Karl Edwards presents Working Matters

Category: Loving Monday

  • Loving Monday: The Stuffy Nose Dilemma

    loving_monday“I can’t afford to be sick today!” We moan as we reach for another tissue. “No, I’m not really sick. Just a stuffy nose. I’ll be fine. I’ll muddle through.”

    The stuffy nose dilemma is that two-edged sword that for some of us is a good thing. We like our jobs. We are in the middle of important projects, and we don’t want this date-sensitive work to be interrupted by a minor stuffy nose. The choice whether or not to stay home and give ourselves an extra day of rest in order to heal is a choice between two good things.

    On the other hand, some of us hate our jobs or bosses or clients, and experience our stuffy nose as a problem compounded by a nuisance. As much as we’d like to stay home (for a variety of reasons), we can already anticipate the snide accusations of stealing a three-day weekend. We feel compelled to show up at work unless we absolutely cannot function.

    What a difference in worlds! In the case where each employee chooses to stay home, one is resting comfortably, while the other is worrying about how (more…)

  • Loving Monday: Gratitude, Home Away From Home

    loving_mondayGratitude is like coming home.

    In whatever adventure you might be immersed, whatever the crisis in which you might be struggling, no matter the problems you face or the difficulties you encounter, there exists a quiet place to which you can always steal a moment of rest.

    Gratitude.

    If this week is starting out on the rough side, get up from whatever you are doing and step outside. As you set off around the block, remind yourself of what you have to be thankful for.

    It might be a person. It might be your health. It might be a professional opportunity. It might be a delightful meal you enjoyed recently. Let your mind go.

    If nothing comes to mind, simply say, “Thank you” and take a deep breath.

    One trip around the block. One ten-minute break to think of nothing except that for which you recognize as blessings, gifts, and treasures. One significant pause for which there is room for nothing except your most personal and intimate expression of gratitude.

    Now, without any further reflection, you are in a better position to face your week. Whatever the adventure, crisis or challenges that await you, a more centered, poised you is free to address them. You are functioning from a sounder frame of reference.

    You are at home. The grateful heart can always find its home away from home.

  • Loving Monday: Interpreting the Clouds

    loving_mondayGloomy Monday morning.

    The clouds are covering not only the sun but most everyone’s attitude as well.

    Not wanting to give in to the foul mood, you give yourself a brief pep talk. Ready to show up differently, what do you do? Determined to lead in a different direction, how do you respond?

    It depends on the clouds.

    A dingy blanket of grey warrants a very different response than gathering storm clouds.

    In the first case, a cheerleader is needed. In the second, a paramedic.

    If the primary dynamic is one of low spirits, dreary (more…)

  • Loving Monday: Mirror Mirror on the Wall

    loving_mondaySome situations seem so clear.

    The obstructionist assistant who is resisting any new projects… again. The abrupt, if not rude, manner in which the sales manager walked off while you were mid-sentence. The tendency of the production team to cover up mistakes until it is too late.

    Another Monday for you to step in and address what you see in order to get the week off to a good start.

    But what if you were looking in the wrong place? What if, before looking at everyone else, you looked at yourself?

    Would it make a difference?

    What if the assistant resisted new projects because you were overloading him without providing any additional resources?

    What if the sales manager walked off because you weren’t listening to anything she had to say?

    What if the production team covers up their mistakes because it isn’t safe to make mistakes on your team, and they felt their jobs were at risk?

    What if you looked in the mirror first thing every Monday?

    What if others showed up at work the way they do in partial reaction to how you are showing up?

    The good news is that you have direct control over how you choose to show up at work, making change immediately possible.

    Mirror, mirror on the wall… Who might serve as a safe and trustworthy mirror for you to get some information about the impact you have on others?

    On your side,

    – Karl

  • Loving Monday: Splash of Cold Water

    loving_mondayEver had one of those Mondays where all of the positive self-talk in the world can’t get you out of your funk?

    You’ve got too much to do. The people around you are dragging you down. Life at home is rough. Nothing works like it’s supposed to. The week hasn’t even started and you feel behind the eight ball.

    Instead of psyching yourself up, beating yourself up or simply giving up, try a splash of cold water in the face. (Your own face, that is. (As rewarding as dousing that turkey down the hall would be.))

    You might call it a tangible if startling way to push the “reset” button.

    A way to start over yourself while acknowledging that all around you remains awful. A way to grab your own attention.

    Resistence, struggle and panic simply exasperate the situation when one is mired in quicksand. When about to be dragged under, we need to be alert, perceptive and clever. We need to awake to the possibilities that we cannot currently see. Alternatives that offer unexpected, unanticipated, or not yet envisioned options.

    Hence, a startling reset. A choice to to step away. A choice to do something simple. A choice to do something that awakens your senses.

    A splash of cold water.

  • Loving Monday: Who Brought The Donuts?

    loving_mondayOkay, maybe donuts aren’t the healthiest treat someone could bring into the office this morning. But talk about easy wins!

    If you’re looking for a low cost , low energy idea to give the team a simple morale boost, then donuts are the management secret you’ve been waiting for.

    It’s hard to explain why this one treat’s impact is so out of proportion with either the effort required to provide it or its nutritional value. But it’s hard to argue with the stampede to the lunch room when word gets out.

    Maybe the lesson donuts offer us is that showing appreciation, being kind, and/or changing things up at work is much simpler than we think. If you’re waiting until it’s time to award Christmas bonuses or until you can afford a knock-out company retreat, then you might be missing the myriad of simple, everyday expressions of acknowledgment, validation, attentiveness, interest, humor, sensitivity, and camaraderie that win hearts, build trust and renew spirits.

    While you’re at it, get a few extra glazed. They’re my favorite.

  • Loving Monday: Checking In With Others

    loving_mondayIf you’ve got a big workload staring you in the face this week, it can be wise to hide somewhere that you can focus and push without the distraction of others.

    While an excellent strategy in principle, first thing Monday morning might not be the best time to implement it in practice.

    To hide away before checking in with the others on the team leaves an unnecessary communication gap. Someone might need a decision from you before they can take their work forward. Someone else may need some information out of your office. A third might want to coordinate an upcoming event or meeting with your calendar.

    Checking in with others before you lock yourself away is a practical vehicle for communicating that you are a part of the team even while you have something to do alone.

    Checking in with others doesn’t need to be time consuming. You will want to communicate three simple things:

    1. Greet with sincere words of interest in how they’re doing and what their week ahead looks like.
    2. Inform that you plan to work alone until 3:00 p.m. or so in order to “focus and push” on a project, and that their understanding and support would be appreciated.
    3. Ask if there’s anything they need from you before you “disappear” for a while.

    Loving Monday is easier for everyone when we make the effort to acknowledge that others’ work is as important as our own.

  • Loving Monday: A Finger to the Wind

    loving_mondayRunning with the wind at one’s back can be as delightful as running into the wind can be tortuous.

    Key to getting where one wants to go then becomes whether one can identify which direction the wind is blowing.

    As the new week begins, can you identify which way the wind is blowing in your department?

    It can be naive to launch back into your workload as if everything was just as you left it on Friday. It might we wise to start the week off by holding a finger to the air.

    Anything from a key player’s bad mood to a deteriorating budget situation can change the context within which you are operating. Failing to notice these issues can cost you serious time, money and energy. Taking a moment to size up the situation before launching back into your routine can be the difference between making a sensitive, nuanced adjustment and suffering a blunt, blind collision.

    Take a moment a hold a finger to the air. Which way is the wind blowing where you work?

  • Loving Monday: Adding Value In Tough Times

    loving_mondayAs we get back into the swing of a new week, dare we simply slip back into “same ol’ same ol’”?

    We’re in a strange and awful season where employers are almost randomly asking their best and brightest to pack up and go home in order to arbitrarily slash the payroll line item on the budget.

    Short-sighted? Leading out of fear? Unfair? Probably.

    In a situation where someone else is making a decision that affects you, what can you do to influence that decision?

    Add value.

    Find ways to add value to your presence on the team. Go the extra mile for a client. Help a co-worker with an important deadline. Find ways to make procedures flow more smoothly, require less duplicate effort, or take less time.

    Distinguish yourself from the crowd by being someone who is always improving. Improving yourself, improving your work product and improving the workplace. If and when lay-offs occur, you will be perceived as invaluable.

    Instead of increasing your stress about losing your job, I think you’ll find that you become more engaged in what you are doing which reduces stress.

    Worst case scenario? You love what you do until even the invaluable must go.

    On your side,

    – Karl

  • Loving Monday: Getting Started

    loving_mondaySometimes the best way to get started is simply to jump in and get started.

    Getting back into work after a weekend away can be a motivational challenge… especially if you had a great weekend and are returning to significant challenges! There’s a natural inertia that makes it hard to get moving again. Like getting up from your favorite spot on the sofa after watching a good movie in order to wash the dishes.

    While planning has its place, it might be more helpful to simply jump into a project or task for your first hour this Monday. Pick up where you left off. Dive into something real, tangible and engaging. Get back into the ebb and flow of pulling needed files, picking up the phone, finishing an important letter or reworking a spreadsheet.

    When the hour is up, take a step back and look at the bigger picture of the week ahead. Your head will be in a different place. You’re next decision will be easier to act upon, because you are already in motion.

    Getting started by jumping right in, doesn’t pit your entire working life against your entire personal life in an epic Monday morning transition battle. Jump in by getting your feet wet as soon as you arrive, instead of spending the first half of the day talking yourself into the total body plunge!

    On your side,

    – Karl