This week’s tip is about getting out from underneath the expectations of other people. Women are quick to take on guilt for what they aren’t doing or what they aren’t doing well enough (in their own mind). More times then not, I see clients taking on superhuman responsibilities only to fail and blame themselves. Look at your to do list for the week (both personal and professional) and consider it it is reasonable for you to get everything done without driving yourself into the ground. You will not succeed in life or business if you take too much on. You’ll end up dropping balls, driving yourself into burn out, and missing out on opportunities. Find a mentor, coach, colleague, or someone else that isn’t directly influenced by your decisions and ask them to listen to the responsibilities you’ve taken on and ask them objectively if they are reasonable. My guess is no. Break things into 1)What you have to do 2)What you’d like to do 3) What you will do if you find the time. Taking on too much in 2010 to meet other’s expectations is the fast lane to failure. Take a breath, consider what to be involved in, and go forward in a measured tempo.

Best,

Chris.

www.GhostCEO.com

We don’t always appreciate what we have, whether at home or at work. That angst that fights against complacency is actually a good thing – the sense that the grass is always greener on the other side is what makes us jump into new opportunities. That said, making a team work together with real synergy is not an everyday feat. Learn to spot the successes in your collaborations, so you can replicate that synergy elsewhere.

Does your team actually seem to enjoy working with each other? Happy people are productive people. If you find yourself actually looking forward to seeing the people at your office every day – well, that’s no small thing.

Then there’s the skill set. With an optimal balance where everyone is assigned tasks and workload according to their talents rather than which person has the smallest stack of projects on their desk, you’ll get real productivity.

Next, look at how your group talks to each other. If discussions are fluid, with plenty of back and forth, engaging ideas, and everybody listening to what other team members are saying, you’ve got something special. Far too many groups are dominated by someone with a forceful personality rather than expertise in all areas that the team has to work in. Freedom of speech and thought are not just good for civil society – they make businesses work better.

If you do recognize your team is functioning very well, analyze what it is about this group that works well. Often, it is based on good habits rather than some innate ability to work well with others. Try to transfer these habits to your other collaborative activities and watch your successes add up.

Linda Chu
CEO – Out of Chaos, Professional Organizing Solutions
www.outofchaos.ca

I firmly believe in making your own luck. There are opportunities out there for the taking every day, from discovering new ways to promote your business to meeting that key person who can help you take your organization to the next level.

Finding these opportunities can have a lot to do with changing your habits. After all, if you do things the way you’ve always done them, you’re going to get the same result. Some great tips from Alec Shalman, personal development coach, include:

• Changing your routine. Think about altering the routes you take to work or social engagements. Talk to new people, perhaps using some random identifier such as the color of their shirt, to take your predetermined biases out of the equation.
• Practice going with your gut instincts. (Alternatively, if your luck hasn’t been working too well lately, you could always try the infamous George Kostanza approach of doing the exact opposite of your instinct – not recommended for the long term, but it might be fun for a day).
• Transform bad luck into good luck with a good attitude. For instance, if you lose a client, look at it as an opportunity to re-examine your business offering and how you provide value for your other clients.

Linda Chu
CEO – Out of Chaos, Professional Organizing Solutions
www.outofchaos.ca