The Weiman Leadership Letter, November 2008
November 23, 2008The Weiman Leadership Letter, January 2009
January 21, 2009Wynnewood, PA
- Quote of the Month
- Punching Yourself in the Eye?
- Grab A Shovel
- News/Updates
1. Quote of the Month
“I’ve had many defeats, but I was never defeated.” — Maya Angelou
2. Punching Yourself in the Eye?
There’s a front-page article in today’s Philadelphia Inquirer entitled “Economic angst stresses psyches as well as wallets.”
The article describes the impact on people of seeing their savings dwindle, and it describes the various ways that people are reacting to that impact — in good ways as well as bad.
I am quoted in the article, giving the following advice people can use to counter their fears and anxiety about the economy:
- Separate what you can control from what you can’t.
- Reduce exposure to negative information. If your Internet home page is a news Web site that regularly has updates, don’t look at it all day.
- Make a plan that can improve the situation and take a step, no matter how small, toward it. ‘As a prof of mine once said in grad school: Action is the antidote to anxiety.’ Weiman says.
Finally, don’t repeat negative behavior.
“If you keep punching yourself in the eye, it hurts,” he says. “There’s something you can do about it – stop.”
To me, that last point is important for business leaders.
If you are observing repetitive, self-defeating thinking and behaviors in your staff, it’s important to interrupt those self-defating patterns, reframe the problem more accurately and start working on solutions.
More specifically, you can:
- Set a time limit for listening to complaints before shifting the conversation toward solutions.
- Encourage people to develop as many solutions to problems as possible so that they will see they have the skills to generate options.
- Continutally focus key players on the future … it will orient them toward goals, and others will follow.
If you have managers or other leaders on your staff who seem highly distracted, irritated, upset or continually worried about performance, the economy or their jobs, I have programs and services that will help get them on a more productive track.
Call me at (610) 642-3040 to discuss how I can help your staff adapt and succeed.
3. Grab a Shovel!
Anxious about the economy? Read “Grab a Shovel (and 3 other things you can do) to Conquer Worry and Drive Success in Tough Times” at https://www.weimanconsulting.com/extras/weimansolutions.pdf
4. Seminars/News …
- Want to learn how to cut down on wasted time due to meetings? Read the suggestions I gave in the LA Times last week.
- Philadelphia’s famous Main Line is not necessarily following national econoimic national trends. Click here to read my thoughts about why small communities may have a big edge.
- I will be the guest speaker at the Phoenixville Regional Chamber of Commerce Breakfast Meeting on January 13. The title of the talk is the same as the article mentioned above. Thank you to Chamber President Chuck Benz, Vice President/Phoenixville Branch Manager with Phoenixville Federal Bank & Trust (PBF&T) for the invitation! PBF&T is sponsoring the event (and thank you bank president Richard Kunsch!).
- On January 11, I’ll present “The 3 Keys to Growing Your Hypnotherapy Practice” to the Greater Philadelphia Society of Clinical Hypnosis.
- Labor attorney Michael H. Rosenthal and I just completed an audio CD, “The Keys to Successful Interviewing and Hiring: Essential legal and psychological issues and strategies.” For a free copy of this CD just send me your mailing address. There are 20 available. In return, you’ll be asked to respond to a brief follow-up survey. Send requests to david@davidweiman.com.
- My new Capabilities Brochure explains how my services help you create a leaner and more efficient company: https://www.weimanconsulting.com/extras/weimansolutions.pdf
Have a great rest of the week! To comment on anything you read in this month’s update send a note to david@davidweiman.com.
Sincerely,
David A. Weiman, Psy.D.
Psychologist and Executive Coach
PS: The number for a confidential consultation about any business concern is (610) 642-3040.
