Knowing when to Pull Over

You and I lead busy lives. Many family members, life partners, business colleagues and friends depend on us. Some days it is hard to meet all of these expectations. Some days I can't! So how do we make it to the end of each day without 'hitting the wall'. Our daily fuel comes from physical, emotional, and spiritual sources. We hit the wall when we spend more fuel than we take in.

Sometimes these sources of fuel or energy get shut off. Sometimes I don't connect emotionally, spiritually or even physically with energizing and replenishing activities for days. Sometimes this goes on longer. Awareness is the first step towards ensuring a continuous fuel or energy supply. Yes, I'm talking to you-wake up to those relationships, activities and opportunities to replenish yourself. Stop being dominated by those people, causes and news reports that drain your energy. Pull over out of the fast lane to become aware of your refreshing energy sources and depleting drains.

Assert your right to be energized by the things you do, the people with whom you live, work and play. If you do, then maybe, just maybe, you can be that pillar of strength and resilience that so many in your life have come to count on. See picture above of Atlas holding up the world: "MAN Atlante fronte 1040572" by Lalupa - Own work.

-Ron Guidinger BEng, MBA, PEng, PMP

Taking Stock

With all of the negative economic and business news cascading over each and every business leader who is tuned in, I see two frequent scenarios: big negative impacts on the business translating into personnel & budget cuts for the short to medium term; or new short term opportunities for growth translating into large surge periods but uncertainty around how long they will last. In both scenarios the increased pressure on existing staff is rising significantly for more production efficiency without sacrificing quality.

To quote a client in this situation: "Just because we've made cuts; people haven't stopped doing stupid things!" In fact my instincts tell me the opposite is more likely true. So what are you doing to improve  your workforce capacity to cater to these imminent, likely already existing, pressures for producing more with your existing or fewer staff? How has your Leadership style adapted to this new reality? How has your Leadership Team changed their approach?

Is it time for you to take stock of your Leadership skills and how well they work in these and inevitable changes to your workplace? Have you taken the time to really evaluate the Leadership skill-set in your Team? What is stopping you from investing in yourself and your Leadership Team to uncover the capacity of Teams that are well-led? If all we have is now, when is the right time?

-Ron Guidinger BEng, MBA, PEng, PMP