2012-4 Leadership Fall by Ryan Lucas

LEADERSHIP Fall 2012

Clarifying Your Work Expectations

Check out these tips - They may increase your success and reduce your stress at work. pp. 6-7

Staying Organized at Work: Arriving on Time pg. 3

Dealing

with An

ger at W

ork

Tips for with Ext Coping reme St ress Can Workpla you Control ce Inter ruptions

leadership FALL 2012

A word from your Account Management Team... We spend as much as 50% of our awake hours in the workplace, so it’s important that you are as effective as possible as a leader and manage your resources wisely. This includes creating an environment and culture of mutual respect of one another’s time. In this issue of Leadership, make sure to check out tips on decreasing work interruptions to get you started. We’ve also included an article on dealing with anger at work. These tips can be very helpful when things start getting out of hand. But if you find yourself in a toxic situation where you don’t know how to deal with it, don’t forget that you can always call MINES for help. We’re here when you need us.

MINES & Associates 10367 West Centennial Road Littleton, Colorado 80127 800.873.7138 www.MINESandAssociates.com

. . . . . . . . C redits . . . . . . . Life Advantages - Author Delvina Mirtemadi ©2012 Staying Organized at Work: Arriving on Time pg. 3 When to Say Nothing at Work pg. 9 Dealing with Anger at Work pg. 10 Krames Staywell ©2012 Staying Energized at Work pp.8

– The Account Management Team Workplace Options, Inc. Tips for Coping with Extreme Stress pg.9

Staying Organized at Work: Arriving on Time

The first step to being an organized and professional employee is to arrive to work on time. Being late – to the workplace, meetings, or other appointments – often indicates how seriously you take your responsibilities. If you’re tired of falling behind schedule, here are some tips to help you get back on track and improve your punctuality.

What Causes Tardiness? The simplest cause of chronic tardiness is being unorganized. When you’re unorganized, the morning rush becomes all the more difficult to manage. Waking up late, taking too long to get ready for work, juggling personal and family needs, and not paying attention to traffic or commute times can all contribute to your tardiness.

Being Prepared The simplest way to combat tardiness is to learn how to prepare yourself for your responsibilities each and every day. Here are five steps you can follow to make preparedness a part of your daily routine. • Consider moving your morning routine to the evening. Pack your lunch the night before. Exercise after work instead of before. • Try getting up earlier each morning. Start with just 15 minutes and add another 15 minutes once you become adjusted to the time. • Go to bed an hour earlier. It might take some time to adjust to your new sleep schedule, but that extra hour will come in handy when you get ready in the morning. • Learn to balance your social life with your work responsibilities. If you work hard, you may want to play hard. But unfortunately, when you have difficulty managing your time, your social life can be a contributing factor to your tardiness. Cut back on your activities during weeknights and try not to overdo it during the weekends. Remember, you have to take responsibility for your actions. If you need help, ask your family or friends to support your changes in schedule. M

Can You Control Workplace Interruptions? Chances are, workplace interruptions are robbing you of time and the ability to concentrate on important tasks. If so, knowing how to control and avoid them can increase your productivity. Here’s a quiz to help you assess your knowledge of how to deal with interruptions.

Taking control of your interruptions can increase your productivity by 25 percent. True / False

It’s efficient to check your e-mail every time you get a message. True / False

You should always work with your office door open. True / False

If part of your job involves frequent consultation with your staff or co-workers, schedule a specific time on your calendar for those meetings each day. True / False

4 Leadership Fall 2012

False. Taking control of your interruptions can increase your productivity by 50 percent.

False. It’s more efficient to open your e-mail only twice a day, unless you’re expecting a crucial message.

False. Doing so invites interruptions. Instead, close your door or, if you work in a cubicle, stretch a piece of tape across the opening or find another way to indicate you’re unavailable when you have crucial work you must complete.

True.

Stand up to talk when someone comes into your office uninvited. True / False

If someone comes into your office with something important to discuss, ask the person to give you a few minutes, then go to his or her office.

True. You’re in for a long interruption if you let your visitor sit comfortably in a chair.

True. That way, you can control the length of the conversation.

True / False

Arrange your desk and chair so you’re not in full view of casual passersby. True / False

Have a comfortable chair for visitors in your office. True / False

If someone with a problem or a question walks into your office uninvited, it’s OK to say, “I’m tied up at the moment. Can you come back at (suggest a specific time), and we can talk about it then?”

True. People will usually think twice about disturbing you if they have to peek around the corner to see you.

False. Having a comfortable chair for visitors increases the chances people will stop by to chat.

True.

True / False

Always answer your phone, even if you’re working on an important project. True / False

False. Let voice mail or the receptionist pick it up. Then, at the 60- to 90-minute mark, check your messages and return your calls.

Fall 2012 Leadership 5

Your Job

Clarifying Your Work Expectations The thought of talking to your boss about your work expectations probably sends shivers down your spine. But if you’re a new employee and want to start off on the right track, or if you’ve worked at a company for years and feel burned out, stressed, or unhappy, you’ll need to muster up the courage to have just such a conversation. To be successful when you do, you must be clear about your expectations, and you must communicate them in a way that will keep your boss listening.

The “other” job expectations According to the workbook, these expectations often go unspoken: 1. Recognition 2. Autonomy 3. Expression 4. Career growth 5. Diversity 6. Teamwork

“In a typical employment situation, certain expectations -- such as salary, hours, and job duties -- are clearly understood by both employer and employee. Other expectations, however, may be so closely linked to your idea of work that you simply assume the expectations will be met without clearly stating them,” reports Inscape Publishing Inc. in “Managing Work Expectations -- Transforming Attitudes,” a self-assessment workbook.

7. Structure 8. Environment 9. Balance 10. Stability

To help clarify your thoughts, we have written each of the ten expectations down below, and ask that you answer the following three questions for each one. 1. What do you expect? For example, let’s consider “autonomy.” Do you expect the freedom to make decisions about your job? How much supervision do you want? 2. Where are you now? How well has this expectation already been met? While you want to primarily focus on the unmet ones, it’s also important your boss knows what’s working for you. 3. Where do you want to go? Company policy or structure may prevent some expectations from being met, so you must be willing to make some compromises. You must come up with possible solutions to your unmet expectations.

When to talk to your boss: A good time to talk is during your regularly scheduled performance review. Make practical suggestions: It’s essential you come prepared to discuss several possible solutions for about three of your expectations. You want to give your boss choices, so make your requests short and concise. Put your suggestions in writing and, when you leave, say, “I’ve written these down for you to consider. Thank you for your time and your interest.” Follow up with a thank-you letter. A powerful impact: Whether spoken or unspoken, met or unmet, work expectations have a powerful impact on your thoughts, feelings and behaviors, and are the key drivers of your attitude. Taking the time to address the can increase your success and reduce your stress at work.

Recognition: ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Autonomy: _________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Expression: _________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Career Growth: ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Diversity: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Teamwork:__________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Structure: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Environment: ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Balance: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Stability: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ M

Staying Energized at Work If you’re like most people, some days you get tired at work -- perhaps right after lunch or at 3 in the afternoon. You seem to start working in slow motion and find it hard to concentrate. These tips will help you re-energize when you run out of steam.

Add variety If you have several tasks to do, switch back and forth. If you’re doing something tedious, switch to something more physical or creative. Reward yourself for getting the boring tasks done by doing a project you enjoy.

Wake up your body Take a five-minute break every hour. Stand up, stretch, walk around, do knee bends, jog in place, or go up and down a flight of stairs to get your blood flowing. If possible, go outside for a breath of fresh air and a walk around the block.

Play games Play beat the clock by counting how many calls you make or how many checks you post in a certain time limit -- a half hour or an hour. Make your own bingo card using words related to your job duties instead of numbers. Then, as you work, cross out the words for the tasks you accomplish. When you get five across, down or diagonally, pull something out of the treasure chest of rewards you gathered ahead of time.

Mini-massage Gently massage your scalp, shoulders, arms, hands, and legs.

Plug into others Energized people give you energy, so initiate a brief conversation with an upbeat, enthusiastic individual. It’s like plugging into an electrical socket, and your energy level will climb. Spend a few minutes walking around your office, giving everyone a cheery hello. Your coworkers will respond with positive energy.

Poster energy Make a small poster with a tired face on it. Below the face, write “Please liven me up!” and hang it on your office door or cubicle. It serves as an invitation to your colleagues to help make you feel energized.

8 Leadership Fall 2012

Listen to music Upbeat music can energize you. Collect tapes or CDs of lively music and listen to them on a headset when working on tasks that don’t require a lot of concentration.

Fire up your imagination Use your imagination to re-create a memory of a high-energy moment. Close your eyes for a minute and visualize a time you skied down a mountain, danced all night, or swam in the ocean.

Use humor Make your own humor notebook full of jokes and cartoons. Keep your notebook handy and read it to spark your energy.

Eat healthful food Bring healthful snacks to work, instead of candy or high-sugar snacks which will peak your energy but quickly leave you on empty again. At your low-energy times, eat high-energy snacks such as a hard-boiled egg, celery with cream cheese, or peanut butter on low-fat crackers. Don’t eat a heavy lunch, which will make you sleepy. For example, instead of a double cheeseburger and fries, eat a turkey sandwich with lettuce and tomato on whole-wheat bread. M

When to say Nothing at Work At work, there are things you should keep quiet about. This valuable conversation skill, knowing when to say nothing at all, can protect your professional image and help you climb the ladder of success. Topics to Avoid Political or personal disagreements can raise the stress level of everyone involved in the disagreement and those witnessing the disagreement. In order to keep your workplace as stress-free as possible, avoid responding to these issues: • Giving your opinion about controversial social issues, religious beliefs, or political issues. • When you are asked to take sides in personal disputes among coworkers. Stay Quiet About These Topics in Public In public, don’t mention:

shhh...

• • • • •

A person’s work performance. Your feelings about company policy, especially if they are negative. Conflicts between you and supervisors. Personal issues that coworkers have spoken to you about. Anything that has been discussed with you in private, unless you would break the law or company policy if you kept quiet.

By knowing when not to communicate, you’ll lead by example. Co-workers will see that you make wise choices by saying nothing when it’s appropriate. As they view this behavior, co-workers are more likely to see you as somebody they can trust and connect with. M

Tips for Coping with Extreme Stress 1. Concentrate on caring for yourself. 2. Talk about it with other people in the same situation. Compare reactions and reassure yourself that you are not alone in the way you are feeling. 3. Talk about it with friends and relatives who care about you. It’s normal to need to tell your story over and over. 4. Keep your schedule as routine as possible, and don’t overdo it. 5. Allow time for hobbies, relaxing activities, and being with friends, even if you don’t quite feel like it. 6. Participate in whatever physical fitness activities you normally enjoy. 7. Utilize whatever spiritual resources are part of your normal lifestyle. 8. Beware of any temptation to turn to alcohol, tobacco, caffeine, and sweet foods. They may make you feel better momentarily, but can cause more problems in the long run. Concentrate instead on a healthy diet. 9. If you can, postpone major life decisions until things have normalized. 10. Don’t hesitate to accept help from friends, co-workers, and others. If you can, offer help to others affected by the event. 11. Sometimes good self-care and talking with friends are not enough. You may want to seek professional counseling. This does not mean you are “sick,” but rather that a counselor may be able to help you get your recovery process on track. M

Dealing with Anger at Work Anger is a complex human emotion that can cause problems anywhere in life, including the workplace. Deadlines, important meetings, and other stressful situations can all contribute to anger. When anger is left unaddressed, people are more likely to be distracted, make mistakes, be apathetic about their work, or hurt themselves or others. In its extreme form it can be a sign of your inability to calmly and rationally cope with the situations and events that make you feel uncomfortable. In turn, how you deal with your anger says a lot about you and your personality. More importantly, it can also have a grave impact on your quality of life. The more you let anger control your life, the more likely you are to drive away the people and opportunities that can enrich your life.

Connect Constructively Once you are feeling calm, and you have identified the root of your anger, the next step is to approach the appropriate person and try to solve the problem. Be open to solutions and stick to facts, rather than opinions. Share your feelings, but also be sure you listen to the person’s point of view as well. For instance, if a coworker fails to e-mail you an important part of a project, don’t say, “Don’t you care about anyone? You made us miss the deadline because you are so unorganized.” Instead, say, “I’m angry that I didn’t receive that important part of the project. How can we make sure this doesn’t happen again?” By using this technique, the person will feel less defensive, and more willing to work toward the solution.

Therefore, it is extremely important that anger in the workplace be addressed and resolved.

If you are angry about a situation that you can’t do anything to improve, don’t feel alone in your anger. Talk about your feelings with a trusted person and brainstorm potential coping mechanisms that will help you better handle the situation.

Anger typically comes in one of three forms:

Dealing with Anger from Another

1. Suppressed Anger – Many people are taught from childhood to withhold anger, believing that it is unacceptable to act on angry feelings. When the person denies or suppresses that he or she is angry, the anger can smolder. In addition, the person may refuse to communicate or talk about feelings, which leads to a stressful work environment. People with suppressed anger may let out their anger in unhealthy ways, such as gossiping about coworkers or trying to isolate others. Suppressed anger should not be ignored; it can lead to harm for both the angry person and those around them. 2. Emotional Anger – Anger is often viewed as a powerful or masculine emotion. Sometimes when people are anxious, afraid, overwhelmed, or embarrassed, they might be more comfortable showing anger as opposed to vulnerability. This form of anger can usually be traced to specific triggers brought on by a person’s inability to cope with deep emotional distress. 3. Explosive Anger – Explosive anger is seen when a person blows up or blames others. Instead of working towards a solution, these people often yell and point fingers. Others tend to react to these types with more anger, which often worsens the situation.

Dealing with Your Anger Once the immediate feeling of anger has subsided, the first thing you should do is try to find the root cause for your anger. Are you really angry about an argument with a loved one this morning and instead taking it out on a coworker? Or, is your anger because you have a problem with the coworker’s behavior towards you? Anger is a normal feeling, especially when people are stressed. However, extreme and frequent anger can be bad for your health and overall quality of life. It’s important to think about why you’re angry so you can find solutions and cope with the things that are making you angry.

If you see others with explosive, emotional, or suppressed anger, don’t fuel the fire and react with more anger. Instead, listen to the person’s concerns without judgment, and acknowledge their feelings. Try to work with the person to find solutions. Lead by example and show the person how to deal with anger effectively. M

2012 HR Webinar Series

ChooseWell Our 2012 Webinar Series - ChooseWell - has been designed to provide practical and useful information to employees and managers regarding the everyday decisions to the questions that life presents to us. A quarterly series, the presenters have been selected from experts in their field to provide tips and helpful hints to ChooseWell.

To learn more and to register for these events, visit: www.minesandassociates.com/webinar

Session One: Making a Plan and Sticking to it. february 9, 2012 NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE!

Session Two: Healthful Decisions

April 17, 2012 NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE!

Session Three: Organizational Wellness August 14, 2012 NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE!

Session Four: Worry-free Finances November 14, 2012 10AM - 11AM MST

Questions? Reach us at 800.873.7138 | Brought to you by BizPsych and MINES & Associates

A note to Supervisors... From time to time, situations arise when a supervisor is not sure how to respond to a particular behavior. The Employee Assistance Program is available on a 24/7 basis for consultation on issues such as: referring an employee to the EAP, how best to respond to and manage difficult behavior in the workplace, and whether training or some other form of group intervention (such as an organizational intervention or a conflict resolution) may be helpful for a particular situation. The EAP can serve as an ally to anyone who is working with a troubled employee.

• 24/7 supervisor consultation regarding problems in the workplace

• Assessment of behavioral risk on the job • Return-to-Duty conferences

• Advisory services in writing, revising, and implementing policies

• Supervisor and Manager training

• Unlimited formal Work Performance Referrals

• Coaching for management and leadership skills

• Conflict resolution for supervisor-employee problems

MINES believes that employees are an organization’s most valuable resource. Your EAP is always available to provide you and your employees with support.

The MINES Team

Questions? Reach us at 800.873.7138 | www.MINESandAssociates.com