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“Creating Successful Leaders”

June 25, 2012 Tally-Ho! June Newsletter: 13 Ways to Look at a Leader

13 WAYS TO LOOK AT A LEADER | UXL, JUNE 2012

What’s the secret behind great leadership? There’s no “right” response to the question; All of us will answer differently because there are a multitude of different leadership styles.

Recently, INC MAGAZINE published an article outlining 13 DIFFERENT WAYS TO LOOK AT A LEADER. Before you inspect the list below, take a moment to consider an exemplary leader who you’ve experienced personally. What were the things that made this person strong and valuable?
Click Here to Read More!

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June 19, 2012 The Danger of Sitting – Why and How to Give Your Chair a Break

By Margaret Smith, UXL:
SPEAKER | CAREER COACH | CERTIFIED INSIGHTS DISCOVERY PRACTITIONER

“A growing body of research suggests that the longer you keep your rear end in your chair and your eyes glued to your screen, the less productive you may be. Getting up from your desk and moving not only heightens your powers of concentration, it enhances your health.”

 Forbes Magazine

At work, it’s easy to get sucked into the seated, screen-staring position for hours on end. It may seem counterintuitive, but sticking it out all day at your chair can actually be a huge loss to your productivity and creativity—not to mention a threat to your health!

According to an article published in Inc Magazine, walking less can dramatically increases the amount of insulin circulating in your blood, as well as increase heart disease risk factors, including an increase in abdominal fat. Yikes!

How to Give your Chair a Some Time Off:

>  Walk or bike your errands or commute

>  Integrate a workout into your workday, such as before work, during your break, or after work

>  Add a walk to your lunch

>  Actually get up and stroll across the building to ask questions/discuss

>  Stand at your desk

>  Solve your problems during a workout—my positive vibes and ingenuity are boosted during my workout

>  Step outside for breaks or phone calls

Suggested Reading:

“Eight Ways Goofing Off Can Make You More Productive” from Forbes Magazine
“Sitting is Bad for You: What Can You Do about It at Work?” from Inc Magazine
“Exercise at Work” by About.com

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June 13, 2012 Are You Weighed Down by your Stuff?

By Margaret Smith,
SPEAKER | CAREER COACH | CERTIFIED INSIGHTS DISCOVERY PRACTITIONER

I’d like to start this blog post with a question:

What stuff do you have weighing you down?

What do you mean by “stuff”, you ask?

I was confronted with the idea of stuff overload in an article published recently in Parade Magazine. This article, titled “Is Your Stuff Weighing You Down?”, tackled the issue of actual physical clutter—the lamps, mugs, ointments, clothes, supplies, and other objects that fill our closets and our attics.

The concept presented in the magazine slowly grew into a larger issue in my mind. It all started the other day with a search for a guitar amp. Now before you get confused, let me assure you that the guitar amp was not for me, it belongs to my son who had returned home in search of a few items.

Because my son is in his mid-twenties, he’s been out of the house for some time now. This adds a special challenge to locating his stuff. While he may have remembered what closet he left his amp in, the closet itself had been overrun with miscellaneous piles of my “work stuff”. He opened the closet door and optimistically expected to see his amp. Instead, he faced perilous stacks of my documents, envelopes, gadgets, and more.

He returned downstairs to find me in the kitchen. “Mom, what is all that stuff?” he asked.

My honest reaction was mutual confusion. “You’re right,” I said, “what is all that stuff?!” I then trudged upstairs to tackle my clutter. As I dealt with the tangible stuff, I started to think about the less tangible stuff that may not fill my closet, but sure fills my mind and weights me down.

So now I bring this tough but amazing question to you. What are the sources of guilt, obligation, and responsibility that you feel weighing you down? Are some of these items actually the “stuff” or responsibility of other people that you’ve taken on yourself?

You may find that you’re bogged down in stuff because you’re saying “yes” too often, and that these items distract you from your real goals. (Now would also be a good time to ask yourself, What are my real goals?)

Here’s a great way to measure the way you use your time:

1. List the 3 things that you value most (spending time with family, learning, etc..)

2. Make a list of the things you’ve devoted time to in the last week

3. Give each area you devote time to a percent out of 100 for the week (perhaps your work ends up constituting 70% of your time, volunteering 5%, etc)

If your use of time conflicts with the things you value most, consider rethinking your life balance.

If your issue is that you have trouble gracefully declining the requests of others, take a moment to visit my handy list of creative ways to say “no”. I promise you won’t regret it!

image: scanned from Parade Magazine

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