Energize your day with the ENERGIZER newsletter!
SMALL—FAST—and WRITTEN WHEN THE MOOD STRIKES.
What consultant worth her salt would be without a newsletter? It’s a dandy little sheet, written when the mood strikes (which is at least quarterly). To be notified when a new issue is available sign-up for my list in the box to your right. I protect your private information and will never, sell, rent or otherwise abuse what you have entrusted to me. And, of course, you can unsubscribe at any time! Unsubscribe instructions are at the bottom of the e-mail you received pointing you to this page.
So here’s the deal: I offer work-life balance programs. In fact—2008 kicks off with my programs being presented for a major hotel chain, a bio-pharm company, and a national association’s annual conference.
So call us at 949-496- 8640 and let’s see how I might help your organization!
Update From Eileen
Over July 4th weekend, our family took a drive to pick cherries in the Hood River region of Oregon. Alas. No cherries. Summer was late in coming.
Cindy Bright, my Beaver Creek dear friend and fellow Virgo said that her allergies were acting up because the trees had only now started to bloom. Summer was late in coming to the Rockies.
It’s now mid July and I am delinquent in writing this newsletter. The Summer edition indeed is late in coming.
Sorry! Seems like work and care-taking tumbled my best intentions like dominoes. I’ll bet you’ve been there too. Like the time you decided to clean out your garage in an afternoon, only to find that what appeared as a pitch-and-toss exercise became a multi-day excursion in placing a value upon everything from old tools to the box of Aunt Edna’s purses and the moldy carton of dated backpacking gear.
Our best intentions can be thwarted by increased demands from others, from our own procrastination, or from the simple becoming complex. Perhaps saying “yes” to demands is more a function of pride or guilt than a true desire to help.
Perhaps we should ask just WHY we put things off? What about the task keeps us from jumping in? As for the simple becoming complex, I’ve decided that it’s just the way it is. I can scream, stomp my foot, and complain mightily to whomever will listen. It just consumes more time.
My summer challenge is to eat the proverbial elephant one measly bite at a time. Pass the ketchup, will you?
Warmly,
P.S. Speaking of July 4th, did you read where the family of a man from White River, Ind., had some of his cremated remains mixed with fireworks and shot off as a finale in the town’s celebration? Seems that the deceased, Meredith Smith, had run the July 4th event for 40 years. I’d say he went out with a bang! Who knows, this might be an alternative to burial at sea. The sky’s the limit!
BULL or BEAR – Don’t let headlines run your life!
Words are self-fulfilling prophecies. Retreat from the market. Fire a boat load of folks. Hoard cash in your mattress. And then, go sit in the corner with a pillow over your head.
I don?t know about you, but I think practicality mixed with wisdom should be more the order of the day. Start by a very practical evaluation of just HOW you work and what you produce. What are value-added activities rather than mere niceties or outmoded ways of doing things?
Remember that when the market turns around – and it will – you want the best and the brightest at your side. You want customers who have stayed because together you found ways to link hands and make it through this rough water.
Think green. The best news about $4-a-gallon-gas is that we’re finally persuaded to live in a way that mirrors what we should have done long ago.
Telecommuting is on the rise and with it, workers are reporting more work/life balance. Mass transit and ride-sharing programs are setting passenger records. Local markets with local produce are on the upswing. Crisis can give rise to innovation, to new alliances, and to an honest assessment of just what matters.
It’s all in how you look at it.
Remember how you eat the proverbial elephant!
Five Fatal Assumptions Hamper Transitions into Management:
1. Success as an individual contributor will translate into management success.
2. Being the expert is the most important factor for credibility.
3. It’s the rational and logical approach or solution that counts.
4. Competent people do not need help.
5. The people I manage are just like me in their expectation, goals and priorities.
Source: ConceptReseve; info@ConceptReserve.com
A move into management requires different skill sets than what made an individual employee successful. New managers often have difficulty shedding the tasks that led to the promotion.
They need to turn instead to the team to take over day-to-day duties. Interpersonal communications and coaching skills become critical along with a willingness to learn how to deal with broader issues.
Finding different approaches at work are paramount, particularly when assigning work, offering direction and holding former colleagues accountable.
The quicker training for new managers is in place, along with peer-to-peer mentoring and the possible use of an external coach, the more successful will be the transition.
Want to know the best 100 law firms for women?
Working Mother Magazine, the authoritative source for career mothers and Flex-Time Lawyers, LLC, a national consulting advising attorneys and legal employers on work-life balance and the retention and advancement of women, will announce in August the 2008 Working Mother & Flex-Time lawyers Best Law Firms for Women. This groundbreaking initiative is now in its second year, and the 2008 Best Law Firms for Women event honors 50 winning firms for their commitment to the retention and advancement of female talent.
As an affiliate with Work Family Research Network University of PA., I am now getting updated reports on all manner of initiatives and research related to work/life issues. Many of you might find this report of great interest: http://familiesandwork.org/3w/boldideas.pdf
If you can’t be a good example — then you’ll just have to be a horrible warning.
Must Read Books
While the first joy of going to Portland is to play with my adorable Granddaughters and run the countryside with my daughter, I must admit that a trip to Powell’s Bookstore is regarded as a pilgrimage. As the largest independent bookstore in the world, just entering its doors is a breathtaking experience for any bibliophile. (And if you have to look up this word, you ain’t one.) This July, the pilgrimage came on the heels of completing an interview for AM NORTHWEST, KATU-TV ABC.
Having my entire family (including my OTHER San Diego GRANDS) in the studio audience just stoked the fires. And that was just the beginning. With my new book, Gifts from the Mountain-Simple Truths for Life’s Complexities, winning the 2008 Benjamin Franklin Book Award, nothing was better than signing it in a store we regard as almost sacred.
We never leave a bookstore empty handed. Here’s what I picked up to sooth the late Summer (click the link to go to Amazon for a more complete description).
The Reluctant Tuscan: How I Discovered by Inner Italian, Phil Doran, Gotham Books 2005.
As a 25-year-veteran of Hollywood and the writer of such shows as The Wonder Years and Who’s the Boss?, Phil Doran takes his formidable skill and moves the reader through the humor and the pathos of trying to adapt to Italy after being pushed out of the TV industry as a relic. I loved it.
Did make me wonder if Italy would be a place for me, too.
Twilight, Stephanie Meyer, Little Brown & Company, 2005.
OK, gang. I must admit. I am rather afraid to crack this story of young vampires – the first of a trilogy that is stirring the NY Times bestseller list among teens. But my first born granddaughter said it was the best book she has ever read. I MUST know what she sees in it and also – if necessary – offer some guidance for the reading. We monitor TV. Books are no different. I’ll let you know.
Executricks, How to Retire While You’re Still Working, Stanley Bing, Collins, 2008.
If you’re a reader of Fortune Magazine, you’ll know the in-your-face-funny-and-on-target writing style of this columnist. Stanley (not his real name) and I happened to be signing books together at the Book Expo in Los Angeles. You’ll find is hysterically funny and uncannily true about execs many of us have known.
Welcome to the McDargh Clan of Clients:
Farm Credit Canada
Olympus
FLA Club Manager Association
SHRM
Federally Employed Women
National Assoc. of Health Care Recruiters
National Conference of State Legislatures
Overview and Contact Information
Is life leading you instead of you leading a life?
Is work working you instead of you doing the work?
You’re not alone! It’s the challenge of our times.
From business leaders to rank-and-file workers, the competitive 24/7 world of heart-stopping change has left many feeling in need of new tools to answer these questions:
- How do I engage more of my talent and that of the folks around me in meaningful work?
- Why is it that resiliency is a word I think of only with rubber bands?
- Why does it seem that we compete more with each other than the competition?
It’s tough when the rate and pace of work leaves you feeling disconnected, unheard, and certainly not aligned to produce results that matter in the long run.
Then there’s the issue of joy. Flat out joy. You don’t want “work” to become exclusive of play. Leave your spirit and heart at the door, and it’s hard to be creative and productive. You want to be connected with people who respect you and visa versa. You want to do good work—no, make that GREAT work- in the bargain. You want to spend your time in a place that lets your spirit soar and your talent shine. My joy is in helping individuals and organizations rediscover the joy of living and the joy of satisfying work.
If you want results that go well beyond the bottom line—contact us. Since 1980, we’ve been engaging the human spirits of individuals and organizations. Now—it’s your turn.
Call 949-496-8640 or send email eileen@eileenmcdargh.com
