Mark S. Brown – Page 29

Are You Negatively Affecting Others?

When I feel overwhelmed and overworked, I recognize that my attitude is affecting everyone that I encounter. Hiding a negative attitude is difficult.

I tell myself that being frustrated is selfish, and I try to let go of my frustration as quickly as possible. But there are times that I get overwhelmed with my commitments for day or the week. My attitude becomes negative.

For me, I think the worst days are when I struggle giving my time to others. Some days I need to give my full attention to my deadlines. Then when things don’t go according to plan, my attitude really begins to suffer.

I guess we all have days like that. Here are some thoughts on how to fix those days.

1. Talk with someone. Sharing my burdens helps me get things in perspective. My self-imposed deadlines are usually not as important as I thought. Sharing frustrations is a great method to clear your mind and move forward.

2. Share your calendar and to-do list. Sharing schedules and tasks with your team, your co-workers, and your family can open the door for shared responsibilities. On days when you have time, you can help others with their schedule and tasks. On days when you need help, maybe others will come to your rescue. Creating and sharing goals creates this opportunity. It can work great in all facets of life… work, home, community.

3. Find help. Find your needed resources and enlist their help. This is best as a long term solution. It is difficult to recruit help when you have no time. But if you can strategically develop resources that can help you at critical times, this approach can pay dividends for a long time.

4. Find a win to celebrate. Celebrating a small win is just what you need to alter your attitude from negative to positive. Sometimes all you need is a small push to overcome those negative feelings. I find that I have to seek these opportunities.

Next time you are frustrated and overwhelmed, put a smile on your face, and give these ideas a try.

Does Your Team Lack Urgency?

Recently I had the opportunity to work on a small team, and I found myself lacking engagement. The leader was complaining that we needed to get to work. We were accused of having no sense of urgency. It was true.

Upon reflection, I realized my lack of urgency was due to the fact that I felt no responsibility towards achieving our goals. I was just working, following instructions, but didn’t feel like my effort mattered.

If your team needs a boost of urgency, here are a few things to consider:

1. Empowerment. Have you enabled the team to achieve the results in a manner that lets them fully utilize their talents? Are you willing to stop managing the effort, and focus on leadership? They are different. Recognize where you are, and adjust your style to match the situation.

2. Vision. Does your team know, understand, and share your vision of the result? How do you know? How often are you trying to paint the picture for them? What part do they play in the final result? Why is it important?

3. Recognition. People need recognition for their effort. The level of recognition varies by individual. Some people need public recognition. Others just need a quiet word of thanks. How well do you know the needs for the people on your team? Are you effectively keeping them engaged through your recognition efforts?

Several years ago, I led a team that thrived. We achieved our goals nearly every week. One of the highlights was a shared breakfast on Friday mornings. If we hit our targets for the week, we had breakfast delivered. It was a simple way to say thank you, and to motivate the team. The weekly attainment of goals along with our shared breakfast became a habit we all enjoyed.

It was simple. It worked. You don’t need to over complicate recognition. I find that authentic, heartfelt, appreciation works best.

Preparing for Tomorrow May Be the Most Important Thing You Do Today

When you are out of shape, exercising is not fun. It hurts. It is hard. Out of shape people try to avoid it. However, when you are in shape, exercise is completely different. A fit person loves to exercise. They get a lift from the workout.

What is the difference? Preparation. Their body is prepared for the workout. It is ready, trained, and it performs well.

Isn’t that the way with everything in life? If we are prepared, we do well. We have opportunity. We are not afraid to jump in.

There is a great correlation between preparation and success. Do you agree? Then today, on your agenda, schedule time to prepare yourself for what you want to achieve tomorrow. And also time for what you want to achieve next week, next month, and next year.

Really? We are already busy. We already can’t get everything done. So what do we do?

It is your choice. You control your calendar. You can either continue to achieve your best day by day, or you invest some of your time preparing for a better tomorrow.

Are You Preparing for an Opportunity?

Last week I wrote about how we need to always be looking for opportunities. This week, I reflected on the second part of that process. We need to always be preparing for the opportunities that we want. This will increase our level of success in taking advantage of the opportunity.

If you are like me, this is very hard to do. I find working towards a goal when when the benefit is not clearly identified very difficult. There is so much resistance facing us every day.

Here are some things I consider for staying motivated and focused:

Know What You Want. I try to prepare for the future which I want to achieve. I stay motivated by continually renewing and reviewing my vision. Keeping the goal in sharp focus can help me stay on track.
Find Resources. Resources can come in the form of people, mentors, organizations, associations, classes, workshops, magazines, and books. I find staying motivated is easier if I don’t rely on just one type of resource.
Find a Way to Practice. I love to read. I learn so much from books. But if I don’t use new found knowledge, then over time it will fade. If I want to really learn something, I have to find a way to practice.
Expand Out of Your Comfort Zone. For me like most people, this is challenging. We like to do what we know. Unfortunately, most breakthroughs occur when you get out of those routines.
Do the Work. Following through requires a commitment of time, money, and effort. If I can find some time every day to work on preparation, it helps me build momentum over a long period of time. It creates a habit of growth.

I have learned that the more I prepare, the easier it becomes to see opportunities. It is almost like one creates the other. I hope you are finding time every day to prepare for your future.