Use Curiosity to Break a Bad Habit
Why is breaking a habit so difficult? It’s because habits are made up of three components: a trigger (for example, feeling stressed), a behavior (browsing the Internet), and a reward (feeling sated). Each time you reinforce the reward, you become more likely to repeat the behavior. The key to breaking this cycle is to become more aware of the “reward” reinforcing your behavior. First, figure out your triggers. If the…
How To Stop Constantly Checking Your Phone
It can be hard to focus with all that beeping and buzzing from your phone. Fortunately, there are simple ways to reduce distractions. Start by turning off push notifications. If that doesn’t help, use airplane mode to limit interruptions when you’re trying to focus. If the idea of being out of touch gives you anxiety, you can always make exceptions for specific numbers, such as those of loved ones or…
Just Breath
If you’re managing higher levels of stress these days, there’s a tool we all have immediate access to: breathing. It might sound simple, but when done properly, breathing can make the difference between panic and resilience. Research shows that different emotions are associated with different forms of breathing. For example, when you feel anxious or angry, your breathing becomes irregular, short, and fast. When you feel joy or relaxation, your…
How to Encourage and Support Your Team from a Distance
If your team is working remotely, which most of us still are, it’s important to offer encouragement and emotional support. Acknowledge the pressure everyone is under, listen to their anxieties and concerns, and empathize with their struggles. If a remote employee is clearly having a hard time, but not communicating stress or anxiety, ask them how they’re doing. Even a general question such as “How is this remote work situation…
Be Intentional in Small Moments
It’s often in small moments that we make and find meaning. So if you want to live your life with a little more purpose, one thing to do is to pay close attention to how you engage with others. Show your colleagues that you believe in them. Take time to understand their aspirations, and do what you can to uplift them. Make purpose a regular part of your conversations: Talk…
How to Respond When an Employee Cries at Work
People cry at work. Maybe it’s because of tough feedback or a particularly stressful day, or maybe it has nothing at all to do with work. Regardless of the reason, as a manager, you shouldn’t ignore or diminish the tears, even if they make you feel uncomfortable. Don’t try to interpret your employee’s emotions, tell them what to do, or judge them. Instead, show gentle curiosity and compassion. Try saying…
Don’t Neglect Culture When Leading Your Team Remotely
When you’re managing a remote team in a crisis, it’s understandable if you’re largely focused on tasks and goals. But it’s just as critical for managers to focus on sustaining a healthy team culture. Right now, team members need to feel connected — not only to the company’s mission, but also to each other. To foster the right culture, regularly set aside time for team members to highlight and share…
Find the Right Mentor — Remotely
Mentorship helps the careers of both mentors and mentees — research shows they get promoted, attain higher salaries, and fend off burnout. Mentoring relationships that develop organically are the most fruitful, but how can you find a mentor during this era of social distancing? To start, embrace remote networking. Put yourself in a position to meet interesting people, both inside and outside of your organization or industry. Don’t be afraid…
Relax, You Have 168 Hours This Week!
There are 168 hours in a week; this is immutable truth. That sounds like a lot, but is it really enough time to cover the demands of a successful career, family involvement, and everything else that makes up a fulfilling life? Let’s do the back-of-the-envelope calculation. Starting with those 168 hours, first take away 49 just for sleep. Don’t try to cheat on this. If you are getting less than…
For a Team to Work Smoothly, You Need 3 Things
With not everyone is in the office at one time these days, it can be hard to connect and inspire your co-workers. If you aren’t working well together, there are a few ways to change the team dynamic. Everyone — including you — should consider how they can improve three things: internal self-awareness, external self-awareness, and personal accountability. Internal self-awareness is about understanding how your values affect your decisions. To…
If You Commit to Something, Don’t Cancel at the Last Minute
We all overcommit ourselves from time to time. And then, because we feel overwhelmed, we cancel or back out at the last minute. It feels like no big deal — everybody does it, right? But not following through on your commitments, whether by constantly rescheduling meetings or by failing to get back to people when you say you will, erodes your trustworthiness. Honoring your commitments begins with saying yes only…