Do You Know Someone in the Smart Zone?

When I speak at conferences all over the country about working in the Smart Zone many times people tell me stories after my presentations about people they know who are in the Smart Zone. These stories are so inspiring that I often wish I could have shared them with the whole audience.

So now I want to hear from you! I want to share your stories about people you know who are in the Smart Zone. Do you know anyone in your organization who is in the Smart Zone? If so, email us with your story.

Watch this video below to learn more.

From now on we are calling people in the Smart Zone "Zonies."

What is the Smart Zone? The Smart Zone is where you work to the best of your ability emotionally, behaviorally and intellectually. Watch this TV appearance where I talk about working in the Smart Zone.

What is a Zonie? People in the Smart Zone have emotional intelligence, self awareness, create an environment of trust and are highly productive.

Clients and coworkers trust people in the Smart Zone because Zonies can admit their own mistakes and confront unethical actions in others, successfully meet commitments, keep promises and show personal accountability and reliability.

Here are a few more characteristics of Zonies:

• Zonies are solution-oriented. They ask "How" and "What" questions instead of "Why" questions.


• Zonies look at the brighter side of life and maintain a positive attitude, even in the face of adversity.


• Zonies use interpersonal skills to improve relationships and are aware of the feelings of others. Zonies show empathy and social responsibility.


• Zonies are likeable and manage stress in a productive manner.


• Zonies know the Smart Zone Secret which is to take the focus off yourself. Zonies put the needs of others first, volunteer in the community and add value to others through humble acts of kindness.

Please email us with your stories of Zonies in your workplace. We want to share your stories with the Smart Zone community!

More is the Same than is Different

I recently read the book Resilience by Elizabeth Edwards. I am on a hiatus from business books and those in the psychology section of Barnes & Noble. My brain wants to be inspired and educated. I picked this book up because I have seen her interviewed a number of times and am so impressed with how she views her life. Here she is dying of cancer, she has young children, she is an advocate for health care issues and...she has been faced with her husband's very public infidelity. If there is anyone that can teach us a few things about resilience, it is Elizabeth Edwards.

So this got me thinking - when I am working with an executive, a patient, or even a friend and I am trying to help them understand the idea of resilience, I tend to say out loud, "More is the same than is different" no matter what it is he or she is dealing with. By focusing on the parts of your life that are the same, you can find your own strategies and tools for resilience.

Resilience is an important concept in companies with new hires, during training, when significant changes occur in the workplace, or when times are toughest. With performance appraisals you can spend one hour telling someone what a great job they are doing and when the meeting is over all the person remembers are the bad things they need to work on. We filter out the positive and hold on to the negative. Using the strategies of resilience, you can remove that filter to internalize a more balanced view of the feedback.

Here are some case scenarios where I believe it is important to look at "more is the same than is different."

• Job Loss: We are not defined by our careers. In my opinion we are defined by our character and how we interact with the world. If you know someone who has lost a job, tell them, "More is the same than is different." They are still loved by their family, they are still full of potential and they have talents that are marketable. A report from Harvard even says that 73% of middle managers say their jobs haven't changed. What do you think?


• Divorce: No one wants to get divorced but when it happens, it should be because all other options have been exhausted. Hollywood especially has had some nasty divorces over the years. People have to earn a divorce, I believe, in order to get one. Because getting one is not easy. More is the same than is different. With a divorce, you still have people counting on you, you still have people you count on, you still have to manage your money, and you still are capable of love and being loved.


• Financial Struggles: I have a friend, Don Neubaum, who is a professor at Oregon State. He teaches in the business school and he and I went to high school together. I LOVE Don. It is okay because his wife Sandy knows it. In our conversations about the state of the economy and financial struggles that are occurring in businesses and in families, he believes that we should all learn from these lean years. Shame on us if we get fat financially when some of the struggles start to lessen. More is the same than is different. We all have to tighten our belts, do some serious soul searching on how we spend money, and be incredibly deliberate about our spending habits. No matter what the economic condition is, we have to be resilient and recognize that we manage money instead of money managing us.


• Health: There has been a lot of research that there is healing power in the way we think. We can produce the good juices in our body that can build our immune systems. Yes, there is a limit. Yes, it is important to get the best health care possible, and yes it is important to remember that "more is the same than is different." With every health crisis, we are all still involved in our lives. We can become educated and we can live our lives with quality.

More is the same than is different.

How to Leave Stress at the Office

I find it hard to leave stress at the office. Sometimes it's because I can identify with issues my patients are experiencing and empathize so much with their struggles. Recently I've been stressed over the fact that my great administrative assistant, Kathy, is moving with her family to Nashville. I know I can overcome how stressed I feel because I know: when we bring stress home we tell our friends and family that their time isn't as valuable.

M. Scott Peck said, "Until you value yourself, you will not value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it." I challenge you (and myself!) to value your time at work and at home and to stay in the Smart Zone.



One thing I hear when working with managers and executives who work long hours is that, at the end of the day, it is difficult to shake the feeling of being at work. Even when they get home they don't feel "at home." They feel disconnected and preoccupied with what took place during the workday or are anticipating the problems of the next day.

Part of the issue is that the intensity during our workday is different than the intensity of our home lives. Although our home and work life both take considerable mental and physical energy we still have to shift gears when we walk in the door at home.

In my business we provide strategies to stay in the Smart Zone that will improve productivity at home and work. But don't do this! Here are Smart Moves for leaving stress at the office:

• Do you leave work and then use that same part of your brain at home? When I work on my financials at the office and then come home and work on bills, my brain is going to get overwhelmed. I've recently started taking serious Yoga classes near my home so I can balance how I use my body and my brain. As my instructor Carlos says, "Bring peace and calm into your world."


• Are you finally energized by 3:00 in the afternoon? Eat a late afternoon snack that is high in carbs but low in fat and protein - like a granola bar, fresh fruit or a bagel. This type of snack jump-starts the amino acid in the brain that promotes a relaxation response.


• Do you immerse yourself in work related content 24/7? What is by your bedside? Business books, financials, proposals? I have taken a sabbatical from business books to read bestsellers so I am exposing myself to more than just business and psychological literature. Right now, want to know what is by my bedside? The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb. All 723 pages. I will be sorry when I finish it because it is such a great book.


• Set aside 10 minutes after lunch to return personal phone calls. This will eliminate your need to talk on your cell phone on the drive home at the end of the day. Instead you can listen to good music or an audio book. Click here for ways to maximize your lunch break.


• Carve out transition time. Devote the final hours of your workday to some of your least-pressured tasks. I like listening to music on Grooveshark and doing paperwork. Thanks to my buddy Rex, I've now got speakers mounted on the inside of my desk so I can really enjoy my end of the day paperwork. You will feel a sense of accomplishment by completing at least one thing before day end.


• Don't talk about work when you first get home. When you walk in the door at home resist the urge to immediately start talking about your day. Cooper and Sawaf, authors of Executive EQ, call this a "transitional buffer zone." This is time to renew your spirit of being home. Don't run to your computer to return emails. You might first greet your family, get your children a snack and change into some comfy clothes.

Do What Others are Unwilling to Do

I recently gave the commencement address at Argosy University in Dallas, Texas. It was inspiring to see people accomplishing their goals beaming as they walked across the stage to accept their diplomas. I even heard a child yell out, "Way to go Mom!" as her mom walked across the stage.

During the time I spent preparing my comments for this speech, I was reminded of how John Maxwell identifies what separates those who are successful in life from those who never reach full potential.

Successful people and organizations do what others are unwilling to do.

People in the Smart Zone do what are others are unwilling to do. Use these Smart Moves to achieve success that others may be unwilling to do.

• Pay the price. From my own experience I know the graduates I spoke to have all missed family events, questioned what they were doing at times and postponed other life goals in order to achieve their goal of graduating. As a successful person you are willing to sacrifice your own goals for the sake of others, do things you've never done before and keep learning even when you don't feel like it.
  
• Find common ground with tough people. Do you work with a difficult person? Instead of gossiping, complaining or getting mad find a way to succeed with people who are difficult to work with. The secret is to find common ground with the difficult person and connect with them at that level.
  
• Learn about the hassle. According to Verne Harnish in his book Mastering the Rockefeller Habits, recurring problems eat up more than 40% of an average employee's day. Why? Because a problem is never just one person's problem. Find out what is hassling your employees and you'll find out what's hassling your customers. You will have better insight as to how to serve your customers.
  
• Have an emotional counterweight. The business world will lead you to think that being rational keeps people honest. But a recent study in Fast Company magazine showed that people would lie 69% of the time when asked to make a decision by thinking rationally and not emotionally. Only 27% lied when asked to make a decision using their emotions, based on feelings. Interestingly, people tend to trust rational decision makers more than emotional decision makers - meaning we tend to trust people who are set up to lie. Looking back at the sub-prime mortgage debacle many wish they had listened to their feelings.
  
• Ride up the hill. Have you ever been bike riding and coasted on the down hills? Even though the down hills are usually a much needed rest, you can't learn much on the down hill. Endurance, strength and technique are perfected on the treacherous uphill rides. Believe me, we all want to be tested to find out what we are made of.
  
• Practice the Smart Zone Secret. I end all of my presentations with the Smart Zone Secret, which is to take the focus off yourself. Do what others are unwilling to do to make the world a little better, just for a moment. I remember seeing Dara Torres help a competitor fix her torn swimsuit before a race in the Beijing Olympics last summer. Here are 12 ideas to spread the Smart Zone Secret:
  
  
1. Let someone cut in front of you in traffic.
   
2. Let someone cut in front of you at the grocery store.
   
3. Pay the toll for someone behind you.
   
4. Write and mail someone a note of encouragement.
   
5. Hold the door for someone.
   
6. Buy coffee for a coworker when you buy it for yourself.
   
7. Put an extra quarter in someone's parking meter.
   
8. Be the first person to volunteer for a task at work.
   
9. Compliment a coworker on something they do well.
   
10. Give an inspirational book to a friend (you could even give one of the books I've written).
    
11. Volunteer for a charity.
    
12. Pick up trash that isn't yours.

Book Review: How the Mighty Fall, Reviewed by Zan Jones

Jim Collins' new book, How the Mighty Fall...And Why Some Companies Never Give In, made for some fast summer reading. Susan and I loved his other books Built to Last and Good to Great. So when Susan planned to be in the Bahamas last week (doing some lighter reading, I hope) I asked if I could review the book.

"All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." Leo Tolstoy in his novel Anna Karenina

At first I thought this book was an excuse to explain the demise of some of the great companies Collins profiled in his books Built to Last and Good to Great. In fact, Collins devotes a whole page in the book to "Why the Fall of Previously Great Companies Does Not Negate Prior Research."

To answer the question, "How would you know if your company was on the road to decline when it was the most successful company in the industry and the best player in the game?" Collins took some of his great companies and showed how even they could fall. The fall consists of the following 5 stages:

Stage 1:
Hubris Born of Success (You might call this Being Arrogant)
I hadn't heard the word "hubris" in a while so I looked it up. It means overbearing pride or arrogance. In this stage companies view success as an entitlement and lose sight of what made them successful to begin with. Leaders lose their learning orientation, presume their success is due entirely to their superior qualities and are egotistical enough to think that luck and fortuitous events haven't played a role in their success.

Motorola enjoyed exponential success until the mid-1990s when they felt great pride in their soon-to-be-released StarTAC cell phone. There was only one problem: the StarTAC phone used analog technology just as the wireless carriers were shifting to digital. Motorola tried to strong-arm carrier companies by saying, "If you want the hot StarTAC then you must agree to our rules." Along this same line is a quote from the Bank of America CEO prior their fall who admonished his managers by saying, "We don't have time to learn from others' mistakes. Let others learn from us."

Stage 2:
Undisciplined Pursuit of More (You might call this Getting WAY too Big for Your Britches)
In this phase companies become obsessed with growth and are frequently very innovative. Rubbermaid aimed to introduce one new product a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Three years later they were choking on the nearly 1,000 new products, raw material costs and growth targets. Merck became obsessed with growth early this century with their drug Vioxx. One hundred million prescriptions later Merck voluntarily removed Vioxx from the market because of studies revealing it could cause heat attacks and strokes.

In this stage, companies lose sight of hiring the right people and succession planning. Collins introduces my favorite research with 6 characteristics for getting the right people in key seats across organizations.

Stage 3:
Denial of Risk and Peril (You might call this Not Having a Clue)
By Stage 3 the cumulative effects of the previous stages are causing strain. At this stage companies externalize the blame, take big bets that aren't based on facts and reorganize as a form of denial. Restructuring can create a false sense that you're actually doing something productive.

Collins says leaders need to answer these questions before making decisions at this stage:

• What's the upside, if events turn out well?
• What's the downside, if events go very badly?
• Can you live with the downside? Truly?
  

He tells the haunting story of NASA's Challenger explosion that killed all 7 crew members and how the above 3 questions should have been asked.

Just for fun, watch this silly clip from The Office about the question Dwight asks himself before making a decision.

Stage 4:
Grasping for Salvation (You might call this Scrambling)
Companies in this stage reach for one silver bullet. The silver bullet could be betting on an unproven technology, relying on a new flashy product, a "game-changing" acquisition, an image makeover or seeking a savior CEO. Incidentally, evidence shows a strong correlation between companies who fall and going outside for a CEO during their era of decline.

Texas Instruments (TI) has one of the best examples of reversing their fall in 1985 when they promoted 25-year employee Jerry Junkins to CEO. Then in 1996 when Junkins unexpectedly died from heart failure on a business trip to Europe the CEO position was given to 20-year veteran Tom Engibous. In turn, it was a smooth transition that Engibous repeated upon retirement by turning over his job to another TI-grown leader Richard Templeton.

In the haste of the situation, companies at this stage are operating out of desperation. Collins says they need to "Breath. Calm yourself. Think. Focus. Aim."

Stage 5:
Capitulation to Irrelevance or Death (you might call this The Bugle Playing Taps)
Companies in this stage have run out of options and given up the fight. At this point, only one word matters: CASH. If you don't have it, you're in big trouble. These companies have suffered through Stages 1, 2, 3 and 4 and the leaders are exhausted and dispirited. Zenith went through all 4 stages and then became the #2 maker of IBM-compatible computers. But their cash position was so depleted from hanging on to their television business that they fell into bankruptcy.


The moral of the story, according to Collins, is "Every institution is vulnerable, no matter how great...Anyone can fall and most eventually do." But wait, he also says, "We are not imprisoned by our circumstances, out setbacks, our history, our mistakes, or even staggering defeats along the way. We are freed by our choices."

Family Violence Can Hurt Your Business

Thursday, July 9, 2009
8:00 AM Training & Breakfast

WHAT: A breakfast & training to introduce employers & management professionals
WHEN: Thursday, July 9, 2009
TIME: 8:00 am - 9:00 am
WHERE: Children's Medical Center Legacy, 7601 Preston Road, Plano, TX 75024 in north Plano at Legacy and Hedgcoxe Drives
WHO: Individuals in senior leadership, human resources, security/safety, legal and risk management
COST: No charge
RSVP: Junior League of Plano, (972) 769-0557 or email jlplano@verizon.net

Last year a CEO pulled me aside after I spoke to his executives about Working in the Smart Zone. He wanted privacy because he said that he had something "sensitive" to talk with me about. He had a dilemma. He strongly suspected that one of his female executives had a home life that included family violence. She had missed work, been less engaged, and he had seen unexplainable bruises on her body. He wanted to help her but didn't know how and didn't know his place. This CEO is one that asked questions and sought out help. (Click here for what to do if you work with someone experiencing domestic violence.) I worked with him and followed up to help him connect with the resources he needed. Are you a manager or business owner with the same suspicions? If not now, you very likely will have a similar dilemma in the future.

Every year, domestic violence contributes an estimated $5 to $10 billion in losses to companies and businesses around the country. The effects of stalking, physical assault, rape, and homicide are directly related to employee absenteeism, diminished job performance, and lower job morale.

If you live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, consider sending someone Thursday, July 9 to a training to introduce employers and management professionals to the Family Violence in the Workplace Program. The program is provided free-of-charge to businesses. You will walk away with a complimentary Family Violence in the Workplace toolkit to implement the program in your company. The program will last one hour.

Sponsored by the Collin County Council on Family Violence, this overview of the Family Violence Prevention Program is recommended for individuals in senior leadership, human resources, security/safety, legal and risk management. This breakfast meeting will increase awareness of the effects of domestic violence as well as educate employers and management professionals on the most effective preventative measures.

How to Work Smarter in a Crisis

Confession time! Last month I left out some information about my Fox 4 TV segment on happiness. During the interview I got thrown off guard and had to keep Working in my own Smart Zone! I thought I would be presenting the top 10 happiest (and unhappiest) jobs based on a recent University of Chicago study, but Tim, the anchor man, had another set of bullet points on his script. Five seconds before the stage manager began counting, "5-4-3-2-1" Tim showed me the bullet points he was prepared to discuss. A deer in headlights is a good description of my face at that point. My mind shifted into crisis mode.

We all have times when we shift into crisis mode. It happens when your car won't start, a tough deadline at work gets pushed up, your company is about to lose a huge customer, an employee you're depending on quits or an OSHA inspector shows up unannounced. By staying in the Smart Zone you can get through a crisis mode and come out better for it.

During a crisis our brain falls back on simple, sometimes primitive, responses and puts aside complex thought. All focus is on the urgent present crisis. Many say that the economy falls into this category. But a crisis can be small - it can be a slip up in a conversation or forgetting an important appointment. Or, it can just be when what you intend to say doesn't come out of your mouth the right way. Click here to see how this can happen.

A crisis will bring to light shortcomings and will also help us prepare for future improvement. Once a crisis is over, our problem solving can turn a crisis into improved standards, improved conditions, improved safety and can be, overall, one of the best opportunities for improvement.

Here's how to stay in the Smart Zone during a crisis and turn a crisis into an advantage.

• Know your anchor. In other words, know your expertise. In my case, I was doing a TV segment in my field of expertise so technically no question should throw me off. When I was straight out of college I could get intimated by older, more experienced people. But as a therapist, I had to understand that this was my expertise. Even though I might not know as much as my patients knew about other things in life, I definitely knew more than they did about proper therapeutic treatments.
  
• Make a wrong right. When a mistake is made, admit it instead of covering it up. Trust is built when you are honest and accept responsibility to make it right. Blaming others, not responding, and refusing to take responsibility create a lack of trust and discredits you. Everyone makes mistakes. It is how you respond when a mistake is made that makes the difference.
  
• Don't kill the 10 Minute Oil Change Guy. Have you ever seen someone throwing a hissy fit at Minute Lube because his car isn't ready? I call this an exaggerated response. When we have too much stress our stress hormones kick in causing a small hassle to suddenly be overwhelming. Learn to recognize when your stress level is getting high and discipline yourself to eliminate it. You could exercise, go shopping, get more sleep, read a book, surf the internet, call a coworker or friend or leave the office for lunch.
  
• Figure out what you are working for. A crisis heightens our awareness and brings to light what really matters to you, your company, and the services you provide. We learn what we are willing to fight for, who to say "No" to (click here to see my quote about when to say "No" to your boss), who we trust and who trusts us and what is valuable to us.
  
• A continual crisis is abnormal. Some people seem to feed off a crisis almost like an adrenaline junkie. They may subconsciously create crises and chaos for themselves and those around them. People who grow up in chaotic surroundings, such as with an alcoholic parent, believe that crises are the norm. If a member of your team exhibits this behavior he/she might benefit from professional help. Click here to watch this CNN special report about people seeking professional counseling to help deal with the current economic crisis. Anxiety is something we can help you with in my clinical practice. Or click here for ways to find a psychologist outside of the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
• Be solution oriented. When faced with a crisis don't focus on the problem by saying, "Why did this happen? Why did I make this mistake?" Instead use "how" and "what" statements like "How can we respond to this issue?" and "What can we do to minimize the damage from this situation?"