Blog
Time to start time boxing—and don’t stop until you’re a time champ!
Time boxing is a lot like shadowboxing. You know—shadowboxing: from TV and movies where a fighter is sparring with an imaginary opponent as a form of training. (Usually accompanied with upbeat triumphant-like music.) Time boxing is where you’re sparring with the clock—trying to complete a task against a drop-dead deadline—and you better win. I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a [...]
Attention leaders: all eyes are on you
Leadership IS example. You don't lead people by what you say to them; you lead them by what they see you do. Consider yourself on display. Realize that—for better or worse—you ARE a role model for your team members. Your attitude and actions serve as a constant point of reference for coworkers struggling to make the right changes in their job behavior adapting to the new normal. As this pandemic and work-from-home imperative progresses day-by-day, [...]
Don’t drown in the seductive pull of self-pity
The current situation we’re in has genuine heroes and genuine victims—and millions of us are somewhere in between. The truth is, everyone is stressed. This stress creates its own whirlpool which drags the passive down to the depths. In fact, stress ratchets up fastest if you surrender and decide you’re helpless. Just convince yourself there’s not much you can do about the situation, and see how much worse you feel. Your stress level is often [...]
It’s time to stop waiting for instructions and take the initiative
If you’re working from home, it’s easy to sit back and avoid the initiative until you get a new set of directions, and to hold off until a boss or supervisor tells you specifically what to do. After all, “doing nothing” is one of the most popular ways to fight changes that are difficult to accept. The sudden transition to working from home has been a challenge for most of us. Even worse, the rapid [...]
Leaders need to pass out more psychological paychecks
Psychological paychecks have always been important, but never more important than now. Their cost is next to nothing, yet the value is inestimable. Right now, you may not be in a position to give your team members more in terms of tangible rewards. Increases in pay or benefits may not be possible. But there’s no limit to the intangible rewards you can provide your coworkers. These psychological paychecks require little effort on your part (unless [...]
What can you ask of employees during a pandemic?
Leading a remote team is challenging. Leading a remote team during a pandemic might be close to impossible. So, what can you rightfully ask of employees during times like these? Not blind loyalty. Right now, you need something different than just allegiance from employees. Loyalty can get lazy—or be misdirected. During changing and unstable times “loyalists” can cause big problems because they resist change and try to perpetuate an outdated culture that could kill the [...]
Now that you’re neck-deep in a crisis, it’s time to choose how to respond
Finding your way forward We’re all a little shell shocked. Our ears are still ringing and eyes still blurry from the explosion of COVID-19 across the globe. We’ve now had a few weeks to absorb the blow, and it’s time to realize that we are standing at a crucial intersection and it’s essential that we choose our course. We’re standing—all of us—at the crossroads of danger and opportunity, and the time to act is now. [...]
How to Keep Your Business Finances in Order During COVID-19
If you are a business owner, you likely have experienced some of the impacts that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the world. COVID-19 has negatively impacted the economy, sending it into one of the worst recessions ever. Most business owners were not ready to handle the dramatic impacts that the coronavirus has had on the economy. If you are a business owner and do not know where to turn, don’t panic. There are loads [...]
Weekly planning: the key to gaining staggering long-term results
Here’s how to gain some control over your days by gaining some perspective and making weekly planning a habit. The truth is, weekly planning seems difficult right now—especially since we’re taking life a day at a time at the moment. Just staying in the moment and going with the flow takes all of our energy and focus. We’ve had bigger and more urgent things to deal with. I mean, seriously, can you even remember what [...]
Where are you on the journey through the 4 stages of change?
Generally speaking, when we change, we experience 4 stages of change. We pass through four phases that are distinct and recognizable. The phases are the Denial Stage, the Resistance Stage, the Exploration Stage, and finally, the Commitment Stage. Let’s discover where you are on your path through. The surest way to lose your footing is to focus on the wrong thing. I love to go trail running early in the morning. It’s silent outside this [...]