by Caroline Leach | Apr 28, 2016 | Change, Learning, Work/Life
How do you celebrate your birthday?
As I contemplated mine today, I wondered what others do. Yes, there’s the fun of celebration, cake and congratulations. Yet what else makes the day extra special? What sets the stage for your next year ahead?
I’m not sure if this relentless focus on goals has to do with being a Taurus or an ENTJ. Or maybe the two are related.
But regardless, here goes . . .
Looking back. Just as I do as New Year’s Eve approaches, I reflect on the last year. I handwrite a list of highlights. How do I remember it all? My calendar and Evernote are helpful in jogging my memory.
This has a few benefits. First, I get to enjoy reliving the best moments of the year. And second, it makes me realize I accomplished a lot more than I might have thought.
Giving thanks. It’s easy to forget the blessings in our lives. A daily list of 3 things I’m grateful for in the last 24 hours has helped bring those blessings to the fore.
Happiness researcher Shawn Achor recently suggested a great twist on this. While you brush your teeth at night, think of 3 things you’re happy about.
And on a birthday, it’s the perfect time to take stock more broadly of what you’re grateful for. Family. Health. Career. Optimism. Perseverance. Possibilities. A favorite pet. Cupcakes. Anything that makes you happy.
Looking ahead. The logical next step is to look to the future. What’s exciting about the year ahead? What was learned in the previous year that can help shape the one ahead?
What are the bright spots that you can build on? This is a great concept from Chip Heath and Dan Heath in their bestseller Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard.
This is where you look for small things that are going well, you learn from them and apply them more broadly.
Enjoying the moment. What would make your day special? What would you most enjoy doing? While I love my career and my work, I take a vacation day on my birthday when I can. And I try to resist my usual tendency to over schedule.
What did that mean for today? Looking back and looking ahead. Enjoying a workout by the beach. Stopping by a beautiful local library. Spending time with family. Talking with my mom. Responding to heartwarming birthday wishes. Writing my daily blog post. A nice dinner with my husband.
Remembering my commitment not to over schedule, we’ll go standup paddle boarding and on an excursion over the weekend. I’m savoring the unusual feeling of not being rushed. The to-do lists and chores will still be there tomorrow.
Reading about what others do on their birthdays gave me a few new ideas.
Danielle LaPorte has 10 great ones. My favorite? “Make some outlandish wishes based on how you want to FEEL in the coming year. Desired. Free. Top of your game . . .”
Kevin F. Adler offers up 9. My favorites? “Have a party the evening before your actual birthday.” “Go on an adventure.” And “do something special that you’ve been wanting to do, but haven’t.”
This got me thinking about bringing something special into every day. Why wait for your birthday? What you can to do to enjoy every day?
by Caroline Leach | Apr 27, 2016 | Work/Life
What’s the secret to being happy?
A terrific post in Inc. this week by Josh Linkner explained why happiness is progress.
There’s something about moving toward your most important goals that’s more fulfilling than anything. Because life truly is about the journey, rather than the destination.
If you lead others, clearing the path for progress is one of the most important things you can do. Making measurable progress each day is what gives people a sense of accomplishment. Teresa Amabile covers it well in The Progress Principle.
How does progress make you happy?
by Caroline Leach | Apr 26, 2016 | Change, Learning
What do you write when you don’t know what to write?
This is similar to the concept of what to do when you don’t know what to do.
On my list of daily dozen activities in my April adventure are posting to this blog and writing down 3 things I’m grateful for in the last 24 hours.
Today I wasn’t sure what to blog about. It was a full day of meetings on highly disparate topics that involved many different people. I started to synthesize it all.
Then a thought occurred to me. What if I changed “what am I grateful for?” to “what did I learn today?”
Here goes.
An editorial calendar is a must to sustain daily blogging. It’s easier to post daily when I know in advance what I’m going to write about. When planning for a particularly busy day, I outline and start drafting a post the night before. But I’ve learned this month that an editorial calendar is even more important.
Collaborative work spaces help build relationships and momentum. Visiting a company location with an open-environment workspace this week reminded me of the value of face-to-face interactions. I moved around the floor between meetings and sat in high-traffic areas. At least 3 chance conversations helped accelerate some of the projects I’m working on.
People will share the most fascinating things if you ask questions and listen. Today was a lot about asking questions and hearing what a variety of people had to say. Now I’m synthesizing all of that input, identifying areas where more information would be valuable and doing follow-up actions.
No one has all the answers. Often in life, there’s no single right answer. There are a range of options, all with upsides and downsides. Talking with a lot of people helps generate additional options. It also reinforces that we’re all figuring things out as we go along. But working together, we’re stronger.
Be humble. This is one of the most important learnings through my career pivot. Often I’m researching concepts that are new to me or asking others a lot of questions. It’s part of being bad first that Erika Andersen articulated in her book of the same name. And it sure is humbling. Yet I’m also humbled by how generous and patient people are with sharing their expertise and perspectives.
What did you learn today?
by Caroline Leach | Apr 25, 2016 | Learning
How do you make the most of a virtual meeting, especially if you aren’t running it?
Here are 8 strategies to try for your next meeting.
Read materials in advance. If documents were circulated before the meeting, read them before the meeting. Jot down comments or questions that you want to address in the meeting.
Define what you want to accomplish. Make sure you know why you’re there. If you don’t, get clarity or don’t participate. Have 1 or 2 goals for what you want to get out of it or what you want to see happen as result.
Arrive 5 minutes early. Jumping on early allows you to greet people as they arrive and establish rapport through small talk. It’s a courtesy to your colleagues. And it signals that you’re organized in managing your time.
Turn on your webcam. Take advantage of technology by using the video feature. Establish eye contact and better connection with your colleagues. This will also keep you focused on the meeting, rather than on multi-tasking.
Establish rapport by asking about colleagues. If you’ve joined early and the meeting hasn’t officially begun, ask people how their day is going, what the weather’s like in their city or how another big project is progressing.
Project your voice with a smile. Even when speaking on the phone without video, I smile while I’m talking. Why? It makes your voice sound warmer, more knowledgable and more sincere.
Be one of the first people to jump in with a question or comment. Speaking up early establishes your presence in the meeting from the beginning. Colleagues will then look to you for your thoughts.
Be clear on next steps as the meeting wraps up. If the meeting leader doesn’t summarize next steps, offer up the next steps you will be taking. This often prompts the leader and others to do the same.
And when you’re in the driver’s seat, here’s what everyone should know about running virtual meetings. There are great strategies in Paul Axtell‘s post this month in Harvard Business Review.
What are your best virtual meeting strategies?
by Caroline Leach | Apr 24, 2016 | Learning
For many years, “learn Spanish” has been on my list of goals.
It’s part of my April adventure to study Spanish for at least 10 minutes every day.
And with language apps on my smartphone and tablet, it’s easy to study a few minutes a day, no matter where I am.
Why do I want to learn Spanish?
- First is to be able to work globally. Spanish is the second-most-spoken language in the world.
- Second is to connect with people more easily here in Southern California where Spanish is spoken by so many.
- And third is to build my brain with new mental connections.
Yet this hasn’t been a dream with a deadline. Until now.
My daughter is thinking about studying abroad in a year or so. At the top of her list are Spain and Argentina.
That creates a more compelling call to action for me to learn to speak Spanish. I want to be able to visit her and speak the language.
Now there’s a stronger “why.” This is what motivates people to take action. Simon Sinek says this powerfully in a TED talk related to his book, Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action.
By “why,” Sinek means, “What’s your purpose? What’s your cause? Why do you get out of bed in the morning?”
Now I have a very specific purpose for learning Spanish. And better yet, it has a deadline.
Why are you pursuing your most important goals?
by Caroline Leach | Apr 23, 2016 | Change, Learning
Is it possible to change in an instant?
Conventional wisdom says no. Change involves multiple steps. Change takes time. Change is hard.
Yet there is one thing you can change in a moment. What is it? Your mind.
You don’t need more than a moment to decide you will think in a different way. You will act in a different way. You will see the world in a different way.
Endlessly inspiring in this area is one of author Gretchen Rubin‘s “twelve commandments of happiness.”
Here it is . . .
“Act the way you want to feel.”
Not feeling so good, physically, emotionally or spiritually? Start acting the way you’d rather feel.
If you want to feel happy, start acting that way. If you want to feel energetic, bring a bounce to your step. If you want to feel valued, start by appreciating someone else.
And if changing your life in an instant seems too far fetched, try these tips from Nicolas Cole for how you can improve your life the most in a single day.
His best advice?
“Be today who you want to be tomorrow.”
Who do you want to be tomorrow?
Just start acting as if you already are that person.
by Caroline Leach | Apr 22, 2016 | Learning
Here’s a simple way to solve a problem.
Give your brain an assignment to figure out a solution. Then shift gears and do something different. Go for a walk. Work on another project. Or go to sleep for the night.
As you walk or work or wake up, don’t be surprised if the solutions start to flow.
Science backs up the power of how your subconscious mind is better at problem solving.
Give it a try this week.
by Caroline Leach | Apr 21, 2016 | Change, Learning
Could there be anything new about the growth mindset, first articulated by Stanford’s Carol Dweck?
As it turns out, yes.
People Won’t Grow If You Think They Can’t Change was a great post today in Harvard Business Review.
Written by Monique Valcour, the piece applies a growth mindset to how leaders view, interact with and influence the learning potential of their team members.
Did you ever work with a leader who saw more potential in you than you did at the time? Did you ever have have a team member with more potential than they saw in themselves? How did those scenarios turn out?
A good way to think about new frontiers or challenges is Dweck’s TED talk, The power of believing you can improve.
She opened with a story about a Chicago high school where students who didn’t pass a class got a mark of “not yet.” What did that do? It placed people on a learning curve into the future.
What’s your “not yet”?
by Caroline Leach | Apr 20, 2016 | Learning
Heading into Peet’s this morning for coffee, my mind was going a mile a minute thinking about the day ahead. Meetings to attend. Calls to make. Actions to complete.
An unexpected ray of sunshine brightened my morning as I approached the store. A fellow coffee aficionado I’d seen there from time to time shared a thoughtful compliment with me as I walked by.
Wow. It made me pause. It made me smile. It brought a whole new aura to my day.
It reminded me of some wise words from Tony Schwartz, writing about appreciation in Harvard Business Review. “Feeling genuinely appreciated lifts people up,” he wrote.
He was talking about the workplace specifically as he advocated looking for opportunities to notice what others are doing right and being appreciative for their contributions.
This could be a positive twist on “if you see something, say something.” If you observe someone doing something great, take the initiative to recognize them for it. It could be a member of your team, a community acquaintance or the person standing next to you in line.
You never know what a difference you could make in someone’s day.
A colleague of mine, Andy Bailey, role models this at work. “Start every meeting with recognition,” he says. There’s a transformative power in beginning with gatherings this way. People feel more valued, the tone of the meeting is lighter and the time together becomes more productive.
Scott Adams takes the concept further in How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big. “Adults are starved for a kind word,” Adams wrote. “When you understand the power of honest praise, you realize that withholding it borders on terminal. If you see something that impresses you, a decent respect to humanity insists you voice your praise.”
Hear, hear!
by Caroline Leach | Apr 19, 2016 | Learning
Don’t you love a good paradox? Or what seems like a paradox?
In my April adventure I’ve been reminded of a few things.
First is that the key to establishing a new habit is to do it daily. That way it becomes automatic. It doesn’t require a great deal of thought or effort. On day 19 of my adventure, I’m almost at the magical 21 days to establish a habit. Except that science may tell us there isn’t anything special about that number after all.
The elements of my daily dozen that I’ve enjoyed most of all? Posting to this blog. Spending more time with family. Studying Spanish.
Second is that by attempting to do too much, not everything gets done particularly well. Now that I’ve experienced the power of multiple habit formation, I may set one area of focus for each month. One new habit at a time. Smaller, more manageable steps.
It reminds me of what Seth Godin said about N-1. He asks a powerful question. Rather than squeezing in one more thing, how much better could you do if you did one less thing?
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