how it came to be.  Then to gain real clarity about the expected end results.

Once these basics are known and understood, then it will be be more constructive to focus thinking and discussion on  the positive aspects of the change rather than all the negatives that usually come out at this time:

• What are the strengths of our organization?
• How can we enhance those strengths, given this new set of circumstances?
• Why have we been proud of this organization in the past?
• What can we do to support one another during the implementation of this change?
• How will this change impact the survival of the organization?
• In what ways can we streamline our processes and services?
• What does our vision for the organization look like now?
• How can we stay focused only on what we have control over?

While it is important to acknowledge the pain of dramatic endings; it is not healthy to stay in a negative place for long.  Negativity is catching in organizations and leads us into a downward spiral until we dread going to work in the morning.  Not a great way to survive;  we can choose it to be otherwise.

We cannot direct the winds, but we can adjust our sails!

- Bertha Calloway

Transformational Coaching

This week I attended a coaching breakfast where Thomas Crane, author of  “The Heart of Coaching - Using Transformational Coaching to Create a High-Performance Culture”.  You can find his blog here.

Later, while discussing leadership development with a client, the subject of coaching culture came up again.  Whose job is it to make this happen?  Leaders?  the HR Department?  Individuals?  We decided that it is all three.

Would you enjoy your work experience more in an organization where people know how to provide feedback and support?  How about forming a community of practise?

A great way to rejuvenate your career might be to find a few like minded colleagues to have lunch together regularly to review and discuss Crane’s book.  Perhaps as Crane suggested pairs could agree to coach each other and practice good coaching questions and feedback.  The book provides a very practical model that could be adapted to almost every type of relationship.

When we take ourselves too seriously, situations can get pretty heavy.  We jump to conclusions and take random comments to heart and react as though they were criticism.   This immediate reaction occurs  especially when we are very busy and many deadlines are looming.

When we are passionate about our work, we begin to identify ourselves with our work and end up in the perfectionism trap.  On the other hand we know that we live in an imperfect world, so why must we be perfect?  Is this the ego at work?  Time to forgive yourself for being imperfect and look on the lighter side.  Look for the  ridiculous here.

Finding the humour in the situations means not wasting emotional energy trying to be perfect, hiding our anger or feeling guilty,  A good laugh will clear the slate, and put us back on an even keel.

Lately I’ve noticed that there are days when many new tasks are coming at me while I’m trying to concentrate on the task at hand.  My desk gets piled up with all this new material and people are placing pressure for answers or completion of something.  Everyone has their own deadlines.  This is the time when I almost always make mistakes.  I am often heard to say with a smile “multitasking rots the brain.”

I recall an Administrative Assistant at the YWCA in Yellowknife who faced this dilemma very creatively.  She placed a white board near her desk and asked people to add their task to the list, providing a sense of its urgency (a simple A, B or C).  Below the board was a basket for back up material relating to the task. When she completed the task at hand, she would go to the board for the next item in order of importance and urgency.

The members of her organization complied very happily because they really didn’t want to add to her stress and were very impressed by her proactive problem solving.  She looked at the problem, focused on what her objective was,  generated options she could think of, and asked for her client’s input.  The end result was a lot less stress for all.

How much liquid do you consume in a day?

Your answer will no doubt include many cups of coffee.  While we know that coffee gives us a pleasant lift in the morning, the impact of more will not be the same.  As the work day wears on, more and more coffee produces jangling nerves and a dehydration effect. The desire for another cup is an indication that our bodies need fluid.  Another cup of coffee only increases the problem.

Wouldn’t it be just as easy to take a water break as a coffee break?

Lack of hydration produces a reduction in cognitive abilities and many other internal problems.  Why not give it a try.  An 8 ounce glass of water upon rising, another one or two in the morning,  the same in the afternoon and evening. A few drops of lemon or lime makes the water taste better.

Almost immediately, you will notice improvement in your performance at work and your ability to handle stress and deadlines.

Desk Yoga

When deadlines are looming and we become more and more tense, it’s important to find some effective and quick ways to find relief.  Following are a few things to consider:

• Make your work area ergonomically balanced.  The top of you computer screen should be just above eye level and your keyboard should be at elbow level and your arm is bend at a 90 degree angle.  Your sitting is erect and your feet flat on the floor.
• Rest your eyes by looking away from the computer or paper work periodically.
• Change activity every 30 minutes.
• Learn and practise Desk Yoga
• Stand up and stretch.
• Close your eyes and take three long slow, deep breaths while mentally letting go.
• Shake your hands and wrists to relieve tension.
• Think of something very positive.

How does your desk environment support your spirit?  Is there a lot of clutter there?  Personally, I find that all those post-it notes, paper with reminder to self, and documents waiting to be read or dealt with create a great deal of stress and distraction.  One effective technique was to get organized so that only the item being worked on is on the desk. Everything else was filed in some way that was very close at hand.

Another technique is to place some item(s) on the desk that reminds us to stop for a moment, breathe and meditate for a moment.  This is what I see on my desk.  I light this candle just before my coaching sessions to help me get grounded and focused.

A reminder to breathe & meditate

Recently, my friend Deborah Redfern showed the view she sees out her office window in her blog, mentioning how she gets a lift from it.  This inspired me to give some thought to easy ways that we can recharge ourselves during our work day.

In the coming weeks, I’ll be posting some ideas for everyone to try. Do you make the best use of your coffee break and lunch hour?  Please do send me any techniques that you have found helpful.

Third Age explorers have been examining the concept of self-renewal as a means of creating and maintaining the kind of vitality that keeps us active and engaged in the world around us. Regenerative activities are active, rather than passive, and therefore we need to move away from the television set toward Play and Creativity as suggested by Hudson’s fourth adult passion.

Play tends to bring out the spontaneous child in us and having fun and laughter have long been known for their healing results. It is an  important aspect of happiness and health.  Engagement in games such as Bridge or Cash Flow not only exercises the brain, but helps to maintain connection with friends and colleagues.  “Games”, says Albert Einstein, “are the most elevated form of investigation” and investigation can lead to wonderful discoveries that keep our curiosity active.  When is the last time you played a game with family or friends?

Creativity is way more than playing at crafts.  It has been defined as an interaction between a person, a process and a new product that observers agree is of value. It can also be described as an inner experience brought to an outer expression and is therefore seen as a central source of meaning in our lives.  The elements in the process of creativity make it a very stimulating pursuit:

• Recognizing patterns
• Making connections
• Taking risks
• Challenging assumptions
• Taking advantage of chance
• Seeing new ways

These questions posed by Tom Crocket in The Artist Inside, will help you get in touch with your own creativity.   When was the last time you made music?  When did you last dance?  What was the last story you told?  When was the last time you engaged in the “work” of art?  How did you feel while engaged in these activities?

How have you been expressing yourself?

This morning I attended a High Voltage Breakfast Workshop with Surge Strategies Group. The topic (What’s Love Got To Do With It:  Attracting & Retaining Talent) was of particular interest to me because my business associate Marilyn Henigman of SearchWise and I have been concerned with promoting the Silver Collar Worker as an immediate source of talent that tends to get overlooked.

When the discussion came round to what needs to happen to retain good talent, I found myself speaking about a wonderful project and a wonderful team that I once worked with.

I was asked what made it so wonderful.  Well there were a number of factors;
•    The team leader (Kathleen Betteridge) had a vision that attracted us to the project;
•    We became a team very quickly, as we explored that vision together;
•    The team leader treated us as though we were the cream of the crop, even though we were new to the project and required lots of background and training;
•    The team leader found the funds and support within the organization to provide us with cutting edge training;
•    Quickly other members of the team took up various aspects of leadership in the project;
•    Despite the fact that the team was spread across a wide geographical area, attention was given to ways that members could support and share information and tools with one another;
•    The team leader and other members of the team provided encouragement when the chips were down and celebration for successes.  We all shared in the joys and sorrows of our work.
•    When the project was over, all members of the team were recognized publicly for the work that we did.  The picture you see above and below represents the glass statue that was presented to each of us.

In a nutshell, what the above represents are three things that have inspired me since then.  The leader must have a vision and be authentic.  The whole team must experiment and explore together as they develop the project. All members must connect emotionally, being willing to give and receive support.

The statue sits in a very prominent place in my office as a constant reminder of these important factors that make people fulfilled in their career and happy in their workplace.

I often think of the impact that Kathleen and the other members of the team have had on both my personal and professional life and I  thank them all.