How Your Values are (or aren’t) Showing Up
Here’s part two in my three part series on how to be the best version of yourself at work. The first part was on what everybody ought to know about self-doubt and how to take action in spite of your doubt to be at your best.
Another great way to help be at the best version of yourself is to consider how your values are (or aren’t) showing up, and find ways to express them more. This can create ease in making those harder, conflicting decisions, bump your performance to the next level, and you can feel good about how you are showing up as a leader.
Watch this video to learn more:
Sometimes we can get caught up in the demands and expectations each day and lose sight of who we are and who we want to be. And too much stress can definitely contribute to thinking, feeling and behaving in a way that’s isn’t really who we are.
I know you’re busy, so I’ve put together the most important thing you need to do and action you can take to take...
What Everybody Ought to Know About Self-Doubt
First off, everybody has self-doubt.
Have you felt a ball in your stomach when you want to speak up in an important meeting and the voice in your head is asking: “Is what I have to say really that important?”, “Will I sound smart?” or “What will they think of me?”
And you might be brave and speak up.
And then the worry after the meeting – “What did they think of me?” and “I shouldn’t have said that”.
Or perhaps you hold back and don’t say anything at all (thereby not letting the world know your awesome ideas).
I am usually great at speaking up in the moment, but the little voice afterward asks those questions.
Or you doubt your abilities when you encounter something new and worry if you are meeting others expectations.
Everyone has self-doubt. It’s normal. If you aren’t feeling this even a bit, you likely aren’t pushing yourself to grow.
The difference in people is whether they let the...
3 Ways To Be A Stronger Leader Right Now
Whether you are a formal or informal leader, CEO or someone just starting out in your career, there are always tweaks you can make to show up in an even stronger way, and it is important to always be growing and learning new things.
Sometimes, we can get caught up in bigger development goals and miss the small actions we can take each day that, over time, can add up to make the big difference we seek.
I know I have found — in my past corporate career, my own business now and when with family and friends — it’s the small things each day that make just as much (or more) of a difference in how I show up as a leader, business owner, spouse, friend and parent.
Here are three little things (that take no more than one or two minutes at a time!) that you can do to make better choices, strengthen your relationships or snap out of it when self-doubt or worry starts to creep in:
1. Consider your values and character in any moment and use it to guide your next action.
When...
How Stress Can Fuel Your Performance (Instead of Slowing You Down)
When stress gets to be too much, it can undercut our performance and slow us down.
And a certain amount of stress is inevitable with demanding workloads, balancing work and personal time, dealing with a difficult boss or colleague, or the pressure and self-doubt that can creep up when encounter something new. These can lead to feeling overwhelmed, anxious or frustrated.
While stress may be inevitable, the effects of it, and how you view and respond to what’s going on around you is not. You have control over this part.
And if you want to change your situation, you first have to change your reality and the lens through which you see your world. Our thinking drives our behaviours, which drive our results.
The difference between one person thriving and showing up as the best version of themselves in the face of challenges, and another person often feeling overwhelmed or frustrated (and not showing up at their best), is how they view and respond to what’s...
3 Ways to Quickly Bounce Back From a Setback
A moderate amount of stress is a good thing, as it can help motivate us to take action. But when stress or anxiety gets to be too much, it undercuts our performance and slows us down, beside the fact that it’s not good for our health or happiness.
I recently did research with corporate leaders and professionals on the biggest challenges that cause stress at work, and I heard from a number of people about being sucked into a downward spiral when bigger setbacks and challenges happen.
A few years ago, this downward spiral used to happen to me when I encountered too much stress. I have since made a number of changes to shift my thinking and behaviors, and now, stress rarely takes over and I am less fazed when things go sideways.
However, a couple of weeks ago, I was reminded of “that feeling” . . . when the pressure of the tasks ahead or stress from a big setback takes over. When you feel the weight of the job and expectations, and an unsure feeling sits on your...
The Biggest Challenges With Stress At Work and The Most Important Thing To Do
Workplace stress is a common theme these days. And, with all the expectations in our days between our work and personal life, it’s easy to let the stress take over. It doesn’t have to be this way though.
I spent the past summer researching the biggest challenges professionals face when it comes to stress at work. As a result, I’ve put together the single most important thing to do, as well as practical strategies based on science, experience and results, to help professionals be at their best without letting stress get in their way.
As part of the research I conducted, I asked a simple question of corporate leaders and other professionals: “When it comes to handling stress well at work, what is your single biggest challenge frustration or problem you have been dealing with?”. I had over 250 responses and learned some surprising results.
I’ll get to those results, but first, I want to share why this topic is very near and dear to my heart.
I...
How Positivity and Resilience Make a Real Difference in Your Work
Ever experience the struggle where your boss just doesn’t understand where you are coming from? Or your employee just doesn’t seem to “get it” and spends his or her time complaining rather than coming up with solutions or action to get the job done? Or maybe you have so much work to do that you just don’t know how you’ll get it done and it’s stressing you out. Most of us have faced these or other frustrations in our work. And guess what? The things that you focus on become the things that you notice – it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. And when you focus on what’s wrong, you miss seeing the positive and more possibilities and choices for action, slowing you and your team down on the path to success.
Through science, we know that the brain’s default mode is to notice the bad more often than the good – it’s how people process automatically. But science also shows that putting the emphasis...
How to Speak Up at Work!
Watch this short video and get ideas for action to be more effective in your role.
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Positivity is a Game Changer
Early in my corporate career, I thought my greatest strength was my ability to hone in on problems, issues, and “what’s wrong?” when a new idea or project was presented. While this seemed to serve me well – it helped to see the potential pitfalls where others didn’t – I now know it also limited my view of all the positive opportunities and possibilities. As I progressed into roles with greater responsibility, teamwork and influence, this approach was no longer serving me.
I realized that it is far more powerful and effective to start from a place of: What’s right? How can we move things forward? What are the possibilities? What’s the positive? What’s the solution? I found that emphasizing the positive helped me build stronger relationships, be more engaged and productive, and see many more opportunities. I became fascinated by the people side of things and the correlation between positivity, relationships and business...
6 Reasons Why You Should Disconnect While on Vacation
While smartphones are great for taking photos, researching what restaurants to visit or adventures to explore while on vacation, they can also keep you connected to the daily stressors and responsibilities at work, home and in the news. Since many of us don’t “turn off” as often as we should in our day-to-day lives, “turning off” on vacation is more important than ever. You spent all that money on a trip and finally have that break from your busy life, so why not take full advantage to escape? Start by putting that phone away!
I have always been pretty good at disconnecting while on vacation and take steps to set myself up for success by limiting the paths of least resistance, such as turning off notifications, logging out of Facebook, LinkedIn and email applications, and simply leaving the phone in the hotel room. Do you know what’s amazing? After two or three days of being offline, that ever-present urge to check...
