Find your Sunday Mentality

Good morning and Happy Monday. I’m Monica Wofford and this is your Monday Moment.

It was actually Sunday when I recorded this so maybe we should call it a Sunday Moment. I only say that because today’s message is about what I call a “Sunday mentality”. For me, Sundays are a day of rest, relaxation, recreation or re-creation, and downtime. No matter how many activities I may have on a Sunday, there is always a more relaxed mindset on that day more so than any other day. Yet, even if I am just relaxing or visiting with friends, I find that my creative juices are also flowing at a much higher level and faster rate when I’m in that relaxed so called “Sunday mentality”. Perhaps you’ll find value in locating your Sunday mentality, or even more so, see the value in the thought leader you’ll become when you take a moment to relax regularly.

This week when, or if, you find yourself a bit tense, a bit stressed, or even somewhat contagiously negative, take a moment to locate your Sunday mentality. I’ve tried it and it really works. Breathe deep, drop your shoulders, and take a moment. Imagine how relaxed you feel on the weekends when email slows down and calls come to a halt or, if you work through your weekends, some other time when that is the case for you. Even five minutes of closing your eyes and just listening to the sound of your own breathe will make a world of difference in your blood pressure.

Okay, so am I going to start teaching Yoga classes next? Hmmm… likely not. But here’s what I know. Even the hardest working, most focused, highly dedicated and accomplished Contagious Leaders will find themselves in a place from time to time where decisions should not be made. They get stressed, overwhelmed, maybe even frustrated. And it is these very leaders who are usually the least likely to give themselves permission to take a break. You really can’t run on fumes and M&Ms, at 900 miles per hour, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. And as a special note, that problem that is causing you stress will be resolved faster, more creatively and with a solution you’ll feel better about, in that Sunday Mentality moment. The moment calms you down and in many cases, will help you determine what to do next. Plus, if you tell those you lead that they have to have balance or take time for themselves, at least finding a moment of relaxed Sunday Mentality won’t slow you down too much, and you can say as you do, instead of just telling others to do as you say, not as you do.

In fact, what you are you doing now? Maybe it’s time for a Sunday Mentality moment? Now, wait a minute if you’ve downloaded this to your phone and you are listening to it traffic, get to the parking garage before you go closing the eyes. Got it? Also, be careful of the other Sunday Mentality which is the feeling of dread of going to work on Monday. If it’s worth dreading, it’s worth doing something about.

I’m Monica Wofford and that’s your Monday Moment. Have a great week and of course, Stay contagious!

Bad Day Remedies: Turn Blues into Bowls of Cherries

Good morning and Happy Monday. I’m Monica Wofford and this is your Monday Moment.

We’ve all heard the phrase “life is bowl of cherries” and truthfully, I know some days it feels like that bowl of cherries got dumped upside down on your head. However, keep in mind that when you are in a contagious Leadership position, your mood is equally contagious as your actions.

How you feel could mean the difference between employees seeing you as someone who rode their broom into work or someone they can approach with a need, question, or great news. In fact, it happened to me just the other day. I was tired, exhausted, and overwhelmed and it showed and no one talked to me for the rest of the day. Eek! So how do you turn the blues or bummed out or stressed out moods into one that really reflects a more positive, approachable outlook?

Well, the first step is a rather simple one and in fact you may laugh: think about something else. Yes, I just said think about something else. When you are dogmatically focused on the bad stuff in your world that is all you see and the radar system, so to speak, in your brain seeks out more crummy stuff because that is what your focus is telling your brain is important. So, pretend you have “something shiny syndrome” and shift your attention to something else, preferably more pleasing. Go sniff some roses, perhaps.

Secondly, write down all those things that you appreciate about whatever is bothering you. Again, it sounds simple, but why “over-complicate” matters. Do the simple steps and if they don’t’ work, then come back to me and I’ll give you complicated assignments. Physically writing down what you appreciate about the person making your life difficult or the situation you just encountered that irked your nerves will help you to have a contagious sense of appreciation, greater control over your emotions and more contagious confidence™ about your ability to handle anything else you come across.

Finally, stop for a moment and listen to yourself. Sometimes we get carried away with the “woe is me’s” and once the downward spiral starts, it gains momentum. Stop, breathe, and take stock of what you are really saying. Listen for extreme language like “every one, every time, always, never” etc, and then question what you are saying. Does this, whatever it is, really happen every single day? Really? The doubt you infuse in what you are hearing yourself say will lessen the blow of your thoughts and likely begin to change your mood.

The blues are a bummer. Frustration is not your friend. And though no one is saying you need to go out and attach Pom-Poms to your body today, it is important to realize that when you are bummed, down or stressed out, others notice and your productivity goes down and your relationships suffer. It’s all contagious, you know.

I’m Monica Wofford and that’s your Monday Moment. Have a great Monday and of course, stay contagious!

Leading and Doing: Two Different Things

Good morning and Happy Monday. I’m Monica Wofford and this is your Monday Moment.

Those promoted into leadership were often the very same people who were good at getting the job done on the front line. However, when you get promoted, unless someone tells you otherwise, you might not consciously recognize that you no longer will have the time nor be directly responsible for all that “doing” of the day to day job. But, this is where many managers get stuck.

Leading and doing are two different things to be sure, but how do you transition from doing the actual front line work yourself to a position of teaching others how to do it, sharing the expectations of what you want it to look like when it’s done, and avoiding the temptation to be intimately involved in the process? Well, I think I just mentioned three steps that we need to expand upon.

First, when teaching members of the team you lead how to do something you used to do, it is first necessary to spend some time remembering the steps.

If you were really good at that task, you no longer remember the steps and it then becomes very difficult to teach. Remember, “oh, you know, just do it.” are not detailed instructions and will set an employee up for failure if you meant to be more step by step specific, but weren’t.

Secondly, determine what your expectations are for the completion of the task or project. The truth is that the way you used to do it is likely not the only way for it to be done and the real bottom line important part is that it gets done, right? So once you think of the steps, determine what your final outcome expectations are and then let the employee follow the steps that work well for him or her and focus your efforts and energy on the outcome.

And finally, avoid the temptation to be intimately involved in the process. Another way to say this? Quit micromanaging the living dickens out of HOW something gets done and focus on your new role, which is the leadership of the team and its results. With a team of people to lead, you likely no longer have time to do the day to day logistics of each person’s task, and certainly don’t have time to do it with the same singular focus you had when you were only in charge of you. So, let go of the need to do it all and any given moment and show the employees you have asked to do this project that you trust their ability to do it or learn from any mistakes they might make along the way.

Our behavior, whether in leadership of others or not, is always contagious and if you try to do everything that members of the team you lead are supposed to be doing, this type of mindset and action rubs off on them. You will be breeding a team of future micromanaging leaders. If instead you show them the task, make your expectations known, and back off a little, you will be developing the very initiative, creativity, ambition, and results that you really want. Leadership is a different skill than doing and in fact, it’s a key component of Contagious Leadership training.

I’m Monica Wofford and that’s your Monday Moment. Have a great Monday and of course, stay contagious!