“”I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot… and I missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that’s precisely why I succeed.”

Michael Jordan

Perceptions of stress at work are quite high with several recent studies by Envisia Learning Inc. suggesting that 40% to 65% of all executives and employees rate their jobs as being very or extremely stressful with significant impact on work/family balance and overall health¹.

In a poll by Reston, Virginia based TrueCareers, more than 70% of workers do not think there is a healthy balance between work and their personal lives. More than 50% of the 1,626 respondents reported they are exploring new career opportunities because of the inability to manage both work and family stressors. Not only that, a Monster.com survey found that 79% of all job holders said they had increased their search for new jobs since the economy weakened more than a year and a half ago.

We were interested in seeing whether results from our own personal stress and health risk appraisal called StressScan would help to identify what professional working employees reported being stressed about and why some stay healthy in the face of work and life challenges and stressors. StressScan measures 14 psychosocial scales that have been shown to be associated with diverse individual (e.g., job burnout, depression, physical health) and organizational (e.g., absenteeism) outcomes².

Stress is conceptualized as the experience of major and minor irritants, annoyances, and frustrations (hassles) of daily living over a three-month period. This brief measure of work/life stress was based upon factor analytic research of the original Hassles scale. StressScan measures the extent to which respondents experience daily hassles in six distinct factor areas including: 1) Health; 2) Work; 3) Personal Finances; 4) Family; 5) Social Obligations; and 6) Environmental and World concerns.

We analyzed differences by gender across these six StressScan scales (ANOVA) using requests for free trials for this assessment over the last few years (N=149). In general, women reported significantly higher levels of stress compared to males (mean for woman = 16.48 versus mean for men = 15.35, p < .01). No other significant differences were found across gender for quality/quantity of sleep, social support network (availability, use and satisfaction) or happiness.

We found only two stress categories were rated as significantly more challenging by women compared to their male counterparts (p < .01) using a 1 to 5 scale where 1 = Never, 3 = Sometimes and 5 = Always):

• Family Stressors (mean for women 3.08/mean for men 2.70)
• Financial Stressors (mean for women 3.15/mean for men 2.72)

So, why do some talent in the face of work and life stress experience job burnout, depression and physical illness and others remain physically and psychologically healthy? Our research has found three distinct coping patterns in the face of work and life stressors: 1) Hot reactors (those who get sick in the battle of stress, challenge and change); 2) Sustainers (those who get sick after the “letdown” with the battle); and 3) The Hardy (those who are resilient and experience stress and challenge free from illness and distress).

Hot Reactors: About 1 in 5 executives can be described as “hot reactors” on the basis of how they react to stress and the effects on their long term health. Hot reactors are most likely to experience physical illness, job burnout and psychological distress during stressful and challenging projects, assignments and heavy workloads. Behaviorally they are prone to demonstrating impatience, irritability, frustration with incompetence, mood swings and anger. In our research, these hot reactors are highly correlated with typical measures of Type A behavior characterized by a relentless drive for success as well as cynical mistrust of those around them.

Hot reactors seem to be biologically “wired” to react to stress with exaggerated physiological and behavioral responses. These executives are often resistant to changing their basic coping style as most truly believe their ability to work long hours, suppress fatigue and feel energized by stress is a key to his/her career success. Such executives seem to chronically be exhibiting the classic “fight or flight” response almost to the point of exhaustion and burnout. Most are high risk for long term cardiovascular disorders including high blood pressure, high cholesterol and heart disease.

Sustainers: Talent who find themselves feeling the symptoms of a cold coming on right after a big project has been completed or getting away for a much deserved vacation are experiencing the clinical “let down effect.” Such individuals are shifting from a high state of activation to a lower state rapidly making their immune system “let down” from its normal “high stress” protective state and leading to increased vulnerability to get sick in the short term.

Sustainers are used to prolonged periods of high stress states and are able to suppress fatigue and “get up” for the battle in order to succeed. Their vulnerability comes not during the battle but after. By using relaxation strategies to manage the chronic stress response these executives can stay healthy both during stressful times and when things slow down. By recognizing the signs and symptoms of stress, tension and anxiety when they first appear, executives can begin to utilize a wide range of behavioral and cognitive strategies to avoid the chronic “race horse” condition that is characteristic of most “high flyers.” These “sustainers” truly do pay the price of being able to hang in during very stressful situations, challenges and times without breaking down physically or emotionally.

The Hardy: The resilient and hardy talent in our research are the ones who experience high levels of stress, work/life unbalance and critical demands but maintain a high level of physical health and psychological well-being. In our research, these individuals are less likely to report job burnout, absenteeism due to illness, anxiety, sleep problems, and depression.

Resilient talent appear to maintain and practice specific lifestyle behaviors that become part of his/her daily routine and utilize coping habits that help translate stress into positive challenges that energize, rather than, compromise the immune system and well-being³. We can’t always avoid some chronic (high level of work demands or child care issues) or acute (injury, child illness) stressors but those who are hardy appear to cope and manage them in a manner that minimize negative health outcomes.

Profile of Hardy Talent

• Experience and report less work and family stress on a daily basis
• Maintain a high level of physical activity/exercise despite travel and work/family demands (e.g., work out at least 3 days a week for 60 minutes).
• Maintain heart healthy eating/nutrition habits (e.g., eat breakfast, avoid convenience food, and manage weight).
• Are non-smokers and drink alcohol in moderation (e.g., no more than 2 alcoholic drinks per day).
• Consistently maintain an adequate level of sleep and practice sound sleep hygiene (e.g., avoid building a sleep debt and get adequate sleep required to avoid being inappropriate sleepy during the day).
• Minimize hostile, impatient and aggressive behaviors towards others that are associated with eliciting the “fight or flight” response.
• Practice some type of daily mental or physical activity that elicits the “relaxation response” (e.g., meditation or yoga) reversing stress activation.
• Cultivate and utilize a strong social and professional support network by spending time with those who are satisfying to be around and avoiding those who are “energy zappers” in our life.
• Possess a hardy outlook on life including viewing change as a challenge, identifying and spending time on his/her passions and develop an external set of attributions for failures⁴.
• Identify and emotionally express strong feelings in writing or verbally to others on a daily basis.
• Stop obsessive thoughts that create tension and explore action plans to resolve the stressor.
• Minimize the use of defeating and perfectionist “self-talk” (e.g., constantly using the words “must” or “always”).
• Actively ruminate and express gratitude for his/her life situation
• Identify and act on his/her signature strengths to maximize career and life satisfaction.

Being resilient isn’t something that we are necessarily born with although there appears to certainly be a genetic predisposition to possessing biological wiring favoring the release of neuropeptide Y and other hormones that may damper the stress response. We have also seen in our own research and others the capacity to develop hardiness or resilience:

Hardy talent appear to develop an ongoing commitment to maintain a lifestyle that enables them to balance the demands at work and home while remaining energized, productive and healthy.

If you are interested in seeing how resilient you are and would like a free trial of StressScan (www.getlifehub.com/stress_scan) just email me at ken@envisiaonline.com and I will be happy to set you up! Be well….

1. Nowack, K. (2000). Occupational stress management: Effective or not? In P. Schnall, K. Belkie, P. Landensbergis, & D. Baker (Eds.), Occupational Medicine: State of the Art Reviews, Hanley and Belfus, Inc., Philadelphia, PA., Vol 15, No. 1, pp. 231-233
2. Nowack, K. (2008). Coaching for Stress: StressScan. Psychometrics in Coaching Association for Coaching, UK, pp. 254-274
3. Nowack, K. (1994). Psychosocial Predictors of Health and Absenteeism: Results of Two Prospective Studies. Paper presented at the American Psychological Association Annual Convention, September 1994, Los Angeles, CA
4. Greene, R. and Nowack, K. (1996). Stress, hardiness and absenteeism: Results of a 3-year longitudinal study. Work and Stress, 9, 448-462

Quote of the Week:

“Sunday morning my head is bad, but it’s worth it for the time that I had. But I got to get my rest … ‘Cause Monday’s a mess,” Fats Domino

Humor Break:

Bev: Al, you look depressed.
Al: It’s been a tough week.
Bev: It’s only Monday!

Stat of the Week: Thank Goodness It’s Not Monday.  If you had a bad week, you might want to blame it on Blue Monday, which just may be the SADdest day of the year.  According to a British researcher January 16 was (and will be) the #1 psychologically gloomiest day of 2012. (Well, at least we got it out of the way … now it’s just onward and upward).  This is based on his theory that factors like the weather, post-holiday debt, and low motivational levels makes the third Monday of the year the gloomiest date on the calendar.  However, before you get too excited about the worst is over – consider the upcoming winter blues, seasonal affective disorder (SAD) (a form of depression that affects less than 5 percent of the U.S. population, typically during December, January, February, and March), a lonely Valentine’s Day, Tax Day (April 15), Daylight Savings Time and humdrum holidays. 

Have a nice day.

Action Tip: Sounds a little silly, but the best cure for a mild case of the winter blues or SAD is getting outside when there is sunshine.  If you are a little down, put on a jacket and get out there!  (If you are down Big Time, seek professional assistance.  There are specialists for this type of depression.)

Volunteering: Nothing cheers you more than helping someone less fortunate.  Pack up some old clothes and take them to your local homeless shelter.  See how you feel after your delivery!

“I visualize things in my mind before I have to do them. It’s like having a mental workshop”
Jack Youngblood

As a kid, I played baseball and probably made over 1,000 double plays successfully–at least in my mind. I used to visualize every moment of receiving the ball from the shortstop to avoiding the slide from the base runner to get the runner out. In games, I actually did a great job of quickly turning the pivot and getting both runners out.

I’ve always wondered if my mental practice made a difference and now it seems I might actually be “wired” in my brain to be more successful than many people (hear that Brian Saebean?).

We have known for many years that mental rehearsal is almost equivalent to physical rehearsal in terms of enhancing skills and performance.

In 1995, a Harvard neuroscientist named Alvaro Pascual-Leone conducted an incredible study¹. He divided volunteers into two groups with the first practicing a five-finger piano exercise for five days for two hours. At the end of each session they measured neural activation using transcranial-magnetic-stimulation (TMS) and they noticed that even after one week of practice, a stretch of the motor cortex in the brain related to finger movements took over surrounding areas demonstrating new neural circuits being established.

Pascual-Leone also asked a second group to only imagine playing the same piano piece mentally and again his research team found that the mere mental rehearsal of doing something like playing the piano altered the physical structure and function of our brain. Performance between the two groups was almost identical when both groups were tested after the two week period demonstrating for the first time the real power of mental practice.

Additional research has also demonstrated how meditation over time actually causes a significant reduction of brain activity in an area of the brain associated with sensations of pain. In a new study, researchers took 15 healthy volunteers who had never meditated and had them practice a 20 minute class just four times. The participants in the study reported a 40 percent reduction in pain intensity and 57 percent reduction in pain unpleasantness in response to a pain inducing heat device was placed on their legs. Mental practice in the form of meditation produced a greater reduction in pain than even morphine which typically reduces pain by 25 percent².

In another widely reported study, eight weeks of 27 minutes per day of mental rehearsal of mindfulness meditation results in measurable changes in brain regions associated wtih empathy and stress³. None of these changes were seen in the control group, indicating that they had not resulted merely from the passage of time.

Visualize Becoming a More Effective Leader

Each day you can mentally rehearse being more effective as a leader by:

1. See yourself allowing others to complete their thoughts and ideas before you share your recommendations, suggestions and ideas.
2. Visualize yourself speaking to a group and commanding a high degree of attention, respect and agreement with your message.
3. Rehearse and visualize yourself maintaining emotional control and being poised under interpersonal pressure and conflict (being non-defensive and open minded).
4. See yourself in a positive mood that rubs off on other talent and results in enhanced engagement and commitment to their job and tasks.
5. Mentally practice soliciting and seeking feedback from others and welcoming this as a gift to continuously improve.
6. Imagine using more participative leadership styles and involving more of your talent in problem solving, decision making and planning processes.
7. Focus on your peers saying to each other about how they would like to “follow” someone like you, believe you are always candid and direct with them and work in a collaborative, rather than, competitive manner.

So, maybe you can actually practice becoming a better leader just by deliberately practicing it in your mind. As Robert Collier said, “See things as you would have them be instead of as they are”….Be well….

1. Pascual-Leone, A. Nguyet, D.,Cohen, L., Brasil-Neto, J.,Cammarota, A.; & Hallett. M. (1995). Modulation of muscle responses evoked by transcranial magnetic stimulation during the acquisition of new fine motor skills. Journal of Neurophysiology, 74, 1037-1045
2. 1.F. Zeidan, K. T. Martucci, R. A. Kraft, N. S. Gordon, J. G. McHaffie, R. C. Coghill. Brain Mechanisms Supporting the Modulation of Pain by Mindfulness Meditation. Journal of Neuroscience, 2011; 31 (14): 5540 DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.5791-10.2011
3. Britta K. Hölzel, James Carmody, Mark Vangel, Christina Congleton, Sita M. Yerramsetti, Tim Gard, Sara W. Lazar. Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain graymatter density. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, 2011; 191 (1): 36 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2010.08.006

Quote of the Week:

 “Face it, you’re screwed. Today is Friday the 13th — the unluckiest day on the calendar — so try not to crash your car, fall down a flight of stairs, set yourself on fire or do anything else that might compromise your well-being. And for God’s sake, stay away from men in hockey masks.” Claire Suddath (Time Magazine)

Humor Break:

Bev: Al, do you believe that getting married on a Friday the 13th brings bad luck?
Al: Of course, why would Friday the 13th be an exception?

Stat of the Week: 17 to 21 million Americans have a fear of Friday the 13th (paraskavedekatriaphobia). The Stress Management Center Phobia Institute lists the following Friday the 13th statistics: Famous people scared of this day include former President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who would not travel on the 13th day of any month or have 13 guests at a meal. Napoleon and Herbert Hoover were also scared of 13. It is estimated that $750 million are lost in business on Friday the 13th because some people will not travel, shop, or leave their homes at all. Symptoms of people with a phobia of this day can range from “mild anxiety and a nagging sense of doom to full blown panic attacks.”

Action Tip: If you are paraskavedekatriaphobic, remember you are not alone.  If you are not, be a diversity friendly person and don’t make fun of those who are … which means watch what you say in public.  A little sympathy is the preferred support.

Volunteering: Black cats may or may not bring bad luck.  But for many animals if wasn’t for bad luck they wouldn’t have any luck at all.  Consider adopting a pet from your local animal shelter.  If that isn’t possible, volunteer to help your local animal shelter for a couple of hours a week.  And if that isn’t possible, volunteer your kids.  Great way to instill the volunteering spirit and teach responsibility.

Title: Make Time for Time

Competency: time management

Who benefits: all of us

Consultant Usage: good check-up for clients of executive coaches, good review for time management and productivity trainers, probably also good for career counselors

What’s it about? Well here we are in the second week of the new year.  Still working your goals (see last week’s Wednesday post)?  Or are you struggling to find the time you need to bring about the changes forecast for the new You?

The good news for today is there is a short essay on the topic of You … and making time for what is really important.

Anthony K. Tjan in his internationally read Blog points out in a recent pithy post just how finite is our time.  We have less, much less, available time than we think. Routine and unavoidable tasks take up large chunks of our 24 day.  What is left determines the quality of our life.  His essay focuses on our work life, but it doesn’t take much imagination to extend it to our personal life.

“An unexamined life isn’t worth living” is attributed to Socrates.  Tjan would agree and in his article he provides five questions to examine our (mostly work) lives.  It would be a great investment of 10 minutes in your life to read his post and note his five recommendations. 

It would also be worth considerably more if you were to take time to consider those questions for yourself.  Don’t just use up your time.  Use your most precious gift and only non-renewable resource to bring fulfillment and meaningful results to your professional and personal life. 

It is a new year.  Make the most of it.

Catch you later.

Quotes of the Week: Adults are always asking little kids what they want to be when they grow up because they’re looking for ideas.  Paula Poundstone

If you don’t like your job you don’t strike.  You just go in every day and do it really half-assed.  That’s the American way.  Homer Simpson, The Simpsons

Humor Break: Work smarter, not harder, and be careful of your speling.

If a trainstation is where the train stops, what’s a workstation?

Stat of the Week: Five Things You Should Stop Doing in 2012.  Continuing with the positive change theme from Wednesday post, here are five suggestions that will make life more manageable.  One is to stop reading annoying things … like this post.  The other four suggestions are excellent, especially for CrazyBusy people.

Action Tip: Ask yourself if any of these five suggestions “speak to you”.  If so, what can you do about it/them?

Volunteering: No specific suggestions this week.  This is your planning week.  This is the week to set your personal and professional goals for the year.  As you plan, find and commit to some form of volunteering.  It will enrich your life.  For sure!  For sure!

Title: Getting Your Act Together

Competency: self-management, self-development, achievement orientation, stress management, resiliency  

Who benefits: all employees

Consultant Usage: first heal yourself, then help others, EAP counselors

What’s it about? Ah, the new year is upon us.  Today being the fourth day of said new year, it is time to review your new year’s resolutions: (1) Did you make any? (2) how are you doing?  Keeping them?  Give up smoking … start again (it has been 4 days)?  Keeping to your new exercise program?

One very big reason we don’t keep our resolutions is that this week is very much like last week or last month.  We still have our same old habits.  Don’t believe you still have your old habits?  Watch how many times this month you write “2011”.

For many of us one of those old habits is being overly stressed.  Our most frequent and least effective response is to WORRY.  Unfortunately, despite our advanced skill in this response, WORRY rarely brings about change.  And if you want to eliminate at least some WORRY from your life you do have to make some change or changes. 

So welcome to the new year and here is a book and an article that can assist you in meaningful change, if so desired:

First the book: CrazyBusy: Overstretched, Overbooked, and About to Snap! Strategies for Handling Your Fast-Paced Life.  If the title looks vaguely familiar, it is because I reviewed it quite some time ago.  But I assume you were too busy then to take a look.  Maybe with the new year you now have the motivation.  Let me give you a couple of quotes that may pique your interest: 

“The greatest damage from being too busy is that it prevents people from setting their own temperature, controlling their own lives.”

“Being too busy is a persistent and pestering problem, one that is leading tens of millions of Americans to feel as if they were living in a swarm of gnats constantly taking bites out of their lives.”

Now the Article: How to Accomplish More by Doing Less.  It is about the law of diminishing returns.  The law can’t be repealed, so you might as well obey it.  It is a 5 minute read, only slightly longer than this post.  And if you don’t have a full 5 minutes, at least read down to the part about airline pilots sleeping on the job.  That might jar you!

Have a great new year filled with positive change.

Catch you later.

“People don’t resist change, they resist being changed.”

Peter Scholtes

Did you make a New Year’s resolution?

Nearly four out of 10 adults will make one or more resolutions for the new year, according to a study done by the University of Scranton¹.

• After the first week of carrying out the goal, about 75 percent of people maintain their goal.
• After week two, nearly 70 percent of people will maintain their goal.
• After one month, about 64 percent will stick with their resolution.
• After six months, about 46 percent of people are still on track with their goal.

Rehab is for Quitters

Old habits are indeed very tough to break and relapse seems greatest when we are under stress. Starting new behaviors is indeed more challenging than sustaining them over time. Quitting is indeed something that some of us are pretty consistent in doing well.

According to new research, quitting may actually be better for your health. Psychologist’s Gregory Miller and Carsten Wroshch have found that people who are able to feel comfortable quitting when faced with unattainable goals may actually have better mental and physical health than those who persevere and push themselves to succeed².

This study was based on their previous research which found that those persistent individuals experienced higher levels of an inflammatory protein called C-reactive protein (an indicator of stress) as well as increased cortisol. They also reported lower psychological well-being. On the surface, this might not seem like a big deal but inflammation appears to be an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease and other stress related conditions.

Contrary to what we might have been taught, it appears that it might be in our best interests to “cut our losses” in the face of unattainable goals and life challenges and actually disengage from the goal to ensure optimum well-being and potentially long-term health. This appears to be true whether we are in unsatisfying long-term relationships, working for leaders who are toxic or targeting a goal that is beyond our skill and ability “set points.”

So, any good things for those who persist? In other research Carsten and colleagues found that in the face of life challenge and disengaging from unattainable goals, those who redefined and set new goals were more likely to be able to buffer the negative emotions associated with failure. Maybe “rebound” relationships and new entrepreneurial goals might actually serve to help us find closure to the past and re-engage us for future journeys³.

Want Help to Facilitate Successful Behavior Change in Clients?

Our new book Clueless: Coaching People Who Just Dont’ Get it is based on a new three stage individual behavior change model. These stages include:

1. Enlighten
2. Encourage
3. Enable

We have developed over 80 free coaching exercises to help your clients translate awareness from coaching and feedback into deliberate practice. Over time, these new behaviors become automatic requiring less cognitive load (concentration) and rehearsal and greater effectiveness.

Have a look at our book and free exercises to see what might be useful for some of your challenging (and easy) coaching assignments….Be well…..

1. Norcross, J., Mrykalo, S., & Blagys, M. (2002). Auld Lang Syne: Success predictors, change processes, and self-reported outcomes of New Year’s resolvers and nonresolvers. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 58, 397-405
2. Miller, G. & Wrosch, C. (2007). You’ve Gotta Know When to Fold ‘Em: Goal Disengagement and Systemic Inflammation in Adolescence. Psychological Science, 18
3. Wrosch, C., Miller, G. E., Scheier, M. F., & Brun de Pontet, S. (2007). Giving up on unattainable goals: Benefits for health? Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 33, 251-265

 Quote of the Week: An optimist stays up to see the New Year in.  A pessimist waits to make sure the old one leaves.  Bill Vaughan

Humor Break: Bev was taking an afternoon nap on New Year’s Eve before the festivities. After she woke up, she confided to Al, her husband, ”I just dreamed that you gave me a diamond ring for a New Year’s present. What do you think it all means?”

“Aha, you’ll know tonight,” answered Al, smiling broadly.

At midnight, as the New Year was chiming, Al approached Bev and handed her a small package.  Delighted and excited she opened it quickly. There in her hand rested a book entitled: “The Meaning of Dreams”.

Stat of the Week: Each year approximately 16,000 are killed in alcohol related driving accidents.  New Year’s Eve (December 31) is the second worst drunk driving day of the year.

Action Tip: If you are planning to have more than the traditional midnight drink, either stay home or before you go out have a designated driver.  (Please do this for me.  I want you to come back next year and enjoy this column for another 52 weeks.)

Volunteering: Here is a simple idea for volunteering.  This weekend if you attend a celebration, volunteer to be the designated driver.  You won’t have a headache in the morning and you may save several lives.

Statistics are like bikinis.  What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital. 

Aaron Levenstein

Another edition of leadership and talent management “facts” from all over the world.  Some intuitive and some not….what do you think?

1. According to a late 2010 survey by CareerBuilder.com (2,482 U.S. managers and 3,910 full-time employees in the private sector), only 58 percent of managers said they ever received any formal management training to help them make the transition into leadership roles but nearly 60 percent think they are doing just fine. The most common problems they experienced included:

• Handling employee conflicts (25%)
• Motivating teams (22%)
• Performance reviews (15%)
• Finding resources for staff (15%)
• Creating career paths (12%)

2. In this same Careerbuilder.com survey, regardless of age or experience, 20 percent of the managers were rated as having poor leadership skills. The biggest complaints included:

• Doesn’t listen to employees or address morale issues (40%)
• Not enough transparency (33%)
• Major changes without warning (30%) and unreasonable workloads/demands (27%)

3. Based on the Global Information Technology Report 2010-2011, Transformations 2.0, World Economic Forum the U.S. is ranked fifth out of 138 countries for its use of communications technology and computers.  The top countries included Sweden, Singapore, Finland and Switzerland.

4. A July 2010 Pew Internet & American Life Project study found that 55 percent of U.S. mobile web users go online from their phones and mobile devices on a daily basis (up from 24 percent in 2009). 

5. According to the Thomson Reuters Workforce Wellness Index (March 2011), unhealthy behaviors of U.S. workers cost employers an average of $670 per employee annually. High body mass indices contributed to $400 of the overall per-employee cost.

6. A 2010 Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) survey found that 44% of employers offered telecommuting options on an ad hoc basis, 34% on a part-time basis and only 17% on a full-time basis. 

7. A May 2011 SHRM poll asking about whether one’s organization had a formal succession planning in place.  Results suggested that 38 percent had no formal succession plan in place and 17 percent don’t with no plan by leaders in the organization to develop a plan.

8.  Some findings from the DDI Global Leadership Forecast 2011 of 12,423 leaders and 1,897 HR professional representing 74 countries:

• Organizations whose employees rate their current leadership as high were 13 times more likely to outperform their competition on key metrics such as financial performance
• Only 38 percent of the 12,423 leaders in the study were rated as good or excellent with nearly 25 percent rated as poor or fair
• Both leaders and HR rated leadership quality highest in North America (52% rated it highly) and lowest in Europe and Asia (33% rated it highly)
• Approximately 33 percent of HR and leaders rated their leadership development programs as being effective
• The most critical skills required from leaders included driving change (48%), Identifying and coaching talent (36%), Fostering innovation/creativity (35%), Coaching and developing talent (32%) and executing strategy (32%).  When asked to rate the ineffectiveness of leaders in these areas, the ranges were from 40% to 50% on each
• 68 percent of organizations use managers as coaches (63% rate it as effective) and 27% use external coaches often (37% rate it as effective)
• The iPad generation desire to learn from others and coaching and the older generation appears to favor classroom training and special projects
• The range of effectiveness for leadership selection, succession planning, performance management and development programs ranged from 22 percent to 33 percent by HR respondents

9. According to an online survey of more than 500 senior managers and executives conducted by AMA Enterprise, one-quarter of employees in the U.S. and Canada tend to regard talent development programs as less than equitable.  Participants were asked, “How is the high potential program perceived by your organization’s employees?” They responded:

• Impartial and even-handed (12 percent)
• Flawed, but well-intentioned (27 percent)
• Unfair and political (24 percent)
• Don’t know (37 percent)

10. A 2011 survey by Addeco (“Workplace Outlook Study”) found that the most important thing(s) to job seekers now are:

• Job security (21%)
• Health benefits (20%)
• Salary/compensation (14%)
• Work/life balance (14%)
• Retirement benefits (11%)
• Vacation/days off (5%)
• Company culture (4%)
• Company perks (1%)

The largest fraction of Americans looking for jobs consisted of 18-34 year-olds.  And 28% of Americans are starting a new job in 2011 compared to only 14% in 2010.

Back to research some new talent development facts….Be well….

Quote of the Week: “You’ve got to get up every morning with determination if you’re going to go to bed with satisfaction.” –George Lorimer

Humor Break: From our favorite married couple:

Bev:  “What are you going to do today?”
Al: “Nothing.”
Bev: “You did that yesterday.”
Al: “I’m not finished.”

Stat of the Week: As you plan for next year remember what Thomas Edison advised: Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.

Action Tip: If next year you plan to work hard, take some time during this year end period and do the following: (1) reflect on where you have been and where you are going; (2) set some meaningful and measurable goals; (3) investigate/develop a time management process that will list AND prioritize your activities in both your professional and personal life; and, (4) make sure your lists include time for family and friends, your health, and your career and personal development.

Volunteering: Make time for others.  Invest of your self in a volunteer organization that reflects your values.  If you can’t find time to volunteer, take time to question your values.

Title: Building good relationships with yourself and others

Competencies: self-development, managing self, oral and written communications, listening

Who benefits: everyone

Consultant Usage: communication trainers and consultants looking for interesting background material

What’s it about? As the year stumbles to a close, many of us look back and reflect on what was.  Much of “what was” we could do nothing about.  The economy is beyond most people’s understanding, much less influence.  World Peace, Global Warming, Poverty, Greed and Corruption … all issues of importance but somehow outside of our daily lives.

Many of us have our pet causes, but for the most part our contributions are a drop in a bucket.  Yes, I know, recent events in the Middle East have shown that enough drops will fill the bucket.  And that is a good thing.  But for most you reading this post, what concerns you most and what you can influence is in your line of sight.  And of all the things you have the most control over, your relationships with others is quite possibly the most important.

Most of us see ourselves as communication experts.  Most of us are wrong.

We are under the (often false) impression that because we know 1,000s of words that we know how to use them to great effect.  We speak volumes of words, but to what impact.  As my colleague Ken Nowack often writes in his Monday posts, how we see ourselves isn’t always how we are perceived. 

This brings me to today’s theme: How can we have the best possible relationships with those who we value most — either for personal or professional reasons.  If, in your-end-of-the year soul searching, you are dissatisfied with some of your existing relationships or you simply acknowledge that you can and want to be a better communicator with the important people in your life, here are a couple of suggestions: 

How to Click with People: The Secret to Better Relationships in Business and in Life is a new book that is a quick and easy read.  For many of you there won’t be much in the book you don’t already know.  But there are some good reminders, like remembering that people have different communication styles and to be effective with them, you have to communicate to their style.

And there are some relatively new ideas on how to build better relationships through email and assorted social media, which the author calls “Clicking Electronically”.  He also has a good chapter on the power of Listening.

Relationship Rules is a 2009 book written around the idea that self-confidence precedes good communication.  I never thought of it that way.  And I have struggled with my own self confidence for the better part of a century.  The book isn’t intended to be humorous.  There aren’t a lot of funny clips.  But without stopping to analyze why, I found myself smiling a lot and thinking “Boy, I would like to have lunch with this guy and get him talking.”

This book is a little more academic – citations, quotes and notes – than the first.  It is also fill with tips, hints and examples. 

What really grabbed me though was this quote: “(M)ake positive and productive strides toward getting your own house in order before inviting anyone over.” 

Happy Reflections.

Catch you later.

“You can observe a lot by watching.”
Yogi Berra

What factors are most important to an individual’s career success and how do they contribute to it?

A recent study tried to answer this question in an unusual way — by analyzing the speeches of baseball stars when they are inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame¹. The study’s findings are based on all available speeches, 62 in total, made by former Major League position players inducted into the Hall of Fame between 1956 and 2005.  Some of the speeches quoted were those of Joe Morgan, Reggie Jackson, Stan Musial, Carl Yastrzemski, Dave Winfield, Hank Greenberg, Ernie Banks, Wade Boggs, George Kell, Robin Yount, Frank Robinson, Paul Molitor, and Mike Schmidt.

It is important to note that these researchers studied professionals that achieved extraordinary career success that largely required physical and not cognitive skills.

Hall of Famers’ words of appreciation were mostly for individuals who had provided psychological and social support as opposed to those who gave practical career assistance.

About 63% of all of the thanks from inductees in their speeches were for things like emotional support, inspiration, motivation or friendship. Slightly more than one third (about 37%) were for coaching or other specific instructions on technical skills. Families accounted for about two thirds of that emotional support and the second largest type of contribution cited by the Hall of Famers was friendship (mostly other Major league teammates and then role modeling from others).  The final category was coaching–mostly by Major league managers and coaches, rather than, players.

The authors make an interesting observation and suggestion that “Employers, for their part, benefit from evaluating workers not simply on the basis of performance but on their developmental networks — whom they relate to in the company and beyond and whom they might benefit from relating to. Performance appraisals, in other words, should focus not just on the what but on the who.”

Well, this study focused only on men so it is worth asking how much social support do women report and how satisfied are they with their sources of social support.

Gender and Emotional and Social Support

We took a look at some results from our stress and health risk assessment called StressScan by analyzing availability, utility and satisfaction of social support by gender.  We tested gender differences by using a statistical test called Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and found some interesting differences in gender with a sample of almost 800 professional working men and women.

1. In general, women reported greater availability and use of their social support network (supervisor/boss, colleagues/co-workers, partner, family and friends) then their male counterparts (all p’s < .01).

2.  Women reported using their boss or supervisor significantly more frequently than men.  This is somewhat surprising as research suggests that successful women have indicated that mentoring is less important to their career advancement than did less successful women.  Perhaps in our sample we have a mix of both “successful” and “unsuccessful” women or that using one’s boss is different from internal or external use of mentors for job and career success.

3. Women reported significantly more availability, use and satisfaction with their friends compared to males.  They also reported greater availability and use of their partners, families and friends (all p’s < .01) which is consistent to what Shelly Taylor, Ph.D. has suggested is central to the female “tend and befriend” response to coping with work and life stress².

In our statistical analysis of social support for professional men and women we were able to determine the relative amount of dissatisfaction with specific sources of social support. Men and women (N= 785) rated they were either “Not at All” or only “Slightly” satisfied with the following sources to meet their emotional and direct support needs:

• Boss/Supervisor 31.0%
• Colleagues/Co-Workers 16.8%
• Family 13.0%
• Partners/Significant Others 9.9%
• Friends 8.3%

Men and women in our sample who reported higher overall social support also reported significantly:

• Lower Stress (correlation r = .35, p < .01)
• Greater Resilience/Hardiness (correlation r = .47, p < .01)
• Greater Happiness (correlation r = .58, p < .01)

Even if you are not research oriented it is important to note that the magnitude of these correlations are impressive ranging from moderate to moderately high which is not always found in psychology research studies.

If you want to see how strong your own social support is, just contact me at ken@envisiaonline.com and we can make our research measure called StressScan available to you for free.

So, not only is psychological and social support important for our health it appears to be a pretty important key to career success….Be well…

1. Cotton, R., Shen, Y., Livne-Tarandach, R. (2011).  On Becoming Extraordinary: The Content and Structure of the Developmental Networks of Major League Baseball Hall of Famers. The Academy of Management, 54, 15-46
2. Taylor, 2006. Tend and Befriend: Biobehavioral Bases of Affiliation Under Stress. Current Directions in Psychological Science December 2006 vol. 15 no. 6 273-277

“Too bad you can’t buy a voodoo globe so that you could make the earth spin real fast and freak everybody out.”

Jack Handy

Sometimes we just have to blow off steam to deal with work and life challenges. Surprisingly, only about 30 percent of individuals experiencing severe life trauma and pain experience post traumatic distress (PTSD) or are unable to cope effectively.

In our own research with our stress/resilience tool StressScan, we have found the following associations between coping styles (trait) and a variety of health outcomes:

• People who utilize negative appraisal coping (i.e., high self-blame and self-criticism) report significantly higher levels of psychological distress (e.g., depression).
• People who utilize high levels of threat minimization coping (i.e., feel and express emotions but are able to let go and move on) experience less job burnout, absenteeism and adverse physical health.
• People who use positive appraisal coping tend to report the highest levels of happiness or psychological well-being.
• People who use problem solving coping respond better to psychoeducational interventions aimed to enhance well-being and resilience¹.

We know that expression of emotions (particularly behavioral in the form of writing) is significantly associated with improved physical and psychological health. The largest recent meta-analyses show that emotional expressive writing has about the same effect size as those produced by other psychological interventions–shorter intervals between writing sessions produce larger overall effect sizes and males seem to benefit even more than females².

In general those who write and use more positive emotional words than negative tend to improve (negative emotion use is curvilinear with the greatest benefit coming from those who don’t use either a very small or very large amount). Overall, the greatest benefit seems to come with a focus on positive thoughts and feelings about the situation causing pain, trauma or stress for individuals. When individuals write about the positive aspects and express positive feelings regarding a distressing situation it seems to produce favorable therapeutic effects including post traumatic growth³.

Stick it to the Man (or Women) Exercise

My wife recently took a trip to New Orleans.  I jokingly asked her to bring me back a voodoo doll — and she did. It came with an instruction book and was bigger than most “Happy Meal” toys. So, in the spirit (no pun intended) of the existing literature of the impact of emotional expression I offer the 5-minute “stick it to the man (or woman)” stress reliever technique:

1. Buy or make a “stick it to the man (or women)” voodoo doll
2. Visualize the toxic person at work or home that is creating stress, strain and/or unhappiness being the voodoo doll (it helps to place a small piece of paper with the name or image (e.g., face) on top of the voodoo doll.
3. Use or find a small needle, pin, paper clip or pruning shears and insert into a strategic location (or give to your pet who likes to shred stuffed animals).
4. Focus on the pleasurable feelings you have “sticking it to the man (or woman) and express a positive mantra (e.g., “I feel as much pleasure right now as smashing a Piñata and enjoying all the goodies that spill out”).
5. Repeat each day for one week (or until the toxic person improves their jerk behavior).

OK, now this technique has not been clinically tested in a rigorous manner or conducted in a placebo controlled double blind study but I’m guessing it can’t hurt (except for the man or woman you stick it to).

Even if you don’t find or appreciate the attempt at humor here, focusing on the positive and finding the benefit and blessings in tough situations or interpersonal interactions might actually make us stronger and happier.  Give it a try and let me know how it works for you (or just give me the needle about this Blog).

If you want to find out how resilient you are, just let me know at ken@envisiaonline.com  and I can set you up with a free trial of StressScan…..Be well….

1. Giesser, B., Coleman, L., Fisher, S., Guttry, M., Herlihy, E., Nonoguch, S., Nowack, D., Roberts, C. & Nowack, K. (2007). Living Well with Multiple Sclerosis: Lessons Learned from a 12-Week Community Based Quality of Life Program. Paper presented at 17th Annual Art & Science of Health Promotion Conference, March, 2007, San Francisco, CA
2. Frattaroli, J. (2006). Experimental disclosure and its moderators: A Meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 132, 823-865
3. Tedeshi, R. & Calhoun, C. (2004). Posttraumatic growth: Conceptual foundations and empirical evidence. Psychological Inquiry, 15, 1-18

Title: Management? It’s Not What You Think!

Competency: leadership, visionary leadership

Who benefits: anyone in management or aspiring to management

Consultant Usage: organizational consultants, executive coaches

What’s it about? Are you up for a most unconventional book about management?  Professor and Organizational Development Swami Henry Mitzeberg and colleagues have put together a very short book, a collage of articles actually, that is extremely easy to read … yet if all you do is read it, it is a waste of time.  The real intent is to be provocative.  To entice you to think about management and leadership differently.  To challenge everything you know, or think you know, about management and leadership. 

I confess as I read it I kept asking myself “What am I supposed to do with this?”.  I also confess that I kept reading because it amused me.  If you are looking for right answers, don’t bother reading this short tome (for those of you who read over the last two words quickly, together they form an oxymoron – which is one of the themes of this short tome, ahem!).  The authors are trying to convince you there are no right answers.

If you are looking for “how to’s” – again don’t bother.  You are more likely to find “how not to’s”.

However, if you are looking for some management laughs, you might find them in this book … even if you are not sure what you are reading is true or not.  I particularly enjoyed the story of the Canadian company that outsourced it’s President, CEO and the Chairman.  According to the company’s spokesperson: “At the end of the day, the cost savings will be quite significant….  We simply can no longer afford this inefficiency and remain competitive on the world stage”.

The book also takes on the value of MBAs, corporate speak, and buzz word filled vocabulary of management consultants.

Article titles include:

‘PowerPoint is evil,” 
“The opposite of profound truth is also true,” 
“‘Change management’ is an oxymoron,”  
“Ye gods, what do I do now?” 
“Managing without managers,” 

So go for the fun and the challenge … or don’t go at all.

Catch you later.

Technorati Tags: leadership, visionary leadership, oxymoron, henry Mitzeberg, envisia, envisia learning, bill bradley, william bradley, bradley