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Day: December 3, 2018

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Best Practices Entrepreneurship Human Resources Management Negotiations Sales Skills Women In Business

How Will You Know When It’s Time to Leave?

“Staying too long in any environment depletes your resolution for change.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert

When was the last time you found yourself wondering, why am I still here? What purpose is being here serving me? Sometimes, those questions beckon to the beginning of a new journey. They serve as an indicator of change in your life. Those feelings usually manifest themselves in some subliminal emotion you sense. They nudge at your consciousness. They do so in an attempt to move you. They’re saying, it’s time to move on. Pay attention to those emotional signals because they’re calls from the future. They’re summoning you to move from where you are to where you’ll be. In paying attention, take note of the direction you move in. Those same emotions will gently speak to your consciousness along your journey’s path. They’ll indicate to what degree you’re moving in the right direction.

If you think about it, you’ve been moved by silent thoughts and stimuli that have gently moved you out of one environment and into another throughout your whole life. More than likely, when you were younger, you were not aware when those silent thoughts provoked you. At some point, you acquired that recognition. When you did, that was the awakening of a higher sense of awareness that you’d invoked within yourself.

When you sense that it’s time to move on, know what’s motivating you and name it. Assess if you’re attempting to escape an environment or moving towards a greater goal. It’s important to recognize the main source of motivation because, once you identify it, you’ll have greater insight into what caused you to move. There’s a difference between moving away from and moving towards something. The difference resides in the motivation.

To determine the degree you’ve improved, set goals. As you progress towards the achievement of a goal, have mile-markers that indicate the progress you’ve made. By noting that, you’ll know when you need to make a course correction. That will also be the signal that indicates whether it’s time to leave the path you’re on to seek another.

Never be afraid to realign your actions to achieve greater goals. You were not meant to stop striving forward. That only occurs when you die. So, no matter the turmoil you experience, no matter the perceived setbacks you encounter, never be fearful of leaving an environment that no longer serves you. The longer you stay in a debilitating environment, the more debilitated you’ll become. You’ll have less time to revel in the success you seek. If you note the progress you’re making along the path of life’s journey and you’re willing to leave a path that’s going nowhere, you’ll find a better path for your life … and everything will be right with the world.

What does this have to do with negotiations?

Many negotiators have found themselves stuck in a negotiation long after they should have departed. When it comes to negotiations, the longer you stay engaged, the more likely you are to make unnecessary concessions.

If you find that things aren’t going to your satisfaction, consider points that you might use to exit. In such a case, knowing when it’s time to leave can save you a lot of time, anxiety, and stress. And, as a negotiator, that’s something you don’t want or need.

Remember, you’re always negotiating!

After reading this article, what are you thinking? I’d really like to know. Reach me at Greg@TheMasterNegotiator.com 

To receive Greg’s free “Negotiation Tip of the Week” and the “Sunday Negotiation Insight” click here http://www.themasternegotiator.com/greg-williams/

#Time, #Success #Emotion #Business #Progress #SmallBusiness #Negotiation #NegotiatingWithABully #Power #Perception #emotionalcontrol #relationships #liars #HowToNegotiateBetter #CSuite #TheMasterNegotiator #ControlEmotions

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Growth Personal Development

Boosting Brain Performance When Traveling for Business

This year I have had a heavy load of international travel. Although I look forward to my business engagements in Asia and Indonesia, sixteen to thirty-two hours traveling can knock even the most seasoned travelers.

For those of you who have scheduled meetings soon after arrival at your destination, whether it be interstate or international, it is critical that you follow steps to ensure that your brain performance has not been affected by your travel arrangements. Think of your pre-frontal cortex as the CEO of your brain. It is this area of your brain that needs to be firing at its best in order for you to be able to make sound executive decisions and rock your meetings at your destination.

I can attest from personal experience how easily you can fall victim to brain fog, memory lapses and poor judgement calls when not taking note of the following simple points when traveling long distance for business.

In my previous blog I outlined the importance of sleep in enabling us to form memories and to clear our brains of toxins. If you do not get enough sleep then there will be lower activity in your prefrontal cortex, which will affect your judgement, impulse control and memory. Take this into account when scheduling your time of departure and your first meeting. Make sure that you get seven hours sleep and try not to schedule flights before 10.00am.

If you have a very long flight consider taking a very small dose of melatonin. However, steer clear of doses higher than 3mg or more ( Aim for under 1mg) to prevent any grogginess the following day, when you will need your wits about you. It is important not to sleep for the full duration of a very long international flight, so that you can take time out to hydrate and move your legs, to avoid deep venous thrombosis. (blood clots) As tempting as it may be to drink alcohol to relax, resist this temptation, as it will further dehydrate you. Remember that your brain is 73% water and requires constant hydration to prevent shrinkage. A decrease in water intake, even as much as 4% can cause a number of issues like fatigue, headaches and brain fog.

Glucose is your brain’s other best friend. This is not to be confused with processed sugar(sucrose) in the various complex carbohydrates that are served on planes. These will help you sleep when you need to, but should not be eaten when you are close to your destination if you want to avoid brain fog. Try to indulge in snacks like grapes, raisins and dates on your flights as they are great sources of glucose.

The less you eat the better you will feel on and after a very long flight. Purchase some nuts for the flight and load up on probiotics and yogurts before and during your travel to keep those gut micro-biomes happy. This will not only protect your immunity, but keep your brain healthy.

As in everything else in life, preparation is the key. I have on a few occasions thought that I could buy what I needed at the airport. Not all airports around the United States or in other countries may have what you require, or the queues may be too long. Take the time to observe these simple steps in your travel preparation and your brain will perform well when you get to your destination.

Categories
Growth Management Personal Development

The Step Executive Leaders CAN’T Skip Before the New Year

Year after year, the holidays coincide with the end of the year and all that entails. I feel your pain, truly I do. Back in the day, I would get caught up with the holidays and all that they entail, (which I still do, of course), and then jump into planning, goal setting, and resolution making for the New Year.

But I’d skipped a valuable step. I’d neglected to reflect on the past year. While it’s easy to fast forward to future visioning, I’ve come to realize that it’s important to take the time to take inventory on the past 12 months.

Reflecting on the year past is not some soft, fluffy, airy, fairy activity, but rather, can have hard-core, bottom-line business impact. Whether you’re a leader, manager, supervisor, a wannabe, or a dog or a cat person, trust me, this stuff works. Whatever your current role or your aspirations, if you want to advance your career and certainly if you want to become a better executive leader, you have got to commit to learning and growing. And that’s precisely why you need to make sure you thoroughly process and digest your experiences.

Socrates said,

“An unexamined life is not worth living.”

Maybe that’s a bit dramatic, but I do think there is value in taking time to pause and reflect.  One way to do this is to celebrate the wins and digest the lessons. Incorporate the best and eliminate the worst.

Think in terms of MOLO – More Of, Less Of.

What do you want to create more of in your life and what do you want to have less of in your life?

I aim to take time during the last week of the year to conduct my own year-end review. This has actually become a ritual that I look forward to and plan for. You can conduct your own review any way you like. My suggestion is to set aside some time (anywhere from an hour to a full day or more), grab a notebook and pen, disconnect from all, uh, distractions, (namely your texts, email, etc.), and go to a place where you won’t be disturbed.

Ponder these executive leadership questions as you sip your beverage of choice:

1. What gave you the feeling of great accomplishment? Think in terms of what you did really well and how you might replicate that. What do you want more of in 2019?

2. What, or who, are you most grateful for? Feel free to go crazy on this one.

3. What would you do differently if you’d known then what you know now? What do you want less of in 2019?

4. What did you learn? What skills, knowledge, or awareness did you develop?  How are you different this year from last year?

5. What relationships did you nurture or develop?

6. Jim Rohn said that you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. Who did you spend time with?

7. Who did you look to as a mentor? Who did you mentor/teach/coach?

8. How did you increase your value to your organization? To your direct reports? To your clients or customers?

So before popping the 2019 New Year’s champagne and jumping right into goal setting and resolution making, take time to reflect. I hope these six questions have sparked your thinking and prompted you to take stock of the past year.

WHAT’S YOUR TAKE?:

  • What reflective questions would you add to this list?
  • How do you conduct your year-end review?
  • Pop a comment below and share your practices, ideas, and suggestions with our community.

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Jennifer Ledet, CSP, is a leadership consultant and professional speaker (with a hint of Cajun flavor) who equips leaders from the boardroom to the mailroom to improve employee engagement, teamwork, and communication.  In her customized programs, leadership retreats, keynote presentations, and breakout sessions, she cuts through the BS and talks through the tough stuff to solve your people problems.

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