Many people are returning to the office this week after vacation over the holidays. Perhaps you did not take a lot of time off, but enjoyed calm and quiet work days. Looking down a new year and getting back into the routine can seem daunting. Here are some simple strategies to help you start the New Year off right after changing your pace:
Have a Plan
Thinking through your return to work and having a plan is an essential component that will allow you to start off with success. Update your task lists and priorities. Think about your objectives for the New Year. Do not just focus on high-level aspirations: “The What”, but consider what steps you need to take in your day-to-day life to get there: “The How”. Those who have already penciled in top objectives before returning to work have a better chance of realizing these objectives earlier and getting back to business as usual.
Get Engaged in New Projects
The problem for some workers who return to work after a the holidays is getting the momentum going. It is natural to feel a little blue after their time off has come to an end. Tackling new projects right out of the gate is sometimes a good way to get quickly immersed in the workplace.
Catch Up on Communications
One of the biggest tasks in many cases is going through the incoming messages that have accumulated while taking a break. Approaching this in the right way can save you time and stress. Some professionals like to thin out their email. This involves going through emails with an eye for priority. Get key information before going from 0 to 60 with a new work day or week. Reviewing your inbox from most to least recent helps as you get apprised of issues that may have already resolved themselves. Just remember, other people are often sifting through their inboxes too! You can extend each other some mutual understanding of this challenge.
Take Time to Enjoy the Catching Up with People
Touching base with friends at work, getting updated on new events in co-workers’ lives, or reconnecting with favorite clients or customers is beneficial. T aking advantage of the human factor can help individuals enjoy their return to work and become more productive in their ongoing job roles.
Limit Access on the First Day Back
Returning to work can be overwhelming. Making your return to work incremental can help. Some like to keep the first day reserved for catching up on past events. Limit your meeting schedule, incoming phone calls and tackling everything new you want to do in 2014 on the first day back. Look to get caught up on and adjusted before taking on the world of the new year.
There is a reason many employers are investing in wellness programs for their staff. These programs are often geared towards healthy lifestyle choices; such as exercise, healthy eating and stress reduction. They have been shown to bolster productivity and reduce levels of chronic illness in the workforce. Even if your company does not have something in place, there are some simple things we can all do to be our own wellness advocate. Well into the month of December, when the year-end rush is intense for many people and holiday obligations can get overwhelming, we bring you three simple things you can do for your own wellness.
Take a walk during your lunch
A simple 15 minute walk can be an easy way to fit in some activity mid-day. Doing this keeps your energy level up heading off an afternoon slump that many people experience. There are more benefits to fitting this in after lunch. A recent study found that a 15-minute walk after a meal not only lowers blood sugar, but also risk for type 2 diabetes. Doing this twice a day (or 15 minutes each way) gets you the recommended 30 minutes of exercise per day. People often find ways to maximize this time by scheduling a conference call that only requires them to listen in. Or make it educational by listening to an audio book.
Make it a moving meeting
Make one on one meetings with like-minded people a moving meeting. This might mean finding a place where you can walk and talk. Just bring a note pad, or take keynotes on your smartphone or tablet. I know one person who likes to “move and meet” as we affectionately call it. Our meetings include slowly walking up a few flights of stairs, walking a hall, and then heading back down. Doing this a few times really helps keep the blood and ideas flowing. I admit I feel less stressed after our meetings compared with others.
Take a Stand
Nothing radical here, just find times you can physically stand up. Sitting all day can lead to a sluggish metabolism, chronic back pain, and stiff neck. If you have a job that leaves you sitting at a desk most of the day, you may feel the effects of this. Try taking a phone call standing up. The moment you stand up, your metabolic rate picks up according to the Mayo Clinics’ obesity expert James Levine, M.D., Ph.D. Many leaders are replacing long meetings sitting around a conference rom with huddles, where the team stands and meets for less than 15 minutes. The rest of the updates are provided electronically. A metabolism boost and a time-saver all in one. Now that can help reduce stress!
I just heard a statistic on the radio talking about how much weight people plan to gain between Thanksgiving and New Years. The program went on to state that the average amount people gain ranges between 3 and 7 pounds. It really struck me that people are just planning on this as a reality. How unfortunate!
We all know how challenging it is to reduce our weight. Imagine 3-5 years including a 3 to 7 weight gain every year.
This year, let’s go against the norm. Put these and other wellness strategies to work to have a happy and healthy holiday season!
Do you have an important hire to make in your organization? Okay, seriously, do you ever hire someone and NOT consider it an important decision? You may want to get multiple perspectives at the same time and work together as a team on this hire, known as a “panel interview”.
A panel interview involves a team of two or more people who interview a candidate at the same time. It may sound easy or simple, but there are some steps that can be taken to ensure it is a productive, insightful interview and a positive experience for the candidate. The benefit of a panel is all interviewers hear the same information being supplied by the candidate and can collaborate on making the best hiring decision with their collective perspectives.
Preparation is critical to the success of any interview. When multiple people are involved in conducting the interview, the need to prepare and have a plan is even more essential. Here are some steps to take in preparing for a panel interview:
Know the plan for the interview. You should know what attributes you want to focus on before conducting the interview and base your questions from key skills that will make a difference in successful performance for the open position.
Agree up front on who is asking what during the interview. Using an interview guide with planned questions is the best approach. Designate specific questions to each participant on the interview team.
Review the candidate’s resume and other supporting documents that have been collected from the candidate up until this point as part of the interview preparation.
During the Panel Interview
Interview execution is a more coordinated event when dealing with a panel of people. During the interview, you will have to take additional steps to put the candidate at ease. Initially “candidate jitters” may be more present in a panel interview. However, if handled appropriately, many candidates report they appreciate the opportunity to share their experiences in a panel format.
Take more time during introductions – ensure each participant on the panel introduces themselves and shares a bit about their role with your organization.
Explain to the candidate in the interview opening how the logistics of the interview will work.
It is a best-practice to rotate who asks the questions, but encourage everyone to take notes to later debrief on the interview.
Multiple people can contribute to asking follow-up questions, just be extremely careful to make it a more coordinated effort.
One example would be to rotate the primary “question-asker” or “follow-up questioner” while others can ask additional questions if more information is needed or something is missed.
Following the Interview
Debriefing after the interview with the panel participants is where all your efforts will come together to make the best decision possible. This is a time to review what you collected with the other panel participants and seek consensus from the interview team on the next steps in considering the candidate. Some tips to ensure you get the most from the discussion include:
Consider all interviewers’ information openly and equally.
Share/compare behaviors and past experiences the candidate possesses that would demonstrate future job success as much as possible.
Tie data collected back to the job requirements.
Challenge each other to ensure you all remain focused on predicting job performance. Ask: “What behavioral data did you collect to support that viewpoint?”
Investing in a panel interview may seem like a tough order, but this extra time and perspective placed up from in hiring the best person for your opening will pay off handsomely in the future of your new employee.
It’s almost impossible to go through life without experiencing some kind of failure. People who do so probably live so cautiously that they go nowhere. Put simply, they’re not really living at all.
The wonderful thing about failure is that it’s entirely up to us to decide how to look at it.
We can choose to see failure as “the end of the world” or, we can look at failure as an incredible learning experience. These lessons are very important; they are how we grow, and how we keep from making that same mistake again. Failures stop us only if we let them.
Think of the opportunities you’ll miss if you let your failures stop you.
Failure can also teach us things about ourselves that we would never have learned otherwise. For instance, failure can help you discover how strong a person you are. Failing at something can help you discover your truest friends, or help you find unexpected motivation to succeed.
Often, valuable insights come only after a failure. Accepting and learning from those insights is key to success in life.
4 Tips to Overcoming a Fear of Failure
1. Analyze all potential outcomes – Many people experience a fear of failure because they fear the unknown. Remove that fear by considering all of the potential outcomes of your decision.
2. Learn to think more positively – Positive thinking is an incredibly powerful way to build self-confidence and neutralize self-sabotage.
3. Look at the worse case scenario – In some cases, the worst-case scenario may be genuinely disastrous, and it may be perfectly rational to fear failure. In other cases, however, the worst case may actually not be that bad, and recognizing this can help.
4. Have a contingency plan – If you’re afraid of failing at something, having a “Plan B” in place can help you feel more confident about moving forward.
It’s important to realize that in everything we do, there’s always a chance that we will fail. Facing that chance and embracing it s not only courageous; it also gives us a fuller, more rewarding life.
Can you believe it’s already October? Year-end deadlines are only 90 days away!
I am getting a lot of calls lately about managing workplace stress and the ugly effect stress has on our ability to lead. Are you having trouble…
Managing your tempers?
Taking the time to fully communicate expectations?
Staying focused on your top priorities?
Listening to your team members?
Sleeping?
When job and workplace stress threatens to overwhelm you, there are simple steps you can take to regain control over yourself and the situation. When you demonstrate self-control in stressful situations your team will be much more productive.
Here are some suggestions for reducing job stress by prioritizing and organizing your responsibilities.
Time management tips for reducing job stress
Create a balanced schedule. Analyze your schedule, responsibilities, and daily tasks. All work and no play is a recipe for burnout. Try to find a balance between work and family life, social activities and solitary pursuits, daily responsibilities and downtime.
Don’t over-commit yourself. Avoid scheduling things back-to-back or trying to fit too much into one day. All too often, we underestimate how long things will take. If you’ve got too much on your plate, distinguish between the “shoulds” and the “musts.” Drop tasks that aren’t truly necessary to the bottom of the list or eliminate them entirely.
Try to leave earlier in the morning. Even 10-15 minutes can make the difference between frantically rushing to your desk and having time to ease into your day. Don’t add to your stress levels by running late.
Plan regular breaks. Make sure to take short breaks every 90 minutes. Throughout the day take a walk, or sit back and just clear your mind. Also try to get away from your desk or workstation for lunch. Stepping away from work to briefly relax and recharge will help you be more, not less, productive.
Task management tips for reducing job stress
Prioritize tasks. Make a list of tasks you have to do, and tackle them in order of importance. Do the high-priority items first. If you have something particularly unpleasant to do, get it over with early. The rest of your day will be more pleasant as a result.
Break projects into small steps. If a large project seems overwhelming, make a step-by-step plan. Focus on one manageable step at a time rather than taking on everything on at once.
Delegate responsibility. You don’t have to do it all yourself. If other people can take care of the task, why not let them? Let go of the desire to control or oversee every little step. You’ll be letting go of unnecessary stress in the process.
Be willing to compromise. When you ask someone to contribute differently to a task, revise a deadline, or change their behavior at work; be willing to do the same. Sometimes if you can both bend a little, you’ll be able to find a happy middle ground that reduces the stress levels for everyone involved.
Just pick one of these tips and stick with it for two weeks and then adopt another … soon you’ll feel much more productive and much less stressed out!
When is the Last Time you did Something for the First Time?
I was working at a large organization in the Fortune 500 early on in my career. The span of control for many leaders was averaged around 10 direct reports, with 50-100 people reporting up through them in a given department. Over the years I watched as some leaders had a reputation as the kind of leader you wanted to work for, while others simply were not sought after. Those popular leaders had no problem filling open positions internally and enjoyed loyal and dedicated teams. In fact, working for that leader was a mark of excellence; a feather in the cap that opened other doors in the organization down the road. It was powerful.
These leaders were known as the developers of people. You could count on being stronger professionally after having worked in their area. During that time, you took in loads of new learning, best practices and with that credibility in the organization. These great leaders knew what it meant to give their best to their teams. Here’s the key, they knew it started with being the best themselves. This led them to have a strong, clear focus on personal growth, first for themselves, thus benefitting their teams.
How do you begin to develop yourself so you can give the best to others on your team? Here are some questions to begin thinking about how you can grow?
Questions to ask yourself as you consider how to grow as a leader:
Can you recall the last time you did something new for your own personal growth?
When was the last time you were uncomfortable because you were doing something new or different you have not experienced before?
What growth and learning goals have you set for yourself? How do you track progress against those goals? With whom do you share those goals?
What new skills or knowledge have you gained in the last 6 months?
What new skills or knowledge that you have gained have you managed to apply in the last 6 months?
What actions do you take every day to ensure you are growing?
When is the last time you did something for the first time? (A key point made in the title of this article)
Are you sharing with others what you are learning? How?
How did you do? Was it easy to consider the answers to these questions? Or were unsure of how to respond? Let’s reframe these questions to use them as a starting point to create a plan for your own development by changing the lead-in from “can you?” or “what?” to “how can you”. Use these to build, share and execute your plan. Set yourself apart from others. As Warren Bennis said, “It is the capacity to develop and improve their skills that distinguishes leaders from followers.”
Questions to ask yourself in order to build a plan to grow as a leader:
How can you do something new for your own personal growth?
How can you make yourself uncomfortable by doing something new or different you have not experienced before?
What growth and learning goals can you set for yourself? How will you track progress against those goals? Who will you share those goals with?
What new skills or knowledge will you gain in the next 6 months?
How will you apply these new skills or knowledge that you plan to gain in the next 6 months?
What actions will you take every day to ensure you are growing?
What can you do or experience for the first time that will facilitate your growth or development?
How will you share with others what you are learning?
