The Positive Energy Workplace

There’s a lot in the media about burnout right now; what burnout is, what it costs us, and what to do about it (especially in healthcare where it’s estimated that the prevalence of physician burnout is about twice as high as in the general population). With the World Health Organization (WHO) making it an official medical diagnosis and putting it in their handbook (International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems), the conversation around burnout is shifting… it’s “real.”

In my work with leaders and their organizations over the last twenty years, optimizing leadership impact, building positively healthy contagious cultures, and getting in front of (or navigating as needed) burnout and low engagement, I’ve noticed patterns in actions and mindset. (The actions are always the result of mindset.)

I've talked with several people and organizations this quarter who are stressing about pipelines, culture, and organizational results. These three things go together. They all effect each other. And they're a big opportunity to reboot, remember, and revise.

In times of stress it's more essential than ever to remember the why, the who, and the intentions behind it all. It's also when it's most essential to take excellent care of ourselves. We can't do our best work, or bring in our best business, or have our best impact when we're "in scarcity," stressed, and scared.

Last weekend when I took my little "hear myself think"/mini "soul vacation" I crystalized the most important things I need to be working on right now in order to create the results I want (AND still feel great while doing so).

I started by taking myself through my own process I use with clients to access an authentic and efficient plan. Part of my process includes getting clear on the true intention, why it's important, who it serves, what it impacts, who I have to be to make it so, and how to create that impact with the most ease, pleasure, and meaning possible.

We interrupt our normal programming to bring you this special announcement:

This Fall's IEP Live! Leadership & Influence Immersion is ramping up! With Contagious You coming out less than a month later, this is going to be a special one-of-a-kind session.

New content, new practices, a special module on navigating "busy and burnout before it navigates you" (no kidding), a module on "IEP Rituals" and "morning leadership practices," a preview of the next book and our new IEP Activator Program, not to mention the normal stuff I put into these events, will all be happening on October 23rd and 24th in Sacramento, CA.

I have things I‘ve done in the past that I would now do 100 times differently; decisions I’ve made, the way I’ve written or spoken about something, the way I’ve navigated a relationship, the way I’ve judged something, the way I’ve parented, the way I’ve shown up in conflict -- I could make an exhaustive list.

I have few regrets. I do have “frets.” Few regrets because I can turn just about anything into a gift and a productive lesson (anything), frets because there are some things that I will “fret” on, rework in my head, and even try to change the outcome of. Sometimes for years. It’s not a full-time job, it doesn’t wreck me, but these frets can be quietly present, draining precious mental and emotional energy (even when they’re unconscious), but especially when the situation comes into memory or impacts the present state. When they show up in my consciousness, I can go to the “Land of What If.” Know it?