Routines are potent mechanisms in our daily life that help us achieve more. They create structure in our days to help us deal with the complexity of everyday life. By having time and spaces designated for various activities, our tasks become automatic and allow us to do more.
Our business and environment constantly change, so we must leave room to think about what is affecting us and what we can learn as a result.
We all procrastinate at one point or another. Getting work done effectively is a matter of setting up all your routines to ensure you are as productive as possible.
In his book, The Executive’s Compass: Business and the Good Society (public library), James O’Toole describes the use of a compass with the ideas of liberty (North) and equality (South) on the vertical axis and efficiency (East) and community (West) on the horizontal axis. These poles, notably the liberty-equality continuum, represent tradeoffs we must make as we search for the ideal society. I read about the tension between the idea of full liberty and full equality, but I had never
Life happens every day. Over time, we will experience a bit of everything – good, bad, great, sad, and sometimes, like the recent crisis we are living through, catastrophic. Our work life is no different. With the ups come the downs: in typical times, a great team player may leave the company, or perhaps a loan does not come through. It can be very frustrating and sometimes scary.
Growth is not linear; it is all over the place. To be able to work with the uncertainty, I’ve found that as leaders, we must develop resilience. If we are not feeling well ourselves, it will be much more difficult, if not impossible, to lead.
The agony of the writer. I am not the first to write about this and certainly not the last. But alas, I will try to render my personal experiences and inspire something positive out of this profoundly uncomfortable feeling.
I’m in the middle of editing my business book, which is an exploration of what I have learned about building a business – it is, in essence, the business handbook I wish I had had when I started as an entrepreneur. I thought the writing process was going to be the hardest part, and editing the book would be a breeze. I would only have to hire a great professional, and the rest would sort itself out.
Our careers are a progression. As our careers develop, our work with all the experiences it involves as well as our colleagues and counterparts can be some of our greatest teachers. We grow through our work because it forces us to confront our fears (e.g., fear of failure or public speaking) in a way that no other activity would. There is no choice; we have to get to the other side of our fears because we might otherwise damage our careers. By letting go of our reservations, we discover new inner strengths as well as other perspectives in life. Over time, we learn and grow with our career.
Along the way, we also inevitably make mistakes. It is part of what we sometimes must experience to learn. We regret some mistakes, and often we would rather forget them because they sting, but we all make them. If you are on an upward journey and working on areas you have never worked on before, you cannot know everything there is to know about them, and you will make mistakes. They are a part of our path.
Self-discipline is an often-overlooked trait that is vital for professional growth. It is one of those virtues without which our careers can never reach their full potential. Anything that is worthwhile takes work and dedication. According to Merriam-Webster, its definition is:
Correction or regulation of oneself for the sake of improvement
Self-discipline is often uncomfortable and unpleasant. It usually involves sacrificing in the present for an action that will move you closer to reaching a goal such as implementing a new system by a deadline or writing a chapter of your book. The word itself can even have a military ring to it because it requires perseverance through the challenges we face. However, the only way to sustainably get to where we want to go is through following the rules and doing the work.
Without self-discipline, we would never get anywhere.
Setting goals is essential for growth. Without a clear roadmap, the probabilities of getting to our destination are significantly diminished. On the other hand, with planning and perseverance, goals can help us arrive at previously unimaginable points. It is the only way to get to these new places.
Goals can vary immensely depending on the person and life stage. Sometimes a goal can be as simple as accomplishing a life event, like a pregnancy, in the healthiest way possible. Other times, the goal can be completing a major project successfully, such as the implementation of a company-wide system. The goals can change significantly from year to year.
What is important is to aim high and work diligently. The goals will guide you.
At work and as adults, we are expected to keep abreast of important events and new information. However, amid the commotion of daily life, keeping up with the news and reading books can easily be forgotten. Moreover, it can be a struggle to develop a habit.
Fortunately, there are many ways to obtain information. The key is to find the best mix of articles and books to keep informed in the most effective way possible.