Life Balance to Amplify Employee Success

Life Balance to Amplify Employee Success Finding the Perfect Work/Life Balance to Amplify Employee Success When it comes to enhancing employee success, supporting work/life balance is a great place to start. Although this delicate dance is important for all generations, millennials emphasize the need more than most,and todays workforce is filled with such Gen. Y-ers seeking better balance.Here, well dig into some key strategies to help you encourage the perfect work/life balance for your employees1. Support Self-CareWe all need to be reminded from time to time of how important it is to take care of ourselves physically and mentally. You can start promoting work/life balance by encouraging your employees to ask for help when they need it and seek resources that fit their needs.No matteran employeesrole, stress is a given at some point.Its important for employees to find ways to de-stress both at work and at home. Meditation can be one way to cope. The University of Southern Californ iasonline Master of Social Work programhas compiled a list of mindfulness resources that may be helpful here.2. Create a Guilt-Free EnvironmentIts important that you empower employees to be mindful of their limits, which means you need to show understanding and support when someone says enough is enough. As executive coach Rebecca Zucker notes in an article for Harvard geschftsleben Review, guilt-free self-care is more than a luxury its an essential tool to optimize creativity and productivity.According to Zucker, more than 40 percent of our creative ideas come when we are taking breaks or allowing our minds to wander. Tell your team to rest when they need to, and remind them that they cant be at their best if theyre not taking time to decompress.3. Promote OptimismResearch shows that optimisticpeople can actuallyhelp teams be more productive and support work/life balance. Business consultant Joe Robinsonclaims that, on high-performing teams, positive statements outnumber negative ones by six to one. On low-performing teams, the ratio of positive to negative statements is under one to one.Citing mindfulness as one key to recognizing the power of negative emotions, Robinson says its essential to focus on the positive instead. Or, as he quotes Mark Twain, Drag your thoughts away from your troubles by the ears, by the heels, or any way you can manage it.4. Lead by ExampleAnotherimportant thing Zucker emphasizes is the fact that, as a manager, you need to lead by example. When you stick to exiting the office at a reasonable hour and the world doesnt fall apart, your employees will see that they can do it, too. schauplatz your own solid boundaries for work/life balance benefits both those and all who are watching you.Get Started TodayEmpowering your employees to achieve great work/life balance is good for them and for your companys well-being. You can start today by askingemployees what they need, providing more education about work/life balance, and reminding th em that quality not quantity is the key to success.Colleen ODay is a digital PR manager and supports community outreach for 2U Inc.s social work, mental health, and speech pathology programs.

Seven skills that will help reach your full potential

Seven skills that will help reach your full potentialSeven skills that will help reach your full potentialDo you sometimes feel like youre wasting your potential? And do you also feel unsure about how you can even reach your full potential?If so, youre like any other ambitious person who wants to make the best of his/her life. Because to me, thats what reaching your potential means.We all have limited time on our hands. Some live longer than others. But you and I both know that its not about howlongyou live, its aboutwhat you dowith the time youre alive.Its about leaving everything on the table and making sure you live up to your inner drive. Look, when I talk about reaching your potential, Im not talking about what other people or society thinks we should do with our lives.When you chase empty goals and objects, you become restless. Instead, chase yourownpotential and forget about everything external. Become the best person you can be. Thats the only honorable aim there is.Ive studi ed people who committed their lives to chase their full potential. notlage only famous people like Muhammad Ali, Helen Keller, Thomas Edison, Malcolm X, or any other person who made an impact on the world.Ive also learned many lessons from normal people I know personally. People who learn every day, give it their all, keep growing and get closer to their full potential.What does it take to do that? How can we do it too? I identified 7 skills that almost all of these great people had in common. Here they are.1. Self-awarenessYou must be comfortable with who you are and what you are. Dont try to be something youre not. And dont try to change yourself just because others tell you to.Instead, know who you are. And if you dont know, find out. Read, write, think, talk. Thats self-awareness It only requires you to be aware of your thoughts.And when youre self-aware, you automatically learn mora about who you are - which is called self-knowledge. But it all departures with being aware. No awareness? No knowledge.Ive made a list of20 questionsyou can use to improve your self-awareness. Use it to improve this skill.2. LeadershipFirst, focus on yourself. Fix your own problems. Become a stable person who you can rely on.When you do that, focus on inspiring others to do the same. The best way to help others is to teach them to rely on themselves.Sick and narcissistic people want to make people dependent on them. Leaders teach others to be independent. How? By setting a good example. Theres no better way to lead.3. WritingBetter writing leads to better thinking. And better thinking leads to better communication. Better communication leads to better results in your career.What? I never thought writing was that important When you get good at one thing, it will help you to get better at other things. You landsee?It was only when I started writing that everything clicked.When you become a better writer, you can easily express yourself and start making connections.That will imp rove your career in ways you never imagine.4. MindfulnessMy definition of mindfulness might be different than yours. To be clear, Im not talking about meditation, yoga, or Zen Buddhism.Im talking about being a calm and mindful person. A person whos in control of their thoughts and emotions. A person whos solid as a rock. A person who others can rely on.But achieving that inner peace requires much training. I dont think we can ever fully master this skill. But by practicing control over our thoughts, we can get better.My favorite way to become more mindful is being present. The more Istayin the present moment, the more mindful I am. The aim is never to be lost in thoughts. Its to be here.5. ProductivityThe funny thing about mindfulness is that people assume living in the present removes your drive to achieve your goals.The reverse is true. The more present I am, the more desire I feel to improve my life. And how do you improve your life?You already know it. I dont have to tell you th at work is the only way to achieve things. Thinking about achieving your goals will not do anything real for you.Become a person whos productiveevery day. Make use of your time. Dont just waste it on watching tv, hanging out with your friends, gaming, or any other mindless routine activity.Know how to get the most results in the least amount of time.Thats the ultimate aim of productivity skills.6. PerseveranceSome days, I want to give up. You know why? Because some days you dont see any results in your life. You work, work, work, and you getnothingin return.For years, I studied and worked without seeing any results. No recognition, no money, and no rewards. Just me, plowing ahead.But one day, after years of work, I started seeing some results. I got better at what I did, felt more confident, and started earning more.But if I didnt persevere, I wouldnt get any of those things. Thats why I dont quit on striving for betterment. And neither should you. Ever.7. ExcellenceI half-assed man y things in my life. Lets just get it over with, was my motto. I was soimpatientthat I hardly did anything well. I just put in the minimum effort. Hence, I was never the best at anything.But then I realized that excellence is a skill. Look at Robert Greene who took 6 years to write another book. Or Lebron James who worked out during every off-season of his career. Or Helen Keller who published 5 books, despite being deaf and blind.But this is also true for successes that dont get attention in the media. Look at the top salesperson in any given organization who arrives early and leaves late every day. Or the mother who sacrifices nights out and dinner parties to raise her kid with all of her attention and love.Thats called excellence.No matter what you do. Do it the best way you can - or not at all. If you want to reach your full potential, thats the quickest route. Its also the hardest. But that shouldnt be a surprise to you.

How to Keep Your New Years Career Resolutions

How to Keep Yur New Years Career ResolutionsHow to Keep Your New Years Career ResolutionsHow to Keep New Years Resolutions for Your CareerMaking the new year your best year yet can have a lot to do with keeping your New Years resolutions.Career-related New Years resolutions are fairly common. According to a 2015 survey by Accountemps, 68 percent of professionals report that they have made resolutions that would further their career, like getting a new job, asking for a raise, or developing critical skills. Furthermora, a recent survey by TopResume found that 65 percent of professionals say that getting a new job is amongst their top New Years resolutions. However, less than half know how theyll accomplish that goal. As we approach the end of the year, I recommend looking back before you look ahead. Did you make any career resolutions last year? If so, did you follow through on them? Why or why elend?Many professionals begin the year with great aspirations that ultimately collapse und er the weight of work obligations, stress, and tiny choices that add up to stalled progress towards their goals. If you find yourself in that boat, make sure youre working towards the correct career goal in the first place. All too often, our goals are defined by other peoples expectations or a drive to prove someone wrong. If youre sure that the goal is a true reflection of your own desires, here are 10 tips on how to actually keep your New Years career resolutions1. Get clarity on your career goalsWhat will it be like to accomplish your goal, whether in terms of promotion, a new career opportunity, or an advanced degree? How will your daily life be different? What will you do, who will you interact with, and how will you grow?Getting very specific on why the goal is important and how it will affect your life is key for tapping into the drive that wills you past inevitable obstacles and failures. In my experience, the main reason why professionals dont achieve their career goals is because those goals are not all that clear or important in the first place. If you are to invest time, energy, and heart into an accomplishment, make it count.2. Set yourself up for successThis may sound like a simple way to keep your New Years resolution, but building a strong foundation for your career development matters a great deal. Be sure that you always have an up-to-date resume and keep your LinkedIn profile alive and active. Even if you are not in job-search mode, being present to your accomplishments, skills, and professional image will do wonders for your confidence.3. Commit to developing your networking connectionsYour career potential is determined in large part by your professional network. No matter what your career-related New Years resolutions are, commit to attending events and making time for people. You dont have to be at every mixer. Instead, choose just a few opportunities to reconnect with old colleagues or meet new people. draufgabe tip Get those events on your calendar for a greater chance of sticking with the planRelated5 Surefire Networking Tips to Rock Your Company Party4. Invest in yourselfWhether or not your job requires continued professional education, your ability to grow in your role is driven by exposure to new ideas. If you have to get CE credits to maintain a professional license, take charge of the educational opportunities and shape them to deliver the most value. Many employers will cover the cost of seminars and online learning events if you can demonstrate the value.5. Do deep workHas a professional goal been on your radar for a long time, and you just dont seem to be making any progress on it? It may be time for deep work. The concept, introduced in Cal Newports book, Deep Work Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, is to carve out a meaningful stretch of time to work on whats most important. Fifteen minutes here and there do not equal a dedicated hour (or three) in its ability to move you in the right di rection and inspire mora effort.If your mental dialogue pipes in to suggest that you dont have an hour to dedicate to your goal, I challenge you to think again. Everyone has the exact same 24 hours in a day. The opportunity hides in how you use those hours.Here is a quick test to tell whether or not you have time to spare If you watch any television shows or have one social media account, you have the time to make progress on your goal. You are just choosing to spend it on entertainment instead. Hold yourself to a higher standard when it comes to time because its the most limited commodity you have.You might try tracking everything you do over the course of a few days. I have found that a time-use diary over the course of two to three days is a great way to cut out time wasters and identify downtime that could be used more productively.6. Do small things because they are big thingsIn other words, make your bed and clean your desk. Accomplishment and structure in small tasks will ine vitably give you the dopamine boost to do the next thing. If my opinion does not convince you, listen to this commencement speech by the Navy SEAL commander Admiral William H. McRaven.7. Manage your mental gameMost career-related resolutions take a long time to accomplish. That means that you must treat yourself as a corporate athlete running a marathon. Pay attention to your stress levels (tools like Spire that track breathing patterns and offer real-time feedback might help). Dont overlook the importance of nutrition, exercise, and rest in how they shape your body and brain chemistry. You may try a practice like meditation or journaling, where you take just a few minutes to focus on what would make a day great.Related8 Steps to Achieving Work-Life Balance8. Get supportNobody achieves great accomplishments on his or her own. While individual effort and resilience are key, dont overlook the importance of your support network. From family members to friends, mentors, coaches, and eve n public figures that you dont personally know, look for your sources of inspiration and motivation.9. Create an accountability systemA professional commitment shared with a community can be a powerful engine for action. Choose a trusted person in your personal or professional network who will check in with you periodically to see how you are progressing, offer encouragement, and help you brainstorm ways around obstacles.10. Strive for progress, not perfectionSomething that I have learned from Tim Ferriss is the idea that striving for the perfect outcome can actually derail your efforts in the long run. Instead, you might try to frame your goal in terms of the knowledge you will acquire along the way, people you will meet, and experiences you will gather. In other words, set up your path to be successful, regardless of whether or not you reach your goal.For example, lets say you want to be promoted to manager this year. On your way to that goal, you may choose to volunteer for leadi ng projects, take charge of specific client relationships, or begin to play a more active role in coaching and mentoring the people around you. If you do those things consistently during the year, you will have learned new skills, met new people, and built deeper relationships any one of the three is a big win on its own merits. The promotion is just icing on the cake.No matter what your track record with New Years resolutions is, remember that you can create a different outcome by making a commitment to the goal that matters and using these ideas to create a framework for progress and success. With the right focus, tools, and support, you can keep your New Years resolutions and make this new year the best year yetClick on the following link for more advice on how to get ahead.Is revamping your resume one of your New Years Resolutions? Let us help youRecommended ReadingNew Years Resolution Ideas 17 Career Goals Youll Be Able to KeepCareer Quiz What Should Your New Years Resolution Be?How to Turn Holiday Parties into Networking Goldmines