Make Overwhelm a Thing of the Past

If you've ever felt overwhelmed, this one's for you. 

When we are in the middle of overwhelm we don't have the mental capacity to work ourselves out of it, so write this down and put it on a wall somewhere, so that when you're overwhelmed you can look at this and know what to do.  

There are two things that need to be handled when we feel like things are spinning out of control, or when there's too much to do.  We have to address it on a micro and a macro level.  

Start with micro.  It alleviates the stress right in front of you and makes room for the macro.  

How? Ask yourself two questions:

1. What can go?  There are always things you're doing that you don't need to be doing.  Identify that, get rid of it - trust me, you and everyone will be fine. 

2. What do I keep that is non-negotiable?  There are things that are more important than others today, just today...what are they?  Immediately when you focus on the urgent and get rid of the less urgent you'll be able to breathe.  This primes the pump for the macro.  

Macro is perspective change.  We get so stuck in the nitty gritty that we lose sight of the big picture.  What's your big picture? Is it family? Is it having a peaceful mind?  Whatever it is - identify it, write it down, put it on the wall in front of you and when things get crazy ask yourself, “what can I do today to feel more in touch with my big picture?”

When we take immediate action by deciding what must happen today, what shouldn't happen today and how to keep our minds focused on what's important, overwhelm becomes a brief moment that we can navigate and put behind us...which then leaves us open to working better and being happier.  

Send this to a friend who you know is all wound up and in need of some helpful tools. 

Defining Moments

Is your team lacking momentum or connection? Try making and marking defining moments. Defining moments can be left to chance, but Chip and Dan Heath think they can be created.

In their incredible book “The Power of Moments: Why Certain Moments Have Extraordinary Impact” Chip and Dan Heath say a defining moment is “a short experience that is both memorable and meaningful.” 

Imagine all the employees of a company welcoming a new employee on their first day, or staff being empowered to give away free items to unsuspecting customers. Those are just a few examples of what powerful moments can look like. 

Did someone new just join your team? Find a unique way to point out their presence. Was a collective goal just met? Get the whole team to join in celebrating. Did someone step above and beyond the call of duty? Surprise them to show what they did matters. 

Defining moments get seared into our memory, touch our emotions, and inspire us towards the future. You know you have created a defining moment when people pull out their cameras. 

The Heath’s say: “Transitions should be marked, milestones commemorated, and pits filled. That’s the essence of thinking in moments.” Moments are built around meaning, breaking the script, and they don’t just happen. You plan them. As you do, you’ll find your team growing in momentum and connection. 

Have you ever experienced the power of a defining moment? What was it? Let us know in the comments below.

Broken Window Theory

Have you ever resolved a minor issue and then enjoyed major positive results?

New York City did, when they became strict about keeping the subways clean. This seemingly minor implementation ultimately led to a dramatic decrease in violent felonies in New York City. They achieved that result by applying the Broken Window Theory. 

It is a criminology theory which claims that visible signs of crime and civil disorder create an environment that encourages further crime and disorder. 

This tells us that once disorder is sparked, it causes a snowball effect that leads to disorderly results.  How can the broken window theory be translated to culture? 

If we wanted to apply this theory to the average work culture, we would look for unaddressed problems that seem minor, but could have a major positive impact if corrected. 

Here are a few examples: 

Transparency— does leadership keep the team in the loop? If that’s not always the case, having an open door policy will foster communication and ultimately lead to transparency and better cooperation. 

Diversity in the workplace— does your team enjoy challenging perspectives from different walks of life? If not, adding diverse voices to your organization can be the key to casting a wider net to your audience and attracting more opportunity. 

One of the greatest things you can do as a leader, is identify areas of weakness, and then make minor adjustments which will lead to extraordinary results.

Author: Coach Gigi

Goals in Action

Give yourself a reason to throw a celebratory party in a month. Who doesn't love a party?

Most of us are goal-setters, and most of us set those goals incorrectly.   How can I be so sure? Because I see it...every time we meet with a new client.  

I recently met with someone, we'll call him Alex.  Alex told me about the huge sales increases he wanted. This is how the convo went:

Laine: What are you going to do differently?

Alex: Nothing, I’m pretty good at what I do.

Laine’s Southern Inner Voice: Oh, bless his heart.   

Laine: If you're pretty good at what you do, why haven't you already reached these new numbers?

Coaches always throw questions your way that sometimes hurt, but also clarify and this was one of those moments.  

We went on to discuss this: the act of setting a goal, doesn't make us reach that goal. It's the how, not the what that gets us moving. 

How was Alex going to reach his sales numbers? Not by doing what he's always done.  When setting goals, we have to identify the goal, the what, but then most importantly, we have to commit to a how...a small, but new habit or behavior that has momentum behind it. 

For Alex, an example might be committing to making 3 lead calls before 11AM everyday.  It’s not this huge, daunting thing - it’s a small thing, but when done everyday leads to the goal.

Figure out your simple how and see the progress and then by golly throw yourself that party to celebrate what you've done. No more hopeful goals...you want goals in action.  

We have a gift for you....Want a copy of the goal planning template we use with our clients? Go to laineschmidt.com/goalplannning and download it today. 

Author: Coach Laine