You have been asked to go to a #team building event at your company. You are dreading it. It looks good for you to go and it is the 'Big Bosses" idea. Everyone goes but after all the money and time the company puts into creating an event, does it really accomplish what it is set out to do? Build morale, increase productivity and improve performance. So what is the problem? Your company is doing everything the books tell you to do. But the team events are just not accomplishing what you set out to do - build morale. The reason your team event is not working is because you need to get to the root of the team. Build and understand the needs of the team.
If you enjoyed reading this, and you would like to know how to build a collaborative, happier, more productive team, email or call Upstream Solutions, colleencassel@gmail.com. Let me help you build a company with increased performance and productivity. Leave a comment and thanks for reading.
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There are certain skills that you need to pay attention to in order for you to be considered a leader at your organization. Remember, being a leader will get you noticed when it is time for a promotion and help you to move up the career ladder. We all possess the technical skills to do our jobs but you must never forget the “people skills” that make you who you are. It is these skills that will remain with you throughout your career and life
Whether you own a business or you work for a company, being clear on what you want to accomplish is the key to your success. Our minds tend to take us in all directions at the same time. This is the reason we often find ourselves chasing after projects and not getting anything done. We need to focus and realize that when we are more relaxed and conscious of what we want to accomplish we actually get more done. It sounds strange and simple but taking the extra time to pause, will allow you more time to do the things you need and want to do. Below are 6 easy steps to being more productive. 1. Start - Just do it! We look at the goal line and not the steps in front of us. Take a small step towards what you want. Even if it seems minor, taking the action will get you started. 2. List - Write a list of things you need to do. When you see the list on paper, it becomes clear. Start with a daily plan, filling in each day with only 5 things to do. The key is not to overwhelm yourself. 3. Plan - The night before, prepare a list of 5 things you want to accomplish the next day. Start your day with quick easy things. This will allow you to spend more time on the larger projects throughout the day. The sense of accomplishment will make you want to continue. 4. Social Media – Don’t get sucked into the email/social media hole! Allow yourself one half hour to go through what you need to check on and then close out of the site. This will allow you to stay on top of email and connections but not consume your entire day. 5. Routine – Start with a healthy morning routine to get into a flow. Consider including exercise, a brief moment to pause and embrace positive feelings, a healthy breakfast and time to vision what you want your day to look like. 6. Breaks - Get up from your desk and take a few minutes to stand or walk in between projects. The break will give you the time to think about the new project with insight and clarity. Remember, a sense of Structure with Ease Equals Productivity. Your long list of to do's will become manageable and you will feel confident to move forward. You can also read this on SOTGC - Stiletto's on the Glass Ceiling. The Ultimate Resource for Women in Business. You often read articles about the different qualities that define a great leader but rarely does the term conscience make the list. Why is that? According to Wikipedia the word conscience is described as “intuition, judgment that assists us in distinguishing right from wrong. It is the "voice within" and the "inner light", a sense of the quality of one’s character and conduct.” Conscience is a character trait that is very important in leadership. Whether you are a leader at home or at the office, it is within each of us and the voice that calls us to be our best self. I suggest that when we look to become leaders in our life, that we include conscience along with the other leadership qualities: clarity, focus, creativity, courage and compassion. With the New Year upon us, we always look for ways to improve ourselves. On the top of the list, we often list examining how we treat others and react in different situations. By being mindful and paying attention to our conscience or listening to the voice within, we can begin to experience better relationships at home and at work. Taking the time to pause and be in the moment, allows us to choose what we want to say and how we act. When we lean on our conscience we can respond to what our inner voice truly tells us to do. Conscience is a tricky word, but it has been defined in the following ways by the leaders below. “Conscience is that ability within me that attaches itself to the highest standard I know, and then continually reminds me of what that standard demands that I do.” ~ Oswald Chambers “Through pride we are ever deceiving ourselves. But deep down below the surface of the average conscience a still, small voice says to us, something is out of tune. ”~ C.G Jung Every human has four endowments - self awareness, conscience, independent will and creative imagination. These give us the ultimate human freedom… The power to choose, to respond, to change.” ~ Steven Covey Are you looking to become a more effective leader at work or at home? By developing your leadership skills you can improve productivity, communication and decision making. Upstream Solutions offers leadership development webinars and workshops helping you to become a more effective leader and discovering your best self. Call Upstream Solutions today and sign up. Also posted on SOTGC - Stiletto's on the Glass Ceiling. The Ultimate Resource for Women in Business. You have been asked to go to a conference and all the right people will be there. You are excited as this is an opportunity for you to meet important contacts that might eventually lead to new business. How do you best approach a networking event and make sure that you walk away with meeting the right people? Remember, people attend these meetings to learn, but they also go to make connections that are genuine. There is more success when you start to build a relationship with someone than thinking that you are there to sell them something. It is important that a connection is made, so when you do call at a later date, they remember you. There are 11 simple yet effective ways to network and build the relationships needed to close the business.
If you would like to increase effective growth in your career or business, try a strategy coaching session with Upstream Solutions. Strengths and insight uncovered, challenges overcome and your true potential unlocked. There are all sorts of articles and books on becoming a Mindful Leader and reasons it is spreading to many businesses including healthcare, government, education, technology, consumer goods, retail and more. The benefits are endless. As Arianna Huffington states, mindfulness is an essential part of being more effective and satisfied in work and in life. So what does it mean to be a Mindful leader? Ask yourself the following questions and based on your answers, decide if you want to learn more about being Mindful. Mindfulness is not about doing but about being.
As John Kabat-Zinn explains research has shown that a practice in mindfulness can change the way our brain is wired, functions and structured. With mindfulness, increased plasticity and chromosome changes occur affecting our well being and satisfaction. Mindfulness is a great foundation for a successful career, business and life. To learn more about leading and having others follow, contact Upstream Solutions. We are ten days into 2015 and I am excited about what the New Year has in store for me. I have learned from 2014 and I have new sights to discover. This will be a New Year of Thoughts, Actions, and Direction. For many years, I relied on others and things for my happiness and success. This year, I have realized it is up to me How I want to think, What I want to do and Which way I want to turn. After quiet time and introspection my words for 2015 are Positive- A positive mindset towards others and opportunities will open my eyes and world to new discoveries and choices. Happiness- Find joy and laughter in life. Life has so many things to be happy about, experience each moment like a child views their world. Gratitude- Realize all I have each day and be thankful. Life has afforded me so much and for that I am grateful. Love- Open my heart, listen and share my love. Have compassion for myself and others. Our best work is done when we treat and experience love. What are your words for 2015? This is a wonderful exercise to do. Get quiet, discover and unravel What is important, What you want to do and Who you want to be. Share what your words are for 2015 and thank you for reading. You are about to embark on a New Year and that nagging question keeps popping up. Is this the year that I look for a new job? Starting something new can be scary and not always easy. The reason you push it aside is because you think about it too much instead of taking action about what you really want to do. But if you have decided that you want to make the change then do the work and ask yourself the important questions. By taking the time to figure out what you really want to do, your next job could be the job that you love, make money at and flourish in. Make 2015 the year of making decisions about your career. No longer will you use the excuses; “It is better than not having a job” or “It pays the bills”, but instead “I love my new job.” What do you like to do? Take the time to ask yourself what it is you really like to do? What are you good at? What would make you happy? By asking yourself these questions, it allows you to dig deep and really think of things that you might not have thought about. There are many jobs in the world and when you give yourself the time to explore your values and what makes you happy you might find that there is a job that suits your needs. Write a list of 5 -10 things that you enjoy doing and are good at. Which one are you most drawn to? Now consider how that skill might fit into a job. Why do you want to leave? Look at your current job, what is it that makes you unhappy and want to leave? Is it the people, the lack of challenge, the skills you are using, location, commute, and pay? Taking a more in-depth look into why you are unhappy will direct you towards your next job. It might be that you are not unhappy with the work you are doing but it is the Company’s environment or leadership. This question can help you to narrow down what type of Company you would like to work for. Do I need more education or training? Once you have figured out what type of work you would like to do decide if you need to enrich your skills. You might need to go back to school or get certified. Join groups on linkedin, network and attend meetup groups to find out the qualifications others in that role have. Who do I know that can offer me advice? Get your network ready. Become active on Linkedin and reach out to old colleagues who can connect you with people in the desired field. Find a mentor that you can speak with and bounce ideas off. People love to offer advice and often ask you questions that you might not have thought of. What is my end date? Make a plan and consider the steps you need to take and the date you would like to make the change. Do a little each week to get you one point closer to your departure date. What sort of Companies would appeal to me? Take the time to research new companies in the field that interest you. Find out what the companies are paying and what the environment is like. Using sites such as Glassdoor or Salary.com will help you to find a range of salaries for a specific job. Do I need to redo my resume? Consider hiring someone or ask a friend to look at your resume. Perhaps it is outdated and needs revising. Resumes are often chosen via a computer and it is important to have certain keywords listed. How do I sound in an interview? Go on a few practice interviews. If it has been a while since your last interview, you may be rusty. Don’t waste your first interview on a company that you really want to work for. Did you know that Tuesday at 10:30am is the best time to interview? Have answers to basic questions that always get asked in an interview. Why are you leaving? What is one weakness you have? What are your strengths? And be sure you know the latest information on the Company. Are you considering a job change? Don’t waste anymore time. How would it feel to be in a job that you love what you do, get paid for what you deserve and know that there is a career path that you can be successful at? Upstream Solutions can help you. Contact me at colleencassel@gmail.com to get the job you deserve and love. Together we will design an easy step-by-step plan for quick results. 2015 is your year, so call me. Thank you for reading. Leave a comment and pass this to your friends. 2014 has come and gone and now it is a time to reflect on what worked, what didn't work and how to move forward into a New Year with open arms. I realize that you have to look at each year as an experience. Whether times are good or bad, you learn from each moment. For me personally, I ended many things I was comfortable with, but all to start a new venture and challenge. I left Corporate America, I moved to a new state and I left friends. But I started a new chapter in my life. When I reflect on the changes I made I now realize it took Courage, Trust, and Focus to take the leap. Courage because change is hard but I believe that we have a long life to live and you might as well enjoy it and experience it to the fullest. Trust the process. If you believe in something strong enough, inspite of scary moments, you can always lean back on your experience and knowledge that you have gained over the years. Focus to be set on your goal and don't waiver based on what others have to say, but have enough conviction in your beliefs to move forward. I always enter a New Year with New Goals and New things I want to try. My next post will tell you what 2015 hopefully has in store for me. When you look back on your year, what qualities did you experience and what do you plan to take with you in 2015? By now we have all read that being an effective leader can increase production and improve overall results for many companies. When someone experiences working for a true leader, they have trust, they work harder, and they are loyal. So what does being an effective leader really mean? Research shows us that it is not just having intelligence but it is when leaders truly use their inherent personal capabilities or emotional intelligence skills that they truly become exceptional leaders. There are numerous qualities that make a leader great, but I like to consider the 4 C’s of leadership, the essence of individuals and teams. When you consider these qualities, you also realize that these are the same skills that you can use in your personal life that can make it equally successful. It is an exceptional leader that can connect the dots between their job and their personal life and see how they work together. Clarity is about being focused and believing in your vision. Leaders know what they want to achieve, what to look for, and what to watch out for. They have a reference point of organization and know the steps that they must take to accomplish their goal. Clarity is the base of action in which individuals and teams are inspired to find solutions. Courage is about making first attempts and pursuing your actions despite obstacles. A leader must have courage to take risks and be accountable if things don’t go the way they were meant to. It is stepping up to the plate and letting go of control to trust in yourself and the outcomes. Courage is within us and it is letting go of the fear and embracing the change. Creativity is now considered the MOST important quality for leadership in business according to an IBM study. Having the ability to create something that is novel and top of mind makes creativity so important in today’s world. But what makes creativity such a challenge is the lack of time CEO’s have to brainstorm, experiment, and think outside the box. True leaders recognize the need and importance for innovation and creativity and building teams that can collaborate and share ideas freely. Compassion is when leaders have empathy and awareness of individuals and teams. This doesn’t mean that leaders are soft and therefore business does not get done. But it is when leaders recognize their teams as people; it is when they connect with them and understand their feelings. Research has shown that strong positive emotions produce superior results, and leaders who connect with their feelings are more compassionate. Leaders who are compassionate have less stress, are energized, and renewed in their roles. When leaders take a step back and reflect on their own behaviors, they find the qualities within themselves to lead. A true leader will get results when they are positive, invest in strengths, surround themselves with teams, and understand employees as people. Is your organization interested in improving leadership skills, productivity, and simply working better and smarter? Upstream Solutions trains organizations and individuals to “Create Within, Lead Throughout,” to increase the effectiveness of their leaders and teams, build thriving work environments and develop career direction. With life moving at lightening speed and constant connectivity, how do we stay on top of our goals? We are often too busy to keep track of everything we need to do and want to accomplish. Whether you are a business owner, working for a company or are in charge of your home, you experience overload. Staying on top of your short and long term goals is difficult but DOABLE. I have found that if I use the TMY3 Plan I stay focused on my goals and I am able to make things happen. The success to any goal is being clear, focused and positive about what you want. When your goals are manageable and within reach they are easier to achieve. T stands for three things you want to accomplish each day. Write down three things you want to get done each morning or the night before and concentrate on those 3 goals. Make sure they are doable. They can be super simple such as making a call to a new prospect, coming up with an idea for a new blog post or touching base with an old friend. Whatever they are, refer to them throughout the day to make sure you are on target to completing your daily goals. M stands for a 3 month goal. What is the one project that might take a little longer to accomplish but it is necessary for your success? The goal can be rewriting your linkedin profile, contacting a larger client that you want to work with or planning a vacation that you haven't taken in a while. You realize that accomplishing this goal is key to your long term success. You don't have to work on it each day but putting a little time and effort towards the goal each week will have it completed within 3 months. Y stands for your 3 year goal. We all have long term plans but when they are too far out we often disregard them. Try working on a 3 year goal. It might be a move to a new city or state, a new career or doubling your sales. Think about what you really want and write down the goal. When you write down your goals you are more likely to achieve them. Take a few steps each month towards your goal and believe that you will accomplish it. A Harvard Study written in Forbes Magazine showed that those that had goals and wrote them down earned 10x more than those that did not write their goals down. Having clear, measurable goals will keep you motivated and on track to what you want to accomplish. Since the New Year is upon us, this is the perfect time to put new practices into place. Try the TMY3 Plan and let me know if it helps. Leave a comment and thank you for reading. You were told as a child to read, now as you get older you realize that there is so much to learn. What better way than to #read a book. Like many people, they read multiple books at a time and on different topics. On my night table right now, the books are all #business related.
What are your favorite books on business? INC Magazine polled some of the top successful business people and they rated Good to Great by Jim Collins as the Number One Business Book. One of the books I am now reading and enjoying is #FOCUS, The Hidden Driver of Excellence by Daniel Goleman. Whatever you are reading, you are always #learning. Make it a goal of yours to read at least one book a month, if not more than that. What Business Book are you reading now and enjoying? Leave a comment. This is the time of the year when you become a bit introspective. Whether it is regarding your #Work or your #Personal life, you think about what you are grateful for, what you have learned and perhaps something new that you want add to your life. Doing this is a wonderful practice as it can allow you to rewrite your story. Listen to #Wisdom, Wisdom is the integration of knowledge, experience and understanding. It is the acceptance of life's uncertainties and the belief that it will all work out just right. A wise person is optimistic and calm in the face of fear. They see the big picture, they put things into perspective and understand how all the pieces fit together. "It is not what you look at that matters, it is what you see". ~ Henry David Thoreau~ Be Grateful #Gratitude lets us appreciate what we have and opens us up to new possibilities and thinking. Gratitude requires humility and respect. According to a research study at Baylor University gratitude can improve health, relationships, energy, patience and even make you happier. Start a gratitude journal, you will find it opens you to appreciate the goodness in your life. "Gratitude is the memory of the heart." ~Jean Baptiste Massieu Don't Judge or make assumptions about a person or situation. Your #brain very quickly and automatically judges something as good or bad. Become aware of the moment and come from a new perspective. In most cases there is always a more positive way to look at something. “The major block to compassion is the judgement in our minds. Judgement is the mind’s primary tool of separation.” ~David R Hamilton~ Believe in yourself and know that you are worthy and capable. Build your self #confidence by looking at what you do well and get complimented on. Look at your failures as learning experiences and give yourself permission to try something new. Research shows that once you believe in yourself, you actually embody it. "If you hear a voice within you say "you cannot paint," then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced." ~Vincent Van Gogh Try these this Holiday Season and have a Very Happy Thanksgiving! Leave a comment and let me know what you think. We have all been there. We have way too much to do but sometimes, we just can’t get out of our own way. The list of things to do is a mile long, but you are STUCK! How do you move past that feeling and get started? As we know it is not necessarily the things on the list but our busy minds not wanting to deal. Read below for some helpful tips to make your list manageable and get more accomplished with ease. 1.Take #Action. The key to all success is #action. Take one step and like dominos the other pieces will fall into place. Set your intention on what you want to accomplish and take the first initial step. Even if it seems minor, it is the act of starting that will get you moving. 2. #Prioritize your list. From your list, decide what is most important for you to accomplish. What are your short term and long term #goals and based on that, rank your projects from the most important to the least. 3. #Plan your day. The night before prepare a list of 3 to 5 things you want to #accomplish the next day. If they are small tasks and require less time, try to accomplish more. Conversely, if they are larger projects which need more time, only have a few for that day. 4. Knock off some easy ones first. You will feel like you got something accomplished and you will have more time to work on the larger projects throughout the day. 5. From the list, plot each project out hourly so you know what to do and when. When the task has been completed, cross it off your list. Your list will start to dwindle and you will be ready for the next project. 6. Make a weekly #chart. Now that you did your first day, plot it out in the same fashion for the entire week. Get creative with the chart, so the tasks look appealing. Print a copy that you can keep on your desk as a reminder of the things you need to do. 7. Chart the full month. You may not have all projects planned out in detail but if a project requires more time, you can plan it out ahead of time. This way you will feel more #accountable when you see the project due on a specific day and time. 8. Exercise. Be sure to include time to eat #healthy and #exercise. Taking a brief walk will get your blood flowing and free up your mind from stress. 9. Take some quiet time or a few minutes to #meditate in between projects. The time you take to be quiet will spur new creative ideas and easier ways to look at something for your next project. 10. Stay #positive. Start your day off positive. Tell yourself that you can do it. A positive attitude will keep your goals in sight and make it easier to achieve. 11. Reward yourself. When you look at the end of the day, you will see how much more you have accomplished by just starting. #Reward yourself with a #starbucks coffee, shopping spree or what ever makes you feel good. Share your list with a friend and if you need, ask them to keep you #accountable. Once you get into the flow, you will notice that filling in the chart and accomplishing each project will make your day go smoother. You will feel confident, calm and your goals will be in sight. How do you organize yourself? Leave a comment below? If you would like a copy of the “Organize to Start” chart, an easy to fill in chart to get you organized, go to Upstream Solutions (consultant tab) and fill in your name and email. I will send you the Chart along with helpful tips. I decided to look up the origin of #Halloween and according to History.com it came from the Celtic Holiday of Samhain, and was used to mark the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter, and that this transition was also a bridge to the world of the dead. For me, I prefer to look at it this way. Instead of seeing Halloween as a bridge to the world of the dead, look at it as the start of #new beginnings. Approach the change of seasons as a time when you can #reinvent yourself, heal old wounds and move on to new and greater beginnings.
I also think of it as a very #generous and friendly day as the best part of Halloween is when your friends, neighbors and even homes you don't know, open their doors to say Hello and offer you a piece of candy. Embrace today in a #kind, #friendly manner with excitement for new things to come into your life. Happy Halloween! |
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