Power Surge or Power Drain?

As we approach another holiday season and roll into the beginning of another new year – personally and professionally – it’s natural to reflect a bit. Ever the time for looking at where we are, where we’ve been and, with a sense of hope, where we’re going. New budgets, new goals and, of course, our personal self-improvement resolutions are on the horizon! Before I continue, let me say that you are a terrific person who’s doing the best you can with what you have right now. It’s been a difficult few months out there for all of us and we need to remember that we will be fine…patience, perseverance, positive.

December and January are typically the time for organizational and business leaders/managers to wrap up year-end activities; review the past year’s successes and areas for improvement; for revising goals and making adjustments in budgets and the overall workplace. The wild economic ride and ensuing changes during the past few months of 2008 have brought change and choices to all of us in one way or another with some more drastic than others. Whether it was change you or your employees chose or change that chose you or them, the effect can be draining on our personal power source. How are you doing? How are your employees doing? Have you asked them? Talked with them “P2P?”

January is also prime time for personal reflection. As I approach another birthday (January 9), I don’t bother about the number! It’s only a number! I think of my Dad who died in 1976 at age 60 and Mom who died in 2001 at age 88. I inherited their deep faith, “positive attitude DNA” and their determination to make “lemon meringue pie out of life’s lemons.” There’s so much more to do…

Just like you, I have experienced life’s changes and choices – some I made and some that chose me - changes in residence, geographic relocation, divorce, single parenthood, job changes, job elimination, job betrayals, downsizing, finishing my education while working full-time, elderly parents’ declining health, starting my business…and the list goes on. Some of you may have heard me say, “I used to be six feet tall, look what happened!” And cap it off by saying, “I’m on the grow again!”

As I reflect, here’s how I’ve coped…when a “perceived negative event” occurs, sure, I’ve gone through the stages of grief, anger, and the rest. What I’ve learned to say (and believe), is “Everything happens for a reason.” I ask myself "what can I learn from this (adversity) situation? What do I need to do now to keep going?” Instead of burying my head in the sand just waiting for time to pass and playing the “victim” role, I take a lesson from my parents’ play book! Let the dust settle, think about what’s happened, the role I played in it, what I can do differently, pick up the pieces, pray for guidance and get to work! I give myself a “Power Surge!” What about you? Are you a “Power Surge” or a “Power Drain?”

Either way, You Are Your Own Power Source!

The Power Surge - Self-Empowerment – is relying on your own inner power and actively working through the adversity, which helps ease the pain and frustration. Positive Self-Talk and action are the antidotes for negativity and plant the seeds for success! The Power to make your life anything that YOU want it to be is inside of you right now!

Linda Furiate, author and personal coach, talks about her personal and spiritual growth journey in a great article, called, “Ten Survival Strategies, Getting Through Times of Adversity.,” Whether or not you are spiritual, these are great reminders for us all. Take what you like and leave the rest…

• Patience - This could be the hardest of all to achieve although one of the first thing we must develop when faced with adversity. The key to developing patience is to know in the end everything will work out the way it is intended to. Also key to developing patience is surrendering your self to the fact that there is a time frame for everything. I like to use the analogy - that if you want to have a baby even though you (or your wife) may be pregnant you still have to wait the gestation period before the baby actually arrives.

• Forgiveness - Forgive the other person for wronging you. By not allowing yourself to forgive you utilize a great deal of negative energy as you harbor old thoughts and feelings. Learn to forgive and use this same energy in a positive way to take back your life. While forgiving the other person make certain you forgive your self for any misgivings or shortcomings, otherwise half the negative energy still remains.

• Acceptance - Accept the hand you were dealt - even a pair deuces can win the game.

• Thankfulness - Be thankful for the adversity which is God’s way of saying you are worthy of my teachings.

• Detachment - We have all heard the phrase "If you love something, set it free. If it comes back to you it is yours. If it doesn't, it never was." If something is meant to be a part of your life, it will materialize, so there is no need to desperately hold onto anything.

• Understanding: Why This vs. Why Me? - I feel our first inclination when something negative happens to us we ask "why me?" Normally asking this question doesn't provide any answers other than making us feel guilty for having asked it in the first place. Really, why not you? No one is immune to pain. Simply reword the question and ask "why this?" By asking "why this" it typically leads us to understanding our past thoughts and actions that may have (karmically) contributed to our current state, allowing us to get to the root of the situation.

• Meditation or Quiet Time - It is only in the silence can we hear God's voice. Allow for quiet time to reflect up your desires and listen closely and intently to what is happening all around you. You will find your answers in the silence.

• Maintain a Creative Mind - Eliminate boredom otherwise it will lead you toward frustration and depression. Take up a hobby, do some writing, volunteer
your time or spend time with friends and family. Any, or all of this, will make you feel good about yourself, allowing you to want to move forward.

• Work Toward the Future - Even if you do not feel things are moving forward, work on creating the future you desire. You can plant tiny seeds by going back to school, read material that is related to your desires, commit by writing out your goals and desires or network with like-minded people. Each step you take, no matter how small moves you toward your future.

• Trust - Let Go and let God. All we really have control over is our actions and a gut feeling (or hearts desire) of what we hope the outcome of our lives to be. The rest is up to a higher power greater than our own. Trust the Universe will provide you with exactly what you need when you need it.
Power Up! Take Control! As we come to the close of one year and begin another – both personally and professionally – let us remember that, in addition to setting new goals and understanding the financial aspects, effective leaders/managers continue to improve upon the three key leadership traits they need to possess to achieve results through people -- objectivity, empathy, and self-awareness. It’s all about “P2P” and the importance of including in their high priorities, the employees – the people who are really driving their organization.

We know from history that economic downturns and recessions have tested the ability of leaders across the globe – in all sectors and in all industries. We learned that there are no easy answers! Including a “people strategy” (P2P) in your business plans is a wise move because, without the people, the plans would not be fully executed.

Keep Your Power! Come out of your office; interact with your employees, your co-workers, your customers, your suppliers/vendors; increase communication; talk (face-to-face) with the people – they make your business work each day; seek their input; show your authenticity and human-ness! It’s all about “P2P”!

Your attitude and behavior have a direct affect on bottom-line results, either positively or negatively. Think about how you are affecting your employees, co-workers and the workplace environment…

Are you a “Power Surge” or a “Power Drain?” Either way, You Are Your Own Power Source!

A Positive Workplace Means Business! It Just Makes Cent$! TM