Our reader poll today asks:  Have you heard the term “insecure overachiever” and if so, would you consider yourself one? Yes. I have heard it, but I am not one: 18% Yes. I have heard it, and I definitely am one: 29% No. I have never heard the term: 53% Insecurity driving achievement. A term that’s been around for a long time is being an “insecure overachiever.” These people (myself included) have insecurities about their performance or their position and those insecurities lead them to invest disproportionate effort into their work. That effort often leads to great achievements. When kept in check, these dynamics can be stressful yet yield great results. Unchecked, they can lead to a complete loss of work-life balance and a loss of perspective on what’s really important. If you’re an insecure overachiever, set boundaries for your work efforts. Cut back on weekend work and late nights. Believe what they’re telling you in your great performance reviews. If you manage one of these people, be sure to let them know where they stand and how solid their work is. Keep an eye out for them losing a sense of balance. Burn out can lead to severe consequences. Do you agree with these poll results? Let us know in the comments below! – Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC Did you enjoy this post?  If so, I highly encourage you to take about 30 seconds to become a regular subscriber to this blog.  It’s free, fun, practical, and only a few emails a week (I promise!).  SIGN UP HERE to get the thoughtLEADERS blog conveniently delivered right to your inbox!

Our reader poll today asks:  How well do your people behave as stewards of your organization’s resources? Crises are harder to lead in: 17.% Day-to-day environments are harder to lead in: 83.0% Harder to lead during the calm. It makes sense that it’s harder to lead a team during day-to-day calm periods. There’s no “enemy” to galvanize your efforts. There’s no crisis to rally the team around. It’s just the boring daily operations that have to be done, but they also have to be done well. Just remember the old military aphorism that how you train in peace defines how you fight in war. If you’re not maintaining standards and holding people accountable during the slow times, they’re more prone to mistakes that can be costly during a crisis. If you place the right focus on the details when things are slow, that will be one less thing to worry about during the crisis that’s inevitably going to come your way. Do you agree with these poll results? Let us know in the comments below! – Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC Did you enjoy this post?  If so, I highly encourage you to take about 30 seconds to become a regular subscriber to this blog.  It’s free, fun, practical, and only a few emails a week (I promise!).  SIGN UP HERE to get the thoughtLEADERS blog conveniently delivered right to your inbox!

Our reader poll today asks:  What is your view of retirement? I want to stop working ASAP and do absolutely nothing: 17% I want to work as long as I possibly can:  19% I want to cut back dramatically but still be gainfully employed: 30% I want to pursue a second career in a new field I love: 34% Keep on keepin’ on. The vast majority of you want to keep working beyond a retirement age. Whether that’s staying aboard in your current career, scaling back, or pursuing something completely new, most of you want to remain actively engaged. For those looking for a new field, ask yourself what you’re doing today to enable that to happen tomorrow. Are your finances in good enough shape to make that jump? Are you learning the skills you’ll need in that future role? Are you building your network in that industry now so it’s ready for when you make the leap later? A career shift won’t happen on its own. The better you plan for it today and prepare accordingly, the more successfully you’ll make the leap tomorrow. Do you agree with these poll results? Let us know in the comments below! – Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC Did you enjoy this post?  If so, I highly encourage you to take about 30 seconds to become a regular subscriber to this blog.  It’s free, fun, practical, and only a few emails a week (I promise!).  SIGN UP HERE to get the thoughtLEADERS blog conveniently delivered right to your inbox!

Our reader poll today asks: How willing is your organization to invest in growth? Very. We spend freely to drive the top line: 12% Somewhat. We spend on focused areas only: 60% Not very. Our investments are few and far between: 18% Not at all. We never spend on driving growth: 10% It takes money to make money. Almost 30% of you report not spending much at all in your growth efforts. I’d venture to guess your companies aren’t growing. While it can be hard to carve out the funds to invest, you have to realize you can’t cut costs to achieve profitability forever. At some point, there’s nothing left to cut. To overcome this dynamic, be deliberate about setting aside funds in your budget for growth spending. With budgeting season around the corner for many of you, think about where your best growth opportunities are and make sure they’re fully funded. Then, don’t make the mistake of raiding those funds to make up for shortfalls elsewhere. Growth won’t happen magically. You need to invest it to catch up with the 70% of organizations out there who are freer with the purse strings. Do you agree with these poll results? Let us know in the comments below! – Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC Did you enjoy this post?  If so, I highly encourage you to take about 30 seconds to become a regular subscriber to this blog.  It’s free, fun, practical, and only a few emails a week (I promise!).  SIGN UP HERE to get the thoughtLEADERS blog conveniently delivered right to your inbox!