Strategies to Stay Calm & Focused in Uncertainty

Did you ever think you’d get this much experience navigating the unknown in this short a timeframe? Well, I certainly didn’t. In addition to all the changes that the coronavirus pandemic brought to my business and personal life in 2020, I was diagnosed with breast cancer on January 2. Although I’m cancer free now, there are still days where I ask myself, “Did all that really happen in 2020?” It was slow and fast all at the same time.

The good news is that I learned some incredible lessons – ones that will serve me for a lifetime and that I will share with others. For starters, the four surgeries and four rounds of chemotherapy in the middle of a pandemic reaffirmed for me that we have far more control over how things unfold than we realize.  I hope that some of these strategies resonate with you, especially as you navigate what’s happening in your life.

Focus on What You Know

When there's a lot of uncertainty in your life, where do your thoughts go? For most of us, it’s all too easy to zero in on everything that you don't know, or the gap between where you are today and where you want to be. Instead, ground yourself in what you do know. What information do you have about your situation? And what else do you know that can be helpful now? For starters, you have shown resilience in the past and know what's helped you during other tough times. And you know who can provide the kind of support you most need, and how they can best do so.

Be Fully Present

We can all play the “What if…?” game. It can be exhausting. Worrying about all the different scenarios and how they might play out in the future can drain the energy right out of you. Take a minute to notice how often you hit your mental "fast forward" button and project into the future when you are stressed out. 

After chemotherapy, I remember how I would go through unpredictable waves of feeling good and feeling bad. For example, I would feel fine for a half hour and then terrible the next half hour. At first, I would get disheartened when I realized that the “feeling good” was only temporary. But, over time, I recognized that I needed a different strategy. I didn't want to ruin the time that I actually felt good anticipating and worrying about when or if I would start feeling bad again. By focusing on the present moment and how I could make the most of it, it changed everything. What would change for you if you shifted your attention from the future to the present—to what’s happening right in front of you?

Take One Step at a Time

A big change can leave you with an overwhelming list of items to work through. That's true whether we're talking about a serious illness, a job loss or even a crisis like the winter storm we recently went through in Texas. If your focus is on solving that giant issue or project looming over your head, it can be paralyzing. If you find yourself in this situation, ask yourself, “What is one step that I can take now to start moving in the right direction?” When you’ve completed that step, identify the next. Framing things this way makes even the toughest challenges a lot more manageable. By not focusing on solving the whole problem, you will be able to solve it faster. There is a reason why my mantra is “small steps can lead to big results.”

Before you move on to the next thing in your day, I want to challenge you to try one of these strategies now. And if you'd like to hear more ideas on building a change mindset, check out Patti Johnson's interview with me on the "Be a Wave Maker: Conversations on Change" podcast. I’ve even gone back and listened to it myself to make sure I don’t lose sight of some of those small, but powerful steps that can make a big difference.

One Thing Video Series: Choose Hope and Positivity

In my latest video, you'll learn a quick perspective shift that will help you re-energize. Remember, hope is not a destination. It's a practice we live every day.

[Podcast] Building a Change Mindset

Patti and I dive into how we think about change – right where our ability to navigate uncertainty begins. I share strategies from my experience helping leaders work through the craziness of 2020, cancer treatment during a pandemic, and creating a successful business.

Listen to the podcast here...

How to Speak Up in Meetings (Best of the Blog)

Meetings can be tricky to navigate for anyone. But women often have some extra challenges that men don't face. Researchers have found that women speak less than men do at meetings, and, as a result of this, their contributions are often underestimated. But they can also be judged more harshly than men if others perceive that they speak a lot.

Today, I want to give you both the confidence and the practical strategies you need to be heard.

What Keeps You From Speaking at Meetings?

In your next meeting, pay attention to your comfort level voicing your ideas and opinions. If you find yourself not saying much, take a few minutes to reflect about what's really holding you back. Here are some common reasons I see time and again in my work with leaders. Which ones resonate with you?

• You feel like you don't know enough about the topic or that you know less than everyone else. This is not your area of expertise.

• You're not comfortable speaking off the top of your head.

• Putting your idea out there feels risky. What if they reject it?

• You hesitate to speak up around people with more experience or tenure than you have.

• You feel that it's rude to talk over or interrupt others, especially if they're more senior than you are, and that’s what it would take to share your idea in this setting. Or you don't want to seem pushy.

How to Speak Up More

Now that you have a better sense of why you don’t speak up in meetings, you can work on reducing your hesitation. For many people, this involves shifting their mindset and expectations of themselves.

If you're not comfortable speaking off the cuff or putting your ideas out there, realize that you're expected to do both more and more as you advance as a leader. Consider making these areas a focus of your leadership development, and look for safe ways to practice, such as volunteer opportunities.

If talking over others or interrupting feels rude to you, remember that you can be heard while still honoring your value of respecting others. First, hone your ability to read the room (even if the "room" is on video) and adjust your style accordingly. In a meeting where everyone is being loud, passionate and outspoken, you can "amp up" your typical approach without stepping on others' toes. In a meeting with this kind of crowd, it can be helpful to make your points early before everyone really gets charged up. 

Also consider whether any beliefs from your culture or your family might impact whether you speak up. For example, "I should always defer to people who are older and more experienced" or "No one likes women who talk too much." These ideas can be so deeply engrained in you that you're not even aware of them until you start reflecting about your underlying assumptions or values.

One of the biggest shifts you can make is realizing that you can add value to a meeting even when you don't have expertise or experience in the area being discussed. Sometimes your fresh perspective is the very thing that makes you valuable. When everyone else has been immersed in a topic, they may be unable to "see the forest for the trees" the way that you can as a relative outsider. 

You don't always have to have the answer or solution, either. Others can benefit just from hearing how you think about the problem. Your approach might be one that they had not considered. You can even add value just by synthesizing and summarizing what you are hearing. When you make statements like "Here are the key opportunities and roadblocks I'm hearing …" or "Kevin, it sounds like you and Debra actually have similar goals here, but you're just stating them a little differently …" you help keep meetings on track and focused.

Don't Go It Alone

As with so many other aspects of developing as a leader, speaking more in meetings gets easier when you enlist an ally in your cause. Ask a trusted colleague to help you enter the conversation. They can say something like "Mona, you've handled situations like this. I'd love to hear your insights."

I also have a variety of products and services to help you build your confidence around speaking up. A great starting point is the title "Communicating With Impact from my Leadership EDGE Series℠. 

One Thing Video Series: Is Stress Affecting Your Relationships?

For busy professionals, prolonged stress affects how we show up for others, both at work and at home. And who isn't experiencing consistent stress these days? In my latest One Thing You Can Do video, I talk about protecting yourself, and your relationships, from stress.

Fed Up With Someone? Ask Yourself These 3 Questions

Have you lost your temper with a colleague recently — or had someone lose their temper with you?

Stress has a lot of us on edge lately. On top of that, remote work can make it more challenging to address conflicts before they boil over.

So how can you maintain your professionalism and protect your relationships when it seems like everyone is pushing your buttons? Let's take a closer look at what might be happening and how you can find a less stressful way to work.

Why Are Things So Tense?

First, please know that you're not alone. Communication in a dynamic, uncertain environment has its challenges. 

With added pressures and workload, many people are moving rapidly and less thoughtfully. Your colleagues may have gotten worse about looping you into discussions. Or perhaps your boss has started dumping more tasks on you at the last minute. 

Another factor is that we're missing out on a lot of the nonverbal communication that happens when we work face to face. Over email or instant messaging, we can't read each other's body language or tone of voice. As a result, we can come off as harsher than we intend. It's also harder to tell if we've offended someone else because we don't see them bristle or frown at our words.

Finally, it's easier to defer difficult conversations when we don't see the other person face to face everyday and when there's so much else going on. Although you might be thinking, "It's just not worth bringing this up right now," ignoring the issue won’t stop resentment from building up. And, eventually, it's going to blow.

How to Communicate Constructively

If an issue with a colleague has been nagging at you, stop ignoring your feelings. Instead, ask yourself these three questions:

1. What is this really about for you? 

When someone gets on your nerves, it can be less about what they did and more about them violating a value that you hold near and dear. If your boss's micromanagement drives you crazy, that's a sign that you value trust and respect. If you strongly value professional growth, your boss's failure to coach you and give performance feedback can feel out of sync.

2. What do you want this relationship to look like? 

To address these types of issues, get clearer about what you want and expect from the other person and yourself. For example, do you want to feel heard, respected or appreciated? 

And how do you want to show up in this relationship? What do you want the other person to understand about your leadership? For example, you may want to come across as calm, professional and reasonable — even under pressure. 

3. How can you provide "feedforward"?

I'm not going to recommend that you schedule a Zoom call with the other person so that you can share your frustrations. Instead, try Marshall Goldsmith's approach of providing "feedforward" instead of feedback. Frame the conversation in terms of the behavior you want to see and your positive intent. For example: "I appreciate how involved you are in my work and know that you're really busy. To maximize your time and give me an opportunity to grow, I am happy to take the lead on this project and schedule periodic check-ins to get your input and share the progress."

Business communication might look different these days, but fundamentals like clarity and respect still hold true. I want to challenge you to identify and address one communication sore spot this week. For additional strategies, pick up "Communicating With Impact" from my Leadership EDGE Series℠.

2 Questions to Shape Your New Year

Each new year, I encourage my clients and readers to complete a simple exercise that can have a profound effect on how they move forward. As we begin 2021, this exercise has never felt more important. So carve out as little as 10 minutes for some self-reflection and think about these two questions. You'll get the most out of this exercise if you write your answers out by hand.

1. What Do You Want to Leave Behind from 2020? 

Your first instinct might be to answer "everything!" And that's fine. But what comes up if you go a little deeper? Here are a few examples to spark your thinking:

• Do you need to leave behind any ways of working that just aren't relevant anymore in our reshaped business landscape?

• Has your perfectionism become more of a weakness than a strength lately?

• Are there ways you can reduce the amount of time you spend with people who drain your energy?

• Do you need to escape any thinking traps (like assuming that it's always your fault if something negative happens) that hinder your productivity and happiness?

• Are there any other situations you experienced in 2020 that you don't want to find yourself in again?

2. What Do You Want to Take Forward into 2021? 

This question might feel a bit harder to answer. But as difficult as 2020 was, it also left you with new wisdom and insights. Do any of the following examples ring true for you?

• From working under stressful conditions, you learned to make decisions more effectively and efficiently.

• You realized that self-care is non-negotiable.

• You saw how your strengths helped you get results even in difficult circumstances.

• You got better at delegating, at work and at home.

• You got a clearer sense of what you really value and the work you want to be doing.

By answering these questions, you will now be able to maximize the power of the things that are working for you and be more mindful about changing the things that aren't working. As you start your year, I also invite you to explore Newberry Executive Solutions products and services for both teams and individuals, including:

• The award-winning New Lens® App

• Executive coaching

• Corporate programs

• Self-paced tools

5 Ways to Recognize and Appreciate Your Team Members

As 2020 winds down, you might already be planning for 2021. One of the most powerful goals you can set for next year is giving your team members more recognition and appreciation.

Making employees feel seen and valued improves engagement and retention. And it doesn’t require a lot of time or money.

Image by Bob Dmyt from Pixabay

Here are five ideas for recognizing and appreciating your team members. Which ones are you already doing? Which ones do you want to try in 2021?

1. Be Deliberate About Giving Regular Feedback

Especially if your team is working remotely, it's all too easy to skip feedback in favor of other priorities. If you're doing this, though, your employees are missing out on valuable information from you that could make or break their future success.

2. Get Specific in Your Positive Feedback

Saying "Great job!" after a meeting might give your employee a mental boost. But telling her exactly what she did well and the impact of her actions will help her build on what she's doing right. Here's an example: "You asked great questions during that meeting, which allowed the team to notice opportunities we might have otherwise missed."

3. Use Meetings to Share Successes

Start team meetings by asking people to share their recent successes or what’s been going well. This doesn’t take long, and it makes people feel good as they start noticing what they’re actually getting done. Your employees can emulate this practice in meetings with their own direct reports, which helps build a culture of recognition throughout your company. Besides boosting everyone’s energy, getting into this habit gives you more information and insight about what is working.

4. Give Your Team Members Visibility

There are many ways to accomplish this. Nominating your team members for your company's internal recognition or awards programs will boost morale and help make others aware of their great work. You could also recommend your team members for promotions or high-profile projects, share their successes with higher-level managers, invite them to present in front of audiences they don't typically get exposure to or introduce them to others inside or outside of the company who could mentor or guide them.

5. Take the Time to Check In

The gift of your time and attention is a form of recognition and appreciation as well. Have regular one-on-ones with your team members that aren't about projects. Instead, simply ask how they are doing and how you can support them. By relating to your team members in a warm and human way, you are showing how much you value and respect them.

For more ideas on guiding your employees through challenging times, pick up a copy of "Building a Strong Team" from my Leadership EDGE℠ series.

Does Your Communication Style Show That You're Ready for a Promotion?

The way that you communicate at work sends big messages about your capabilities as a leader. Do your messages elevate your competence or undercut it? Let's take a closer look at your communication style and how it affects your career. In particular, I want to help you recognize and overcome a common communication mistake that trips up even the smartest professionals.

When it comes to deciding who gets promoted, who gets a raise or who lands that high-visibility project, your boss is looking for someone who can communicate strategically. But what exactly does that mean? A strategic communicator consistently links ideas to the big picture, tailors the message for the audience and demonstrates empathy.

By contrast, tactical communicators can get "lost in the weeds" — often in the world of their subject matter expertise. Their passion or desire to be thorough or educate others can bog them down in the details when they share ideas and suggestions. And pretty soon, people have lost interest.

Are You Strategic or Tactical?

Here are a few examples of how strategic and tactical communicators handle things differently:

Tactical: Is often “waiting to talk” vs. listening. Starts thinking about how to respond even before the other person has finished asking a question. They have a lot to share and they're eager to get it out!

Strategic: Takes time to notice and understand what is being asked, including the question behind the question. Provides information the other person really needs, even if it goes beyond the scope of the original question.

Tactical: Gives exhaustive answers to questions to demonstrate competence or because they believe the other person needs all that information in order to make a decision. Ideas are often presented sequentially, building up to the conclusion or direct answer.

Strategic: Responds with the one or two points that are most important to understand and allows others to ask for more details if they need them.

Tactical: Focused more on what they know. Sees things more from their own perspective and what they want others to understand.

Strategic: Keeps the audience in mind and how to tailor the message accordingly. Understands the fine balance between what they care about and what's relevant to others.

These two styles of communication create very different perceptions of your leadership ability.

If you tend to be more tactical and “in the weeds,” people may tune you out and miss valuable parts of your message. Instead of appreciating your expertise, they may become impatient and irritated. They may even start working around you and turn to others who can provide input more concisely. Worst of all, you risk developing a reputation as someone who is a deep subject matter expert but can’t take on a higher-level, more strategic role.

On the other hand, if you can communicate strategically, people are more likely to think that you understand business priorities and can advance the organization’s goals.

This week, pay attention to the way you communicate with your colleagues. How do they respond to you? And what does your communication style convey about your leadership? To further build your communication skills, pick up a copy of "Communicating With Impact" from my Leadership EDGE℠ series.

Grateful to Others? Let Them Know!

In this challenging year, it may be hard to remember the last time it didn't feel like your plate was full. When we're so busy, it's easy to overlook even important things — like the people who are making a difference in our lives.

As we get close to Thanksgiving, take a moment to reflect on the times this year when you've been elevated by the support and kindness of others.

Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash

Maybe this makes you think about the friend or former colleague who always seems to know when you need a cheerful call or text message. Or the boss who still finds the time to listen even though you know her schedule has gotten busier. Or your family members who have kept a good attitude despite changes in your routines.

Just by thinking about the people you are grateful for, you'll feel less stress. And who couldn't use that right now? But don't stop there. Let these people know how they've made your life better and how much you appreciate them. Your expression of gratitude will lift their spirits. And, again, you'll benefit, too. Positive psychology researcher Martin Seligman found that when people shared letters of gratitude with someone they had never properly thanked for their kindness, they immediately became happier — and stayed happier for the next month!

In my own life, I want to thank my sister, brother, aunt and cousins who have really gone the extra mile for me this year. Who is on your personal gratitude list? And how will you let them know about the important difference they have made for you?

How to Move Forward Amid Uncertainty

It all adds up: Election stress, pandemic stress, economic stress. Not to mention the regular stresses of our busy lives.

But no matter where we are emotionally right now, and no matter what lies ahead, we're all working to keep moving forward on the things that are important to us.

Your instinct might be to just keep pushing yourself. But that's not sustainable. Instead, I want to encourage you to take time today to think about where you are and to plot your path forward.

It's easy sometimes to overlook the first part of that process: checking in with yourself. But self-awareness, especially during times of change, is a crucial part of being a leader.

How Are You Right Now?

That's why I want you to pause to consider how you are doing at this moment. Where would you place yourself on a scale of 1 to 10?

A “10” means you consistently feel strong, optimistic or resilient. You developed strategies that have been working well for you this year. A “1” means you may feel depleted, drained or are struggling from week to week. You're at your lowest point of 2020. If neither of those extremes applies to you and how you feel vacillates, you may fall somewhere in the middle.

Remember that this exercise is less about the numerical rating and more about being honest with yourself and noticing what’s going on for you.

Next, think about what has helped you navigate all the uncertainty of 2020 so far. What has kept you going and gotten you through the most difficult times? Here are a few possible answers to help spark your thinking:

• I've felt my best this year when I've protected my time for exercising even when my schedule is hectic.

• I've discovered that writing down my feelings really helps me de-stress.

• Talking with friends, colleagues or mentors who lift my energy has helped me deal with the hardest parts of 2020.

What Do You Really Need?

Finally, pick one of those helpful habits or activities and think about how you can bring it to the forefront. This is important no matter what your emotional state and stress levels are right now. If you're feeling good, understanding why this is so will help you keep building on your momentum. If you're not doing so great, the best way to start turning things around is going back to the tools and strategies that have worked for you before.

Either way, make sure the step you focus on is easy to implement. It should involve an action you can take immediately to give yourself more of what you need. You can even share what you are doing with someone close to you so that they can hold you accountable.

As always, I want to remind you that small steps lead to big results. That's never felt more true. And I'm here to support you as you take those steps. Here are a few more resources that can help:

• Why pausing makes you more productive

• How to use passion to overcome fear

• When you are tired of being strong

• The best leaders ask for help

• All self-paced tools from Newberry Executive Solutions

How to Stop Fixing and Start Coaching

As a high performer, you're good at solving problems. But do you ever feel too good at it?

I'm hearing from a lot of leaders lately that they're spending their days putting out fires, dealing with crises and answering questions for their team members. 

Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay

If that sounds a lot like your days, too, you may feel like you're stuck in this situation. Things are still busy and unpredictable. There's no end in sight for problems that need solving. But maximizing your impact as a leader does not mean always jumping in and coming to the rescue. Today I want to give you some alternate strategies that will benefit both you and your team.

The Downside of Solving

It's easy for leaders to get into the habit of being the fixer or the solver, especially in stressful times like these.

After all, you're a leader because you've proven that you can efficiently solve problems. When team members come to you with a quandary or crisis, you can probably identify a solution quickly. You really want to get this problem off your plate, and coaching your direct report through it seems a lot more complicated than dealing with it yourself. So, once again, you become the solver.

But while you are saving time and stress in the short term, you are setting yourself and your team members up for longer-term problems. When you regularly leap to solving instead of coaching or delegating for development, here's what can happen:

• You lose time for your most important work. As a leader, your priorities should include big-picture thinking and helping your team members develop. When you're neglecting these priorities to do the work your reports could be doing, you aren't adding all the value you can as a leader.  

• You get caught in an unproductive pattern. The more you solve for them, the more your team will ask you to solve. And the less time you will have for anything else.

• Your team members miss opportunities to grow. By over-relying on you, they're hampering their own career development.

• You sow discord on your team. If you're always solving problems for some team members instead of helping them develop, the rest of the team will notice — especially if their colleagues' underperformance creates more work for them. On the other hand, your direct reports who need development may not understand why others are your "go-tos" for important assignments.

3 Questions to Ask Yourself

So how can you balance the short-term concerns of getting things done quickly with the long-term concerns of strengthening your team, developing its members and maximizing your own leadership? Here are a few questions that can help you move from solving to coaching and developing.

• What is your role? Even if you complain about being "the solver," does your ego get a boost from playing this role? Becoming aware of this can help you get unstuck and start finding better ways to use your expertise.

• How do you want to show up? How do you want others to see you as a leader? If you’re always in the details problem-solving, you’re less likely to be viewed as someone with the capacity to move up and contribute more strategically.

• How capable is your team? If you feel nervous delegating to certain team members, is it because of their competence? If so, identify the need for additional training beyond coaching from you.

Making the Shift

With your answers to these questions in mind, what's one small shift you can make to go from short-term problem-solving to investing in your team’s longer-term development? For example, it might be as simple as pausing when someone comes to you with an issue and reminding yourself that this person has the ability to learn and that you can coach them.

As you do things differently, others might not know what to make of your changes in behavior. So remember to connect the dots for them by framing your actions, "I trust you and want to give you a chance to grow. I'm here to help, but I'm going to step back to let you own this project."

From time to time, you will find yourself in urgent situations where you need to jump in and take action. But you can still coach even in these cases. After the problem is resolved, meet with your team member to talk through what you did and prepare them to handle similar scenarios in the future.

As a leader, preparing your team members to lead is one of the most important things you can do. And it shows your own readiness for a bigger role. For more strategies like these, pick up a copy of  "Building a Strong Team" from my Leadership EDGE℠ Series.

Insights from America Ferrera

“Your identity is a superpower, not an obstacle.”

That was just one of my favorite quotes from the keynote conversation with actor, director and author America Ferrera at the Texas Women's Foundation's 35th Annual Luncheon.

TWF works for social and economic change for women, girls and families in Texas. I'm honored to support the organization's mission as a member of its board of directors. The theme of this virtual event was creating more inclusive communities across Texas. 

Ferrera delivered some powerful inspiration on the topic of inclusivity. You may know this Emmy and Golden Globe winner best from the shows "Ugly Betty" and "Superstore" or movies like "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants." But Ferrera has also served as a producer and director on "Superstore" and other projects. She is the author of "American Like Me: Reflections on Life Between Cultures." As an activist, she was a founding member of Time's Up and has worked with the organization Voto Latino. She holds a bachelor's degree in international relations from the University of Southern California.

Being Whole and Authentic

During the TWF luncheon, Ferrera emphasized the importance of being your whole self. Many of us make decisions in the moment that may not fully reflect who we are. Perhaps we are compromising, concerned about being rejected or simply taking the path of least resistance. Over time, each of those small decisions can add up to a lot. What have you not explored in yourself or kept from others because of who you thought you had to be? What aspects of yourself have you had to strip away to fit in?

“What does success mean?" Ferrera said. "Does it mean just getting into the room, or does it mean who you can be once you’re in that room? My journey has taken me to: It only matters if I’m in those rooms if I can be my whole authentic self.”

In corporate America, we talk a lot about the business case for inclusion, but Ferrera brings a more personal perspective. She encouraged us to think of inclusivity as something that benefits each of us individually. When you empower someone else, you also empower yourself. When you help others be safer, you are safer as well. Investing in others means creating valuable opportunities for the world to benefit from their talents (talents that otherwise might have gone unexpressed). And to create the change we want to see, we need everyone's talents to come together.

To learn more about the work of the Texas Women's Foundation, please visit www.txwf.org. The organization's next event is Virtual Viewpoints: The 19th with journalist Emily Ramshaw on October 19.

One Thing Video Series: Get More Visibility for Your Accomplishments

Are you getting the recognition you deserve for all of the great work you are accomplishing? If not, my latest One Thing You Can Do video will teach you one of my top strategies for increasing your visibility.

5 Ways to Self-Promote While Working Remotely

Is remote work making you feel out of sight, out of mind with your boss and other key leaders?

A recent article in Harvard Business Review argues that while working from home creates benefits like flexibility, it also carries unique pitfalls for women that can hold us back from promotions and pay raises.

In my last article, I gave you some tactics for dealing with one of those pitfalls: increasing demands at work and at home. This week, let's tackle another key question of our new WFH reality: How do you build relationships, get recognized for your contributions and advance your career when you and your colleagues can’t just run into each other in the office? Here are five of my best practices.

1. Track Your Accomplishments

I have always recommended keeping track of your successes. But it's now more important than ever. With our days so busy, it's easy to overlook all the ways you're creating value. So make it a point to regularly jot down your accomplishments — even if some of them don’t seem like a big deal. Then write down the impact of each accomplishment to help you notice its relevance.  You’ll find that even those small successes can have a big impact. For example, just one productive meeting with an influential leader can set the stage for a strong working relationship.

When you track your accomplishments, you will have them top of mind – which will make it easier to communicate them to others. Trust me, it's also a great morale booster as you realize the difference you’re making!

2. Strategically Communicate Your Value

After you start logging your accomplishments, the next step is to tell others about them. Don’t assume that others will simply notice your hard work and recognize you for it. Remember, your boss has a lot on her plate, too. "Tastefully tooting your own horn" isn't bragging. It's helping your boss understand all the ways you add value so that she can more fully leverage them.

Without the impromptu interactions that happen in an office, you have to be even more intentional about communicating your accomplishments and their significance. That could mean being ready to share one of your team’s successes on your next Zoom call. As a bonus, it also recognizes your team members. Or you could simply email your boss regular updates about your progress as an FYI (which she can easily forward to others).

3. Reframe Career Conversations

If your organization has gone through restructuring or downsizing, you might feel awkward about asking your boss for time to discuss your career goals. But you can do this in a way that's helpful for both of you.

As always, you're more likely to get promoted or achieve other career goals when you make clear to others that you're thinking about more than what you want. That's especially true today. Your boss will be more receptive when you frame your message more like this:

Given the recent organizational changes, how can I best use my skills and experience to make a difference? I want to continue to grow as a leader and add more value to the company. 

4. Remember What Works for You

While our work environment has changed, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel when it comes to building relationships or raising your visibility. The same fundamental principles hold true. You may just need to adapt them a little for the work-at-home world.

That's the message I gave one of my former clients when we caught up recently. She had just started a new job and was worried about how to get to know her new colleagues and work effectively with them without ever meeting them face to face.

Here's the surprising thing: As an experienced executive in an externally facing role, she has built her career on her ability to successfully cultivate strong, authentic relationships. But during this period of significant change, she kept thinking about what may be difficult instead of focusing on what she already knows that can help her. 

Take a moment now to jot down strategies you have used to increase your visibility and advance your career so far. How would you adapt those strategies for the current environment? Some strategies you may not need to adapt at all. For example, you can establish a regular cadence of sharing one or two accomplishments each week, forward positive feedback you’ve received, or be fully present to engage more impactfully.

5. Keep Growing as a Leader

It's totally understandable if you haven't had a spare moment in the past six months to even consider professional development. But hopefully you've started to create some capacity in your schedule to reflect about where you are, where you want to go and how to get there. Investing in building your skills and expertise is one way to strategically advance your career, differentiate yourself and boost your confidence. 

Even before the pandemic, online learning opportunities were dramatically expanding. Think about the type of virtual experience that could help you develop your leadership skills. Start by checking out my WOW! (Women on the Way to peak performance) Program℠. I've delivered WOW! at top corporations, and it is now available as a self-paced program that you can complete on your own, with a colleague or through your own informal learning circle.

Your Pillars of Support

RBG inspired and touched so many. In honor of her memory, appreciate who has been there for you during these challenging times and tag them here.

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.