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It is good to feel good!

Yes, we all have days, sometimes weeks, where we may hit a drudgery zone. I prefer to feel good rather than bad, don’t you? I prefer to be productive, have a plan, and be making a difference rather than feeling stuck. Even in the most complicated circumstances, I am always thinking about the next best steps to take. Even if it is a small step, it provides momentum and the ability to move forward.

I have had three separate in-depth conversations this week around professional and personal engagement. The challenges of individuals on the professional and personal front have been difficult, stressful, and not predictable. In these situations, it did not matter if the individual was an entrepreneur or employee, nor their level, profession, or industry sector.

Although an individual may have the technical know-how or academic background to do their job well, if a positive mindset or good habits are not present, it is tough to overcome challenging periods. There is little to no training in mindset and not enough provided on professional work ethic in an academic setting; these traits are attained through practical training and exposure to others that have the strength and know-how to achieve, maintain and retain a positive mindset.

I read an interesting HRB article on engagement and a study this week from The ADP Research Institute, entitled The Global Study of Engagement: Technical Report 2019. Many of the factors referenced for professional engagement, I also believe, mirror what is required for personal engagement on the family front and within relationships.

Productivity, focus, and satisfaction levels require effort. Some of these points may resonate with you:

  • If you are not receiving the feedback you need, don’t wait for it, step up and ask for it.
  • If you do not have the required skill set to do your job more effectively or life skills to deal with a situation, then seek them out. Utilize training and if it is not available, seek it out personally. The free training and development resources available online through edX, the Khan Academy, TED Talks, and YouTube are extensive. As Marya Angelou said “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
  • Work at developing trust; it does not just occur. If trust is broken, accept it and move on.
  • Be very conscious about your level of communication and work at it. Don’t assume that others know what you are trying to say. Verbal and written communication skills need continual development.
  • Demonstrating full presence is challenging, with all the distractions we have thrown at us daily. Consciously be attentive and develop personal activators for every interaction to ensure that you are present.

What can you do this week to feel better professionally and personally?

#jennyreillyconsulting #engagement #productivity #leadership #positiveattitude

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‘ I am sooooooo busy…’

There is a HUGE difference between being busy and highly productive. Does this sound familiar, your days are filled with back-to-back meetings, urgent email, staffing issues, and before you know it, it is the end of the day, and you have not had the opportunity to start your ‘real work.’ 

Next time you feel like this, or if you are talking to a colleague, who is venting about how busy they are, I encourage you to challenge gently. We often need a kind reminder or gentle push that we are, in fact, 100% responsible for our time no matter what pressing deadline, project, or commitment. 

I am addicted to being ‘on’ or ‘in-flow’ when I am working on a project or with a client. I seek it daily and ensure my time is structured to permit me to be in this ‘happy place of productivity’ during focused periods throughout the day. 

Too often, we get caught up in the minutia, fall down that deep hole of procrastination and forget to focus on our ‘real work’ and what truly matters. 

As 2020 is fast approaching, it is an excellent time of year to do a quick, professional reality check. Evaluate what is working for you, what is not, what you would like to continue focusing on in 2020, and what behaviors or habits you need to rid yourself of that are not serving you well. 

Spend one hour daily, yes, only one hour on yourself, and you will be more productive, present, engaged, aware, and empathetic to those around us. I am sorry to say this does mean raising yourself off that soft pillow and out from under your warm duvet a little earlier, but I promise you it will be worth it. Your first hour of the day can be your rejuvenation hour, stretch, meditate, plan your day, savor a cup of coffee, read – take time out to let your mind and body get ready for the day.

Think about your week ahead carefully; you know you need time for family, exercise, sleeping, meal preparation, and cooking. With your professional hours, look closely at how you are spending your time. Your priority should be to allocate time daily to work on meaningful projects that affect the bottom line or are revenue-generating. How many hours should you be spending on these primary tasks daily? Throughout the remainder of your day, slot in three email check-in times and stick to them. Ensure you also have time allocated to customer or client acquisition and maintenance, finance, operational execution, human resources, IT, and staffing. Your categories may be a little different depending on what role you are in; however, the habit itself is the same in spending allocated time on what you know you need to be working on professionally to move forward.  

Plan weekly your top three priorities, review daily, notate progress, and allocate time to evaluate your weekly progress and the next best steps to take. You are the CEO of your life, and nobody else has the responsibility for your success –it’s up to you. 

 In summary:

  1. Implement a daily rejuvenation hour.
  2. Identify your weekly top three priorities and block off uninterruptible time to work on these priorities.
  3. Cancel, or delegate attendance in any meeting where your participation is not essential, or someone else can sit in for you.
  4. Block off time in your schedule for other areas that require your weekly attention.
  5. Focus on every task at hand, and only do one thing at a time. Be present, fully listen, and be open to a change or pivot when necessary throughout the day. 
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50 LEADERSHIP TIPS TO LIVE BY

Today, I say goodbye to my first half a century and enter my 51st year.

July 1st the 182nd day of the year, the last day of the first half of the year, and for my Canadian family, friends and colleagues ‘Canada Day’.

My 50th year was FANTASTIC both professionally and personally! I was so happy to hit the big ‘five-ohhhhhh,’ begin my next decade, and that attitude has served me well. There was a period in my 40’s where I felt as though I had plateaued, lost purpose in what I was doing, and completely burnt out from 50+ hour work weeks. I could do one of two things, stay that way or change. My choice was an easy one; I love being focused, motivated, passionate about what I am doing, and helping others, so my consultancy was born.

Professionally like you, I have had some absolute high points in my career and extreme lows. I have worked beside and led brilliant, engaged, and motivated teams, and on the flip-side worked in toxic environments with ego-centric, vindictive, and narcissistic personalities. I have been loved by staff and colleagues and disliked. I have made great hiring decisions and not so good ones. I have been a motivating and inspirational leader; and, for many years, was a real hard-arse, pushing continuously to meet goals and exceed targets. Leadership is hard and by no means a bed of roses, it requires stamina, grit, curiosity and a continuous passion for evolving, learning, growing, and adapting to be the best leader you can be.

So, from me to you on my birthday, I share recommendations for your consideration in your leadership journey. The best practices I have adopted over my career may seem common sense; however, I assure you many have been genuinely learned from tough lessons, combined with input from some great mentors and peers along the way.

  1. ‘Embrace the suck’ hard to do, but best to work and grow through it.
  2. Acknowledge and thank often and publicly.
  3. Act on ideas, don’t wait for the perfect time.
  4. Address issues and conflict as they arise.
  5. Align your strategy always with systems and KPI’s.
  6. Always be curious and think outside the box. Be on the lookout for opportunities and innovation.
  7. Always be improving your skill set, learning, and growing.
  8. Always be thinking of what the ‘next best step’ will be.
  9. Anticipate challenges and threats before they become a reality.
  10. Apologize when you are wrong.
  11. Balance work and personal time. Work hard and play just as hard.
  12. Be an exceptional listener. Fewer words often mean more.
  13. Be confident in your strengths.
  14. Be highly accountable.
  15. Be self-aware as who we are is how we lead.
  16. Build your transition competence.
  17. Continuously develop your work culture.
  18. Courageously fail, get back up, and try again. Don’t fear failure.
  19. Create your morning, workday, end of the day, and evening rituals.
  20. Cultivate professional relationships; with staff, peers laterally, and at higher levels.
  21. Declutter physical and electronic mess, simplify, and de-stress.
  22. Define expectations and be transparent on the best way to work together.
  23. Define your own personal and professional vision. They work side-by-side, you are the driver of your future.
  24. Develop an annual and quarterly game plan to work on your goals.
  25. Don’t let it get personal. Be objective.
  26. Encourage collaboration to use the ‘yes, and..’ method enthusiastically to build on ideas.
  27. Excel in receiving and giving feedback.
  28. Focus on your priorities don’t get distracted.
  29. Get out of the office when working on annual and quarterly plans.
  30. If something is not working, stop it! It is better to adjust continually than go down a path that you know will not work.
  31. Intentionally have a positive attitude. Know and understand your triggers and how you can shift them throughout the day.
  32. Keep good records.
  33. Know and stand firm by your personal and professional values.
  34. Know the ethics of your sector and adhere to them.
  35. Know the legalities around your business.
  36. Lean into change.
  37. Leverage technology and automate processes where possible.
  38. Make time to celebrate your wins and reward yourself.
  39. Mentor and develop others – give back. Be generous.
  40. Participate in a peer advisory (also referred to as a mastermind group) to help you excel.
  41. Reverse engineer, and commit to professional and personal goals.
  42. Schedule recovery time (exercise, sleep, diet focus, social connection…) daily to ensure you remain rejuvenated.
  43. Schedule time daily to work uninterrupted on goals that you need to push forward. No calls, email, interruptions of any kind during this time.
  44. Secure early wins to keep motivation high.
  45. Set and protect your boundaries
  46. Slow down and make better decisions. Work on what is important. Use the 80/20 rule daily, focus on the top 20% of items that will bring you the biggest return.
  47. Smile often, laugh out loud – basically don’t take yourself so seriously.
  48. Stay true to your word. Walk your talk and be your true authentic self.
  49. Think ‘we’ rather than ‘I.’
  50. Think before you comment. What you say off the cuff, can be interpreted and perceived with a very different intention.

I will be expanding on these recommendations in a mid-monthly email. If you are interested in learning more and receiving exercises on these 50 tips to help you improve your leadership skills, please email me at jenny@jennyreilly.com. Don’t worry I will not spam, nor share your email address with others and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Happy July 1st, and Happy Birthday to me!

Jenny Reilly

 

 

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10 WAYS THE GOLDEN RULE CAN MAKE YOU A BETTER LEADER

Practicing ‘The Golden Rule,’ treating others as you would like to be treated will make you a better leader. Here are ten ways you can apply this seemingly simple principle to improve how you are perceived, your level of influence, and depth of professional relationships.

1. Ask for Feedback

How we see ourselves and how others see us can be extremely different. Ask three individuals (staff, colleagues, and clients) to give you three words that they would use to describe your leadership style. Understanding how you are perceived, and then identifying what you could change or improve will help you become a better leader.

2. Set Your Interaction Intentions

Think about how you want to appear in a situation and the results that you would like to attain. How you treat people you are meeting with has a direct correlation to the results that you will achieve.

3. Be on Time, Present and Focused

Arriving on time shows respect. Being completely present demonstrates focus. No-one wants to be in a meeting with someone who is distracted or disinterested.

4. Be Warm and Welcoming in Your Phone Interaction

When answering the phone, resist the temptation to multitask. Focus on the caller, listen, be engaged, patient, and professional.

5. Slow Down

So many leaders go through their day at lightning speed. Here is a golden nugget for you, slow down, and you will be more effective. Allow yourself the time to reflect and plan strategically on the most critical tasks that will bring you the best returns. Remember the Pareto Principle or 80/20 Rule, typically 80% of your efforts lead to a mere 20% of results. Use this rule to flip the way you do business, focus on the most critical or top 20% of items on your list, and make them your priority. Stop the busyness; it is not helping you move the dial on your productivity nor bottom line results.

 6. Be Aware of Your Mood

Whether you are meeting someone for the first time or meeting with someone you know well, be aware of your mood. Be intentional in your efforts to retain a positive attitude throughout the day.

7. Be Aware of Your Energy

We’ve all been in a meeting with an ‘energy-suck’, someone who sinks the room with heavy sighs or negative comments. Now think of a meeting where a person’s energy, engagement, and presence were palpable and buoyed the room. Be the person who exudes high-energy, and positive presence and you will attain better results.

8. Be Aware of How You Greet Others

When meeting with new people, set a positive first impression. You have less than seven seconds to do so, you are read on energy, expression, appearance, tone, and handshake. So, make those first seven seconds count.

9.Ensure you Positively Frame a Meeting

Positive framing goes a long way in achieving the best outcome. If you start a conversation by highlighting what has not gone well, rather than framing it in a positive light, it will more likely end in confrontation, disagreement, or conflict.

10.Set Exit Standards

Your exit standard is as important as your greeting and framing. How an individual feels after an interaction with you is often remembered more than what is said. Restating any follow-up action, or proposed next steps are the key to closure for the communication and full understanding of what is to follow.

Take the Golden Rule Challenge

Over the next week, set your interaction intentions before every meeting, be conscious of your energy level and presence, and set your greeting, framing, and exit standards. Implement the ten strategies listed, and I promise you they will have a very positive impact in your week ahead.

Let me know how it goes, please do leave a comment or email me at jenny@jennyreilly.com.

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Benefits of Connecting with Like-Minded Professionals

Last week in San Diego, I had the opportunity to connect with 56 like-minded professionals. C-Suite and entrepreneurs from across the US, Canada, Netherlands, and the UK. When you get a group of leaders together, connections are made and learning is amplified. Shared professional and personal experiences bond, inspire and motivate.

Another serendipitous connection occurred on route back to Vancouver. Seated next to a woman who had palpable excitement for the adventure she was commencing to Nepal. Lawyer by profession and survivor, she was embarking on a trek to Everest Base Camp raising money for cancer research. We had a great conversation and I had the opportunity to share my past trekking stories of the Annapurna Circuit. She reminded me to continually seek out new adventure and challenged me to stretch and do something new next weekend and yes… I promised too!

Put yourself in a position to meet new people this week, connect and have a meaningful conversation. Moreover, don’t forget to stretch yourself professionally and personally. Plan to do something new that you have not done before.

Here is to an adventure!

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