During these uncertain and stressful times, more than ever, we need joy in our daily lives. Whether at work or home. A smile can change someone’s day from gloomy to joyful; showing some compassion when a coworker is at their breaking point or providing a little laughter can help everyone get through these unusual circumstances.
A good laugh heals a lot of hurts. — Madeleine L’Engle
What are the benefits of laughter in the workplace?
Laughter can lower stress and boredom, strengthen the immune system, and enhance team engagement, collaboration, creativity, and well-being. It relaxes the body and defuses conflict.
Laughter is the shortest distance between two people. — Victor Borge
Reflections Questions:
How can you brighten someone’s day with a little laughter?
When were some times you and your team laugh at work?
What can you do to encourage laughter in the workplace?
Angela and Patti share communication tips at work. How to stay in a job and manage difficult relationships. How to ask yourself the questions to determine how to manage your emotions. To listen to the full podcast episode click below:
What does this meme tell you?
Take a look at yourself. Is the relationship problem really you? What is it about this person that triggers you? Is it past behavior? Do they remind you of someone? Do they remind you of something you don’t like within yourself?
Angela: Is this a group issue or is it an issue just for you. Do others in workplace share your issue? This points to something missing in the group environment.
Use the PAUSE and REFLECT Technique PAUSE for three to five seconds before responding. This gives you time to change your response or don’t respond at all.
What if you receive a nasty passive/aggressive email from your boss or coworker? Before responding back to the email. Write out your response. Don’t send it! Walk away for awhile. Sleep on it, if you don’t have to respond within the same day. Then rewrite it when you have calmed down. Have someone else read it that you trust to help tone it down before hitting the send button.
What to consider:
Should I stay at my current employment or move on?
Make a list of “why to stay” and “why to go”. Be upfront and honest. No holding back from the truth of the matter! Look at which column has the most reasons? Make your decision from there. Is there more good reason to stay? Or reasons to leave.
Are you interested in one on one coaching with Angela? Angela has one on one coaching program called Transformed Relationships, you can book a Relationship Clarity Call at https://loveandrelationshipcoach.setmore.com and discover more about the program.
If you have a relationship topic you would like us to discuss, please email your relationship topic to BBRatHomeandWork@gmail.com
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Angela and I would like to thank Anchor for hosting this podcast.
As a leader, have you stopped, pause, and reflected before reacting? I know this can be difficult at times, especially when in the middle of a crisis. We want to resolve the problem as quickly as possible. When pausing, we won’t jump immediately into the wrong conclusion.
Incorporating the Art of Pause into Leadership:
The PAUSE and REFLECT Technique When at work and someone is rude to you. Or you don’t agree with them. Pause for three to five seconds before responding. Pausing will give you time to reframe your reply or decide not to respond at all.
Pause, Reflect and Don’t send an email response you will regret! I think everyone has sent an email they regretted sending sometime or another. What if you receive a nasty passive/aggressive email? Before responding to the email. Write out your reply. Don’t send it and walk away. If possible sleep on it. Then rewrite the email response, when you have calmed down. Have someone else read it to help tone down the language before hitting the send button.
“Anger doesn’t solve anything. It builds nothing, but it can destroy everything”. – unknown
Don’t get me wrong as a leader. There are times you have to be direct with employees for them to improve their work performance. We can’t ignore the situation and let it continue. Have a plan on how to address it. Write it out and practice what and how to say it. There are also times when you do need to respond immediately and make a quick decision. When possible, take the opportunity to pause and reflect. What is happening around you? It may change your approach and captivate a great solution.
Discussion Questions:
What are your thoughts about the art of pause?
How will you incorporate it into your leadership style?
Comments are always welcome. You can always use your initials or anonymous for your name, if this makes you feel more comfortable to respond. 🙂 Did you find this helpful? if so, please share this blog post with your colleagues, friends, and family on all your social networks! Thank you. 🙂
This mini course is for leaders who are crazy busy, working 24/7 and want something more in life beyond their career. 7 easy hacks to create some personal life balance in this so-called busy life!
As a leader having efficient and effective meetings is crucial to running a successful business. Group meetings that aren’t productive are a waste of valuable time and cost the company money.
Have you ever been in a meeting, and there is at least one person or all attendees that have nothing positive to say about anything?
I remember one day I finally snapped in a meeting. My leader wasn’t listening and talked over me while explaining why my team needed some technical help. So I started raising my voice over my leader. I was so upset with myself. That day, I realized this isn’t for me, and I didn’t particularly appreciate pushed to respond that way. I knew that this was the norm for the group, always trying to one-up, and I didn’t want to play anymore. I started putting my exit plan into action; it was time to remove myself from working there.
What are rude behaviors in meetings?
Interrupting the person speaking
Not listening, acting bored, or lack of engagement
Being disrespectful to the speaker
Two people talking privately among themselves while someone else is speaking
People are just plain hostile to each other
Arguing over whose point is right
Over talking each other
Sarcastic, mean comments to the speaker or each other
Being very judgmental to each other
One-upping each other
Participants taking everything that is said very personally due to the hostile interaction
Embarrassing the host or leader with malicious remarks
I have been in group meetings where all of these actions have happened, been the target, and been a participant in some disrespectful behaviors. I am not proud of the way I acted, discourteous and unprofessional at times, but that was acceptable to voice your opinion. Was this behavior a way to conquer and get what was needed? Not really. Did anything get resolved? Most of the time, nothing accomplished.
What lesson did I learn? I wanted things to be different, and I probably cared too much. I was tired, beaten down, disrespected, and unhappy with the results. I knew nothing would change in these meetings, and I had to either accept it, change my thinking or leave.
On the bright side, my team at the time had a code of conduct for our meetings. People were respectful to each other and followed them. If someone didn’t follow the code of conduct, including me, the team would call you out on it. Things got resolved, and people felt heard.
What happened to common courtesy, collaboration, and respectfulness towards each other?
How can we change the behavior? I believe it takes one person at a time and the leader to lead by example and reverse this unprofessional behavior.
Here are some tips:
Set up rules of conduct for meeting(s). Go over them at the beginning of each meeting as a reminder. Have the code of conduct on the agenda template. As time goes on with the same group of attendees, the code of conduct will not need addressing because it is on the agenda. I would recommend that a new person attend the meeting to read the code of conduct at the beginning of the meeting.
When someone says something negative, turn to them and say something positive about the topic or person.
When someone intentionally breaks meeting etiquette, politely remind them or refer to the code of conduct.
As the leader, focus on following the code of conduct, leading by example, and positive meeting etiquette will become achievable by all participants.
Redirect the “off-topic” discussions for later.
Takeaway:
Having a set code of conduct and behavior etiquette is so essential to running successful meetings. Being courteous and respectful allows everyone to speak, be heard, participate, engage, and this is when great results will happen. Be organized and prepared. As a leader, we lead by example and if we are not focused and engaged; our employees will not be either. ~ Patti
Comments are always welcome. You can use your initials or anonymous for your name if this makes you feel more comfortable responding. 🙂 Did you find this helpful? If so, please share this blog post with your colleagues, friends, and family on all your social networks! Thank you. 🙂
My husband and I enjoyed watching the TV show the Treehouse Masters on the Animal Planet channel. Pete Nelson is the Treehouse Master. He is a gentle and kind man. He is passionate about his job. He loves to have fun and designs each treehouse very special for his clients.
Treehouses lift the spirits. They inspire dreams. They represent freedom: from adults or adulthood, from duties and responsibilities, from an earthbound perspective. If we can’t fly with the birds, at least we can nest with them. – Pete Nelson
The treehouse(s) that Pete Nelson and his crew build are unique. Pete meets with his clients and designs what they want. He spends time getting to know his client(s) by asking questions and really listening to their desires. He is friendly and open. Pete gets very excited exploring and finding the perfect location with the right type of tree(s) to support the treehouse. When his clients see the treehouse for the first time their expressions of joy are priceless.
When his clients see the treehouse for the first time their expressions of joy are priceless.
Pete Nelson Leadership Style: He meets with his crew, gives them instructions and they build the treehouse. Pete gets out of the way and let’s his crew do their jobs. You can tell the staff love their work. They joke around but pay attention to detail. They work in all kinds of weather and still enjoy it.
What can we learn from Pete Nelson leadership style?
It is okay to laugh and have fun at work
Spend time getting to know your client(s) by asking questions and really listening
Take every client(s) challenging request and make it a reality
Give your client more than they ever dreamed possible
Get out of the way and let your staff do their job
Trust your staff that they will do a great job when you are not around
Discussion Question:
What can you incorporate starting today in your leadership from Pete Nelson example as a leader?
Comments are always welcome. You can always use your initials or anonymous for your name, if this makes you feel more comfortable to respond. 🙂 Did you find this helpful? If so, please share this blog post with your colleagues, friends, and family on all your social networks! Thank you. 🙂
Do you want to work on changing your family dynamics? Angela has one on one coaching program called Transformed Relationships, you can book a Relationship Clarity Call at https://loveandrelationshipcoach.setmore.com and discover more about the program.
Do you want harmony and balance in your life? Patti has created a 21- Days Optimal Work/Life Balance Program. The program is designed to help you focus, de-stress and gain perspective. During the 21 days, you will receive emails with tips and a downloadable workbook.
I like mysteries whether reading books or watching TV series. Currently, I am watching the TV Series on Netflix called Ripper Street based in the East End of London in the Whitechapel district in the 1889’s and beyond. There is violence, cruelty, corruption and human trafficking. There are times it is hard to watch due to the nature of these acts. The TV shows starts six months after the infamous Jack the Ripper’s murders. The main character is Inspector Edmund Reid. Inspector Reid and his team had been in charge of the investigation of the Jack the Ripper’s murders. Imagine the stress, guilt and dissappointment they felt from not finding the murderer.
Inspector Reid is a workaholic driven by his failure to capture Jack the Ripper, his daughter Mathilda is missing and presumed dead and his wife Emily left him. Inspector Reid works most nights in his office trying to solve cases to make Whitechapel safer. He is obsessed with his job and it takes Inspector Drake his former Sergeant for him to see the importance of appreciating his staff and their loyalty to each other.
Inspector Reid has many good qualities, but is very much human and has made some devastating mistakes throughout his career and personal life. His values were tempted, tested and sometimes failed him.
He works day and night to protect his district from evil and corruption but at times his emotions get the better of him. Does he care too much? Maybe? That is probably one of his best qualities, as well as one of his worst. Caring too much for the greater good and wanting to make his part of the world a better place.
Caring too much will swallow you whole.–Detective Chief Inspector Frederick Abberline said to Inspector Reid
Now, why do I say caring too much? Sometimes when you care too much it becomes a down fall for a leader because you trust others, betrayal happens and then you become jaded by those actions. Getting hurt by others who are doing things for their own personal gain and will step on anyone to get what they want.
This happened to Inspector Reid. One of his constables was spying on him for another Inspector who was corrupt. Due to the betrayal it cost lives and changed Inspector Reid forever.
As a Leader, have you care too much and been betrayed?
When you are in a management position you will be betrayed. People have their own personal agenda’s and a leader’s values are tested. That may sound harsh but it does happen.
We battle monsters and we become monsters. That Abyss you talk about it’s not only around or out there, it is inside us.It’s a blackness that swallows all light.– Inspector Drake to Inspector Reid
Inspector Reid response – We are the abyss.
How does a leader fall?
🦋 When they lose site of their vision, values and purpose.
🦋 Sometimes those values, visions and purpose are ripped away.
🦋 Sometimes they get lost in someone else’s personal gain.
🦋 Sometimes the leader becomes jaded, by betrayal and trust is damaged.
No leader is perfect.We all have some sort of flaws. A good leader has empathy and does care. By not letting disappointment and lack of vision destroy you is the key to staying sane in a world of disarray.
Discussion Question:
As a leader, have you ever cared too much?
Comments are always welcome.
Please share this blog post with your colleagues, friends, and family on all your social networks! Thank you. 🙂
To schedule “one on one coaching” with Patti – click on the “Schedule Now” button below:
To listen to the full podcast episode click below:
What is the concept of Rediscovering Yourself and Rebirth?
Each day is a new beginning.The sunrises and the sunsets. Time to release the old and start again.Wiping the slate clean.It’s often difficult to release bad situations, relationships or past regrets.Rediscovering is about looking forward to the future and letting go of the past, which is holding us back on what we really want in life.When you watch a sunrise it affirms a brand new day and life continues to go on. In the cycle of life, plants died in the fall and rebirth in spring. There is a time to end and a time to begin.The challenge is facing the fear of transition or change and be willing to rediscover yourself.Inspired by Denise Linn ,Soul Coaching Oracle Cards.
Angela talks about rebirthing the Body. Sometimes your body needs to restore so your natural rhythms can come into sync and you can rebirth your spiritual energy or reinvigorate your aspirations.
Creating a “Fallow field” for the Personality Habit of Pushing. Giving yourself time to slow down. Become in rhythm with your needs, nature and not rush. Modern Society forces you to rush and it is becoming faster. How do you say – NO and find your natural rhythm? Letting go.
DISCLOSURE: Please be aware that Angela and Patti will be sharing affiliate links in this post. Please know that Ive only ever share products and services that we use or have used and found great value.
