Help – I’ve Been Robbed!
We would be remiss if for this month’s Productivity Newsletter we didn’t take a moment and wish you a very Merry Christmas!
This time of year you may find yourself in one of the following places, or somewhere in-between:
- Business as Usual – working in the whirlwind of your day-to-day life
- Caught in the Chaos of the season – running here and there, doing this and that
- Resting the Joy and Hope this season brings – a peace and great love guards your heart and mind
Which of these places brings the greatest productivity? The third.
How do we “rest” this time of year? Let’s work through this together.
By “rest” we do not mean a passive task: to take a break, to relax, to unwind, to let go.
We mean an active rest; one that you must work very hard to keep and maintain. Why is that? Because your day-to-day life is a whirlwind. The season we find ourselves in is chaotic. You must actively choose to step out of the high winds and choppy waters. The rest we are talking about is one worth fighting for because it results in Joy and Hope and Peace and Love.
When the human body feels those things, dopamine is released and makes us feel good. Oxytocin is released and makes us feel safe and secure. Only when our bodies are in this state of rest can we be at our best levels of productivity. Isn’t science awesome!
So how can you get to this place of rest? Let’s use the season to our advantage. Christmas is a time of hope. A time of joy. A time for peace. A time for love. Each of those are effects. If they are effects, there must be a cause.
You can be that cause! Try these face-to-face tips with your team this season and let’s see what may come.
- Hope – the result of anticipation and expectation
- Ask each person on your team where they would like to be one year from now with/on the team
- Share with each person where you would like to see them in a year from now (keeping their response in mind as well)
- Discuss what steps they need to take to get there
- Joy – the result of receiving and gratitude
- Share with each person on your team 3 specific things you appreciate about each of them
- Publicly share in front of the whole team 1 specific customer appreciation for the work they do
- Publicly share in front of the whole team 5 specific things you are grateful for and ask for others to share as well
- Peace – the result of clarity and security
- Publicly share what your vision/purpose/mission is for the company; tell your team what you want them to do every day to make that dream a reality
- Publicly share your big picture financials with the team; allow them to see behind the curtain to feel trusted, secure, and important
- Love – the result of acceptance and forgiveness
- Ask each person for 1 thing you can do better to support them and the company
- Ask each person for their forgiveness of your attitude and behavior in times of stress – the more specific you are the better
- Share with each person your favorite thing about them
We invite you to complete them all! Remember, this rest is active. You have to work for it! The results are well worth your efforts.
If you find yourself in the places of business-as-usual or caught-in-the-chaos, then we recommend you do at least 1 from each category.
Don’t let anyone steal Christmas from you this year – especially yourself!
We’d love to hear from you once you have a chance to complete these active rest tips with your team. Please drop us a line at gerry@gerryedtl.com and let us know how it went.