Tips & Insights for Top Performance

As summer gets going – it can be a challenge to balance the on-going demands of work and the pulls of kids, family and warm weather calling you to summer activities.
Here are 4 or 5 tips on how to have a healthy work/life balance this summer:
• Have a FROG time in the AM – which is a one hour, power hour that you do the important things that otherwise get forgotten as you attend to urgent matters. The FROG time helps you feel more prepared, more focused and more on top of your game so you can have a productive work day and then get on with some summer fun!
• Make sure to take at least ONE full day off – no work. It allows your brain to shut off and really recharge. This is very important. Resist the urge to crawl back to your computer/office!
• Enlist some help. There are often a few tasks you can delegate or outsource. If you don’t have money to pay someone, consider other methods – i.e. can you barter or find a summer intern? Get some support to get on top of your work (summer projects).
• Set work hours. If summer means shorter work hours or an extra day off, plan for it and set summer hours. It will help you plan and work efficiently in the time you have rather than working hard and then leaving something important left undone.
• Have a summer game plan. What do you NEED and WANT to get done this summer? Do a brain dump of everything that is a priority this summer and draft out which projects you could do each week.
Summer is a great time to recharge and have fun. You can do both if you have focus and a plan!

Christy Geiger, Executive Business Coach & Trainer, Minneapolis, MN

John Maxwell Leadership INVENTORY:

A. What tools are you using to raise your level of leadership and, in turn, your effectiveness?
Check out: The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership John Maxwell
B. Rate your leadership on a scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high) and discuss how you assess your effectiveness.
C. Using this same scale, rate the top 3 people in your organization.
D. Are you willing to invest the time to educate yourself to become a better leader?
E. Do you believe that developing your leadership skills will increase your effectiveness?
F. “The one thing you need to know about leadership is that there is more than one thing you need to know about leadership!”
G. Some laws will expose weaknesses you may not have ever realized you had. Some laws you may already practice. All are tools to help you achieve your purpose and dreams.

Christy Geiger, Executive Business Coach & Trainer, Minneapolis, MN

“Be authentic. This breeds trust and credibility. Makes an impact and shows passion. Exploring the truth: Self-inquiry/Self-awareness  – Know Thyself ” – Socrates

Book: Servant Leadershipby Robert Greenleaf

Christy Geiger, Executive Business Coach & Trainer, Minneapolis, MN

Perspective in life is one of those amazing and fun topics. The mental games and shifted perspectives we make our reality is fascinating. How often do you hear people say “business is really bad”, “no one is buying anything right now”, “there are no jobs out there”, “everything is so expensive”, ….. If you look for that, you will find things to support your story and your perspective.
Try this. Go look in a parking lot full of cars. What do you see? Just make a mental note of your observations.

Now go back and notice the antennas on the cars. While there may be less cars with antennas today, I would get you did not notice the antennas the first time you looked.. As you look again, do you see the antennas?

What we look for is what we see and it becomes our reality. Notice your story and your premises that you are caring on life, people and work. Are they really what you want to be focusing on? Are they what you want to be seeing? In order to see something different, you have to look for something different.

Try to put your premises and stories about others and the world away today, and see what “new” things you notice and see. (my favorite filter is to “put the best construction on everything” as you do that, how does your reality change?)

While everything in life is not positive and a “bowl of cherries”, there is little value that comes from griping, complaining and excuses. Look for the opportunities and silver linings, there is usually one there.

Christy Geiger, Executive Business Coach & Trainer, Minneapolis, MN