We strive to find that work life balance but, are never able to obtain it! One minute we are on top of the world the next we are trying to find out how we got behind on the last project. There are always more solutions, ideas, and thoughts! What I have found is having a plan and working with friends is the best way to try and obtain it.
Stress management approaches include:
- Learning skills such as problem-solving, prioritizing tasks and time management.
- Enhancing your ability to cope with adversity. For example, you may learn how to improve your emotional awareness and reactions, increase your sense of control, find greater meaning, and purpose in life, and cultivate gratitude and optimism.
- Practicing relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, yoga, meditation, tai chi, exercise, and prayer.
- Improving your personal relationships.
We believe in helping you to establish ideas as well which can be your own plan on how to deal with stress. Our class with Janet Childs will provide an effective overview for you of where you are at for a starting point. Then we will work through ideas on what might work for you for a long-term solution. Janet often speaks to how are jobs are like backpacks. We accumulate all the calls, stress, emotions, lack of sleep, and the desire to do great work with a need to let out that from our backpack and not let it get so heavy to weigh us down over time causing us to collapse from under the weight is has become.
We also know Emotional Intelligence helps us as leaders understand our people and how to help them get through the challenges of life. We often think about what “has to be done” immediately and work outwards from there. But when was the last time you had a cup of coffee with a friend to do a check in with them? We have a few challenges for all of you leaders:
- Do you have lunch or coffee with a subordinate to know who they are including their passions, dreams, aspirations!
- When writing a performance review do you include anything outside of work to show the importance of a work life balance?
- Do you know their one, five-year plan?
- Have you given them a mentor to speak with?
- Have you made them aware of challenges for the upcoming year?
- Did you empower them to check in with peers?
If you answered no to any of the above questions, maybe it is time to look at how you are as a leader. This might be the time to rethink what your legacy will be without any knowledge of your most valuable resource your staff.
Take care of yourself and others, Bill
