De Stressing At Work

Stress management in the workplace and workplace stress relief are hot topics these days.

As an industrial-organizational psychologist (a fancy name for shrinks who help businesses and the people in them to thrive), Dr. Pastor sees the need for teaching clients how to de-stress. Workplace stress is real. Learning how to manage stress at work requires some unique stress management techniques.

3 ways to manage stress in the workplace

1. First, identify your most successful stress management techniques outside the workplace.

All the things you can do in other settings can work at work, and some techniques take time and lots of practice. For example, we all know that exercise and stress are a match made in heaven for those who want to feel better and reduce anxiety. But did you know that using certain imaging techniques and practicing them first outside of work gives you a great deal more self-control when it all gets to you at work as well? Learn more about imaging techniques in the anxiety and anger management sections of Dr. Pastor’s clinical therapy site, The Healthy Brain and Body Centre of Beverly Hills.

2. Along the same lines, invest in a good stress-management workshop.

Take several of them, as each teacher will have his or her own slant and you can learn a lot over time, finding those stress reducers that work for you.

3. Stress relief games.

You may want to learn little games to help manage the daily irritations of job stress. For example, if you are stressed out because of deadlines, try to turn the stress into something fun. Are you a competitive person? If so, set a timer and tell yourself—better yet, tell another person—what exactly you will accomplish between now and the moment that timer goes off. Even if you don’t accomplish it all, you will have done a lot, and for many individuals this creates a type of positive stress called eu-stress.

Make sure you reward yourself for your accomplishment—especially the accomplishment of making boring or unpleasant work a little more fun. Always give yourself at least a verbal reward for that. If you are miserable just in this job, or just under this new boss (when it was hunky dory before), or only because of new job responsibilities you have taken on and don’t enjoy, think about a change.

Yep, consider changing jobs, even consider changing companies. If you don’t do this often, or if you are considering a big change, do yourself a huge favor. Make sure to go to a qualified and licensed business psychologist for vocational and personal profile testing. Even if your job is fine but you find you no longer are fine in it, that may mean it is time for a change. Congratulations, you’ve grown! But promise me you will look at vocational and related testing first. It is not that expensive, and it can save you a ton of time, money, and STRESS while giving you much needed support at the same time.

Relieve stress at work!

Make the most of workday breaks. Even 10 minutes of personal time will refresh your mental outlook.

Take a brief walk, chat with a co-worker about a non-job topic, or simply sit quietly with your eyes closed and breathe.

If you feel angry, walk away.

Mentally regroup by counting to 10, then look at the situation again. Walking and other physical activities will also help you work off steam.

Set reasonable standards for yourself and others.

Don’t expect perfection.

How Coca-Cola Executives Achieve Their Goals

 

Here’s a fail-proof process for REALIZING GOALS that Dr. Joan Pastor developed with executives at Coca-Cola as part of a time management training.
Like the new year, it’s your gift to open. Make things happen!

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You are more likely to achieve goals—personal goals, business goals, life goals—by following these tips for goal setting.

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1. Be sure your goals are YOUR goals

If a goal is set by you and is something you really want to achieve, the chances for success are immensely improved. You know the forces that would set goals FOR you—employee motivation, family expectations, government regulations. This does not mean you should be stubborn and refuse any advice on what your direction should be. Friends, relatives, and employers can all be helpful with ideas. But the reluctance and compromise of setting someone else’s goal for yourself will weaken your motivation to achieve it. The force within YOU will follow the course YOU set.

2. Put your goals in writing

First, writing a goal helps you clarify and develop what it is you want. The process of writing in detail helps you more carefully imagine your goal. Most of us don’t have the capacity to flesh out a goal in our heads the way we can in writing. And, by nature, thoughts fade more quickly than ink. The second reason for writing goals is to increase your personal commitment. Through writing, you bring the imagined achievement into the physical reality of language on paper (or on the computer screen). You’ve made yourself accountable to the exact goal you have in mind because you’ve made a record. And you can use this record to continually re-imagine the goal.

3. Challenging but attainable

Good goals cause you to stretch and grow. Setting ones that will require little energy will likely inspire little motivation. At the other extreme, saying you will reach impossible dreams also results in little or no motivation. Identify those goals that will require meaningful attention but that you feel you can truly achieve. Deciding if a goal is attainable is a very personal decision, but if you think you can, YOU CAN. Go after it!

4. Major goals must be compatible

Going after competing goals—where the attainment of one means short-changing the other—is an easy trap to fall into. For example, you’ve committed to a very expensive vacation AND you’d like to save toward building your dream house. Or, you want to excel in tennis and golf, but you don’t have enough leisure time to practice them both. Incompatible goals can lead you to put serious effort into several seemingly worthwhile projects and yet finish none of them. Or, worse, your divided energy produces unsatisfactory results that you’re stuck with. So, after you decide on your major goals, check them for compatibility.

5. Revision & Change

As a growing human being, your wants will be forever changing and evolving. Don’t think of your goals as carved in stone. Periodically review, update, and revise them.

6. Specific tasks, measurable achievements

You’ve written your goal; now break it down into the specific steps to its accomplishment. (Remember how one eats an elephant.) Then create a plan for measuring progress. For example, you have written a major goal to redecorate your home. Along the way, check off the individual projects—living room window treatment, kitchen floor, bedroom furniture—as each is completed. As for goals like “I want to be a better person,” follow Ben Franklin’s example. He chose one virtue at a time—forgiveness, charity, etc.—to work on. I recommend you choose a specific trait and assign a scale—0 to 4 or 1 to 10—on which to measure progress.

7. Target dates

Consider you have set your goal only after you have attached a timeline for its accomplishment. Just like the power of writing it down, the time component helps you create the goal in your physical reality. Without timetables, goals are as elusive as daydreams.

In conjunction with the process of identifying specific tasks, set target dates for each task or, as it may be called, a subgoal. In creating your schedule, allow time for figuring out unforeseen problems, errors, personnel changes, etc.

If it weren’t for the last minute …
I’m sure you have experienced the tremendous motivation of an approaching deadline. Be sure to employ this important tool for realizing every goal. It is key to motivation and commitment. Also, make the most of deserved satisfaction as you finish each task and achieve each of the subgoals. Build your sense of momentum as you increasingly visualize the achievement of your major goal.

8. Prioritize

Ever feel you are spending your time doing second things first? Well, that’s one way to make sure that your most important goals WON’T be realized. To control this tendency, list your goals (with the items on your schedule for the day, if necessary) and then rank them in order of importance.

How you set priorities is a matter of personal choice, and if one system doesn’t work, don’t give up. Try something else. Some people list their goals and then select the two or three most important. Others rank them all in order of importance.

9. Put up reminder signs

Focusing on goals can get lost when you’re busy doing something else (and you even feel good because there’s so much activity). A well-placed reminder sign can bring you back. Design a sign for your desk, the dashboard of your car (with a picture for extra impact), or, set regular reminders on your phone’s calendar—anything that works for you.

10. Goals and beyond goals

Remember your overall satisfaction with life is not ultimately driven by achievement of this year’s goals. Be formulating goals beyond the ones you are working so hard to achieve at any particular moment. With nothing further to imagine, your subconscious may sabotage final completion of a goal. We’re sometimes funny that way.

Disappoint a Stereotype

by Elizabeth Hofheinz, M.Ed., M.P.H.

For many people, hearing the word “sales” sets off a chain reaction of negativity. Instantly, your brain forms images of a guy with an avalanche of words flowing from his mouth “… and this can be yours for the bargain price of …” Exit, where is the nearest exit?! you think to yourself. Alright, he’s going to try to manipulate me. I’m trapped. Time to put the boxing gloves on. This cultural shadow/stereotype of the pushy, non-listening salesperson has been around for some time.

In order to be successful, salespeople have to acknowledge and deal with this negativity that at times can haunt their interactions. So, let’s look back in history for some answers. According to Dr. Joan Pastor, who has a Ph.D. in both clinical and industrial-organizational psychology and is president of JPA International, Inc., the stereotypes of salespeople emanate from the days when traveling salesmen went from town to town peddling their wares.

Says Dr. Pastor, “Because they often brought news from other areas of the country, salespeople were seen as being more sophisticated than the people they were selling to. Unfortunately, among this group of salespeople were those individuals inclined to, shall we say, s-t-r-et-c-h the truth a bit, i.e., ‘I have a gem of a property in Florida for sale.’ As the years went on, townspeople began to venture out into the world and become more sophisticated. ‘Hey, this is a swamp!’ they cried, and thus the impression of the salesperson as untrustworthy began to settle in to the country’s general consciousness. At this point, some salespeople (the most genuine ones) started to realize that, in general, they couldn’t sell on manipulation anymore. They could see that it may be possible to sell something quick and get away with it, but that doing this would mean risking repeat business and referrals.”

So what can be done about this negativity? Here are three things to keep in mind as you prepare for the sales process:

• First, understand that your buyer must look out for their own needs, budgetary and otherwise. On some level, we all need to feel important, smart, and in control. Perhaps the buyer is afraid to think that standing before her is an honorable salesperson (“If I’m wrong, I’ll be taken advantage of”). This is why the buyer/seller relationship is so important. Over multiple interactions with you, the buyer is building a databank of impressions that weave together into an opinion. You can influence that opinion–and chip away at the negative stereotypes–by being consistently honest, friendly, and reliable. You go at their pace as much as possible and “disappoint” the stereotype because you aren’t pushy. You allow them time to get comfortable with you – and, they are confident that they have made a correct assessment of your character (“He is telling the truth. I can trust my judgment.”)
• Second, check yourself as you prepare for and interact with buyers. Ask yourself, am I dragging any negativity into the meeting? (Lost a fight with your spouse last night?) Is my confidence level high (I know my product and feel my profession has genuine worth) or low (I’m just another salesperson–why would she want to listen to me?). Keep in mind this little known fact: the more senior you are in any company, the more selling you have to do. It’s true. You are part of the most valuable of all professions and you do what CEOs do. If you are feeling on-par with the buyer, you will feel less pressured (more relaxed). The buyer will sense that and consequently let his/her defenses down. It’s less struggle for the both of you. If you are not feeling confident about yourself and/or your profession, you could either let your anxiety get the best of you (an uninspiring presentation with a quick exit) or overcompensate by trying to control the buyer’s decision (your excess power needs rear their heads). Most likely, you don’t react well to people trying to control you–why would anyone else?
• Third, remember that you are, of course, looking out for your own needs. There are the obvious, concrete needs: sell the product, meet your quota, etc. Then there are the more subtle, typically human, needs, that you, yes, even you, have. These include the need to feel important, smart, and in control. Nothing wrong with these needs – unless, of course, they are working overtime. And what are the worst stereotypes? Again, Dr. Pastor: “Those salespeople getting it wrong typically fall into two camps. They’re pushy (ask no questions, sell on the best deal, i.e., use language like ‘If you buy it now…’) or they’re not listening (for example, when the surgeon expresses a concern, the salesperson tells them another benefit of the product).”

To ensure that salespeople avoid these negative impressions, Dr. Pastor recommends six stages of the sales process that are targeted toward a marriage of the sale and the relationship.

1. Do your research. Not just on the product(s), but on the people you will interact with in the sales process. Don’t limit your thinking to the surgeon–you may spend a lot of time talking to office personnel. Learn something about them.

2. Listen, listen, listen. It should be a 20/80 conversation. You do 20% of the talking (including questions and educating), the surgeon gets 80%. During your 20%, be sure to ask about their level of satisfaction with the products they are currently using. Be sure you understand the surgeon’s expectations of both the product(s) and the sales relationship.

3. When stating the benefits of your product(s), tie your statements to the concerns the surgeon mentioned about his/her current products (For example, if the surgeon had problems getting another company’s implant in, you’re going to talk about how easily your product does go in, not talk about the price of your product).

4. Although it is good to be aware of the very real possibility of resistance during this process, don’t be concerned about questions as they indicate interest on the part of the buyer. If you sense an unusual level of resistance, however, you may need to return to one or more of the previous stages. In general, educate yourself on how to handle resistance and rejection in a professional manner. Try to see it as part of the job.

5. Negotiation. Perhaps by this stage you’ve succeeded in turning around any negative impressions. At this point, there should be a palpable interest on the part of the buyer. Or, there should at least be an awareness from both parties that there is a need for further discussion. If either of these conditions are met, then you would discuss who is going to be doing what in order to meet again. If the interest is not present, then your discussion will end.

6. Commitment. This is the time to summarize what each party has agreed to be the next step. This could be the actual sale or some other agreed-upon action (perhaps the surgeon may want to review the product with some colleagues).

Looking at the bigger picture, you don’t have to prove your self-worth by getting the sale. You also don’t have to prove that your profession is worthy. If you go in confident that both you and your profession are quite acceptable, the only thing you have to do is be of service, make every surgery more reliable and more successful for your surgeon. That being said, if your gut knows that the product is worthy of your surgeon’s attention, you’re nearly home.

For more information on JPA International, Inc., a business and sales consulting and training firm specializing in healthcare, visit www.JPA-International.com or call (760) 945-9767. Email Dr. Joan Pastor, Ph.D at [email protected]

How do you motivate employees to dedicate themselves to high-quality work?

How do you create a work setting in which loyalty is a natural by product?

Does it sound difficult?

Well, it’s not impossible and the solutions have nothing to do with wishful thinking. To instill loyalty in the workplace, you must follow a few hard and fast rules.

[dropcap]1.[/dropcap] First, you must be absolutely clear on the values and goals of your company. If you don’t know these, then your first assignment is cut out for you. Until company heads know implicitly what they seek to accomplish, they cannot expect loyalty from their subordinates. No one follows an indecisive leader into battle or on the job front. It is essential then that both employer and employee know and appreciate the company philosophy and goals. After your company objectives are securely in place, recruiting supportive employees and educating old ones becomes your next priority. You may find that you will need to let go of people who aren’t aligned with your newfound objectives. “Bill,” a colleague of mine and president of a small brokerage firm, hired a man who was an extremely talented broker. Problems began to arise, however, when Bill noticed that “Glen” was not a “team player.” Glen didn’t support the direction Bill was taking the company and, as a result, Glen became apathetic to company matters. The other employees began taking sides, and eventually company morale diminished. Glen’s inability to follow Bill’s lead split the company in two and destroyed what Bill had worked hard to accomplish. The firm went under. To avoid hiring someone who wouldn’t be my definition of a high quality employee, I place a lot of weight on first impressions.

When I am in the hiring process, I take note of whether a prospective employee is on time to our appointment. I want someone who displays responsible behavior right from the start. I also pay close attention to loose indications of loyalty: involvement in the interview, knowledge of the company for which they are interviewing, manner in which they talk about past employers and reliability in keeping promises like “I will send you a copy of my resume today” or “I will call to set up a second interview for Tuesday.” Company heads should diligently look for people who have strong work ethics and share enthusiasm about the company direction.

This practice prevents excessive employee turnover and misplacement of people in jobs. It is important to continually clarify and reiterate company values and goals to employees. Executives of The Ford Motor Company utilized this knowledge a few years back to speed the company’s recovery process. Ford developed the motivational acronym MVGP that stands for “Mission, Values and Guiding Principles.” MVGP spells out what Ford stands for, what it expects from its employees, and the level of quality to which it aspires. A copy of the MVGP plan was mailed to all Ford employees. The letters MVGP are plastered all over the walls of the corporate offices and over the walls of the automotive plants.

[dropcap]2.[/dropcap] Judy Komaki of Perdue University undertook a study touting the importance of feedback. According to Komaki, feedback specifically applied to activities right after they are done gives subordinates a feeling of purpose and, as such, has a performance-enhancing effect. In contrast to Komaki’s findings, if communication only takes the form of instructions from the supervisor, subordinates often do the minimum to get by. When a job is well done, positive feedback from management encourages employees to “keep up the good work.” Years ago I worked as a consultant for a company that provided financial planning for middle income families. Planners weren’t building clientele as quickly as market research indicated was possible. I identified the problem as one of low manager involvement. Managers weren’t giving planners specific feedback on their work and, consequently, clear sales strategies and motivation were lacking.

I instructed managers to first select particular skills for planners to develop, and then monitor the results of the practiced skills. Monitoring resulted in an immediate increase in sales for the organization. Employee involvement techniques such as participative decision-making, self-managing work teams, and suggestion systems raise morale and feelings of responsibility and involvement. Studies show that the larger a person’s stake in a company, the greater his level of loyalty. Communication encourages loyalty.

[dropcap]3.[/dropcap] The third factor needed to instill loyalty from the top of the hierarchy to the bottom is the ability for all company individuals to achieve objectivity. Objectivity is the gift of power bestowed upon employees by employers, enabling them to step outside the system for the purpose of accessing what’s wrong. If people are given the tools for attaining objectivity, they will seldom feel a loss of control over themselves and situations. An investment in seminars and literature to this effect will prove highly worthwhile.

Generally, employees in large companies are responsible for a fraction of the whole picture. Objectivity reminds them of the company goal, allowing these workers the insight to move forward. The dreaded disease of apathy often accompanies feeling ineffective. If employees feel that they can contribute, loyalty will be enhanced.

In summary:

• Employers can inspire loyalty in employees if three important factors are in place as discussed above. Loyalty hinges on the alignment of values between employee and employer. If an employee finds value in the company cause, he or she will naturally support it.

• Objectivity fosters feelings of effectiveness because it allows one to influence a situation positively. If an employee feels like a non-contributor, he or she has no perception of her worth in the company, no feeling of influence or purpose. He or she will atrophy, and the company will eventually lose this employee’s strength.

• Open communication is an extremely important ingredient for instilling loyalty. Constructive feedback keeps an employee posted on his or her relationship to the company works and, as a result, he or she is likelier to take pride and responsibility in his or her actions and contributions.