...on Achieving Goals

...on "The Practices of Successful Managers"

The Practices of Successful Managers

I have to help our HR department with a small project to help inprove the hiring/"On Board" process, and one of the things that was asked of the managers participating was what we felt are the 5 things a manager needed to be successful. Of course, I started making a list of things that most of us think of immediately... leadership, great communication, trustworthy, etc. But then I saw that I had a whole group of items that I couldn't quite come up with a good word (or words) to describe entirely.

I immediately Google "how to be a successful manager", and up popped a ba-gillion results. I click on link after link, scanning for any hints of clarity. After opening "The Practices of Successful Managers", I saw EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE. I thought, "hmmmm... that's interesting." I began to read the paragraph, and after each sentence, I grew more and more excited! "YES! That's it!!"

Emotional Intelligence includes self awareness, self regulation, empathy, motivation, and social skill. I am big on all of these things, because I personally believe that a good manager not only knows him or herself, but they also are able to understand and empathize with their team.

So... take a look at the article, and let me know what your thoughts are!

...on My Elliptical

About 3 or 4 years ago, my husband decided to buy me an elliptical machine. I was soooo excited, because FINALLY I would be able to get in some sort of workout in between working, being a mommy, and running to and from various activities. I did well for about 3 weeks, doing 45 min - 1 hour on the elliptical. But as time went on, I, slowly but surely, began to neglect my elliptical.

Pretty soon, my elliptical began to collect dust... and then I noticed that my husband began using it as a clothing drop off. All while I'm thinking that I didn't have time to squeeze in exercise, my poor elliptical sat in the corner of my room, crying "Use me!! I'm here!! I can help you!"

Needless to say, I continued to neglect my elliptical. After the birth of my second child, I once again started thinking that I should try to lose weight. I mentally told myself that the elliptical wasn't good enough, because the batteries needed to be replaced, and I hated how the handle would gradually slide down, making my arm position be slightly lopsided. :-( All the while, my poor elliptical sat and waited so patiently for me to make it useful.

I was recently diagnosed with mild degenerative arthritis in my knees, and yesterday was especially hard. My right knee ached to a point to where I was limping. I wanted to go to Amia's Salsa Fusion class, but the thought of standing for an hour, much less dancing, made me cringe. But I REALLY wanted to get some form of exercise in. That's when a picture of my precious elliptical popped in my head! "Ah HAA!", I thought. "I can workout without putting too much pressure on my knees!!"

So I got home, replaced those batteries for the elliptical's keypad, turned on "Lost" (recorded two weeks ago... still catching up from being on vacation), and got movin'! My elliptical and my knees thanked me! **smile**

I've decided that I will spend quality time with my elliptical at least 3 times a week, and anytime I miss Salsa Fusion. It's the least I can do for a machine that's always been there, even when I neglected to be there for the machine. :-)

...on ATTITUDE

Hey all!

I found this old blog that I wrote a few years back, and thought that it is still relevant today. Please check it out, and let me know what you think!
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The Secret Part II (Choice)

“I discovered I always have choices and sometimes it’s only a choice in attitude.” – Judith M. Knowlton

I told you all that I would FINALLY get to it… so here it is! I really didn’t know how I was going to go about writing this particular blog. The difficulty in writing is, well, the word “CHOICE” itself. There are so many ways you can really talk about choices. So I decided that I would approach the word by simply talking about making choices concerning your ATTITUDE.

To me, your attitude determines what kinds of things are allowed to be presented in your life. I learned this lesson the hard way, and I still have to remind myself sometimes of this very lesson.

When I worked for The Home Depot, one of our VP’s always talked about “choosing your attitude”. Let me tell you, this was one of the HAPPIEST people I knew, and it was almost sickening to me! She was like a 40-year-old cheerleader! Anywho… she would always say, “Choose Your Attitude!”, and frankly, I thought that it was a crock of shit! LOL My mentality at the time was that they promoted who they wanted, no matter what kind of performance that person may or may not have had, and I could be the nicest person in the world, and they still wouldn’t promote me. But what I was doing was allowing myself to be defeated before I even gave anybody the chance to think about me for a promotion! My ATTITUDE STUNK!

Another case in scenario… have you all ever encountered someone who just ALWAYS had something to say? A boss, a co-worker, some hater from around the corner?! Now, think about it… how did you choose to react to that person whenever they opened their mouth? Did you pop back off at them? Did you roll your eyes, flip them off, or suck your teeth? And how did that person react to you? Most of the time, the attitude that you’ve chosen to deal with a person with, is exactly the type of attitude that they are going to give right back! I learned this first at CAU… sitting in the financial aid line, and noticed the difference in how the financial aid personnel would treat the people who would get straight IGNANT with them, versus the people who were polite and acted as if they had a lick of home training.

On the job, I’ve learned how to channel my anger towards my crazy tail boss(es), and not give them the pleasure in knowing that they’ve pissed me off. It’s hard, but I’ve found that I can get more accomplished, and be a more productive worker if I didn’t focus my energy on the negative. I started to change my attitude in how I dealt with things, and it works!

I feel as if I’m rambling, so I’ll stop there. Try it, though. See what happens! Like the old saying goes… you catch more flies with honey… or something like that!

Choose your attitude!

...on the Earthquake in Haiti

"Think of giving not as a duty but as a privilege." ~ John D. Rockefeller

45 seconds... that was the length of time of the earthquake that hit Haiti. 45 seconds, and the entire country is in turmoil. How quickly our lives can change! We must be thankful for each moment, each second that we have here on earth, and never take it for granted.

Please think about the people of Haiti, and donate $5 to YeleHaiti by texting YELE to 501501. Your $5 contribution will be added to your cell phone bill. It's just that easy.

Check out hmgf.org if you have any additional questions.