Team-
My email last week wasn’t the most fun to write but it did create some thoughts for many of you, who seem to be sharing in the pain. I received a lot of feedback, all of which is appreciated. What struck me is how many of us are stressed out beyond what we should be (me included of course). I’ll not repeat what was causing my stress but much of it is gone and as I reflect on it, I’ll note a few items in my observation of it all.
1. Worrying about negative events that have yet to take shape is stupid and a waste of time (also insane).
2. My team, although slightly broken, has risen to the occasion. I believe this comes from:
a. Having people believe you care about them, vs. making them fearful of your yields MUCH better results (I’ve been on both side of this, as I’m sure my team will attest).
b. Having structure and accountability is not micro managing, it ensures your team is on the same page, and creates a level of ownership you can’t have without it. If you don’t have structure and accountability all difficult communication is emotional.
c. Being kind to people when they deserve to be treated in this manner vs. placing my own fear and stress on them yields a better outcome for all (similar to point a. but slightly different, Point A is long haul, this point is how you treat your team by the hour i.e. bring in coffee, lunch, or dinner when people are going above and beyond (small example)).
3. Having business partners who trust, respect, and appreciate you is awesome, especially when you can share with them that your world isn’t perfect right now and you might need a little wiggle room.
4. We all have to work on our mindset. I think this is the majority of the battle.
From a tactical perspective, I wanted to share my CEO’s perspective. He is blind copied on these Sunday thoughts per his request, which I think is also an important note; the most successful people you encounter are students to everything and never stop searching for ways to improve (so why should we)….but here’s his very tactical answer to dealing with his own stress.
“Always interesting to see how the human mind and body handles stress. For me, when I am overwhelmed I try to look at the day in three hour increments. What I need to do in that three hours … Then I take on the next three hours. And so on. Why? It allows me not to be overwhelmed by what I have to do.
Secondly, I transfer my ‘chores’ on to paper … Hardest items first. It again allows me to transfer stress onto paper and then I attack the ‘paper’. Every thing I accomplish I get to put a line across the item. Serves as a sense of accomplishment.”
Have a great week. 100% guaranteed to have a better week if you take 30 minutes today to see what your calendar looks like and what you need to do to get the most out of your week.