Leadership Winter 2016 by Ryan Lucas

LEADERSHIP Winter 2016

Developing Yourself pg. 4 Workplace Goals for the New Year pp. 6-7

Helping Employees of the Sandwich Generation Communicate for Success Neurobics: Brain Exercises for on the Job

Leadership Fall 2016

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

A word from your Account Management Team... Welcome to the Winter 2016 issue of Leadership!

If you are anything like the MINES team, winter means hot chocolate is on the shopping list, more blankets are on the bed, and ice is on the windshield in the morning. Before you go outside and face the frost, check out the resources we’ve collected to help get a warm start to the coldest season. This issue is all about development and goals. We figured these two topics go hand in hand and are just in time to support your New Year’s Resolutions. To develop your communication skills we’ve compiled two articles, “Prevent Misunderstanding on Your Team” on page 10 and “Communicate for Success” over on page 8. We also have “Developing Yourself” on page 4 and “Workplace Goals for the New Year” on page 6 to get you started on goal setting. We’ve also packed in some tips on diversity, the sandwich generation, and even some brain exercises to help you keep sharp while on the job. We hope you find this information useful this fall but if there is anything else we can do to help this season please call MINES at 1-800-873-7138, we are here to help. To your health!

– The MINES Team

. . . . . . . . C redi t s . . . . . . .

Life Advantages - Author Delvina Miremadi © 2016 Diversity in the Workplace pg. 4 Helping Employees of the Sandwich Generation pg. 5 Prevent Misunderstanding on Your Team pg. 10 U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services © 2016 Developing Yourself pg. 4 The Staywell Company, LLC © 2016 Workplace Goals for the New Year pp. 6-7 Communicate for Success pp. 8-9 Neurobics: Brain Exercises for on the Job pg. 11

2016 2016 is the year to get involved! Don’t worry MINES is here to help you do just that by highlighting important topics throughout the year, along with resources that will help you get involved with the issues that matter most to you, helping to not only enhance your own wellbeing but giving you the tools to get out and make a difference in your community. Total Wellbeing will continue to connect the dots and relate all topics this year to the 8 core dimensions of wellness: Physical, Occupational, Intellectual, Environmental, Financial, Social, Spiritual, and Emotional Wellness to make sure you have a crystal clear picture of how you can achieve your own Total Wellbeing.

Total Wellbeing Get Involved

Physical Spiritual Intellectual Social

Total

Emotional Financial Occupational Environmental

In 2016 MINES & Associates will be talking about the importance of getting involved with the issues that are important with you. MINES will be talking about national events, social issues, awareness months, and more to make sure you know whats going on in the world and how it connects to your wellbeing and what you can do to make a difference!

Enhancing Social Wellness Your Community Matters

The 8 dimensions of wellbeing don’t just apply to one person, they apply to our entire society. Social influence is a huge factor that contributes to each of our levels of wellness, but it all starts with the individual. With this in mind, our challenge to you in 2016 is to see how you can not only enhance your own wellbeing but those around you as well. Get out there, get involved, be well, and see if you can’t inspire your friends and loved ones to do the same. Game on!

Wellness Webinars

Support from the experts

Wellbeing

Join our partner, Brown Richards, for any of their monthly webinars. 2016 will cover great new topics ranging from organizing your life, facts about cancer awareness, productivity, communication, 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

Diversity and Workplace Communication The workplace is a rapidly changing environment. Each month an increasing number of diverse employees are joining the workforce. This includes minorities, foreign nationals, people from different religions and sexual orientations, and even people of younger and older generations. Knowing how to communicate with employees based on their role in the workplace and not what makes them a diverse coworker is an important part of helping to promote balance, equality, and growth in your organization. • Respond to your coworkers based on what they do and not who they are. • Avoid rushing to judgments.

• Recognize when your own biases and stereotypes are influencing how you interact with others.

• Be sensitive to religious, cultural, and social backgrounds of your coworkers. • Avoid casual language that includes slang or slurs that are offensive.

• Avoid thinking in an “us” and “them” way that promotes tension in the workplace.

• Be willing to meet with a Diversity Office or someone from Human Resources to improve your diversity awareness.

The more you expose yourself to diverse individuals, the better prepared you’ll be to work with them in the future. Remember, the workplace is changing and if you don’t change with it, you might find yourself cut off from new opportunities for success.

Developing Yourself

Think of yourself as a total person. Don’t neglect other needs just because your companionship or friendship needs are not being met, and you feel lonely from time to time.

• Make sure you follow habits of good nutrition, regular exercise, and adequate sleep. Don’t let academics, hobbies, and other interests slide.

• Use your alone time to get to know yourself. Think of it as an opportunity to develop independence and to learn to take care of your own emotional needs. You can grow in important ways during time alone. • Use your alone time to enjoy yourself rather than just existing until you find time to be with others. Avoid merely vegetating — deal with your situation actively. Recognize that there are many creative and enjoyable ways to use your alone time. • Whenever possible, use what you have enjoyed in the past to help you decide how to enjoy your alone time now.

• Keep things in your environment (such as books, puzzles, or music) that you can use to enjoy in your alone time.

• Explore the possibility of doing things alone that you usually do with other people (like going to the movies or taking a vacation somewhere new). • Don’t decide ahead of time how you’re going to feel about an activity. Keep an open mind.

In summary don’t define yourself as a lonely person. No matter how bad you feel, loneliness will diminish or even disappear when you focus attention and energy on needs you can currently meet and when you learn to develop new ways to meet your other needs. Don’t wait for your feelings to get you going — get going and good feelings will eventually catch up with you!

Leadership Winter 2016

Helping Employees of the Sandwich Generation “Today, more than two-thirds of women with children under the age of 18 are in the workforce, and up to onethird of workers in the U.S. are caregivers for older relatives. The Sandwich Generation is growing, so it is important for employers to pay attention and find ways they can help”

The “Sandwich Generation” is comprised of working adults - typically in their 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s - who are sandwiched between raising children and caring for aging parents. These individuals often feel overwhelmed by these two demands and find it difficult to balance being a caregiver, a parent, and an employee.

Today, more than two-thirds of women with children under the age of 18 are in the workforce, and up to one-third of workers in the U.S. are caregivers for older relatives. The Sandwich Generation is growing, so it is important for employers to pay attention and find ways they can help. Know that employees of the Sandwich Generation are typically concerned about the following things:

• Finding good child care providers, home health care services, retirement homes, and other child and elder care services. • Having alternative work schedules that allow them to telecommute or leave work when needed to deal with family issues. • Finding ways to ease health problems and stress caused by burnout.

• Trying to incorporate relaxation techniques and exercise into their lives.

• Discovering how to heal strained relationships with family members and how to be better parents and caregivers. Employers can step forward and give assistance to the Sandwich Generation; in turn, the company will have workers that can operate more effectively and productively because their outside-of-work needs are being met. Employers can consider:

• Offering employees telecommuting, job-sharing, or other alternative work week options. • Offering referrals to child care and elder care service providers.

• Giving crisis management services or ‘how to handle stress’ workshops.

• Teaching workers about EAP programs and related benefits that the organization offers.

• Training managers to be sensitive to workers’ needs, so that they may be creative in helping employees balance their family and their work. M Winter 2016 Leadership

Workplace Goals for the New Year

The new year brings hopes and dreams for the future. You’ve made your resolutions — to lose weight, exercise, plan a dream vacation, for example. Don’t forget, however, that you also spend one-third of your day at work. You can improve your on-the-job enjoyment and your productivity by making the following work resolutions. Learn new skills To keep your career moving forward and prevent burnout, learn some new skills. Investigate which ones you’ll need for a promotion or for your dream job, then make sure you acquire them. Make a resolution to always be learning something new. Keep organized Most people don’t function well in the midst of chaos. The clutter on your desk likely distracts you and muddles your thinking. If your office is disorganized, the time you spend getting organized will be paid back in less stress and increased productivity. Make a resolution to spend the last 15 minutes of every day clearing your desk and getting organized for the next day. Take daily breaks Human beings aren’t built to sit at a desk for hours at a stretch — that’s why the coffee break was invented. But, there are better ways to use your breaks — quick, simple techniques that rejuvenate the body, mind and spirit so you can return to work refreshed and ready to accomplish great things. The following energizing breaks take less than two minutes: Count down from 10 to one; taking a deep breath with each number; read affirmations, inspiring quotes or poetry; read a couple of pages of a book; put your hands over your eyes and visualize a favorite vacation spot; gaze out a window; listen to your favorite music; stand up and stretch your muscles; doodle; drink a full glass of water; eat a healthy snack; take a short walk. 6

Leadership Winter 2016

Structure your time Are you wasting time taking care of things that just aren’t important? If so, you’ll be frustrated when you fritter away your workdays doing things your boss would consider insignificant.

The solution is to block off one or two hours of quiet time each day that you spend focusing on your important tasks. Since most people concentrate best in the morning, choose your quiet time early in the day. Then transfer your calls to your voice mail and put a “Do Not Disturb” sign on your door. Make a resolution to set aside quiet time every day to work on your important projects.

“When you follow through on your work resolutions and make them daily habits, you’ll experience increased productivity, more energy and enthusiasm and the joy of accomplishment.”

Keep an accomplishment journal Buy a separate notebook for an Accomplishment Journal. At the end of the day, write the date on a new page and write something that you accomplished. It doesn’t have to be something major. Even little steps of progress need to be acknowledged. For example: “I dealt with Mr. Jones, a difficult customer, in a very kind and professional way.” “I wrote two pages of a special report.”

Writing such a journal increases your enthusiasm as you look for things to accomplish and write in your journal. Your focus will be on what you did instead of what you didn’t do. Keeping the journal will also give you more confidence during employee reviews or when asking for a promotion.

One last thought: When you follow through on your work resolutions and make them daily habits, you’ll experience increased productivity, more energy and enthusiasm and the joy of accomplishment. M Winter 2016 Leadership 7

Communicate for Success

However you try to climb the ladder of success, communication will help boost you to the top.

“People do business with people they know, like, and trust, and communication provides the data that creates rapport,” says Susan RoAne, author of “What Do I Say Next? Talking Your Way to Business and Social Success.” “Nobody achieves success alone. You need to reach out to others and develop a network of people and resources.” “The best mode of communication is plain old conversation. The goal isn’t to wow people with brilliant commentary; it’s to make them comfortable with us.”

Ms. RoAne suggests these pathways to increasing your communication skills. Learn to network Befriend people in different departments within your company by introducing yourself to them and by inviting a different co-worker to lunch each week. Meet new people in your community by joining associations, getting involved in community projects, and attending social gatherings. Make the most of small talk “The best mode of communication is plain old conversation. The goal isn’t to wow people with brilliant commentary; it’s to make them comfortable with us. Finding commonality via conversation is how to do that,” says Ms. RoAne.

Ask about people’s hobbies, vacations, pets, and family. Find out where they’re from; you may know people in their hometowns. The object is to find something in common. Initiate “Good things don’t come to those who wait; they come to those who initiate,” says Ms. RoAne.

If you’re shy at social gatherings, introduce yourself to people and make them feel comfortable. There are two parts to mingling -- being interesting and being interested. 8

Leadership Winter 2016

Be interesting It helps to be interesting, whether you’re talking to one person or giving a speech to a group. Boredom never attracts anyone. Ms. RoAne suggests you “read your hometown newspaper daily, as well as a national paper. And know what’s going on in your industry and your clients’ companies.” Give your opinions about something by starting with, “I think,” “It seems to me that...” or “My opinion is” so you don’t sound dogmatic.

Also, in your conversations, include short personal stories about your own interesting experiences so people can get to know you better. Be interested Listen, listen, listen. Most people want someone to listen to them and make them feel important. Listening demonstrates your respect and admiration.

Show your interest by responding to what’s being said with questions such as “How did you accomplish...?” or “What was most exciting about...?” Use the journalists tools of “Who,” “What,” “When,” “Where,” and “How” to keep the conversation flowing. Add your own related experiences. Smile A smile is the universal body language of acceptance. People don’t like to feel rejected and a genuine smile makes them feel at ease. Add some enthusiasm and you’ll create a spark of positive energy that will be hard to resist. Keep in touch Greeting cards, personal notes, and short e-mail messages can keep your name in the minds of those you’ve met. If you keep in touch at least four times a year, you’ll be doing better than most. Then, when the need arises, you’ll have a network of resources to give you information, guidance, and encouragement. M

Winter 2016 Leadership 9

Prevent Misunderstanding in Your Team

When working with others, you’re likely to encounter people from different backgrounds with various levels of experience and education. In addition, each person also brings his or her own unique personality to a group. When joining all these differences together, you need to learn how to handle the inevitable misunderstandings and miscommunication that can come from people’s diversity. Follow the tips below to learn how you can enhance your communication skills.

Pay Attention

• When speaking with another person, don’t focus on paperwork, the telephone, the objects on your desk, or what you are going to say next. • Try not to have preconceived notions about what a person is going to say to you. You may suspect that a person is coming to you for a certain reason, but don’t let that rule your mind. If you don’t give close attention to the person and what is being said in the present moment, you could miss something very important. • Take nonverbal cues into account. Body language, tone of voice, nervous giggling, or smiles may give you insight into what the person is really trying to say.

Checking for Understanding

Notice if someone looks puzzled when you are talking. He or she may not be following what you are saying. You can help by asking questions that require feedback on what you said and how well you said it.

Ask questions like:

• Did that make sense?

• Can you repeat back to me your interpretation of what I said? I want to see if I missed anything. • Did I describe that adequately?

Use Facts

Try to use facts, rather than opinions, when demonstrating a point. If coworkers come to you with a disagreement, ask for the facts and try to help using those facts.

Give Your Time

Some people are quick to catch onto a procedure, while others take a little longer. By spending enough time to ensure understanding among every staff member, you’ll know that everyone is on the same page. Have patience when working with each person and you will notice improved work and attitudes throughout the whole team.

Make sure to communicate with your workers at various times, not just when you have criticism. This will help create more positive relationships with workers, and they may be more willing to talk to you when they need assistance or guidance. Be supportive by following these three tips: 1. Be polite and cordial with everyone.

2. Share good news about accomplishments and achievements. 3. Talk about concerns and giving feedback.

Leadership Winter 2016

Neurobics: Brain Exercises for On the Job

Just as cross-training helps you maintain physical fitness, using your brain in a variety of ways can help you keep your mental fitness, strength, and flexibility strong.

“Presenting the brain with non-routine or unexpected experiences using combinations of your physical senses -- vision, smell, touch, taste, and hearing -- keeps your thinking and perception active and growing,” says Lawrence C. Katz, Ph.D., professor of neurobiology at Duke University Medical School in Durham, NC, and coauthor of Keep Your Brain Alive. “It stimulates patterns of neural activity that create more connections between different brain areas and causes nerve cells to produce additional brain nutrients.” Dr. Katz calls these brain-stimulating exercises “neurobics.” “Just like aerobic exercises emphasize different muscle groups to enhance coordination and flexibility, neurobic exercises involve activating many different brain areas to increase the range of mental motion,” he says. “They result in a mind that’s fit to meet various challenges -- whether it’s remembering a name, mastering a new computer program, or staying creative in your work.”

Activities are neurobic if they:

• Involve one or more of your senses in a novel context. “By blunting the sense you normally use, you force yourself to rely on other senses to do an ordinary task,” says Dr. Katz. For example: Try getting dressed for work with your eyes closed. • Engage your attention. To stand out from everyday events and make your brain go into alert mode, an activity must be unusual, fun, surprising, engage your emotions, or have meaning for you. For example: Turn the pictures on your desktop upside down. • Do a routine activity in an unexpected, non-trivial way. For example: Take a completely new route to work.

Neurobics

The following are examples of neurobic exercises you can do at work. Tailor them to fit your particular workspace and responsibilities. • Arbitrarily reposition everything on your desktop. From being exposed to it daily, your brain constructs a spatial “map” of your desktop so that very little mental effort is required to locate your computer mouse, telephone, stapler, and other tools. “Scrambling the location of familiar objects you normally reach for without thinking re-activates spatial learning networks and gets your various brain areas working, adjusting your internal maps,” says Dr. Katz. • Use your fingers to learn the Braille numbers for different floors of your office building or for controlling the elevator doors. “Learning to make distinctions and associations with your fingers -- such as between two and three dots -- activates a whole new set of pathways linking the cognitive regions of your cortex to the sensory regions,” says Dr. Katz. Collect small objects -- paper clips, fasteners, nails, or screws -- in a cup and, during a break or while on the phone, identify them strictly by touch. • Try working with the hand you don’t normally use for some familiar tasks, such as writing, stapling, turning on copy or fax machines, or dialing the telephone. • Change where or with whom you eat lunch. If the weather permits, eating outside instead of inside will automatically increase your sensory stimulation. • Turn your desk clock or an illustrated calendar upside down. “When you look at a familiar image right side up, your left brain quickly labels it and diverts your attention to other things,” says Katz. “When the picture is upside down, the quicklabeling strategy doesn’t work and your right-brain kicks in, trying to interpret the shapes, color, and relationships of a puzzling picture.” M Winter 2016 Leadership 11

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