Focus Mentoring Group
47482 Chartwell Drive V2p 7Z6 Chilliwack, BC, Canada

I asked someone how their day was going recently. He said, I am having a great day today. He mentioned a small win and was full of smiles. Are your good days seemingly more scarce? True, right now we collectively live in challenged times and operate in a challenged state. ... True, there is a rise of workplace burnout culture and societal restrictions. True, our leadership fears have committed us to new monetary burdens. True, significant decisions are being made with impacts for generations as this remains unprecedented times. Ok agreeably the world is happening, there is always something happening. But... We can individually influence our approach to each day. We can choose to have good days. What simple win can put a smile on your face?

The premise of getting ahead means doing the most... but at what cost? Sadly, first in last out work culture is a burnout culture that produces a laundry list of physical and mental health problems combined with negative impacts on relationships. Work life balance isn’t a new problem but it has become a bigger problem. Due to our tech extension comforts which make everyone reachable all the time. We used to have more control in guarding our accessibility but now we are volun...tarily participating in a multitudes of touch points. Ask yourself: Do you check your email outside of work hours? Have you given people permission to text you outside of work time and they do. If yes to either, then you are not presently engaged in your personal life, you are working. How can we have a life work balance? It takes planning a schedule to not be accessible. If this makes you nervous then communicate this personal boundary to your people. It also takes a conscious choice of personal accountability. Only you can turn your phone off or limit your access. If you are having trouble create circumstances than don’t allow for phones (go for a swim, sauna etc.) Work life balance should include an enriched life of activities and people away from work context, stressors, or responsibilities.

Laughter feels great and it’s free!! If you are thinking about adding something new in your life, humour should be first on your list. So challenge yourself to redirect your emphasis outside of your self focused bubble. Stop downloading or running through your list of current stressors with your people, start a conversation about something (anything else)... don’t worry the tasks/to do list will still be there.

I just hired someone, how is my life harder? Entrepreneurs and small business owners usually wear a lot of hats. They have strengths/ talents, specific skill sets and a vested interest to grow their business. The human resource goal is to strategical add key people to the team to perform tasks enabling higher business productivity. The first phase in being ready for that amazing talent is establishing a hiring plan. This will objectively identify the hiring needs and process.... The stumble in hiring talent is thinking the work is in the public job description with carefully considered job functions and a thorough selection process. But, this is only part of the process of adding talent to a team. The next phase involves preparation for a high functioning employee. This includes: an organized on-boarding process, training manuals for processes/ job functions and employee manuals for business operations. A shortfall may persist in employee engagement and productivity without a clear employee growth plan (3rd phase). The plan should include: expectations, performance evaluations, and training. Ideally, the plan will incorporate a mentoring program depending on the nature of the position. So change hard to easy and design talent to flourish into their potential.

So what do you think boss? If you’re lucky enough to have the privilege in being an organizational leader, on-going leadership training is imperative. Unfortunately, it’s a role that requires more than just showing up and dropping a mic at your greatness. Understanding of how to lead people is a craft. Evolving leadership means putting in the homework to read, mentor, maintain and grow a network, all the while in keeping your thumb on the pulse of techniques of training and ...development. This training is in addition to staying current in your industry. As an added benefit to being a current and trained leader is your workplace culture will be filled with top people. Since people will stay in jobs they are over qualified for, go above and beyond their job duties and be at their highest level of productivity if they believe in their leadership. That in itself should be enough to move leadership training from the bottom of your list to the top. Besides as interconnected as we are an organization with great leadership is no more a secret than a toxic one.

Looking to have ideal workplace culture... In theory everyone understands we all tick differently but still doesn’t everyone want the million dollar prize? Actually, no? Each individual has their own motivators and needs for task participation and achievement. There are 5 types of motivational identities: achievers, builders, caregivers, reward driven, and thinkers. You could be a combination but likely more of one type. This may change with your environment and outcome obj...ectives however for the most part we consistently become one motivational identity. From an organizational leader perspective, it’s advantageous to truly understand your employee motivations. This knowledge leads to a proper alignment of workload expectations and capacities. The organization benefits as it can maximize work productivity and establish the best working climate (aka workplace culture).

How does a show like Ellen with a tag line Be Kind become subject of a toxic work environment? Workplace culture is dynamic and requires intentional planning, execution, and monitoring. It’s defined by leadership and experienced by all stakeholders which influences organizational success on a multitude of levels such as talent recruitment, retention, sales etc. I like these 3 tips for leadership’s role in the workplace. First, hire or manage in alignment with organizationa...l values and vision. Second, have open channels of communication for stakeholder input. If this isn’t happening stakeholders will find other venues to express themselves. Keep in mind, it’s better to address negativity before it can grow. Also educating or right context can curb assumptions from becoming facts if said enough times. Third, people like clear responsibilities and realistic expectations to provide a sense of connection and ownership within an organization. This furthered by equally important elements of employee validation and recognition. Finally, as organizational leaders it’s our responsibility to lead by example through actions, words, and behaviour. In Ellen’s case there is a clear disconnect in leadership which motivated employees to resort to a public arena spotlight to cause change.

Social distancing, masks, murder hornets, closed borders, and civic discourse...The only thing clear about 2020 is this is a year of flexibility, mental challenges and hard decisions. So how can you successfully navigate yourself in an unpredictable, unprecedented time? The good news is our individual framework of best paths or actions is still the same. I like to use these three tips. ... First and foremost breathe...then look at the big picture but don’t carry its full weight on your shoulders. We all need to know where we are going or the organizational mandate to achieve it. Second, an agile working model is the ability to readily adapt to changing environments. Let’s clarify this can have a significant impact on human resource and be the most difficult part. As such, a full steam ahead approach could involve rest and recovery vs task completion to achieve the highest professional and/or organizational productivity. The key is taking action towards alignment of professional and/or organizational goals. Third, have a barometer as to your mental health, maybe one more thing is too much. Being kind to yourself is a choice through our words, expectations, environment, relationships, circle of influence, and healthy lifestyle.