My friend, a recent immigrant to Israel who travels "home" to the US multiple times per year on business, told me that he feels sad every time he returns to the US. He would much rather be in Israel. This, despite having lived in the US for most of his life (he’s well into his 50s).
As he told me that, it struck me how many people must feel sadness different elements of their work.
Read MoreEighty-six percent of employees say they’re most productive when they work from home, as cited by Fundera. Seventy-seven percent of employees report greater productivity while working off-site, according to the Remote Collaborative Worker Survey by CoSo Cloud. Sixty-four percent of global business leaders said flexible working had a positive impact on productivity, Condeco reports. Telecommuters are 14% more productive than their office-bound colleagues, according to a study released by Stanford University. Research found that working from home increases job performance and productivity while also decreasing the number of sick days taken.
Read MoreBuilding passion is also a great way to manage and reduce workplace stress. Stress is a serious drain on productivity and had a direct effect on worker health and absenteeism. Stress-related illnesses cost businesses an estimated $200 billion to $300 billion a year in lost productivity, as reported in Stress in the Workplace. A study by Health Advocate found that 1 million workers miss work each day due to stress. This absenteeism costs employers an estimated $600 per worker each year. Twelve percent of employees have called in sick because of job stress. This is not surprising because most people respond to increased stress with added caffeine and alcohol consumption, smoking, and prescription medications.
Read MoreAt the heart of great leadership is influence, as in the ability to influence others to do what needs to get done. While influence is important for every leader, it is especially critical when we’re understaffed and need to maximize every ounce of talent and time at our disposal.
Read MoreSince rolling out my “four-step” productivity plan, I have seen the need to include an added step that focuses on leadership. After all, if we are going to get more from our people, we need to use our leadership position to motivate others, create a healthy work environment and engage others in meaningful work.
The five components of this final step (step No. 5, and I do mean final this time) are:
Build workplace passion
Manage stress
Understand and leverage your leadership style
Set them up for success
Lead from the values up
The next and final step (step No. 4) towards increased productivity is to aim to ensure that our new productivity process is sustainable and doesn’t quickly fizzle out. So often, we get excited about a new process but lack the tools, commitment and/or mindset to see it to completion and long-term integration.
The goal of this post is to empower you to keep going in the face of expected setbacks and maintain the requisite level of well-being required for succeeding over the long haul.
The five components of this step are:
Decline/question as many non-critical meetings and tasks as possible; learn to say no
Focus on excellence, not perfection
Break often but briefly
Self-care (sharpen saw) -- sleep, exercise, nutrition
Use your commute wisely; read often
This third “Delegate to Accelerate” recording (first can be found here; second can be found here) addresses how to plan the delegation process to ensure its success.
We cover these topics:
Why we need to develop a delegation culture
How to decide what to delegate
Building others’ skills and efficacy
Be clear on tasks and outcomes
Listen in to the below recording to learn more and to bring yourself that much closer to true acceleration!
Oh, and by the way, I mention a special offer in this video that you don’t want to miss!
Read MoreCorporate life has earned a well-deserved reputation as being cold, calculated and non-emotive. Bosses seem to have picked up that there is little room for emotions and connection behind their business suits and spreadsheets. This approach, an outgrowth of the “boys don’t cry” school of thought, maintains that work is work. It should be a place of logical, rational thought, where you don’t give into emotional thinking. And you certainly don’t display any emotions you do feel to those around you because it’s both not professional and leaves you too vulnerable.
A new school of thought, getting increasingly more traction, argues that emotions and vulnerability are part of who we are. If we want true authenticity and power at work, we need to be willing to feel and acknowledge our emotions in our everyday activities.
Of course, this does not mean that we can or should allow our emotions to seize control of situations and dominate our thinking. It simply offers us permission to acknowledge how we feel and use those feelings as a way of taking our emotional temperature and take proper action when we feel sad, anxious, stressed and the like.
But it would be a mistake to think of workplace emotions only from a negative standpoint, as in how to handle our emotions when we’re feeling out of whack. Positive emotions deserve more attention as drivers of workplace connection, collaboration, motivation and engagement. Leaders who learn how to channel positivity and infuse it into their teams will see significant results in such areas as creativity, productivity, and retention.
Such positive emotion often starts with gratitude.
Read MoreFor the longest time, common wisdom held that, when it comes to happiness, things trump experiences. The logic was that if you pay for an experience, like a night out, it will be over and done with quickly. All you’ll have left is a fleeting memory that speedily evaporates into the ether. But if you buy a tangible thing, it’ll be around for a long time and can offer repeated opportunities for usage and happiness.
Yet, research makes clear that experiences make people happier than do possessions. Sure, owning a new gadget may be satisfying or even thrilling for a short while. But the thrill always fades as we become used to the (not so) new, shiny item and it fades into the backdrop. Soon, we find ourselves back in the same mental “place,” seeking our next purchase or gift to experience a new rush.
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