A Little Fun

Never let it be said that employees of Smart Zone Solutions don't have fun. My Director of Client Relations, Zan, had lots of fun this weekend at a neighborhood Halloween party. Guess who she is:

Here's another view (think vice presidential):

That's right - Sarah Palin! She was the hit of the party next to Wonder Woman.

In honor of the upcoming election I couldn't resist sharing these pictures. (Thanks Zan for letting me). And don't forget to vote!

Feeling Down in the Dumps

With the recent hurricane devastation in south Texas and financial industry crisis, we are all aware of the potential for depression in those whose lives have been affected. It makes sense that feelings of depression are logical after such major events.

Those of you who have experienced coping with the loss of someone you love, the loss of your job, the loss of health, or even the changes in where you live can relate to the hopelessness of those affected by Hurricane Ike. But when is the sadness you feel appropriate and when is it a significant clinical depression?

In any given year, it is expected that 1 out of 10 adults suffer from clinical depression. The symptoms of depression that require professional intervention include:

• Persistent sad, anxious or "empty" mood
• Feelings of hopelessness, pessimism
• Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness
• Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities that were once enjoyed, including sex
• Decreased energy, fatigue, being "slowed down"
• Difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions
• Insomnia, early-morning awakening, or oversleeping
• Appetite and/or weight loss or overeating and weight gain
• Restlessness, irritability
• Persistent physical symptoms that do not respond to treatment, such as headaches, digestive disorders, and chronic pain.
• In the extreme: thoughts of death or suicide; suicide attempts. Click here for a list of suicide facts.

Experiencing one of these symptoms does not necessarily mean that you are clinically depressed. Rather, it's a combination of these symptoms that warrants professional attention.

A new study in the Archives of General Psychiatry suggests that cognitive therapy (or "talk therapy") may be as effective as antidepressant drugs in the initial treatment of moderate to severe depression. Cognitive therapy involves a person talking through what they think is causing their depression. The therapist then can give specific skills to help change the way they view the problem and then learn how to better manage it. Of course, you should never quit taking medication for depression without the guidance of your doctor or therapist.

Most people believe that there is little hope for depression even with proper treatment. Not true! It is estimated that 80% of people with depression improve with proper treatment. The real problem is that people are unwilling to get treatment in the first place. And people with depression can't just "snap out of it."

If you are just feeling "down in the dumps" the following things can boost your mood:

• Take a walk outside. Sunshine actually increases the secretion of melatonin, a hormone that will trigger a more active you.
  
• Break down large tasks into small ones and do what you can.
  
• Set realistic goals about what you want to accomplish.
  
• Volunteer for a cause. Shifting your focus on helping someone else can lift your mood. Some of my office staff recently volunteered for the Red Cross to help hurricane victims.
  
• Be willing to seek treatment. The true barrier to successfully eliminating depression is to be willing to participate in counseling.

A good first step is to talk with your doctor, a psychologist and/or psychiatrist, a licensed professional counselor (LPC) or a qualified leader where you worship. For more information, you can go to http://www.nimh.nih.gov or http://www.depression.com.

How to Be Self-Aware for Success

I was shocked to find out recently what the #1 characteristic business school graduates lack when entering corporate America. Corporations surveyed stated that the #1 trait graduates lack is (get ready for this): self-awareness.

I raised my eyebrows when I read it because self-awareness is at the heart emotional intelligence and being in the Smart Zone. Self-aware people are more productive and self-aware organizations are more profitable.

Initially the term "self-awareness" might bring to mind the idea of meditation or even yoga. I like the way a recent Inc. magazine article defined self-awareness. It said, "Self-awareness is being conscious of what you're good at while acknowledging what you still have yet to learn. This includes admitting when you don't have the answer and owning up to mistakes." What does it look like to lack self-awareness?

Remember the coach from Oklahoma, Mike Gundy, who lost it? Click here to watch it.

Or the Miss Teen USA contestant from South Carolina? Click here to watch it.

At work, lack of self-awareness shows up in the following ways:

• The CEO who has to appear "right" at all costs.
• The boss who goes into a rage when the department doesn't meet monthly business goals.
• The coworker who talks overly loud on the phone in his cubicle - disturbing everyone else.
• The coworker who competes instead of cooperates.
• The person who takes credit for others' efforts and blames others for mistakes.
• The salesperson who talks too much - annoying the customer.
• The new hire who is afraid to admit she doesn't know how to do something.

We've all lacked self-awareness at some time. I recently overcommitted to a project because I felt passionate about the cause but neglected to consider the amount of time it would take. I remember one time when I chewed out the mailman for not delivering my mail - unaware that it was because my car was parked in front of the mailbox interfering with his ability to do his job.

Emotions can get the best of us if we are not self-aware. Being able to manage your emotions is what helps you be more self-aware and apologize when appropriate. Below are 4 Smart Moves to improve your self-awareness (without doing yoga!):

1. Use your gut: Loan officers must sense when a loan might go bad even when the numbers look okay. Recruiters have to make educated, but timely, guesses about which candidates will fit in best within an organization. Having a hunch starts pretty deep in your brain and actually creates a physiological response. When you think, "This just doesn't feel right" and get a stomach ache - that's your body's response to your hunch. Listen to it!
   
2. Keep it real. Have an accurate sense of your own strengths and limitations. Being blind to your own problem areas can put your career and business at risk. The key is to learn from your mistakes, acknowledge your own faults without rebuking those who point them out and have an "overall awareness" of your limitations.
   
3. Believe in yourself. People with high self-awareness are naturally confident. They exude charisma, are likeable and often inspire confidence in those around them. On the flip side, extreme lack of self confidence can show up as arrogance and brashness. Workers who believe in themselves achieve more because their belief motivates them to work harder and persist through challenges.
   
4. Walk your "inner" talk. Know and focus on your personal values. In business it's called "social responsibility." Jeff Swartz, CEO of the shoemaker Timberland, provides an inspiring example of this in the September issue of Fast Company. (Click here to read the article.) If your #1 priority is "being a good person" or "being there for your children" it can be easy to lose sight of this during the workday when we have too much to do in a short amount of time. Since few of our daily work tasks pertain to what we value most it's easy to spend too much time on lower priority tasks. Focus on your values and you are more likely to accomplish what you consider most important.

Listen to your "inner talk" when making decisions to boost your own self-awareness. Over time a good internal dialog and being receptive to learning from your mistakes translates into the wisdom that can be seen when you are working in the Smart Zone.

Until One Is Committed, There Is Hesitancy

I've recently rediscovered a quote I had forgotten. "Until one is committed, there is hesitancy...Boldness has genius, power and magic in it." by Goethe.

Finding this quote again was timely as I make bold choices moving forward in business and in my personal life. With the January 2008 release of Working in the Smart Zone, our second book, we have experienced a very exciting surge in the work we are doing to keep people and companies working with Emotional Intelligence and Trust. Our commitment is strong as we move forward, without hesitation, making a difference in organizations with our consulting and in families with the clinical practice.

As my own family commitments continue to rise, I have worked to remain intentional and present in the lives of our three boys and in my marriage. After all, now that they are in eight grade, fifth grade, and third grade, homework and projects take more energy and attention than they have in the past. As my husband and I look ahead to being married longer than some of our friends, we continue to be reminded that a good marriage doesn't just happen by chance. It takes work and attention to negotiate the challenges. Being committed to making it work, without hesitation, on a daily basis has it's rewards.

We have heard from many of you that the economy, gas prices, difficult work environments, changes in company leaders, and worry have made it difficult to create the kind of change that would increase the bottom line. What we see is that there is no better time to be in the Smart Zone, where people can work to the best of their ability emotionally, intellectually, and behaviorally.

Write this where you can see it "Until one is committed, there is hesitancy...Boldness has genius, power and magic in it." Now go forward, without hesitation and be in the Smart Zone.

What a Vacation Will Teach You

I recently returned from a 7 day trip to the Bahamas. Growing up in Florida and now living in a landlocked suburb of Dallas, I often feel like I need to get my feet in the sand. For those of you who have been to the Bahamas, you know that I have just returned from a week in paradise. It got me thinking that I need to be in a beautiful place like that more often. In Working in the Smart Zone, I use a quote. "Go where you feel most like yourself." I know that I feel most like myself when my feet are in the sand and I can hear and smell the ocean.



Here are 5 things that I know for sure after my week in the Bahamas:

1. People who are consistent in their personal lives and in their business lives live the best lives. My family was given the opportunity to spend time on the south side of the island with our good friends the Clines. William Cline is a consulting executive who has spent the last 19 years in the Bahamas working for Stuart Cove, the owner of the third largest dive shop in the world. If you have been watching Discovery Channel's Shark Week, you have seen Stuart's staff and location in more than a few episodes. With up close and personal contact with Stuart and his family I couldn't help but be in awe of their business ethics, their daily management, and their inspirational personalities. The Clines and the Stuarts are successful business owners who understand the Smart Zone Secret. They live it, breathe it, and they are teaching it to their own children. Click here to learn more about the Smart Zone.



2. Vacation time shouldn't be overscheduled. It is just a fact that most people spend time on vacation trying to do it all. While we planned 3 days and 2 nights at Atlantis, we whittled that side trip down so we could have more "sandy shoes time" on the beautiful beach at the condo where we stayed.
   


3. Sometimes it is more fun to just relax. I don't know about you but most of the time it is hard for me to relax on vacation. I have so many thoughts in my head about business, daily life, the next project, and the tasks of being a business owner and a parent that it gets noisy in my head. People know me to be an information sponge. Sitting in a beach chair, no iPod in my ears, no book in my hands, and no laptop on my knees, I know I can get a lot accomplished in the creative side of my brain. Just getting some white space between my ears is so rewarding. I know my staff appreciates when I go on vacation since the noise in my head can sometimes come out of my mouth with a vengeance. When I come back from vacation, the noise in my head is a lot more controlled.
   


4. Be with people you enjoy. We have always enjoyed the Clines. Our boys go to school together and our values are very much the same. After 8 days together, we still love each other. During those 8 days, they also performed an unplanned "intervention" with me as I continue to steer my consulting and clinical businesses forward. While they are my friends, they also possess expertise in human resources and consulting (http://www.williamcline.com/). Their intervention worked. I have some changes ahead that will help me continue to maintain better balance in my professional and personal life.
   


5. Set up systems so your customers and your business can thrive in your absence. The Bahamian Gods did a number on my computer while I was there. Funny thing, I could get every email sent to me but I couldn't email out. No, that wasn't part of the intervention. While I would have only written emails once a day, when it was least intrusive for our vacation, I quickly learned to enjoy seeing the emails showing a stream of productivity while my hands were tied and I was unable to intervene. With systems in place, you can get the time you need to enjoy being off duty. It really is a beautiful thing.

I have made a few more promises to myself. First, we are definitely going back to the Bahamas if the Clines will still have us. Second, I need to go where I feel most like myself more often. Third, my creativity and leadership skills soar when I give myself the downtime. Go where you feel most like yourself, even if it isn't in the Bahamas.

Escalating Your Career by Managing Your Boss

Your relationship with your boss is probably the most important relationship you have at work.

I recently worked with a Sales Manager who was forced to play 20 Questions every time he went to his boss for approval. Sometimes the 20 Questions game would last over an hour and end with a 2-day project before his boss would give him approval. This often meant he couldn't respond to customers in a timely manner and lost business deals. To manage his boss the Sales Manager began thinking through every question his boss could possibly ask and formulating answers. He then began calling his boss and saying, "Here is the situation, here is what I want to do, and here is why we should do it." Miraculously, the 20 Questions game ended!

I think we often look to our boss for what he/she can give us instead of what we can give to him. It's a 2-way street. Put the odds in your favor by managing your boss with the care and sensitivity with which you manage yourself.

Here are 4 Smart Moves for managing your boss:

1. Don't dump problems on your boss. Don't go to your boss with a problem until you've formulated a possible solution. Present both the problem and the solution to your boss simultaneously. Be solution focused. Your boss will be impressed by your ability to resolve your own problem and gain confidence in your abilities. Click here to listen to my recent "Ask the Expert" interview where I describe how to be solution focused.
   


2. Never badmouth your boss. One of the unspoken rules successful people follow is to never talk bad about your boss and particularly not to the company higher-ups - and especially in a job interview. (Quick disclaimer: If there is an issue with your boss that needs the attention of human resources, then pursue it). You may not like a decision your boss makes or the way he treats his staff; however, gossiping about him will not get you points. It will erode the effectiveness of your team and cause dissension within your department. The belief will be: if you bad mouth your boss, you will bad mouth others. People will feel they cannot trust you and higher-ups will view you as a bad seed.
   


3. Use the power of equity. Know what your boss needs and values most and provide it ahead of time, without being asked. I was irritated by my first boss out of college who micromanaged everyone. Once I figured out his main goal was to stay informed on the statistics in my department I began to report them to him ahead of time. It is human nature to feel obligated to those who help us with what we need. It is just as much the employee's responsibility to help make his boss a good leader as it is for the boss to help employees feel valued and successful.
   


4. Compliment your boss. This may feel awkward or uncomfortable at first. I'm not talking about schmoozing, although there is evidence from a University of Michigan study that schmoozers are more likely to get raises over non-schmoozers. When your boss does something well, pay her a sincere compliment like, "You did a nice job running the staff meeting this morning. I appreciated your support." Positive feedback will reinforce the behavior and improve your relationship with your boss.

Just for fun, click here for a recent list of the 15 Great TV Bosses. My favorite is Miranda Bailey from "Grey's Anatomy." From this list of TV bosses it's clear that, like everyone else, your boss is always learning.

I have a Winston Churchill quote framed in my office that says, "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." Take responsibility for helping your boss succeed and you will both stay in the Smart Zone!

Another Resource Used by Top Producers

I may be one of the last people to know about this but just in case, I am passing another tool to increase productivity on to you. I just got introduced to PhoneTag. PhoneTag (formerly known as Simulscribe) uses advanced technology to convert voicemail to text and deliver it via e-mail and/or text messages.

I frequently need an efficient way to check my voicemails while traveling or going between one meeting to another. Sometimes it is too cumbersome to dial into voicemail, listen and save the voicemail. I'd prefer a text message or email so I already have the information written down and I can access it more easily. PhoneTag has fixed that problem for me.

While I don't care much for their logo on their t-shirt, I do think the service has great benefit. If you want to know more, go to this link http://phonetag.com/about.html and see what you think. We believe it is just another way you can Work in your Smart Zone.