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Letter From The Editor
One of the greatest things about life is the unending opportunities
to learn and grow, and the last several months have been
full of learning for me and the entire Clay Nelson Life Balance
team. From creating our blog and producing a weekly radio
show to posting audio downloads, and now video downloads
of the radio show via the Internet, we’ve definitely
stepped out of our very comfortable box. If you had told
me 12 months ago we’d have video on www.YouTube.com/cnlb,
I’d have said, “U-What???”
Now this isn’t about tooting my own horn, although
I’m pretty proud of the way we’re getting out
on the planet! It’s about the bigger picture that I
want you to take a look at. If you were to step outside of
the neat box you place yourself in, how might your life be
different? How much more fun might you be having? How much
more of a difference might you be making?
Keep in mind you don’t have to be a technophile to
break out of your box. You could just start by simply smiling
more, getting out into the world instead of just sitting
on the couch, and introducing yourself to new people instead
of waiting for them to approach you first. When you start
with these baby steps, eventually you will find yourself
learning more about the world around you and, as a result,
growing into who are.
It is my belief that we are all called to greatness. However,
we don’t get to where we’re going with a clicker
in our hand. Greatness will only find us when we are out
on the edge looking for greatness.
I choose to stand on that edge… life is simply more
fun from this birds-eye view, and I can’t wait to see
you there too!
Clay S. Nelson
Tele-seminar:
Asking for Help
Join us August 21, 2007 as we discuss
the ins and outs of accountability; how to get your team to
buy
into
a system
of accountability, how to be held accountable, and how to hold
others accountable. You don’t want to miss this!
More information »
Click
here to register online »
Are
You a Time Waster?
Every day we hear people complain about the lack of time,
and when we take a close look at any one of them there are
clearly habits (or ways of “being”) that are
enormous time wasters. For instance we have:
The Daydreamer
Daydreamers spend a good portion of their day wishing they
had more time to do “fun” things. They tend to
put off big tasks by performing smaller, more mundane items
while they daydream and wish their time away. Then they end
up working all night or on the weekends to meet deadlines.
The Optimist
The optimist is always underestimating the amount of time
it will take to accomplish something, resulting in their
constantly being over scheduled!
The Bobblehead Doll
The bobblehead doll is a compulsive “yes” person
who says “yes” to everything! They don’t
know how to say “no” or they are afraid to say “no”.
Either way, the result is the same! They have more things
piled on their plate than any one human-being can possibly
accomplish!
The Perfectionist
The perfectionist crosses every “t” and dots
every “i” nearly to a fault. While I advocate
doing things right the first time, if you nit-pick, or if
nothing is perfect unless it is done by you (or directed
by you), your perfectionism is getting in the way of the
time you have to do and have everything you say you want
to do and have!
The Socialite
The socialite takes their need to connect with human-beings
to an art form. While being “related” is a good
thing in and of itself, it is be a detriment when it gets
in the way of the tasks at hand.
The Firefighter
The firefighter is always in a rush. Even when life and
business is good, they are constantly frantic, and their
forehead
is bunched up in knots. Everything is a crisis… even
if it isn’t, and their franticness ends up draining
a great deal of their time. They have simply forgotten how
to slow down!
Do you see yourself in any one of these types of people?
We may actually see a bit of ourselves in each one of these.
Some days it may be our perfectionism that gets in the way
of our using our time wisely, and the next day it may be
daydreaming that stymies our progress.
Good News!!!
The good news is that no matter which category you fit
into, the tips for making the best of your time are all the
same!
Tips for Better Time Management:
- Take 10, 20, 30 minutes at the end of each day to
put your plan for the next day down on paper!
- Highlight
the most important 3 or 4 tasks to be completed and do
those tasks first. Don’t allow yourself to
get so bogged down in the “little” things that
creep up that you run out of time for the “big” things.
- Learn to say “no”
- 4. Before you say “yes” to anything, always
check your own schedule and that of your family!
- Be clear about your priorities; Know what you want
and what you don’t want
- Stay organized; keeping the
space around you organized will help to keep your head
organized!
- Take time for you!
And remember, being a better manager of your time isn’t
just about how to fit more into one day. It is about enjoying
the time you have on this planet. It is about making the
most out of the time you have so that you have time to sit
back, relax and enjoy this crazy ride we call life! Our day
is made up of 86,400 seconds… each one a moment in
time that we can’t ever recreate. Each one is unique
and each one is valuable. So don’t forget to make the
most of those moments… to enjoy those moments… to
enjoy your life!
Supervisory
Skills… Preparing New Supervisors for Their Role
Part
2
For Part 1 of this article, see the July
2007 issue of More
Than Just a Thought.
As we discussed in Part 1 of this article on supervisory
skills, going from doing the work to supervising the work
is not a leap to be made by the faint of heart, and when
you are considering promoting an employee to a supervisor,
you have to be really sure they are cut out for the job.
Once you’ve determined they have what it takes, you
have to be prepared to help the new supervisor get ready
for his or her new role.
The biggest key to preparing an employee for a supervisory
role is fully communicating what the role entails. They have
to understand that they are going to be held accountable
for all they are supervising, which requires a higher degree
of commitment in holding their friends/coworkers accountable
for the integrity of the job. And it does change their relationship
with their team members. Newly elevated supervisors have
even been known to be thrown out of the employee “fort”,
and there are people who shun promotion opportunities for
that reason. They simply don’t want to be on the outside
looking in.
For those willing to step outside of their comfort zone
and into a formal leadership role, training and support is
a
must!
New supervisors have to learn how to evaluate their team
members, communicate with their team members regarding their
responsibilities and specific tasks, and how to hold their
team accountable:
- Teach them by bringing them into those types
of activities as an observer.
- Don’t just throw a new
supervisor into the fire, so to speak, and walk away!
You can support and empower new supervisors simply by being
there for them when problems arise:
- Always help them in providing a united front
when it comes to the team. If there is an issue on which
you disagree,
it should be discussed privately.
- Teach them by being the
question instead of the answer – it
will teach your new supervisor how to think on their own
and eventually be more confident in their own decision
making abilities!
- Finally, let them know that they are
not on an island, that there is a chain of command and
teach them how to use it!
Being a good worker is not enough when it comes to being
a good and qualified supervisor. Just because someone is
qualified doesn’t mean they don’t need your training
and support to be best prepared for the new role. To be the
best they can be YOU need to communicate everything they
need to know about their job and responsibilities, support
them fully, and teach them what you know!
For Part 1 of this article, see the July
2007 issue of More Than Just a Thought.
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The
Balanced Life