Toward a More Balanced Life

Our hearts and prayers go out to the families and friends of the victims of the horrible tragedy in Connecticut. May their fond memories and the caring thoughts of others assist in their healing.

Events like this give us pause to reflect on our own lives, and where we are placing our priorities. During this holiday season, take some time to think back over this past year. What was the ratio of time you spent working – and/or thinking about work – to the time you spent with your family? Or to the time you spent relaxing? Or playing? If the scale tips significantly toward work, it may be time to make some changes.

According to an article by the Mayo Clinic, spending too much time at work can have a negative impact on your health and relationships, and can begin a cycle of increased expectations where the longer hours become the norm.  Here are some tips from the article for getting your life back in balance:

Track your time.  Review your daily activities – both work-related and personal, and prioritize them.  Cut out or delegate activities you don’t enjoy or don’t really have time for.

Take advantage of your options. Does your employer offer flex hours, a shorter work week, job sharing, telecommuting or other scheduling options? Having more control over your hours will reduce stress.

Learn to say no. Whether it’s a coworker asking you to spearhead an extra project or your child’s teacher asking you to organize a class party, remember that it’s OK to respectfully say no. When you stop accepting tasks out of guilt or a false sense of obligation, you’ll have more time for the activities that are important to you.

Leave work at work. With our various devices that connect us to anyone at anytime from nearly anywhere it’s hard to define the boundary between work and home. Make a conscious decision to separate work from personal time. When you’re with family, keep your laptop in your briefcase.

Manage your time.  Organize tasks and errands efficiently. Put family events on a weekly family calendar and keep a daily to-do list. Do what needs to be done and let the rest go.

Bolster your support system. Join forces with coworkers who can cover for you – and vice versa – when family issues arise. At home, enlist trusted friends and loved ones to pitch in with child care or household responsibilities when you need to work overtime or travel.

Nurture yourself. Eat a healthy diet and include physical activity in your daily routine. Get enough sleep. Set time aside each day for an activity you enjoy, and factor time in your week to participate in activities with family and friends.

As you think about your goals and objectives for 2013, I encourage you to include goals around more than just what you want to achieve professionally. Make some goals that incorporate the suggestions above, and focus on having a happy, successful and BALANCED New Year!

Happy holidays!

Lead on,

Rebecca

5 Ways to Advance Your Personal Development

Ask any HR Manager about the top issues on their latest employee survey and “more development opportunities” is likely to be one of them.  But in today’s economy many companies have either cut back formal classroom training or eliminated it altogether. Disappointing? Yes. Short-sighted? Definitely. But the good news is that there are many ways to continue your personal development without sitting in a classroom.  The important thing is that you continue to learn. Ultimately, your career and the path to achieving success in that career are in your hands. Start by assessing the skills and behaviors you need to develop to improve your capabilities in your current role and/or prepare for your next role. Then determine the best development resource. Here are five potential resources to get you started.

1. Read. Read everything you can on the topic. Books, magazines, trade journals, online articles. If you are at the career planning stage, there are plenty of online resources to help you identify the skills and behaviors you’ll need for your next step and then you can develop your reading plan from there. Be creative! Tap into reading sources you wouldn’t normally consider. There is learning everywhere.

2. Volunteer. Ask for an assignment at work that will stretch you. Volunteer for an organization or event in your community that will allow you to use or develop a skill you don’t get to use at work. For example, if you want to improve your leadership skills, volunteer to head up the committee planning an event or a community project.

3. Find a mentor. Most senior leaders attribute at least part of their success to the help of one or more mentors along the way. A mentor can give you the wisdom of someone who’s “been there” as well as honest feedback about your development areas and progress. Look for someone you admire and respect and with whom you have an open, honest rapport.

4. Join a professional organization. Connecting with others in your field through a professional organization is a great way to continue your development while building your professional network. These organizations often have expert speakers and other learning resources. Plus there are many volunteer opportunities to build your skills, and you just might find a mentor there!

5. Hire a coach. Is there a particular skill or behavior you need to develop that’s holding you back from achieving the next level in your career? Hiring a professional coach may be the answer. Be sure you hire someone who is professionally trained and certified. Interview several to find one that is a right fit for you in both experience and rapport.

There’s an old Chinese proverb that says, “Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.”

Keep adding to that treasure…

Learn on,

Rebecca

Communicating from Your Strengths

“Communication – the human connection – is the key to personal and career success.”   

- Paul J. Meyer

Have you ever walked away from a conversation feeling certain that the other person knew what you meant, only to find out later that they hadn’t heard – or understood – you at all?  That communication – the human connection – simply didn’t happen? Unfortunately, this is a pretty common occurrence. So how do we change that? How do we ensure that we (the sender of information) and the listener (receiver of information) interpret that information in the same way?

It begins by understanding your communication style and then learning to adapt that style so the listener will hear and understand you. So there truly is a connection.  

Think about how you tend to communicate in a work setting. Do you get straight to the point, use direct, assertive language and keep conversations brief (you are action-oriented!)  Are you comfortable with conflict and focused on moving the meeting, the project, the task forward?  Now think about having a conversation with someone who has the opposite communication style.  Who has a softer and more relaxed approach.  Who likes to engage on a personal level before diving into business. And who would rather avoid conflict. How would you adapt your style to communicate effectively with this listener?

Or perhaps you’re a very animated communicator.  Full of ideas and energy and often switching quickly from topic to topic. You prefer to focus on the big picture with minimal details. You love stories.  Now imagine that you’re giving a presentation to someone with the opposite communication style. Who is more formal and deliberate when speaking.  Who is focused on facts and details and prefers order and process. How would you adapt your style to communicate effectively with this listener?

We each have a bit of all these styles within our communication palette.  But we tend to favor one or two of them as our strengths. Recognizing what those strengths are, and then developing the ability to identify the strengths of others and adapt accordingly is key to achieving effective communication. 

There are a number of assessment tools available to help you understand your communication strengths and learn how to adapt to others.  If you’re interested in learning more about assessments for you or for your organization, please contact me, Rebecca Bales, at RebeccaBales@luminalearning.com.

This Thanksgiving I am grateful for my family, friends, gifts and talents, and the opportunities that God has given me to experience this life. I am blessed for all of the people who are on this journey with me, who have crossed my path and whom I have yet to meet. I wish all of you a Happy and Love-filled Thanksgiving!

Warm regards,

Rebecca

Developing Global Leadership Capabilities

More and more companies are moving from being merely “international” to being truly “global” – in their investments, in their footprint, in their organizations.  To support this, it’s essential that companies develop leaders who can manage the complexities of thinking, operating and competing in a global marketplace.

Valuing diversity is a good start. But as we look at the four dimensions of leadership – Leading through People, Leading with Vision, Leading to Deliver and Leading with Drive – there are key
capabilities within each that are required for effective global leadership.

Leading through People

• Clearly understanding the nuances of culture and language.  Realizing that to communicate effectively with those who have a different background and frame of reference you have to adapt your communication style - and content- to them. 
• The ability to build strong interpersonal relationships regardless of location, culture or age differences.
• Recognizing and leveraging the unique value that each team member contributes.
• Fostering a global mindset among all team members through continuous learning and enabling the development of skills required to compete in a global environment.

Leading with Vision

• Understanding how to do business with people in different parts of the world and realizing that their goals may be different from ours. Being able to adapt and work together toward a common future.
• Thinking strategically and having the ability to communicate the vision to global teams.
• The ability to revise the strategy based on what’s happening in the global environment.

Leading to Deliver 

• The ability to deal with the complexity of growth on a global basis.
• Understanding the needs of the customer – wherever they are.
• Developing strong, collaborative global networks.
• Operating effectively under highly challenging circumstances.

Leading with Drive

• Not just making things happen, but delivering results through effective, repeatable processes that increase efficiencies and performance.
• Establishing best practices and implementing them across cultures.
• Seeing the broader picture of both local and global issues and devising solutions accordingly.

Investing in leadership development that builds these capabilities to create effective global leaders is more than just good business sense, it’s a key competitive advantage.

Lead on,

Rebecca

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Building a Culture That Engages Employees

A recent study by Towers Watson shows that just over a third (35%) of the 32,000 full time employees who participated in the study are “highly engaged.” Of the remaining participants, 39% are “unsupported” or “detached” and fully 26% are actively disengaged. The impact of disengaged employees is startling. In fact, Gallup estimates that the lost productivity of actively disengaged employees costs the US economy at least $370 billion annually.

Keeping employees engaged is essential to organizational success.

A key driver of employee engagement is effective leadership. While HR programs and perks may increase employee satisfaction, the number one contributor to whether an employee feels valued, connected and challenged is the employee’s immediate leader. 
In our increasingly global environment, we need leaders who can engage the workforce, motivate virtual teams, communicate effectively across borders and attract and retain diverse talent.  

But how do we develop and support those leaders?

By providing leadership development that helps leaders understand their preferences in the four dimensions of leadership – Leading through People, Leading with Vision, Leading to Deliver and Leading with Drive – and how they can adapt to a given situation or person to produce maximum results.

A culture of engagement includes two-way communication and feedback, trust in leadership, opportunities for development, employees who clearly understand how they contribute to organizational success, and shared decision-making.  Leaders contribute to this culture by recognizing the unique value that each member of the team brings to the organization, and by adapting to different communication styles, motivation triggers, and work style preferences.

The proof is in the numbers.

According to Towers Watson, those companies with a highly engaged workforce improved operating income by 19.2% over a period of 12 months. Companies with low engagement scores saw operating income decline by 32.7% over the same period. 

What are you doing to create a culture that promotes employee engagement?