Clear Views Blog

We all have a trigger that can prompt us to act in a childish, unbecoming, rude or even hostile way for that matter. Feeling a loss of control over a situation, dealing with giving or receiving challenging feedback, overwhelmed by the sheer amount of work ahead. For me, one of my triggers is what I consider “insufficient think time” to process my thoughts and experiences. Admittedly, I tend to appreciate time to think (read overanalyzing, sometimes to the point of analysis paralysis.) Generally, I consider myself self-aware enough to do a decent job of managing my emotions and reactions around this stress trigger of mine.

Every organization faces conflict among team members, breakdowns in communication and behaviors that create more dysfunction than function.  How your leaders handle these challenges becomes the standard which all employees follow. If the team leader is selfish and has a “me first” attitude, then employees will follow suit. If the leader is compassionate and good at listening, then, likewise, the others on his/her team echo that behavior.

It’s the first week of March. At the end of 2015 as you look back, what do you want to have attained or accomplished professionally? What's your definition of success? What are you driven to achieve? What matters so deeply to you that you are willing to dedicate time, energy, and emotion to its fulfillment? How do you stay motivated and engaged in the months ahead so that at the end of the year you are celebrating and smiling?