When we bring a greater sense of purpose to what we do, we are compelled to invest more time and energy into our work because we are accountable for the outcome – and because we believe in the work we are doing. Whether it’s one piece of a project or a more complex assignment, it’s imperative we attach the task or responsibility to a higher goal. Here are 3 ways you can achieve this objective.
Our brains detest the vast amount of uncertainty we’ve been navigating over this past year. It's in our nature to crave certainty and predictability. We like to know what is coming around the corner. We are wired to constantly scan for new information in an effort to strengthen our internal prediction algorithms. And the internet is primed to provide us with a cognitive sugar rush. As a result, we find ourselves endlessly scrolling. This leaves us stuck in an endless loop of seeking more information to help compensate for this feeling of information overload. How can we take back control and regain our footing? Here are the 3 most effective approaches to mitigate information overload and avoid unnecessary stress.
So many of us are led to believe success is about being the strongest, smartest and fastest. As a result, too many people mistakenly approach work like a competition. ‘If one person wins, someone else loses.’ This scarcity mentality leads to siloes, information hoarding and transactional relationships. But the truth is, the more we help others grow, develop, and thrive, regardless of whether they can help us in return, the more we and everyone around us benefits. But what exactly does it mean to be the kind of person that generates real results and helps their team perform at a higher level? Read on to learn more and access a copy of our popular High-Performance Teammate Audit & Action Plan.
At its best, feedback is a gift. Sharing feedback is an investment in the other person and the fastest way to help them sharpen their skills. Feedback is a crucial component of any high-performance team and a skill worth mastering by all of us. But, far too often, feedback is tainted by bias. Bias influences our behaviour more than we may think. As much as our intent may be otherwise, recognizing our own tendency to operate in a biased way is the first step to interrupting bias. The more we recognize, learn about and discuss bias, the more we can support our experts and take the necessary steps to eliminate bias. I invite you to join me on these 3 steps to help all of us notice and interrupt unconscious bias.
Do you feel like you’re pulled in too many directions? Is daily planning about as futile as sorting Lego, when the universe seems determined to scatter your beautiful piles? In the short term, it is easier to manage our work the way we always have. But this doesn’t fix the inequality when our lists are longer than our days. We need a fresh approach. Here's how you can take small steps each day, so you can simplify your work, reclaim time, and create better results. Over time, these small steps will add up to radically different days. Simplified days with amplified results.
At this point, the dust swirled up by a fury of new year’s resolution activities has settled. And even though 2020 is (finally) in our rear-view mirror, it’s natural to feel a little blurry-eyed looking forward to 2021. So, with one final headshake, let’s reset and consider how we can all bring our best to work this year and beyond. Our team at Clear Concept has been pursuing the answer to this question for the last two decades and have found three key drivers help us show up at our best, regardless of what is swirling around us.
Sometimes we get so caught up in giving to others, we neglect one important person: ourselves. But when you invest in yourself, you’re better able to show up for everyone else in your life. As we draw towards the end of the year, can you gift some time and attention to yourself? This may be the most valuable gift you give.
Knowing how to respond to a need rather than react to a trigger is the first step to navigating any sort of challenge we encounter, whether it’s a difficult conversation or even a traumatic event. While on the surface, these words, respond and react, appear similar, there is an important distinction between them. Here are three ways we can help ourselves to respond the next time it would be easier to react.
We know stress is a normal and essential part of healthy development. Some stress even serves to optimize our performance. But chronic stress is toxic and negatively affects our mental and physical health and wellbeing. When we can reframe our perception of stress and adopt a more resilient mindset, we are better equipped to manage the day-to-day stress we all face. Here are 5 strategies you can use to change how you think about stress.
We have an abundance of choice when it comes to setting goals and dreaming up our next great achievement. This is a gift. But if you’re anything like me, this gift can sometimes lead to over-committing yourself. This is when you turn to your Main Action Plan, the foundation of productivity. At Clear Concept, we call this productivity tool your MAP because it’s your guide to prioritizing and getting things done. Here is how you can use your own MAP to keep yourself on track and do your best work.
