Tag: self management

Fighting the funk

From time to time every professional deals with it. Periods during which we go through the motions. We feel tired, emotionally drained and in some extreme cases sometimes unmotivated and unchallenged. Nonetheless, we put our heads down and press on. In some instances these feelings generally go away after some time, however during this period things can surely be stressful. I dub this feeling, "The Funk". The funk is really a mental state of being. There are many potential contributing factors that can put us in such a state and the focus of today’s blog is to help us to be more aware so that we can address them in an effective manner.

Have you ever worked with someone who is always bubbly? Every morning they have a smile on their face; they are chatty and are usually the one who brightens up the office. The one day that this individual walks into the office and is not their usual self, everyone takes notice. Why? Because for someone like that to be withdrawn, it often means that something is going on. If that one day turns into weeks or months there is a great cause for concern. The same can be said when the opposite occurs-- a typically withdrawn or reserved individual becomes very loud, curt and abrasive for no particular reason. Everyone takes notice! It is the change in behavior that is immediately apparent to everyone around such examples, but what about the reasons behind them?

In my book, How To Make It From The Classroom To The Cubicle, which was first published back in March 2013, I wrote a section entitled, “People are People”. This is something I also have addressed in blogs, but particularly during the training workshops that I conduct. The premise is that because we have lives and aspirations outside of the workplace it is very easy that these outside factors can affect our disposition when we do come into the workplace. It is impossible to keep the different aspects of our lives from intersecting because after all we are only human. Imagine that "bubbly" person mentioned above. They could have just gotten some bad news about their child or they could be in the middle of a family crisis. Imagine if it were you dealing with a situation like that, coming to work knowing that the moment you are through you have to return to the same set of circumstances at home? Imagine all of that with the added stress, pressure, politics and social interactions that are part of the workplace. It does not seem so simple when viewed from this perspective!

That said there are two different angles with which we can take when we fight the funk at the work. Our Approach: things we can do for ourselves and Management's Approach: things management can do on behalf of the employee.

Let's start with the employee's perspective. If you as an employee are dealing with a set of personal matters that are starting to encroach on your ability to function effectively at work then something has to be done. You need to speak up to ensure that someone understands the struggles that you are going through and if possible can facilitate some sort of relief. The bottom line is that at some point you may have to trust someone with personal details about your life. However, it does not mean that you should go babbling off your business to any ear that wants to listen. You should to be very strategic with whom you let know what is taking place in your life. A member of the human resources team or someone in management might be ideal candidates, as they can potentially offer you helpful options on behalf of the company. Be mindful that the passive approach: wait until someone notices you before you speak of your dilemma, could lead to more stress and anxiety because that help may never come. Trust me, others do notice, but many are afraid to get involved with other people's problems, primarily because they have problems and issues of their own.

From management’s perspective, they must pay careful attention to their employees and step in when things seem amiss to ensure that individuals are getting the right assistance as early as possible. Any good leader should be cognizant of the fact that at any given time, people who you are leading may be dealing with issues that stem from factors that are both internal and external to the workplace. That said, a leader should not wait until those times to 'pry' or try to build trust. It may be too late. A leader should encourage open dialogue and interaction that fosters trusting relationships between his or her staff members and him or herself. Hence, when matters do arise, there is some foundation of trust that the employee can hopefully feel comfortable enough to step on.

These two perspectives however can give the impression that only serious matters can affect your mindset at work. This is not true. If you are in the doldrums at work because you feel like you don't fit in, or feel like you don't belong, or feel like opportunities are passing you by, you too can affect change. I have often heard the sentiment from people that I encounter who feel like they are being overlooked at work and that it’s management's responsibility to take notice. While this is somewhat true, it is equally your responsibility to speak up and affect change. You cannot feel alienated on an assumption. It is far more effective to speak up and bring the matter to management's attention first before casting any judgment or resigning yourself to feelings of being cast aside.

Speaking up is not a license to become a complainer. It is simply exercising your right as an individual to express yourself. When that is done, you should lift your head and by extension your demeanor and give your best until things turn around. When management knows that you are unhappy about something and you still exhibit the right attitude, you stand out. When you have the opportunity to whine and complain, but instead you raise your concerns in a polite and direct manner, you stand out. When you stand out, you increase the chances of things changing for the better.

The main takeaway today is this: the funk is real. From time to time we are going to feel like we don't want to be at work and the reasons can be numerous. Recognizing those moments and effectively identifying and dealing with the factors that cause them can make a positive difference on your career. For things that are fixable your responsibility is to fix them. For things that are more complicated, HR and management can assist you in dealing with your situation. However, if after careful assessment you determine that the factors that affect you are a result of the work environment and after an honest effort they cannot be changed, then you should exercise your freedom of choice and explore other job options. Your career depends on it.

Until next time remember: as long as you have life you should live it to your fullest potential.

Why are people afraid of managing?

I overheard a conversation on the train while heading to work one day that made me think. It was between two young ladies (both their early to mid-thirties by my estimation) talking about career aspirations. One started by saying she was morbidly afraid of being a lifer: a term used to describe criminals who have been sentenced to life in prison, with no chance of parole. Of course she was using this in the context of being stuck at the same job or in the same position for her entire working career. My ears perked up, because to me, that was a very valid fear and should serve as motivation to keep one looking for fresh opportunities for development and progress. Intrigued, I began to listen more intently and a few moments later the conversation took an interesting turn.

In her response, the other young lady stated that her biggest fear was being a manager. She then went into a five minute, expletive filled diatribe about why she felt so strongly about it. Here is a summary of what she said (minus the expletives of course): “Managers have too much responsibility. If something goes wrong with anyone on the team, it is the manager’s problem. Managers have to be involved in everything. Managers always have to come early and be the last ones to leave.” She rounded off her contribution by expressing her desire to work autonomously and be responsible for just herself. This sentiment seems to be increasing in popularity, but it was not always this way.

I recall over 10 years ago when I was just starting my professional journey, I believed that a sign of progress and development was being responsible for someone else. That could have meant being a mentor, team lead, supervisor or an official manager. This mindset was adopted because there was and still is a widely accepted practice of taking the most tenured or experienced hire and making them manager over others. That implies that elapsed time makes you a perfect choice to become a manager.

Fast forward ten years and I have realized that this ideal is an absolute mistake. While it is true that experience is a contributing factor in making a good manager, people skills and other intangibles are far more important. What I have experienced is that if you are incapable and unwilling to shoulder the responsibility required in helping develop and motivate others, while ensuring that the department and company goals are being achieved, then you are not the one for the job.

For the majority of us, we learn about management from experience with the managers that we have. If we had horrible experiences, we are going to be either inspired to be better or shy away from it entirely. In the new professional climate, there are many individuals opting to stay away from managing in general and are very content playing the role of an individual contributor. With an upward trend in the use of contract and freelance workers in several industries that may have been traditionally staffed by full time employees, many feel secure in focusing on the role of expert. Despite this, there is no escaping having to work in teams or being accountable to a manager or supervisor.

So back to the second lady from the conversation mentioned above. Her disposition is totally fine and if her reasoning is anything like I described then it makes perfect sense. Not aspiring to be a manager should not affect your development if all you desire is to focus on and develop your expertise. However, for this to happen you must be in an environment that facilitates that desire. Pay careful attention to this point because many places views progress as the only way to reward good performers and shying away from managing in such an arena only serves to alienate you, which could negatively affect your career.

As I close, I admonish that you should really only chase after being a manager if you are prepared for the work that it takes to be effective. Other than that it is perfectly fine to steer clear of it. Management is not for everyone. I am sure anyone who has or had a bad manager will definitely concur. However, the role of an individual contributor can be as equally a viable pathway to building a successful career. Do what is right or you!

Until next time remember: as long as you have life you should live it to your fullest potential.

Is there such a thing as Professional Loyalty?

This is my first post in quite some time. Please note that I have not been negating my commitment to helping others maximize their potential. I recently conducted a two-day Career Development workshop and a forum where I gave the key-note, that I spent several months preparing for. I am happy to say that the feedback has been outstanding. The ideals and philosophies that I have been sharing on this blog and in my book, How To Make It From The Classroom To The Cubicle, have been put into practical form. The exciting news is that there are more training workshops and forums already scheduled! Contact me and I will gladly provide details.

Today though, we will talk about an important topic as you consider the pathway to professional success: Is there such a thing as Professional Loyalty? In government based jobs such as teaching, fire services, law enforcement, etc., it is still common place to see individuals enter and remain for their entire career within the same office or district. However outside of this the story is very different. Gone are the days of entering a job out of school and staying within the same organization or in the same location for an entire career. It still happens but is much more infrequent. Recent graduates and those who are about to enter the workforce must be prepared for this reality, but what about the rest of us?

In a very dynamic economic climate things change rapidly. One day your company and industry can be high flying and the next year management may decide or forced to close up shop. There is also the disturbing trend of massive layoffs or compensation cuts simply to balance the books; which results in employers asking employees to achieve more with fewer resources. The long term employment outlook is being impacted by economic factors that are beyond the control of the employees. Employees now have the responsibility to consider these factors alongside their career advancement aspirations when deciding if they should leave or go. With this in mind, employers may decide to offer promises of future rewards if employees stay loyal, however what should you do?

The answer is not so simple, but here are some assessment criteria that will help you determine whether to stay or go:

Just because others are being let go or are leaving voluntarily does not mean you must do the same.

When people leave, a vacuum is created, meaning that there are things that they previously did that aren't getting done anymore. That means that there are potential opportunities for you to take advantage of. If the premise for leaving is to get more opportunities, then there is reason to stay in a case like this. However, if time is passing by and you are aggressively trying, but not getting access to those opportunities or management has made promises that seem to be indefinite, then it is time to move on.

You were hired to fill a position, with a promise for career growth and things are threatening to become stagnant.

Ask for time frame commitment. We all know that things change especially in the life of a company. Business needs evolve, priorities evolve and management is always trying to keep things aligned. Though context may change, a commitment for employee growth and development should not. As a manager I have learned that when there are no opportunities, make one. In other words management should NOT go back on promises made when it comes to employee advancement. If over a period of time nothing is happening the manager should bring it to their employee's attention so that things can be re-evaluated. However, if after doing so, the attitude and actions do not match promises made, then you know that it is time to go.

Growth can be achieved organically or via transplant.

Just like in botany, there comes a time when decisions have to be made as to whether there is room for growth or if the only opportunities exist elsewhere. It is really up to you as the employee to make this assessment. Very few employers would be pragmatic enough to make this call for you as such a decision is really in the best interest of the employee only. Sometimes the move can be a different role within the same organization. Contextually it is a new job, but consider that the culture, general work environment and the aforementioned economic factors would probably be the similar if not the same.

Fundamentally, loyalty is a two-way street. As an employee, you should be as loyal as the employer is loyal to you. If things are not exactly perfect, but there is constant reassurance from management that they will honor their commitment to you, then that is worthy of holding on to. However, if there is nothing but empty or broken promises and a general apathy to your overall growth, then RUN! Unfortunately in my tenure I have seen many folks stay when they definitely should have left and companies allow promising employees to leave when there was good reason to incentivize their staying.

I will summarize it by saying as long as you have evidence as to why you should stay then stay, but if after an honest assessment you determine that there is no commitment toward your growth AND there are no opportunities for you to take advantage of, then it is time to move on. To simply answer today's question, yes there is such a thing as professional loyalty; it is a shared responsibility between the employer and employee.

Until next time remember: as long as you have life you should live it to your fullest potential.

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Why should you ask for more responsibility at work?

Welcome back to the Weekly Wisdom blog. Firstly I would like to thank you for returning. If this is your first time, thanks for visiting. Remember that the full archive is available and you can search for a topic that interests you. And if you don't find what you are looking for, drop us a line with a question and we will work on publishing a response just for you.

Today we are going to explore a topic that will interest some of you and scare the rest, Why should you ask for more responsibility at work? You might be thinking to yourself; Why would anyone in their right mind ask for more responsibility? And doesn't more responsibility mean more work? You are right to question and hopefully today's post will help you find the answers.

The primary purpose for this dialog is to bring to light a fundamental truth about building a career, progress is essential. You see, every time you get increased responsibility it indicates progress. More money does not necessarily mean more responsibility and you must be careful when you chase after the money and forget that there should also be some responsibility to go with it. Let me give you an example to further illustrate this point.

I am a huge sports fan and every so often you would hear about an athlete who signs a mega deal to be the star player on a team. Unfortunately, they do not always live up to initial expectations. It is not uncommon for to see these players get diminished roles on their teams which often results in added pressure to perform. As you can imagine, supporters and critics alike do not make things any easier. What point are we driving at here? What makes a player happy, the money or playing? Shouldn't he just enjoy being paid for doing nothing? You see, for a guy like this, the money is great but it is not enough to satisfy his desire to be in the game. We too must adopt this mindset in our professional lives if we are going to be successful. This principle is important because, just like in sports, the moment it is determined that you are too costly to keep around for the value that you are bringing, the relationship will be terminated.

With that understanding, we must look at having more responsibility as an opportunity to prove your worth to your employer. It exposes you to new areas and experiences that can help you grow as a professional. These experiences add up over time and only serve to make you a more versatile and well rounded employee. In the modern corporate landscape, an employee who can develop new skills over time is better suited to ride the waves of change when it does come.

As I close today's segment, asking for more responsibility shows a desire that most others don't have and definitely sets you apart from the rest. One word of caution though, if you are unreliable in your current scope of responsibilities then this advice is not for you. You run the risk of raising the ire of management. You are better suited trying to perform at expected levels before trying to handle more.

Until next time remember: as long as you have life you should live it to your fullest potential.

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Practical ways of becoming and remaining successful: Don't measure your success with that of others

Today marks the last edition of the series, Practical ways of becoming and remaining successful. It is entitled: Don't measure your success with that of others. In this installment we explore the perils of trying to measure ourselves using someone else's measuring stick. Based on the first blog in this series (link here) the goals that we set for ourselves on the quest for success must be personal-- which implies that the success that we are to discover must also be personal. The best way to explain this is the use of a sports analogy.

The journey to success is often likened unto a race, which conventional wisdom tells us there must be a winner. If that is the case, does it imply that in this 'race' toward success all of the other participants are destined for failure? Does it also mean that we all should give up once someone is officially declared the winner? I say not so! If you have ever witnessed a men's 100 meters dash at an Olympic athletics competition, you would see that when the race is over there is more than one person celebrating. Why is that? Well if you understand a fundamental dynamic of success then it will make sense. If coming in second place is the best that you can do, then you will be doing yourself a disservice by not being comfortable with that fact. You see, you will never be happy if all you do is keep comparing yourself to other people. I am not saying that they can't serve as a source of inspiration, but to have an obsessive compulsion in trying to match up or even outdo the competition in every aspect is very unhealthy. It is under such conditions that jealousy and greed are developed, which can result in cutting corners to make up the shortfall.

On the other hand, there are those of us who are working night and day trying to live up to some unrealistic expectation that may not likely come to fruition. And it’s not because you don't have the desire, but maybe it just was not meant to be. The best example is a parent-child relationship. A parent may have lofty aspirations for their child to become a doctor. What then happens to a child who wants to be a chef, but enrolls into medical school simply to please the parent? His/her parent’s desire is not going to compensate for the hardships they may endure. This is why setting your own goals is important. The ideal scenario is when a parent can help a child to set goals and then provide support in helping them to attain those goals.

Handling your success can be summarized into the common expression- be comfortable in your own skin. It doesn't mean that once you make your decision the process will then be easy. Please be warned that this could be quite the contrary. It means that once your planning is over, you enter this race with the understanding that there will be challenges and times of second guessing and even major frustrations. However, knowing that the dream that you are chasing after is all yours, gives you the inner strength to keep running and a greater sense of satisfaction when success does indeed come.

So what have we learnt from this discourse:

Setting goals is the most important step in being successful. After all, with no finish line how can you tell if you have made it. The goals must be challenging yet realistic. Don't bite off more than you can chew all at once. Break them up into smaller goals so that there is a continual sense of progress.

Once the goals are set the work begins. There will be obstacles, good days and bad, however you must believe in yourself! Trust in your ability and most importantly trust in your gut instinct.

Acting like you belong is a take on the old adage, think like where you are headed and not where you currently are. It is simple, yet revolutionary. It tells you that you cannot be bogged down by your perceived differences and or weaknesses. You either belong or you don't! It is your decision.

Focus, focus, focus - Do not take your eyes off of the finish line! Anything or anyone who is in your way needs to be removed.

Lastly you alone can determine what success is. Chasing after someone else's dream will only lead to a life of frustration.

If this series has been insightful please leave a comment or send me a message. If any questions may have arisen while reading this series, by all means send me questions and I promise I will answer them.

Until next time remember: as long as you have life you should live it to your fullest potential.

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Practical ways of becoming and remaining successful: Eliminating the noise

Today our journey continues with the fourth installment of the series, Practical ways of becoming and remaining successful: Eliminating the noise. We are almost to the end with only one more remaining. If you are joining this discourse and have not read the others that preceded, I recommend that you go back and read them once you have concluded reading today's offering. It is really important that you get the entire picture of what is being communicated in this series. Now let us begin with today’s message.

I submit to you that you that your ability to eliminate the noise has a direct bearing on the level of success that you can attain. It also impacts the timeline in which you can see this success. Distractions and a lack of discipline are lethal dream killers, which leave many individuals who once were loaded with potential, wondering what went wrong. Focus then, is a powerful and necessary character trait one must develop. To better understand focus, let us examine the image above of a racehorse.

As you may have noticed in the picture the horse is wearing blinders or blinkers. In general if you have ever carefully observed a horse race you would notice that most if not all the horses where blinkers. Have you ever wondered why? The answer is encapsulated in the very nature and anatomy of a horse's eye. It is said that the equine eye is the largest of any land mammal. It has the ability to see a staggering 350 degree range of monocular vision. However most of this vision is peripheral, which is relatively poor. As a result a horse is easily spooked when it is approached from its periphery and tends to rear on its hind legs or take flight as a defensive strategy.

I did some research to find out why race horse owners see it fit to put blinders on their horses and this is what I discovered:

Blinders help the race horse run in a straight line. Because of its vision a horse has the propensity to run in a diagonal line, so blinders reduce the peripheral vision and keeps the horse's focus down the track.

Blinders help the race horse from being spooked by the other horses in the race. Remember it is in the horse's nature to be alarmed by objects that are moving in its periphery, which means that a horse race is the perfect environment for a horse to become unsettled.

Blinders prevent immature horses from turning around and looking at its rider. Imagine how dangerous this can be for both horse and rider if this occurs at full speed in the middle of a race.

From these examples it is evident that blinders help a horse to keep focused, by keeping its eyes looking forward and reducing distractions at crucial moments. The same ideology is applicable to you. Are you so prone to distractions that you easily lose focus and begin placing your attention in other directions apart from your goals? Or are you easily spooked by competition? The moment you realize that there are others vying for the same position, same prize, same promotion and same job, you get scared and your instinctual reaction is to take flight? If this describes you today then you are in need of proverbial blinders. You need that ability to block out all of the distractions and noise that can take you off your course.

As I close, I challenge you to do some soul searching in order to identify all of the distractions that are preventing you from living out to you full potential. It is only after you have identified these distractions that you can create a plan to block them out. Remember what distracts you may not necessarily distract me, so this exercise requires a serious self-assessment. I guarantee you that eliminating the noise will make a world of difference as you continue on your quest to success.

Until next time remember: as long as you have life you should live it to your fullest potential.

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Practical ways of becoming and remaining successful - Acting like you belong

In today's blog we are going to continue with the series, Practical ways of becoming and remaining successful. Today we will focus on the second installment entitled, Acting like you belong.

I attribute a large portion of my ability to think successfully to my dear mother. More specifically to the advice and support that she gave during my formative years as a student. My mother was an elementary (primary) school teacher for some 34 years and she was and still is loaded with wisdom from her vast experience. Let's face it, after all that time she should know what she is talking about.

Probably the single greatest piece of advice she ever shared with me was; the classroom is the greatest equalizer. Allow me to expound on this concept. Having been a teacher for all those years she was able to determine that all the perceived advantages that one student might have over another student, did not automatically guarantee more success. And by perceived advantages I mean; a stable home, parents that care, a family that values education, a family who has the means and willingness to help their child succeed, etc. The idea is that, if you work equally as hard, or harder than the student sitting next to you, then you give yourself an equal opportunity to be successful.

Don't get me wrong, there is overwhelming evidence that tells us that a child from an unstable home is unlikely to be as successful as a child from a stable home. However, as my mother would often quip, disadvantages are ready made excuses. And I take it further by saying excuses are excuses. The only one who suffers when you ultimately don't succeed is you. So excuses are simply your justification for doing so.

This mindset has continued with me as I transitioned from academia to the professional ranks. Despite the fact that there are no more physical classrooms, the philosophy remains the same and translates into, what I call acting like you belong. In the professional world the odds are likely to be stacked against you. There will always be people with more years and better quality experience, more degrees or qualifications from better schools, more connections and the list can be never ending. Today's blog is to ensure that you too adopt this principle.

You become your greatest enemy when you itemize these perceived disadvantages and allow them to psyche you out. Acting like you belong is basically assessing these disadvantages, formulating a plan and working toward overcoming them. For example, if you get hired for a job, the experience and qualifications of everyone else should not have any effect on your ability to exercise your duties. What you should assess is how effective each individual is and what role their experience and qualifications play. In fact, it helps you realize what you are missing and what you should consider doing to get you where you need to be.

In closing, acting like you belong is all about you. Even though others can help provide motivation, you are the only one that can implement the changes required for settling in. Doing so will boost your confidence by removing any self-doubt and also by shaping the perception of others toward you. Ultimately what matters the most is how you see yourself! So today, make a decision to act like you belong. Look past your disadvantages, setbacks and mistakes of the past and take the first step to overcoming them all.

Until next time remember: as long as you have life you should live it to your fullest potential.

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How often should I revisit/review my goals?

Welcome to this installment of The Weekly Wisdom blog, today's posting is a follow up from last week's entitled, Practical ways of becoming and remaining successful - having a vision. The response has been overwhelming and I thank you for your support. Why not tell a friend about this site? Share it on Facebook or Twitter and let us go on this journey of personal development together.

Of the responses from last week I got this message from Kwesi C: I enjoyed today's blog. Thanks for sharing! A 'vision board/poster' really keeps my attention on my intentions and provides clarity. My question today is, how often should this 'vision board/poster' be updated?

Kwesi C, thank you for this thought provoking question. Let us start off by exploring the fundamentals of goal setting.

For the purpose of this discourse allow me to make an illustration, by differentiating dreams and goals. In the context of building a career, a dream is something that you would like to achieve. It can be any kind of achievement, but the essence of a dream is the fact that you have a strong desire to see it come to pass. One such example; you would like to write a book one day. A goal on the other hand is something you would like to achieve by a certain time. To put it more succinctly, a goal is a dream with a time limit. Using the same example; by the end of next year you would like to have written a book. You see the difference, in the first case years can go by and your dream is still valid. But with a goal, if the end of next year is upon you and you have not yet written a single paragraph then you can be certain that you have failed miserably. But why is this important for us to understand?

Let me further explain by using another example: imagine you are about to go on a road trip. Your dream is to drive across the United States from New York to California and it does not matter to you how long it takes. Statistics show that this drive should take about two full days of direct driving to comfortably complete this journey. However, what would you do if an entire week has passed and you have still not arrived to California? Based on the original guidelines, nothing. You are destined to keep on driving and hopefully get there one day. This is what happens when we chase after a dream, we work and work and hope that one day we get there.

However let us revisit this same example in the context of a goal. You have a desire to drive from New York to California. The first thing you must to do is research by asking questions like: how long would the trip take? Based on that you can determine what route you take-- will it be the fastest or the more scenic route? Are there stops along the way that you must make? How much will the trip cost? These questions are just the beginning. What they help to do is provide checks and balances so that you can measure your progress along the way. For example, if the trip takes two days, by the end of day one you should be able to determine whether you are on course. If you decided to take the scenic route, and you have already passed two days it gives you an opportunity to re-plan. In response you can return to a more direct route and bypass any remaining stops that you intended on making.

You see, goals allow you to measure your progress, especially in terms of time. If the time has expired and your goal is not done, it forces you to re-plan. If you have completed on time or before schedule, then you move ahead and start planning the next goal. That said, your vision board must reflect the same.

You should revisit your vision board as often as required to ensure that your goals are accurately reflected. When goals have been achieved you can cross them off as completed. And as long as the remaining items things are still relevant then it can remain unchanged. My advice to someone whose goals are very dynamic (i.e. changes month by month) is that you can use a vision board that is equally as dynamic, like a dry erase board. The idea is to have something that you can put up and regularly update without diminishing its effectiveness.

As you may notice in the goal setting example above, the time factor forces you to implement checkpoints along the way. These checkpoints more readily facilitate regular adjustments to your plan, as opposed to waiting until you get too far off course to make those adjustments.

As I conclude today, be reminded that as long as those items on your vision board are still relevant, then there is no need to change. However, if things have changed so too must your vision board. So after reading both last week’s and today’s blog here is what you need to do:

1. Write down your goals

2. Look online for tips on how to create a vision board that suits you

3. Create a vision board (no need to get too fancy)

4. Tell a friend about this website and ask them to sign up for the mailing list by leaving a message on the “Contact Us” page

5. Share this and other postings from this site that you like on Twitter, Facebook and other social networking sites

6. Leave a comment or send a message to express how this blog has impacted you

7. Send me questions that you want answered and I will add them to a future posting

Until next time remember: as long as you have life you should live it to your fullest potential.

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Is work life balance really attainable?

Work life balance seems to be a buzz phrase in corporate culture. Ever since the economic downturn began in earnest many companies, organizations and institutions have been running very lean. Cut backs in staffing have increased and the expectations are now that we as workers are supposed to produce more with less headcount with which to distribute the labor. In many places there are expectations for overtime quotas, working on the odd weekend, extended work days all designed to mitigate the ever growing workload. With all of these factors it is no surprise that work life balance is a topic of great discussion.

Employees the world over have been pushing the limits of time spent on the clock while sacrificing their personal lives. From my experience I have seen certain individuals give there all to their companies and wound up disappointed because their efforts were not recognized by the management that they work for. I have also seen employers set unreasonable expectations, which pretty much set up whoever dares to try for failure. With that in mind, it is a flawed expectation by employees that the responsibility of implementing of a favorable work life balance lies squarely in the shoulders of their employer. Allow me to explain; it is not absurd that an employer asks an employee to put in some extra time to get some tasks completed, but having an employee work an inordinate amount of hours with no end in sight and to imply that continued employment maybe in jeopardy by refusing to do so, is totally unacceptable.

Work life balance is different for every individual, for example when I was fresh out of school, I would work long hours; primarily because it was requested of me. However interestingly enough, I developed a habit of working late whether or not I was asked to do so. I decided that as long as I was trying to pay my dues, I was going to put in the extra time and effort. At that time I was also single, had no children and no real commitments outside of my work life so the only thing I had to manage was my social life. For me it was fine because I was there to learn and trying to impress. However this would not be true for others that I worked with. Many had huge problems with the constant 60+ hour work weeks because it infringed on their family time and other commitments. As you can also imagine, in a highly competitive work environment you really strive to avoid the perception of contributing less than everyone else. This fact causes many to reluctantly sacrifice their non-work lives in order to keep up with the status quo.

There are many books, blogs, websites, YouTube clips and innumerable other resources that talk about work life balance and they all offer some sort of advice with varying levels of effectiveness. If you so desire you can avail yourself as I did. I must admit that some material was really outstanding. Today however I am going to close with a few pointers from my experience.

The first and most important rule:

If you are going to work extra-long hours it must be worth it! If you need to spend a host of extra time because you are not the expert at something, become the expert so that you can complete tasks in a faster and more efficient manner. Wherever I think I lack in a certain skillset I spend time trying to improve in that area.

Do not waste time:

There are many things that can eat your time at work like small talk, online shopping, Facebook, long bathroom breaks, long lunch breaks, errands and appointments during the work day. The first time I reviewed this a few years ago I was able to reclaim an extra 5+ hours a week and it made a huge difference in what I can accomplish in a work week.

Do not waste time too:

I mention this a second time because those mentioned before were non-work related. It is possible to waste time under the guise of doing our jobs. How is this fact possible wondering? The answer, in meetings! I only just learnt this within the last year or two; I was spending an inordinate amount of time in meetings. Am I implying that all meetings are a waste of time, no! But when every meeting I was attending was starting 15 minutes late and finished 25 minutes later than the scheduled end time then I found myself having to make up time at the end of the day. I had meetings with no agendas, where the interested parties were unprepared and what should have been a 15 minute discussion lasted an hour. My solution, decline all meetings that had no agenda, structure or purpose. Also, I capped the grace period for meetings to 10 minutes, if decisions were to be made, I made them. If the interested parties came late we just have abbreviated meetings which end at the original scheduled end time and if all else failed, schedule another meeting. The result another 5+ hours of time I was able to recoup.

Start early:

You would be amazed of how much things you can get done if you start your day early. Come in 1 hour before your scheduled start time before most of your coworkers have arrived, you will find that there are little to no distractions. Phones don’t ring as much, there is no one walking up to your desk looking for small talk and you are able to concentrate better. This makes a considerable difference to your productivity, plus it looks good.

Doing all these things in conjunction with speaking with management is pivotal to driving your work life balance to a favorable measure. The main point I want you to understand is that no one else can do it for you and you can’t achieve it without the corporation of management. So you must work together to make this a reality.

Please leave some comments and share your thoughts on this article and on work life balance.

Until next time remember, as long as you have life, you should live it to your fullest potential.

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Is it ok to tell my boss no?

Here is a very interesting question that I have been challenged to answer, is it ok to tell my boss no? The answer is not that straight forward and logically you may be thinking, what is the question being asked? The responses then must be contextual to the questions being asked.

Let us establish this point first and foremost, if you are reading this and you are in the armed forces, an officer of the law or any similar profession please read this with much caution. It is highly inadvisable to defy a direct order from a commanding officer, unless it is unlawful or immoral in nature. Other than that I don't have much to offer in that space.

For those of us in civilian positions the rest of today's post is for you. The advice mentioned above applies to you as well. It does not matter your level of experience, or how much money you make, you are by no means obligated to break any laws, rules or set of moral beliefs simply because your boss has requested. This should be an absolute with no gray area on the matter.

In other instances you may feel slighted or ill treated by your boss and a particular request may have gone too far in your eyes, you have every right to voice your concern. You are compelled to take into consideration that your boss is your boss and if you must raise any concerns it must be done in a respectful manner. You must also be prepared for things to remain the same. You are still obliged to speak up even though you are sure that nothing good will come out of it.

There are two general points that I would like to leave you with:

You cannot just say no because you feel like saying no. The right way is to ensure you have a valid reason or an alternative idea or recommendation to what is being requested. The assertion here is that it is possible that you have your own ideas to contribute and a good manager would be open to ideas that did not originate with him. It does not give you license to be combative and if you are in a position where you have to disagree with every request that comes in then you are probably working in the wrong place.

The second is that after reading this you can feel liberated in knowing that you don't have to say yes to every single request that comes in. It is OK for you to ask questions for clarification purposes and to speak up in disagreement if things are not clear or favorable.

Speaking up takes courage. If done effectively it should not be received as an act of defiance and hence the desired effect can be attained. Needless to say, working in an environment where the manager is not accustomed to individuals speaking up can lead to issues. There is no need to feel discouraged, this simply serves as a warning against being naive, because change does not come easy for every one.

So what is today's lesson? You have every right to speak up if needed. There is no law written or implied that states you are compelled in every situation to comply with your manager's request. If you find your self always in agreement and your manager's requests are legal, morally right and fall within the bounds of your company policies then you have nothing to be overly concerned about.

Until next time remember, As long as you have life, you should live it to your fullest potential.