Remember Why You Started

"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving."
- Albert Einstein

Grey, not Black and White
Think back to when you finally broke through and landed that first big job. Whether it was in leadership or not, you soon realized two important things:
- the greater the responsibility you have, the greater the impact you can make
- the greater the responsibility you have, the greater the pressure coming at you from all directions

Finding the balance between the these two things, and not losing your energy and enthusiasm can be a challenge!

The pressure, unclear road ahead, changing dynamics in the workplace, and self-talk inspired depression can often get in the way of why you started down this path in the first place.

Acceptance and Action
There is a fairly straightforward way to deal with these pressures however; one that is often overlooked.

Accept them.

Whether or not something "should be this way" or "should be that way" we must accept the reality that the world is not going to operate exactly the way we think it should.

Accept them.

Feeling frustrated with our colleagues once in a while, wishing we could have avoided a communication failure, or believing we should have removed a poor performer sooner are all normal. Getting ourselves all worked up however, or worse, spending extra time lamenting it all is incredibly counterproductive.

"When we accept the fact that the world of work is never going to be perfect, we free ourselves to remember why we were so excited about work in the first place." 

There are still many opportunities to make a difference. 
There are endless chances to impact another person's life. 
There are no limits to what we can do.

How About You
What is getting in your way as you think about work? Have you allowed yourself to become so frustrated that you spend your days feeling down and depressed? Or, will you decide to accept that we all have our failings, but they should never stand in the way of why we love what we do?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

pic

As I Lay Dying

Have you every felt completely stuck in your work? You know the feeling...projects are not on track the way they should be...leaders are doing lots of talking but very little leading...and it looks like deadlines are going to be missed.

So many issues hitting all at once.

The Cycle of Doubt
I would be lying if I told you I didn't suffer from a cycle of doubt every once in a while. First comes a series of challenges that are quickly followed by the pressure and frustration of the work not being executed the way it should.

I hate that.

Next is that sense of desperation as the pieces seem to be spilling out everywhere without any coordinated plan that is actually being managed. Many leaders tout their own skill set, but very few actually execute effectively. 

Titles do not equal skills. Ever.

The Cycle of Success
Hitting a low point every once in while does have it's advantages, although I would prefer never to get there myself.

Renewed Focus
Sometimes we need to simply change the way we frame our desperate situation. Consider the low point you're feeling as the laser focus you needed to drive forward. The issues are clear...now focus exclusively on those issues. As you begin to resolve them one by one you will feel not only a sense of satisfaction, but a sense of real control.

Energy
Have you ever noticed that when things start to go well you feel even more enthusiastic about the work you're doing? Progress brings with it a new infusion of energy. Embrace that adrenaline rush and keep pushing.

Work
Now it's time to leverage your focus and energy and build a reasonable plan...and for God's sake execute that plan.

Results
As your hard work pays off be sure to recognize the results you and your team are achieving. Part of every plan should be a few moments to formally acknowledge the successes along the way.

How About You
You're not laying there dying. You are a beast. Get the hell up, dust yourself off, and go kick ass.

Now.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

pic

Grab A Straw

It’s time for us to have a little chat. Just you and me. Let me ask you…how are things going? Is work going well? Perhaps you’re in the search process…is it panning out the way you planned? What about the challenges in your current role? Are you feeling the fire inside your gut to hit those big, bad, nasty challenges head on?

I mean it…how are you?

Honesty First

We all face times in our professional lives that can have us feeling a bit (or a lot!) overwhelmed with it all. Our minds drift to new jobs, and new employers, with perfect coworkers and a drama-free environment. Then our Inbox pings us back to reality with a never ending stream of noise, noise, noise.

Let’s be honest, sometimes we just don’t like our work. That’s okay to admit, but it’s not okay to dwell on.

Venting Second

Before we start lamenting our lot in life, we need to do something very important.

Vent.

Let it out. Let go of the frustration. Dump a load of noise pollution and get it out of your system. It won’t fix a damn thing, nor will it magically generate a list of solutions to all of the challenges you’re facing. So what. Go off anyway, and let it fly.

Once you’re done…and I mean completely done…grab a straw and suck it up. Get yourself back together and take action on one issue. Don’t solve anything, don’t race to some imaginary endpoint, and don’t pick up the phone and unload on some unsuspecting Manager who is needy as all hell.

Suck it up in private, and take one step forward.

Then take another. And another. And another.

Now you’re on your way. You’re back in control, and you’re going to figure it out, whether it’s your current employer, your job search, or the annoying folks who don’t seem to go away, despite your best attempts to help them.

How About You

Are you willing to admit that you get super frustrated sometimes? Do you have someone you can vent with so you can have the satisfaction of complaining like a crazy person just to feel a little better? If not, give me a call. I’m an excellent listener.

I’d love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

photo credit

Who's On First?

Strategic plans...new ideas...reimbursement changes...regulatory interference...technology breakthroughs...excitement and enthusiasm to keep moving forward. These issues impact us each day in our work lives. We get fired up, or we should, and charge off down the trail ready to change the world.

But sometimes as we're racing along with the wind in our hair, we look around and see that we're the only one who has gone along for the ride. Why does that happen? Don't the people around us realize what a great opportunity there is if they just follow our lead?

C'mon people!

Communication Is Not Overrated

Keeping our team members informed of our vision is important during normal times. When we move into a period of rapid change it is absolutely essential that we explain exactly where we're headed on an ongoing basis. Feeling left out at work can be annoying, but worse than that is feeling like you don't understand what is expected of you.

Most of our employees come to work each day trying to make a positive impact. Without the proper guidance and direction from leadership, it is impossible to achieve that daily goal.

How About You

Do you meet with your team members regularly and share your vision? Do you include them in decision-making whenever possible so you have the buy-in necessary to execute on your plans? Don't make your guidance so difficult to understand that your team is left frustrated and saying who, what, and I don't know!

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

Abbott and Costello...gotta love it.

photo credit

Starting Over

For as long as I can remember I've been focused on advancing my career...and I can remember a long, way back. Trying hard to think through the right moves, focusing on certain experiences, and taking risks in new roles were part of my career path. Sometimes those opportunities presented themselves in a company I was working for at the time; but usually, any meaningful move forward meant leaving my organization and beginning again.

It's Not A Do-Over
I've come to learn over the years that the process of starting a new job, meeting new colleagues, and diving into new challenges is incredibly rewarding. The issue isn't about "fixing things" that aren't working; but rather, to help create an environment where people can look at problems in a new way, and feel supported as they solve those problems.

A change for me however has come as an extension of this mindset. The deeper I go into working with my team to address issues can result in even more opportunities popping up. This is not a blaming exercise by any means, in fact it's more like a professional challenge to see how many systems we can improve together.

It's All In The Delivery

The challenge for today's HR leader, or any leader for that matter, is how they handle those new problems that come up when we least expect them. Being frustrated is fine. Actually, if you didn't show that you felt some level of frustration your team might not appreciate the importance of the new issue.

However, once we've done a little internal processing, we need to ensure that how we present the challenge is not done in a way that inadvertently blames the staff for not fixing the problem previously. A delicate message for sure, but one that if handled well, keeps everyone engaged and not feeling like a group of scapegoats.

How About You
In your quest to climb the ladder, do you take time to engage your team to make work better? Or, is that brass ring off in the distance so darn shiny that you miss everything else along the way?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.



photo credit

Bang Your Head

I need a quick show of hands....how many of you have ever been frustrated at work? Okay, everyone.  Good.

Another question...how many of you have done something constructive about it? Not so many hands still raised this time? How come?

Blessing and a Curse
One of the blessings of working in a Human Resources leadership role, regardless of the level in your organization, is you never have two days in a row that are the same. The human drama (and melodrama) keep coming at us in many different forms...the challenges of keeping our businesses viable...and the never ending legal and regulatory landscape make for fascinating work.

One of the curses of working in a Human Resources leadership role, regardless of the level in your organization, is you never have two days in a row that are the same. That same list I just reviewed can also drive us all a bit crazy. 

You Hold the Key
So what does the dedicated, but tired and overworked human resources pro do when they are frustrated and ready to bang their head against the wall? First, don't hit the wall with your head. Second, just get started => do something. None of us can work through all of our difficulties at one time, but if we take a step forward to react to them, we will slowly begin to take more control. That sense of control (I don't mean control-freak here) is comforting because it means we are managing our work on our terms.

How About You

You also have a secret weapon in your battle with frustration...your network. Leverage your contacts and reach out. They are going through the same challenges you are; and once you connect with them you will both benefit from the discussion. I know it works...I've wanted to bang my head too.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.



pic courtesy of trinityumc