Leading Change

by Elyse | Jun 2 | Leadership

Change management or leading change is arguably the most complex challenge you are up against when you are newly put into a leadership role. Leading change can quickly go awry if the proper change management processes are not implemented before any changes happen. In this blog post, we will go over what change management is, why it is important, and ways you can effectively lead change.

What is Change Management?

Change management is the process of managing the people side of change. It can be utilized any time that you want to make a significant change in your organization.

Change management considers the human side of change.

While you may think it is a great idea to start using new software at your organization, if you don’t correctly implement change management, you won’t get colleagues to use it.

A change management process brings awareness to why a change is needed, plans and prepares for the change, works to manage stakeholders and build alliances of of people who will help bring in the change and then evaluates, manages and reviews the success of the change.

Change management works to help people feel good about the change and adopt to the change. 

Resources:

• 3 Ways to Feel Less Overwhelmed at Work (free guide)
• How to Deal With a Difficult Co-Worker (blog post)
• Management vs. Leadership (blog post)

Why Change Management is Important

A lot of statistics show that when organizations attempt to make significant changes without implementing a change management process, the success rate of the project plummets, it takes longer to get to adoption, and costs increase.

Humans typically don’t like change.

The brain is designed to keep you alive so that change can feel scary.

The brain knows that what you have done so far has worked to keep you alive, so it does not want to try anything new.

This is why most people are naturally resistant to change. It can feel scary, unknown, and uncertain.

Change management also helps people adapt to the change and troubleshoot any problems they may be having with a new change to ensure the success of the outcome.

When change management is done well, people feel prepared for the change and supported through the transition period. 

The Change Management Process

There are many different popular change management processes. The main steps of most of the change management process are

1. Awareness of the current situation
2. Plan and prepare for the change
3. Get support for the change
4. Implement the change
5. Support the change 
6. Evaluate the results

By taking these steps, you lessen people’s resistance to the change.

You also help support people through the transition to ease their frustrations during the learning curve. 

By failing to implement a change management process, people will feel surprised and resistant to a change.

Managing Your Mind Through Leading Change

You might not agree with all the changes your organization decides to make. 

You might need to make changes in your organization that other people vehemently disagree with. 

Learning how to manage your mind around these changes will help you become a more effective leader and will help you feel empowered around what you can control, which is you!

Resources:

• 3 Ways to Feel Less Overwhelmed at Work (free guide)
• Asking Better Questions (blog post)
• How to Manage Your Mind (blog post)

To help you manage your mind around leading changes ask yourself these questions:

• What do I think about this change?
• How does this change support the greater goals of the organization?
• What are the reasons someone would be opposed to this change?
• Why would someone support this change?
• How do I want to think, on purpose, about this change?

These questions can help you get clarity around why you feel opposed or supportive to changes in your organization and can also help you develop empathy towards what other people in the organization may be feeling about these changes as well.

Transitions

People go through multiple transitions throughout their career and transitions into new roles is cited as the most challenging time in someone’s career.

Opinions are typically formed very early on and once formed, it becomes hard to change. This is why transitions are such critical times in your career. 

Transitions signal the start of something new, with equal potential to be amazing as disastrous.

Transitions are risky and you can be encountering multiple transitions at the same time like being promoted to a new role working for a new department at a new company in a new industry.

Being promoted to a new role, moving to a different function, starting at a new company and moving to a new industry are all examples of transitions.

In the book, The First 90 Days, the author goes over how to handle transitions in your career to help you be successful instead of falling into one of the all too common transition traps.

Since you making a transition in your career will be some form of change, this books dives into how to use a change management process to make the transition smooth and successful.

A Final Note

Leading change is one of the hardest things for someone who is new to leadership. Learning about change management process and preparing ahead of time can help new leaders feel more confident and lead change successfully at their organizations.

5 Ways to Get Work-Life Balance

by Elyse | Apr 28 | Leadership

Everyone wants to achieve the elusive work-life balance, which can seem complicated to accomplish when the work days are longer. Still, we are always connected, and there are always more responsibilities, engagements, and commitments to keep up with. There are ways to improve your work-life balance.

• Get the free guide, 3 Ways to Feel Less Overwhelmed at Work

Know Your Values

The first step to improving your work-life balance is knowing what you value right now and want to value. What is your current priority? Is your family, career, school, or something else?

Your values and priorities inform your decisions or tell you when to honor your current focus.

If you say your value is family. Still, you attend every weeknight happy hour with your colleagues and are the first to volunteer on projects that will take you away from your family. Are you honoring your priority?

By knowing what you value and your current priority, you can use your priority as a decision filter to know what to say yes to and what to say no to.

A Word On Balance

Balance means that everything is weighted equally. If you thought of your life in terms of life categories: health, career, environment, relationships, personal growth, contribution, spirituality, finances, family, and fun, you would give equal importance to each category.

You would spend just as much effort, time, and energy focused on your career as you would on your finances, environment, relationships, etc.

The problem with this is that it needs to consider your priorities or the season of life you are in. The definition of priority is that something is treated as more important than another. And there is a good reason why you sometimes want to prioritize something over another.

This goes hand-in-hand with the season of life that you are in. There are certain seasons where you need to be more balanced, and others where going off balance will serve you.

If you just gave birth, you probably want to prioritize your family and healing during postpartum. If you aim for a promotion, you will spend more time, energy, focus, and energy on your career than on fun during that season. If you are getting your master’s degree, you will prioritize that during the season that you are enrolled in school.

Seasons come and go. There is the season you are in school, the season you are in college, the season you focus on your career, the season you focus on your family, etc. And it can be good to have a particular focus, aka priority, for a season. 

It is always a good idea to ask yourself if you want to be balanced right now or if you want to be unbalanced for a season. If you know why you are doing something, it will be easier to stick with it when it gets complicated. 

Set Boundaries

With so many different things and people competing for your attention, it can be easy to get lost in the chaos or become consumed with what other people ask, demand, request or expect of you.

A way to combat this is to set boundaries. Set boundaries around the hours you are willing to work, when you will respond to messages and phone calls, and by saying no to commitments that are not your priority.

You don’t have to say yes if someone invites you to speak at a conference or out for coffee.

You can say no and, and you your time, values, and priorities. 

It is up to you to uphold and maintain your boundaries.

If your phone rings, you don’t have to answer it. You can always call back at a time that is more convenient for you.

If someone texts you, you don’t need to respond right away. You can reply when you want to.

Plan Results

When planning your time and what you will produce at work and home, determine the result you want to create instead of just the time you will spend doing the activity.

If you need to create a presentation at work, don’t plan to “work on the presentation.” Instead, plan to “create client presentation.”

This also works at home for tasks you have to do. Don’t plan to “clean your house.” Instead, when you are making your plan, plan to “clean bathtubs, sinks, and counters.” This is much more specific, and you know the particular result you are trying to create.

This keeps you focused and ensures you create results instead of spending time on activities that keep you busy and unproductive. 

Resources:

• 3 Ways to Feel Less Overwhelmed at Work (free guide)

Set Constraints For Yourself

It can be helpful to place constraints on yourself when you want to focus more on a goal or when you want to free up your mental energy.

It is best used to free up mental energy. There are so many decisions that need to be made in a day, and those decisions compound if you do something like scrolling social media because you will be bombarded with even more decisions, such as:

• should I like this post?
• should I comment on this post?
• do I want to skip this story?
• do I want to go back and rewatch that last story?
• should I message her?
• should I keep scrolling?
• should I stop scrolling?
• should I click this button?
• do I want to buy this?

Eventually, you will get decision fatigue and tire out your brain. Those are only questions for when you are scrolling through social media. There are so many more questions that you have to answer every day, like what you want to wear, what route you want to take to work, what you want to eat, how you want to start your day if you’re going to run an errand on your way home or save it for later, etc.

By implementing constraints, you can stop a lot of that chatter. You can choose to put a rule in your life about anything. You only check your email after 9 am and spend only one hour on emails daily. It can be that on Tuesdays, you have tacos for dinner, and you can wear a skirt and a blouse daily to work.

Ideas for constraints you can set in your life:

• the types of foods you will eat and when you will eat them
• what clothes will you wear
• the times of day that you will put your phone in another room
• how many hours a day you will spend watching tv

The point of constraints is that you have already decided for yourself, so you don’t need to entertain the mental chatter of going back and forth about making a decision.

Setting constraints in your life is a way to simplify your life. 

Say No

Say no to others when they ask you to do things you don’t want. Other people will always make requests and ask you to do something. But just because they ask doesn’t mean you have to say yes.

It is up to you to protect your time and determine what is important to you.

In the book The First 90 Days, the author recommends that when a colleague asks you to do something, you don’t automatically say yes right away. Many women are in the habit of saying yes to others to please them.

Instead, you can say that you will get back to them. This is especially important if you already have a full plate. You don’t want to overcommit, overextend yourself, and be unable to follow through and deliver on what you promised.

A Final Note

You have a choice. You can choose to say no to baking one hundred handmade cupcakes; you can say no to volunteering at events you don’t want to be at. You can even say no to cleaning your house or cooking dinner, and you don’t have to do any of it.

Sometimes just remembering that you have a choice in these things and that you don’t have to do something you don’t want to do can help you feel better about doing what you want to do.

How to Be a More Effective Leader

by Elyse | Apr 21 | Leadership

This blog post will discuss how to be a more effective leader. People want to be led, and leaders are more than just managers. Leaders inspire people and help draw everyone into a greater vision. Here are some ways to become a more effective leader. 

Setting a Good Example

Leaders are role models, and the behavior that leaders exhibit is those that others will model. So, if you want your team to act a certain way, you must work that way.

People will model your behavior. If you want people to respond quickly, you should set an example of replying rapidly.

This also applies to working hard and being willing to do the tasks you ask others to do. By being integrity with your words, you will set a good example.

Being Open To Feedback

If you want to be a more effective leader, be open to the feedback you receive.

This doesn’t mean that you have to accept all feedback given to you, especially if it is unfounded.

Being open to feedback means listening to what others tell you about yourself, even if you find it hard to hear. You can listen with an open mind and thank them for being honest with you.

As you rise in an organization, this becomes more important because people will be less willing to tell you things, predominantly negative. In the book Primal Leadership, they call this “CEO disease.”

It is essential to listen and be open to people’s feedback. They also might be right and tell you something you can do better, which will help you improve and become a better leader.

Building Trust

Building trust is vital to your goals as a leader. You want people to trust your vision and where you are taking them.

You can build trust by doing what you say you will do and being honest with people about what is happening.

People like to be told why certain decisions were made, or changes are happening. By being honest about these things and even your feelings about these things, you can build trust with your team.

Another way to build trust is to be fair and treat everyone with respect. No one likes to feel like they are being mistreated.

Active listening is another way to build trust with your team, peers, and colleagues. You can practice this by being present when someone is speaking instead of thinking about the next thing you want to say. Then, you can repeat to the person what you think you heard to ensure you understood them correctly.

Manage Your Mind

Managing your mind means being aware of your thoughts and feelings and how those impact your results.

This is the work we focus on inside Millennial Leadership because it is where you have the most control. By knowing how your mindset impacts the things around you, you can shift and choose more empowering thoughts.

You know how you affect your team by being aware of your emotions. According to Primal Leadership, emotional intelligence is the most important attribute when it comes to who will be successful as a leader. So, investing in increasing emotional intelligence is a worthwhile goal.

A Final Note

There are many things you can do to become a more effective leader. These include setting a good example, being open to feedback, building trust, and managing your mind.

How to Deal With a Difficult Coworker

by Elyse | Apr 14 | Leadership

Dealing with a difficult coworker can be:

• frustrating
• stressful
• worrisome
• agitating
• fearful

Or a whole host of other negative emotions. Sometimes it can feel like there is no escape from them, and you will be subjected to their bad behavior forever.

But there are things that you can do to help you deal with a difficult coworker.

Accept That You Can’t Control Them

You can’t control other people, and this includes doing things to try to manipulate difficult people into behaving the way you want them to act.

Other people have the agency to do what they want, and there is nothing you can do or try to do to control them.

They will act the way they are regardless of what you do or don’t do.

Everyone has the agency to act how they see fit. Once you accept that you can’t control them, you can start to focus on what you can control.

Focus on You (AKA What You Can Control)

By focusing on yourself, you put your attention and efforts into something you have power over.

You can choose how you think about other people, the situation, and the problem.

You can also choose how you are going to feel, how you are going to act, and what you are going to do.

You have the power to choose to think anything. Knowing that your feelings come from your thoughts, you can ask yourself: “How do I want to think about this situation?”

Another powerful question is, “Who do I want to be?”

Focusing on you also lets you decide what you are willing and not willing to do in the situation. Just because a coworker demands something of you doesn’t mean you have to do it on their timeline or at all. You are always in control of yourself and can decide what you will do.

Don’t Internalize

If a problematic coworker starts making disparaging or rude comments to you, you can choose not to believe what they are saying.

The opinion of yourself is what matters the most, so if you believe that you are a hard worker, that you overdeliver, and that you are great at collaborating, then you can continue to believe all those positive things about yourself instead of accepting whatever negative comments a difficult coworker offers up to you.

Your confidence and self-esteem come from the thoughts you choose to think about yourself. And you can choose to think anything. That is why it is essential not to internalize negative things that a difficult coworker says.

Have Boundaries

Boundaries are a way for you to show up as the best version of yourself. Boundaries are not meant to control or punish other people.

They are there for you to protect your physical and emotional space and well-being.

Remember, a boundary is what you are going to do. We already established that you can not control a problematic coworker, and even if you requested of them, they probably wouldn’t say yes.

A boundary looks like saying, “If this meeting goes over the scheduled allotted time, I will have to leave.”

Or

“I will show up prepared with my work, but I will not step in for you during the presentation if you show up unprepared.”

Also, you can have boundaries around seeing a coworker outside of work or socializing with them.

Have Positive Regard

This is a bonus tip that will be helpful. Try to positively regard everyone around you, especially the problematic coworker (if you can, I know this can be hard!).

Human beings are intelligent and have developed gut feelings over thousands of years. People can typically sense when they are not liked, creating more tension in an already challenging situation.

Operating under the assumption of positive regard will help you assume that others have the best intent and can help make you (and often them!) more agreeable and pleasant to work with.

Just make sure that you also have firm boundaries in place so that you don’t fall into the trap of appeasing others to try to keep the peace and end up resentful.

​

In Summary:

1. Accept that you can’t control them
2. Focus on what you can control (you, your thoughts, feelings, and actions, what you will and won’t do)
3. Don’t internalize negative opinions or comments
4. Uphold and maintain your boundaries
5. Have positive regard

Burnout: What Burnout Is, Signs & Prevention Tips

by Elyse | Mar 10 | Leadership

Burnout can come in many different forms, but at its core, burnout leaves people in utter exhaustion. So, what is burnout, what are the signs of burnout, and how can you prevent it?

Merriam-Webster defines burnout as:

Burnout:

1. The cessation of operation usually of a jet or rocket engine

2. Exhaustion of physical or emotional strength or motivation usually as a result of prolonged stress or frustration

The Mayo Clinic describes burnout as “a special type of work-related stress-a state of physical or emotional exhaustion that also involves a sense of reduced accomplishment and loss of personal identity.”

The cause of burnout is trying to achieve a goal that becomes unattainable and being under this stress for a prolonged amount of time without seeing an end in sight.

Signs of burnout include:

• irritability
• feeling exhausted for an extended period
• hostility
• cynicism
• loss of internal motivation, drive, or enjoyment when you used to feel enjoyment about doing the thing
• a feeling of endlessness

Burnout Prevention Tips

Burnout can be prevented by having and maintaining boundaries, proper planning, and caring for your mindset.

You will eventually get exhausted when you work continuously towards a result and keep working more and more without resting.

To prevent burnout, you have to schedule time for self-care and relaxation. There has to be an end to the work day so you can do something else and think about something else.

Another prevention tip for burnout is to plan. So many people are putting out fires daily that they don’t have enough space in their calendars to work on their important goals. By putting out so many fires, you are constantly reacting to your day, which will be very stressful.

Also, managing your mind will help tremendously with preventing burnout. Your brain is an incredible tool and can be an asset to you, but if it is not managed correctly, it can just as quickly work against you.

Taking the time to do the self-care, like managing your brain and stopping work when you say you are going to stop, are essential steps to preventing burnout.

A Final Note

You can build an incredible, resilient mindset. You can direct your brain to positive thoughts; you can use your brain to make better decisions and plan your future. You are also able to process any emotions that you feel. Because you have these capabilities, you can work towards building your mindset to help you stay out of burnout. You can use different emotions to fuel you to feel productive and accomplished instead of stressed and exhausted. You can use your brain to make better decisions so that you work on your most important tasks and decide when you should stop working each day. You can gift self-care to yourself by managing your mind, honoring your boundaries, and making thoughtful decisions for your future.