Today is a fast day on the Jewish calendar.

While in a sense that’s probably a good thing (I’m probably not the only one who overate on Rosh Hashana,) it presents a challenge for those who seek to get things done after two days out of the office.

On days like this, it’s easy to make excuses.

“I can’t get much done,” we say, “when I can’t eat.”

Of course, we don’t need fast days to find excuses for a lack of productivity or performance.

“I won’t get much done if I spend all day in traffic.”

“The weather is really crumby and is affecting my mood.”

“Jane is out again. There’s no way that I can make up the slack.”

“Without their advertising budget, we simply can’t match their market reach.”

The 3 R's of Rosh Hashana: Reassess, Reconnect and Recommit

The Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashana, which begins this evening at sundown, is a unique and awesome day.

It offers us a tremendous opportunity to identify who it is that we are, our relationship with God, and our relationship with each other.

Rosh Hashana is not a day of repentance and begging for forgiveness. That comes later with Yom Kippur.

Instead, it’s about reassessing our relationship with God, reconnecting with Him, understanding who we are and what role we play in His Master Plan.

Naphtali HoffSeptember 29, 2019Impactful Coaching & ConsultingComment

4 B.S. Networking Tips for Introverts

Do you go to networking events?

And are you an introvert?

If you are, you’re probably feeling overwhelmed. How will you manage in a large, crowded space?

Good news! It doesn’t have to be scary or impossible to navigate.

To those who say otherwise, I say “B.S.!”

No. Not THAT B.S.

Here are my 4 “B.S.” networking strategies for #introverts.

Be Still
Be Strategic
Be Seen
Be Sticky

How to Handle and Survive Market Volatility

There are sound investing principles that apply to all of us dealing with volatility.

We all have ups; we all have downs. And these sound principles all relate to the idea of “stay”. In other words, not flee, not run to the hills when there are challenges, but to be able to hold on and here are the three concepts relating to stay.

Number one, stay the plan,
Number two, stay invested, and
Number three, stay in growth mode.

balance, perspective, coachingNaphtali HoffSeptember 16, 2019Impactful Coaching & Consultingvolatility, stock market, planning, disciplineComment

18 Years Later, We Choose Life - Never Forget (9/11)

So hard to believe that it's been 18 (חי, chai) years.

It seems like it was just yesterday.

I was finishing prayers with my students in #Chicago when we were told to proceed to the gym for a special announcement.

I still remember who told me the news, what he said, and the facial expression he used.

How could I forget?

😨The sheer terror and confusion.
😨The loss and destruction.
😨The sense of powerlessness and emptiness.

Naphtali HoffSeptember 11, 2019Impactful Coaching & Consulting9/11, memory, life, help, support, communityComment

8 Tips to Handle Workplace Absenteeism

Simply put, absenteeism is a big deal for business leaders. It costs a lot in terms of lost productivity and temporary labor costs. Add in weakened morale and the price of absenteeism grows even more substantial.

So, what can leaders do to address it? Here are some strategies to consider.

Be proactive – Don’t let the problem go on for so long that you eventually react in anger or, in the interim, come across to others as unresponsive.
Keep records – While you don’t want to be breathing down people’s necks, it is important to have accurate attendance data at your disposal. This will give you the information that you need to have corrective conversations.
Demonstrate concern – When you notice a trend, approach the employee and demonstrate concern. Ask her what’s going on and what can be done to rectify matters. Approach the conversation with the assumption that the employee wants to be on time and reliable. See what you can do to be helpful.

3 BLOCKS to Increase Productivity

Didn't have the week you wanted?

Some of us can look back at the outgoing week and smile, thinking about all that was accomplished.

Others, maybe not so much.

Here are some *BLOCK* tips that can help make your last day of the week the most productive:

BLOCK out the past - What happened happened. No use in crying over spilled milk. 🥛

Develop an Attitude of Gratitude

Corporate 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.

Learn to Tell a Great Story

In my work as a professional speaker, I seek to weave in stories whenever possible. The reason is simple. Unlike dry, technical information, stories deliver messages direct to the heart. They deliver immediate understanding and are remembered much longer than other information.

When I use words like, “Let me tell you a story,” the audience always becomes more alert and attentive. It’s like they’re thinking, “Okay, here comes the really good stuff.”

Good stories have a power all their own. They can make complex issues understandable. They can give people a sense of community. They can call people to action in ways they never imagined.

Storytelling is not just an important skill for speakers. Now more than ever, great leaders are great storytellers. Storytelling helps executives weave rich narratives that inspire their organizations, set a vision, teach important lessons, and define the culture and values. Perhaps most importantly, stories explain who you are, how you got here, and what you believe most deeply about your work and about each other.

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