LEADERSHIP Fall 2014
How to Respond to a Medical Emergency pp. 6 - 7
5 Tips to Avoid an Aching Neck pg. 9
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leadership Fall 2014
A word from your Account Management Team... Cooler temps, check! Changing colors, check! Halloween merchandise showing up in stores, big check! Must be time for the fall edition of Leadership. This season we start off with some articles that highlight critical elements of leadership and make sure that you don’t miss any opportunities to flex your muscles as a leader. Next we tackle some emergency preparedness and end with some tips to perform under pressure to make sure that no matter what situation you find yourself in, you’ll be ready. But we know as well that no matter how prepared you are, things can still surprise you. So if you run into more tricks than treats this season and you need a little guidance, consultation, or just need someone to listen, MINES is here to help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Have a happy and feastive fall season! – The Account Management Team
MINES & Associates 10367 West Centennial Road Littleton, Colorado 80127 800.873.7138 www.MINESandAssociates.com
. . . . . . . . C redits . . . . . . . Krames Staywell Make the Most of Leadership Opportunities pg. 4 Polish Your Public Speaking Skills pg. 8 5 Exercises to Prevent an Aching Neck pg. 9 Perform Under Pressure pp. 10 - 11 Life Advantages - Author Delvina Mirtemadi ©2014 Elements of Good Leadership pg. 5 Wellness Library Health Ink and Vitality Communications ©2014 How to Respond to a Medical Emergency pp. 6 - 7
Our theme for 2014, Total Wellbeing, has been designed to help bridge the gap between our potential and optimal wellbeing. We will supply the knowledge necessary to support healthy lifestyles in order to be well in both body and mind. With this idea of mind-body relationship at the forefront, our topics will focus on the 8 dimensions of wellness: Physical, Occupational, Intellectual, Environmental, Financial, Social, Spiritual, and Emotional Wellness. Each month we will explore how different aspects of wellbeing are connected to each other and more importantly how they apply to you so you can achieve balance and promote your own Total Wellbeing.
Total Wellbeing
The Year of Integration
Physical Spiritual Intellectual Social
Total
Emotional Financial Occupational Environmental
Keep an eye out on MINES & Associates in 2014 as we explore the mental health landscape. From financial planning to social influence, physical wellness to emotional health, all aspects of your life are connected and can affect your wellbeing. Let us help you stay on top of this constantly shifting world and make your wellbeing easier to focus on than ever before.
MINESBlog
A Fresh Perspective This year we will be talking about all kinds of innovative and useful topics centered around wellbeing and how it relates to you and the world you live in. So we invite you to get in on the conversation today. Read great articles, ask questions, and keep on top of what MINES is up to. See something you like? Rate it on our blog or tell us about it. Want to see something specific? Let us know what interests you and how MINES can help. Just go to www.minesblog.wordpress.com
Webinar Series
Useful Resources for the Mindful Professional
Wellbeing
Join our partner, Brown Richards, for any of their monthly webinars. This year they will cover a huge array of topics from paying for college, single parent survival tips, optimizing brain power, and much more! Visit our website to learn more, or register for upcoming events at www.minesandassociates.com/webinar.
Is there a topic you’d like to see us explore? We’d love to hear from you.
Shoot us an e-mail at communications@minesandassociates.com and let us know what you’d like to see.
www.MINESandAssociates.com | 800.873.7138
Make the Most of Leadership Opportunities Leadership opportunities at work can crop up unexpectedly. They’re unpredictable and sometimes blend in with the surroundings so they can easily get overlooked. “Leadership isn’t a position, it’s a way of being. It’s about seeing what isn’t there and making it happen,” says Roxanne Emmerich, C.S.P., C.M.C., author of “Thank God It’s Monday: How to Build a Motivating Workplace.” Ms. Emmerich offers the following suggestions on how to make the most of your leadership opportunities.
Do the extraordinary To be a leader often means to have extraordinary thoughts and to do extraordinary things. The word “extraordinary” is a combination of two words that mean “more than the ordinary.” Ordinary employees follow directions, do what they’re told to do, and put in a good day’s work. They have the mind-set of, “This is the way we’ve always done it, so this is the way I’ll keep doing it.”
Ordinary employees may give 70 percent or even 80 percent effort, but leaders consistently go the extra mile and give 100 percent on the job.
Have a vision Finding leadership opportunities requires a vision. Just like the architect who designs a superior building, you can design superior ways to do your ordinary work.
“Every one of us really wants to be extraordinary,” says Ms. Emmerich. “The problem is we surround ourselves with excuses for mediocrity, and we begin to believe it’s the way to be.”
“Each person needs to know his or her vision of what superior looks like. Without a clear vision, results are limited,” says Ms. Emmerich. “By having a vision, every employee at work has the opportunity to be a leader.”
Look for problems to solve
Improve relationships
The employee who wants to create leadership opportunities actually looks for problems to solve -whether the problems are task-related or about office morale. When you work with the mind-set of making improvements, you’re thinking like a leader. You may have ideas that will make your work more efficient. When you take those ideas and ask for permission to implement them, you’re creating your own leadership opportunity -- and an opportunity to be noticed for your innovative ideas.
Give 100 percent As an employee, you can take advantage of an often overlooked leadership opportunity: giving 100 percent effort to your work. Act as if you were stranded in the ocean and your one thought was to save yourself by getting to shore.
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Every employee can be a leader by improving employee relationships. When you avoid gossip, sarcasm, and negative comments, and substitute encouragement, appreciation, and cheery greetings, you’re making the most of a leadership opportunity. You’ll be a role model to others, and you’ll be rewarded with the trust of your coworkers. The truth is, no matter what your position, you can act like a leader. “When you seek solutions to problems, encourage positive workplace relationships and do extraordinary work, you’re making the most of leadership opportunities,” Ms. Emmerich says. “You’ll be noticed for your efforts, and you may even be considered for a leadership position. Best of all, though, you’ll be happier and more fulfilled at work.” M
The Elements of Good Leadership There’s a great difference between being in-charge and being a leader. Telling people what to do and when to do it is just a small part of being a leader. If you don’t develop the other leadership skills that help motivate teammates and keep projects on-task, you risk limiting your effectiveness and potential in your workplace role. Here are the key elements that build strong leaders.
Coaching • • • • •
Leaders clearly define goals for their team. They set an example for teammates to follow. They motivate their teammates and are supportive and honest with them. They don’t play favorites, but treat everyone fairly. They resolve conflicts and help everyone work toward the same goals.
Communication • Leaders say what they’re going to do and they follow through. • They are active listeners when someone shares a problem or concern. • They avoid communicating in ways that pass blame or create tension.
Decision-Making • • • • •
Leaders think through problems and avoid rushing to judgments. They look at all the options to resolve problems or meet goals. They’re willing to listen to the suggestions of others. They’ll take risks to push new ideas and project goals. They avoid repeating past mistakes and seek to learn from their errors.
Assertiveness • • • •
Leaders tell their team members what’s expected of them. They don’t wait to resolve an issue or address a concern. They move quickly to avoid wasting time. They prefer active involvement to passive behavior.
Leaders also know how to separate “You” from “I” in the way they communicate with their subordinates, especially when related to personal feelings or project expectations.
“You” statements include:
“I” statements include:
• “You always interrupt me during meetings.” • “You’re always the last one to arrive at work.” • “You can’t seem to meet the deadlines you’re given.”
• “I’m concerned with your behavior in meetings.” • “I expect you to arrive to work on time.” • “I’ve noticed that you’re having trouble meeting deadlines.” M
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How to Respond to a Medical Emergency Knowing what to do if someone you’re with is bleeding profusely or appears to be having a heart attack could save the person’s life. Taking a standard first-aid and CPR class can help prepare you for most medical emergencies. The National Safety Council, the Red Cross, and many hospitals offer classes.
The following suggestions can help you respond appropriately.
Burns
For first-degree burns (those without blisters), put the injured area under cool water. Second-degree burns with blisters should be washed with soap and water and treated with an antibiotic ointment. If the blisters are severe, cover the burn with a sterile gauze bandage and seek medical attention. Seek immediate emergency treatment if the burn is on the face, hands, feet, or genitals; covers more than one square inch of skin; or causes respiratory problems because of smoke inhalation, indicated by coughing, wheezing, soot-tinged spit, or red sores in the mouth.
Choking adult
Stand up and hold the person from behind. Wrap your arms around his or her waist and put one fist against the abdomen. Make sure your fist is slightly above the navel but below the rib cage. Holding your other hand over your fist, quickly thrust in and up with both hands 4 to 10 times. Call for emergency medical help if the person continues to choke.
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Heart attack
If you suspect someone is having a heart attack: • Call 911 or your local access number for emergency medical service. Tell the dispatcher where you are. Don’t hang up until you’re told to do so. • Give the person CPR only if you’ve been properly trained to do so. While waiting for emergency help to arrive. • Give the person an aspirin. • If possible, get the person into a relaxed sitting position, with the legs up and bent at the knees, to ease strain on the heart. Loosen tight clothing around the neck and waist. Stay calm and reassuring.
Poisoning
If someone has been poisoned, call a poison-control center or 911. Try to determine what the person has swallowed by finding the product container. Don’t induce vomiting unless instructed to do so by medical personnel.
Severe bleeding
Elevate the injured area, support it, then use a sterile pad to apply pressure to the wound. If blood seeps through the pad, place additional clean pads on top of each other. Wear rubber gloves or place plastic bags over your hands to prevent hepatitis or HIV infection. Call for emergency medical assistance.
Stroke
If someone is having a hard time breathing, talking, seeing, or moving one side of his or her face or body, the person could be having a stroke. Call 911 or seek emergency medical help right away. M
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Polish Your Public Speaking Skills You’ve just been given the assignment to present your team’s idea for a new product to the marketing department. What should you do? First, consider yourself lucky. You’re about to get noticed by management and have an opportunity to advance your career. “Speaking is the number one promotable skill in your work-skill tool kit,” says Jeffrey Patnaude, an author, executive coach, and president of the Patnaude Group, a training company in Agoura, Calif. “By learning a few strategies that will help you to overcome the number-one fear people have -- that of speaking in public -- you’ll benefit greatly and give a great presentation.”
Structuring your presentation A presentation is like a three-course meal. The appetizer, the opening, should include an attention-getter -- a story, quote, or powerful statement that relates to your topic. Next comes your main dish, the meat of your presentation. These are the points you want to make. Each point should have an illustration or story. This gives people something to relate to so they can understand and remember your point. It’s best you limit your presentation to three main points, but a long presentation can have as many as five. “The closing, your dessert, should include a call to action of some kind, depending on the purpose of your speech,” says Mr. Patnaude. “You should also end with your most powerful story. People will remember your closing, so make it dynamic.” Now that you have the basic ingredients, you’ll need to add flavor. When you pepper your speech with the four P’s, you enliven your topic.
Presence
Parables
Having a presence means fully being in the moment and being authentic. The authentic speaker shows emotion, and therefore is humorous, playful, open, creative, and passionate. He or she also is open to questions, as well as to being wrong.
“Storytelling is one of the key elements of great public speaking. Start and end your presentation with a story. ‘Three nights ago I was walking down the street at 2 in the morning when…’ Everyone will want to know what happened at 2 in the morning,” says Mr. Patnaude.
Having a presence also means keeping connected to your audience through observation. Pay attention to participants and make adjustments based on their nonverbal cues. If people are yawning and looking around the room, then you’ve lost them.
“One word of warning,” he adds. “Your story must relate in some way to your topic or it’s a waste of time.”
Passion
Payback
“You can get by with a presentation that has all the necessary information, but, without passion, it won’t engage your audience or advance your career,” warns Mr. Patnaude.
Your payback comes from serving the audience.
Uncover at least one element in your presentation that you feel passionate about, and highlight that point.
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“Something positive can happen as a result of your presentation -- a motivation to change, a new attitude, a new outlook, lives are shifted a little bit,” says Mr. Patnaude. “Therefore, your payback is the knowledge that your audience is better in some way and that you have made a difference.” M
5 Exercises To Prevent An Aching Neck One of the things many of us take for granted is the mobility and comfort of our neck. It’s only when we lose that mobility and it becomes painful to make even slight movements that we wish we had taken preventive measures. The information and exercises discussed in this article are to strengthen and stretch a normal neck. Anyone with preexisting neck pain or a spine condition should check with their healthcare provider before doing these exercises. Although neck pain can be the result of stress, age, or injury, it is most often associated with poor posture, according to the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPMR).
Necks need exercise, too
The muscles in your neck can be exercised and strengthened just like other muscles in your body. Plus, exercise will improve your neck’s range of motion. You should check with your doctor before doing neck exercises, however, and discontinue them if any movement causes you pain.
Before you begin a neck exercise, it’s important to find the proper starting position for your head. This helps prevent exercise-related injuries. Do this by putting your head squarely over your shoulders, then move it straight forward and then back. This back or base position is your starting point. For each of the following exercises, begin with five repetitions and build up to 10: 1. Rotations: Sitting, turn your head slowly to the left and then to the right as far as you can, comfortably. 2. Shoulder circles: While standing, raise your shoulders straight up, then move them in a circle around, down and back up again. Circle in both directions. 3. Side stretches: While standing, stretch your neck slowly to the left trying to touch your ear to your shoulder. Repeat on the right side. 4. Resistance exercises: Place your right hand against your head above your ear and gently press, resisting the movement with your neck. Do the same with your left hand on the other side. 5. Head lifts: Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Lift and lower your head, keeping your shoulders flat on the floor. Next, lie on one side and lift your head toward the ceiling. Repeat this movement on your other side and while lying on your stomach.
Easy preventive measures
Proper neck posture, a simple matter of good body mechanics, can offer you protection from neck pain. Here are suggestions from the AAPMR and other experts that can help prevent the misuse or overuse of your neck. • Don’t sit in one place for a long time. If you’re stuck at your desk, place items around your office so that you are forced to get up or stretch to retrieve them. • Maintain good posture for your neck. Adjust your desk chair so your hips are slightly higher than your knees. Your head and neck will then naturally assume the correct position. When traveling, place a small pillow or rolled up towel between your neck and the headrest. • Don’t sleep with too many pillows or with a pillow that’s too thick. • When talking on the phone, don’t cradle the phone between head and shoulder. If you’re on the phone often, switch to a headset or speakerphone. • If you are reading or typing from other materials, raise the pages to eye level. • If you have corrected vision, keep your prescription current so you don’t have to crane your neck forward. M Fall 2014 Leadership 9
Perform Under Pressure Some people thrive under pressure and seek out stressful jobs as ambulance drivers, firefighters, or critical-care nurses. For most of us, though, performing under pressure can be overwhelming. “Working under pressure can be downright paralyzing, especially if you start the day in a chaotic workspace,” says Patty Kreamer, author of The Power of Simplicity. “When you finally hit the breaking point, it’s a sign it’s time to examine your organizational and time-management skills.”
Levels of workplace pressure The more you learn about the pressure times and triggers at your workplace, the better you’ll be able to plan for them. According to Ms. Kreamer, these are the three levels of workplace pressure: 1. Sustained pressure. You have on-the-job pressure all the time. You have more work than you can accomplish in a reasonable amount of time; the work is too mentally taxing or physically strenuous for you; your company is disorganized or you work with difficult people. 2. Structured pressure. Deadlines or work overloads occur at the same time of day, week, month, or year. 3. Spontaneous pressure. A pressure situation can pop up at any time. Perhaps other employees don’t show up or you’re often asked to give presentations at the last minute. Knowing which kind of pressure you’re experiencing can help you cope with it by planning appropriately and prioritizing your work.
Start with a plan If you have no plan when you start the day, you’re under pressure the minute you climb out of bed. With a plan, you can wake up knowing what has to be done and when. This means not only putting a task list on paper, but also prioritizing the tasks and plugging each one into a time slot in your day planner so you know how your day will shape up. “You’ll accomplish much more in less time because you have prioritized your tasks,” advises Ms. Kreamer. “It takes only about 10 minutes to plan your day, a small investment with a high return on investment.”
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Unclutter your work area It’s easier to work under pressure when you have a clear, or at least an uncluttered, space in which to work. If your work area is a constant mini-disaster, schedule time in your day planner to go through your papers. “Clutter is nothing more than unmade decisions, so rather than continually putting off the time to decide, schedule time to make thoughtful, fast decisions,” says Ms. Kreamer.
Respond , don’t react There’s a huge difference between a knee-jerk reaction and a planned response to a critical or annoying remark. Reacting by using sarcasm or an angry tone of voice will only add to your stress. Here are some safe responses to negative comments: “That’s interesting.” “I’ll think about it and let you know.” “I need to get back to work.”
Follow a healthy lifestyle Your body needs high-quality fuel to function under pressure. Plan your grocery shopping so you have healthy food on hand for breakfast and can take healthy snacks to work. In addition, allow time during your lunch break for a brisk 20-minute walk. The fresh air and exercise will help clear your mind and recharge your energy.
Attitude Your attitude is totally in your control. Make a decision to have a positive one. Planning for positive thoughts will help you be less stressed. “You not only have to plan for your work, you also have to plan for yourself,” says Ms. Kreamer. “Investing some time up front to get organized can be just the pressure-release valve needed to survive on a daily basis.” M
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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