The First Step to Making Your Career Pandemic-Proof

As an executive coach who specializes in working with high-performing women, I've closely watched how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting women's careers. 

In both news reports and conversations with clients and other leaders, I'm hearing that professional women disproportionately handle the added domestic work (like managing kids' online learning) caused by the pandemic. As a result, some have decided to leave the workforce while others are approaching burnout as they try to juggle it all. Those who remain in the workforce face the added challenge of making their accomplishments more visible in a virtual environment.

Photo by Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels

As the pandemic continues, it poses a threat to the gains women have made in the workplace during recent years, especially in pay and promotions.

What can you do to protect your career amid these difficult circumstances? Let’s start by talking about how to manage things on the home front, to keep you showing up at your best personally and professionally. In my next article, I’ll share what strategic self-promotion can look like in today’s environment.

Managing It All

Even in normal times, women take on a greater share of responsibilities at home than their male partners do. Women spend more time on childcare and housework, and are more likely to interrupt their careers to care for a family member. The pandemic has only exacerbated that situation, especially with so many women working from home.

So how can women shift to a more sustainable way of working and living? It all starts with the strategic pauses that I recommended in a past article. During one of those essential pauses, answer these key questions:

• What does the full picture of your life look like right now? Getting a clearer picture will help you notice what is and isn’t working. How chained are you to your phone and computer, especially if you’re not commuting to an office anymore? How much do you work in the evenings or on weekends? How big is your role in your kids' schooling? How many added responsibilities, like grocery shopping or taking care of elderly parents, are you managing? How much time do you allocate to people and activities that energize you?  And, even more importantly, how is all of this affecting you — your sleep, diet, exercise, stress level, and how you’re showing up with colleagues and loved ones? 

• What do you want life to look like? Be really specific. What do you really want for yourself? For example, you may want to carve out 30 minutes to an hour of time just for you each day to recharge or unwind. Or to have quality time with your family from 6-8 every weeknight without any work distractions. Or to get help with the most time-consuming tasks that eat into your personal time. Or to reduce the high volume of email, instant messages and texts from your team so that you have time to focus on priorities.

• What needs to change? Once you’ve defined the picture of what you want, it should lead to conversations about how to make it happen. At work, it could mean helping others understand how your schedule works, arming your team with the strategic questions they should ask themselves before they fire off a request to you or delegating in ways that develop your team. Or it could be about resetting expectations about reasonable turnaround times on requests.

At home, identify some simple changes you can make. Sit down with your spouse or partner and other family members to manage and more equitably share the domestic workload. For example, ordering out a little more often could mean that both of you have some evenings where you don’t have to cook – and that you can reinvest the time in something else that matters to you. Online grocery shopping may make it easier to delegate grocery shopping to someone else in the family. Remember to add some fun in there for all of you together, like doing something active outside (to get more exercise and quality time). Get creative.

If some of the changes you’re contemplating bump up against your high standards for yourself, remember that time is a finite resource. Saying “yes” to doing something means saying “no” to doing something else. Over the course of a week, freeing up just 15-30 minutes each day could mean gaining a few hours for bigger priorities, so be intentional about your choices.

Small steps can lead to big results, so let’s get started. Take five minutes right now to clarify two or three things what you want for yourself and one action you will take this week to move in that direction. You can find more strategies like these in "Staying in the Driver's Seat," one of the booklets in my Leadership EDGE Series℠.

Is Perfectionism Holding You Back as a Leader?

The coronavirus pandemic and the accompanying economic fallout are more than short-term disruptions in the way that we work. As major shifts in business continue, leaders must update their approach both to stay effective and to keep themselves from burning out.

In my last two blog articles, I talked about a couple of the most important adjustments you can make: creating more capacity in your day and using that capacity to recharge and reflect.

Today, I want to look at a roadblock that might be keeping you from making those changes and from being the kind of leader your team needs right now. Perfectionism may have helped you get where you are as a leader. But, especially in these fast-changing, high-pressure times, it can be a double-edged sword.

The Perils of Perfectionism

Throughout your career, you may have been recognized and promoted based on your high standards, your ability to drive results and your passion for hard work. 

But, in the current environment, many perfectionists are running into problems:

• With demands increasing in both your work life and your personal life, it's getting impossible to keep all the balls in the air, no matter how many hours you put in.

• Your team members are trying your patience. They aren't getting things done, and they don't even seem to hear you sometimes.

• You feel like you're being rushed to make decisions without your usual thought and deliberation.

Perfectionism and Your Leadership Identity

When the going gets tough, perfectionists tend to respond by just digging in harder. This is not just about habits; it’s about identity.

I saw this recently play out with one of my clients. She's on track to move into a C-suite role, and she's worked very hard to get there.

In fact, the executive who's currently in that role says my client is working harder than she needs to and believes she would perform even better if she eased up some.

But she can't adjust her expectations for herself. That's true in both her work life and her home life. Like many of us, she's dealing with significant changes domestically as well. She's working from home all day with her spouse, kids, and other family members. And she has high standards for herself on that front, too.

In the long run, her approach isn’t sustainable and her perfectionism sabotages her longer-term goals.

Less Perfect, More Productive

So what are some more productive ways to honor our high standards without driving ourselves — and others — crazy? Here are a few ideas:

• Reassess your priorities. What was of paramount importance (or at least seemed to be) just a few months ago may be less important now. For example, maybe you were used to doing exhaustive research before making decisions. But it's now necessary to reach decisions more rapidly, even if you have to do so based on less information. As author and former clinical psychologist Alice Boyes told Harvard Business Review, sometimes it's more productive to be “less perfect about some things, so you can concentrate on what’s important.” 

• Set realistic expectations for yourself. Let's say you're about to start an annual project that, in the past, has taken you about a day to complete. This year, though, you have more responsibilities on your plate because your team has shrunk. And you're working from home while your kids are also home doing online school. What will it really take to get this project done under these circumstances? It's only realistic to assume that you will need more time than before. So go ahead and give yourself a bit of a cushion in your planning and negotiate the timeline with your manager.

• Set realistic expectations for others. Are your team members not themselves lately? You might be used to telling them something once and then they get it done without a hitch. If that has stopped happening, don't automatically assume there's a performance issue. Remember that fear and stress can keep others from hearing you. And your team members might be experiencing any number of stressors, from fears about their health or a loved one's, to a spouse's job loss, to difficult questions about what's best for their family. 

With that in mind, regularly ask your team members how they are doing. What's going on in their lives that could affect their work? How can you adjust your communication style based on their new reality? That might mean talking more on the front end of projects to ensure you are both on the same page. Or it could mean making more frequent progress check-ins.

This week, identify one way that perfectionism is showing up in your expectations for yourself or for your team, and one step you will take to adapt your approach. For more strategies on effective leadership, ones that can help you as you deal with challenges, pick up a copy of my book "Show Up. Step Up. Step Out."

One Thing Video Series: Do You Practice What You Preach?

Do your team members take your feedback to heart? If you're not noticing the changes you'd like to see, consider whether you're modeling the behaviors you want your direct reports to show. I explain more about the importance of "practicing what you preach" in my latest One Thing You Can Do video.

Want to Be More Productive? Pause

Over the past week, I coached at least four high-performing leaders on the importance of carving out time for critical work. Although they know this matters, they are having difficulty making it happen.

For example, one client told me that he regularly blocks time on his calendar, but when the dedicated time slot rolls around, something interesting happens. Instead of tackling the work he intended to complete, he starts responding to emails.

So why is he getting bogged down in email when he knows it’s not the biggest priority?  The answer is simple: He is tired — and the critical work he should do is mentally taxing. 

Reducing the size of his email inbox still makes him feel productive — like he did accomplish something. But he knows that he is sabotaging his own effectiveness. To change this pattern, he has to go beyond blocking time on his calendar to address his underlying mental fatigue.

In my last blog article, I shared the importance of putting a little breathing room in your schedule, especially if your level of busyness has reached new heights in this crazy  environment. Today we’ll build on that idea. Once you have more capacity in your schedule, how can you use it to lead more effectively?

What Kind of Break Do You Need?

High performers often instinctively respond to stressful times by doing, doing, doing. But here's an important distinction: Being in motion does not necessarily mean that you're moving forward.

None of us are built to work nonstop. In fact, researchers say we need a pause about every 90 minutes so that our brains can consolidate information. After reading my last article, I hope you identified some strategies to integrate more pauses into your day.

So, how should you use your break? Start by checking in with yourself. During busy days, you can easily lose touch with how you are really feeling. Emotional intelligence — knowing what's going on internally for you and taking effective action based on that self-understanding — is key to being an effective leader.

On your next break, simply notice what’s going on for you physically and mentally. What’s your stress level? How connected do you feel? What’s your level of energy and engagement?

Once you realize how you're doing, you’ll know the type of break that will help you the most. If you've been on back-to-back calls, a walk to get some fresh air, stretching or deep breathing and quiet might be the most restorative things you can do. On the other hand, if you've had your head down doing complex work on your own, you might want something more interactive, like checking in with family or friends or a quick conversation. One size does not fit all, so do what works best for you. 

The Proactive Pause

Be intentional about how you use breaks to refocus your time and energy. In other words, determine where you can have the biggest impact on the business and redirect your time accordingly. When you're “in the weeds,” you may not notice anything beyond what's right in front of you: your next email, meeting or fire drill.

Even taking just 10 minutes to reflect can boost your productivity and effectiveness. Use these questions to get started:

• How well does my calendar align with what’s most critical?

• If my calendar is out of sync, what can I delegate, defer or stop doing?

• Which critical meetings do I need to prepare for in the next two weeks?

• What issues or obstacles should I prioritize and proactively manage?

• Whom do I need to check in with? How in tune am I with my manager and team?

To get more done in less time, use some of the breaks in your schedule to proactively reflect.

What's Coming Up

So far, we've worked through two big steps toward developing a more sustainable approach to work during these stressful times:

1. Create capacity in your schedule for breaks.

2. Use those breaks to restore yourself mentally and to reconnect to what matters most.

In my next article, I'll help you clear a mental block that's making a lot of high performers unproductive and even unhappy right now. In the meantime, I invite you to explore my self-paced tools that will help you keep growing as a leader no matter how busy you are.

One Thing Video Series: How Are You Showing Up?

Your presence — the way you show up with others — is one of the key parts of your personal brand as a leader. The unpredictability of our world and our work lives today can affect how you show up. In my latest One Thing You Can Do video, I'll give you a few ideas for making sure that the way you're coming across reflects how you want others to see you.

How to Stop 'Getting By' and Start Leading Strategically

Back in March, the global pandemic upended the way we work. For most of us, this initially felt like a short-term crisis. So we dug in to power through.

But now, almost five months later, you might be stuck in this mode — which damages both your executive presence and your career prospects.

As the deep shifts in our work lives continue, we have to find a more sustainable approach. Today I'm kicking off a new series of blog articles to help you pause, reconnect with the bigger picture and be the leader you want to be even in the most challenging of times.

At Home, We're Working More 

As an executive coach, I'm seeing too many leaders right now who are packing their calendars, working at all hours and saying "yes" to everything.

What's driving this? Cuts and restructuring at many organizations are leaving fewer people to do the same amount of work (or even more). There's also a new urgency around showing your value in order to protect your job.

At the same time, working from home is making our jobs more logistically challenging and blurring the lines between our work and personal lives.

When Microsoft recently studied its own newly remote workforce, it discovered some dramatic changes in how employees were working:

• Time spent in meetings each week rose by 10%.

• Using instant messaging activity as an indicator, Microsoft found that employees were working more during lunch and evenings. Weekend work also grew.

• Also based on instant messaging, managers' workload has grown more than that of individual contributors.

• All of this adds up to a workweek that, on average, is about four hours longer.

Are You Neglecting Strategy?

This relentless pace has consequences. You might think that your hard work makes you a team player. But constantly focusing on the tactical vs. the strategic actually reduces the value you create as a leader. If you're always "putting out fires," you have less time for your truly important work, such as tracking what's going on with your team, motivating and engaging your team members and managing up with your bosses.

Remember also that, as a leader, you are always in the "invisible spotlight." Others are constantly drawing conclusions about your leadership based on what they observe. As working from home eliminates our in-person interactions, your virtual executive presence takes on greater weight. So think about what messages you are conveying by, for example, sending a lot of after-hours emails or arriving late to Zoom calls because you were in another video meeting.

Give Yourself Some Space

It's time to start thinking beyond just getting through these unprecedented times. How can you do so in a way that shows others that you are a strong leader and that sets the stage for your future success?

The first step is simply freeing up some more capacity in your schedule. To do so, take a moment to think about the most important work you need to be doing right now. Has it changed recently? Do you need to adjust your schedule to shift more time toward your top priorities?

Next, think about what you can get off of your plate. Are there meetings you can cancel or decline? Can you turn a one-hour meeting into a 30-minute one? Can you delegate more? Adding even a few minutes back into your day can provide some relief if you're feeling frenzied and overscheduled.

In my next article, I'll show you how to make the most of the capacity you've restored to your schedule. In the meantime, I invite you to explore my self-paced tools that will help you keep growing as a leader no matter how busy you are.

What Does Your Decision-Making Look Like?

As a manager or executive, how many decisions would you guess that you make each year?

Three thousand? Three hundred thousand?

Try 3 billion.

And the stakes are high when it comes to getting all of those billions of decisions right. Researchers have found a 95% correlation between effective decision-making and financial performance. 

Sadly, they've also found that 98% of leaders fail to apply best practices when making decisions.

With all of the recent upheaval in the way we work, you and your colleagues may have been forced out of your comfort zones when it comes to how you make decisions. But I believe that can be a good thing. Here's how to turn those on-the-fly changes into lasting improvements in decision-making.

What Has Worked For You During This Crisis?

The past few months have turned up the intensity on decision-making at work. Your team may be trying to get the same amount of work (or maybe even more) done with fewer people. At the same time, you may be discarding existing plans to react to and get ahead of rapidly changing events.

Those are big challenges. But I'm seeing lots of organizations really rising to those challenges by streamlining, expediting and improving their decision-making processes.

Such changes have been spurred by the extraordinary circumstances we're all working under. But you may want to keep some of them even after your team or organization moves out of crisis mode.

Improving the way you make decisions can have a big impact on the bottom line. Excess bureaucracy costs the U.S. economy more than $3 trillion a year. Slow decision-making hampers innovation, productivity, resilience and growth.

So I want to encourage you to check in with yourself and with your team to see what you've learned about your decision-making process this year. What have you done differently? What has worked well? What do you want to keep doing?

You might have answers like these:

• "We don't need as much information as we thought we did to make effective decisions. So we can save time on information gathering."

• "It's working well for us to have fewer people weigh in on decisions. Decision quality hasn't suffered, everyone still feels engaged, and we're reaching decisions faster."

• "We've all gotten better at building a consensus, which is also speeding up our work."

• "We've seen how clear communication expedites decision-making, and we now have some communication best practices to use as we make decisions in the future."

• "We used to let roadblocks slow down our decision-making, but now we know more about how to remove them or work around them."

As with many other things, making better decisions comes down to noticing what works so you can keep doing it — and do it more often. Carve out a few minutes today to reflect about your own decision-making. For more strategies on effective leadership, even during difficult times, pick up a copy of my book "Show Up. Step Up. Step Out."

How to Keep Your Cool and Communicate Clearly

Have you lost your cool at work lately? Or been on the receiving end of someone else losing their cool?

You're not alone. These are stressful times (to put it mildly!). And when we're under stress, it's harder to communicate effectively. Showing up the way you want to with your colleagues takes some extra intention, especially during difficult conversations.

How Stress Undermines Communication 

Even if you normally communicate with ease at the office, you might notice that it's more difficult lately.

That's because your brain can shift into a totally different mode under stress. Instead of being calm, creative and empathetic, you may be in "fight or flight" mode. So if you surprised yourself by using a sharp tone and harsh words during a recent encounter, this is probably what was happening.

If the person you are talking to is also stressed, it compounds the issue. They will have more trouble processing what you're telling them and are more likely to get defensive. For example, maybe your direct report failed to do something that you requested even though you thought you had explained it clearly more than once. Or perhaps they acted offended after you made a seemingly neutral statement.

On top of stress, many of us are communicating more via phone and video calls these days instead of in-person meetings. This makes it even harder to understand and be understood. More than half of communication comes from body language. So we're losing a lot of important cues even on video calls.

Do Others Hear Your Words or Your Tone?

You can see all of this play out in a recent coaching call I had with a client.

She needed to have a conversation with an employee who hadn’t completed critical, time-sensitive work. It's one of those talks that nobody looks forward to, even in less-stressful times. So we decided to role-play the conversation to help her prepare.

When we acted out the conversation together, her tone has such an edge that I couldn't even hear what she was really saying. Her annoyance and frustration clouded the entire message. It didn't feel like she wanted to understand what might have happened. Instead, it felt like my client had already made up her mind that the employee couldn’t possibly have a good reason.

I asked my client to go through the role-play again, this time from a place of curiosity, truly seeking to understand what had happened from the employee’s perspective. Her tone was more neutral this time, but she shared so much detail that I got lost.

On the third try, I asked her to keep the same tone but to focus on the "headlines" first, and then details. This time she nailed it. When we debriefed, she laughed, telling me that she simply repeated what she had said in our first role-play. The difference was that this time I “heard” her, because her tone was more open and not so accusatory.

This exercise was eye-opening for my client. She realized that in her drive for results, she doesn’t always stop to evaluate her approach and how it could affect the relationship with her employee.

If you find yourself on edge a bit more lately, a role-playing session like the one I had with my client could help you prepare for a difficult conversation. It can help keep those strong emotions in check and prevent things from escalating.

Before you move on with your day, I want to challenge you to identify one action you will take this week. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Assess your patience level on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being high. Self-awareness can do wonders in helping you make a shift.

• Find a safe place to vent your frustrations. And, no, that safe place is not at work. Remember that handwriting your thoughts (uncensored) on a piece of paper can quickly do the trick.

• Identify one action you can take to reduce your stress level and infuse some positive energy into your life.

Review the key principles of clear communication, which are more important ever right now. My guide "Communicating With Impact," from the Leadership EDGE℠ series, is a great starting point.

Are You Waiting for Things to Get 'Back to Normal'?

A lot of high performers have been pushing hard lately, figuring that they'll catch their breath when things get "back to normal."

If that sounds like you, I want you to pause for a moment and reconsider your approach. The seismic changes we are all experiencing continue to unfold. Since "no normal is the new normal," what does that mean for the way you work and live?

This Is a Year Like No Other

When we're so busy with day-to-day tasks, it's easy to forget everything that's changed in just the past 12 or so weeks.

Covid-19, which was declared a pandemic on March 11, may have you worried about your own health or the health of loved ones. You may have also experienced profound changes at work. The economic impact of the pandemic has spurred furloughs and layoffs. With those cuts, people who still have jobs face heavier workloads. Many of us also began working from home — while simultaneously caring for our kids all day as schools closed.

And then, in the midst of the pandemic, George Floyd's death set off protests, civil unrest and a national reckoning with racism. If you are a Black American, you may have felt more anxiety and depression. On the business front, many organizations are making changes to better support diversity. (And some have faced public allegations of racism.)

That's a lot! As people have been pointing out on social media, it's like we're experiencing the 1918 flu epidemic, the Great Depression of the 1930s and the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s all at once.

Are You Stuck in Crisis Mode?

Understandably, a lot of us have been working in crisis mode — or "just trying to get through."

The problem with that approach is that it’s not sustainable with all that is going on. Some states (including Texas, where I live) have seen a surge in coronavirus cases. We're also seeing a new wave of layoffs. For those still employed, working from home remains widespread, and work-life balance is suffering. And while some districts plan to reopen schools this fall, it's far from certain how that will happen and the changes it will require. At the same time, the protests sparked by George Floyd's death continue, and new incidents (like the police shooting of Rayshard Brooks) further increase tensions.

The bottom line? "Normal" might be a long way off. You might be used to simply powering through short-term crises at work. But that isn't sustainable during this period of ongoing change. As an executive coach, I'm seeing a lot of fatigue among high performers who are relentlessly pushing themselves.

Strategies to Accept and Adapt

If you're feeling exhausted, here are some strategies to avoid burnout:

• Focus on the present. None of us can predict the changes and disruption that are ahead of us.

• Use your body to change your mind. Activities like physical exercise, dancing to music you love, singing, playing with your kids, or doing things that make you laugh can be very effective.

• Be kind to yourself. For example, if you always push for perfection in your work, ease the pressure. Your "good enough" may be more than good enough right now.

• We’ve all had moments of irritation and impatience. It’s totally understandable. Find constructive ways to release the negativity so that you don't unleash it on others. Start by pulling the thoughts and feelings out of your head (uncensored) and onto a piece of paper. You’ll be surprised at how well this works.

• Reflect about what you really need. What have you learned from the past few weeks about your own tendencies in this “new normal”? And what does that mean you should stop, start, or keep doing?

• Give yourself a break. Maybe you have to defer your dream summer vacation but can you find another way to recharge? A day trip or just taking a few days off, even if you just stay at home, might do the trick. If nothing else, deliberately add breaks into your back-to-back work schedule.

You can't control what happens next in this tumultuous year but you can make choices to improve your mindset and reenergize. This week, identify one thing you will do better navigate the new normal. My self-paced tools may help you navigate some of the challenges you are facing.

One Thing Video Series - Giving Yourself Permission

In my latest One Thing You Can Do video, we’ll take a look at how all the change of the past 12+ weeks has affected you and how to move forward.

Download Some Inspiration

May is Asian Pacific Heritage Month. To mark this occasion, my friend Tracey Doi, CFO of Toyota North America, spearheaded a project called "Inspiration for our Next Generation Leaders." She asked me to contribute to this guide which features Asian American executives from a variety of industries and companies, including American Airlines, Bank of America, EY, and Toyota, among others.  Tracey shared the guide at Toyota, but sent it to us share with others who could benefit.

Contributors' Asian roots include Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea, Philippines, and Taiwan. Some of us immigrated to the U.S. when we were very young; others are third, fourth and even seventh generation. But one thing we all have in common is a passion for supporting, inspiring and developing our next generation of Asian American leaders. 

Whether you are early in your career or an executive, I hope you’ll enjoy reading the words of wisdom from some of the people I have gotten to know  including Tracey Doi, Bonnie Clinton, Caren Lock, Thear Suzuki, Cynthia Yung, Radhika Zaveri, Jin-Ya Huang, Carina Reyes and Sakina Foster.

Here's a little preview of my contribution:

As a first-generation immigrant, I remember wrestling with how much I wanted to stand out, to be “me” vs. blend in. In my early years at Deloitte Consulting, I prioritized fitting in because I didn’t want anything to get in the way of my credibility. Although I have had a very successful career, I now know this made me play smaller and lose important parts of myself in the shuffle.

To read my full essay, as well as those of other contributors, you can click on the image below to download "Inspiration for our Next Generation Leaders." And remember to share it with others!

One Thing Video Series - When Things Don't Go as Planned

When life isn't going as planned, there's one question you can ask yourself that will change everything. In my latest One Thing You Can Do video, I explain how to use this transformative question.

One Thing Video Series - Maximize the Opportunities in Front of You

How much are you noticing and maximizing the unique opportunities in front of you? Choose from three quick strategies in the next installment of One Thing You Can Do.

One Thing Video Series - Vulnerability as a leadership tool

Do you really need to be strong all the time? Tap into the power of vulnerability as a leadership tool. It will pave the way to a stronger relationship with your team.

One Thing Video Series – What’s Really Going On?

During this crazy time, are you sure you know what’s really going on? Don’t let your logic and practical approach get in the way of identifying the underlying issues. Watch this 2-minute video in my One Thing You Can Do series.

One Thing Video Series – Be There for Yourself Too

You're there for your team during this challenging time. But don't forget to be there for yourself, too. These 3 questions can help you build strength and #resilience.

This Women's History Month, Amplify Your Influence

Happy Women's Hitory Month! Each March, we celebrate how women have influenced the course of U.S. history. I hope this special observance has your thinking about how to more powerfully put your own influence into play.

The ability to influence has always been one of the most important skills for leaders. Today, that's truer than ever. As leadership structures become less hierarchical, companies increasingly emphasize getting things done through influence instead of formal authority. Innovation is vital, and the leaders who deliver innovation are those who can "win over (employees') hearts and minds" to create change, McKinsey reports. The CEOs who are best at engaging others create detailed plans on how to influence.

The action plan in this article will guide you through building your influence in a way that's authentic to your leadership style.

What Does Influence Mean to You?

Many leaders want to be more influential. But that can mean different things to different people. It all depends on how you want others to perceive your leadership. These questions can help you identify the kind of influencer you want to be.

• What do you want others to say about your influence? This is a variation of the question I ask clients when I help them define their leadership brand. What are the top three things you’d want someone to say if they were describing your influence style? For example, maybe it's important to you that others see you as a leader who influences by thoughtfully sharing relevant information, focusing on win/win approaches and keeping the other party’s best interest at heart.

• What kinds of decisions do you want to influence? We all have our strengths. What types of decisions could you influence today based on how others view your strengths? These could include shaping vision, defining strategies, making changes to business operations or staffing decisions. On the other hand, think about what types of decisions would be harder for you to influence based on how others perceive your strengths.

• Whom do you want to influence? Do you want clients or other leaders in your industry to see you as a thought leader? Or is it more important to you to influence others inside your organization, such as peers, direct reports and company leaders? Even if it is a mix of both, defining your target audience will help you build influence faster.

Influence Starts With Credibility

Now that you know more about the kind of influencer you want to be, it's time to shape your plan to become influential. Where should you start? Credibility is at the heart of influence. Without credibility, you can’t effectively influence, no matter what approach you take.

Not sure whether others see you as credible enough to influence a particular area? Seek some feedback. If you hear questions about your credibility, correct any misperceptions by helping others see your strengths and the results you create. Share examples of how you consistently add value, in a way that’s relevant for the audience.

If you’re like many high performers, though, you may need to take a step back before you can do this. We often underestimate our own strengths and all that we contribute. If you don't understand why you're "kind of a big deal," you can't effectively share that information with others. And that undercuts your influence. Affirm your credibility to yourself by keeping a log of what worked well for you in your latest successes. Then you'll be more ready to demonstrate your credibility to others.

Influencers See the Big Picture

The intelligence, insight and other qualities you bring to the table are just part of what makes you influential as a leader. You also have to be known as someone who’s not just in it for yourself. Connect what you do to the big picture of what’s right for the organization. Sometimes we can be so clear in our own heads about what we are doing that we forget that others may not understand the intent behind our words and actions.

For example, if you speak just about your (or your department’s) goals and priorities, it can leave others wondering whether your motivation is self-serving. That can quickly erode your credibility. So look for opportunities, big and small, to communicate your big picture and priorities to others – the “what” and the “why.” You don’t have to create new forums to do so; you can leverage existing meetings and opportunities.

Influence Grows Through Relationships

One of the biggest mistakes I see my executive coaching clients make is confusing position and influence. Titles on the org chart don’t tell the full story. All organizations have formal leaders whose power ties to their positions. But they also have informal leaders who shape what really gets done.

Being an influential leader means looking beyond formal structures and recognizing that it’s not just your position (or someone else’s position) that makes things happen. You have to understand, cultivate and leverage relationships, with both formal and informal leaders.

Hone Your Process for Influence

The final part of the influence equation relates to the processes you use to build influence. Be strategic about how you leverage and engage others. For example, how often do you hold the “meeting before the meeting” to get buy-in from others and avoid surprises? Are you enlisting help from the messengers your audience will find credible? Look at what you do today and for any small tweaks you could make to bring others along more effectively.

What Does Using These Influence Strategies Look Like?

Now let's bring all of that together. Think about an upcoming decision you'd like to influence. First, identify who will really make the decision. If you aren’t sure about the political dynamics in your company, ask people you trust who have been around long enough to know. Frame your questions in the right context by communicating how a better understanding of the landscape will help you avoid landmines and more quickly deliver what the business needs. But don’t stop there. Go beyond identifying this group of decision-makers to also understanding whom they trust and rely on for advice and input.

Now consider how to best share your ideas. In other words, who would be the best messenger(s) for your ideas? To influence the outcome you want, it may not be you. Never forget how much the messenger matters.

Once you have thought through the dynamics and who can help you, frame your ideas to enlist the support of key stakeholders. What is important to you and to each of these individuals? What are the key points of connection, and how should you communicate those? Choose the right words to help others see your focus on what’s best for the business and not your own personal agenda.

Set Your Goals as an Influencer

Ready to use what you've learned to become more influential? It helps to set concrete goals. For example, how long would it take you to build the knowledge and track record needed to exert the influence you want to have? Whom do you need to engage along the way? To focus your efforts, define one or two small steps along with deadlines. Once you’ve completed those steps, define the next one or two. This will help you move forward without feeling overwhelmed.

As you work your game plan, remember that influence is not about manipulation. It is about helping your company achieve desired results, in a way that is authentic, genuine and relationship-oriented. You can find more strategies like these in my Leadership EDGE Series℠ booklet on Building Influence.

6 Secrets of Women Who Always Have Energy

Has all the newness worn off the new year? Are you already counting the days until your spring break trip? Then it's time to tune up your energy level. With all the work and personal demands that fill your days, be deliberate about maintaining your energy. Fortunately, there are lots of easy steps you can take during your day to recharge and renew. Here are some of the key strategies that energetic women share. 

1. Spend time with people who energize them

The people you’re around regularly have a huge effect on whether you feel lively and energized or depleted and crabby. Think of how you can get some time with people who lift you up. Maybe that means scheduling lunch with your favorite former boss or making a coffee run with the co-worker who always makes you laugh. Bonus: Cultivating relationships also helps you build a career-boosting network.

At the same time, be mindful about your exposure to the other kind of people: the ones who drain your energy. How can you manage the amount of time you spend with your de-energizers? Or what can you do before or after seeing them to replenish the energy they take from you?

2. Avoid mental traps that drain their energy

Sometimes we drag our own energy down with negative self-talk and destructive ways of thinking. For example, do you tend to take things personally, assume the worst, or exaggerate the impact of any event or setback? No wonder you're feeling stressed and exhausted! Check out my article on common "thinking traps" to identify your negative thought patterns and replace them with more positive, energizing thoughts.

3. Know their unique energy patterns

We all have different energy patterns. It's important to understand yours and make the most of them. For one week, monitor your energy level every two to three hours. Keep a log of this information. At the end of the week, consider these questions:

• What days of the week or times of day did you have the most energy?

• What days of the week or times of day did you have the least energy, even if you hadn’t done anything unusually taxing? 

• What types of activities gave you the most energy? 

• What types of activities drained your energy?

Use your own patterns to develop strategies to help you better manage your energy throughout the day. If you have more energy in the morning, try to schedule your challenging work or meetings then. If your energy slumps midday, what one thing can you do to give yourself a boost?

4. Take time to reflect

One of the most effective ways to be more productive is by creating space to be more strategic. Setting aside time to reflect will bring new energy to your work. Start by putting just 10-15 minutes on your calendar once a week to process what happened at your recent meetings and prepare for upcoming ones. Work your way up to 15 minutes several times a week, and then an hour several times per week. This will also help you stay on top of your biggest priorities and maximize your productivity.

5. Use self-care to strategically boost their energy

Do you any of these statements apply to you?

• I rarely get more than seven hours of sleep in a night.

• I exercise fewer than three times per week.

• I often skip meals or eat unhealthy food.

If you skimp on self-care, your energy and perspective will suffer. Yet many people, especially women, fall into this trap. You might think, “How could I possibly take time for ME right now when there’s so much to do and others rely on me?” In this view of the world, self-care is a luxury, a “nice-to-have.” In reality, though, self-care leads to a more sustainable way of working and living, so you can provide the support others need from you.

At the end of the day, what we’re talking about is energy management. Resist the temptation to keep giving and giving without taking enough time to renew your own energy. As you may know from firsthand experience, it can lead to burnout or resentment pretty quickly.

6. Express gratitude more often

Research has shown that gratitude makes us happier, healthier and more resilient. Yet we're less likely be grateful at work than we are in other aspects of our lives.

Taking the time to feel and express gratitude can lift your energy — and the energy of those around you. One way to do this is to express appreciation to someone who has made a difference for you this year. The more specific your feedback, the more energy you and the other person will get from the experience. Taking five minutes each day to simply notice the things for which you are grateful, whether it’s in the morning before the mad dash begins or at the end of the day, will give you a boost.

Try one or more of these strategies the next time you start to feel tapped out. And for one more easy energy boost, pick up my Highlight Audio℠. With a sampling of strategies from the full WOW! Women On the Way to Peak Performance Program℠, this audio training will help make the most of every minute, whether you're working out at the gym, traveling to a meeting or waiting in the carpool line.

The Top 10 Things Successful Women Do

I’ve spent thousands of hours coaching leaders over the past twelve years, which has given me the opportunity to get an “up close and personal” look at what impacts their success.  As much as we’d like to think the playing field is similar for men and women, women typically face different types of challenges at work and they play different roles at home. So, naturally, we would expect to see some differences in what successful women do. 

Successful women:

1. Realize that they’ve already earned their current role and fully assume the position.

2. Recognize that their own behavior plays a huge role in “teaching” others how to treat them.

3. Own their value by accepting and appreciating positive feedback and by speaking up.

4. Authentically invest in cultivating sponsors — leaders with power and influence.

5. Understand the importance of ethically engaging in vs. opting out of office politics.

6. Negotiate for what they want.

7. Proactively share their positive business results in a way that others can learn and benefit from.

8. Know the importance of designing a “sustainable model” that honors their personal and professional priorities.

9. Drive for results in a way that maintains or strengthens relationships.

10. Pave the way for other women.

As you read through this list, what resonated for you? What one step can you take this week to bring it to life for yourself or for another woman you work with? If nothing else, keep this list handy as a quick reminder and share it with other women. 

And always remember that small steps can lead to big results. 

10 Strategies to Lead with Powerful Intention in 2020

This new year won't be new much longer! It's not too late, though, to set powerful intentions for 2020. But with so many priorities competing for your attention, how do you decide what your intentions should be? Consider focusing on one (or more) of these leadership strategies that have consistently made a difference for my executive coaching clients.

1. Live with purpose. Let your passion and personal priorities guide you.

2. Always take the high road. One negative, memorable moment has a long shelf life — especially the higher you move up the ladder. Find an outlet outside work to vent.

3. Align your words and actions. When they are out of sync, your actions will always speak louder. You can say that you know how to prioritize or that you value work/life balance, but what are you modeling?

4. Pay attention to relationships just as much as results. People care about what you do and how you do it.

5. Demonstrate your positive intent through your behavior. You can have the best intentions or results in the world. If people consistently have challenging experiences with you, neither of those things will matter to them.

6. Invest time to network. Networking is part of your job, not something you do if you have spare time. It gives you access to important resources to do your job and manage your career.

7. Stay humble but tastefully toot your own horn. It will help others understand and tap into your strengths.

8. Celebrate success even if you think you are “just doing your job.” It will boost your energy and that of the people around you.

9. Strategically integrate self-care into your life. Self-care isn’t a sign of weakness or just “nice to have.” The best leaders know it is key to high performance and satisfaction. Pay attention to what your body, not just your mind, is telling you.

10. Give yourself that empathy that you so freely give to others. You are doing the best you can with where you are in your life.

Which one of these leadership strategies will you to focus on right now? How will you keep it front and center this week?

Looking for more leadership advice and inspiration? From corporate programs to coaching to books and audio, you'll find tools on my website tailored to your needs.