The summer has blown by and I’m busy getting geared up for the fall.  There are a lot of great things happening that I will keep you posted on.

I am training for a big cycling ride with a friend and we were discussing the high probability of getting a flat tire as we were riding on one of our several epic training rides.  We were both saying that it would be a great idea to take a mini-course in changing flat tires and also to carry a spare tube and pump.  Three weeks later we had a similar discussion, no action taken.

You can guess what’s next… This past weekend I noticed my tire was low as I was leaving my house to meet friends for a long ride.  I pumped it up and went on my way hoping to get lucky since I did not have a spare tube.  Sure enough, it became fully flat and I needed to turn around.

Was I prepared?  No way.  I found several tubes at my house, none fit my bike.  In fact, I didn’t really know how to change the tire, although I knew with enough time, I could figure it out.  However, I didn’t have time!  My friends were already at the site, the temperature was going up and we had other things to do that day.  What did I do?  I grabbed a different bike and hustled down to meet my friends.  The final result:  I was slower with the other bike (and more tired at the end), I held up my friends unnecessarily, and we biked in hotter weather than we needed to.

How does this compare to the “flat tires” we encounter at work?  The phone calls that we procrastinate returning that turn into a crisis; the piles of documentation that await us that we put off until the audit; the problematic employee who needs crucial feedback or disciplinary action that you hesitate to give until the situation gets out of control.

What would it be like to have the initial concern/task/idea and then take pro-active action?

How much time is lost changing the proverbial flat tire when you are blindsided by the sharp object?

Being ready means having the knowledge, the resources (material and people), the time, and the motivation to manage the issue.  Instead of pushing away the initial concern, I invite you to get ready for the situation and take action.

I wish you an awesome start to the fall season.

If you live in the Philly area, I’m doing a workshop, “How To
Make 2010 Your Best Year Ever!”

Studio34 Yoga
4522 Baltimore Ave Philadelphia
Thursday, January 28
7-9PM

You know New Year’s Resolutions don’t work
You are committed to making sustainable changes
I’ll show you how…

You will:
•Learn how to set goals that are aligned with your values
and dreams
•Gain clarity on what you really want to achieve
•Learn how to create an environment that supports your
success
•Understand barriers to change and how to overcome them

Join Professional Coach Christine Coward, VP of Coaching
Services for Habit Change Company, for this life- changing
workshop and set yourself on the right track for 2010 and beyond.

Investment:  $25 in advance, $30 at the door.  Includes handouts
and refreshments.
To Register: E-mail chris@chriscoward.com and pay with PayPal to
chris@coachingtofulfillment.com
Questions?  E-mail chris@chriscoward.com or call (215) 472-1572

“How to Be Happy and Unstressed No Matter What’s Going On” 

You don’t need to tolerate feelings of overwhelm, stress and unhappiness.  This workshop will get you feeling good again using cutting edge techniques that you can easily learn and do on your own.

You will learn:

·      The #1 Secret to Being Happy and how you can increase your happiness right away

·      How to decrease your stress and overwhelm in as little as 5 minutes a day

Bonuses:

·      Refreshments at each session

·      Workbook included ($25 value)

·      30 minutes “Increase Your Happiness” Coaching Session with Chris ($100 value) = $125 in FREE Bonuses

4 Week Workshop Series (limited to 12 people)

Tuesdays 6:30-8:00 PM (4/21, 4/28, 5/5, 5/12)

Studio 34 Yoga

4522 Baltimore Ave.

Philadelphia, PA 19143

To Register:  Send me an e-mail at Chris@chriscoward.com or call (215) 472-1572 for more information

Cost:  $100 by 4/15, after that its $125

I was recently working with a manager in a social work organization who was feeling stressed about having to confront an employee who was undermining him as a leader. This staff person was openly doing her own thing, versus what she was instructed to do and it was leading to negative consequences.  One impact this employee’s behavior had on the team was that other employees were asking whether they too could deviate from the plan and in this situation that was not a good idea.

My client was upset with this person and wanted to reinforce her needing to follow the plan but in the coaching session he kept talking about the strengths of this employee – how she could engage youth in a group setting, her knowledge of youth development, and her willingness to help out in crisis situations.  It became clear that his stress was about 2 things:  1) not feeling confident in giving negative feedback to his staff person, with one of the reasons being that the employee was doing good work as well as being difficult.  2) worrying about what would happen during and after the conversation with the employee – would she quit?  Would she become toxic in the workplace?

It turns out the discussion went very well and in recognizing the employee’s strengths, together they came up with a shift in her role that played to what she does best.  My client acknowledged that getting clear on his message ahead of time instead of just being angry and letting it boil over into his relationship with this staff person was a good way to go since he could present as calm and together and be sincere in appreciating this employee’s strengths.

What are the unique strengths of your employees and are you leveraging them to benefit your organization?  If an employee is getting under your skin, do they become “the bad employee” in your eyes or are you able to see that they have both positive and negative traits?  What difficult conversations are you avoiding with staff members?

What is the connection between feeling happy and having less stress?  For one, you can’t experience both feelings at the same time.  And, positive psychology research shows that you can increase your happiness by doing certain exercises.  By that reasoning, you can decrease your stress by doing those same exercises.

A working definition of stress taken from Claire Michaels Wheeler’s book, “10 Simple Solutions to Stress” is that stress is the “situation that arises in you when life’s challenges and pressures exceed your perceived ability to cope.”  The key is that it is your perception of the event that affects your stress level.  The good news is that you can increase your coping skills and make choices to increase your happiness.

One exercise to improve your happiness is gratitude journaling.  This activity can lift your mood and move you away from a focus on what’s going wrong for you.  I have several of my coaching clients do this and they report an immediate shift in mood.  When doing this activity, reflect on what you are grateful for in your life – it could be family members, friends, a great meal, a fun party, etc.  Aim to journal 3 days a week.  I would love to know how it works for you.  If you are too shy to post here on your results please send me an e-mail to chris@chriscoward.com  Good luck!

If you live in Philadelphia, come on out to a free Stress Management Workshop on:

Tuesday, July 22, 2008 from 6-8PM.  The location is Studio 34 Yoga at 4522 Baltimore Avenue in Philadelphia.  Please RSVP to me at chris@chriscoward.com

Benefits from attending this workshop:  You’ll leave the workshop more relaxed; You will gain clarity on your priority areas to focus on; You will have fun!; You will learn techniques to manage your stress

Having worked as a leader in the field of social work for several years, I know how stressful it can be to balance the needs of staff with the needs of the upper administration as well as deal with funding cuts, staff turnover and challenging clients.  What I also know is that some stress is productive, good for us and even fun.  How you perceive the stress in your life effects how you react to it and what you do about it.

For example, this past Saturday I learned that on the following Wednesday, I would be running a group on wellness issues for a client.  Besides planning the curriculum I needed to bring in key staff at the organization to be part of the process.  As you can imagine, this produced a stress reaction for me.  What did that look like?  My bodily response was tightening in my stomach.  My first thought was, “when am I going to pull this together?”  “I have this, that and the other thing going on all before Wednesday!”

However, my next thought was, “what a great opportunity to help these folks get a taste of our wellness model.”  My stomach relaxed and I became energized as I brainstormed with my partner on how we would pull this off.  The To-Do list got created and after several phone discussions I felt ready to go and excited about doing the group. 

Let’s take a look at the shift that was made in my stress response.  My first reaction was based on fear – the fear that I was being asked to do something that was too much on short notice.  When I really looked at the task at hand I realized that I can do this.  I facilitate groups all the time and the material was not new to me. In fact, I really enjoy running groups and the topic is something I strongly connect with.

How can you reframe an initially stressful request into something that has a benefit to you, your staff, your organization or your clients?

Can you shift your priorities to make your life less stressful?  For example, can you postpone another task to free up time to accomplish the new task? 

If you are still stressed, figure out what exactly it is that’s causing your stress.  Remember, you can make a choice.  Choose to feel better.