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Category Archive: Church Scattered

How To Effectively Deal With Stress

Posted by on February 23, 2018

This has become one of the most serious issues I face every week for myself and the clients I work with. It is no longer just about the lengthy work hours but the toxic culture we live in seemingly around the clock. It’s almost like a dark cloud that follows us around that makes it even harder to see the glass half full. This Coaches Council post was worth several reads:

“Our body is a complex and sophisticated system. Its goal is to keep our systems in an equal and balanced environment. In the medical world, this is called homeostasis. So, how sophisticated is our body really? Let’s take a look at our fight or flight system.

Fight or flight is part of self-preservation. When a threat occurs, our nervous system prepares us to stand and fight or flee the situation or threat.”

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Tomorrow's Best Leaders Will Lead With Questions

Posted by on February 21, 2018

Most leaders who were trained in the last century in leadership theory were told to use their positional authority and to become the answer man. The best way to help your people was to be the smartest person in the room and to always be ready to give clear direction to your team. All of this thinking has flipped to the point that today great leaders ask more questions than they give answers. This Forbes post is excellent:

“Disruption, complexity and ambiguity are the new normal in today’s working world. As a result, many leaders are finding they can no longer rely solely on their past experiences. To lead well in the future, leaders need to ask questions that unlock better answers and better solutions.”

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Why Highly Engaged Employees Are At Risk For Burnout

Posted by on February 14, 2018

We all like to tell ourselves the little self-talk lie that yes I’m overworked today but very soon its all going to get better. Then we get hit with another list of critical projects and we have to push through with the every growing doubt setting in that this stress is never going to get better. Eventually, unless major changes are made burnout is coming. This HBR post is a must read:

“In the last weeks prior to the event, however, her stress levels attained such high levels that she suffered from severe burnout symptoms, which included feeling physically and emotionally exhausted, depressed, and suffering of sleep problems. She was instructed to take time off work. She never attended the conference and needed a long recovery before she reached her earlier performance and wellbeing levels.”

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8 Essentials Qualities That Define Great Leadership

Posted by on February 12, 2018

While many global markets are going through disruption, the best practices of leadership cannot remain static. Some things like leading with honesty and integrity will never go out of style but the generational perspectives of most millennial workers are forcing dramatic change. This Forbes post deals with many of the critical factors:

“Company leaders are facing a crisis. Nearly one-third of employees don’t trust management. In addition to this, employers now have to cater to the needs of the millennial generation. On average, after graduating from college, a millennial will change jobs four times before they are 32. Most of them also don’t feel empowered on their current jobs.”

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How To Establish Yourself As A Leader

Posted by on February 9, 2018

Leadership is certainly not for everyone. It requires in my opinion a passion to make things better and not to settle for the status quo. A leader is a change agent who sees potential in other people and is highly committed to bringing that talent out for everyone to see. This Forbes post covers the bases:

“Anyone can be a leader, whether it’s your official job title or not. Leadership is most often thought of in terms of title, but it’s also a mindset. If you view yourself as a leader, you’re already on the path to success. There are a few defining characteristics of leadership that will help you stand out and excel. These apply to leaders at all career stages – from the aspiring manager all the way up to the CEO. Good leadership is the same at all levels.”

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How To Maximize Your Confidence Every Day

Posted by on February 2, 2018

I think I have tried almost every motivational idea over the last 30 years to maintain the best possible attitude. I have gained a lot of momentum from the health benefits of routine workouts. I also am inspired by reading great personal development books and listening to podcasts. However, the one thing that has helped me the most is the major theme in this Fast Company post:

“If you’re anything like me, mornings can be mentally intractable. You wake up in a dark cloud and feel everything but positivity–as though you were an orphan in a Charles Dickens novel with nothing to look forward to but the obliterating comfort of your pillow, almost picturesque in your please-don’t-make-me-face-the-day despair.”

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4 Ways To Go From Manager To Leader

Posted by on January 31, 2018

It still amazes me working with clients when there is such confusion between the roles and responsibilities of managers compared to leaders. It’s almost like a zero sum situation where one is more highly valued than the other. Both roles are absolutely necessary and you should be helping your best people find their seat on the bus. This Forbes post is excellent:

“Perhaps you’re in a leadership role but don’t feel like you’ve earned the respect from your team. Maybe you feel like they don’t even like you. As a career coach to millennials, I’ve had plenty of new managers come to me, desperate to win approval from their team. It’s a classic case of manager versus leader: they are managing their team effectively, but they aren’t leading them.”

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How To Set Goals That Support Life Balance

Posted by on January 29, 2018

There is more and more pushback, especially from Millennial workers, about the expectations about doing work almost 24/7. I also often remind executives the other side of the coin is that we all bring home to work. Bottom line, if we don’t have work life balance it dramatically impacts our sense of well being and productivity. This Forbes post was helpful:

“This time of year, pretty much everyone’s talking about goals. The clean slate of a new year is pretty irresistible, after all, and any leader knows how important it is to set goals. Most of us are pretty goal-oriented people.”

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How To Use Willpower In A Better Way

Posted by on January 17, 2018

This post was challenging for me because I have always viewed willpower as more of an account where you make daily deposits and withdrawals. I still believe that to be true but the idea that it is more of an emotional passion feeling issue that can fluctuate wildly has some credibility with my constant ups and downs. This Forbes post is worth the read if for nothing more than what to do when you get stuck:
“Do you want to make some self-improvements this year to become a better version of yourself? Avoid sabotaging yourself. Instead, become more attuned to your feelings and be kinder to yourself. This means being aware of and applying the latest research about willpower.”

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5 Simple Tips For Building Trust As A Leader

Posted by on January 12, 2018

Probably the best leadership book I read in 2017 was The Speed Of Trust by Stephen M.R. Covey. In the first chapter he quotes Jack Welch,”If you’re not fast, you’re dead.” When everyone faces the reality that demand almost always exceeds capacity, we can’t afford to waste any productivity because there is a low trust organizational culture. This Forbes post was well worth the read:

“Developing a strong and successful relationship involves several key qualities. One of these qualities is trust.

Trust is important to your career and your company success, but it’s not something that you can gain overnight. It’s not something you can, as folks say, “fake it till you make it.” It takes time and effort.”

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