GROW STRONG TEAMS

RETAINING TOP EMPLOYEES

Judy Cirullo

ONE LEADERSHIP SKILL CEOS NEED TO DEVELOP MOST THAT’S NOT WHAT THEIR DIRECTORS THINK IT IS

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As a CEO, business owner, or entrepreneur, there’s always something you can improve in your skills arsenal. Yet, the one leadership skill you realize you need to develop most is not what your director thinks it is. 

Which causes a bit of a conflict between what you want to pursue for professional growth and what “your bosses” say you need to get better at doing.

The One Leadership Skill Conflict

You definitely have in-depth knowledge of your company, industry, and good ideas about how to accomplish long-term goals. That’s likely what won you your leadership role in the first place.

Yet the skill your director thinks you need a boost with most is mentoring or developing others.

But, in truth, you know you’re really looking for a way to be a better communicator. Someone who can effortlessly and effectively manage conflict.

Why the Discrepancy?  

Think of the gap between what your directors say you need and what it is you know you need as a conflict of interest, in a way.

Directors are in play to ensure your company’s strategies are followed and objectives are met. They analyze and monitor employee progress towards achieving goals and meeting or surpassing set targets.

You, on the other hand, are in the business of managing your greatest company asset.

People. Teams. Front-line workers.

Balancing Company And Team Member Needs

Of course, your job is to make sure the right people are in the right seats to get the job done.

However, you have to balance that job with that of taking care of humans.

Humans who naturally disagree. Who have conflicts with other team members. Or have a problem with their growing list of assigned duties.

And, they avoid talking about. But it most definitely affects their performance.

So, it’s your job to help resolve the conflicts they have. Be they internal limiting beliefs, or external stressors or triggers.

What One Leadership Skill Do You Focus On?

In my professional opinion as an executive leadership coach, the choice on where to focus is a simple one.

Conflict resolution, especially in today’s climate, is essential to lead and grow strong teams. And, it’s one that takes precedence over mentoring others.

I’m not saying that both of these skills aren’t important.

What I am saying is that if you have team members in constant conflict, expressed or suppressed, you won’t have much of a team left to mentor or develop if it’s not resolved.

Being a strong resolver of conflicts allows you to build deep trust with your team. It allows your people to feel safe to come to you when something isn’t working knowing that ultimately your goal is to support them to resolve that conflict.

Final Thoughts On Conflict Resolution

Who do you think will fare better?

A leader who knows there’s conflict in and among their team and does nothing?

Or, one who does all they can to acknowledge and resolve conflict before it has a chance to permeate the rest of the team and affect the company’s performance?

For directors reading, understand this. Company goals are met by harmonious teams. And, it’s easier to mentor and develop future leaders when your team turnover rate is low.

And, as for you leaders, drop me an email at judy@growstrongteams.com if you need some insight on addressing conflicts within your team. I’m here for you.

INTRODUCE A NEW COMPENSATION PLAN TO YOUR TEAM WITHOUT PUSHBACK

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It’s time to roll out a new compensation plan to your team. And money is a highly charged topic of conversation around the water cooler. So, if you don’t frame that conversation thoughtfully, expect some pushback. 

WHY THE CONTEXT OF CHANGE MATTERS

Change isn’t easy for most people. As humans, our behavior is dictated by our subconscious habits for 95% of all our conscious activities.

Unless you have a compelling reason beneath the goal you seek, otherwise known as a compelling why, significant changes in your behavior won’t happen. 

While the “whats” that you want may be clear, without the “whys” behind them, change is more like a “nice idea” than a real likelihood. “Whys” are fueled by the positive feelings they evoke while “whats” are just another item on the never-ending to-do list.

How does that all translate to rolling out a new compensation plan?    

COMPANY AND TEAM MEMBERS REQUIRE ALIGNMENT   

If you can get your company why and your team members whys aligned across most of the spectrum, your work ecosystem fosters and demonstrates connection.

And, this connection exists because of trust and vulnerability. 

Once a team connects vulnerably and trusts each other, each member feels included. This naturally leads to feelings of safety. When people feel safe and secure in their workplace, they will exchange feedback between peers and with their leaders openly.

In this type of workplace, where a team’s core values match the company values, crucial conversations get to be easier, even when they are about hot-button topics like money.  

TRANSPARENCY ABOUT THE NEW COMPENSATION PLAN IS KEY 

Be open and supportive of honest feedback when it comes time to introduce the topic of a change to compensation.

Framing benefits makes a big difference.

How will the team, the company, and the clients you serve benefit from this new compensation plan? Without this type of context, it’s easy for some to fill in the blanks with “worst-case scenario” thinking. 

And, if others on the team feel uneasy with change, they can easily fall victim to the same. Because humans are wired with a negative bias, it’s important to help reframe the negativity if you want the transition to go smoothly. 

BE PROACTIVE TO DISPEL REACTIVITY 

New compensation structures should be brought up with your team for discussion long before you make the decision to implement the change.

You may have already decided to alter how people are compensated, and that’s perfectly fine. Just finding out the objections they might have well in advance of the new plan rollout can make it easier to find solutions to lower or dispel their resistance.

To get buy-in and for your team to feel like they are part of the process, communicate your plans early and often.

NEW COMPENSATION PLAN MEETINGS 

When and how often to have meetings about your new compensation plan is important to consider. Ideally, a two-month lead time is best. 

Provided you hold weekly team meetings, discussing one aspect of the new compensation plan at a time before the rollout works very well. 

Be sure to open the discussion up to things like new tools you’ll use for time or performance tracking, key performance indicators, and any other technical information.

Even more important, open the meeting for two-way feedback. This allows you time to address questions about how the new compensation plan impacts your team and what changes they can expect as a result of adopting it.

Finally, having one-to-one meetings with each team member regularly before, during, and after the roll-out will make the transition easier. Doing so provides you with real-time feedback on whether the shift is successful and what you can do to improve upon it.

ONE-TO-ONE MEETING CRITICAL TALKING POINTS

Your job is to make sure each team member understands your new compensation strategy. Include whether your strategy is based on pay grades, performance, industry alignment, or bonus structures.

Make sure each of your team members knows when pay adjustments can be expected.

The clear direction you give to your team members on how compensation decisions are made builds trust. In other words, when base salaries, raises, and promotions are given, explain the criteria so they can drive their performance accordingly.

Remember to keep your discussion both simple and personal. 

Explain the facts in the easiest way possible, but be sure to address how the team member can benefit. This allows you to identify opportunities they have, to praise their performance, and to reinforce their strengths and achievements.

HOW TO KNOW THAT YOU GOT THIS CRUCIAL CONVERSATION RIGHT… 

If you frame your new compensation plan rollout properly, here are just a few improvements you might notice:   

  • Team members can set realistic expectations about what they can do to improve their compensation as well as the pace at which they can expect their compensation to grow
  • A jump in motivation for individuals to meet or exceed stated goals and objectives
  • Feeling included in the new compensation rollout process as well as safe to provide feedback about the plan itself
  • A better understanding of company strategies, priorities, and goals
  • Leadership appreciation of the achievements, successes, and dedication of individuals on your team

YOUR PLAN DELIVERED WITH CONFIDENCE 

A new compensation plan rollout doesn’t automatically have to be met with resistance. 

Observe these guidelines to ground the highly-charged energy that too often surrounds compensation conversations.

  • Share the company context or “the why” for the change
  • Be honest about the need for this change and how it affects each team member
  • Welcome varying viewpoints and encourage honest feedback 
  • Meet early and often to educate the team and set expectations 

For more tips on how to frame a crucial conversation in your business or practice, email me directly at judy@growstrongteams.com or connect with me on LinkedIn.

TOP 3 POST-PANDEMIC FEARS LEADERS FACE AND HOW TO MINIMIZE THEM

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Uncertainty breeds fear. And business leaders in the wake of a pandemic face plenty of uncertainty. Three recurring fears leaders face, while not exclusively caused by COVID are certainly heightened by it.  

THE TRUTH ABOUT FEAR

When you break down what fear is, you’ll see it’s simply the anticipation of a negative outcome.

Simply put, fear is a projection of what can go wrong. It’s future casting gone horribly wrong. 

While it’s a smart practice to prepare for outcomes that are the opposite of what you project, expecting negative outcomes 100% of the time isn’t a healthy way for you to do it.

Because in a fear state, you stunt your ability to grow and evolve as a business, let alone function in a way that supports your survival.

Fear causes you as a leader to hesitate. It leads you to be tentative and operate with extreme caution. Essentially, it’s a distraction from your forward momentum. 

These are the three fears leaders face most often as they’ve returned to “business as usual” in a most unusual post-pandemic work environment.  

HOW WILL THIS BUSINESS SURVIVE? 

The uncertainty you’re trying to sort out here is two-fold. 

First, will you have something to offer to your usual customers or clients that they consider a necessity and are thus willing to pay for it?

The second consideration is if the economy will continue to support your usual prices based on your customers’ discretionary cash flow. 

When times of recession hit, there’s often a race to the bottom in pricing to capture the little money that’s out in circulation. The question now becomes, is it financially feasible for your company to take a short-term loss to keep customers coming through your doors?

To combat this fear, calculate your average client value. If you see a drop in sales, consider offering your product or service for a set period of time at a lower rate as an incentive to get your loyal customers back through your doors.

Alternatively, consider how you can add value and overdeliver on a product or service sale in a way that requires you to invest a little extra time in lieu of capital.  

HOW WILL I RETAIN TOP EMPLOYEES?

Provided you’re still in a position to charge your usual and customary fees for your product or service, this becomes less of a concern.

However, if you have to make tough choices on who you can afford to keep and who you’ll have to furlough due to a slow down in sales, this becomes your biggest fear.

Without customers, you have no business.  But, without the best of the best on your team serving your customers, you’ll lose business.

Bear in mind that due to other businesses closing, there are a plethora of highly skilled and qualified people who are looking for work. In the event you lose a key team member, you may be able to find a suitable replacement for a lesser cost.

HOW WILL I MEET THE GOALS PLACED UPON ME AS A LEADER? 

Suffice it to say for the year 2020, many projections, sales goals, and growth and scale activities are on the sidelines.

That said, many businesses have successfully made big pivots and find themselves in a better position for growth than before.

As a leader, the best thing you can do to overcome this fear is to remain agile, flexible, and ahead of the curve. Think like an innovator. Remain solution-oriented instead of problem-focused. 

When the tide turns, turn with it.

MINIMIZE POST-PANDEMIC FEARS AND THRIVE

To ride the wave of common post-pandemic fears in your business requires reframing.

First, understand fear is a future-based assumption that your business is headed for defeat. Think about how to flip that thought into what you can do to make your business more agile.   

Your business can survive if you nurture your relationships with your customers and your team. Build goodwill. Work with both groups to deliver the wins they need so you can stay afloat.

And most importantly as a leader, focus on the present moment. Exercise good judgment and take action on the things within your control to stay on track. Pivot when necessary, and remain open to what is possible. 

Schedule a free strategy session with me if you or your team could use some help in the reframing department.

HOW TO USE THE EMOTIONAL CYCLE OF CHANGE TO END SHINY OBJECT SYNDROME AND SHUT DOWN OVERWHELM

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Even at your best as a leader, at times you struggle with overwhelm. Instead of grabbing the next shiny object to help solve a problem that’s plagued you, tap into the power of the emotional cycle of change.

SHINY OBJECT SYNDROME IS A SELF-PERPETUATED CYCLE

Change can be as easy or as difficult as you make it.

Yes, you are responsible for your experience as you move from one state of being to another.

And truthfully, the cycle of shiny object syndrome (SOS) is one of the most difficult patterns to escape.

Always looking for the next solution because the one you are in active pursuit of hasn’t worked yet is a symptom of something much deeper than lack of stick-to-it-ive-ness.

It’s actually about the valley of despair. 

THE EMOTIONAL CYCLE OF CHANGE

Don Kelley and Daryl Conner defined the human cycle of change in relation to emotions over time. They first published their work in the 1979 Annual Handbook For Group Facilitators. 

Essentially, there are five stages of change people go through to reach success. They are:

  • Uninformed Optimism
  • Informed Pessimism
  • Valley of Despair
  • Informed Optimism
  • Completion (also known as Success, Fulfillment, or Breakthrough)

And each stage corresponds to a specified time during the change cycle.

EMOTIONAL CHANGE CYCLE AND THE INVERTED BELL CURVE

Even if math isn’t a natural talent for you, certainly you’ve heard of the bell curve. It starts at the intersection of the X-axis (horizontal) and the Y-axis (vertical) of a standard two-dimensional graph.

The line goes up vertically and to the right horizontally then back down and to the right to form the shape of a bell. It’s the standard most schools use to assign student grades depending on what area of the curve they fall into.

The emotional change cycle is shaped the same way, just upside down.

So, the “change” starting point is high on the Y-axis, which is defined as feelings at time zero, with time being the X-axis.

POINTS ON THE CURVE

That first point on the change cycle is called uninformed optimism. In the beginning, everything seems possible to you. You have high conviction that you’ll make it to the change goal you set.  

You’ve done your research. You’re inspired to act. Nothing is going to stand in your way.

Then, as you progress a little to the right, or spend some time working on the change, your feelings drop down a bit. 

Some of the steps you’re taking aren’t as easy as you first thought. You lose a little momentum because the challenges are now making themselves known to you. This point on the curve is informed pessimism.

Keep traveling to the right, spending more time working towards your goal, and feelings fall substantially. At this point, you’re at the bottom of the inverted bell curve. This is called the valley of despair. 

If you’re really struggling, this point will land on the X-axis, meaning you have nothing but pessimistic thoughts as you consider working through to the end to achieve the change you’re seeking.

Everything is difficult, an extreme challenge. You may feel anxious, depressed –  as if it’s just not worth it to continue.

And this is the point where SOS kicks in for you if you’re caught in the gravitational pull of its cycle. More on that in a second…

Should you make it out of the valley of despair with a little more time spent, when you start to see results, you’ll climb up the Y-axis again to learned optimism. 

This is when you see the light at the end of the tunnel as you close in on your final point on the curve, completion.

THAT UNMAGIC MOMENT ISN’T WHAT YOU THINK

In the valley of despair, you have two choices. Persist or quit.

At this point, your inner critic is busily chastising you for making the decision to pursue this solution. You beat yourself up, decide you don’t know how to make it through and walk away.

When you quit, as any dedicated leader does, you brush yourself off and pursue another solution.

Once you find one you’re excited enough to take action on, you leap into the abyss again. Repeating the same cycle down from uninformed optimism, to learned pessimism, to the valley of despair.

Quit again, and, as you can see, the cycle repeats on autoloop.

Full-on SOS is not so much about a lack of attention or capability. It’s more about giving up too soon, generally right before the big breakthrough moment that will get you climbing back up the curve to learned optimism. 

It’s not an argument of “too hard.” It’s an argument of “too soon.” 

CUTTING THE CORD ON THE SOS CYCLE

Clearly you can see how the “quitters never prosper” comes into play here. How this endless loop of giving up before the breakthrough keeps you stuck in overwhelm and extreme frustration.

So, how do you end the cycle and leave SOS in your rearview mirror for good?

These three tips will help…

First, be aware of how the emotional cycle of change affects every goal, solution, or transformation you go in pursuit of.

With awareness, once you hit the deep dark night of the valley of despair, you can recognize it is the temporary scenario you find yourself in. Keep taking the small steps forward and you will emerge over time. 

This leads to the second critical point for you to understand.

While you may have a timeline in your head about how soon you should expect to receive results, remember, that’s a judgment you’re making based on your filters and previous experiences.

If this is a solution that’s new to you, leave your “shoulds” out of it and respect the pace it takes. Just understand if you quit because it’s “too hard” to go looking for another option, you’ll be back into despair soon enough.

Finally, to keep the valley of despair from getting so low on the feelings scale that quitting feels like the only choice to keep you sane, find someone to help you shortcut your change.

In other words, find a mentor or coach who can support you and hold you accountable at the times when change feels the hardest. Someone who is intimately familiar with the challenges you’re facing and has an effective solution to deliver the outcome you’re after.

YOU MADE IT TO COMPLETION…NOW WHAT?

While you undoubtedly feel a sense of accomplishment, if you don’t stay aware, you may fall back into the SOS habit.

Because once you complete a goal, another layer of the change you seek that’s related to the goal you just reach will likely show itself.

Let it come. Go for further elevation or improvement.

Just don’t let it lull you into the belief that you’re fine where you are once you hit the valley of despair again in pursuit of the “next level” you’re after.

TO GET OUT, GO THROUGH THE EMOTIONAL CYCLE OF CHANGE

To stop SOS in its tracks, the only way out is awareness and forging ahead when it feels so much easier to just pivot.

Pivoting only makes sense if you reach a dead-end on the way to your destination. It’s not the choice that will end overwhelm if you continue to choose pivots over progress.

If you find yourself at a point of too many pivots with too little progress and too much stress, schedule a free strategy session with me to get some clarity on how to stay the course

WHAT APATHY IN LEADERSHIP LOOKS LIKE

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Dictatorial and power-hungry people in charge don’t make the worst leaders, surprisingly enough. But when apathy in leadership shows its face inside your business, you’ve got a major hill to climb.

NOBODY KNOWS WHERE THEY STAND

Maybe it’s something that’s flown under your radar for some time. You’re not experiencing much disagreement or pushback from your team.

But you have this sense that they’re not functioning at anywhere close to the capacity you believe they’re capable of.

This is one of the best clues that your team is under the direction of an apathetic leader. Whether that’s you or someone else you’ve designated the job to.

Things that matter aren’t getting done in a timely fashion. There’s a sense that your team members aren’t feeling truly heard or understood.

Yet empty praise gets delivered to the underperforming team because your leader is “out of touch” with what’s really happening with the team’s performance.

OTHER KEY INDICATORS OF AN APATHETIC LEADER IN CHARGE

As it turns out, team members would rather have a “boss” who was power-hungry or who micromanaged them than someone who acted like they didn’t exist at all.

Of course, that’s the extreme of apathy…Not acknowledging much of anything or anyone else with a relevant and reasonable response. But it’s a cancer that can and will surely take over your entire staff.

That is if they stay long enough at their post.

All other relevant factors considered, like skill suitability for the job, high turnover is a key indicator your leader is apathetic.

That is if they stay long enough at their post.

Lack of open conversations, signs of distrust, high absentee rates, poor decision-making, and increased stress levels are other potential side effects.  

DEEPER REPERCUSSIONS OF APATHY IN YOUR WORKPLACE

Indifference is a way of being towards others that makes nearly every human retreat. 

Sensing a lack of energy, concern, excitement, or passion from a leader instills in your team that they don’t matter. What they want, how they think, what they feel isn’t important.

As your greatest asset, your team needs to feel connected, relevant, and absolutely necessary to the success of your business. If they don’t, you’ll very soon be filling vacancies.

ENERGY LEVELS AND APATHY IN LEADERSHIP

More often than not, a leader who is apathetic is operating at a Level 3 on the seven levels of energy scale. And that leaves your team operating at Level 1. Both of these levels are catabolic in nature.

Essentially, at Level 3, the leader feels as if everything is fine. They rationalize. Coping with the day to day is where they’re vibrating at. This essentially means they’re not leading with intention and appear to have “checked out” on what’s really going on with their team and in the business.

At Level 1 energy, the team members feel stuck. Like they can’t have or do what they choose. They’re operating at a level of fear and feel directionless. Operating at this level long enough causes analysis paralysis, lack of action, and problem-focused victimhood.

Without an engaged leader to steer the ship, it’s an understatement to say it’s so far off course it may never get headed back to the destination.

CORE DYNAMICS AT PLAY WITH AN APATHETIC LEADER

The good folks at iPEC created a coaching certification known as COR.E Dynamics which allows for a specialization in the area of Leadership.

As a certified graduate of the program who coaches clients on leadership, when I see this problem present, I ask my clients questions surrounding two specific dynamics.

The first is the Awareness core dynamic. And the second is Acceptance.

THE AWARENESS CORE DYNAMIC

To explore awareness, I ask not only about self-awareness but also about the awareness my client has of the others they’re charged with leading.

How aware they are of how they show up as a leader. Awareness of their environment and surroundings.

Most times they get a quick sense of how much of their daily responses are based on automatic behavior. Going through the motions doing what is habitual. Like being on autopilot when you brush your teeth or drive your car.

And, if that’s how you’re living your days, it’s a quick realization that how your team is showing up is a direct reflection of interacting with your disengaged, automatic behavior.

THE ACCEPTANCE CORE DYNAMIC

Once you have awareness, you can move onto a better understanding of why it is you behave, act, or respond as you do.

You get to clear a path and unravel how your past experiences have shaped you into what you stand for and what matters most to you

Instead of being reactionary about life happening to you, there gets to be an acceptance of the part you play in creating the life you have…As well as the one you want.

Working through self-acceptance allows you to accept that the past is gone, to focus on the present, and to reframe or shift your energy from a catabolic level 3 into the higher anabolic levels.

IS APATHY AT PLAY IN YOUR WORKPLACE?

To know this, take a quick look at the following criteria. 

If you can answer yes to witnessing two or more of these conditions, you’ve caught it early enough to affect real change with Core Dynamics Leadership coaching. 

  • Boredom
  • Feeling insecure about tenure in a job
  • Micromanagement
  • Minimal progress
  • Poor performance goes unchecked
  • Team members are unpleasant
  • Lack of communication
  • Team feels no confidence for the leader in charge

CORE DYNAMICS AT PLAY WITH AN APATHETIC LEADER

Ultimately, choosing or being the “right” leader in charge is the ideal way to run your business.

However, nobody is immune to making an underperforming choice or becoming stale on the vine.

Energy has a way of fluctuating from a catabolic to an anabolic state naturally for anyone. Leaders aren’t immune to this truth.

The best course of action you can take is choosing instead to have awareness, acceptance, and getting the assistance you need to reframe your way of thinking about your leadership role.

Treated early enough, dramatic shifts in your team and your workplace can follow closely behind when you choose leadership development to squash apathy. Schedule a free strategy session with me to learn how.

3 ESSENTIALISM STEPS TO HELP LEADERS FOCUS ON WHAT MATTERS

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EVEN IF TIME REGULARLY ESCAPES YOU

What if I told you that in order to do more as a leader, you need to do so much less? This is not just about delegation. It’s about adopting essentialism steps you need to get the right things done.

While you’ve likely heard pieces of this advice on how to focus before, author Greg McKeown has a way of weaving it all together in a way that makes sense. 

If this article grabs your attention, dive deeper inside his book on the topic here.   

FIRST, A WORD OF CAUTION

“Yes” men and woman, you’re going to find this process a little disturbing.

While there are many reasons you’re likely not setting boundaries against non-essential things on your to-do lists, if you want to adopt essentialism, you’re going to need to start.

So, if you can cast aside your need to be “liked,” your sense of “value” being linked to getting everything done, and your drive to become “irreplaceable,” essentialism gets to become so much easier.

Without further ado, here’s where you need to place your focus if you want to shore up your time and mental bandwidth to produce the best possible outcomes.

STEP 1 – EXPLORE AND EVALUATE 

This step takes time. 

Purposeful time. 

Deliberate time.

Think about it like this…

If you’re only going to engage your time and energy into the things that are going to move the biggest levers for you, it’s going to take a dedicated effort to know which “things” fit those categories.

Because once you spend the time figuring out what matters most, you’re going to fully commit to them.

So much so that if something comes up for you “to do” that isn’t on the shortlist, you’re automatic response gets to be no. And it’s a no because it doesn’t fit your definition of the highest and best use of your time or skills. 

This step is as much about giving yourself permission to do less as it is digging out why you feel so compelled to say yes to everything in the first place. 

STEP 2 – ELIMINATE

If Step 1 was hard for you as a people-pleasing, doer-of-everything, this step is going to be even more difficult…

You’ve done the thinking. You know what you’re fully committing to going forward.

Now, it’s time to get out that great big laundry basket and sort your brights from your whites.

Yes, it’s time to start thinking in terms of what “fits” the category of “will” and “won’t” when it comes to reaching the goals you set.

And, you’ll have some hard decisions to make. Because you won’t want to hurt anyone else’s feelings or let other people down. But, here’s the reframe in all that.

If you don’t decide how you allocate your time, someone else will fill up your calendar for you with their own agenda. Doesn’t it feel much more empowering to create your own instead?

This step will make you painfully aware that you are not superhuman. You only have so many waking hours in your day. Choose those things that are “essential” to feeling your best and fulfilling your purpose.

The rest can fill up someone else’s calendar.

STEP 3 – EXECUTE

This is the step that the project and operations managers in the crowd actually love. But in truth, everyone should enjoy this part.

If you’ve done the work in steps 1 and 2, you’ve basically cleared your “to do” list of all the things that feel like distractions and marginal to your “big lever” goals.

Now, instead of the “barrel through it” mentality, you’ll have the time and space to get more done. Found time on your calendar from only doing what’s essential to you makes this your new reality.

Piles of things that are partially complete will disappear. As will the stress you feel being under the gun to deliver loads of projects over the finish line all at the same time.

You’ll likely feel much more joy in your day to day “doing” because of it. And, even if you’re not prone to checklists or systems, you’ll end up developing a process for each of the projects you are working on. Ultimately, it’s because you’ve made space mentally to figure out the logical path to completion.

MAKING THESE ESSENTIALISM STEPS YOUR NEW NORMAL

It all seems good on paper, right? Essentialist thinking doesn’t have to live in your “nice in theory” bucket though.

All it takes for you to win back your time and your focus is following the three “E” steps.

  • Explore and evaluate  
  • Eliminate
  • Execute

Choose to do that, and you’ll spend far less time getting more done. And if you could use some help in any of these three stages, schedule a free strategy session with me to get into action.