Proactive Strategies for Managing Stress and Change

1. Proactive Strategies for Managing Stress and Change Presented by: Performance Consulting 508.650.0770 mia@performance-consulting.com November, 2002

2. Introductions • Your name • Your role, department, and company • One cause of stress • Major changes planned for the next 18 months • What you would like to gain from this workshop

3. Defining Stress Exercise: Please talk within your groups to define the word, stress. Then write down your group’s definition in the space below. If necessary, build a consensus first or coherently tie together individuals’ definitions.

4. Physical Weight loss/gain Hypertension Headaches Difficulty sleeping What else? Psychological Reduced attention span Escape activities Job dissatisfaction What else? Warning Signs

5. Types of Stress • Episodic • Chronic Note: Chronic stress can lead to burn out

6. The Stress Response • Digestion slows • Breathing becomes faster • Heart rate speeds up, blood pressure rises • Perspiration increases • Muscles tense • Chemicals released into the blood for clotting • Sugars and fats spill into the bloodstream

7. Causes of Stress • Sporadic change • Constant change • Unrealistic or unclear expectations • Lack of feedback • Time pressures • No closure • What else?

8. Managing Time-Linked Stress • Establishing and committing to priorities • Delegating successfully • Self-managing effectively

9. Establishing and Committing to Priorities “Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists of eliminating the non-essentials.”

10. 1. Urgent & Important CRISIS 2. Important, Not Urgent WORK TO DO 3. Urgent Not Important TRIVIA WORK 4. Not Urgent or Important TIME WASTING WORK The Urgent versus The Important

11. The Urgent versus The Important Quadrant I: Urgent and Important Quadrant of Addiction • Crises, irate customers, system and equipment failures • Deadline-driven projects, meetings, preparations • Pressing problems This is the “response” quadrant. Investing all our time here creates burn-out.

12. The Urgent versus The Important Quadrant 2: Important, not Urgent Quadrant of Quality/Personal Leadership • Prevention and Preparation • Values Clarification • Planning • Relationship building • True re-creation: reading, professional development • Empowering others Investing in this Quadrant shrinks Quadrant 1 by preventing crises and providing growth and balance.

13. The Urgent versus The Important Quadrant 3: Urgent, Not Important Quadrant of Deception • Interruptions, some phone calls • Some mail, some reports • Some meetings • Many popular activities • Many seemingly pressing matters Investing our time in this quadrant helps us believe we’re accomplishing important matters when we’re not.

14. The Urgent versus The Important Quadrant 4: Not Urgent, not Important Quadrant of Waste • Busywork • “Escape” activities • Irrelevant mail • Some phone calls • Trivia We may end up in this Quadrant when we’re exhausted from activities in Quadrants 1 and 3.

15. Delegating Effectively 1.Think and plan first 2. Clarify the responsibility and results intended 3. Select the right person 4. Decide on the authority level. 5. Decide on controls and checkpoints 6. Create a motivating environment 7. Hold them accountable

16. Delegating Effectively General levels of authority when delegating: Level 1: Get the facts, I’ll decide Level 2: Suggest alternatives, I’ll decide Level 3: Recommend an alternative, I’ll decide Level 4: Decide, wait for my approval Level 5: Decide, act unless I say no Level 6: Act, report results Level 7: Act, report if unsuccessful Level 8: Act, reporting not needed

17. Coping Resources Flexibility & Resilience • Be open to diverse ideas • “Try on” other people’s roles • Avoid judging, allow and accept • Change your perspective • Recognize benefits • Brainstorm, solve problems • Be patient, pick your battles

18. Coping Resources Nutrition, Exercise & Relaxation • Reduce caffeine, sugar, starch • Take breaks away from your desk • Exercise to combat the stress response • Use the buddy system to reinforce good healthy habits • Learn TM, yoga, tai chi, prayer • Listen to music • Get rid of clutter

19. Coping Resources Supportive Community • Make time for family and friends • Develop a network of professional colleagues • Volunteer • Find a mentor • Be a mentor • Get a dog • Find a larger purpose, spiritual connection

20. Coping Resources Communication & Listening • Listen to your inner guidance • Listen to discover and understand, not judge • Summarize what is being said • Acknowledge others’ contributions • Focus on facts, feelings, and solutions

21. Coping Resources Communication & Assertiveness • Speak with purpose, support your statements • Ask for feedback • Describe facts & feelings of stressful situation • Acknowledge shared goals or shared focus • Identify what you need • Request a change • Be comfortable saying “no” • Learn to negotiate

22. Adopting to Change Innovators Early Majority Laggards Early Adopters Late Majority

23. shock denial & isolation Accommodation envision growth new opportunities bargaining building anger acceptance of reality guilt & remorse resignation to situation panic depression Accommodating Change

24. Coping Resources for Managers • Develop, manage, and enforce SLAs • Staff and schedule realistically • Provide work task variety • Schedule “good news” meetings, game room • Provide managed forum for venting, humor • Provide recognition and rewards, ongoing • Arrange for coverage for off-site training, meetings, events

25. Coping Resources for Managers Effectively Implementing Change • Communicate vision and strategy for change, using all available venues • Communicate why change is necessary • Recruit informal leaders • Identify possible downside of change, who might be effected, plan to minimize effects • Create short-term wins • Monitor, evaluate, and adjust as needed

26. Guidelines for SuccessfullyImplementing Change • Clearly communicate reasons why change is necessary, what will be accomplished, risks if change doesn’t occur • Recruit informal leaders to generate potential solutions • Identify what needs to change and what doesn’t • Identify who will be affected and take actions to minimize adverse effects

27. Guidelines for Successfully Implementing Change • Define and communicate new roles and processes • Market and communicate the change • Recognize perception of broken promises, make new agreements with employees • Reward those who make the change • Monitor the process, solicit feedback, make adjustments, course corrections • Identify and communicate short-term wins

28. Change Versus Transition • Change is an event that is situational and external to us • Transition is the experience of the gradual psychological reorientation process that happens inside of us • Endings – disengage from “what was” • Neutral Zone – confusion, in-between state • New Beginnings – familiar with “what will be”, acceptance of new reality

29. Change and Transformation Change often begins with: • New business objective Which necessitates: • Organizational change Bringing about: • Professional transition Resulting in: • Personal transformation

30. Remember... Stressed spelled backwards is desserts