For a bit of fun, today we present a seasonal spin on work styles...
There are two major reasons why people engage a coach: to manage stress and balance more effectively or to boost their personal effectiveness and productivity. The application of structure has been a reliable method toward improving each of these problems - creating intentional and repeated actions toward the client's desired end. But it is possible to apply too much structure and kill mindfulness, spontaneity, creativity and fun. Read these descriptions and see where you might be on the continuum - are you more like a ghost? Or a zombie?
The Ghost - Who knows where you'll be next?
Envision the ethereal character in the movies, appearing in one place and then another. You don't know where they will show up and when, but you know that when they do you'll be startled. The Ghost in the movies has no structure - in body or in behavior.
When you have too little structure, too little routine in your day, every activity requires a its own new decision. If you don't want to waste energy or compromise your outcome, every move you make has to be based on a consistent intention. If your overall intention is not clear, or if you aren't certain that you're truly committed to whatever your goal is, you're less likely to be faithful about taking action. You wind up drifting, pulled by the wind, or current fires, or by passing fancies (like your newest workshop or book).
Challenging changes often go faster when you apply a higher level of structure, like defining short term goals and action steps. When adding structure you increase the frequency with which you check progress. Monthly assessment might not be enough - you might need a weekly, or even a daily check-in to make sure the most crucial action steps are on track.
If you recognize that you have Ghost tendencies, you can help your team become better at following you. Core values, guidelines, codes of conduct, decision making principles - these are all structural tools that can be used effectively to give shape to the ghost. Using these umbrella criteria can help you delegate more effectively.
If you want to be less like a ghost and ensure that your Quadrant Two (not urgent but important) items are addressed before they devolve into crises, create structure by entering official time slots for them in your planner. Commit to the time in advance so your most important tasks are less likely to fall victim to the latest crisis or popular activity. Just like a budget preserves room in your finances for important investments and expenditures, your planner helps to make sure you have reserved room in your life for the things that are important to you. Sound like a no-brainer? Perhaps. But far more people know to do this than actually do it.
The Zombie - Living in a rut (or a grave)?
Structure gives order and predictability to the day. When you get up, shower and dress, eat breakfast and head out to work in the same routine every day, you're often halfway to work before you actually have to think in a conscious fashion. You don't determine, "Well, I think I'll go to work today" because going to work is a foregone conclusion. You're on autopilot, which frees up your mind for other activities. Your stress level is relatively low because you're not having to make any decisions other than perhaps what to wear.
While structure and routine can help reduce stress and establish beneficial habits by setting up automatic action, too much of a good thing can result in your brain being chronically disengaged from the task at hand. You become like a zombie, just going through the motions. Remember the old Dunkin Donuts commercial where it's four a.m. and the donut man sits up suddenly in bed, wide-eyed but unseeing, trudges off to get dressed for work, muttering, "Time to make the donuts..." After a while under too much structure you might find yourself partway down a routine cow path and not remember why you're doing it this way. The routine might no longer be the most desirable or the most effective method, but because it's in your structure you're doing it without evaluating it.
Too much structure can also lead to inflexibility and thereby negatively impact your interpersonal relationships. Remember, zombies can lose their body parts quite easily! If you find yourself saying (even just inside your head) "yeah, yeah, yeah - hurry up so I can get on with my day," when a colleague or family member is talking to you you're probably placing too much focus on yourself and/or your own tasks. You might have your daily run scheduled for 4:00 p.m., but your eight-year-old might not have scheduled her nosebleed around it. If you find yourself resenting coworkers or loved ones for imposing on your day, you're treating them as objects or obstacles and dehumanizing them.
You also might benefit from letting go of your structure temporarily when current conditions are outside the status quo. For example, if you're feeling ill, you might feel better faster if you choose to go ahead and sleep in for a few extra minutes. If your child is upset, stop what you're doing and just listen or give them a hug. If it's a holiday, take some time off and get a change of scenery - do something fun.
Ghost habits and zombie behaviors are preferences that can be extensions your behavioral style and your values. But regardless of your default preferences, if you are a leader you're charged with accomplishing results. You will be most effective when no matter what you're doing, you are doing it on purpose. Stay mindful and make conscious decisions. Sometimes that means invoking more structure and sometimes that means tossing your routines aside. You'll know you've made progress when you draw closer and closer to achieving your goals
Comments
Post a Comment