Balanced Lifestyle – Page 3 – thoughtLEADERS, LLC: Leadership Training for the Real World

Don’t Pay It Back: How Positive Influence Leaders Pay It Forward

August 31, 2020/0 Comments/in Balanced Lifestyle, Career, Communications, Leadership /by Ryan Shaw

Positive influence leaders make a big impact on the people they encounter and the outcome of that positive leadership is to pay it forward and help others.

Today’s post is by Glenn Parker, author of Positive Influences.

Singer/songwriter Taylor Swift donated $1 million to the V Foundation for Cancer Research, but she also gave $50,000 to the nephew of one her backup singers who was being treated for cancer. It’s clear that people who have benefitted from a positive influence in their life tend to be a positive force in the lives of many of the people they encounter.

Research indicates that some people take their experience of being on the receiving end of a positive influence leader and look for opportunities to have a similar impact on people they encounter in their work life. They can point to specific people they have impacted and the positive outcomes of those encounters. We also found that others have adopted a more generalized approach to people that seeks to have a positive influence on everyone in their orbit.

Authentic Leadership For Progress, Peace And Prosperity

August 17, 2020/0 Comments/in Balanced Lifestyle, Books, Career, Leadership /by Ryan Shaw

Being an authentic leader isn’t just good practice, it’s a necessity for the short, and long, term success and progress of your business.

Today’s post is by thoughtLEADERS principal Maureen Metcalf.

I am keenly interested in understanding how leaders progress their business agendas as well as the global agenda in times of significant geopolitical shifts. I attended the International Leadership Association’s conference, Authentic Leadership for Progress, Peace & Prosperity, in West Palm Beach, Florida, where keynote speakers, academics, award recipients and leaders across industries and the globe discussed their perspectives on the subject. This article summarizes my key takeaways.

With 39 countries represented at the conference, the focus on the volume, complexity and rate of change in the current climate continued to inform the conversations. So too did the political landscape, particularly the disillusionment with democracy and the move toward populism. The conversation was also impacted by several events happening in the background, such as a bomber delivering 14 bombs to democratic leaders and supporters, who was actually apprehended near West Palm Beach, where the conference was being held. There was also a synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh in the morning of the final day at the conference.

These events called to question what more we, as members of an international association, can do to focus on the intersection of leadership, scholarship and practice at a conference that focuses on progress, peace and prosperity.

Collaboration Improves Business Outcomes

August 5, 2020/0 Comments/in Balanced Lifestyle, Books, Guest Blogger, Leadership /by Ryan Shaw

Creating a culture of overt collaboration is foundational to an organizations ability to maximize results.

Today’s post is by thoughtLEADERS principal Maureen Metcalf.

In the United States, where we recently came out of a challenging election season, a concern for many leaders in the last few months has been creating workplaces where all employees are focused on the mission of the organization and not distracted by the political views of their colleagues. It seems that with this election, we are seeing a decrease in civility, openness and appreciation for alternate points of view. While this problem is accelerated by the recent election in the U.S., we are seeing similar concerns globally as we experience factions pushing toward globalism while others move toward localism.

For example: Bill is leading a group of technology professionals. They come from diverse backgrounds, and many are new to the organization. They are focused on IT security, a field that is evolving quickly. This group is continually faced with challenges they have not seen, and they are one of the top organizations among their peers. They are encouraged to attend conferences, read, talk to people in different industries and talk to thought leaders. Their only limitations in their interactions are time and money—the same limitations we all face. In addition to being encouraged to solicit information continually, they are explicit about their culture. They have discussed how they will work together and define the elements that support a highly effective culture. These agreements are foundational to their ability to think and behave collaboratively as their primary approach to problem-solving.

Burn Out and How to Recover Faster

June 24, 2020/0 Comments/in Balanced Lifestyle, Books, Guest Blogger, Leadership /by Ryan Shaw

Career burnout is in no shortage in America, catch it early and recover quick with these tips.

Today’s post is by thoughtLEADERS principal Jon Wortmann.

How tired are you? I ask because even if you practice the best self-care, set boundaries with your time, and manage your exposure to the inevitable conflicts and stress of working with people, you get tired. Performers, leaders, and managers who want to succeed and win will inevitably have tired days. The problem with tired is that it can also go too far. Are you so tired you are burned out?

I have had the privilege of working with diverse school districts and education leaders over the past decade. In preparation for one of my workshops I came across this study. Summary: 93% of the elementary school teachers surveyed were stressed, couldn’t cope, and felt burned out. Only 7% of the cohort had low stress, high abilities to cope, and a low experience of burnout. Is it the same in every industry? At every level of organizations? Do professional athletes and musicians experience the same struggles? It doesn’t have to be.

How do you handle distractions that break your concentration and focus?

June 18, 2020/0 Comments/in Balanced Lifestyle, Career, Communications, Leadership, Poll /by Ryan Shaw

Our reader poll today asks: How do you handle distractions that break your concentration and focus?

I ignore them as best I can and press on: 14.75%
I accept the interruption, take a break, then get back to work: 76.75%
Nothing ever distracts me enough to break concentration: 1.89%
I completely lose focus and give up on the task for a long time: 6.61%

Deal with it and move on. Interruptions are a part of life and they’re pervasive both at work and at home (especially when working from home). The vast majority of you see them as a cue to take a break then get back to work. Just be careful that it doesn’t sap your productivity. Do what you can to minimize interruptions because you’re not only giving up the time of the break but also time to get your mind back in the mode of what it was working on. Find a dedicated work space and make an agreement with those who might interrupt you as to when it is or isn’t OK to interrupt. You have to take active control over your work environment lest it end up dictating how productive or unproductive you are.

Do you agree with these poll results? Let us know in the comments below!

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

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When you get stressed out, how do you deal with it?

April 2, 2020/0 Comments/in Balanced Lifestyle, Business Toolkit, Career, Leadership, Poll /by Ryan Shaw

Our reader poll today asks: When you get stressed out, how do you deal with it?

I go exercise. 24.38%
I take time off from work. 5.48%
I throw myself into my work and push through it. 28.86%
I meditate. 13.31%
I do something else.24.12%
I never get stressed out. 3.85%

Find a productive outlet. While many of you have productive places to release stress (exercise, meditation, time off or some other activity), an alarming portion of you (29%) simply push through the stress. This can work in the short term, but over time, the cumulative effects of this stress can be tremendous. Whether it’s health issues, relationship challenges, decreased performance, irritability or some other damaging effect, your desire to “push through” can have catastrophic effects. Find an outlet for your stress. Channel it into something productive (outside of doing more work). Your health, your family and your team will appreciate your new habits and you’ll perform better, be happier and be healthier in the process.

Do you agree with these poll results? Let us know in the comments below!

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

Balance is the Key You’re Looking For

March 18, 2020/1 Comment/in Balanced Lifestyle, Books, Career, Leadership /by Ryan Shaw

Achieving balance with your work is a difficult task. There are busy periods and slow periods. Many times we seek to make the busy ones less busy and the slow ones busier by adding work. If that approach isn’t working for you, perhaps it’s time to embrace the highs and lows.

Today’s post is by Mike Figliuolo, thoughtLEADERS’ Managing Director.

Sometimes life is frenetic. Sometimes it’s slow. We all want to achieve “balance” in our lives but it’s difficult to do so through all those ups and downs.

We falsely believe “balance” is a Goldilocks thing – not too busy, not too bored, but juuuust right. We try to manage the busy periods to make them less busy. We make the slow periods busier. We do all this in a futile effort to get our lives into that range of “just right” but it never seems to play out. Why?

It doesn’t play out because we mistakenly believe we have control over our lives. Control is an illusion. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you’ll be able to achieve a sane sense of balance. But it’s not balance as you might be thinking about it. It won’t be in that “comfortable range” every day. To achieve the balance I’m talking about, you have to look at balance differently and therefore approach it differently.

First, the busy periods will always be busy.

Second, the slow periods will always be slow.

Third, control is an illusion and you can only do so much to manage those busy and slow periods.

How rigorous are the change management practices in your organization?

January 16, 2020/0 Comments/in Balanced Lifestyle, Career, Leadership, Poll /by Ryan Shaw

Our reader poll today asks: How rigorous are the change management practices in your organization?

Somewhat. We manage change for big changes but less for everyday stuff. 37.1%
Not very. We don’t actively think about how to manage change. 23.3%
Not at all. Change just happens and we react. 21.8%
Very. We actively and effectively manage change. 17.8%

Change just happens. 45% of you say you don’t manage change actively or are purely in reactive mode. People dislike change and times of change are times of risk for your business. People get distracted. Morale drops. Productivity flags. These events need to be managed actively. While huge change projects usually get the resources for change management, it’s the cumulative effect of all the small changes that saps the will of your organization. Your change management efforts don’t need to be huge. It’s mostly about communicating clearly and directly. Invest some extra time in your change efforts for the next few months and see what the impact is. Hopefully it’ll be a more focused organization that moves through change more quickly so they can get back to business sooner.

Do you agree with these poll results? Let us know in the comments below!

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

How many professional reading books do you read in a year?

December 5, 2019/2 Comments/in Balanced Lifestyle, Career, Leadership, Poll /by Ryan Shaw

Our reader poll today asks: How many professional reading books do you read in a year?

None. I read other forms of content (blogs, magazines, journals): 39%
A few: 1-4: 33%
Several: 5-9: 13%
Many: 15 or more: 5%
A lot: 10-14: 5%
I don’t really do any professional reading: 4%

Short form doesn’t beat bookworms. Clearly a large portion (39%) of you eschew books in favor of short-form content. That’s a sign of the times for busy professionals. That said, a healthy portion (56%) of you are still hunkering down with a good business book on a regular basis. For those who aren’t reading books, I encourage you to pick up the habit. Short-form content is great but isn’t lasting. Books are more comprehensive in their thinking and can more fundamentally alter the way you look at the world because they give you a broader context and deeper insights into issues than a 600-word blog post can. Books are also a great way to decompress and get away from stressful screen time, bouncing from one site to another. The best way to get started on this habit is to ask your friends and co-workers for recommendations. They’ll know you well enough to recommend things you’ll enjoy.

Do you agree with these poll results? Let us know in the comments below!

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

When is the last time you took a vacation?

November 21, 2019/0 Comments/in Balanced Lifestyle, Career, Leadership, Poll /by Ryan Shaw

Our reader poll today asks: When is the last time you took a vacation?

Last week: 14%
Last month: 30%
Last quarter: 18%
6 months ago: 14%
Vacation? What’s that?: 24%

Time to take a break. The 24% of you who can’t recall your last vacation are at risk for a lot of issues. Burnout, job dissatisfaction, family stress, and physical issues can all result from working too long without a break. The excuse of “I don’t have time because I have too much to do” doesn’t hold water. You have to make the time. A vacation doesn’t have to be long or expensive either. Just staying home for a few days and reconnecting with family, resting and taking some weight off your mind can work wonders. Travel can be stressful and expensive, so if you are taking a vacation requiring a trip, be sure you’re not inadvertently adding more stress to your life. For those who are demonstrating good vacation habits, bravo. Make sure your team members and colleagues do the same. Encourage them to take time off and offer to pick up the slack while they’re gone. It’s a generous offer and will benefit you and the team in the long run if everyone is rested and feels well taken care of.

Do you agree with these poll results? Let us know in the comments below!

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

How comfortable are you asking others for help when you’re struggling with work tasks?

October 31, 2019/0 Comments/in Balanced Lifestyle, Career, Leadership, Poll /by Ryan Shaw

Our reader poll today asks: How comfortable are you asking others for help when you’re struggling with work tasks?

Very. I ask for help anytime I need it: 27%
Mostly. I’ll ask for help when I’m really stuck: 41%
Somewhat. I’ll only ask for help in tough situations: 19%
Not very. I have a hard time asking for help: 8%
Not at all. I rarely ask others for help: 3%

Don’t wait until it’s too late. It’s great to see a large portion of you (68%) willing to ask for help when needed. For those who have trouble requesting assistance, remember it’s easier to fix a small problem sooner than a big problem later. Things can get out of control fast. You have colleagues for a reason. Taking on too much can also affect your stress levels, performance and even your health. You don’t have to ask for help all the time and there is a balance of not being overly reliant on others. That said, doing everything by yourself is stressful, risky and lonely. As long as you’re being reasonable with your requests in terms of size and frequency, you’ll find the vast majority of coworkers or friends are more than willing to pitch in when asked.

Do you agree with these poll results? Let us know in the comments below!

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

What expectations do you have of your team members when it comes to email responsiveness?

September 26, 2019/1 Comment/in Balanced Lifestyle, Career, Leadership, Poll /by Ryan Shaw

Our reader poll today asks: What expectations do you have of your team members when it comes to email responsiveness?

I expect a response only during working hours: 51%
I expect a response to all emails within a few hours of it being sent: 6%
I expect responses on urgent items immediately and others during normal hours: 43%

Reasonable expectations? While many respondents only expect a response during working hours, 43% expected responses to “urgent” items immediately even outside working hours. The real question here is what constitutes “urgent” because we all have different definitions. I challenge you to assess your view of urgent. Does that proposal really have to go out that night? Is the client really going to read it over dinner? Or can it wait until morning? Do you really need that report with the latest production numbers at 10 p.m.? Are you going to act on them that night or is it just curiosity that has you asking. “Urgency” is a slippery slope that leads us to be emailing at all hours of the day and night. Challenge the definition of urgent if you want some of that madness to stop. And if you expect an email at all hours regardless of work hours or not, I hate to break it to you but your team probably hates you.

Do you agree with these poll results? Let us know in the comments below!

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

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