Tag Archives: Healthy

How Do You Use Metrics to Focus Your Team? Three Points

Situation: A CEO wants to improve company performance and is interested in how others use metrics to focus their teams. How do you use metrics to focus your team?

Advice from the CEOs:

  • Engage your employees in the development of metrics.
    • The team members are close to the customer and the company’s key vendors. What makes sense to measure? What metrics are tied both to performance and a healthy or supportive but competitive environment? What would create adverse conflicts within the business or with either customers or vendors?
  • Metrics need to be meaningful and applicable.
    • They have to directly pertain to day-to-day, week-to-week and month-to-month objectives and performance.
  • Factor in personal issues.
    • Everyone doesn’t need to have the same metrics – instead formulate metrics that are pertinent to the different roles and individuals within the company.

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Is Burning the Candle at Both Ends Doing Harm or Creating the Legend? Four Points

Situation: A CEO fills nearly every minute of the day with activity. All are meaningful, and he enjoys the contribution that is made to each. Many activities involve his children and activities important to members of his family. However, because he asks the question there is something that is nagging at him. Is burning the candle at both ends doing harm or creating the legend?

Advice from the CEOs:

  • The priority is a positive, healthy lifestyle. Two answers to the group’s questions are in conflict with this.
    • Four to five hours of sleep at night is not enough to sustain the current level of activity.
    • Medical studies indicate that while some people can get along on 6 hours of sleep per night, most need 7-8. Those who get less than 6 hours on a regular basis are taxing their bodies as well as their psyches
  • What does your family think? Are there messages or hints indicating that too much is being taken on or that there isn’t enough time for them. If so, there may be too much on your plate.
    • The one person who does not seem to fit into the lifestyle described is your spouse. This individual needs attention – on a regular basis, not on a once-per-week evening out. Comments about too much activity are more likely a request for more quality time.
    • Given the importance of this relationship, not just currently but looking out 10-20 years, this indicates a need to reallocate proprieties.
  • Do what makes you happy. Each of us is the only person who can really monitor our activities, so each of us must set the metrics.
  • Create some monitors to assure that you are not over committing and that you are giving sufficient time to rest and your wife. After all, this is a marathon. It makes no sense to burn out in the first mile!

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How Do You Strike a Healthy Work/Life Balance? Three Points

Situation: A CEO fills nearly every minute of the day with activities. All these meaningful to him and the company, and he enjoys the contribution that he is making. However, he fears that he is beginning to burn out. Is burning the candle at both ends doing harm or creating the legend? How do you strike a healthy work/life balance?

Advice from the CEOs:

  • We are best at what makes us happy. We are the only individuals who can really monitor our activities, so we must set both our own priorities and the metrics.
  • The priority is a positive, healthy lifestyle. What may be getting in the way?
    • Getting enough sleep. Medical studies indicate that while some people can get along on 6 hours of sleep per night, most need 7-8. Those who get less than 6 hours on a regular basis are taxing their bodies as well as their psyches. Are you are not getting enough sleep to sustain your current level of activity? Is the recovery time from strenuous activity increasing? If so, your body is telling you something!
    • Quality time with significant others. Are you spending enough quality time with your spouse and children? On a regular basis, not on a once-per-week evening out. Is your family receiving the time and attention that they need, or are they sending signals that they need more? Given the importance of these relationships, not just now but looking out 10-20 years, perhaps it is necessary to reallocate proprieties.
  • Create monitors to assure that you are not over committing and that you are giving sufficient time to rest and your family. After all, this is a marathon. You don’t want to burn out in the first mile!

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How Do You Maintain a Healthy Work/Life Balance? Three Perspectives

Situation: A CEO finds that even on vacations he is obsessed with what is happening at the office. This keeps him from relaxing even during time off. Moreover, his family notices this and is unhappy that he isn’t spending his vacation time with them. How does he turn this around? How do you maintain a healthy work/life balance?

Advice from the CEOs:

  • If an individual is still working most of the time when on vacation this has a number of negative effects.
    • It makes the vacation even more stressful than normal work. First, a vacation is meant to provide distance and perspective from the workplace, as well as to allow time to relax and recharge. Second, this is time set aside to enjoy being with family and focus on work robs everyone of this. Third, while on vacation, there are fewer resources at one’s disposal so solving problems from afar is more difficult that when in the office.
  • To address these issues, plan on the next vacation to be “fully unplugged.”
    • Designate a “substitute” to act as CEO during this vacation. Assure that this individual has their own “go to” person to work with if they encounter a situation that puts them in over their head. Perhaps this can be a member of the board or another senior officer.
    • Plan the next vacation for two weeks to test the substitute model.
    • An additional benefit is that this can provide assurance that even if an unexpected situation prevents the CEO from being present, there is an assurance that the company can operate without the CEO if necessary. This boosts the value of the company.
  • Remember that success as a CEO is measured partly on the ability to have a fully operational office when the CEO is absent. Build and conduct the role so that the company operates well when the CEO is not there. This is consistent with a healthy growth model and long-terms plans for building a successful company.

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How Do You Focus on Positive Responses to Stress? Ten Techniques

Interview with Janis Pullen, Transformational Coach

Situation: When we encounter stress, like financial, economic or business stress, we may respond positively and proactively or negatively. Negative responses include drinking, smoking and comfort eating which can damage our health. How do you focus on positive responses to stress?

Advice from Janis Pullen:

  • It is important to understand that there are two aspects to stress management – the ontological or being side and the facilitative or doing side. These are different but related.
  • When people experience stress they seek comfort in activities that they associate with relaxation. This includes alcohol, tobacco and eating. These reactions are automatic, habitual and predictable and can lead to unhealthy consequences.
  • Ontological techniques to counter habitual, automatic reactions and to positively respond to stressors include:
    • Recreate our relationship to time. In the US we are deadline oriented and multitask. These increase stress.
    • Arrive at meetings 5 minutes early so that we give ourselves time to get settled instead of entering the meeting in a rush.
    • Plan time for nothing – even a 5-minute break with no pressure to “do” anything increases ease and relaxation.
    • Become more aware of our needs and what we have to do to meet them. Often we are not in tune with our needs and operate on top of them. The positive alternative is to slow down, notice more of what is within and around us, and have the courage to fulfill our real, deeper needs.
    • Take responsibility. When we blame external causes for situations, we give up power and control. The alternative is to be “at cause” rather than “at effect” to produce constructive results.
    • Realize you are not alone.  Employ assistance/guidance/mentorship to lighten your load.
  • On the facilitative side, these practices can alleviate or reduce stress:
    • Simply take a few deep breaths when we become aware of stress. This increases blood oxygen, helps us to relax and cools our reaction.
    • Exercise – even a short walk – does wonders for changing moods from negative to positive. Under stress, the body releases cortisol and adrenalin – the fight or flight hormones. Exercise increases endorphins, which help us to relax and reduces cortisol and adrenalin levels.
    • Consciously eat whole versus processed foods and drink more water to help our bodies to function more efficiently and to respond more effectively to stress. Berries and nuts are much healthier snacks than sugar or other simple carbohydrates.
    • Sufficient sleep is critical to effective physical and mental function. Alcohol impairs sleep by reducing deep sleep cycles so we do not wake up refreshed.
  • The effective solution to stress is to focus on our real needs and to replace destructive behavior patterns with constructive alternatives.

You can contact Janis Pullen at [email protected]

Key Words: Stress, Response, Positive, Proactive, Negative, Alcohol, Tobacco, Eating, Food, Ontological, Facilitative, Comfort, Habit, Healthy, Unhealthy, Real Needs, Time Management, Deadline, Act, Control, Responsibility, Blame, Breath, Cortisol, Adrenalin, Endorphins, Whole Foods, Sugar, Carbohydrates, Focus

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