We can always use more empathy in the workplace. Special thanks to Meredith Wood at fundera.com for showing us how! For the full article please see: https://www.fundera.com/blog/workplace-empathy#visual
Random Musings: My Path as an Enterpreneur
Recently Roberto R. Hernandez of Partner4Leads and I sat down and talked about what it has been like to be an entrepreneur. And to acknowledge the fact that for many of us our journey’s take us along winding roads. Sometimes we follow a straight route to reach a specific milestone, but most of the time there are twists and turns and side trips. Looking back, I would not have it any other way. Looking forward, I envision that the road will continue to have smooth sailing, tough climbs, and plenty of interesting experiences.
Our discussion was captured by Roberto for his Partner4Leads Podcast
Because we have worked together in a mastermind group, it was one of the most comfortable ‘interviews’ I have ever had. Just two friends talking about all of the different things that make up a career.
As a follow on, he asked me some specific questions. These really prompted me to engage in some healthy self-reflection. I am happy to share them with you here:
Roberto: If you were starting your entrepreneurial journey over from the beginning, what would you do differently?
Margaret: If I were starting my business again what I would do differently is I wouldn’t be so quick to discount the skill set I brought with me from the corporate world. I had a bad experience in corporate America which helped launch me to work as an entrepreneur. But because of that bad experience I ignored my skills and expertise in project management, and yet ultimately that is what has supported me the most.
Roberto: What habits or routines have best served you throughout your entrepreneurial journey?
Margaret: The habits and routines that have served me the best, I’ll come down to discipline of one type or another. So on the one hand working for myself I enjoy a tremendous freedom, but on the other hand I still seek to keep a rather consistent schedule. That is less confusing for myself, and for my students and clients.
Roberto: What’s your number one way of dealing with the voices of self doubt?
Margaret: My number one way of dealing with self-doubt, is to ask myself where is this coming from? And what part of it is coming from any kind of truth? Versus what part is coming from fear? And sometimes meditating on that very topic what is truth versus what is fear is very clarifying. And when I have a day with doubt, I still pick some tasks that will still move me forward and keep going.
Roberto: What has helped you most in building community around your business?
Margaret: I’ve been very fortunate with community. I have introverted tendencies, and when I set off on my own I knew that I needed to do something or I would just disappear into my home office. So one of the first things I did was to grow a list and create an eZine.This allowed me to keep in front of people in my own introverted way. I do some speaking and that helps too. And also I answer everyone who writes to me. And I seek to help others whenever it makes sense for me to do so.
Good Will to All
Last weekend, a friend and I were waiting for the “Walk” sign at a busy Los Angeles intersection. As we stood there, a young man walked up next to me. Pushing aside the possibility of a new aftershave called “Cocktails and Weed”, I was pretty sure this guy had been enjoying the high life. I looked over at him and nodded, and he nodded in return. He appeared to have a certain amount of “street savvy”, that I may never possess.
Finally, the light changed and the “Walk” sign appeared. He looked at me and said, “Can we walk now?” I replied in the affirmative, and then he confirmed what my senses had told me, “I have had a bit too much to smoke and drink, and I don’t want to get run over.” I assured him that it was OK to walk, and we all stepped into the intersection. As he began to outpace us, I looked at him and said, “Be careful.” This elicited a pretty significant amount of side eye from him as he said, “I am a pretty tough guy, I don’t need to be careful.”
Off he went. When he was about ten feet in front of us, he stopped and turned around, and looked at me. This is when my friend, who is given to a bit of drama, thought that he was going to shoot me or at least threaten me. But I am not writing this while nursing a gunshot wound. He smiled, and said, “Hey lady, thanks for caring.” And then he disappeared into the night.
Writing a Book? Use these 7 Project Management Best Practices
When you manage a project, you are expected to tailor your approach and select the processes and best practices to ensure you reach your objectives. Writing a book is a project. I think you know what I will say next. But I will say it anyway. If it is a project, why not use project management?
This past year, I have been focused on writing a book. It is NOT about project management. It is a book about a part of my journey in life. A book about making friends with death. There comes a time in life, when we start to lose some of the people around us. And you can be prepared. While the book, currently titled, Car Pooling with Death: How living with death will make you stronger, wiser and fearless, is with the editor, I thought I would share with you how project management helped me tackle this challenge.
- Conduct Feasibility Analysis
One of the best pieces of advice I received was to investigate other books available on my topic. Amazon is the perfect place to conduct this type of research. Using several different keywords and search terms, I was quickly able to see the depth and breadth of what was available. I even purchased some of the books, to become familiar with how others were addressing the topic of learning to deal with death.
Before the feasibility analysis, I had started writing some sections of the book. Completing the feasibility analysis helped me to see where my writing could fit in and encouraged me to continue with my book project
Many books discuss death and dying, and grief. Books that bring Buddhism into the conversation are a smaller subset. Within this subset, books, where the author uses his or her personal experiences to mentor others through the process, are not plentiful.
- Work with a Subject Matter Expert
Everyone has a book inside of them – but it doesn’t do any good until you pry it out. – Jodi Picoult
For three years I walked around with the idea for, Car Pooling with Death: How living with death will make you stronger, wiser and fearless. I had an idea of what this book could be, but I had no experience with writing a book. I did not know how to tackle this project, and even after my feasibility study, I had doubts. I realized that if I did not get some help, I would never complete the book. I found someone who has expertise in writing your book and getting it published. My coach and subject matter expert had a process to guide me through my work. In his way, he broke the project of writing a book into smaller more manageable steps.
- Use Mind Mapping
One of the first things that my subject matter expert (SME) had me do was to create a mind map around the idea of my book. His approach was completely low-tech. A big sheet of white paper and colored pens were all I needed. And to trust him, because while I had watched others engaged in mind mapping sessions, I was skeptical. I was uncomfortable doing any drawing – but somehow my stick figures and squiggles helped me to become clear about my message.
- Define YOUR Scope
Like MOST stakeholders, there were times when I wanted to make changes or additions. But, by using mind mapping, to help capture the major themes of the book, I was able to discern whether or not something really belonged in the book. Having a solid idea of what the book was supposed to convey, and then how best to deliver that message helped to keep me on scope. Having a good editor was helpful to this process too.
- Use Sprints
My SME is a firm believer that once you create your mind map, and spend time with your topics, it’s time to write. He leads you to write the initial rough draft of your book during a sprint of about one month in duration. Based on the type of book you are writing, he assigns you a word count for the completed draft. You have a burndown chart, that shows how many words you need to write each day to complete the sprint. Each day you type in how many words you have written, and you can see whether or not you are going to make your goal.
- Use a Communication Plan
When I first embarked on this journey, I was hesitant to share it with others. Quietly within my mastermind groups, I began to discuss this idea about helping others make friends with death. I was afraid that people would shoot this idea down, and some did. But MOST felt that this was something that I should bring forward. I began to talk about it to more people. Now, I am sharing it with you.
If I want to do more than write a book, if I want people to READ that book, then I have to tell them about it. And this calls for a communication plan. It means identifying my stakeholders, and mapping out what to say to them and when.
- Gather Lessons Learned
Writing seven days a week does not work for me. The burn-down chart that I used assumed that every day for one month, I would write. I quickly learned that that does not fit my style. I need at least a one day break in order to recharge.
As with any project, it is essential to keep good notes on lessons learned as I traverse the project. Perhaps, because I am doing something new, I am more aware of the value of capturing my lessons learned as they appear, and not waiting until the end of my book project. This is a project I plan to repeat. This is my first book, not my last book.
PS. If you would like to receive updates regarding the launch of Car Pooling with Death: How living with death will make you stronger, wiser and fearless.
Please send me a note at Margaret@margaretmeloni.com
Family, Work, Health – How to Juggle Your Time
By: Sofia Lockett
One of the most common complaints of modern life is how difficult it is to work, take care of ourselves, socialise, and still have any time left over for ourselves. Of course, it’s even more difficult if you bring kids into the picture! If you’re struggling with juggling your time, try the following tips:
Write a weekly or daily to-do list
Clear reminders will help you to keep on top of everything, and make procrastination more difficult, too. To this end, consider creating either daily or weekly to-do lists, with your tasks listed in order of priority. Shortly after you wake up, take a few minutes to think about everything you need to do that day; visualising your tasks will help to make them feel more achievable. If you don’t always finish every task, don’t panic or let yourself feel guilty – it’s normal to sometimes fall short. In any case, tackling your most important tasks first will help you to keep your priorities in order, and having them written down will help to keep you on track.
Don’t neglect yourself and your social life
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, don’t feel guilty if you need to take a personal day or postpone some of your tasks. You should be your own biggest priority! Additionally, although you may feel that you’re just too busy to visit your parents or meet that friend for a cup of coffee, you’ll likely feel a lot better if you make time for socialising every so often. Family outings are worthwhile too: sometimes getting away for a day with your partner and the kids can help more than anything else to put things into perspective. Consider both socialising and spending time alone essential to your productivity levels – if you take a break every once in a while, you’ll be better equipped to handle your work and family life.
Manage your stress
You should always try to make time to partake in some stress relief – what that looks like will vary from person to person, but it might be meditating, having a slow meal, or even just sitting down with a good book. Try to do something daily to help your stress – it’ll become a habit in no time, and you’ll feel much better for it. In particular, exercise will help you to relax – but if you feel like you can’t squeeze it into the few precious hours you have at home each day, why not try to exercise during your work hours? Walking or even taking a class during your lunch break will do wonders for your health and overall feelings of calmness. Try doing meal prep once a week to save time and bring healthy lunches to work if you want to feel even better.
Keep things in perspective
Failing to meet a deadline or reach a goal may feel like the end of the world – but it really isn’t! Avoid getting too overwhelmed by your stress by cutting yourself some slack: you can’t do everything, and you’d probably be much more sympathetic if one of your friends had the same problems, so be kind to yourself.
Struggling with time management is a perfectly normal challenge! Always try to keep a healthy balance of work, family, and leisure activities. Nobody can tell you how exactly how much time you should be spending on each element of your life, but if you stick with your to-do lists and give yourself time to decompress and reflect, things will fall into place.
Sofia Lockett is a freelance writer from New Zealand who loves writing articles that are inspiring and motivational. She believes that true, admirable leadership is a continuous choice of actions to be a good example to others. You can read more of Sofia’s articles on Tumblr.
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