Being a nurse used to be associated with the white starched dress uniform and cap. When you saw someone in that uniform, it meant purity, compassion and care. It also used to mean handmaiden or the “one who takes orders.”
These days few people still wear white and even fewer wear dresses. Many ... Views: 30164
Staying Positive in a Negative Environment
By Julie Fuimano, Executive Coach
Probably one of the hardest things we must do as leaders is to stay positive when everyone else around us is negative. It’s not easy to maintain a positive attitude and not be drained or consumed by the negativity that ... Views: 11366
Has anyone ever spoken to you in an inappropriate manner? Often people are caught off guard and are not prepared to handle these challenging situations. But, as a leader, whenever you are in a situation that’s uncomfortable, it’s imperative that you speak up; the person needs to know that the ... Views: 7464
Does your work environment bring out the best in you or the worst?
When you leave work, do you feel drained, exhausted and even angry? Do you generally feel like you are dodging bullets all day?
It happened to me the other day. As a practicing RN, I take shifts at a local, acute care ... Views: 6792
There’s an art to getting things done without creating a stressful environment. When you find yourself with too many things to do and not enough time to do them, stress rises. And at times, panic can set in. Instead of trying to schedule it all in, take some time to identify your priorities. ... Views: 6768
Throughout the day, you greet people, have conversations, and attend meetings. Every communication impacts you in some way, either adding value to you or depleting you. Communication is an extremely potent personal power and you need to learn to use it wisely.
For instance, do your ... Views: 6229
As you know, being a manager is no easy task. And if you’ve been promoted from a technical position you may not be prepared to meet the demands of your new position. For some, managing comes naturally while others struggle with creating cohesive teams, handling staff difficulties and producing ... Views: 5648
Do you apologize for anything and everything?
Do you apologize for things that are completely out of your control?
How about apologizing for other people’s behavior?
Do you tend to apologize just to see if the other person will apologize?
An apology can be a very cathartic act. It can mend ... Views: 4949
What? Lateral violence? What’s that?
Lateral violence, also known as horizontal abuse or violence, is the disruptive, disrespectful or antagonistic behavior of others on the same hierarchical level within an organization. Lateral violence, in essence, is abusive acts committed against people ... Views: 4870
Every morning you get out of bed and go about your day. You say good bye to your spouse, get the kids off to school, and make your way to your job. At work, you attend meetings, greet customers, and chat with colleagues. Maybe you go to the gym a few times during the week. Weekends, you spend ... Views: 3195
I was recently asked to address the issue of conflict resolution at the hospital of one of our clients. In today’s fast-paced and stressed-out society, conflict resolution is a critical issue. People don’t always have the time or the tools to handle conflict.
The word ‘conflict’ connotes ... Views: 2974
Death. No one wants to talk about it and yet none of us will escape it. When it happens to someone we know, most people don’t know how to handle it. And it’s because people are uncomfortable about it and it’s so final that people fear the most. In fact, there’s only one thing that tops death on ... Views: 2818
Everyone experiences self-doubt at some point in our lives. For many people, self-doubt can be pervasive, even crippling. It can impact your relationships. It destroys confidence. It causes procrastination or lack of effort. It can be extremely frustrating to live with the reverberating voice in ... Views: 2814
Challenge: I’m a new manager leading a team of sales professionals. One of my associates is very negative and does minimal work. While he meets quota, he could do so much more and his negativity impacts the other members of our team. He’s been with our company for a number of years and it seems ... Views: 2420
What is important to you in life? Do you know what your values are?
Values are those things that are priorities. These can be anything from nature and beauty, adventure, learning, having fun, or honor and integrity. You know these things because when you see them in others, they bring you ... Views: 2314
Most people experience self-doubt on a regular basis and I am not immune. I have spent entirely too much of my life trying to accept myself as I am. While easy for me to see how wonderful and special you are, it was a challenge for many years to see myself in the same light. It’s no wonder that ... Views: 2276
A key element in creating a team is establishing trust. Most people are familiar with environments where trust is absent where you cannot simply be yourself for fear of reprisal or ridicule. So instead, you shrink, hide your true self and create a façade, play the game and work the political ... Views: 2123
You talk about how you want something different in your life – a new house, a better relationship with your spouse (or to find a spouse), get out of debt, or lose weight – but nothing changes. You find that you spend (waste) a lot of time talking about it, but not doing anything about it.
How ... Views: 2088
You’re really frustrated. Angry. There is so much happening in your life and you have so many emotions floating around you can’t think straight. You’re tired. You’re moody. Ok, even irritable. Friends are complaining. Your spouse is complaining. Your kids hide when they see you. So you withdraw ... Views: 2024
Have you ever had anyone speak to you in a tone that made you feel uncomfortable? And yet, you said nothing. Have you ever done something for someone or with someone that you really didn’t want to do? And yet, you did it anyway, only to become resentful later.
Every time you say nothing, every ... Views: 1938
Probably one of the hardest things we must do as leaders is to stay positive when everyone else around us is negative. It’s not easy to maintain a positive attitude and not be drained or consumed by the negativity that surrounds you. But as a leader, that’s exactly what you must do. ... Views: 1922
“You cannot look at someone’s exterior and know what’s going on inside.”
This quote from the book The Journey Called YOU is a very profound statement because what it means is that looks can be very deceiving; someone who seems to have it all together may in fact be living a life of ... Views: 1847
Do you find yourself at the mercy of your emotions, a victim of reaction, behaving in ways that you’re not proud of and often regret? Are you one of the millions of people who avoid conflict and confrontation because you don’t know how to deal with other people’s emotions? ... Views: 1837
It has been echoed through the ages that what we think about is what we bring about and our thoughts actually create our reality. James Allen’s book, “As A Man Thinketh” was written in the late 19th century to communicate this concept at great length. Steven Covey calls it the “first creation”, ... Views: 1831
“When I try to do the work, to approach a task or push through my procrastination, a battle ensues in my mind. I wind up feeling so intimidated that I take a seat and let the battle go on. I get so distracted that I’m paralyzed and I don’t get done whatever I wanted to do. It’s limiting – it ... Views: 1792
Change is often very difficult for people to accept and yet it’s happening every minute. The only thing certain is change. When you find that things are not as you want them to be in your life, it’s time to get comfortable with change.
The Comfort Zone
Change means many things to people. It ... Views: 1771
Consider the thoughts that go through your mind on a daily basis – the fears, doubts, criticisms, and judgments. If you knew that other people have the same thoughts about life, their mate, their kids, the organization, about their co-workers and bosses, and about themselves as you have, ... Views: 1756
Have you ever had an argument? It’s a silly question, for sure. Everyone has. You know, in that moment, when you’re so sure that you’re right, when you just wish the other person would hear you - your version of reality, that is, your right way of looking at the world. If they would only ... Views: 1752
Why does change have to be so darn hard? We struggle to lose weight, get in shape, eliminate debt and stay (happily) married. Health issues such as heart disease, depression, addiction and obesity - preventable illnesses – are rampant. Why is it so hard to change?
The answer to this ... Views: 1729
“I am seen as a pillar of strength. I was brought up this way. I don’t show my emotions or to talk about the bad stuff going on in my life. When people ask how I’m doing, I say, ‘I’m fine.’ As a nurse, I am always there for others. I don’t want to have to ask for help or lean on others for ... Views: 1710
There is a pervasive discontent in our society today. We seem to be suffering from an epidemic of unhappiness. Why do some of us seem to constantly be looking for something that we simply never quite seem to catch up to? What causes this discontent and how can we overcome it?
In your mind, you ... Views: 1704
Most of us have come face to face with intimidation at some point either at work or in our personal lives. It’s never easy because at the moment it occurs, there are two big things to manage:
• YOU and your emotional state and
• The other person’s behavior
You have to assert yourself in a ... Views: 1656
When I started my career in health care nearly 20 years ago, I was struck by the compassion and care with which nurses and other professionals gave of themselves to their patients. It felt like home to me as I embarked upon my career as a caring professional.
But I also noticed how unhappy ... Views: 1587
‘Care’ or compassion is an essential ingredient in the profession of nursing as well as many other caring professions. Without compassion, you might as well come up with another name for “nurse” because without “care” it’s not “nursing”.
But it’s not just nursing that requires compassion, or ... Views: 1564
In 2005, as president of the Philadelphia Chapter of the International Coach Federation, I held a meeting with the Board of Directors because in some areas we seemed to be hitting snags in accomplishing our objectives. While people were working hard and committed to achieving our goals, we were ... Views: 1542
Thousands of thoughts go through your mind in the course of your day and each day you make many choices. Your choices intend to bring you the greatest value. Your perception of what adds value is based on your thoughts, beliefs, feelings, and habits. These were created from your life experiences ... Views: 1522
What is the experience you provide for others? Consider how your presence and behavior impacts your employees, your colleagues, your boss, your children, your parents, your spouse.
The experience people have when they are with you, when they enter your department or have dealings with your ... Views: 1520
“Neither a borrower, nor a lender be,” cautions Shakespeare in Hamlet. The reality is, most of us carry debt. From a money management standpoint, that is not necessarily bad. Sometimes debt is good. Sometimes it’s downright ugly. The key is to carry the right kind of debt, and not too much of ... Views: 1495
Overwhelmed? It happens to the best of us at times. Some people live in a constant state of overwhelm. Knowing yourself, being aware of your abilities, and creating an environment that nurtures your success can help to alleviate or minimize overwhelm. You also must learn to stand up for ... Views: 1483
You are asked to join a committee that meets over lunch every Friday. You promised yourself you would refrain from any additional committee work. This also means you need to tell Jane you can no longer join her for power walks.
“We need you to finish the outline for the project team. ... Views: 1475
You have thousands of thoughts that float through your mind all day every day. How do you sort through them all to determine which thoughts are good ones? In other words, how do you know which thoughts will lead you to good outcomes? It’s hard to know. You can become attached to certain ... Views: 1464
Change is constant. We just aren’t always aware nor do we pay attention to every change that we make through the course of a day. But when big changes occur, like a layoff or termination of employment, we stand up and take notice. We have to!
With every change we experience, there are three ... Views: 1456
Something is wrong. It doesn’t feel right. Maybe you know exactly what it is. Maybe you haven’t taken the time to identify the problem but it feels bad. You skirt around the issue. Perhaps it’s something with your relationship or with your kids. Perhaps it’s a work issue and everyone skirts ... Views: 1455
“He's simply got the instinct for being unhappy highly developed.”
~ Saki, British author (1870 - 1916)
Happiness is not about what you own, who you married, or what you collect. Happiness is feeling good – not having your life look good – and it can only be felt right now, in this moment. It ... Views: 1451
People have many different financial goals, but one they share in common is to be financially independent. I define that as the time when we conclude that our annual expenses can be covered for the rest of our lives without working any longer. Calculating your expenses over the next 25-40 years ... Views: 1442
Wondering what to do and what time frame to do your investing in? Here are some ideas to assist you in your investments.
Stick with stock funds.
As long as you have five or more years until you need the money, stock funds will likely provide you with superior returns over any other ... Views: 1431
Obesity is a now a huge health epidemic – I don’t need to tell you this. It’s on television and the news. There are several reality shows such as ‘the biggest loser’ and ‘heavy’. You may even be able to look down at your own scale or at family members to see just how big the problem is (pun ... Views: 1415
Have you ever prayed for something and wished for it and worked hard to get it but it just doesn’t come? We have all been in this place where we want something so badly we can almost taste it and it’s not here. We wonder ‘why?’ and often think, “Why me?” or “Why NOT me?” It is frustrating and ... Views: 1411
The economy woes are having a huge impact on our most important asset: people. People are scared. Therapists are seeing an increase in patients as anxiety intensifies keeping people awake at night and interfering with their ability to focus and be productive. Fear is taking over what were ... Views: 1396
Lately, people, places and things have been reminding me of my friend and coaching colleague, Susan Race, who died suddenly in 2008. She was one of the first coaches I met when I entered coaching in 2001. She offered a bright smile, was always supportive, loving, energetic, and generous with her ... Views: 1394