The Positive Energy Workplace

I was talking to one of my sisters this a.m. (can’t say which for confidentiality – and I have 4!) about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. And what creates happiness. And what doesn’t. We got to talking about problems. And solutions. And what has to be present to move a problem from the point of being a “problem” to a solution. Component #1? You have to love the idea of creating a solution – MORE than you love the idea of having your problem. Think about that. Seems obvious, but in my experience it’s not. As is often the case – the idea is not rocket science – the active implementation of it is.

Ever seen this? “I’m having a problem….xyz…I hate it, it’s hard, I wish I could solve it, I want it to go away.” Ever said this? “Hmmm…What about? Or? Would this be helpful? Here’s another way of looking at it…How can I help?” And then by any bitty chance, have you ever gotten this response? “Uggh…no, my that won’t work, nor that, or that, my problem is unique, it’s different, it’s hard, you don’t understand, if I do that than this might happen, it’s hard, it won’t go away, gosh I wish I could solve my problem!” Or some version of that? Likely you’ve heard and spoken your own. I think we all have at least once! (Grin.)

Two things on my mind today in particular this morning. Both of which have been inspired by conversations with other hungry human beings and clients who seek to optimize their abilities to do great work and to lead really great lives and organizations.

It abruptly dawned on me today that I’ve been “holding out” on my list in sharing one of the ways we’re (DTE) leveraging ourselves with others to share our articles and information. Being that “leverage” and “connection” are two of my primary values, I’m surprised I didn’t share this yet, but then again, that’s common with “invisible values” (those values that are so close to you, you just take them for granted.) Anyway, here’s the scoop and ways you can get access to more information and learn about another cool publication!

This past year I set the intention to leverage myself more so that my company could have more impact and connect more with other like-minded business leaders in the simplest, most congruent, and most energy efficient ways possible. Lots has happen this year to help me manifest that intention! One of the ways it’s shown up is in the invitation, earlier this year, to be a regular contributor to tng worldwide magazine. They’ve been publishing these articles for the last 3 issues now and have been wonderful to work with. You can find all of these articles, and more, on our “news” page. Articles include topics such as “Dare to Create Opportunity” (especially apropos right now), “Dare to Elevate Engagement” (another good one), and “Dare to Eliminate Gossip” (never goes out of style…) Check them out, I hope you find them helpful! By the way, if you’d like to learn more about tng worldwide read more here…

Is your organization “healthy”? How about your team? If you knew that the beliefs you held and the actions you took today (even small), would positively impact the health of your organization tomorrow, would you do it? I'm guessing you would.

While many think of "health" in the more traditional sense as "health & productivity," or fitness and wellness, it actually goes much deeper than that, offering tremendous opportunities for impacting your organization's emotional, energetic, and fiscal well being. Just like with attending to a personal fitness program, where you do something for your health every day to move you towards greater wellness, you can do little "somethings" everyday to move you towards organizational wellness. It doesn't take a lot, but it does take intention and focus.

This short article is about creating organizational health from the "inside out." Having a somewhat eclectic background in kinesiology, health & productivity, energy management, and leadership development, this is a topic near and dear to my heart, and one I find that provides lots of opportunity to help leaders stay on their "edge."

Getting what we want and creating lives we love can be a complex process, but most often not as complex as we think. I find over and over again in my work with clients a couple of very common themes. (After all, being human beings, we tend to have common threads of growth and it makes it really convenient to help us learn together.) A couple of these helpful themes are: 1) get quiet, breathe, 2) look inside for answers, trust your inner knowing, 3) directly engage, don’t waste your time in “he said/she said,” making stuff up, and gossip, 4) take excellent care of yourself in the process, and, 5) just do…after contemplation, due diligence and decision making – action must occur.

Whether I’m working with someone on their leadership, their business or their personal life, I believe that it is necessary that we look inside ourselves for answers, that we take great care of ourselves while we do it, and that we put it all to good use focusing on action, outcomes and results. There’s the “being” of life and leadership, and the “doing”….one cannot escape the other, as much as we might try or believe it can work (in a sustainable and peaceful fashion!) There’s an integration of the being and doing, and an opportunity for a very holistic approach to all of it. When we stop, implement even one or two of the five things I mention above, and move forward, we become more aware, leadership happens, our life unfolds even more. It’s a beautiful thing.

I’ve come to call the work that I do with clients and teach in seminars, “Bootism.” It’s easy to remember, offers a kicky and unique style, and it’s fun. I find that it sticks, puts a kick in one’s step, and it’s sticks because it’s congruent with the individual – after all, they choose their path, their plan, their action. It’s theirs. It’s not hard, but it’s effective. It’s not complex, but it’s powerful. And it’s not for me to say WHAT exactly it means for you, but it is yours to find.

So what is Bootism? In a nutshell think Eastern Philosophy (wellness, spirituality, joy, peace) meets Western Philosophy (business, great results, leadership, bottom lines, growth), add in "boots, hugs and cupcakes" as core secret ingredients, and you have a way of creating sustainable results, authentic leadership and joy in the process.