“STAND GUARD AT THE DOOR OF YOUR MIND”

by | Aug 5, 2021 | Business

Over the past six months, news of the spread and devastation of COVID-19, or coronavirus disease, has dominated every one of our media channels. It’s on the TV, the radio, in your news feed, it’s in your inbox, and everyone around you is still likely talking about it.

But even more noteworthy than the virus itself is what has happened in reaction to it. The stock market has fallen, entire countries have been in lockdown, popular events all over the world have been cancelled and millions of children have missed months of school. The panic and chaos triggered a new found rudeness in stores, stock piling of items, a disapproving glance over a cough, split second judgement of others… and the going rate for a bottle of hand sanitizer even reached 10X its retail price!

Many of these behaviours are driven by one emotion: FEAR.

Fear is a natural emotion that signals a potential threat to your physical or emotional safety. But fear, unchecked by facts, leads to negative behaviours like discrimination and poor decision-making.

So how can we avoid making decisions based on fear? Or worse, continually living in a fearful state?

Every moment of our lives, we are each choosing which way to go. 

Every moment of our lives, we have a decision to make.

That decision is: What am I going to focus on?

What we choose to focus on affects our whole life. Whatever we focus on, we feel – whether it’s true or not.

Our problems are created through focus. Our opportunities are created through focus. We choose.

Are you unconsciously letting the media, society and the scent in the air of fear and anxiety draw on your focus? Or are you, like Jim Rohn taught Tony Robbins to do, choosing to “stand guard at the door of your mind?

Standing guard doesn’t mean living in a bubble or ignoring the reality in which you live – it simply means making conscious decisions about what you are willing to give your time, energy and effort to.”

In these times we need to remember to STAND GUARD. If we don’t discipline our fears and control our focus, the world will gladly do it for us.

Acknowledgement – Tony Robbins (tonyrobbins.com) & Chris Mok

How to make uncertainty work for you, your team AND your business.

by | Aug 5, 2021 | Business

This new working-from-home norm has many positives!

But it’s also becoming a little dull… don’t you think?  

Sure, it’s easier to get up last minute, set up the way we want and eat as we feel.

But is it too comfortable?

Comfort may equal ease, but day in day out comfort becomes predictable, and predictability suffocates growth. 

When you look in the mirror in the morning, how bright is the twinkle in your eyes?

Do they shine and sparkle at the thought of what’s happening next?

Or do they lay dull in their sockets because it’s ‘the same old thing’ today?  

Have you considered that you may be too comfortable?! And this could be spilling over into your leadership style!

Another word for comfort is certainty.

Some people get addicted to the certainty of things. Get addicted to having control. Predicting results is much easier when you’re in your little bubble of comfort and don’t look beyond.

But getting stuck here can unknowingly stifle results – for everyone. 

Certainty, Control, and Comfort DO NOT inspire creativity, opportunity, and change. 

There is an overwhelming need for all people, across the globe to fill their lives with certainty right now… simply to balance the enormous level of uncertainty in the outside world. It’s a natural and subconscious response and is commonly happening in the work environment. Perhaps for you it’s in your set-up, your approach or directly shown in your leadership – are you micro-managing or lacking delegation, avoiding online team meetings with too many variables or avoiding giving feedback? 

Self-awareness is the key here… and a must in any great leader. When you understand how you respond in different situations you are then able to adjust accordingly to continue to motivate and inspire yourself and those around you. 

Too much uncertainty, drives a need for certainty.

This is a universal response… that is, it applies to everyone (and often without awareness).

So, there is a big possibility that you and/or your team have overcompensated with comfort in your home work space and if so, that spark, that urge to think outside the box, to challenge, to create, will surely be stifled and choking your bottom line results.  

It’s time to encourage greatness, bring back some spark – to you and those around you! 

Hiding behind the screen cannot be the new norm.  

Here’s some easy steps that you and your team can follow to stimulate originality and expression, go back to basics, and EMBRACE THE UNCERTAINTY of the new work-from-home life! 

  1. HAVE A GO! –

Say Yes and then work out how. 

The key is to make up your mind quickly and change it slowly.  When you say YES, it confirms you’re worth it. You will then back yourself to figure out the rest.  This way you’ll consistently discover that you’ve got more to give, and you have yet another level within. 

  1. TRUST YOUR SENSES

Doing this effectively will form a belief within yourself that you can draw on at times of uncertainty – this will carry you through.  By believing in yourself and trusting your senses, you’re more likely to give it a go in the areas that you may not think you know so well.  

  1. DO ONE THING EVERY DAY TO GET YOU OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE

Could be as simple as speaking to someone you wouldn’t usually, going down a slide at the park (with or without the kids!), go bare foot on a trail walk. 

  1. DO THE LESS PREDICTABLE THING

Not to shock others, but to surprise yourself.  This will build your inner trust. 

 

  1. CHOOSE A MORE POSITIVE ATTITUDE AND LOOSEN UP –

You’ve got this!! Think… “I have no idea how to do this, yet I’m going to have a good ole crack at it and work out where I suck”. Through striving forward and giving it a go, we discover where we struggle and where the gaps are for us to move forward.  “Fantastic, I now know what I have to learn and where to progress”

With a deeper understanding of how you work, what makes you tick and why you do the things that you do – both individually and as a team – you’re able to hone in and create a tailored work environment that’s inspiring and fun, innovative, motivating, and productive.

Commit to building a resilient team that promotes individual greatness yet moves seamlessly together as one… this is where the magic happens… get in touch if you’re keen to know more on how.

START LEADING ON YOUR TERMS – EVERYDAY!

by | Aug 5, 2021 | Business

We all have dreams, thoughts, desires of how our life ‘should’ look and feel.

Thing is, when we can’t meet our (often rigid) ideals – usually in our daily approach and tasks – we lose trust in ourselves.  We lose trust that we are ever going to reach our goals and become the person or leader that we dream of.

In contrast, when we can trust ourselves, trust that we can stick to a plan, be satisfied with it and be able to do it for a certain time, it builds momentum, certainty and confidence. All of those things are the opposite of lack of trust i.e. with these attributes, we improve our ability to trust ourselves.

Fact is, when we can build up a certain amount of reference points of self-trust, we create the ability to carry that across all areas of our lives.

So, am I talking about leadership here… or just ‘life’?

Well, lets’ take a look…

  1. If you believe that to be a good leader, you have to trust in yourself, have fantastic self-awareness and the ability to push through challenges by responding rather than reacting, then yes, we’re on the same page.
  2. If you believe that to be an amazing leader that you have to be living congruently with your values, feel whole, balanced, centred and grounded… then we’re definitely on the same page.

I believe one creates the other… living a congruent life builds trust in yourself that ‘you’ve got this’, and you’re on your way to building the business that you want and you’re ‘getting there’.

That’s what gives you the certainty in yourself that you can best serve your team and your clients.

…And when we find that balance, then we are absolutely leading and living life on our terms

EVERY

SINGLE

DAY

One strategy that I often use with my clients is the power of our imagination in a very specific and purposeful way.  It’s way better than goal setting and it allows you the space to design the life that you want to live

Here’s how you can do it;

Firstly, let’s talk external vs internal. Many of us get sold on the idea that to be ‘successful’ we acquire things. ‘Things’ that we are programmed to believe will make us happy… “When we have these external additions, then we will feel happy”. You’ve all heard the stories of famous folk that have worked their butts off for years and finally get the huge houses, fancy cars, holidays and money but then sat around and wondered “Is this it?”

They still felt empty inside.

Don’t get me wrong. There is certainly a place for achieving and generating wealth – and creating the choice on how you’ll spend it! The key is to recognise that this alone, will not bring happiness and fulfilment.

I’m sure if you looked at the likes of Richard Branson, Oprah or Bill gates you’d recognise that their happiness and abundant ‘wealth’ does not come from the tangibles. They’ve had a dream, worked smart towards it, been supported and lived their values… they’ve grown on their terms to get where they are. They have the intangibles as well as the grandeur.

 ‘Getting more stuff’ is not the answer to a fulfilling life.
A life well lived consists of moments upon moments, where you experience what it is you value experiencing. When you live life in this way, you can lead with purpose, with volition, with trust and honesty.

But how? I hear you ask.

Back to the power of the imagination…

It’s about removing the ‘surface’ version of self that we take to work, the one that we believe we ‘should’ be and then digging deep to the core of our selves – the self that we are meant to be and the one we dream of.

The question to ask yourself is ‘What is my Ideal average day?’

 

Simple hey? J And like I said, waay better than traditional goal setting.

Here, instead of setting the goal for the mansion or fast car, it’s about goal setting for the day… and the best part is you can begin this process right now, today.

 

Think about it like this;

“If I could choose a day that I would love to live every single day, what would it look like?” (NB- it has to be sustainable! Not sitting on the beach drinking cocktails… as nice as that may sound 😉 and a day in which you’d never get bored or ‘sick of’)

 

Choose simply. Think about what experiences you’d like to have on a daily basis, how you would spend your time, what energy would you bring to the day… how do you want to be feeling? Start with when you wake – what deliberate intention and action can you do to set yourself up for the rest of the day. Design your day just as you would like it in your ideal scenario.

 

Now’s the opportunity to let go of wishing and waiting. Most people don’t think about these kinds of things. Most people can tell you what they don’t want, or worse yet, they let life take them day by day. To stand out, you must think differently to the crowd.

 

When you’ve completed outlining your Ideal Average Day, make purposeful steps every single day to start living this life… any step, as long as it’s forward towards the life you have designed. The one that is on your terms.

As you take these steps, commit and build the habit, your trust and confidence in self will spill over into all areas in your life. You will create momentum and see the results in your ability to be a phenomenal, responsive leader and your ability to boost your bottom line.

If this resonated with you, and you want to dive a little deeper, I’m gifting 5 slots of 45mins each to help you reach your goals!…. email me on sally@team-resilience.com.au and lets connect.

DO YOU KNOW HOW TO BUILD YOUR TEAM’S RESILIENCE?

by | Aug 5, 2021 | Business

YEP, it’s a buzz word but the fact is, resilience is the determining factor for the success of your team… and your business.

 

Resilience is built through attitude and through behaviour that must be lived and demonstrated. It is the ability to positively respond to pressure, to overcome adversity and it has a whole lot to do with both the mental and physical wellbeing of your team.

 

A highly resilient team will adapt to change more effectively and will have less stressed- and burned-out employees.

Some people will naturally be more resilient than others, some will need to develop it with intentional practise. The great news is resilience can be learnt and as a business you can set the tone and put processes in place to keep your team thriving and building resilience.

 

But how do you know how resilient your business is and how do you know who in your team is more naturally resilient and who may require that extra support?

 

The culture that you have created is a direct reflection of how resilient you have built your business because in the work environment, a big part of resilience comes down to the leadership and the support offered.

 

So, let’s look at how your culture is fairing.

The culture is made up of the energy that the people bring, it’s the attitude that they have, it’s the style that the business has, the ethos of the business, the intangible stuff that you can’t really touch.

Although you can’t touch it, it makes a massive impact on the experience that the team has inside the business, and a huge impact of the experience that all the customers have. Customers return when they feel they’ve had a great experience.

Therefore, culture improves the bottom line of the business, creating much more financial success; because of having a positive and thriving culture.

A supportive culture will build resilience; a higher ability to overcome challenges, more chance of ‘bouncing back’.

 

A great culture also really determines what kind of people work inside the organisation. If you have a crappy culture, you’re not going to attract high performers or really great people because they won’t want to work in a crappy culture.  If you have a great culture, you will have a business that does attract high performing people.

If you have more high performing people, your business is going to do better.

 

Great culture… Higher resilience factor… Business doing better… Greater bottom line.

 

Crappy culture… Lower resilience factor… Less success… Lower bottom line.

 

The culture begins with the leader as it is the leader that determines the mission of the business, the vision of the business and most importantly, the values of the organisation. Not many businesses truly have values that they consciously live, work, hire and fire by.  It is the values that determine the experience that both staff and clients have, and they also determine that standards by which the business lives and breathes. This is the essence of the culture.

 

Why is it that you can have two coffee shops over the road from each other and one is successful, and one isn’t? Probably not because of the coffee… it’s likely because of the experience… which is the culture, which is determined by the values, standards, attitude, mission, and vision…. the intangibles.

 

A great culture will support their people, they will have systems and processes in place that build up their team. They will empower the people inside of their organisation to step up to new levels of leadership… this empowerment builds resilience.

 

A powerful support system will build resilience in your team.

 

Some people will need more focus and support than others. Typically, if a team member is more confident in their abilities and/or more disciplined in their approach they may be more naturally resilient. However, these people may also simply ‘push through’ at challenging times, seemingly holding their head high… but dissolving beneath the surface. Perhaps they need more social or family support at this time?

 

The best way to determine a team members resilience factor is to simply ask…

What?… Just ask??

Yep J

 

Harvard Business Review states – “One of the first things you can do is establish a “resilience inventory dashboard” Check in 1 by 1 with your team and simply ask –

1-How comfortable are you (insert obstacle or task here)?

2-How do you plan/schedule your workdays?

3-How can I support you with any life or family commitments.”

 

Seek out answers and provide support as necessary.

 

To compliment that, a weekly feedback report (submitted end of week) is a powerful method to evaluate where your team are at & where to offer more support.

This simply covers 3 areas-

1-What was achieved/completed this week

2-New plans/sales ideas/business generating ideas

3-Road blocks

 

The World Health Organisation states that over a quarter of people say that work is their #1 stressor! Setting up a culture of excellence means that you are setting up a culture of trust. When people feel trust, they feel valued, they feel strength, they build resilience.

These team players are more likely to contribute to the overall success of your business. It’s now more important than ever to build a resilient culture to effectively support your team and ensure longevity of your business.

 

If you’re looking to build a resilient culture in your business and would like support around this, reach out for a chat – sally@team-resilience.com.au

WHY THESE 3 KEY SECRETS WILL BUILD RESILIENCE IN YOUR WORKPLACE

by | Aug 5, 2021 | Business

Got resilience covered in the workplace?

Fantastic! Then you’re surely focusing on these key factors…

 

(And if you’re not sure but you’re a leader that feels you’re lacking support, have no voice or team connection is minimal … then this is especially for you)

 

The best thing about resilience is that it’s not a trait that you’re born with.  (Stick with me!)

It is one that is developed.  It is our ability to cope, to push through and even thrive, under challenging conditions. It is how we adapt and recover.

And we all have the capability to cultivate it.

 

It truly is one of our most compelling survival skills – in both life AND the workplace.

 

Charles Darwin wrote – “It is not the strongest of the species that survives… it is the one that is most adaptable to change.”

 

Think of an Ant, the most resilient of creatures – strong in so many ways, yet so small in stature. They can carry 3 times their weight, survive under water, eat ANYTHING, can smell 4-5 times stronger than other insects, and my favourite – the sheer amount of them… they live in colonies and they work together – relying on each other, communicating their survival plan.

 

“But Sally, that’s an Ant!… how exactly do WE develop and build resilience?”

 

OK… fair question… first, back to the Ant – Many of their traits are impossible for the human to develop but if we look closer at HOW they survive, what makes them so resilient, it’s this; an Ant exhibits trust, they are self-aware and they communicate.

 

Trust, Self-awareness and Communication….we can do this exactly the same way as an Ant!

 

These are skills that we can develop and master, and I believe THEY are the secret to building resilience. I believe it so much, that I’ve developed an entire system around it, focusing on;

 

Trust

  • In our self, that we CAN push through, that we have all that we need inside of us to achieve, that we have purpose.
  • In our organisations- leadership and systems- that they will support our needs, believe in our ability and provide opportunity.

 

Self-Awareness

  • In our thoughts, actions, beliefs, strengths, how we’re perceived, the affect we have on others.
  • When we are aware in this way, then we know how and where to focus in order to; obtain a better outcome; grow and improve our skillset, build character, learn to be empathetic and also mindful.

 

Communication

  • To share our needs, to bring others into our world for connection and support, to show vulnerability, to contribute, to offer feedback- again, to grow.

 

Resilience in the workplace can ultimately determine success or failure. It’s not a ‘yeah, it would be nice’ thing, it’s imperative this day and age and it helps you to push through inevitable challenges.

 

How are you implementing these key factors into your workplace?

Can you pin-point it?

 

If you need specific ideas or an ultimate plan, email me and we’ll map out some goals together – sally@team-resilience.com.au

HOW AWESOME CULTURE EQUALS PROFIT

by | Aug 5, 2021 | Business

A Business Culture of Excellence…. what does that mean?

What does culture mean to you and why is it important?

It sure is a bit of a buzz word these days and could have many a definition to each of us.

To me it’s how the place ‘feels’.

Within an amazing culture, all of your team is aligned (to the inspirational goal of the leader or owner). It’s providing the opportunity for growth, for innovation, to contribute and for each team member to feel worthy in their role.

Importantly, to create an amazing culture, this ‘people focus’ must also be supported by a structure that promotes these benchmarks of excellence in a measurable way.

For example…

When will collaborative meetings take place and how?

How will feedback be given and what will be the benchmark of excellence within that feedback?

When a business holds the collaborative, inclusive and inspirational attributes that bring those aforementioned feelings, it has standards; it has values (that the team are actually familiar with!).

All businesses have standards and attributes and values. Every business has it’s own way to get things done; to relate to each other and to complete the tasks.

The key is, the more these attributes are focused on and cared about, the more positively they’ll be expressed across the business and throughout the culture.

The less they are cared about – and thus the less they are focused on – the more inconsistencies you’ll notice within your business ethos.

It all begins with what you – as the leader or owner – and what you care about.

It starts and ends with you.

What you care about will determine who you decide to attract, select and retain within your business.

A business can only be as great as the people within that business.

A team member who only cares about ‘getting the job done’ will bring a very different vibe to the member who cares about the business values and is really ‘in to’ what you do.

The entire culture is only going to be as great as the people within the business.

I wonder if you can relate… I wonder if you’re reading because you’re searching for the ultimate– to have ‘that business’ that has found the balance between meaning and money… and is able to create BOTH with high success.

And why not I say?!

A huge part of the pathway to achieving that result begins in culture.

It’s thinking about, reflecting on and developing a culture that makes the workday worth having…. If you’re all about the sales and the bottom line, you’ll attract different people than if your focus is on building a raving fan following because of the phenomenal level of service and care your team take.

“It’s as simple as this decision. Times are tough.  Let’s cut costs.

Versus this.  Times are tough.  Let’s improve our care and customer service so our clients stay longer, and thus pay for longer” (Sharon Pearson)

The more care you put into the feeling of culture, the more you can shape the bottom line.

Often in haste, the focus of a business tends to be on the money, on the sales… that surface level stuff that seems to be what matters most.

I invite you to shift focus, to see that when it’s NOT all about the money and the sales, you will attract amazing people – team & clients – that will stick with you – to skyrocket your results and create a culture that turns heads!! A team that cares and feels valued will put their heart and soul into the business.

Focus on improvement and care in these areas to create a BUSINESS OF ENVY:

  • The vision of your business – where is it headed?
  • The purpose of your business – why are you in business?
  • The values of your business – what do you care about and fight for?
  • The goals of your business – what are the goals you’re here to achieve as a business?
  • Your standards and the standards of those in your team
  • Your expectations and the expectation of those in your team
  • Your attitude and your team’s attitude
  • Your emotional aptitude and your team’s emotional aptitude
  • Your beliefs about what is and isn’t possible; and your teams beliefs

If you’re loving this message and want to dive deeper in to exactly how you can create that Cultural Blueprint of Excellence, let’s chat, I’d LOVE to help you do just that!

sally@team-resilience.com.au