A few months ago, a good friend of mine approached me about an internal job posting within his organization for which he was interested in applying.
He had been a video editor within this sports broadcasting company for four years and definitely needed more responsibility, a new challenge and something to give him renewed excitement about the organization and his field. He was hesitant to apply, as he’d been told that the individuals hiring already had someone in mind for the position and he felt that a fair amount of the job description was out of his skill set, as the job required producing experience. I encouraged him to apply regardless, as it would show upper management that he was looking to make lateral and/or vertical moves within the organization, that he wanted to be given more leadership opportunities and that he was looking to grow within this field.
Ultimately, there was no harm in applying. His superiors wouldn’t even know he was interested in the position if he didn’t apply and likely hadn’t considered him as a possibility for the job — not because he wasn’t qualified or capable, but because he hadn’t voiced any interest until this point. If you don’t ask, you don’t get.
My friend applied for the position and within two days he heard back from the hiring manager for the position. He had an interview three days later and, what do you know? He got the job!
Two weeks later he set off on a month of travelling across Canada filming the fourth season of this station’s signature show. He had new responsibilities, new networking opportunities, and the chance to learn new skills within his field — and he could not have been more pumped to get started! None of this would have happened if he had settled for the status quo and hadn’t voiced his interest in this exciting new opportunity. He Spoke Up!
Think of it this way: it’s more efficient and cost effective to teach a new skill to an eager, existing employee than to hire someone new to fill the gap.
You’ll be surprised to see the opportunities that become available to you by showing this initiative, enthusiasm and dedication in your organization.
Ways to speak up successfully
• Arrange a meeting with your manager/supervisor to discuss your long-term career vision
• Talk to your boss about ways for you to get more involved in your organization
• Apply for internal job postings
• Request to be put on certain project teams
• Tell your boss you are looking for more responsibility or that you want to acquire new skills —be specific..
8. juni 2013
How to confront someone at work.
When someone showcases inappropriate behaviour, especially in a workplace setting, it can create a negative work atmosphere in which other co-workers feel uninterested to do their work and even customers don’t want to deal with that particular business. Whether the need for the confrontation arises in a work or personal setting, here are handy tips on how you should go about confronting that certain someone:
Use your personal power
This is simply the influence that you have on your peers. While we all have positional power, personal power is something we develop through rapport. If you are to confront someone, it can make the process a lot easier if you have a good working relationship and mutual understanding with that person.
What to confront
If you are confronted by someone, you will probably take it personally. So when you are confronting, don’t point your finger at the individual, but rather talk about how the way they are behaving needs to change. Remember the saying: “It’s not what you’re saying, but how you’re saying it.”
Be objective
Don’t let your emotions get in the way — stay both morally and emotionally objective.
Stay focused on the issue at hand
Always remain focused on the initial issue, and confront tihe person’s behaviour.
Consistency
Try to be consistent in your approach and in what you do and say.
Laugh it up
It can be a very good idea to employ humour.
This shows you are human and that you can make light of the situation.
It’s also a good way of cutting through the emotional tension.
Be pre-emptive
Always attempt to resolve problems before they actually occur or deal with it early on to prevent any escalations.
Use your personal power
This is simply the influence that you have on your peers. While we all have positional power, personal power is something we develop through rapport. If you are to confront someone, it can make the process a lot easier if you have a good working relationship and mutual understanding with that person.
What to confront
If you are confronted by someone, you will probably take it personally. So when you are confronting, don’t point your finger at the individual, but rather talk about how the way they are behaving needs to change. Remember the saying: “It’s not what you’re saying, but how you’re saying it.”
Be objective
Don’t let your emotions get in the way — stay both morally and emotionally objective.
Stay focused on the issue at hand
Always remain focused on the initial issue, and confront tihe person’s behaviour.
Consistency
Try to be consistent in your approach and in what you do and say.
Laugh it up
It can be a very good idea to employ humour.
This shows you are human and that you can make light of the situation.
It’s also a good way of cutting through the emotional tension.
Be pre-emptive
Always attempt to resolve problems before they actually occur or deal with it early on to prevent any escalations.
21. mai 2013
8. mai 2013
How do I effectively manage change?
Our journey through life involves a series of changes - some major and many minor. Even though change has always been a part of life it seems that change is happening faster than ever before. This is especially evident in the workplace. Competition in a global marketplace, technological advances, changing demographics, and the speed of information transfer are just some of the influences that have had a dramatic impact on how organizations operate. Day-to-day work life is commonly filled with policy and procedure changes, shifting responsibilities, and expanding workloads. At the same time, our personal lives are often marked by competing demands and priorities.
Being able to adapt and respond effectively in a constantly changing world has become a necessary skill. And one that we can enhance and develop when we understand what goes on at a personal level when we are faced with change.
How we respond to change is a funny thing. There are times when we go out of our way to initiate change in our lives. For example, we may move house, city or country; change jobs or go back to school. Although we may be apprehensive about such changes, we are stimulated by the possibilities and opportunities that will emerge.
When we initiate the change, we are likely to define the experience as exciting. On the other hand, these same changes might be imposed on us by circumstance, or the design of another person or our workplace. When change is imposed on us, our experience of the change is likely to be quite different. In these situations, we may feel threatened and fearful about the change, and focus heavily on negative outcomes. We may want little to do with the change and find ourselves resisting it fiercely.
Moving From Resistance to Acceptance
When we resist change, we knowingly or unknowingly behave in ways that attempt to keep things 'the way they were'. Our attitudes and actions are not aligned with the new directions and we are likely to feel discomfort or tension as a result. To help ourselves move from resistance to acceptance, it can be useful to understand that there are varied reasons why people may resist or struggle with change it isn't simply because we think the old way is better.
When we find ourselves resisting or struggling with change, the first step is to ask ourselves WHY?
It May be Because... We Are Creatures of Habit
Being able to do things the same way provides us with a large element of predictability, stability, and comfort in our lives. When it comes to our responsibilities at work, once we have done things the same way for a certain length of time, we end up getting quite good at what we do. This degree of competence contributes to our sense of value or worth. When we are asked to make changes that impact how we do our job, our sense of comfort and competence becomes disrupted. We may at times feel insecure about our abilities.
It is important to recognize that it is natural to feel out of sorts and frustrated from time-to-time when we are embarking in new directions. Doing things differently takes effort and the course is never really clear. It's important to ask ourselves what knowledge or skills that we may be lacking and to seek these out. We may also benefit from making a goal that relates to doing our personal best within a changing environment, acknowledging that things will not go smoothly all of the times.
It May be Because... The Change Involves a Loss
Certain life events, such as losing a loved one, involve an obvious major loss. In such circumstances we understand that people will grieve their loss. However, with other sorts of change the losses we experience are not always obvious. And with workplace change, our workload is usually so full that it is hard to imagine that we've lost anything. However, as a result of the changes, we may not have the same opportunity to connect with certain people or certain activities that we've enjoyed. These subtle changes can translate into a loss, and leave us feeling amiss and reluctant to move forward with the changes.
Making a special effort to stay connected with people that are important to us can be helpful.
Identifying those aspects of the change that represent benefits for us personally will help us get a balanced perspective and orient us positively toward the change.
It May be Because... We Fear the Unknown
During periods of change, when things are uncertain and unpredictable, we may fear or worry about the unknown. We may be anxious about where we are headed, and what the future will look like. We generally have a high need for information, and yet it is common for information to be sketchy or incomplete. In the workplace, a change in one area may require decisions in another that can't always be foreseen or articulated as quickly as we would like.
There are a number of things that we can do to help ourselves adapt to uncertainty or ambiguity:
- First, ask how the change will affect our immediate situation; ask questions to clarify things that seem unclear; stay focused on the task at hand; focus on one step at a time or one day at a time. To minimize worry about what lies ahead ask yourself the question 'is there anything that I can do about this matter?'
- If yes, then identify the action to be taken. If not, acknowledge that 'I have no control over this matter' and focus on those things that you can influence.
- We can learn from our past experience of change by asking 'have I been through anything like this before?' or 'how did I get through it and what seemed to work?'
Positive Orientation Towards Change
No matter what change we are faced with in life, it will be much easier to cope with and adapt to if we hold a positive attitude about change in general. This doesn't mean that we necessarily have to agree with the circumstances or details of the change. In fact we may disagree with it, but can still adapt to it in a constructive manner.
Having a positive orientation towards change involves:
- knowing what we can and cannot control in a given situation
- recognizing that disruptions are a natural response to change
- being creative and looking for the opportunities that change creates
- recognizing that there are a number of right ways to do things
- utilizing our personal resources and strengths to actively do the best we can
Being Aware and Taking Care
Having a positive orientation towards change will go a long way in minimizing the stress that we may experience during times of change. Nevertheless, it is important to be aware of our stress levels, and to take special care of ourselves during these times. This means ensuring that we are getting enough rest, eating healthily, and participating in activities such as exercise, relaxation techniques, and hobbies that help us get away from this stress. Many people find that speaking with an EAP counsellor can be helpful during periods of HEIGHTened change.
We each have an active role to play in how we respond and adapt to change that we experience in life. Understanding this will make it much easier to take advantage of the opportunities for learning, and personal growth that do exist amidst change.
Contributed by Shepell-fgi
3. april 2013
When you remember a past event, you’re actually remembering the last time you remembered it, not the event itself
When you remember a past event, you’re actually remembering the last time you remembered it, not the event itself
The brain is one of the most biggest and complex organs within the human body. It is responsible for many different bodily functions and is capable of extraordinary things, so why has research shown that each time you recall a past event, your brain distorts it?
A Northwestern Medicine study involving 70 people has shown that every time we remember an event that has happened from our past, our brain networks change in ways that actually alter the recall of the event. This means means the next time you remember it, you might not remember the original event but what you remembered the previous time.
As postdoctoral fellow Donna Bridge explains, “A memory is not simply an image produced by time traveling back to the original event — it can be an image that is somewhat distorted because of the prior times you remembered it,” and, “Your memory of an event can grow less precise even to the point of being totally false with each retrieval.”
Donna Bridge explains the reason behind the distortion is that human memories are always adapting and that memories do actually change over time, e.g. if you think back to an event that happened to you a long time ago, like your first day of school – you actually may be remembering the information you retrieved about that event at some later time, not the original event itself.
Contributed by Luke Dawson
The brain is one of the most biggest and complex organs within the human body. It is responsible for many different bodily functions and is capable of extraordinary things, so why has research shown that each time you recall a past event, your brain distorts it?
A Northwestern Medicine study involving 70 people has shown that every time we remember an event that has happened from our past, our brain networks change in ways that actually alter the recall of the event. This means means the next time you remember it, you might not remember the original event but what you remembered the previous time.
As postdoctoral fellow Donna Bridge explains, “A memory is not simply an image produced by time traveling back to the original event — it can be an image that is somewhat distorted because of the prior times you remembered it,” and, “Your memory of an event can grow less precise even to the point of being totally false with each retrieval.”
Donna Bridge explains the reason behind the distortion is that human memories are always adapting and that memories do actually change over time, e.g. if you think back to an event that happened to you a long time ago, like your first day of school – you actually may be remembering the information you retrieved about that event at some later time, not the original event itself.
Contributed by Luke Dawson
15. mars 2013
Five ways to gain control over your subconscious mind
When thoughts go in several directions at once or when you feel disconnected from what you are doing in the moment, do yourself a favor. Pause for a moment to center your emotional energies.
When you are not centered, fear has overwhelmed the balance of the body, and thoughts feel scattered because the emotional part of the brain is flooded. Your subconscious mind has stopped cooperating with your conscious mind, in fact, it has hijacked all the systems of your body, as happens, whenever the stress response of the body gets activated.
Whether you are worrying about the future or a problem that needs to be fixed or just entertaining anxious thoughts, in effect, you are unwittingly throwing off your body’s balance by entertaining worrisome thoughts that focus your mind on anxious images “out there” somewhere in the future. Since the power to make choices resides in the present moment, this can leave you feeling powerless, or even overwhelmed.
What happens to throw you off balance or make you feel disconnected? Conflict. Tense moments. Triggers.
What do they have in common? They activate painful or unpleasant emotions inside, and the body’s “fight of flee” response.
Emotions are signals, important messages that the mind of your body sends to your thinking brain. “It is through ‘molecules of emotion’ that our brain, glands, organs, and immune system are in constant communication,” says Dr. Candace Pert in her book, Molecules of Emotion: The Science Behind Mind-Body Medicine. Unfortunately, if you’re like many, you’ve been conditioned throughout life to deny or numb, ignore or dismiss painful emotions.
Avoiding or denying your feelings, however, is a temporary solution that backfires somewhere down the line. Taking a few moments to center yourself is a great option, as well as a kind loving gift to yourself.
What does centering yourself mean? It is a process that involves tuning into what is going on inside, your feelings, thoughts, needs, wants, etc., so that you may be fully present to your experience of self in the moment. This allows your conscious mind and subconscious to work together.
Since your conscious process, it involves making conscious choices. More specifically, you can choose to gain the cooperation of your subconscious mind, the part of the mind that runs all the systems of the body. Here are five fast and easy ways:
Set an intention to do so. One of the first steps to take, when you notice you are off balance, is to simply set an intention to restore calm to the energies of your mind and body.
Practice slow, deep breathing. Prompt yourself to, “Breathe,” and take long, slow, deep breaths, from deep within your belly. Focus on your breathing, with every inhale, breathe in a sense of calmness and confidence. With every exhale, let go of tension or stress. If you follow the ebb and flow of your breath, you will find this easily restores your balance.
Notice what’s going on inside. Observe what you are thinking, feeling or needing inside. Consciously let go of any judgments, give yourself empathy, and validate your emotions with an affirmation, such as, “It makes sense that I’m feeling anxious. I’m scaring myself out of sharing my feelings with worrisome thoughts, such as ‘I will hurt people’s feelings if I tell them how I feel.”
Affirm words to yourself that are calming. Confidently remind yourself that you can handle unpleasant emotions, and think of situations in the past when you have. Make calming affirmations, such as “I feel anxious. I can handle this. I have in the past. I feel confident in my ability to remain centered and calm.”
Visualize the outcome you want. If possible, sit down for a few moments, close your eyes, see your entire body relaxed, put a smile on your face, and picture yourself as calm, confident and centered. Now imagine the most positive outcome to some problem. See the picture vividly, hear the sounds, feel the feelings. Enjoy the sensations this image brings to you.
Use these five tools daily, as needed, to center yourself in the present moment. When you are fully present to your experience of life in the moment, you have access to vital resources inside, core powers of awareness, intention, and breath, etc. This optimizes your ability to make informed decisions.
Contribution by Athena Stiak
When you are not centered, fear has overwhelmed the balance of the body, and thoughts feel scattered because the emotional part of the brain is flooded. Your subconscious mind has stopped cooperating with your conscious mind, in fact, it has hijacked all the systems of your body, as happens, whenever the stress response of the body gets activated.
Whether you are worrying about the future or a problem that needs to be fixed or just entertaining anxious thoughts, in effect, you are unwittingly throwing off your body’s balance by entertaining worrisome thoughts that focus your mind on anxious images “out there” somewhere in the future. Since the power to make choices resides in the present moment, this can leave you feeling powerless, or even overwhelmed.
What happens to throw you off balance or make you feel disconnected? Conflict. Tense moments. Triggers.
What do they have in common? They activate painful or unpleasant emotions inside, and the body’s “fight of flee” response.
Emotions are signals, important messages that the mind of your body sends to your thinking brain. “It is through ‘molecules of emotion’ that our brain, glands, organs, and immune system are in constant communication,” says Dr. Candace Pert in her book, Molecules of Emotion: The Science Behind Mind-Body Medicine. Unfortunately, if you’re like many, you’ve been conditioned throughout life to deny or numb, ignore or dismiss painful emotions.
Avoiding or denying your feelings, however, is a temporary solution that backfires somewhere down the line. Taking a few moments to center yourself is a great option, as well as a kind loving gift to yourself.
What does centering yourself mean? It is a process that involves tuning into what is going on inside, your feelings, thoughts, needs, wants, etc., so that you may be fully present to your experience of self in the moment. This allows your conscious mind and subconscious to work together.
Since your conscious process, it involves making conscious choices. More specifically, you can choose to gain the cooperation of your subconscious mind, the part of the mind that runs all the systems of the body. Here are five fast and easy ways:
Set an intention to do so. One of the first steps to take, when you notice you are off balance, is to simply set an intention to restore calm to the energies of your mind and body.
Practice slow, deep breathing. Prompt yourself to, “Breathe,” and take long, slow, deep breaths, from deep within your belly. Focus on your breathing, with every inhale, breathe in a sense of calmness and confidence. With every exhale, let go of tension or stress. If you follow the ebb and flow of your breath, you will find this easily restores your balance.
Notice what’s going on inside. Observe what you are thinking, feeling or needing inside. Consciously let go of any judgments, give yourself empathy, and validate your emotions with an affirmation, such as, “It makes sense that I’m feeling anxious. I’m scaring myself out of sharing my feelings with worrisome thoughts, such as ‘I will hurt people’s feelings if I tell them how I feel.”
Affirm words to yourself that are calming. Confidently remind yourself that you can handle unpleasant emotions, and think of situations in the past when you have. Make calming affirmations, such as “I feel anxious. I can handle this. I have in the past. I feel confident in my ability to remain centered and calm.”
Visualize the outcome you want. If possible, sit down for a few moments, close your eyes, see your entire body relaxed, put a smile on your face, and picture yourself as calm, confident and centered. Now imagine the most positive outcome to some problem. See the picture vividly, hear the sounds, feel the feelings. Enjoy the sensations this image brings to you.
Use these five tools daily, as needed, to center yourself in the present moment. When you are fully present to your experience of life in the moment, you have access to vital resources inside, core powers of awareness, intention, and breath, etc. This optimizes your ability to make informed decisions.
Contribution by Athena Stiak
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