In this blog, I would like to share with you four successful strategies to ensure you are a TOP (The On-Purpose) Performer and thereby help “bullet proof” your career.

In a previous blog I explored the difference between a Me Inc! or Me Stink! Mindset. As an employee or team member you will usually demonstrate either one of these in the way you consistently serve your customers and clients. With a Me Stink! Mindset you react below the line nearly always blaming rather than taking responsibility for your thinking, feelings attitudes and behaviours.

By contrast, when you respond to your environment with a Me Inc! Mindset, you proactively respond above the line, assuming responsibility and acting as if you were the owner or manager of the organisation.  You see yourself as having a business within the business.

If you get this and implement it in your current position and throughout your career, you will be seen as a TOP Performer and this will go a long way to ensure that you will be the last to be fired in an uncertain and competitive careers market.

Here are four strategies and some check points to think about and action so it becomes just part of who you are in the workplace. And of course make you stand out!

When you have a ME Inc! or Think Inc! Mindset you:

1. Take Responsibility for Your Thinking, Feelings, Attitudes and Behaviour

With so much negativity and “blaming” going on around us it is easy to slip into these patterns ourselves, especially if you are in a competitive work environment where everyone is trying to protect their own back.

Consider how you score against these check points. Do you usually…

• Display a high degree of self-responsibility, accountability and ownership for your thinking patterns, attitudes and behaviours?
• Treat negative outcomes as learning experiences, not failures?
• Respond in an optimistic way to day-to-day challenges?
• Seek ways to help your employer or manager accomplish their goals? (You can do this by figuring out how your employer can make money, save money, grow sales, create a better working environment, improve customer service and innovate).

2. Develop a long term perspective

I know that it is not fashionable to stay too long in one position. But employers know how expensive it is to replace you.  Typically, they will have invested a lot of money recruiting and on-boarding you into your new position. They want to know that they have made a wise investment into the future of the organisation or the business. In the interview they will be wanting to find out if you really want the position because they don’t want to repeat the process six months down the track. So what does taking a long term perspective mean for you as an employee?

Do you usually …

• Think beyond the present to secure a successful future?

Don’t be tempted to exchange your life for a pay cheque (if you can possibly help it). You want to make sure that any position you take is alignment with your life purpose, career goal, values, career anchors, core strengths and transferable skills.

• Maintain perspective through the pain and pleasure of work and life and not quit when things don’t go your way?

It’s tempting to look for another position when things get tough in the workplace.  You may be experience conflict with a colleague, feel you are not being heard, being overworked and undervalued or just not receiving the job satisfaction you had hoped for. Running from any of these is not the answer in the first instance.  As you well know, the same situations are just as likely to occur in another positon.  So ask yourself, what is the learning experience here?  What is the invitation in this situation for me to learn and change?  What is the universe asking me to learn through this situation? There may be times where you need to ‘cut and run’ but make sure it is not your default reaction.

• Seek new opportunities to learn, develop and grow personally and professionally?

This sounds like common sense. But it doesn’t take long to be socialised into a workplace culture and to settle into a comfort zone.  Seek opportunities for you to grow as a person and a leader. Expand your horizons and think about being successful, profitable, and sustainable long term?

3. Seek to Add Value

Now I know you might think that this is not your business and you will get paid at the end of the week anyway.  If you are just exchanging your life for a pay cheque you have a Stink Inc! not a Think Inc! Mindset (Unless of course you don’t have the luxury of self-actualising and have been forced through circumstances to put food on the table and to pay the mortgage).

Adding value really makes the world go around and will hugely benefit you, your employer, manager and organisation.

Do you usually…

• Seek to add value by constantly looking to improve the situation, solve problems and continually seek to make a difference.  You and or your team will always benefit because you just make life better. A TOP performer with a ME INC! Mindset continually looks for ways to add value to relationships and business. What can you do in your position or business to add value?
• Seek and create opportunities for yourself or your team to serve, influence and grow?
• Think as a team player and use your strengths to complement other members of your Team?
• Display an honest, passionate, open-minded, creative and committed attitude? (At the end of the day, with a ME INC! Mindset you seek to serve yourself and others in meaningful work.

4. Adopt a sales and marketing mindset

When most people think of sales they think of the hard sell. But adopting a sales and marketing mindset regardless of the position you hold within the organisation is crucial if you want to stand out from other members of your team and be the last to be laid off.

I have come across so many who say “I just work here”.  When you think like the owner of a business or if you were to pretend to come back into your role as a consultant, what would you do more of and do less of?  One important characteristic of a Think Inc! Mindset is to always be on the look out to promote your business or organisation.

So…do you usually…

• Treat everyone you meet as a customer, a potential customer or someone who could refer a customer?
• Think that whenever you are in the front line delivering a service to customers you are in a sales and marketing position regardless of what you do? (I heard the other day in response to this – “I’m just an… employee, it’s not my job to seek business for my employer”. That is Stinking Thinking or having a ME STINK! Mindset. Try to reframe your Mindset to one of running your own profitable business within the business.  Unless the business or organisation is productive and profitable, you will soon be out of a job or the business will go broke).
• Seek to be ambassadors for your business or organisation? (Think about the way you talk about your employer, the way you dress, the language you use and the ideas you express)

Stop and take a moment to think.  Is this a lot of croc or what? Who actually benefits when you have a Me Inc! or Think Inc! mindset?

1. You benefit – you are excited at being engaged in meaningful work and feel fulfilled, satisfied and are more productive and able to achieve results. You are making a difference!
2. The team and your co-workers benefit by being more productive, engaged, considerate and cohesive. The team is making a difference!
3. Your family benefits.  You don’t come home each night and kick the dog as you walk through the door.  The positive ripple effect of you being happy at work and on-purpose is enormous.
4. The business owner, manager or CEO benefits. Financially the business is growing and being more productive and purposeful. With the business being more profitable, you, by default have greater job security. Business owners are encouraged to see staff growing, uniting and excelling. They become more confident with the success of business and can plan for future growth.
5. If you have suppliers then they will benefit also.  Makes sense doesn’t it? They are guaranteed continuity of their product or service.
6. And of course Shareholders will benefit through great profitability, performance and productivity

So being a TOP Performer with a ME INC! mindset is transformational and will go a long way to ensure that you are the “first on and last off”.

© Dr Edward Gifford
CEO (Chief Enthusiasm Office)

What are you doing with your weekends?

Three things promoted me to write this article.

First, the realisation that I need to get my working life into perspective and to practice what I preach!

Second, an article I recently read by Travis Bradberry on ‘How successful people work less and get more done’.

Thirdly, a few weeks ago I had a complete weekend off – went boating, caught some fish, walked and talked with my wife Angela and our chocolate brown labrador – Poppy, (yes, dogs talk too) and generally chilled out.

Nice!

So much so that Angela and Poppy have talked about it nearly every day since!

And I want to do that more often as increasingly I’m working longer hours and often over weekends too! (Those of you who own a business or have high responsibility as an employee know how easily it is to get trapped into 24/7).

I think there is a serious condition called the Work Trap and we need time to ‘unplug’ (no longer ‘unwind’) from the day-to-day to get more perspective, think more deeply and reflect on the bigger picture of our lives.

… people who work as much as 70 hours per week
only achieve the same amount as people who work 55 hours

A new study from Stanford found that productivity per hour declines sharply when the work week exceeds 50 hours and productivity drops off so much after 55 hours there’s no point in working any more. Apparently, people who work as much as 70 hours per week (or more) only achieve the same amount as people who work 55 hours.

Successful people know the importance of shifting gears on the weekend to relaxing and rejuvenating activities.

Those who have participated in our Power of Your Purpose programs, will recall the activity where we work together on building your ideal On-Purpose day or weekend. Both of these create space and quality time for the things that matter most – your core wants and top priorities which align with your Purpose and Values.

This might be less difficult than you think!

Creating Life Integration on Weekends

Activities that successful people do to create life integration on weekends

So, drawing on the post by Travis Bradberry, here are practical things that successful people do on the weekend to re-enter work on Monday morning feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.

1. Disconnect
   Disconnecting is the most important weekend strategy on this list, because if you can’t find a way to remove yourself electronically from your work Friday evening through Monday morning, then you’ve never really left work.

Making yourself available to your work 24/7 exposes you to a constant barrage of stressors that prevent you from refocusing and recharging. If taking the entire weekend off handling work e-mails and calls isn’t realistic, try designating specific times on Saturday and Sunday for checking e-mails and responding to voicemails. Scheduling short blocks of time to attend to emails will alleviate stress without sacrificing availability.

2. Minimise chores
   Chores have a funny habit of completely taking over your weekends. When this happens, you lose the opportunity to relax and reflect. What’s worse is that a lot of chores feel like work. So if you spend all weekend doing them, you just put in a seven-day work week. To keep this from happening, you need to schedule your chores like you would anything else during the week, and if you don’t complete them during the allotted time, you move on and finish them the following weekend.
3. Reflect
   Weekly reflection is a powerful tool for improvement. Use the weekend to contemplate the larger forces that are shaping your industry, your organization, and your job. Without the distractions of Monday to Friday busy work, you should be able to see things in a whole new light. Use this insight to alter your approach to the coming week, improving the efficiency and efficacy of your work.
4. Exercise
   You have 48 hours every weekend to make it happen. Getting your body moving for as little as 10 minutes releases GABA, a soothing neurotransmitter that reduces stress. Exercise is also a great way to come up with new ideas. Innovators and other successful people know that being outdoors often sparks creativity.

Whether you’re running, walking, cycling or gardening, exercise leads to endorphin-fuelled introspection. The key is to find a physical activity that does this for you and then to make it an important part of your weekend routine.

5. Pursue a passion
   You might be surprised what happens when you pursue something you’re passionate about on weekends. Indulging your passions is a great way to escape stress and to open your mind to new ways of thinking. Things like playing music, reading, writing, painting, or even playing with your kids can help stimulate different modes of thought that can reap huge dividends over the coming week.
6. Spend quality time with family
   Spending quality time with your family on the weekend is essential if you want to recharge and relax. Weekdays are so hectic that the entire week can fly by with little quality family time. Don’t let this bleed into your weekends. Take your kids to the park, take your spouse to his or her favourite restaurant, go to the movies and go visit your parents. You’ll be glad you did.
7. Schedule micro-adventures
   Buy tickets to a concert or play or get reservations for that new hotel that just opened downtown. Instead of running on a treadmill, plan a hike. Try something you haven’t done before or perhaps something you haven’t done in a long time. Studies show that anticipating something good to come is a significant part of what makes the activity pleasurable. Knowing that you have something interesting planned for Saturday will not only be fun come Saturday, but it will significantly improve your mood throughout the week.
8. Wake up at the same time
   It’s tempting to sleep in on the weekend to catch up on your sleep. Though it feels good temporarily, having an inconsistent wake-up time disturbs your circadian rhythm. Your body cycles through an elaborate series of sleep phases in order for you to wake up rested and refreshed. One of these phases involves preparing your mind to be awake and alert, which is why people often wake up just before their alarm clock goes off (the brain is trained and ready).

When you sleep past your regular wake-up time on the weekend, you end up feeling groggy and tired. This isn’t just disruptive to your day off, it also makes you less productive on Monday because your brain isn’t ready to wake up at your regular time. If you need to catch up on sleep, just go to bed earlier.

9. Prepare for the upcoming week
   The weekend is a great time to spend a few moments planning your upcoming week. As little as 30 minutes of planning can yield significant gains in productivity and reduced stress. The week feels a lot more manageable when you go into it with a plan because all you have to focus on is execution.

Final comments

Trying to implement all of these at once will be overwhelming. So next weekend pick one or two of these to get you started. Commence with the ones that will give you the most meaning and fulfilment. Start planning your weekends intentionally. None of these will happen unless you are really serious about breaking the Work Trap.

While you are planning your next weekend, get some overall perspective back into your life and ask the big questions:

• What is the ultimate purpose of my life, work or career?
• What am I living for?
• What do I want my life to be about and stand for?

Wait for the answers to emerge from deep within you. They will come. Just give them time and space.

One more tip. Start observing yourself more. Watch your actions and thoughts as you develop deeper self-awareness about your life and work. We are all so self-absorbed we give little time to being self-aware.

So now it’s up to you but many people find a coach useful for accountability. If you need some assistance to get you going, please give me a call or send me an email.

This is too important to be left to chance.

© Dr Edward Gifford, On-Purpose Partners®

We all have ‘off’ days in our work situation. That is not unusual. Sometimes the stress, pressure, interactions and duties we have to perform seem to feel like we are walking around with a brick on our heads. However, what if the ‘off’ days suddenly seem to number more than they should? What if every day seems to be an ‘off’ day? You do not just feel as if you are walking around with a brick on your head, but also that you are trapped!

Recently I was talking to a school principal who wistfully commented that he felt he should get out of the job he was doing because it was no longer meaningful work for him. His age, natural caution and his financial situation were telling him it was impossible and just to get on with the job.

How can we handle a situation like this, where it might, for various reasons, seem like career suicide to make a change?

One strategy that is worth considering is called ACT (pronounced as a word, not a series of letters). It stands for Acceptance and Commitment Training (or Therapy) depending on the professional context in which it is being used.

The aim of ACT is to create a full, rich and meaningful life while accepting the pain that inevitably comes with it.

Most of us are willing to go with the first half of the definition but we have reservations about the second. Our society has ‘conditioned’ us to certain expectations about happiness which are mythical and unrealistic. Some might be centred on the idea that our job should always be meaningful and worthwhile and we should always be happy doing it. If not, there is something wrong with us… Sadly, there is something wrong with an awful lot of us, as 70% of Australians report wanting to change their jobs. Many of those reasons may involve not being happy in their jobs.

What is there to say they will be happy in their next one, or the one after? Nothing! At the very least, constantly changing jobs is expensive and exhausting to all concerned at both the employee and employer level.

What perspective does ACT offer? ACT works at increasing the psychological flexibility or resilience of individuals through six core processes. It aims to help them to:

• Connect with the present moment or the here and now.
• Watch their thinking- a process which is called ‘Defusion’
• Open up and make room for pain or discomfort – a process called Acceptance
• Notice that part of themselves – the observing self- that is aware of what they are thinking, doing, feeling or sensing at any moment
• Identify what is really important to them – their values
• Do what is really important to them (whatever it takes) in alignment with valued living.

This might sound really complicated but engaging in these processes really does work. I first came across ACT through a friend telling me about a workshop he had attended run by Dr Russ Harris, author of The Happiness Trap. (Check out his material at www.actmindfully.com ) After coaching from other methodologies, I was really excited at the way this framework seemed to deal with some things that had been bothering me in other approaches.

Let us return to our disenchanted school principal to see how an ACT coaching intervention helped him deal with his circumstances.

The scenario is as follows. Bill is a 55 year old principal of a large city primary school in Queensland. He would like to get out of his job but does not consider himself qualified in any other area but education. His financial circumstances are such that he cannot take early retirement or a redundancy. He still has dependants to consider and his wife has recently left him after a marriage of 30 years. In addition, his Share Portfolio has taken a battering through the GFC. He generally enjoys good health and is physically fit, thanks to his regime of swimming laps three times per week. He reports feeling powerless and stuck in a career that he once really enjoyed.

So, at an age when he could possibly be looking forward to retirement, Bill cannot even consider it. His employability (despite ‘age discrimination’ laws) might well be restricted, although he is well qualified with many years of experience as both a teacher and a principal. His marriage is over but his commitments and responsibilities are not. Life has suddenly presented him with a set of circumstances he did not ask for, want or expect. Not surprisingly, he does not like the situation he finds himself in and a feeling of hopelessness has crept into his thinking. He is not alone!

Bill happens to be a school principal, but really any professionals could benefit from using the ACT process in addressing various life issues. In ACT, the assumption is that clients are stuck rather than broken and in the course of a few sessions, through developing psychological flexibility, they can learn to move their life in a valued direction even if all circumstances are not ideal.

Having taken Bill’s case history, what next? He clearly has lots of areas in which he wants change and to work at all of them at once is overwhelming and not feasible. He chose to work in the area of career where he felt most frustrated and helpless.

Bill was encouraged to talk about what attracted him to teaching in the first place and as he spoke, his eyes began to light up and energy returned to his voice. It was not long before some of the values that underpinned his original career became evident. He loved being inspired, active mentally stimulated, and making a difference in the lives of children. Being frozen, bored, helpless and drowning in administrative requirements had moved him away from his strengths, interests and passion. His attention was drawn to the facial animation he suddenly demonstrated and he smiled!

Working from the area of Values, over the next few sessions, Bill found ways of accommodating them despite his circumstances. His motivation to do what mattered to him became very important and he realised that if he waited until all circumstances were ideal, he might be waiting for ever, and life would pass him by. He was able, over time, to deal with his negative thoughts and acknowledge them as being there without them dictating the agenda and sapping him of energy and vitality.

He was able to notice his thinking and learned to name the stories his mind was telling him- like you’re a failure…you’re past it… why bother?.. and so on. The stories kept reappearing or changing, but because he knew they were just a passing parade of thoughts in his mind, without real power, he allowed them to be there in the background whilst continuing to do something significant in the direction of what he really valued in his career.

When, as is normal for all of us, he found himself in a panic or his tension levels began to rise, he noticed it and used some of the mindful breathing techniques he had learnt, to bring himself back to the present moment.

By identifying his values and then moving in a committed way to putting them into action, Bill found meaning in a career that he thought held nothing for him. The values he initially identified, those of being inspired, being mentally stimulated, being active and making a difference in the lives of children were translated into actions that he could do rather than just ideas he could think about. That really appealed to him.

For instance, just one thing he did was to start a discussion forum with a group of principals about innovative educational ideas. Whilst many of these were over the internet in list serve style, once a month a speaker with expertise in one of the areas of interest to the principals was organised to talk to the group over a social event after school. This lead to changes in programs, new ideas being tried out, interested young teachers being mentored and a vibrancy and vitality in the school that became commented on in the local community. For Bill, a small change he had acted upon had a ripple effect which really made a difference – thus enacting another of his values.

Bill went from tolerating his career to ACTivating it and it showed! In two months he is going to be the speaker at the group he founded telling people how it all had happened and how ACT has worked in helping him to create a full, rich and meaningful life for himself despite all the disasters threatening to engulf him.

Angela Gifford