Self Care Strategies

7 Simple Self-Care Strategies for Leaders to Infuse Today

July 17, 2019ColleenIndustry News, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Self-care. The term has become so ubiquitous that many of us overlook just how important it really is. For leaders in particular, effectively infusing self-care practices into our daily lives can have a tremendously positive impact that radiates out into our world.

“In order to create well-being in their workforce, leaders must create a culture where self-care is encouraged and enhanced. This is most effective when top leadership models the behavior they want to see in their organization.”

–Monica Thakrar in Forbes

Without further ado, let’s get started with 7 easy self-care strategies to help you live – and lead – with a greater impact and deeper sense of fulfillment:

Self care for leaders#1 – Redefine what self-care means to you. Have you been holding on to a rigid definition of what self-care means? What is your personal concept of self-care? Self-care is so much more than sipping a cup of hot tea or enjoying yoga a few times each week. By challenging how we think of self-care, we open up to building a deeper connection to ourselves. Think of self-care from a whole perspective, encompassing physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing.

#2 – Infuse self-care into your everyday life. Too often, we put unneeded pressure on ourselves. Shift your focus for short periods from one of “must do” to “ahhh, simply be.” Notice the spacious feeling that arises from within when you loosen up for a little while. (Feels good, doesn’t it?) Taking these short breaks throughout our day can enliven our energy and help us to return to regular tasks with a sense of renewal and joy.

#3 – Keep company with supportive people. It may be a new concept to think of self-care as having anything to do with other people…but it does. HBR author Amy Jen Su calls healthy, supportive relationships a vital part of self-care. “Take notice of who feeds your energy and who drains it,” she suggests. Also become aware of the people in your life who nurture your soul and encourage growth. Which brings us to our next two important self-care strategies…

#4 – Set your boundaries and learn to say “no.” Cutting back on your obligations can help you lower your stress levels while boosting your confidence, too. Say “yes” to taking care of yourself and “no” to all the things in your life that are not serving your highest good. Need some easy pointers? Check out this helpful article on Psychology Today fittingly called 10 Tips for Setting Boundaries and Feeling Better.

#5- Stay accountable. Accountability is critical in all areas of leadership – and yes, even in self-care. Think about a time when you were working on an intense project. You were going to take that break … but did it happen? Or did you just push through without taking your own needs into consideration? It can be easy to neglect our own needs, which makes staying accountable to self-care key. Check in with yourself throughout the day.

Self Care Strategies#6 – Freshen your space. Have you ever noticed how our workspace seems to influence our mood and productivity? Your work area, asserts HBR author Amy Jen Su, “should feel like a reflection of your best self.” Truer words were never spoken. We all deserve a space to work and play that is free of excess clutter or energy that hinders our progress. Add special touches to your space, such as motivational images or small meaningful items that inspire positivity.

#7 – Inspire others to practice self-care. Leadership is all about the “we” – not the “me.” Two impactful things happen when we as leaders practice self-care. It’s often said that we cannot give from an empty cup; when we take care of our own needs, we’re better able to come back refreshed and energized – ready to share the best version of ourselves with the world. And the best part? We can then inspire others to enjoy the benefits of incorporating gentle self-care practices into their own lives. Think of it as a ripple effect of positivity…

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Intent-Based Leadership

Rev Up Your Team With Intent-Based Leadership

June 19, 2019ColleenIndustry News, UncategorizedLeave a comment

What would it look like if your team was motivated to succeed?

If your leadership empowered and inspired others to shine?

If you could use your vision as a leader to connect people?

How do you do it? Lead with intention.

As Leaders, We Must Be Aware of Our Intentions

“Intention is the engine that drives motivated employees, and leaders must remain aware of the intentions they carry into the office with their thoughts, actions and responses.”

–William Craig, Forbes.com

Intention is a powerful word – and it’s even more influential when we infuse what it means into how we lead others. By definition, intention is:

  • a determination to act in a certain way : resolve
  • what one intends to do or bring about

In leadership and in life, intentions involve the heart and are therefore deeply rooted. Intentions are all about the process, your process – the “why” in your life, your way of living.

When we focus on our intentions, we’re keeping true to ourselves, our inner values, who we are at our core. It’s all about being present now – unlike goals that are something in the future.

Intentions keep you true to your Self and to your strongest yearnings.

Knowing this, it’s easy to see how critical setting (and being aware of) our intentions are in leadership.

Intent Based LeadershipBringing Intention into the Workplace

When we allow our intentions to guide the way we lead our team, some substantial benefits happen as a result:

  • Employees are empowered as a greater sense of trust is established.
  • Overall work culture is enhanced as people feel a deeper purpose.
  • Individual team members are also encouraged to develop to their full potential.

Seen from a bigger vantage point, these benefits come together to transform an organization, allowing it to establish a greater impact in the products and services it offers as well as the wider social impact it has.

Instead of seeing work as “just a paycheck” to pay the bills, intentions empower us to inspire our teams to find deeper meaning and purpose in their work life.

Intentions keep us connected to our inner core. They help us be more present in all that we do – and to bring our authenticity into every situation.

Lead With Intention to Motivate Your Team

Need a few pointers to lead with intention? Try these:

1- Consider the impact of your words. I’ve spoken a lot about the role of body language in leadership, but words are also important. For instance, you might replace “I” statements with ones that start with “We” instead.

2- Think acceptance, not authority. An impactful leader knows it’s not about “my way or the highway” authoritativeness. Rather, emphasize tolerance and acceptance; be open to new, innovative ideas.

3- Start the conversation about intention. It’s not all about getting everyone on board with your vision and yours alone – encourage employees to share their own unique visions and goals.

4- Set your intention beforehand. Ready to walk into your next meeting? Providing employee feedback? Set your intentions first – a practice that can guide you to stay present and grounded.

5- Define your leadership vision. It’s hard to lead others with intention without a clear image of your own vision. Follow the tips in this HBR article to develop your own captivating image of an achievable future.

Leadership intentionBOLD BONUS TIP: What’s one of the activities that takes up a lot of your time but often produces few measurable results? If you answered “meetings,” you’re not alone.

Optimize productivity by setting an intention to limit meetings to 20% of your time for the day or week. Why? “This creates a healthy balance for the creation of important work while remaining mindful and respectful of each professional’s time,” explains Forbes.com author William Craig.

Intentions Keep Us Grounded

From my own experience as a leader, my intentions keep me grounded. They serve as little prompts to check in with myself, to make sure I’m being kind to myself and to those in my life. They gently nudge me to ask the right questions when it feels like something has gone off track.

More than anything, intentions remind me that life is a journey, and that I’ll enjoy the ride by keeping true to myself. And if I’m not true to myself…if I am not loving the work that I do…why should anyone follow me?

Now, let us all boldly go forward and set our intentions for this day!

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Use your intuition

Up Your Leadership Game by Leveraging Your Intuition

May 15, 2019ColleenIndustry News, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Intuition in leadership…really?

For many of us, the word intuition may seem incongruent with leadership.

After all, we’re often taught to leave our emotions out of the office, to rely on hard data, and to seek the counsel of others before making a big decision.

Exactly what is intuition, anyway?

in·tu·i·tion

By definition, the Cambridge Dictionary says intuition is:

“an ability to understand or know something without needing to think about it or use reason to discover it, or a feeling that shows this ability”

That sounds like something every leader would benefit from, doesn’t it?

In the real world, we often refer to intuition in some common ways:

  • trusting your gut
  • following our instincts
  • going with “a feeling”

In some parts of our world, intuition is sometimes stereotyped as “woo woo” or “New Age.” Yet, most of us are guided by our intuition on a frequent basis, even if we’re unaware of it.

There does seem to be a cultural component involved. HBR found that leadership styles really are different around the world: in their 2014 International Business report, they reported that 85% of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) leaders found intuition to be important, in contrast to just 54% in the EU (European Union).

Intuition in Leadership

Why leaders benefit from leveraging intuition

In today’s increasingly complex, dynamic business world, leaders need as many tools as possible to make effective decisions. Intuition can be thought of as our personal “advisor” when we’re called upon to make key decisions.

Beyond decision-making, intuition may serve as a guide in other areas of leadership as well – in everything from managing daily operations to strategizing solutions to challenges large and small.

As many leaders have discovered, relying exclusively on cognitive processing is not an effective strategy – particularly when the situation is multifaceted. The role intuition plays in leadership is explained well in a Forbes article by Bonnie Marcus, who brings a bit of neuroscience into the discussion:

“Research in neuroscience tells us that the amount of storage in working memory is limited. We need input from all parts of the brain to manage highly complex decisions.”

Marcus suggests that intuition can be especially useful in business settings where the market is rapidly evolving or where the decision that needs to be made has many interconnected components.

How to use your intuition as a leader

“Successful and consistent deployment of intuition, however, requires more than just domain knowledge. It also requires deep introspection, ‘an intense journey into yourself.’”

-Modesto A. Maidique in HBR

For many people “intuition” might feel somewhat inaccessible – but it’s not nearly as challenging as you might think to connect more deeply with your intuitive self.

Here are 6 of my favorite tips to help you do just thatUse your intuition:

1- Divert your attention. Can’t seem to figure out how to solve a problem? Try a brain break – take the focus off the dilemma and see what happens. Your spark of intuition or that “aha moment” might come when you least expect…

2- Converse with your higher self. Actually, we’re always having a convo with our higher selves – but we’re not always attuned to the messages we’re sending (and receiving). Ask your higher self for the guidance and insight you need to solve a challenging situation.

3- Get creative. Complex problems often need more than a conventional approach, and that’s where intuition comes in. Deepen your intuition by tapping into your creative side to ultimately bring a mix of “head” and “heart” into all that you do.

4- Identify areas of your life where you had an inner knowing…a “gut instinct”…an intuitive feeling. Did you follow it? Why or why not? Bringing an awareness to your intuition can help you use it more effectively in everyday life.

5- Bring intuition into decision-making conversations. Share your own inner feelings, and encourage others to do the same. You may be quite surprised how effective this practice is, and how it can expand your awareness of self and others.

6- Live this beautiful day in the moment. This might be the most important strategy of all. When your mind is fixated on the past or focused on some point in the future, it doesn’t leave much room for you to connect with your higher, intuitive self.

“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”

-Buddha

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Career advice for leaders , Smart leadership strategies , Career achievement moves for leaders

Leaders, Try These Smart Strategies to Reach Your Goals

September 27, 2017ColleenIndustry NewsLeave a comment

Strong leaders spend a good deal of time focusing on the success of the people who work for them – sometimes at the expense of their own career achievements.

If your leadership abilities alone are not taking you where you want to go in your career, try incorporating the following smart strategies to reach your goals.

Career Achievement Moves for Leaders

Shift Your Leadership Focus – Just like the people they supervise, leaders are more effective when their work feels meaningful. Have you lost the drive for your work? Look for actions you can take to create more meaning in what you do.

Try “job crafting,” says Yale professor Amy Wrzesniewski in a recent Inc.com article on successful leaders. This means being proactive about adding meaningful tasks – however you define them – into your workday and making them part of your job.

Don’t Wait To Be Ready – Even the best of us can create excuses about why we’re not where we want to be. Yet, putting off your career goals means waiting that much longer to actually achieve them. Take some common sense advice from a FastCompany.com career advice article and “ just go for it” – even if you don’t feel ready. Now that’s what I call a bold move!

Lead by Building Up Others – While this may seem like a given, it often takes conscious effort. When you show your confidence and trust in others, you make them stronger and build relationships that can help you reach your career goals. A win-win!

Leaders Practice Accountability – According to a 2015 study done at Dominican University of California, over 70 percent of participants who sent weekly updates to another person accomplished their goal or made steady progress – compared to the 35 percent of participants who didn’t write down or share their progress. As a leader, demonstrating strong accountability skills sets a strong example for your team.

At Authentic Leadership International (www.boldermoves.com), we partner with leaders around the globe to develop effective ways to improve your leadership skills – while keeping your own unique career goals in mind.

Words of Wisdom from Successful Leaders

While we each have our own path, it’s often good to hear how other corporate leaders have achieved success. Here are a few quotes to inspire you from the Inc.com site:

  • Richard Branson: The Virgin Group founder asserts, “The amount of time people waste dwelling on failures, rather than putting that energy into another project, always amazes me… a setback is never a bad experience, just a learning curve.”
  • Emily Hughes:  A business consultant for Google Fiber, Emily’s advice is to talk to a lot of people. “It was a way for me to recognize what skills I had, and also what skills I wanted to learn to be able to do what I wanted to do.”
  • Sheryl Sandburg: “Believe you can do anything. This is important for everyone and especially for women. Don’t let anyone tell you can’t have both a meaningful professional career and a fulfilling personal life. When you hear someone say you can’t do something, know that you can and start figuring out how,” affirms Facebook’s COO.
  • Jim Whitehurst: The Red Hat CEO states, “Find a rhythm where you can have enough time for family and friends, feel satisfied emotionally, and still excel at work, because building a great career is a marathon, not a sprint.”

As a leader, focusing on your personal career goals is never wrong. In fact, it sets an amazing example for your team members on what to do right to succeed.

Looking for new and bolder ways to manage your teams while making steady progress in your own leadership career? Sign up here to access my free Weekly Bold Move.

 

Image courtesy of freedooom at FreeDigitalPhotos.net