Monday, December 07, 2009

Don't eat the marshmallow

The evolution of mobile phones, credit cards and laptops has meant that we can now have virtually anything that we want with a few minutes of thinking it.

We are living in an 'I want it now' world where everything is immediate. You can get light with a switch, order anything online, download music in seconds, access movies in a few clicks.

Whilst immediate gratification can make life more accessible, it is also training people to become more time urgent, impatient and insistent on getting what they want 'now'...and it is having a negative impact on the culture and work ethic in many organizations.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Go on Freddy, Drink it

Motivation is a state that always exists inside you - you just need to know how to
access it. Switching it on can simply be a case of knowing what drives you.
Here are four examples...

Monday, August 31, 2009

It's not All About You


Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Liberate Physical Tension

In today's business world you are working longer hours, meeting tighter deadlines, and dealing with more tasks at one time than ever before. So how can you expand your working capacity to meet your work demands - without burning yourself out?

Your resilience to pressure is directly related to your ability to release physical tension as it starts to gather in your body.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Perfect Pressure Group

Learn how to become Pressure Proof and resilient to tension, using 5 minute bite-sized training sessions, for less than $3.75 per week.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Preventing Psychological Injury seminar


Accumulating workplace and life stresses, taking people beyond their capacities to adapt, are now well recognised as significant factors contributing to the steep increase in psychological injury claims.

One day seminar - Melbourne only:

From the morning session, you will gain knowledge about:
* Defining health and psychological health
* Legal requirements OHS Act 2004 and recent court decisions
* Scale of Injury, incidence, time, costs
* More than Stress – Mortality, Morbidity - international research findings
* Validated Tools for early self identification "at risk"
* Benefits of early intervention
* Steps and Key Factors in effective program design

From the afternoon session, you will learn how to:
* Develop the essential skill of staying focused, motivated and calm
* Let go of worries, release pressure, induced physical tension in the body
* Effectively deal with difficult people
* Use self management and relaxation strategies, be present and engaged with your family

NOTE: These practices improve communication skills, preserve and build your health and wellbeing, prevent burn out, increase morale, motivation, stamina and productivity.


Limited Seating.
Wednesday 24th June (Melbourne only)
The book your seat, visit:

http://www.bouncebackfast.com/forms/PreventionofPhychologicalInjury.pdf

Follow Not The Crowd

Economic doom and gloom, less jobs, tighter markets, less sales - there are plenty of reasons for workforces to fall into a sea of negativity and helplessness. The psychology of crowds tells us that people often follow the actions, opinions and mindsets of the majority of people. Sadly, history has shown us that crowds can often get it (very) wrong.

Follow Not the Crowd

Economic doom and gloom, less jobs, tighter markets, less sales - there are plenty of reasons for workforces to fall into a sea of negativity and helplessness. The psychology of crowds tells us that people often follow the actions, opinions and mindsets of the majority of people. Sadly, history has shown us that crowds can often get it (very) wrong.

We know that pessimism in the workplace can lead to reduced productivity and under utilization of skills. If your work culture has been in the habit of complaining and being negative about the future, will you take the easy road and join them, or will you be able to rise above it? Perhaps a quick lesson from a Star Wars Jedi can shed some light...

In the Star Wars saga, the Jedi are a peacekeeping organization known for their observance of 'the Force' and their mental discipline. The Jedi mind needs to remain strong and focused at all times so not to be seduced by the elements of the 'dark side', being fear, hate, greed and selfishness.

Whether you like it or not, you are affected by the people around you.

Medical science has shown that if you take three women and asked them to live together, after a few months their menstrual cycles would start to align with one another. The last time you went to a professional football, soccer, or baseball game, did you feel a sense of excitement in the air when the crowd becomes engaged in the game?

We are affected, in some way, by other people.

If your work culture has become negative or defeated, then it can affect your personal morale, work flow, and focus. The more one focuses on how difficult, unfair or upsetting something is, the less action they are likely to take to overcome it.

Overcoming a negative work culture doesn't come from trying to resist or fight the crowd. Rather, you need to look beyond the crowd and stay in focus with your goals, aspirations and positive attitude. To draw the analogy, a true Jedi fights evil not by destroying it, but by staying mentally focused so that evil doesn't become part of them.

Gandhi's famous saying "become the change you wish to see" does not refer to 'talking' about change, but demonstrating the change within yourself. The 'lead by example' principle is asks that you embody all your words of wisdom and become the product of your advice and ideals.

This is not a technique, but rather a courageous step to say what you mean and do what you say - so that you don't blindly do, say, and become the same as everyone else.

My 5 year old son, Zackary, is fanatical about Star Wars. He knows all the characters and often sleeps in his Jedi costume (he actually believes that he is a Jedi Master). At his friend's 6th birthday party, the children's entertainer had 25 kids running chaotically in circles to dance music for 10 minutes. The kids were having a ball. He suddenly yells 'stop! (surprising, the kids actually stop and listen). He yells "a tree is about to fall onto this building, everyone get down on the ground and cover your head". All the kids, screaming with excitement, hit the ground and cover their heads.

All except one.


Zack remains standing and is looking at the window. He arms are now outstretched so that his palms are facing the window. His face has a look of intense concentration. The entertainer looks at Zack in bewilderment and asks "what are doing?? A tree is falling - you need to get down!" (hoping that Zack would comply so that he could get on with the activity). Zack, totally unphased by the fact that he is the only one standing, maintains his focus on the window and says...
"don't worry, I am a Jedi. I can use the force and save you all".

My question to you is this...
'will you be able to rise above the crowd when needed or will you accept the negativity, and become part of it?' Will you be more committed to staying focused, positive and enthusiastic - even if others are not? What are you able to do to keep your mind focused and positive?


FINAL THOUGHTS
"Yes, a Jedi's strength flows from the Force. But beware of the dark side. Anger, fear, aggression; the dark side of the Force are they. Easily they flow, quick to join you in a fight. If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will..." - Yoda, Jedi Master


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Michael Licenblat is a Resilience Expert and Professional Speaker who builds Pressure Proof workforces and Resilient Professionals.

To have Michael speak to your team or deliver a seminar, contact us at http://www.BounceBackFast.com

You can download Michael's e-book '7 ways to prevent becoming over worked, run down and stressed out' from http://www.BounceBackFast.com

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Friday, May 15, 2009

Resilience Breeds Intelligence

In a business environment that is only going to get tougher, people are now under greater pressure to do more and be more than ever before. They will face more situations of having to deliver bad news on issues such as redundancies and salary reductions, and will be faced with some seemingly impossible targets (given the current economic condition) - all of which takes an emotional toll...

Resilience breeds intelligence

In a business environment that is only going to get tougher, people are now under greater pressure to do more and be more than ever before. They will face more situations of having to deliver bad news on issues such as redundancies and salary reductions, and will be faced with some seemingly impossible targets (given the current economic condition) - all of which takes an emotional toll.

Since this sort of pressure isn't likely to change over the next 12 months people need to be armed with the right skills and abilities to handle it if they are going to stay productive and effective.

Simply being 'smart' will no longer be enough to get results. Your team will need to develop resiliency and pressure mastery skills if they are going to continue to thrive in the new economic environment.

Developing workforce resilience is not about team building activities or giving pep talks. Rather it is about building their mental, physical, emotional intelligence and capacity to be able to flow with, and stay in control of, their pressures.

" In a corporate environment that is changing at warp speed, performing consistently at high levels is more difficult and more necessary than ever. High performance depends as much on how people renew and recover energy as much as on how they expend it... on how they manage their lives, as much as on how they manage their work. When people feel strong and resilient - physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually they perform better, with more passion for longer. They win, their families win and the corporations that employ them win!"
Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz,
Harvard Business Review, January 2001



Some of the key resilience principles that will help are you team thrive, include:


a. Emotional hardiness

High adrenaline levels from stressful or emotional situations can impair logic and lead to poor decision making. Staff need to take control of their emotional reactions to situations so that they stay clear headed regardless of whether they are building rapport with clients, delivering a report, or letting staff go. Emotional hardiness includes:
* Setting boundaries
* Not being everything to everyone
* Not taking people personally
* Controlling your emotions


b. Communication clarity

People are always anxious when receiving feedback, assessment, or bad news. Being able to say what you mean, clearly and concisely, without clouding your message with emotion, whilst listening to your team is a critical skill. Communication clarity includes:
* Speaking straight
* Effective listening (to your staff and clients)
* Concise message
* Empathy without responsibility


c. Personal leadership

Aspiring to meet target and deadlines will compel the dedicated staff to exert more energy and sacrifice personal needs such as rest, family time and exercise. Managing time and energy will be the currency of success in tough times. Creating working stamina comes from being able to correctly allocate and regenerate personal * Energy management
* Mental toughness
* Work-life integration
* Time effectiveness


FINAL THOUGHTS:
"These days smart companies, large and small, are viewing work-life initiatives not as favors but as strategic business tools that help keep valuable workers and make it easier to attract new ones....and the bottom line impact can be quite dramatic."
Karol Rose, Fortune Magazine, 2005


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Michael Licenblat is a Resilience Expert and Professional Speaker who builds Pressure Proof workforces and Resilient Professionals.

To have Michael speak to your team or deliver a seminar, contact us at http://www.BounceBackFast.com

You can download Michael's e-book '7 ways to prevent becoming over worked, run down and stressed out' from http://www.BounceBackFast.com

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