The Positive Energy Workplace

It was 10 a.m. yesterday when I felt "done" with my day. Out. Of. Gas. The previous week had been physically, mentally, and emotionally intense with special attention being needed in the land of "being a mom," "leading a team," "completing" a vendor relationship early, working with clients, and finishing the book! (Which is the picture on this post today. I've named it "Organized Meaningful Chaos." That is the book, and its many stages, cut chapters/sections, timelines, etc. ALL in one place on my table before going into "the book box.")

I'd been doing my IEP practices, taking care of myself, nourishing my mindset. I'd even just come off a weekend, and yet -- I was done. Ready for a beach.

As the old saying goes, "We all have the same 24 hours in a day and 7 days a week..." and then, "it's what we do with them that makes us different," or "that we spend them on what truly matters," or whatever your preferred version of this is. Whatever your preference, it boils down to this; how we spend our time and energy creates our outcomes and results.

And, good news, how we set the tone for our day, hour, meeting, or conversation creates more time. And even better news, it's not really about time; it's about energy, setting ourselves up to be the best use of us, and the way we relate to and think about time.

So what do you spend your time and energy on, how do you set the tone for your day, and how do you support yourself to create what you want?

How far you go with your leadership is directly related to how comfortable you can be with your discomfort. It's going to be harder to lead at your greatest edge, grow people optimally, have hard conversations, hold boundaries, and stretch out of your own comfort zones if you're not comfortable with being uncomfortable.

How well you can hold space for another human being is directly related to how comfortable you can be with your discomfort. It's going to be harder to hold space for someone to be in their own pain, to be angry, to be struggling, to be in their own discomfort, (or even to be fully shining and rocking it!), if you're not comfortable with your own pain, anger, struggle, discomfort, and shining.

This week has been devoted to intention. I've written about the what, the why, and the how. Now, how about when despite best intentions, it all falls apart?

You're clear on what you wanted to create, your heart was in it, you worked your intention from a "being" and "doing" standpoint, used your 5 Steps (on the IEP Sheet) to make it even stronger, and then... meh. Fizzle. Nada.

Now what?

Using the 70/30 Rule to Up-Level Your Leadership Impact