Mental illness is not a choice, but recovery is.
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The less you respond to negative people, the more peaceful your life will become.
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A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song. – Maya Angelou
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You want to get ahead at work, but your journey to the top won’t have to take nearly as long if you stop making these common work mistakes.
According to the U.S. BLS, Americans are 400% more productive now than they were in 1950. And you want to prove your worth, so you pack on the projects just to show you’re capable of carrying the world (and maybe Venus, too) on your shoulders. But all you’re doing is draining your capacity to crank out the stellar work you need to produce. The more you work, the more stupid you become, making costly mistakes because of your decreased brain volume (thank you, stress).
Work less, but smarter.
In 2012, only one in five Americans left their desks for lunch. But working through your break decreases your productivity and your focus. When you take breaks, you give your brain the time it needs to recharge and refresh, and this is uncompromisable (especially in creative jobs).
If you feel you’re on a roll, jot down some memory-jogging notes and you’ll pick up exactly where you left off when you get back, steam gained, not lost.
No matter how many times it’s been said, it’s never enough. Many of us just don’t like to sleep. We feel unproductive and slack. But in reality, NOT sleeping makes us less productive! Sleep strengthens our memory, allows us to prep mentally for the tasks ahead, and even regulates our metabolism, as reported by recent studies in the Journal of Neuroscience.
Stop shaving hours off your night, start adding quality to your work.
You may have a lot to say in that email to your colleague or boss, but avoid it. Chit-chat is the fastest way to get that email deleted instead of read. Leaders at the top of any powerful organization refuse to read or send long emails.
You want to send a pro impression. Keep your emails short (under 300 words) and to the point, and the recipient will love that you respect their time and will actually read it.
Just because you’re an adult doesn’t mean you get to slouch. Slouching is not only bad for your posture, it’s bad for your image. People perceive slouchers as slackers. Your posture influences how people perceive you, as well as how confident you are. Amy Cuddy and her famous TED Talk on power postures reveals there are physical changes that happen when we adopt a particular stance and that explains why we are perceived as leaders when we stand tall and straight.
You’re in this game to win it, so work on aligning those shoulders with your ears. You may even get a raise out of it.
You work in an office, yes, but you still want to be a leader. Do you want your boss’s job? Do you want HIS boss’s job? Don’t resign yourself to the cubicle and wait for the Universe to drop a management or ownership position in your lap.
Learn how and why the leaders in your world make the decisions they make and train your brain to make decisions based on the “big picture”.
Say what you have to say and stop. Rambling makes you look like an amateur, at best. At worst? You look like a liar.
Keep your conversations on point at all times to let your higher-ups know you mean business.
You might not be happy. Who would be with minimum wage and a boss with a bad attitude? But don’t look for another job while on the job you currently have. Accountemps uncovered that three out of 10 employees job hunt while on the job. Even if you’re not trying to get ahead in the office you’re in, you could bring demise faster than you planned, if you’re caught fishing off-shore.
Facebook on company time? Salary.com surveyed employees and found that 41% are using Facebook at work. You know your boss is reading your posts, right? What do you suppose he thinks when he sees your “Delicious Mexican for lunch again today!” post? You think he’s thinking “Let’s give him a raise”? Nope. He’s wondering why you’re not pimping your company or already focusing on what you’re going to do after lunch.
Everyone has to vent. Do it when you get home. Venting at work makes you look like a nagger and a whiner, taking away points from your overall success score. Having a listening partner can do wonders for your ability to take crap in the office (making you look like the rockstar you are).
Set up a daily or weekly time to yell and scream to an objective third party who is simply going to listen and say, “I hear you. That is frustrating.”
If you don’t talk to your team, how will they know what needs to be done? And if you and your colleagues are working on a project together, how will you figure out who does what? They’re not mind-readers. And you’re not telepathic. The National Association of IT Professionals reports that 28% of project failures are due to a lack of communication.
Work out a time for weekly meetings to get everyone on the same page. Your boss will love the initiative.
Asking for a raise and having your voice crack right in the middle of your request is the fastest way to a denial of said request. Learn to speak confidently and clearly so you always come across as someone who knows his stuff. As Nick Morgan, author of “Power Cues: The Subtle Science of Leading Groups, Persuading Others, and Maximizing Your Personal Impact,” points out, the richer and more resonate your voice, the more authoritative you sound. So ask with your leadership voice, letting your voice rise with passion and fall with authority, and you’ll stand a better chance of getting what you want.
You don’t just breeze into the President’s office, totally unprepared to rebut any possible retort he might have about your project. Being unprepared is not only sophomoric, it shows a great disrespect for your position and your colleagues. Bye-bye raise, promotion, and big cushy chair.
Know everything you can possibly know about your boss’s needs and anticipate his questions/comments/inquiries so you can address them on the spot.
You cannot become VP by spending your days playing phone games like Candy Crush. Lay off the games. Focus on your work. Focus on the objectives your management team expects from you. But go even bigger than that. Focus on the things that would make you a superstar in their eyes. Push yourself to the next level.
You can’t keep doing favors for your colleagues. You work hard, right? Make the rest of your team work hard, too. If you’re letting them skate by, then you’re nothing more than the office workhorse and the only thing you’ll get for it is that haggard, overworked look around the eyes.
When people ask you to do them favors, think very well about what you’ll gain from saying yes.
Who said smiling is overrated? Making your co-workers feel valued is a trait that will take you to the next level. It shows you’re a team player. You work for the greater good. And Pryce-Jones reported that smiling and happy people at work are engaged in work-related activities 80% of the time, as opposed to the unhappy grumblers who are productive only 40%. And if you don’t feel like smiling, here’s evidence that says doing it anyway will make you happier. Win-win!
Using your phone at work could cost you your raise if you’re spending more time with it in your hand than your mouse (Hint: We know you’re playing Candy Crush again. Or, worse, you’re on Tinder.)
Avoid the urge to check your email, answer your mother (again), or surf the web by locking your phone in your drawer, only pulling it out at lunch and on breaks.
Being creative is a must. If you aren’t creative, you have no advantage over the other Nagging Nancy in the next cubicle over. And ideas have the habit of coming at horribly inopportune times, which means you probably won’t remember them.
Spend time each day coming up with ideas and write them down. Keep a notebook with you and write down every idea that comes to you. You’ll not only have a created a journal of wealth, but you will have developed one of the most powerful muscle in your body: the one that is going to carry you to the top in the business world.
This is not high school. This is the real deal. Don’t waste your valuable time making friends with all feuding parties. Inevitably, if you get embroiled in the office drama, someone will stab you in the back. Be courteous to all, but don’t take your eyes off that trophy position.
In the end, avoid as much as you can of office politics or learn how to play the game more ethically than the rest.
Want to be a success? Make them think you already are one. Whatever the style of your office is, step it up one notch. Even Neil Patel talks about how simply wearing a particular watch vetted him profits. It’s important to look the part you want to play. Period.
Invest in a wardrobe that will increase your value.
These common work mistakes are keeping you squarely positioned in your cubicle. Get out by vowing to make this the year you break your bad work habits and develop habits that will smash your competition.
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“It’s snowing still,” said Eeyore gloomily. “So it is.” “And freezing.” “Is it?” “Yes,” said Eeyore. “However,” he said, brightening up a little, “we haven’t had an earthquake lately.” ― A.A. Milne
All academic thought, science and philosophy on optimism confirms that a person who demonstrates the attitudes, beliefs and actions of an optimist will live longer, be happier and healthier than a person who does not.
If you want to be good leader then become an Optimistic Leader. This will guarantee you the success of leadership you aspire to.
So Why Is it That Optimists Make Better Leaders? Optimists demonstrate the behaviours and attitudes that support good leadership. Listed below are the 8 reasons why optimists are better leaders.
Optimists want to solve problems and improve the situation they are in. They will always focus on finding a solution rather than analysing the issues surrounding the problem.
The solution-based approach that an optimist leader uses promotes creativity and innovative thinking. An optimist is quite comfortable thinking outside of the square; in fact that is where they are their happiest.
The key questions an optimistic leader will ask when seeking a solution are: What is needed? (Not; what is wrong?). What it going well? (Not: what is going badly?). What practical progress can be made to work toward implementing the solution? How can we measure that the solution is working?
Optimists do better than pessimists because their coping strategies are better. They are more resilient and able to quickly “bounce back” from failure and setbacks in life.
An optimist is a risk–taker and is comfortable making tough decisions. They accept the reality of failure and the possibility of making mistakes. An optimist will view failure or mistakes as an opportunity to learn and to make progress. They see failure and set backs in the workplace as a part of life. An optimistic leader is quick to respond and adapt to the situation at hand. They will want to get their teamsmoving forward and back on track as quickly as possible.
Optimists do not seek scapegoats or play the blame game. If mistakes are made they will want to know what went wrong and what could be done differently to avoid making the same mistakes.
Optimists get their energy from people. They are good at creating and keeping long-term relationships. Optimists are comfortable communicating and sharing their desires for a better future or for better solutions.
Optimists understand the importance of engaging and motivating others. They have a commitment to succeed and will speak from the heart rather than using data, reports or research to back them up. To be a good leader you need to be a good communicator and effective at engaging others to share in your vision of the future.
Psychologists have found that optimists are less likely to be controlled by the “Recency Effect”. This is a psychological term that states that the most recent experiences we go through are the ones that we remember. We assume that these experiences will continue in the future. For example if an organisation is experiencing the impact of a recession then taking risk or considering any growth initiatives would be dismissed. The focus would be on getting through the day-to-day activities to survive.
An optimist is a big picture thinker and has a positive view of the future. They would not be looking at what is happening right now or what happened in the past but will be looking at the possibility of the great things that could happen in the future.
Sir Winston Churchill was one of the greatest optimistic leaders of all time. He was exceptionally skilled at using the language of motivation. He was able to turn the British people around, despite the fact they were losing the war, to believing in his vision for Britain’s future.
Winston Churchill was immune to the “Regency Effect” (see above). He was able to elicit the belief from the British people that they had a future and that they would win the war despite all odds against them. He gave them hope and made them feel brave. In his speeches he motivated and inspired the British public to believe that they were winners and that surrendering to the Germans was not an option.
Winston Churchill used a strategy in his speeches that was simple and very effective. The first thing he would do was assess the situation and acknowledge the reality of it. He then would present a strategy for overcoming the challenge. Thirdly he would create the vision of what the future would look like when they were successful.
Winston’s Churchill’s strategy was a strategy of an optimist. He believed that things would get better because he knew that he would make it better.
In 2008 research was conducted by the University of California and Harvard called the “Emotional Contagion”. This research looked at happiness and how contagious it was. What the researchers discovered was that when people where surrounded by happy people they are more likely to become happy too. The research even calculated that happiness could spread and impact on people up to three degrees of separation.
Optimists are happy people. Optimistic leaders’ behaviours are infectious and they have a positive impact on the morale and state of happiness of the people they lead.
Optimists do not like to work alone and will seek others’ thoughts and opinions before making decisions. They believe that the power to change or take action is greatest in a collective team.
Optimists will openly share information and knowledge with others to enable them to fully participate in the decision making process. An optimist leader seeks to have their teams engaged and working together toward a shared purpose and vision. An optimists style of leadership is not one of command and control but one where diversity and the expression of opposing thoughts and opinions are encouraged.
Optimistic people always focus on the positive aspects of a situation. Their view of life is different to that of a pessimist. The analogy that is used to describe the difference is, that optimists see a glass of water as “half full” whereas a pessimist will see the glass of water as a “half empty”.
An optimist has hope and a belief in a better future. They focus on opportunities instead of obstacles. They understand what motivates and inspires them to live a successful and fulfilled life. Negativity and fear do not belong in their world and in fact are inhibitors to their success in life.
Research has shown that by having an optimistic view of life you are likely to have a more successful, happier and healthier life, than a person who has a pessimistic view of life. Leaders who are optimists have the ability to envision a better future and they are able to inspire and motivate people to work toward achieving that shared vision of success.
An optimistic leader does not allow their people to wallow in the dark and difficult times. They encourage them to acknowledge the reality of the situation, to plan ahead, take action and work toward a better and more successful future.
Anyone can become an optimistic leader, you just need to learn how. One of the best books I have ever read about how you can increase your level of optimism, is written by Martin Seligman . Martin Seligman provides fantastic tools and strategies for you to use to increase your level of optimism.
“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” Winston Churchill
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A new survey by LinkedIn and the Adler Group suggests that 72% of professionals are either somewhat or very satisfied with their jobs. Nonetheless, this doesn’t stop 85% of these same employees being open to new opportunities.
In fact, across the 18,000 employees in 26 countries that were polled, 25% are actively looking, and another 15% are chatting with their close personal network about opportunities. A further 45% are open to an approach by a recruiter.
What would motivate you to explore other career options? Do your motivations fit with your peers?
Job title is not much of a motivator. Compensation, work-life balance and opportunities for advancement are more important.
But the top career motivators vary by country, age and sex. Millenials find compensation more important, while the over 40s care about work-life balance. Dutch and Japanese employees seek challenging work, while Danish and Indian employees are more interested in learning opportunities. Women care more about relationship with their manager than men.
What are your own career priorities? What might your employer realistically do to keep you from leaving? Is it worth a conversation with your boss or family to ensure you get the job satisfaction you really desire?
Featured photo credit: Snapwire snaps via Pixabay.com via pixabay.com
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Canadian artist Robert Gonsalves has spent decades perfecting his art, which intends to celebrate imagination and twist our perceptions of reality in a single glance. These beautiful, mind-twisting illusions are deep, complex, interesting and cause the viewer to swing between decisions about where the boundaries of realism and fantasy collide and blur.
Gonsalves’ interest in art began when he was just 12 years old, when he began to experiment with how many different themes and layers he could combine into his pictures. As I’m sure any art lover can see, his encounters with works by Salvador Dali and Rene Magritte clearly had an impact.
Since he began creating his unique paintings they have resulted in three children’s books and have been shown around the world. Take a look and let us know if Gonsalves’ gets your creativity flowing!
Images: Rob Gonsalves Official Facebook | Huckleberry Fine Art Gallery
Featured photo credit: The Sun Sets Sail | Rob Gonsalves via huckleberryfineart.com
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Sig Nordal 