Change – How to Survive Tip 1

Change is most definitely in the air at the moment. But actually there is rarely a time when change is not with us – thankfully, or we’d still be scratching our heads wondering if a wheel might be a good idea or not!

I work in a lot of organisations who are undergoing change and the initial response is nearly always the same. Employees feel threatened and anxious, sickness levels go up, productivity suffers. And the toll on individuals can be enormous.

That’s the downside. But don’t forget change can also be hugely positive! It’s hard to remember that when change is being imposed but you will probably have had as many positive experiences of change in your life as negative ones. It’s just that we remember the negative ones so much more clearly!

If you are experiencing a lot of uncertainty in your personal life, a change at work over which you have no control can be the final straw. The Holmes and Rahe stress scale is still a useful guide to thinking about the impact more change might have on you.

Managing Change Tip

My first tip is to take a look at it, see how you rate and then take steps to look after yourself. It might be that you join up with a friend to help and support each other, or make sure you are eating healthily and look after yourself physically. Or find out what is on offer in your organisation to help you – mentoring, counselling, even subsidised gym membership!

Resolve now not to be a victim of the changes but take some control where you can.

This is the first in a series on managing change. If you want to be certain of getting every post you can sign up for them simply by putting your email address in box at top of this page. And you can unsubscribe at any time.

What’s Your Perfect Working Day?

I wrote ‘When Work isn’t Working’ for all my coaching clients who came to me dissatisfied with their work. People were unhappy with the job they had, for all sorts of reasons, but just didn’t know what to do instead. They felt stuck.

And so I wrote a creative visualisation especially for them, which is in the book, and is now available for you to listen to right now completely free!

Free Download

Reading a visualisation doesn’t work as well as hearing it. Which is why I have recorded it and it is on the site, entirely free of charge for you! If you have the book already, you will find it enhances all the exercises you have already done. And if you don’t have the book, don’t worry – it works well on its own too!

Simply click on the link to the right of your screen called ‘Your Perfect Day’. You don’t need to enter any details. You can either listen to it directly from your computer, or, (recommended) down load it to a player and take it somewhere calm and relaxing for you, where you won’t be interrupted.

I hope you enjoy listening to it and that it takes you closer to achieving your ideal job! Please do let me know what you think! And if listening to the relaxation has whetted your interest in finding out more about your perfect job, you can download it immediately!  It’s available to buy in UK pounds and US Dollars!

Are You Working Too Much?

A recent study, reported in the European Heart Journal (May 2010), has followed the health of more than 10,000 civil servants since 1985.

And they conclude that working too much is bad for your heart (as well as a whole lot of other things I might add!)

Their research shows a 60% increase in heart related illness such as non fatal heart attacks and angina in those who work three hours or more longer than a normal 7 hour day. One or two hours overtime made no difference.

They cite several possible reasons why this might be so. It could be that people who regularly work longer hours are type As, classified as aggressive, competitive, and very time conscious; prime candidates for heart disease. Another factor could be psychological distress, such as depression, anxiety, lack of sleep, or not relaxing enough before sleep. They may also be the type to carry on regardless, even though they feel unwell.

The study was done exclusively on white collar workers in the public sector so may not hold true for everyone.

But the message is clear. Don’t let work run your life, rather let it be part of your life in your control. And if you find work is making you feel stressed and anxious on a regular basis , do something about it! Talk to someone at work, consider a different job, change your attitude towards to work, take back control. Don’t let your career run you, It’s YOUR career, take charge!

What Price Your Value?

Our values are of huge importance to us. If we able to live life in a way that respects our values we’re well on the way to finding the secret of happiness!

Values are not our morals; they are not about being right or wrong (although living in an ethical way might be a value we hold).

When we are honouring our values we feel ‘right’ inside. Similarly when we are ignoring, (or are not able to live by) our values we feel all ‘wrong’. The technical term is dissonance. If we’re not making choices in life based on our true values we’ll suffer from dissonance. It may reveal itself as frustation, or anger, or indifference. We may try to pretend to ourselves that all is well but inside we know. All is not well, whether it’s at work, or in our private life. We know something is not right, even if we can’t always put our finger on what is wrong.

I have included an exercise in my book on understanding your values because articulating our values can sometimes be difficult. This post may also help. What values have to be met for you to have a happy and fulfilling life? Does your current job or lifestyle honour them?

Make A Connection

How many people do you ‘depend’ on in your work?

Which people do you need to be working well with you to ensure your work goes well?

Write a list. Include everybody that has a part to play.

Now, how many of them do you have a good relationship with? How many of them have you made a connection with? From Postroom to Payroll, there is no substitute for a genuine relationship, showing an interest in the people who are important to you.

Could be a good exercise for a Friday afternoon….?

Talk to Yourself!

Have you tried talking to yourself lately?

One of the reasons people find coaching so helpful is that it gives them an opportunity to rehearse ideas with a neutral person. We often don’t know what we think until we say it loud.

Sometimes we have an idea that we’re not actually ready for the world to hear because we haven’t heard it made real.

Mirror, Mirror

If you find yourself in this position, try this. Stand in front of your mirror and pitch the idea to yourself!

Think about it as your literal reflection time!

Who helps you bring ideas to fruition?