Grace Under Pressure

Grace Under Pressure:

Tips and Tricks to Cultivate a Positive Approach

11/12/13

Webjunction Webinar

 

Personal Work Style

We’re All Leaders

Be Yourself – Know your values, work style, etc…Meyers Briggs, etc. will help. Ask colleagues, friends, family. Ongoing process.

Communication – Visual is 55%, tone is 28%, 7% is what we say. How we feel comes out. Are we effective? Speak in headlines? Storyteller? Etc?

 

Time Management and Prioritization

Planning – 5 min at beg and end of each day to plan day and week. Sacred ritual.

Email – Devise tricks to get through it. Flags, folders, review, every day.

Work Space – Organize so efficient and effective. The five s’s: sort, straighten, shine, standardize, sustain. From Japanese.

Workflow Process – Consistent routine.

Plus/Delta – Everything we do, what went well, what didn’t. What worked, what to change.

 

Manage the Moment

The 4 D’s – Don’t overanalyze, procrastinate. Do it now later, discuss it, or delete it. NOW.

 

Daily Work Habits to Reduce Stress

Crucial: Cultivate gratitude and joy in position!

Self-Talk – Say “I made a mistake, move on.” Keep a journal.  Write down experiences.

Work-Life Balance – Remember your creative side. Consciously choose every day: food, sleep, exercise, vacations, etc.

 

Presenting Yourself

Self-assured, poised, come across as someone who is not feeling overwhelmed. Approachable. Humble.

Takes continued ownership and challenging self to improve. 4 steps:

Reflect what you’ve learned so far.

Stay focused, make a plan.

 

Georgia Lomax, Pierce County LS

Can Your Work Style Reduce Stress?

Stress is part of everyone’s life. Good stress motivates, helps us work. Bad stress makes us anxious and irritable.

 

Time and Demands

As responsibilities increase, so do the demands on your time and resources. Manage work so it stays at work.

 

Fast Paced Technical Environment

Do not create stress for yourself by becoming an adrenaline addict. Remove bookmark for work email from home computer + mobile device.

 

Home/Life Stressors

At work, keep mind off home. At work, take a book break.

Read Getting things Done by David Allen. Tips help with focus, feeling of being overwhelmed:

Stop thinking about why things wouldn’t work. Just try and do them.

 

GTD (Getting Things Done):

·         Schedule GTD time – minimal distractions. Use allotted time. Done is better than perfect.

o   Could be just 5-10 minutes. It’s the time you use complaining each day about not having enough time to do stuff.

·         Brain Dump – Declutter mind. There’s only so much room. Mindsweep. Write each item down on a sheet, individual post-its, etc.  Go for quantity. Mind can only actively hold 5-7 things/time, use brain space to get things done. Even just twice a week is good enough.

·         Reduces stress. Allows for life after work. Organize thoughts, self, for home, so can GTD at home.

·         Constant Interruptions? Let go, either during work day or after work – boundaries help. Throw on the headphones, close the door.

 

Anna Shelton

Less Stress Through Better Communication

We control what we bring to our relationships and communication. Control how we respond.  Quality of communication brings a whole organization up.

 

Conflict Happens – Know Your Style

Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Instrument (TKI):

Be aware of your natural response to conflict, trya  different style.

Assertiveness vs. Cooperativeness:

Know your limits, how important is the goal (assert) vs. how important is the relationship (cooperate)

Compete Collaborate Compromise Avoid Accommodate

 

Know Your Buttons…and Your Wheelhouse

What makes us stressed?

What do we do well? Where you’re going to knock it out of the park, your sweet spot. Share with colleagues and organization. You may be asked to do these.

 

Difficult Conversations are an Opportunity to Get New Information

Put your antenna up – know what’s happening, what’s coming, improves relationships.

Be curious – Assume you’re probably missing something, especially during a challenging conversation.  “what are YOU thinking?” changes from defensive to being able to get an answer to the question.

 

STATE Model

From Crucial Conversations

Share Your facts – “this is what’s happening from my perspective.” Keep emotuion out.

Tell your story – Here’s how this is making me feel/wonder.

Ask for others’ paths – “How do you see this?” How does it paly out for the other?

Talk tentatively -- …”I wonder, I notice…”

Encourage testing – “ Would you ever consider…what if we tried,” etc.

 

Embrace Mistakes

Raise it to the right people – At library next conference, everyone applauds at mistakes. They pave the way to discovery, invention, creativity.

Be part of the solution

Seek discovery

 

How Can I be a Force for Positive Change in My Universe?

Don’t just react. Step outside of own self-perception. Become someone new every day. If you try something different even 10% of the time, the world would be a better place.

 

Fill the Well

Artists draw from an inner well that gets depleted.

Self – see above.

Mission/passion for this work – connect to this every day; even if it’s just a poster or photo.

Relationships with Colleagues – be sure to add water to every well between each of us every day.