Stressed?

Seems like stress is the new normal these days, true?  Stress at home; at work; in the media; I think we’re surrounded.  The good news is we can handle stress regardless of the cause:

Stress is caused by being "here" but wanting to be "there".

Eckhart Tolle

At work, companies have been stressing us with unrealistic performance expectations for years.  I get it. After rising to the top, many executives want to leave their mark.  It’s not the business goals that cause us stress; it’s the extremes our leaders want us to go to reach them:

Goals...Business school professors suggest they should come with their own warning label: 

Goals may cause systematic problems for organizations due to narrowed focus, unethical behavior, increased risk taking, decreased cooperation, and decreased intrinsic motivation.  Use care when applying goals in your organization.

Daniel H. Pink            

It can be difficult to get motivated when one of our leaders sets an unrealistic goal.  It’s OK though.  There are many skilled and experienced employees at our companies who know better:

Or as Fred Brooks, the droll engineering genius from North Carolina who led the project, once wrote, “the bearing of a child takes nine months, no matter how many women are assigned.”

Thomas J. Watson Jr.

Truthfully though, we are capable of raising our level of performance to match the challenges of our time.  We come from generations before us who succeeded.  We may not all be entrepreneurs like Phil Knight was when Nike was a fledgling start-up, but we’re up to meeting our challenges – we have no choice:

The cowards never started and the weak died along the way.  That leaves us…

Phil Knight

So here’s to raising our level of performance while keeping stress at bay.  Someday we will be “there” where stress will be merely a mile marker memory on our path to success.   

GAP

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.

March Madness…

I love this time of year.  The NCAA, D-I tournament; the “Bracket Challenge”; “Prime time, baby!” as Dick Vitale says with great enthusiasm.  This is the tournament that separates the “Blue Bloods” from the pretenders.

For a few weeks the intensity of competition is raised unlike any other sport.  Oh, others have big games; but we’re talking about dozens of big games played back-to-back in a “Win or go home!” setting.  Madness!

There are parallels between sports and business competition.  We relate because we compete in our jobs on a daily basis, too.  Of course, maintaining a high level of enthusiasm, maintaining our “edge”; remaining tenacious back-to-back is difficult.  After all:

Only the mediocre are always at their best.

Jean Giraudoux

To be a Blue Blood the business person in general and the salesperson in particular benefit greatly from competition, coaching, and motivation.  Especially motivation:

Our competition got me out of bed in the morning; paranoia is a wonderful motivator. 

Scott Deeter

Lord knows I have felt paranoid on more than one occasion when I’m trying to close that big deal; finish that big project; or win recognition from my Manager.  Though we might agree that a little paranoia goes a long way.  If we get too carried away they might start padding our cubicles. 

There are other sources of motivation.  How about personal pride; a never-give-up mind set; staying the course no matter how difficult. That tenacious mind set can be very motivational, individually and in our teams.  We see it on display in the NCAA tournament.  How fun!  We also see those with mental weakness vs. toughness. They collapse in the face of competition; “over-rated”; “pretenders”.  In March and throughout life winners - Blue Bloods - stand out. 

Whatever we do to find inner strength; however our toughness is displayed to the outside world; regardless of our life pursuits, we can always think of March Madness, basketball, great coaches, and great players that find sources of tenacious strength to overcome obstacles in pursuit of success .  Jimmy V summed it up best:

Don’t give up.  Don’t ever give up.

So let’s enjoy some round ball and leverage the hype of March Madness towards meeting our personal goals.  And every day let’s visualize success by repeating the mantra over and over and over again in our mind – nothing but net!

GAP

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.

 

Which way…

I was driving with my wife last weekend.  Got lost – turned the wrong way.  As she was helping me get back on the right course I asked her why she didn’t proactively tell me where to turn.  She said she thought I knew where I was going.  I suggested, after 52 years of marriage, she should probably know better.  I mean this could be my motto:

I’m lost; but I’m making good time.

                   Unknown Sage

Women helping men with directions is almost legendary, true?  Whether we’re in management or a staff person, the story repeats itself frequently:

A man in a hot air balloon realized he was lost. He reduced altitude and spotted a woman below. He descended a bit more and shouted, “Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am.” 

The woman below replied, “You're in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground. You're between 40 and 41 degrees north latitude and between 59 and 60 degrees west longitude.” 

“You must be an engineer”, said the balloonist.  “I am”, replied the woman, “How did you know”? 

“Well”, answered the balloonist, “everything you told me is, technically correct, but I've no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is I'm still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help at all. If anything, you've delayed my trip.” 

The woman below responded, “You must be in Management.”  “I am”, replied the balloonist, “but how did you know”? 

“Well”, said the woman, you don't know where you are or where you're going.   You have risen to where you are due to a large quantity of hot air.  You made a promise, which you've no idea how to keep, and you expect people beneath you to solve your problems. The fact is you are in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but now, somehow, it's my fault.”                                 

Unknown Sage

Men get lost all the time; on land, in the air, and even at sea:

Admiral Arleigh 'Thirty-one Knot' Burke…

During World War II Burke mistakenly led his destroyer squadron into a Japanese minefield.  Admiral Halsey radioed to ask Burke what he was doing in a Japanese minefield.  'Thirty-one knots', Burke replied.

Jean Edward Smith

And yes, for those of you thinking I could just use GPS… my loathing of the machines is well documented.  I will eventually find my way.  Besides, have you noticed the majority of GPS voices are female?

GAP

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.