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Summer Traditions: Are you Recharging and Refueling?

It is summer and that time of year when people tend to shift their routines to take a break. It’s a time when traditions appear on the calendar: a BBQ with friends, a trip to the beach, a family reunion or even a vacation. The question is how do we ensure these traditions are also times of recharging and refueling. How are you doing at recharging your batteries this summer?

In talking to people about their summer plans, it seems one of the biggest challenge is how to truly step away from work. In some ways, our technology allows us to step away because we can flex our schedules. However, if we are stepping away and still staying connected throughout our time off are we really recharging?  If we are feeling obligated to check email and texts on vacation, are we truly unwinding and refueling?

Much has been written about the importance of taking time away from work and focusing on family, friends, hobbies, and rest. Digital Detox is easy in concept but unless organizations put policies in place to support times for recharge, it’s difficult to unplug. People fear falling behind at work or coming back to work with 100’s of unanswered emails. What is your workplace doing to support you in taking time away from work?  What structures would help you to fully disengage from work and focus on your summer refueling?  What can you do to take ownership of your digital detox?

Some organizations now make it a requirement that employees not check their emails. In fact, there are some that even pay you a bonus if you don’t check email. Others, inform email senders that an employee is on vacation and that the sender’s email will not be received. The sender is invited to resend the email after the end of the employee’s vacation. Creating organizational structures and policies for people to recharge results in a more energetic work force.

Call it “Unplugging”.  Digital Detox. Sabbath Manifesto. Optimize Brain Function  whatever but the research is telling us if we turn off  FOMO(Fear of Missing Out) and work through the digital withdrawal that we really can recover and recharge.

What can you do to ensure that your summer tradition becomes a recharge time?   You deserve it.

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Stay On Your Yoga Mat

In a recent conversation, a small group of us were talking about caring for elderly parents. We discussed the tension that exists between supporting parental independence and increasing health challenges. One friend said, “I just remind myself to stay on my yoga mat.” I laughed and then realized the brilliance of the statement.

In meditation and yoga, it’s easy to have your mind wander as you settle into a class. One yoga instructor likened it to being a puppy…jumping from one place to the other. Or better said, “having a hard time staying on your yoga mat!” In addition, a goal of a yoga class is to focus on what you can do on your mat and not worry about what others are doing.

In our conversation about aging parents we agreed, that it’s easy to jump in and rescue, sometimes when it’s not even needed or wanted. Yep, jump right off that yoga mat.

Where else do we jump off our yoga mat?

[Read more…]

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Should We All Carry Stethoscopes?

At a recent ecology presentation, the speaker recalled how she had fallen in love with nature camping in the Rocky Mountain National Park.She referenced one park ranger who particularly influenced her because the ranger carried a stethoscope on all their nature hikes. The ranger would often hold the stethoscope up to a tree and listen. It made me wonder, are there other careers where we could be carry stethoscopes?

There is something delightful about a park ranger holding up a stethoscope to the trunk of a large pine tree. I can only imagine the wonder in children’s eyes as they hope to hear the heartbeat of a tree.Perhaps they heard noises of insects in the bark or if wildly imaginative, the rushing of water from the roots to the trees and sugars pouring down from leaves to roots.

What would you hear if you carried a stethoscope?  [Read more…]

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The Contagious Nature of Mini-Visions

In the 1970’s Robert Greenleaf wrote “visions, both good and bad, can be contagious.” When was the last time you set a vision for yourself? your team? your organization? The exercise of casting a vision is a critical step in building the future you want. Casting smaller scale, mini-visions can build momentum even faster and become even more contagious. Mini-visions build the future you want.

Let’s explore the concept of a mini-vision.

I recently walked across the Golden Gate Bridge with two friends of mine that have set a courageous mini- vision for their careers. This mini- vision is not at all their final career goal. Yet, they are stepping boldly into an opportunity and seeing where this mini-vision will take them. Walking behind them, I found myself getting swept up by the symbolic nature of the bridge and their mini-vision. As they walked across the span of the bridge with their backpacks, I admired their courage, sense of adventure, and ability to step out into an unknown future. Their mini-vision was and will be a contagious vision for all who cross their path.

In another example, a colleague of mine recently stepped down from her position so she could spend the summer with her family. Her mini- vision was clear. She knew that the years with her teenage kids at home was rapidly coming to a close. She could see college and summer jobs on the horizon. She cast a mini- vision of spending more time with family for summer 2017 and it quickly became contagious. Her husband and kids have all embraced the vision of adventures, fun and relaxing together this summer.

[Read more…]

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Eagle Huntress, True Believers and Millennials

Meet 13 year old Eagle Huntress Aisholpan. This young woman trained with her father to become the first female in twelve generations of her Kazakh family to become an eagle hunter in the Mongolian steppe. In this documentary, viewers watch a determined daughter and father overcome cultural and physical challenges. Together they journey into the mountains of Mongolia to capture an eaglet and train the bird to hunt for their family. The film ends with Asiholpan competing at the Golden Eagle Festival. At times the film’s story line is oversimplified, yet this is a compelling story of young women who’s father was her true believer. He believed in her talents, even when others doubted them. He created opportunities for her be a successful Eagle Huntress.

Who has been your true believer?  A parent? spouse? colleague?

[Read more…]

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Are You Heading Towards Things you Love To Do?

When was the last time you checked in on the direction of your career?  When was the last time you took stock of how much time you are spending doing the things you love to do?  Are you heading towards the things you love to do or has your position pulled you away from those high energy activities?

In our busy work days, we rarely have time to reflect on what is energizing us most in our work days and what is draining us. I encourage people to take stock of these two areas on a regular basis. There is a simple strategy for checking in on your direction. [Read more…]

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The Art of Asking “Brief But Spectacular” Questions

Photographer Platon has captured portraits of some of the most famous and powerful people on the planet. How does he break down the personal barriers of his subjects prior to taking their photos? His strategy is to ask brief but spectacular questions that seek the truth. In a recent piece on PBS, Platon shared some of the questions that helped him to capture the intensity of his subjects. These simple but powerful questions are all about connecting and revealing inner truths.

“Brief but spectacular questions” are often followed by a moment of silence. The person who has been asked the question often must pause to genuinely answer. The person might even say…”that’s a really good question” or take a deep breath and think a moment. Shortly after the pause, a thoughtful answer emerges that reveals the inner truth about a person. Do you ask “brief but spectacular questions” that help you to connect on a deeper level with friends, family and colleagues?  [Read more…]

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Tears in the Workplace- It is So Complicated

Have you ever cried at work? What triggered you…a loss? frustration? sadness? anger? Crying at work is a complicated topic. People that do cry at work tend to judge themselves and say…”Oh I should not have cried at work.” People who are on the receiving end of crying are not always sure what to do with the tears other than perhaps secretly hope it won’t last too long. Most men and women, try to prevent tears at work. Yet, we are human and we have a host of emotions. How did such a basic response get so complex?

Perhaps you know coworkers who have been embarrassed by crying at work. Often men and women who are highly empathetic and strong relationship builders find themselves navigating their own tears and tears of colleagues. Multiple studies reveal some facts and perceptions about tears in the workplace. [Read more…]

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Asking For What you Need: The Fine Art of Negotiations

Imagine you are sitting down with a colleague or supervisor and said…”what I really need from you in order for me to thrive in my role is______”  Fill in the blank with any hosts of needs, such as:time, quiet, honest conversation, data to analyze, problems to solve, tasks to complete or even someone to mentor. In order to truly leverage our strengths, we must ask for what we need. Asking for what you need is one of the finer arts of negotiation.

We often think of negotiation through the lenses of salaries and benefits. SheNegotiates helps women with the art of negotiating.They believe that “the world needs what you have to offer.” Their training and coaching services help women to strategically work towards their professional and financial goals. SheNegotiates fills a critical role in helping women learn the art of negotiating. The team at SheNegotiates understands the importance of asking for what you need. [Read more…]

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Who Are the Hidden Figures in Your Community?

Hidden Figures ,a recently released film, is the true story of three brilliant African-American women working at NASA. Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughn, and Mary Jackson were three mathematicians and engineers from the West Computer Group that helped launch John Glenn into orbit. These three women were often hidden from their colleagues and the public. Yet, they revealed the “hidden” numbers and equations that led to the successful launch of the Mercury 7 Friendship Capsule.

Hidden Figures is a powerful film that captures the story of the space race in the 1960’s. The themes are still relevant and timely. Political, economic and social divisions are boldly addressed in this film. There are history, race relations, gender issues, and math lessons for all audience members. The film invites us to wrestle with multiple questions. Three questions stood out for me.  [Read more…]