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SMALL STEPS, BIG REWARDS

October 1st, 2019 No comments

Let’s face it. You don’t want to be this guy. He’s having a hard day at work and is probably feeling stuck, resentful and burned out. What I’ve learned from teaching seminars on how to stop burnout–and how that enhances customer service–is that small steps often yield big rewards. Here are some pointers from the last few classes I’ve given for library staff:

  • Set reasonable goals and celebrate when you reach them
  • Pace yourself–set time limits for large projects and take regular breaks
  • Look for creative ways to change your job that will decrease stress
  • Make rewards and recognition part of your everyday work culture
  • Teamwork often means you can get help for the things you don’t do as well as others
  • Take breaks and try really hard to not eat lunch at your desk (You think you’re being super-productive, but in fact you’ll be super worn out)
  • Cultivate your sense of humor. Nothing beats laughing as a huge stress buster.

We are all expected to no more with less. Demands come at us from inside our organizations and from customers and patrons. Pay attention to what works for you. Ask your colleagues what helps them. As I say in my class, “enjoying your job is an inside job.” What can you do today to make that come true?

(Photo courtesy of Adobe Images)

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TURN YOUR BACK

August 1st, 2019 No comments

TURN YOUR BACK

I’m the type of person who believes in action. In getting things done. So it’s odd for me to advocate turning away, leaving something undone, letting things happen. Here’s how I came to this insight. I’ve been wanting to write a biography of my great, great, great grandfather John Ireland Howe for almost 23 years, and this past winter I decided that I either had to do it, or forget it. And that I had to put in real effort before making that decision. I knew that something or somethings were holding me back, so I created a schedule. I logged in and logged out. And gradually the book had a life of its own, and I knew that I would stick with it.

But it gets even better. While this was going on, I put my speaking business to the side. But then emails and phone calls came in, asking me if I could speak at a conference or for a staff development session. It amazed me that work came in without a huge effort. I checked my calendar, said yes, and went back to working on the book. Now I have a first draft completed and am lining up readers to help me make sure that I’ve written it for its intended market: middle school students.

I’ve known for a long time that it’s important to make an effort and then not make an effort, but this seemed almost magical to me. By freeing myself from procrastination and that nagging feeling that I was neglecting something I wanted to do, I was not only energized, but also had the great fun of seeing work come to me. It feels like grace. So sometimes, I think it’s a really good idea to turn your back.

 

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HOW ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER

June 5th, 2019 2 comments

recycling plastic

A few months ago, I decided to give up plastic for Lent. I failed, because there are some things–like the package that zucchini comes in–that are plastic, which of course I recycled. Or the bag that bread comes in. Same deal. But two interesting things happened. First, my awareness of the amount of plastic in our lives increased, and I found myself almost allergic to plastic bags. Second, I got into a lot of interesting conversations as I politely refused a plastic bag, and either put my items in a reusable cloth bag, or carried them to my car without a bag. I found that people are really excited about saving our planet, and especially the oceans. They’re thinking about it. They’re excited that the stores where they work will soon be banning single-use plastic bags.

Slowly, my habits changed so now, I pack my sandwich in a reusable container and no longer have those cute little zip lock sandwich bags. I got these neat waxed clothes from Trader Joe’s that I use for wrapping up leftovers. My garbage bags are compostable, as are the poop bags for my dog. Instead of being a chore or a deprivation, I’ve found that I’m really enjoying this. Take a small step and see what happens. Our earth depends on it.

(Image from Adobe Free Images)

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WANT TO BE KINDER?

April 25th, 2019 No comments

Check out this wonderful article, full of simple suggestions, from Dave O’Brien:  http://workchoicesolutions.com/images/The_Kindness_Connection.pdf. It includes small things you can do each day. You might be surprised by how good it feels to grow in kindness. kindness

Image courtesy to Adobe Images

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CHIT-CHAT JUST MIGHT BE GOOD FOR YOU & PRODUCTIVITY

April 10th, 2019 No comments

My wonderful friend and fellow career coach, Ed Hunter, wrote a neat article about happiness. (See below) As many of you work in positions where you’re working with the public, I thought this would be helpful. (For more on Ed, see:  http://www.lifeinprogresscoaching.com). Spring is finally showing up here in New England–another happiness factor!

Tulips

During the workweek, we may spend more time with our colleagues than we do our families. That’s a lot of time! Why not enjoy it? We know that our work life is a direct contributor to our overall happiness. What we might not realize is just how important our relationships are at work. Not just professional relationships but real, meaningful relationships built on support and trust.
Whether you have a best friend at work or just strong bonds with your colleagues, it matters. The World Happiness Report 2017 found that the level of support that a worker receives from his or her co-workers is a very strong predictor of all four measures of subjective well being utilized in the study: life satisfaction, job satisfaction, happiness, and positive effect. Those who indicated that they had a best friend at work were seven times more engaged in their jobs compared to those who don’t.

“We discovered that the single best predictor is not what people are doing — but who they are with. It doesn’t even matter if two friends at work are engaged in tasks that are directly related to workplace productivity. According to a study conducted by a team of MIT researchers in which workers wore high-tech identity badges throughout the day that monitored their movements and conversations, idle chit-chat might actually be valuable to productivity. The researchers found that even small increases in social cohesiveness lead to large gains in production.” – Tom Rath and Jim Harter, authors of Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements

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WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SOLITUDE AND LONELINESS?

February 1st, 2019 No comments

Just read a great article about this, and thought I’d share it as it explores the kind of relationship we need to have with our selves in order to be our best. https://getpocket.com/explore/item/before-you-can-be-with-others-first-learn-to-be-alone

 

stars

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SELF-CARE CONTEST FOR THE NEW YEAR

January 24th, 2019 3 comments

Having recently taught a number of customer service workshops, I thought it would be fun to run a month-long contest to see who can come up with the best ideas for stopping burnout and improving customer service. We all know what we’re supposed to do, but the real challenge is, can you can come with an idea that you yourself would try? One that might motivate others? The reward is a free copy of one of my books (covers shown below).

To give you a heads start, let’s break this down into four categories:

  • Exercise
  • Nutrition
  • Mind health
  • Rewards.

I don’t want to win my own contest, so be brave, send your ideas in, and if you’re prefer to do so in private (as I’ll publish the blog comments), you can email your ideas to me at jb@jeanbaur.com. The winner will have his or her suggestion published and will receive a free book. Get thinking! The deadline is the end of February.

Book Cover Interview jpgFront Cover Revised 7-28Eliminated Cover.indd

 

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WHAT HAPPENS TO UNSOLVED PROBLEMS?

January 8th, 2019 No comments

In working with many libraries to help their staff with critical issues like stopping burnout and improving customer service, I’ve noticed how common it is for many of them to avoid confrontation. They don’t like it. It’s awkward. Take a look at a wonderful article by my friend and fellow career coach, Ed Hunter. Great tips!

Are You a New Boss? How Good Leaders Manage Tough Conversations

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ALL I WANT FOR THE HOLIDAYS IS PEACE & QUIET! Take a look at this great article from my friend, Ed Hunter.

December 19th, 2018 No comments
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THE POWER OF GRATITUDE

November 30th, 2018 No comments

Yesterday I was working with a group of librarians and library staff on how to stop burnout. One of the exercises we did in class was about gratitude, and how powerful it is. Then I found this article this morning and had to share it–with Paul’s permission, of course.

Earlier this week I was sitting at Starbucks working on some ideas for an article when Andrew, a former client of mine, dropped by my table to chat. I asked how things were going in his new role. (He was recently promoted to V.P. of marketing to replace his former boss.) He frowned and said, “I have been so stressed out since I took this job. My department is a mess.”  He went on to share a whole list of things that were not going right. As he continued, I could see him getting more anxious. “I will be glad to have some time off this week,” he concluded.

Many of the leaders I coach have overwhelming challenges, and they come quickly, sometimes one right after the other. Without the right resources, this enormous responsibility becomes too much, especially when there is an increasing pressure to produce results quicker than ever. In fact, most organizations expect their leaders to search out what is not working and fix it, with little guidance or support.

Because of this, I often find leaders automatically default and begin to start sharing what is going wrong as opposed to what is going right. This overemphasis on the negative is directly proportional to added stress and anxiety. And, the worst part, it impacts their wellbeing and the people around them.

I believe it is more important than ever to help leaders shift their thinking. And it all starts by simply focusing on what is going well! This change in mindset can help leaders flourish and achieve unexpected results. This attitude is a powerful one—it can have a huge impact on how leaders feel about themselves and others, setting them up for lasting success.

So, what can you do?

Martin Seligman, a leading authority in the field of Positive Psychology, has devised a simple technique to address this, it is called the Three Blessings Exercise. This exercise demands that you focus your attention as you end your day on three things that went well and why they went well.

TRY this:

The Three Good Things exercise is intended to increase happiness and a sense of well-being.

This exercise is to be done each night before going to sleep.

Step 1: Think about anything good that happened to you today, anything at all that seems positive. It doesn’t need to be anything big or important. For example, you might recall the fact that your co-worker thanked you for helping them develop a difficult presentation.

Step 2: Write down three positive things that came up during your day.

Step 3: Reflect on why each good thing happened. Determining the “why” of the event is the most important part of the exercise. For example, you might say that your co-worker respected what you had to offer. Remember, you get to decide reasons for each event that make sense to you.

Busy? Take out your phone and send a dictated e-mail to yourself during the day when you experience something you feel grateful for. At the end of the day, read these and reflect on why they happened.

Having just celebrated Thanksgiving this past week, it’s a time for all of us to really take stock of what we are thankful for. Let’s count our blessings; it is important for our happiness and well-being.

  Drop me a note if you need more information

 

Thanks for doing business with us.

Sincerely, Paul

Paul V. Butler

President, GlobalEdg LLC

Office (203) 405- 6810

pbutler@globaledg.com     www.globaledg.com

Co-Author of Think-to-Win Unleashing the Power of Strategic Thinking , McGraw-Hill 2015.

https://www.amazon.com/Think-Win-Unleashing-Strategic-Thinking/dp/15113

 

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