Breaking the Cycle of Overwhelm

Some of us are lucky enough to love our careers. Going to work is something to look forward to, and something deeply fulfilling. For others, getting up to face another work day is difficult, with no motivations or driving forces to even try to be productive. Likely everyone has experienced this at some point in our lives. Psychologists and professional coaches alike can attest that falling into this rut happens from entry level positions all the way up to the C-suite, and everywhere in between.

There are many schools of thought on how to break this cycle of overwhelm and exhaustion. Daily meditation or mindfulness practices, vigorous exercise, or taking time off for self care are just some of the common recommendations to get a bit of a spark back in your work life. Two Harvard researchers, however, have found a step-by-step method to revive your motivation and happiness in the workplace. They affectionately call it the DEAR Method, and it was featured in one of the recent HBR Ideacast episodes.

DEAR stands for: Detach, Empathy, Action, and Reframing. To detach, one might go through the list mentioned above: meditate, get outside, or take a long weekend to step away and get your thoughts off of the drudgery. Interestingly, the authors of the research recommend talking about oneself in the third person in order to gain perspective “(Insert name here) is struggling at work and feeling bored. What should (he/she/they) do?” Empathy in this context is a very deep concept. Not only do we need to practice self-compassion and grace, but those who are exhausted and unmotivated at work also tend to lose empathy for their co-workers. Feeling burnt out at work can make people run on autopilot when at the office, and this can in turn take away some of the humanity of fellow employees.

Action, here, refers to specific tasks that can help organize your thoughts about work in a different light. Making to-do lists just for the dopamine hit every time an item gets crossed off, for instance, is a good way to feel better quickly. Developing a hobby outside of work is another way to feel motivated about the world in general. And lastly, reframing. This is done last in order to really see if a change in perspective is possible. Of course, once the previous three steps have been taken, what might come to light is that the job needs to be changed more drastically than is possible, and that’s okay. These steps are guaranteed to at least shed some light on what should be done.

Give the Inc.com article a read for a quick synopsis, and listen to the HBR podcast episode here for a bit more information on the research behind these action items.

Strategic Planning and Vision Boards

Strategic planning is something that likely everyone in business is familiar with. Its value in the corporate world has been known for years, and there are countless firms and consultants for hire that will help a struggling business find their footing. One of these consultants, Mr. Rainer Strack, has extrapolated this strategic planning from the corporate world into the lives of individuals. The purpose? To create the lives we want to be living.

As Strack explains: “Life strategy is an integrated set of choices that positions a person to live a great life.” By using tools from the corporate world, his method helps people find answers to the questions below so individuals can make better decisions that ultimately lead them down the paths they would ideally choose to walk. Basically, Strack and his team broke down the questions they pose to a business:

1. How does the organization define success?

2. What is our purpose?

3. What is our vision?

4. How do we assess our business portfolio?

5. What can we learn from benchmarks?

6. What portfolio choices can we make?

7. How can we ensure a successful, sustained change?

…and adapted them for individuals:

1. How do I define a great life?

2. What is my life purpose?

3. What is my life vision?

4. How do I assess my life portfolio?

5. What can I learn from benchmarks?

6. What portfolio choices can I make?

7. How can I ensure a successful, sustained life change?

With this method, users can examine which areas of their lives need improvement (positive emotions, relationships, vitality, etc.). They can then get into some self-reflection on what makes them tick, what their skills and values are, and will come out of this step with a statement of purpose and vision. In an even deeper level of self-examination, Strack and his team have users actually break down how much time they spend on common things in the 168-hour week. Everything from health and wellness activities, to time-wasters like excessive social media use are on there. Once those are quantified, users can decide on which of these areas actually need the appropriate amount of time, and which things they can kick to the curb. As Strack explains in the accompanying video, some users actually uninstalled their social media apps from their phones during the consulting process once they realized how much time they were spending on things like Instagram and TikTok.

This incredible approach to self-reflection will take a few hours, but in the end, it’s possible you’ll end up with a single page summary of what you want your life’s plan to look like. There’s even a printable worksheet to go along with it that can be filled out to help the process along. Check out the full article here and get ready to strategize your life in a whole new way.

Eight Qualities for Successful Leadership

Over the years there have been thousands of articles, scientific studies, and speculation about the commonalities among those who lead. While some identify the classic “Type A” as those ambitious enough to rise in the ranks, others have found that communication skills and the ability to listen are what make leaders truly great. According to Harvard Professor Linda Hill and a new article out of HBR.org, none of the above qualities are what one really needs to be an effective leader.

Hill, an authority on leadership and author of Collective Genius: The Art and Practice of Leading Innovation, claims that what truly makes a leader great is the willingness to enter into uncomfortable situations. Situations in which we have to adapt, learn, and grow in the moment are ultimately what develops confidence and the ability to inspire others.

From these experiences, Hill has identified eight common qualities that stand out more than others.

• The first up in the list is authenticity. Showing up as your true self is essential if you plan on asking others to follow you. As Hill states; “Your competence is not enough; people need to trust your character and connect with you, otherwise they will not be willing to take risks with you.”

• Second, curiosity. One trait that has been studied more often in leadership is the love of learning. Maintaining a state of curiosity, soaking up knowledge and having a willingness to explore uncharted territory ultimately aids in decision making as these individuals tend to have a broader world view.

• Third, analytical prowess. When it comes to tough decisions, it’s about more than strong intuition. Great leaders will always stay informed and up to date on analytics, although they must walk the fine line and remain “data informed” instead of “data driven”.

• Fourth, Adaptability. With the world changing faster than ever, this is a quality that everyone must possess, not just leaders. It is, however, especially important for those at the helm as it allows them to succeed when new challenges arise.

• Fifth in line is creativity. When having to innovate or solve problems, Hill explains that often the best leaders are able to come up with solutions or ideas that are “adjacent possible”, meaning just outside of what is immediately in reach.

• Sixth, comfort with ambiguity. This may be the most challenging as it is outside of the comfort zone of many of us. Maintaining confidence in the face of competing priorities or information may feel like “navigating through the fog”, as Hill states, but is essential to inspire others.

• Seventh, resilience. Weathering the storm and adjusting to changing environments is essential, plain and simple.

• And lastly, empathy. The ability to connect with others and truly understand their point of views is perhaps the most important of all. Developing emotional intelligence will not only make a better leader, but a better person as well.

Give the full article a read here for more information on developing these skills and growing as a leader.