Spring ahead, it's about time!

We are about to turn our clocks ahead (on Sunday, March 11th to be exact).

The optimist says, “Finally, longer stretches of sunlight!”

The pessimist says, “We lose an hour of time.”

Everything we do takes time. Yet do we really give ourselves the time to do what we need to do in a given day? Many of us have embraced the mechanics of Outlook calendars to plan our lives. The simplicity of planning our schedules and, oh, those pop-up reminders (!) appear to relieve us from the stress of the day. Yet, they really don’t. 

The myth of electronic calendar tools is that they create efficiency.  Yes, you are expertly planning, but you are not leaving time for the free flow of life – for interaction and collaboration with others. No time is factored in to debrief oneself after a meeting, solve a problem or, most importantly, create a solution.

For the last couple of decades, we have been told that the means of modernization and technology would give us more free time to stop and smell the roses, yet, as I talk to many of my colleagues, it seems that the future we live in now is racing by us at the speed of light – and we are all caught up in it. (Ever wonder why this is an exceptionally bad flu season? Human immunity is outpaced.)  

Electronic calendars control how and when we do things. They are not assisting us in our productivity.

Recently, I worked on a collaborative project with colleagues from different areas of a company. The project had several moving parts. While each of us went around the room sharing our updates and next steps forward for the implementation of the project, there appeared to be a gap of time for completion.  One of the team members asked me how long it would take to meet with the other members of the team who were responsible for implementing the project. I thought for a few moments about his question, and realized I could not answer it with a calculation of minutes or hours.  In today’s work environment, we have become so accustomed to electronic calendars, that we don’t factor in the time to work with others and have discussions.

Many people focus on the completion of their individual tasks, yet do not think to build in the time to interface and collaborate with others to complete a project. Because of this, we rush to meet a last minute deadline.  

Yes, scheduling tools can help you be more productive, but be sure to revisit your calendar often to:

1) Build in time for a break---to think on your own or, collaboratively, with others.

2) Try different planning tools to slow down the chaotic race for completion.

3) Build thoughtful meetings around agendas with a little wiggle room to complete goals.

Great Expectations: How to Build Successful Teams and Projects

Many of us started off this year with a rush of new opportunities, ideas and goals. Yet, in conversations with some of my colleagues, a common theme surfaces: even though we are working at break-neck speed everyday, we still feel like we are deluged with work. Those goals seem to creep further and further into the distance. Interestingly, it’s not because of volume, it’s because of a lack of clarity surrounding expectations. 

Once expectations become clouded, no one is clear on what needs to be accomplished. And, when that happens, you might as well put your project and your team in a vat of quicksand.

I decided to observe how my colleagues were handling their schedules and workloads in concert with their day-to-day operations, on-going technological changes, reorganization and succession planning goals. Many were able to complete a variety of daily assignments, yet just couldn’t get ahead of their workload. Ever.

With the non-stop presence of technology in our day-to-day lives, it is no wonder that we loose sight of the expectations of what it is we are trying to achieve. Over the last decade (and even more so during the last few years), many people are pushing forward on projects with the solitary (and fruitless) purpose of meeting the expectation of completing on time.

Expectations, if not clearly defined at the beginning of a project, can go astray quickly, putting leadership and good teamwork at risk. 

Create a clear path of expectations:

1.  Identify upfront the goals and objectives for the project by asking these questions: 

- Why are we here?

- What we are trying to achieve?

- Who is responsible for what deliverables to meet the overall expectation of the end user (often the client)?

2. Write down the responses with specifics such as: expectations, execution, completion dates, deliverables and next steps forward.

3. Throughout the project, stay focused on the expectations of the project and the roles and responsibilities of each team member in order to successfully complete a collaborative and cohesive project on time.

How to establish expectations: 

1. Make sure the expectations come early and are realistic. 

2. Engage your team early in the planning of expectations and the individual roles and responsibilities of the project. 

Expectations are great:

1. By establishing expectations at the beginning of a project you are able to create accountability markers for your team members. 

2. Clear expectations, early, prevent derailment, confusion and a general lack of communication and unease. 

3. A more collaborative and focused team will emerge with clear communications to develop and complete a successful project. 

4. An ownership environment thrives.

Growing Your Career into a Healthy New Year

Clutter. clutter clutter. Immediately the word conjures mounds of collected, no-longer-useful material goods. Clutter is not always physical. Clutter is a concept that quickly clouds our thinking, too.

At the end of they year, clean out the clutter for new opportunities and new thoughts.  This year, don't just roll into the next one. Take stock of 2017 and step with intention into 2018. 

You spend most of your time in your career, so enjoy it! 

Before entering into the new year, stop and think about how YOU can grow yourself. So much energy is spent dwelling on someone or something else that negatively impacted our own planned steps: "My company didn't do this," or  "They decided it wasn't the right time," etc. Know that whatever you are doing, you are learning. Learn to appreciate the unexpected, like this double iris that bloomed in my garden this winter! A bump in the road, does not set you off course.

It is your responsibility to take care of yourself and know your own value. So, this December, build a strategy for the new year. Give yourself an end-of-the-year invitation to grow. Create a checklist that allows you to put away all the mental clutter from the last 12 months. Take time for a little self-examination, then refresh and refill. 

I find this daily foundation in my life to be extremely helpful: 

1) Listen to new ideas

2) Collaborate with Others 

3) Be Healthy

4) Be Helpful 

5) Be Grateful 

5) Reflect 

Staying healthy and engaging with others in meaningful ways outside of work are key elements of your happiness. And that happiness extends into your performance and, ultimately, determines your success at work. 

How to Help this Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving, remember what it means to help.

H is for Humor
E is for Esteem
L is for Listen
P is for Praise

When is it time to move on?

In this blog, I write a lot about the balance of career, family and community with mindfulness, fulfillment, slowing down and…turning it off. My hope is to provide some sound advice and encourage continued growth on a healthy and interesting path for all.

The toughest question when I consult is: How do I decide when it is time to move on to something new?

Sometimes that work-life balance may be achieved but perhaps the path is not as happy or as interesting as it once was.

Your answers to these questions are good indicators:

- Do I still enjoy my work?
- Do I still feel passionate about what I am doing?
- Is my work appreciated?
- Do I find that I am still able to add value to the company for whom I work?

- Does the leadership reflect the core values and the reason why I joined the company in the  first place?

- Am I staying fresh in my work and growing my skill set and talents?

- Is the work still inspiring or is it just way to “pay the bills”?  

- Do I continue to add value to the well being of the company?

- Does my mission still align with the mission of the company?

How were your answers? If they were mostly negative, then it might be time for some deeper reflection.

A couple of colleagues shared that headhunters had recently approached them. Often, this is a compliment to the person and their reputation in their market sector. I shared with them that they could see what they had to offer, as it is a great way to measure your current situation and compare it with other opportunities.

I believe that there are times when we should move on…and the reason is not always monetary. It is up to each and every one of us to believe in what we are called to do and to trust in the creation of our own destiny.

Embrace Change

In 2015, I wrote, “What is Change?" Since then, I can’t even begin to tell you how much change I have experienced! Some of it has been physical; some of it has been with my staff. Some of it has even been political. Some of it has been set in motion by me, and I’ve been a receiver of a lot of changes around me that impacted and changed me.

Yet, I still see change as a process of flow. It is the flow. It is the essence of life. It’s not about boredom or redundancy and it’s never a good thing to idle through change. Don’t shut off the heart when going through change! Trust in the ebb and flow. Transition -- how we handle it and what it teaches us -- is the greatest joy of being human.

So often we look at change as negative.  Yes, change is not always a choice; it may be a loss, or something we had not anticipated to take place in our lives.  How much my life has changed in these last several months! And though some of the changes seemed to be ever so difficult, many of the changes have really helped me to grow, learn and stretch myself in new directions.

The more I welcome and embrace change as a gift of opportunity, I find I actually think differently. Change simply means not getting “stuck” in the routine.

Every six months, I like to do a self-assessment to make sure that I am tuned into the changes that are happening around me so that I am still reaching and growing. It’s a lot like pruning and cleaning a garden to keep it fresh and healthy through the seasons. During a process of change, take a moment to be quiet and listen.  You’ll start to enjoy the new precisely because it is different! 

As we begin to welcome in the cooler air and rich colors of the autumn season, I encourage all of us to embrace the many changes ahead as a positive experience of “newness”—a refresh and refill for one’s soul. 

The Sustainability of Endurance

Are you able to hold on and carry it through?  You can get it over the one-yard line and the thirty-yard line, but can you make it to the goal? Our greatest challenge is to have the endurance needed in this age of technology to ride  comfortably with its cycles and  its fickleness.

The utopia of a Spring garden—its newness and bloom surprises—is quickly followed by the Summer months of July and August. The garden grows double-time, basking in the vitamins from the sun and warm weather. This is the season that puts me to the test. Longer and more frequent days are are required in the garden, trying to stay ahead of the growth, the bugs and other challenges. The peak of summer gardening is all about endurance.

I often find myself asking, “Can I ever get ahead of the upkeep and care?” And, the funny thing is, after a long week of labor in the garden, I am always rewarded.   When I sit in my favorite spot over looking the garden at dusk, I relax and take in all of the joy it brings me. I know that it is never fully complete or finished. I accept that it is a work in progress. Actually, I love that it’s always a work in progress. Isn’t it all? The splashes of colorful flowers dotted across he varying hues of green are a backdrop for a very special kind of dance where humming birds and butterflies flow to the rhythm of the gentle breeze.  And it’s never the same performance twice.

We must all endure through seasons of extra work, some emotional or physical strain, and longer hours at different times in our lives. Just remember, no two days are the same. Each day is a new performance in the greatest work-in-progress of all: life.