Category: Improving Yourself

Trust is built over time through caring, reliability, and genuine support. It’s torn down far quicker than it is built. Teams don’t succeed and organizational change efforts won’t succeed without trust. Yet how intentional are teams and most work environments in building trust?

Lencioni’s popular book, Five Dysfunctions of a Team, has the foundation block as Trust, yet his ideas for building it seem shallow and insufficient. He makes the assumption that people feel emotionally safe with one another at work. I think that assumption needs further scrutiny.

Trust requires emotional safety

With the economic downturn, layoffs and budget cuts seem par for the course, only engendering more fear not more security. Even in the best of times, emotional safety and emotional well-being seem far off the radar of teams and companies. Leaving toxic work environments aside, and unfortunately there are too many of them, typical work environments tolerate fear, manipulation, or power plays to get things done.

Emotional violence happens every time someone condemns, scapegoats, or plays the blame and shame game. It’s rampant in our society from our political fights and radio talk shows, to PR spins and white-washing. People don’t accept responsibility for their actions, or refuse to apologize for fear of appearing vulnerable. We are blind to the emotional scars being inflicted every day. And we are blind to how we inflict them on ourselves and others.

Emotional safety is built through intentional acts of kindness, caring, compassion, and mutual respect. Trust builds from there with integrity and honesty- acts done regardless of the short term cost. Conscientious actions, dependability, and support that is offered with no hidden agendas and non- judgment builds trust.

Intentionally Build Emotional Safety

Start building emotional safety within yourself by being gentle with yourself, being honest with yourself, allow yourself to be vulnerable without beating yourself up. Then do that with your colleagues and team members. Support them in taking responsibility and accept that they aren’t perfect and neither are you. Correct errors in ways that show mutual respect and care.

Emotional safety is everyone’s job just as physical safety is. I’d like to see more work places encourage and empahsize the emotional safety of staff as much as they do their physical safety.

Trust is a long term process demonstrated over hundreds of daily actions and words. I believe we need to start speaking of Sacred Trust, lest it be easily undermined by the expedient route.

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For more resources, see our Library topic Spirituality in the Workplace.

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Linda J. Ferguson, Ph.D. is an author, speaker, coach, and consultant. Her first book, Path for Greatness: Work as Spiritual Service, explains more of her ideas on Sacred Trust. To purchase her book, click here.

For more information on her work visit her web site – www.lindajferguson.com

People react very differently to the waves of change that suddenly flood the work and marketplace.

Some, who feel confused or unsettled struggle to keep their heads above water gasping for air. By contrasts, others, who may not even like or agree with the changes, nevertheless accept them, get on with their lives and swim forcefully to their new destination. The following three tactics will help you mobilize your resources to take charge of your career.

1. Fuel the Fire In Your Heart.
Live your life and career with intention. The key to sustained peak performance is discovering who you are, what you want in life, and then confidently pursue it. Remember, if you don’t know where you’re going, how will you know that you’ve arrived?

Start by develop a career line that shows your career highs and lows from your first job to the present. What kinds of activities were you involved in during your highs – during your lows? Continue this getting to know yourself process by locating your inner energy source. What really gets the juices flowing for you? Is it challenge? Helping other? Being creative? Having authority? Making an impact? Whatever motivates you, write it on a card and look at it every morning.

2. Forget Being the Lone Ranger
Are you familiar with the saying: “It’s not what you know, .but who you know.” Well in today’s changing work world, the new saying is: “It’s not only what you know, it’s not only who you know, but, as important, it’s who knows you and your work.”

First thing to do is to inventory your network. List all the key people in your career world. Are your contacts mostly within your area? r are there linkages into different departments, divisions, subsidiaries? What about outside your company? What kinds of relationships do you have? Hi and good by? Or Hi! What have you been doing? Develop relationships with a whole array of people. It’s your ticket to career advancement and success.

3. Don’t Just Stand There, Do Something.
Recognize a successful career in not a spectator sport. Opportunities do not just get placed on your desk. Organizations will no longer provide you with clearly defined career paths. Don’t be an absentee landlord and neglect your personal career management. Take charge of your career…., if you don’t … no one else will.

Focus on career contingency planning. Do you have a Plan A, a Plan B, and even a Plan C? What conditions could possibly change in your job; your company; or your industry? Do you have a clear idea where you could jump if unexpected roadblocks arise? Where else can you apply your skills and showcase your talents? A successful career is not fixed in stone, but is fluid and subject to change.

Career Success Tip:

Remember, the name of the game is action. Make sure your career goals are not stranded on a island called: “Someday I’ll………..” If you want something, don’t just think or talk about it. Figure out a way to make it happen. Set specific goals. Develop action plans. Have realistic timetables. Find the resources you need. See Career Success Part 1: Don’t let You Guard Down and Part 2: Get Ahead of the Crowd.

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?

Guest Blogger – Jacqueline Ryan Brodnitzki, President , Conscious Success LLC

In my previous blog post we introduced the 4 keys to easily accomplish more and discussed the first two keys in detail.

As a reminder, here are the 4 Keys to accomplishing more:

1. Become aware of your attention
2. Notice when your attention is strongest
3. Determine where you want to place your attention
4. Fully be with what you are doing

Now let’s focus on Keys #3 and 4.

Key #3 – Determine where you want to place your attention

If you let it happen, your attention can spring between hundreds or thousands of different items during the day. There is so much going on and so many people wanting your attention, that entire days can be eaten up leaving you feeling overwhelmed and not having accomplished your goals.

One of the single most powerful things you can to is to take back control over where you place your attention. Think of your attention as your own resource, something to protect and not spend frivolously.

The first item to do at the start of each work day is to decide where you will place your attention that day. What are the 1-2 critical things you want or need to get done? When will you try to do them? How will you focus your attention on them to get them done?

Then ask this most powerful question:
To what are you NOT going to give your attention today?

Once you’ve done this, you know you will accomplish your goals and have energy left over to attend to things that naturally come up during the day. It’s impossible to eliminate all distractions, but having awareness of how you want to spend your attention enables you to accomplish more and have more energy for the important things.

When you manage your attention, you feel better about your work and not so overwhelmed. Your attention is your energy. When you spend it foolishly, you’re left with low energy and low productivity. When you take care about where you focus your attention, you take control of your life.

Key #4 – Fully be with what you are doing

We’ve all had it happen… that nasty e-mail message ruined the weekend. You read it and there’s nothing you can do to resolve the situation except stew on it for the weekend. Instead of enjoying your time with family and friends, you spend the weekend living the situation brought up by that e-mail message.

A Harvard psychologist, Dr. Daniel Gilbert, studied a quarter of a million people around the world measuring 3 things: what they were doing, what they were thinking about, and how happy they were.

Turns out you are most happy when your attention is on what you are doing–even if it isn’t something you would deem ‘fun’. You are happier driving to work, focused on the drive, than you are on a great vacation thinking about a problem.

Whether your mind is wandering is a better predictor of happiness than what you are doing.

Dr. Gilbert said, “I find it kind of weird now to look down the crowded street and realize that half the people aren’t really there.”

Try not to look at e-mail when there’s nothing you can do about a situation that could arise. Bring you attention back to whatever you’re doing by saying silently to yourself, “thinking” whenever you notice you are thinking about something else. You can also describe your emotion by silently saying what it is. For example, “worrying”, “angry” or “agitated”. A study at UCLA found that when you label your thought or emotion, the strength of the thought or emotion diminishes and you are more easily able to bring your thoughts back to what you are doing.

You will be happier when you are absorbed in what you are doing. That’s why athletic people love to compete or workout. They find such relief in focusing on the athletic endeavor, rather than their thoughts.

Do something that inspires you and helps you quiet your thoughts. Embrace your inner athlete, artist, musician, gardener, yogi, and increase your happiness by focusing completely on that activity.

All my best,
Jacqueline

800-270-6722
www.ConsciousSuccess.net jacqueline@ConsciousSuccess.net

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For more resources, see our Library topic Spirituality in the Workplace.

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About the Author
Jacqueline Ryan Brodnitzki combines over 15 years of corporate management and training expertise with nine years of teaching and coaching of mindfulness and stress reduction techniques to help customer service organizations increase performance, productivity and profits while reducing employee stress. Her proprietary program, Conscious Success™, helps employers increase the potential within their organization by developing the emotional and social intelligence of their employees.

Through her coaching, she helps clients tap into their true potential. They experience greater calm, while increasing effectiveness at work and at home. Clients appreciate her quick assessment, clear recommendations and accurate, informative and inspirational coaching.

She is the author of two books and two CDs. Learn more about Jacqueline’s programs at www.ConsciousSuccess.net

The person who is going to be successful is not going to succeed just because of good work. That is a given. It is expected.

You get ahead of and stay ahead of the crowd by managing your competitive advantage. Here are three ways to do it.

1. Think of Your Career As A Business.
The business of career management is that—an independent business that you manage—even if you work for someone else. In this world of downsizing, restructuring, and mergers, you, not the company, must be in the driver’s seat of your career. Always think of yourself as self-employed – as a career entrepreneur.

Ask yourself these tough but important questions: What business am I really in? What is my product line? What is the target market for my products? For example, if I am an accountant then, what is it that I really do that people will pay for? Do I know my current worth in the marketplace? It doesn’t matter what your title is. What matters is, if what you do has value and is needed by someone or some company.

2. Have Skills, Will Travel.
What do you bring to the employment table? You carry with you, wherever you go, a large suitcase or portfolio that holds all of your skills, experiences, and accomplishments. What’s in your portfolio? Is it heavy with many skills or light with only a few? Do you know if it would be valued in lots of different places or just a limited number?

To be competitive, you need to periodically audit your portfolio. How do you compare with your peers in terms of education, experience, training, career progression? Are you new and improved? Or, are you just the same person you were three, five, ten years ago? Do you have the right mix of skills, knowledge and experiences to position yourself for the future? Or, do you need to repackage yourself in some way? Avoid becoming a professional dinosaur.

3. Play the New Career Game
What will keep you in the game as the workplace continues to change? Initiative, visibility, and flexibility are the three keys for success in the new career game. You can’t afford to sit behind your desk, buried in your everyday work, and hope for the best. Go beyond your job description and direct your energy to the top priorities of your boss, your department, your team. Make yourself indispensable.

Then promote yourself by the outcomes or results of what you’re doing. You can start making a name for yourself by being involved in successful assignments that allow you to be visible to a wide range of people who could have an impact on your career. These assignments could include for example: Building a new team from scratch; or overseeing the introduction of new technology; or taking on projects that require liaison or communications between departments, functional areas and vendors.

Carer Success Tip:

The great physicist Albert Einstein said: “You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else.” Can you play better than anyone else? Part 3: Make The Right Things Happen.

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?

Hello- I’m out of the country for the next few weeks so will have some guest bloggers covering for me. I met Jacqueline through a LinkedIn group where we shared a similar interest in spirituality and work. She is a former corporate sales manager turned yoga instructor and now offers corporate programs for wellness focusing on the mind-body connection. I asked her to write something for my blog while I was gone.

Enjoy her writing and her work.

I’ll be back in June

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4 Keys to Easily Accomplishing More

by Jacqueline Ryan Brodnitzki
President , Conscious Success LLC – Powerful Connections to Business Results

When we think of accomplishing more, we usually focus on adding more to our to do list. This can be overwhelming and unproductive.

Instead, think about how you manage your attention. Do you let it get caught up in every issue? Or, do you selectively focus your attention on tasks and projects that will help you meet your goals? Do you actively reduce distraction?

I heard Tim Ferris, nominated as one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Business People of 2007” and Forbes Magazine’s “Names You Need to Know in 2011,” and the author of two books, speak about how to get more done in less time.

He talks about segmenting and managing your attention. He believes when you have both work and non-work interests, and when your attention is segmented between the two, you accomplish more in each area.

In this article we will discuss different ways to manage your attention so you can both accomplish more and increase your enjoyment of life. Working harder and longer does not necessarily make you more productive. Thinking about work issues at the expense of being present in meetings and enjoying your personal time can decrease your effectiveness.

We will discuss some steps to managing your attention so you get the most done, feel less overwhelmed and enjoy both your work and personal time more.

Here are the 4 Keys to accomplishing more:

1. Become aware of your attention
2. Notice when your attention is strongest
3. Determine where you want to place your attention
4. Fully be with what you are doing

In this blog post, we’ll cover the first two keys.

Key #1 -Become aware of your attention

Begin to notice where your attention goes during the day. Notice when your attention is on something productive and when it isn’t. Take note of those things that seem to steal your attention and are not productive. When you find your attention on an unproductive item, stop and refocus on something that is productive.

Key #2 – Notice when your attention is strongest

What time of day is your attention strongest? For some, it’s early in the morning. For others it is later in the day.

Carve out the hour that your attention is strongest and try to use that time to accomplish important tasks. Meetings and other events certainly get in the way of this, but see whether you can set aside the time when your attention is at its peak a few days a week. If you are an early bird, arrive at the office a little earlier to get your important work done. If you are a night owl, spend a little time at night. If late morning or late afternoon is your best time, try to block that time on your calendar to accomplish at least one important item.

Each time you finish an important item on your list, you feel a sense of accomplishment, relief and more purpose in your work. You feel a little less overwhelmed and your mind is freed up to focus on your meetings and important conversations.

In my next blog post, we’ll discuss the 3rd and 4th keys in more detail.
All my best,
Jacqueline

800-270-6722
www.ConsciousSuccess.net jacqueline@ConsciousSuccess.net

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For more resources, see our Library topic Spirituality in the Workplace.

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About the Author
Jacqueline Ryan Brodnitzki combines over 15 years of corporate management and training expertise with nine years of teaching and coaching of mindfulness and stress reduction techniques to help customer service organizations increase performance, productivity and profits while reducing employee stress. Her proprietary program, Conscious Success™, helps employers increase the potential within their organization by developing the emotional and social intelligence of their employees.

Through her coaching, she helps clients tap into their true potential. They experience greater calm, while increasing effectiveness at work and at home. Clients appreciate her quick assessment, clear recommendations and accurate, informative and inspirational coaching.

She is the author of two books and two CDs. Learn more about Jacqueline’s programs at www.ConsciousSuccess.net

Do you want to know how to jump-start or advance your professional career? There are three keys. Here’s the first one: Monitor your changing environment so you won’t be caught off guard.

Visualize your career environment as one huge jigsaw puzzle. It consists of your present job, your company, your industry, your profession, your regional, national and world economy. You may only be aware of certain pieces of the gigantic puzzle. However, those other pieces are also extremely important. They can stop you in your career success tracks or enable you to take advantage of new career opportunities. The following three tactics will help you monitor your changing environment to prevent you from be caught with your pants down.

1. Act As an Information Magnet
Don’t be a modern-day Rip Van Winkle. Don’t wake up to a world you no longer understand and feel comfortable in. Are you so tied up in everyday life that you fail to see the shifts in your workplace and in the marketplace?

As pace of change accelerates, careers will be affected by what’s happening inside and outside your workplace. Don’t find yourself in an information vacuum. Stay in tune with the changing workplace. Realize that information is power and it is absolutely necessary for career survival.

2. Scan the Changing Landscape
Imagine your career as steering a ship down an unexplored river. To ensure safe passage, you must be attentive to ever-evolving conditions. These are the powerful trends occurring in society, business, and technology that will be impacting your professional life and career. So get out of your narrow tunnel and start seeing the big picture. What are you seeing, hearing or reading? What’s happening in your company, or the marketplace or the political and legislative arenas?

Then start thinking strategically. Ask yourself: What are the immediate and the long range influence of these trends? How can this information directly or indirectly affect me, my industry or my profession? How are changes that I see today likely affect my job security tomorrow? What can I start doing today to prepare for the next year, or three years, or five years?

3. Prospect for Opportunities
For example, the flattening of organizations is really a two-edged sword. It can reduce the chance for promotion, but it also can create opportunities for you to take on responsibilities that you may not have been able to when positions were more narrowly defined. In times of rapid change, there are always critical things that may fall through the crack. So start looking for some problem areas. Do you have a way to fix it? Part 2 is Get Ahead of the Crowd.

Carer Success Tip:

When asked, “How come you are always where the puck is?” Wayne Gretsky, the well known hockey player, answered: “I’m not where the puck is, but where the puck is going to be.”

Where is the puck going to be for you? Where are the potential growth areas are in your field, in your industry, in your company?

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?

As they proceeded down the aisle in the opening song, the image of In His Hands came to me. Not only was the father carrying his daughter In His Hands, to let their baby girl go to now eternally be In His Hands. God would now be taking care of this soul forever.

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For more resources, see our Library topic Spirituality in the Workplace.

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Change management is a hot topic in the Leadership and Organization Development world. While many people in organizations are leery of change, either due to change fatigue, or because they think the next change is simply the fad of the month, change can either be good or bad depending on many factors. If you want to upgrade to a new computer or buy a new car, you likely will embrace change.

So depending on how ready you are for change, how much you think the change will help you, and how successful you feel you’ll be making the change, you may welcome or avoid change.

Sometimes we got those cosmic nudges, if not a 2X4 slap across the face, to change. Sometimes what appears on the surface to be bad news, may in the end result in a positive change. Next time you are challenged with a change, stop to ask if or how the change will serve a higher purpose. Will the change shift you to a better place? The 2X4 slap and subsequent change may be a blessing in disguise.

If you intentionally want to change some aspect in your life, you can follow some concrete and systematic steps for change. I’ve developed a process called Transformational Empowerment to support people making change. These ideas came from my work with coaching clients and corporate training. The Transformational Empowerment process uses some basic spiritual principles to support you in making profound and lasting changes.

If you are looking to make a job or life change, and truly want the change to stick, I invite you to use the steps for Personal Mastery outlined in my Transformational Empowerment process. Visit my website (www.lindajferguson.com) to receive a free series of handouts and videos that will help you in your change process. I share stories in a series of emails that show how each of the steps work.

Try out the ideas of my Transformational Empowerment process and you’ll be well on your way to create a significant life shift, to reach your goals, or to fulfill your heart’s desire.

Embrace the journey. The change may do you good.

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For more resources, see our Library topic Spirituality in the Workplace.

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Now available!! Linda’s new book, “Staying Grounded in Shifting Sand” – Click here to order.

“Like” Linda’s Fan Page – https://www.facebook.com/LindaJFerguson to get notices of these blog posts and other updates of Linda’s work.

Click this link to order Linda’s 10^th Anniversary edition of “Path for Greatness: Work as Spiritual Service”.

Visit Linda’s website- www.lindajferguson.com to receive valuable handouts and videos for personal growth and professional development.

A common understanding in the learning field is that the best way to learn is to teach someone else. During the past year, I have had the privilege to learn a great deal from my HR students.

What my students taught me this year:

• HR is still misunderstood in many organizations.

Many of my students had a different answer to the question of what HR does. There were many surprised and overwhelmed faces as I talked about all the different domains and roles of HR in the workplace. HR is more than just hiring and firing. We are million things in between.

• Students choose to study HR for many different reasons.

I believe HR is the best profession in the world. However, with all the misconceptions of HR students have, the choice to study it is sometimes fueled by them. Sometimes students choose HR because there is no math and other times, they have been told that it is easiest way to get a degree. Then they are those students who know it is an integral part of business because they have seen the effects of bad HR and they want to do it better. Regardless of the reason for the choice, these students are our future of HR. Watching them come to an understanding of what HR really is about was a most enjoyable experience.

• Not everyone comes with the same experiences and views.

People’s experiences have a profound impact on their views and opinions. It is often easy to see it in personal relationships. It is also true in the classroom and the workplace. It is important to remember the same of ourselves.

• HR is still the best profession in business. I have always believed that HR is the best profession. That opinion was formed early in my career as a manager after a critical moment in the trenches. At the moment I realized management and leadership was not about me, it was about them. I already understood that it was about the customers, but in the moment I became clear that it was about the customers and my team, I really started to see impactful change. By improving my focus on developing top talent, I achieved the greatest financial results. HR is impactful, both good and bad.

Let’s keep doing good HR and moving he profession forward. And if you want to keep learning, teach.

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For more resources, See the Human Resources library.

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Sheri Mazurek is a training and human resource professional with over 16 years of management experience, and is skilled in all areas of employee management and human resource functions, with a specialty in learning and development. She is available to help you with your Human Resources and Training needs on a contract basis. For more information send an email to smazurek0615@gmail.com or visit www.sherimazurek.com. Follow me on twitter @Sherimaz

There are three kinds of people! Those who make it happen; Those who let it happen; Those who are surprised by what’s happened! How well are you making it happen in your career?

To make it happen starts with taking a hard look at how well you are managing your career in today’s very changing workplace.

Here’s a Quick Quiz From the Career Success System.
How many of these statements can you honestly answer YES to?

About You:

1. I know what is really important to me and I am living and doing it.
2. I really like the work I do and I’m not hanging on marking time.
3. My skills are up-to-date and valued in the marketplace.

About Your Company:

4. I am a key player. I know what it takes to succeed here.
5. I have good relationships with my boss, peers and others here.
6. I am aware of how my company, division or business unit is doing.

About Your Future:

7. I am developing a personal brand to distinguish me from others.
8. I can use my skills and experience in other areas of the company.
9. I am visible to potential employers and others who can advance my career.
10. I know what it will take to get from where I’m now to where I want to be.

Scoring:
I was able to answer YES to ____ questions:

8-10: Take a bow.
You are doing well in managing your career. But don’t rest on your laurels. Continue to keep your eyes and ears open for changes that can impact your success. Use this e-book stay on the ball.
4-7: Push forward.
You doing OK but don’t wait for a career crisis to take action. Pick two or three questions you were not able to answer. Use this e-book to sharpen your career management skills.
0-3: Don’t lose hope.
You can manage your career. Use this e-book to learn all you can about winning the career game.

Career Success Tip:

Invest in your career. Most people forget they really have two jobs. The first is to do what you get paid for and to do it well. The second is to do what’s required to ensure your career is where you want it to go and not leave it to someone else. Are you ready to take charge, take action, take control of your career? Next post: Career Success Part 1: Don’t Let Your Guard Down

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?