Tips and tricks for Professional Development.

We don’t know what we don’t know – a lot will be different moving forward.

Business Fatigue

The fatigue that business leaders are feeling is genuine. Dealing with the multitude of changes implemented over the last six months through the COVID-19 crisis, from moving to remote operations to staffing, and challenging financial decisions has taken a toll. As we await the COVID-19 vaccine, life is very different from the same time last year, and summer did not permit any real relief from the fatigue.  Priority emphasis continues to be placed on the health and safety of staff and customers. We have moved from survival to strategic mode at rapid speed and now need to be focusing on how we can continue to rebuild and reenergize. Workplaces have transformed from bustling environments to remote work and contactless service.  As workplaces reopened, the business was not as we knew it ‘normally’ to be.

The leadership challenges and opportunities that have presented themselves have resulted in a new way of leadership thinking. Leaders are more confident in the speed at which change can be made and optimistic in knowing that more can be done in innovative ways. The COVID-19 crisis has shaken up how we lead, improved our ability to make fast structural shifts, and highlighted the importance of the communication of purpose and empathetic leadership skills.  As we rebuild, we need to focus on actions that are of high impact to the business and bottom-line profitability. Processes followed are being re-written to be done better in a shorter time frame and are critical for talent management and agile teams.

 

Workplace Configuration – Reimagining the Way We Work

Workplace reconfiguration after lockdown resulted in a multitude of changes moving forward, including:

  • Designated distanced seating
  • Elevator limits
  • Hand sanitizer stations
  • Hot seat changeovers
  • Flex-Teams
  • Job sharing
  • Permanent and hybrid remote work policies
  • Physical space deep cleaning protocols
  • Plexiglass divider installation
  • Rotational teams
  • Safety PPE (when necessary depending on occupation)
  • Signage to help maintain safety and social distancing
  • Social distancing protocols
  • The wearing of masks in common areas
  • Touchless digital technology…and the list goes on.

 

As our workforce has encountered many stressors, how we work and where we do it from has been re-envisioned. We now need to invest in our people to ensure that they have the capabilities required and provide support in this changing environment.

 

Futurist Leaders

Leaders have done an exceptional job of bringing a sense of order into the uncertainty of working and living due to COVID. However, the work is far from over. Leaders have demonstrated their aptitude to be futurists – innovate and redesign as necessary due to COVID restrictions.

Leaders have had to:

  • Adapt boldly
  • Communicate contact-free
  • Demonstrate resilience
  • Exemplify an entrepreneurial mindset
  • Focus on the bottom line
  • Fully utilize tools and strategies
  • Innovate and pivot
  • Possess a positive mindset
  • Problem Solve quickly
  • Scenario plan, and all the way
  • Show transparency to their teams.

Embracing Differing Work Conditions

As we continue to embrace our different working conditions, and many of our staff remain virtual, we need to retain focus and continue to strengthen our people’s relationships moving forward. Effective leaders have the aptitude to change styles depending on the situation. Leadership style flexing is whereby a leader moves from a focus on relationship, task, or effectiveness depending on the situation. Being a good people person, good at execution, or effective in your role are all critical; however, depending on the situation, one aspect may require typically more of your focus. Strategic decision making, discipline in the execution of goals while being decisive, fast and flexible are all key in moving an organization forward. We are six months into our evolving new normal in North America. Since COVID hit our shores, we have gone through a lot and also learned a great deal. Although so many are fatigued, leaders need to retain focus on improving capabilities, fostering influence, maintaining positive relationships, and demonstrating the courage to innovate change.

 

 

Contact Us

Leadership development and coaching can help you strengthen resilience, preparedness, and provide support for your leadership team to feel more confident—time to invest in your leadership development and support your people management. Contact askme@jennyreilly.com for more information on how we can support your leadership team through this transition and how we can get moving forward.

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Planning + Action + Consistency + Outcome Recording = AMAZING RESULT.

Consistency is Key

 

Being relentlessly consistent in your actions will enable significant results. Just like compound interest, your continual and focused effort towards your professional and personal goals will reap considerable results.

 

It is so easy to get distracted from working on what is important. We all walk a tightrope of responsibilities that cross over between our busy professional and personal lives, and the following are some of the most common challenges that are shared with me:

 

  • Since COVID, I am working remotely; however, I now feel like I am on 24/7. I am exhausted and have no time for myself.
  • I don’t have the time to work on what matters. I know I have to; however, my day-to-day responsibilities and leading my team take up every waking hour.
  • I am overwhelmed. Everything has become more complex, and I know I need to simplify, but I am just too tired even to start.

 

These challenges are real, and without intentional action to make a change, it won’t miraculously occur. I can honestly share with you that I want to make a significant impact, be effective and productive, demonstrate innovation, be creative, continually grow, attain stretch results, and all while enjoying what I love to do. Do you?

Do you need a reboot?

It can be done. You need to decide to make the changes necessary, schedule time to focus on the action required and… simply start. Given the climate that we are working and living in today, getting back on track and doing so quickly will benefit you in so many ways. You do not need to struggle with stressors, complexity, ambiguity or uncertainty in your professional or personal life. So let’s get back on track to enable you to be the best person you can be, and while doing so, enjoy yourself. If you decide to raise your game, guess what, you will do so. When you raise your game, others will notice, and you will then be more impactful to your team. Think of this as an expansionary action. You will need to be motivated to work on what matters, be consistent in your action and be dedicated to carving time in your schedule to make things happen.

 

Review your processes

Daily routines, scheduled blocked off uninterrupted time to work on goals and identified processes in all aspects of your work to streamline what you do and how you do it are all key. Processes help you stay on track, provide consistent levels of service, take away the complexity of task management, save you time and enhance your performance.

Stick with a system

Whether you use Trello, Asana, Evernote, a paper day timer, or a CRM, commit to a system to keep yourself organized. Keeping on top of what needs to be done by when ideas and scheduled follow up will help you stay focused and productive. In my system, I keep track of my quarterly goals and actions, weekly focus points and a running ideas list of ideas to ensure I remain innovative in my approach to work. You may have to play around with multiple systems initially; however, limit the time you will give yourself to find the right one for you. If you have a system, yet have not been using it, now is the time to go back to the basics. Commit to your system (new or current) for the next 90 days and then circle back to me and let me know your results.

 

Raise your game

You want to be the best you can be, so rather than thinking about it, start acting that way. Step up your game, practice the Golden Rule of treating others how you wish to be treated. Be true to what you need to focus on, and do not let other priorities take over from the time you need to work on your goals. When you focus on how you work, how you want to be perceived and lean into the changes that you know you need to make to improve your ‘presence’ factor, it will occur. Listen intently, be aware of your posture and body language (yes even if you are only in front of a computer screen on a zoom call – it matters), choose words carefully, smile often and look for the joy in what you are doing, it will be acknowledged and is contagious to others. How successful are you in meeting your daily, weekly or monthly targets? It is so easy to get bogged down with the day to day and fall into busy, rather than strategic work. Focusing on the right thing, and being consistent in daily action to move forward is the key to success.

 

 

Get comfortable with saying ‘No’ more than ‘Yes.’

Allocate 30 minutes to look closely at your schedule for the next three weeks. If there are any meetings or activities that are in your schedule that you do not need to attend, send your regrets, and either have someone else attend on your behalf or advise why you do not need to be involved. Compare your schedule against your goals. If you have time blocked off to work on items that are not in your top 7-10 goal areas, then determine if this is the right way to be spending your time. For every new request, before automatically saying ‘yes’ really think about your answer, it is just as easy to say ‘no,’ I promise!

 

Batch tasks

Create a checklist of tasks that can be batched and schedule them in your weekly calendar.

I have a running list of quick 2 minutes jobs that I schedule in an hour block daily. I use the hour after lunch, where my energy is a little waned, and I need a kickstart to the afternoon. I batch social media postings and also writing time, whether it be for blog posts or project proposals.

 

Track your outputs

Your outputs are in your control – you will see that tracking them and being relentlessly consistent in your action will expedite your ability to move your work forward.

 

Delegate when you can

The answer is not to do more. Life does not have to be lived in a constant state of emergency, nor do you have to do everything alone to feel that the task at hand is done in the right way. Delegate when you can, you do not have to do it all. There is no merit in continuously pushing items onto the ‘I have to do this later’ mile-long list. Focus on where you add value. Work out how your time is best utilized and as other tasks arise that are not in your superpower zone, then move them on.

 

Contact Me

So many tips, so much to do but really – the first step is the most critical, and that is STARTING.

 

If you would feel like you would be a good candidate for my Executive Coaching Program, please book a time through my Calendly link, and I would be happy to have a 15-minute introductory connection with you.

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What Type of Leader Do You Want to Be?

Defining the Type of Leader You Are

As our businesses adjust to the global pandemic, this period has been understandably stressful. New protocols, measures and considerations have been required to ensure a safe and gradual reopening of the economy. We have had to recalibrate the way we work and live.  Organizational climates have changed significantly. By that I mean the work environment experienced by an employee, where they work (from in-person to virtual, to hybrid models) and how they feel about work. Leading from a core set of principals is quite different from leading from a place of self-preservation. A leader who is driving progress and innovation, ensures fairness, and creates opportunities for all can be a real motivator for staff. Doing the right things for employees first and foremost, mentoring and supporting as required and paying positivity forward helps equate to team results.

Effective Type of Leader

We have all had experiences in our career where we have worked with an effective and enthusiastic leader, and the opposite side of the spectrum a reactive and rushed leader. It is important to note that we can also move from being one to another if we do not remain mindful of how we are connecting with people and managing our stress levels. COVID has been a real test for many leaders, how are you fairing?

Remaining Diligent

We need to remain diligent in checking in and identifying our behaviour and energy levels. We will be more intentional in having a substantially increased number of good days in comparison to bad if we do so. At the end of the day it is really quite simple, do you want to feel energized and enthusiastic in your position, or exhausted and frustrated by the little you have accomplished? Without adjustment of our attitude and behaviour, our days can slide into weeks, months and easily years of being a certain type of leader.

Which column do you more resonate with today?

 

Dissatisfied and Burnt OutMotivated and Focused
   I feel like I have to be on 24/7.   I have a good sense of purpose and know that I am having an impact.
   I have too much to do, in too little time.   I am focused on goal attainment and result achievement.
   I can’t focus on the long-term vision as the daily grind takes up all my energy.   I enjoy and am satisfied with the work that I am doing.
   I am so busy and tired; I don’t have the energy to motivate my team. I need them to see what I am doing, step up, show more interest and take on more.   I have great collegial connection and synergy with those in the team – real flow.
   I don’t have the time or resources to work on my own professional development. Seriously, professional development is not even on my radar.   I am passionate about continually developing both professionally and personally. I am driven and am ambitious to do better and be better.

 

 

I am the first to admit that there can be a fine line between being highly engaged and a continuous producer of exceptional results, to being burnt-out. I can think of one of my leadership roles that I derived great satisfaction in for an extended period of time. I attained consistent results, had a brilliant team of dedicated and motivated staff that I enjoyed working with, was happy to take on more and more responsibility, and never said no to an innovative project. However, a change occurred at the executive level that impacted the culture of the unit. Values were no longer aligned, nor was there appreciation, trust or recognition of efforts. The day-to-day sacrifices, expectation of working 12+ hour days and being on call 24/7 was understandably not worth the personal and professional sacrifices. This resulted in a stalled career, inability to grow as I would not promote the flawed culture to my team and stakeholders, in addition to a negative impact on my health. The ripple effect of this experience cascaded through my team and directly onto my family. When you are not operating at your optimal leadership and performance level it can ultimately affect all aspects of your professional and personal life. My best learning experience on how ‘NOT’ to lead, and one that ultimately changed my professional trajectory from that period onward.

 

When there is the ability to continually develop, grow and stretch into new opportunities, a direct result can be found in greater job satisfaction, engagement and bottom-line results for all levels in an organization.

Questions for you to ponder:

  1. Are you doing your best work? Does it have meaning, impact and is it making a difference?
  2. What type of leader are you being?
  3. Are your professional practices, or routines working for or against you?
  4. How can you raise your game on the professional and personal front?
  5. What can you be doing to help raise the game of others around you?
  6. Do you lead from a position of trust and support, or stress and ego?

 

In my leadership and development consultancy I work with leaders and teams locally and globally to improve their ability to drive business performance and increase productivity. I focus on helping and equipping clients with skills and tactics to enable them to become a better type of leader and achieve their professional, and personal best. I help individuals to move from feeling dissatisfied and burnt out to motivated, energized and focused.

Contact Me

If this article has resonated with you and you would like to move from being dissatisfied and burnt out, to motivated and focused please reach out to askme@jennyreilly.com

 

Make this week a great one.

 

 

 

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Breaking the Inertia and Old Workplace Systems

Breaking the Inertia of Current Life

The implementation of transformative business practices and increased digital processes have been a direct result of COVID-19. At breakneck speed, a significant change has occurred in the way we work, and it is frankly long overdue. The traditional workplace systems have pivoted, and as employee safety continues to be our priority, we have transitioned to remote, or hybrid models and become proficient in videoconferencing, adopting better methods of communication, task tracking, and collaborative team practices.

Current Economic Environment

We know that it has understandably not all been smooth sailing through COVID; however, people and companies have adapted by changing their workplace systems. We will continue to be in a state of flux until a vaccine is available and need to ensure that we implement sufficient measures to retain and improve our company culture for our employees. Many employees miss the in-person day to day interaction, helpful side-bar conversations, and the energy that comes from working in a physical space together. On the flip side, McKinsey’s research has indicated that ’80 % of people questioned enjoy working from home. Forty-one percent say that they are more productive than before and 28% that they are as productive.’

 

Workplace Systems

What To Do Now

It is now time to focus on rethinking the way we work, reinventing the business structure, removing unnecessary boundaries, and reshaping the way we attract, develop, and retain talent.

 

 

Ten questions for you to ponder:

  1. Reimagine how you can improve your workplace systems. What work is essential in-person, and what can be done remotely for the long term?
  2. How can you reinvent your workplace and redefine your physical business space?
  3. How will you ensure that company culture remains a priority?
  4. How will you create an excellent experience for employees, whether they are on-site, remote or working in a hybrid model?
  5. Will providing the option of remote, or hybrid hires increase your talent pool?
  6. What additional safety precautions should you provide in addition to social distancing, wearing masks, hand-washing stations, and restricted entry and exit protocols?
  7. Can you improve the utilization of flex office space?
  8. What level of employee upskilling, training and support is required for employees?
  9. How can you improve or integrate seamless online and in-person collaboration?
  10. How can you utilize technology and data in your organization to speed up decision making?

Workplace Systems

 

 

Leaders are breaking the inertia; many have implemented significant changes as a direct result of COVID. These changes have resulted in a ‘reset,’ or ‘unblocking’ of stagnant ways, and the ability to indeed lead with a visionary focus.

Get in Touch

If you need help breaking some of your long-standing Workplace Systems issues, developing your team, or planning the next best steps to take within the organization, please email askme@jennyreilly.com or book a 15-minute complimentary strategy session directly on

 

Workplace Systems

 

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What is the Value of Having an Executive Coach in Vancouver?

Does Executive Coaching Help my Business?

In this time of Covid-19, my consulting practice has been receiving an increasing number of queries regarding executive coaching and leadership support directly from individuals in C-Suite positions, entrepreneurs, small business owners, and HR practitioners for organizational leadership teams.

 

Executives and leaders appreciate that in a time of crisis, with complex business environments, executive coaching in Vancouver can nurture performance, provide support, build resilience, and foster continuous leadership development.

 

executive coach in Vancouver

As an executive coach in Vancouver, I specialize in strategy and focus on high-performance objectives with clients. I am not a life coach nor psychologist. Upfront in all query conversations, I first determine if the fit will be a good one for both the coachee and myself, that there will be an honest and authentic conversation, and confirm the rationale for the coaching relationship. Once the fit is determined, I review the value proposition of executive coaching, return on investment, and expected results. We determine coaching expectations, and I help the individual define the best path forward.

Executive Coaching for Small Businesses

Through executive coaching techniques, I challenge clients to lift their performance, leverage possibilities and opportunities, nurture their skill sets, and define how they can address challenges. As a strategist, I guide clients in the process of solving their problems, leaning into opportunities, and proactively setting out and executing on their goals. I share alternate perspectives, challenge current thinking, and encourage the setting of personal standards of performance. We work on areas of challenge, the development of strengths, and celebrate every victory or breakthrough along the way.

 

executive coach in Vancouver

 

What are the Results?

Strategy aside, the bottom line is helping leaders achieve their professional and personal best so they can work better, live bigger, be happier, and achieve more. Coachees can expect to experience the following results:

  1. The setting of ambitious goals and a personalized roadmap for professional and personal success
  2. Increased productivity and standards of performance
  3. Focused investment of time, energy and attention
  4. More time as practices and habits that are no longer serving are eliminated. So too are distractions, timewasters, and stressors
  5. Reacquired mojo around a passion for work, personal wellbeing, and life.

 

executive coach in Vancouver

 

An executive coach in Vancouver does not magically change a person; an individual has to want to change, develop, and grow. We work on areas concerning:

  • Performance and engagement in the context of working in a team
  • Awareness of the type of relationships fostered in and outside of work
  • Identifying the potential for change, desire to make the change and obstacles to be addressed to enable the change to take place

 

Get in Touch

I onboard a maximum of seven new coaching clients monthly, if an executive coach in Vancouver is of interest to you, please do reach out to me.

 

For general program information, please email askme@jennyreilly.com or call +1-604-616-1967. If you would like to jump on a 15-minute discovery call, please book directly into my Calendly appointment schedule.

 

 

 

 

 

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