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Category Archive: Personal Leadership

Five Steps To Break Your Social Media Addiction

Posted by on May 9, 2018

This one is very hard for me to get to a good place and stay there. By the nature of my work in leadership development I am constantly searching and reading new content. I use social media to stay connected to some of the people in my network. However, there are times that I realize I am picking up the phone simply because its there, instead of doing something better. This Forbes Coaches Council post was great:

“It’s undeniable that people stare at their phone screens too much. In fact, a Nielsen study found that the average adult spends five and a half hours every week on social media. That’s nearly 12 full days every year. If that doesn’t scare you enough, a lot of us are now addicted to social media.”

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Controlling The Negative Noise In Your Life

Posted by on April 25, 2018

I have often said that if technology only helps you do the wrong things faster then it can become a very bad thing. Today we live with powerful micro-computers that can connect us to the world called smart phones. However, I am more concerned that with no boundaries established around content and time spent, I am in reality become more foolish than smart. Seth Godin is a thoughtful writer:

‘You open the door and the vacuum cleaner salesperson comes in, and dumps a bag of trash in your living room. Or a neighbor sneaks in the back door and uses a knife to put gouges on the kitchen table.

Or, through the window, someone starts spraying acid all over your bookshelf… Why are you letting these folks into your house?

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6 Ways To Regain Control Of Your Schedule

Posted by on April 18, 2018

There is not a day that goes by that at least 20% of my time is spent dealing with new inputs or changing priorities. It has forced me to be almost brutal about blocking time and at the same time leaving open spots for the unknown. If I wire it up too tight it only blows up even more. Always looking for help and Avery Blank provided:

“Time is money. It is valuable to your career and well-being. If you want to advance, you have to identify your career priorities and move efficiently towards them. Stop valuing other people’s time more than yours. Here are six ways you can take control of your schedule”

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5 Ways To Counteract Your Smartphone Addiction

Posted by on March 28, 2018

This problem has been a hard one for me to admit. I rationalize like everyone else that its related to work and keeping up with friends. However, when you start trolling all the latest news and watching those cute dog videos for two hours per day, something is desperately wrong. This HBR post helped me reframe the issue:

“We are living in an era of technology obsession and smartphone addiction. I hear it all the time: “I can’t go anywhere without my phone” or “I feel anxious when I’m not able to check email” or “If I’m not on my social feeds, I feel like I’m missing out.” Not surprisingly, research shows that too much technology use diminishes our mental and physical health, our relationships and more.”

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Five Signs You're Running Yourself Into The Ground

Posted by on March 26, 2018

I have this nagging conviction that many days I am simply doing the wrong things faster. My personal productivity far exceeds the development of my personal character. Weekends away from the daily grind feels like catching up instead of slowing down. This Forbes post confirmed a lot for me:

“Time in your workday to protect your time, energy and stress levels. If your calendar is constantly crammed with appointments from the time you wake until the time you turn out the lights, you are on your way to burnout. Working around the clock is not only ineffective, it’s unnecessary. Because we live at such a manic pace, there are five signs you just may be ignoring to protect the most precious asset there is: yourself.”

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The Power Of No

Posted by on March 14, 2018

This idea changed my approach to personal leadership, which eventually changed everything I do and don’t do in life. The concept was first introduced by Stephen Covey in 7 Habits when he demonstrated just because something is urgent does not mean its important. I eventually became very efficient in doing all the wrong things faster. The only way to stop the madness was to identify those major Yes’s in my life. This Forbes post will help:

“Here, though, I will focus on one of the key things I have seen these influential leaders do very well, and it’s something that others struggle with. It may indeed be one of the biggest difference makers in the number of lives an influencer impacts and the results they achieve.”

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How To Build Resilience To Handle Increased Stress

Posted by on March 2, 2018

The greatest truth that I have ever learned from a leadership perspective on dealing with stress comes from Stephen Covey on his classic work Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People. Separating stress into my circle of influence which I can control or into my circle of concern which I cannot, has helped me to maintain margin. The HBR post takes the deep dive into building resilience:

“Wherever you live or work, stress is on the rise. According to the International Labour Organization, workers in developed and developing countries are facing increasing strain at work. The onslaught of mounting stressors include global challenges, such as climate change, terrorism, and political turmoil – as well as personal and professional challenges, such as illnesses, job changes, and organizational restructuring.”

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How To Create A Schedule That Really Works For You

Posted by on February 28, 2018

I think over the years I have made every mistake possible in working with my schedule. My high D wants everything down on the calendar to the minute only to see my plan get blown up within the first hour of most days. Today, there are so many new daily inputs that we must learn to block hours in our week to create the necessary capacity to stay on track. This Fast Company post was very helpful:

“Being over-scheduled leaves us no time for ourselves. The more “in control” we are of our calendar, the less control we feel like we have over our lives. Not to mention we’re notoriously bad at knowing how long tasks take us to do. When your schedule is this jammed, even going 15 minutes over on your morning task will throw your whole day out of whack.”

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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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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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