Vision for Success: Self Improvement Tips

 I love reading DiversityInc.’s series on 7 Things Never to Say to (fill in the blank with a minority group). They have now started to suggest things you should say to members of different groups.  I am not suggesting that these articles are without merit because you can learn a lot from them but sometimes I get a little worried that these suggestions in the wrong hands (or mouths) could lead to disaster.  Consider the following suggestions regarding things to say to someone with a disability (taken out of context of course) and then let us know what you think by leaving a comment. 

 To read the full article from DiversityInc go to http://www.diversityinc.com/public/3873.cfm

At a recent meeting of The Breakfast Club (a bi-monthly networking group in Washington, D.C.) I was listening to our speaker, Thomas Graham, President of Pepco, talk about leadership.  He posed  a question to us, “What is the most important trait of a great leader?”  I was initially surprised to hear the answer.  “Self-Awareness”  I definitely believe in self-awareness as a strength of leadership but is it the number one trait?

Obviously this is debatable but it nonetheless got me thinking about the importance of self awareness to not only leadership but success as well.  There are all types of awareness that can be cultivated in myriad ways.  Awareness can be intellectual, emotional, psychological, spiritual and physical.  It can be awareness of self and others, inner and outer worlds.  One of the first things I work with my coachees around is defining their Vision of Success.  To be able to know what you want out of your life you have to be aware of who you are, what motivates you. It is also important to be aware of why you are motivated by certain goals.  When you are blocked from going for your Vision you need to cultivate awareness of what may be holding you back.  You need to be aware of fear and other emotions and how they may affect your behavior toward self and others.

One way you can cultivate awareness is through mindfulness or being truly present in the moment.  Another complimentary avenue to uncover awareness is your physical self.  Cultivating awareness of what goes on on the corporal level can be a clue to how you are feeling about a situation.  Additionally you can change how you feel on a physical level and thus change how you are feeling emotionally and psychologically.  In this way your body can also become  a tool for success. 

According to Richard Strozzi, a pioneer of somatic coaching “The body, in the somatic sense, expresses our history, commitments, dignity, authenticity, identity, roles, moral strength, moods, and aspirations as a unique quality of aliveness we call the ’self’.  In this interpretation the body and the self are indistinguishable.” 

I take a wholistic approach to coaching that encourages clients to bring their whole person, through their body, mind and spirit, to work.  There is an awareness that can come from working with our bodies that transcends cognition and intellect. As a yoga practitioner I know that there is much I gain from bodily awareness and movement that is translated into all areas of my life.  Yoga and other physical practices can help you relieve stress, overcome fear, gain and channel energy. 

Because bodily awareness can only truly be experienced through practice try the following exercise.

Body Scanning:

Either lie on the floor or sit in a chair.  Close your eyes.  Starting with your toes and moving up your body, ask yourself, “Where am I tense?”  Whenever you discover a tense area, exaggerate it slightly so you can become aware of it.  Be aware of the muscles in your body that are tense.  Then, for example, say to yourself, “I am tensing my neck muscles…I am creating tension in my body.”  Note that this muscular tension is self-produced. At this point, be aware of any situations that may be causing tension in your body. Breath into these tense areas as you release them. End the scan at the crown of your head.The next time you are about to tackle a fearful or stressful situation practice this exercise as an experiment and see how it goes.  You may find that changing your body helps you change your thinking and this can change your attitude and contribute to a good outcome. To learn more about cultivating awareness, somatic coaching and stress relief or just to comment on this post feel free to contact me  here at Dr.cutts@cuttsconsulting.com.You may also want to read “Tips for Coping With Stress” http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Stress_Reduction_Tips_for_Coping_With_Stress.html

Continue to be well!

Dr. Cutts

Are you ever frustrated because you don’t know what you want out of life or because you know but are not achieving it?  If you could accomplish anything you wanted what would it be?  What defines YOUR Vision of Success?  What can YOU do to achieve this Vision in your life?  Are you doing what it takes?  If not, why not?

Below are the ten top techniques that successful women and men have used to attain great heights in their chosen paths.

1) Find and Clarify Your Vision of Success

2) Define your Goals Clearly

3) Visualize Yourself Achieving Your Goals

4) Uncover Psychological Blocks to Success

5) Remove these Psychological Blocks to Success

6) Make a Clear Plan (with a timeline) 

7) Chart/Monitor Your Progress

Enjoy Your Success!

9) Cultivate Gratitude

10) Give it Away-Outflow your gifts and talents

To read my article “Top Ten Ways to Be a Success” please visit  http://www.ideamarketers.com/library/article.cfm?articleid=307989

To learn more about these techniques and other aspects of Success Coaching sign up for a complimentary coaching session by visiting www.cuttsconsulting.com/contact.html

I recently had a coaching session with a vice president that ended with a discussion of the fact that she had to deliver a less than favorable performance review to one of her team members in a few days. As would be expected she wondered about the best way to negotiate this conversation. She worried about the supervisee’s reaction and whether or not the conversation would be effective in helping this person to grow (read change). We agreed to make this dilemma the focus of our next coaching session.

In thinking about this executive’s challenge I started to gather some resources to refer her to some tried and true rules of good communication and giving feedback. My first impulse was to give her my lesson on giving constructive feedback and a condensed version of the book “Difficult Conversations” (a good resource to be sure) but then I realized that the answer was perhaps not fully contained in any book or lesson. Perhaps the answer was far more simple. I began to think about intention and what it means to be a true leader.

What came to me, and what I offered to this VP was not an answer but instead two questions. “What story do you hold about this employee?” and “What is your intention for this conversation about his performance?”

What stories do you hold?
Before you sit down or pick up the phone to have a difficult conversation with someone think, what is the story you tell yourself, and perhaps others, about this person? “He’s a jerk who never thinks he’s wrong.” “She’s an arrogant person who doesn’t want to learn.” “This person is just like me, just trying to grow. She will be open to what I have to say.”

Why so often is our story about the other person in a difficult conversation negative? What if our stories were positive? What if we sat down thinking of this person as a partner? What would it be like if we set out to have what the author’s of Difficult Conversations call a “Learning Conversation?”

What is your intention?
This question can clarify many things and keep you focused on your goal. When you give a talk, what is your intention? When you go to work, what is your intention? When you embark on a difficult conversation, what is your intention? Is it to prove a point, assert your rightness, be understood, punish, or change another’s behavior to suit your way of thinking? Or, is it to show love, to understand another, to help him grow?

Do the stories that we hold and the intentions that we have matter?

Be sure to sign up on our mailing list to receive the “Vision for Success” newsletter,  and other FREE success tools http://www.cuttsconsulting.com/contact.html

Find my most recent article,  Frequently Asked Questions about Executive Coaching @ http://www.copypastearticles.com:80/article/16878/executive-coaching-frequently-asked-questions/

Return to Cutts Consulting Home Page…http://www.cuttsconsulting.com/index.html
 

What is Unconscious Discrimination?

While many organizations have done a good job of recognizing and eradicating more obvious forms of discrimination it seems that the face of workplace discrimination is changing.  Today’s EEOC is focused on pursuing unconscious (”systemic” or “pattern and practice”) discrimination cases.  In FY-2006 monetary benefits for discrimination claims increased 30% to nearly $230 million.   The EEOC’s new EEO-1 Report gives a more detailed breakdown of corporate diversity at different organizational levels than has been seen before, and the agency intends to use that information to uncover likely cases of systemic discrimination. 

What are some of the factors the EEOC is considering in deciding whether to target your company for an audit?

1. Your statistics with regard to hire, termination, and promotions
2. Your diversity as seen against the diversity in your hiring area
3. Recent cases brought against your organization alleging discrimination
4. Recent, especially high-profile, cases brought against other organizations in your industry
5. Being in a traditionally “male-dominated” industry

EEOC Claims Can be Very Costly to Defend:

Defending a class action suit brought on by a charge of unconscious systemic discrimination can cost considerably more than an individual discrimination charge. While large companies may be able to absorb the cost of a discrimination lawsuit, small to midsize firms may be financially wiped out by such a lawsuit.   How Do You Ward off an EEOC Investigation?HR Daily Advisor offers the following suggestions: 

1. Publish and regularly disseminate your policies prohibiting discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.
2. Establish a written grievance resolution process. If they sense discrimination, you want your employees to complain to you, not EEOC.
3. Involve union leaders, as complaints often come to them first.
4. Check to be sure that your recruitment activities align with EEOC expectations. Keep records to show that job opportunities were widely disseminated. (One form of systemic discrimination is recruiting from only a few sources.)
5. Train managers and supervisors on their obligations, and train all employees on policies and obligations to report discrimination.
6. Analyze your general HR practices and procedures for any signs of adverse impact, whatever motivated it. Have good reasons for your employment decisions.
7. Take extra care in planning and carrying out a reduction in force.
8. Get going on your affirmative action plan (AAP) so that your EEO-1 report won’t be a magnet for EEOC attention—or a smoking gun after lawsuits are filed.

The EEOC will continue to do its best to monitor workplace diversity, but your company can avoid scrutiny by employing the above guidelines.  How Does Diversity Impact Corporate Well BeingOne way that a healthy corporate culture can be achieved is through the creation of a truly inclusive work environment.  A cohesive team is made up of members who feel valued and appreciated for the diversity they bring to the table. By actively recruiting and promoting a diverse work force and following non-discriminatory employment practices, you can attract the best and the brightest employees, build stronger teams and lessen your exposure to a costly EEOC investigation.  To learn more about unconscious workplace discrimination please see the article http://ezinearticles.com/?Diversity-Training—How-to-Identify-and-Resolve-Unconscious-Discrimination-in-the-Workplace&id=932367

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The other day someone asked me “What exactly is corporate wellness?” It occurred to me that many people might not know and be curious about just what exactly corporate wellness entails, why does it matter, what does it look like and how can you achieve it?  This has also been on my mind a lot as I talk to friends and clients about feeling “burned out” at work.  I have begun to wonder if our culture of overwork, over achievement, doing more with less, and a total lack of work-life balance is an epidemic.  As I have not yet embarked on a formal research project to address this question I will have to leave that for another time.  In the meantime I am posing some questions and answers that may be of use when addressing corporate wellness.

Why Corporate Wellness Matters: 

According to the US Department of Labor, people spend approximately 48% of our waking hours at work. Given this, the environment in which we work can have a profound effect on the rest of our lives and on our general sense of well being. Wellness is fundamental to being a healthy high performer and having a successful organization.

What is Wellness? 

Wellness is defined by the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual status of each person; i.e. a healthy body, an alert mind, a balanced emotional nature and an inner essential presence. One’s behavior is a manifestation of her wellness. On an organizational level wellness is measured by examining  manifestations of behavior as they relate to such dimensions as motivation, communication, leadership styles, conflict management, morale, inclusion, and how well individuals work together. 

What Does a Corporate Wellness Consultant Do?  

By measuring and helping to change behavior, corporate wellness consultants enable individuals to review and enhance their strengths and potential to grow, innovate, and excel in performance. Any dysfunctional (unwell) behavior such as bullying, aggression, ineffective communication, poor leadership, and symptoms such as anxiety, poor team work, lack of confidence, and low morale are addressed.  Through their interventions, corporate wellness consultants contribute to the creation of a healthy, successful, high performing corporate culture.

Why is Corporate Wellness Important?  

The costs of poor corporate health are great, both financially and emotionally.  Corporate health and unhealthiness commonly manifest in the areas of leadership, communication, staff cohesion/team work, conflict management, and morale.

So What Does a Healthy Corporation Look Like?  A healthy corporation has a healthy “high performance” culture.  Healthy high performers:

1. Have genuine positive attitudes and high motivational levels  
2. Bring all of themselves to work and give their best  
3. Communicate clearly, cooperate and encourage team members, and know how to resolve conflicts 
4. Display a high degree of wellness and performance especially under pressure  
5. Stand up for their own views but never trample others; they are innovative because they recognize that their human capacity to perform is great.

Research shows that healthy high performers have a significant influence on an organization’s success.  In short, healthy people make good business sense. 

If you want to learn more about corporate well-being and how you or your organization can achieve a “high performance” culture feel free to contact me through this site or send an email to Dr.cutts@cuttsconsulting.com

Be sure to sign up on our mailing list to receive the upcoming “Vision for Success” newsletter,   and other FREE success tools http://www.cuttsconsulting.com/contact.html

Continue to be well!

Dr. Cutts

Find my most recent article,  Conflict Management: Using Principled Negotiation to Resolve Workplace Issues @  http://searchwarp.com/swa295102.htm Return to Cutts Consulting Home Page…http://www.cuttsconsulting.com/index.html

Hello and welcome to our blog, Vision for Success: Self Improvement Tips!   The purpose of this blog is to provide readers with resources for optimal professional performance.   Whether on the organizational or individual level, I will be providing Success Coaching tips, articles, and information to help achieve your Vision of Success.  I hope that readers will also ask questions and make comments so that I can be sure to provide only the most useful content.  I look forward to your questions, comments and insights!

Be sure to sign up on our mailing list to receive the upcoming newsletter, “Vision of Success”  and other tools for success http://www.cuttsconsulting.com/contact.html

Continue to be well!

Dr. Cutts

Find my most recent article, How to Coach Your Employees for Success @  http://www.amazines.com/Small_Business/article_detail.cfm/406504?articleid=406504  Return to Cutts Consulting Home Page http://www.cuttsconsulting.com/index.html