I’m noticing a general sense that things are “heating up” – and I don’t just mean because it’s summer here in the Connecticut/New York area.

Perhaps this is due to a variety of reasons – ongoing uncertainty with the economy, getting laid off, having too much to do in a given day, going nuts keeping up with technology – but people’s fuses and capacities are getting shorter and tighter.

This is a sure sign of stress overload – operating with an overtaxed sympathetic nervous system – the flight or fight syndrome.

This leads to people saying things they don’t mean or saying them in a mean way. Everything starts and ends with the power of the word. Whether you are finding yourself in a tense meeting trying to do the impossible with less, working against insane deadlines or you are looking to find more meaning in your work – what you say and how you say it are key in these changing times.

Before you say something to the ‘wrong’ person, at the ‘wrong’ time, in the ‘wrong’ situation, take a moment to cool down your nervous system. If you feel the temperature rising, the most basic way to cool down and “detox” the moment is:

Take a slow, deep inhale through your nose to a count of 8, exhale through your mouth with an “o” shape to a count of 8. You can add: bring in positive feelings with each inhale; discharge negative feelings with each exhale.

Do this 3-11 times. This will allow enough pause and space in the conversation and energetic exchange for a shift to happen. Then open your mouth to respond versus react.  It is only in the present moment that we can truly change anything. And it starts with ourselves.

Copyright 2010 Sage Leadership Strategies, LLC   All rights reserved.   www.sagelead.com

Yesterday, The New York Times ran an article that talked about workplace stress. It is not new news to say that the biggest source of stress on the job can be your immediate supervisor. Nor is it new news to say, as Dr. Sutton is quoted as saying, “The pile of evidence coming out shows that if you want to be an effective organization or an effective boss, you’ve got to strike a balance between humanity and performance.”

We have known this for years – whether we admitted it or not. What IS new is that maybe, just maybe we are ready to practice what they know: To understand that sustained high performance is intimately connected to working with our humanity. We cannot continuously perform well if we are not happy, healthy, respected and trusted.

It just doesn’t work.

We cannot expect sustained high performance from our employees when we work them 24/7, don’t give them the respect, freedom, and/or ability to make decisions within their perview or expertise. We cannot expect ourselves to perform well if we don’t set healthy limits and take care of our minds and bodies.

I am seeing many companies operating out of fear – piling on more work. It’s not the companies – it’s the leaders and managers colluding to do this and others allowing it. The employees are afraid they will lose their jobs if they speak up – so they continue to toil away… Until:

They get sick.

They lose their job.

They find another job.

What is holding employees at these companies? They feel they have no place to go…until “the economy picks up.” Then you have a potential brain drain.

So, embracing the people element of performance is not just a moral imperative, it makes good business sense.

What is your longer-term strategy? The question is, are you willing to take a stand and set limits about what is acceptable or not – whether you are an employee or a leader?

© Copyright Sage Leadership Strategies, LLC     All rights Reserved.   www.sagelead.com

“You do what you have to do…” I heard it again this morning.

Says who? Who says you HAVE to do something? What DO you Have to do? Who decides?

I find that this is a pervasive paradigm that I hear multiple times a day from:

• An executive who is working globally taking calls at 5 am, 10 am, 1 pm, 6 pm and 11 pm AND managing meetings and emails inbetween.
• A working Mom who says she doesn’t have more quality time with her kids.
• A mid-career professional who “can’t get a job” in their field and takes something way below skill level to “get by.”

The language is limiting, not-strategic, and defeatist and energy-draining. It negates the notion of choice and control. I haven’t been living in a cave the last couple of years – I am aware of the economic downturn, the global political climate, the environmental crisis – should I go on?

The key question that a sage leader asks is – what do I REALLY NEED to do to achieve my goals? Where do I have choices? What are the choices? What kind of focus and discipline do I need to stick to my choices?

The sage leader stays in the space of proactivity versus reactitivity – especially in times of uncertainty and crisis. Often a shift really comes down to going back to basics: delegate, being willing to let go and not trying to do everything – and all at once. What is the one thing that will reset your view – What DO you WANT to do?

Why? What will it get you?

© Copyright 2010 Sage Leadership Strategies, LLC  All rights reserved.  www.sagelead.com

Have you ever had an instance where you were on track to accomplish something and suddenly a strong negative emotion surfaced – anger, frustration, irritation – that threw you for a loop and got you off track? Whoa… Where did that come from?

You’ve been hikacked.

Chances are it came from memory or an association with an emotionally-charged past event. We make our plans with our rational mind then our emotional brain (amygdala) shows up. Who’s really in charge?

Conscious leadership is about being in alignment – coherent – with all your capacities – body, mind, spirit. Don’t be fooled – your emotions are the fuel that enables all that you do. The conscious leader understands that the emotional brain is faster and can take over the rational mind. The only way to harness the true power of emotions is to work with them – engage the heart and discipline and quiet the mind. When these are in sync – you have balanced and clear communication, and right action.

Don’t allow your plans to be hijacked.

© Copyright 2010 Sage Leadership Strategies, LLC         www.sagelead.com

The spring equinox is March 21st. At this time of year, we plant seeds that we want to harvest in the summer and fall. Read more in our March Newsletter…

© Copyright Sage Leadership Strategies, LLC  All rights reserved.

I received yet another call today from a friend saying she was laid off yesterday. This is the third time in the last week I’ve gotten this call. The first call was a family member; the second call was from a colleague about an organization that had layoffs which included a lot of our mutual colleagues.

As I write this I am listening to radio news indicating that the stock market just went up after releasing a report that fewer layoffs occurred last month.

What’s really happening out there? What wave are you riding right now – the wave of optimism or fear and anxiety about the future? Or are you frozen, waiting for the next wave to hit? What is the wave – layoffs, restructuring, illness?

Get clear about your filters and screens. How are you viewing the events – world events or the specific events that make up the drama of your life story? One thing is certain, if you spend no time reflecting on these kind of questions, you will be at the whim of every news story or marketing scheme swaying your perspective, strategy and emotional life. Reflecting for insight to create “right” action is what creates sustainability.

Focused and disciplined reflection will help you stay grounded and ride the waves of the chaotic environment we find ourselves in – whether you are facing a layoff, closing doors of your business or venturing into untested markets. No one has a crystal ball – and even the “economic experts” don’t agree.

For bodily health, nothing replaces water – not tea, not juice, not milk. And your body craves and needs it to survive. You are more than 70% water. Most Adults are dehydrated.

For emotional and mental health – and business health – nothing replaces focused reflection – not jogging, not driving, not quick fixes. Reflection is the mechanism by which we gain perspective and integrate our learnings and process our life/business experiences. Reflection is the hydration we need to keep ourselves functioning and vibrant.

The Sage Leader stays hydrated through focused reflection that informs “right action.” Slow down to at least check your filters, just for today.

Copyright 2010 Sage Leadership Strategies, LLC                                     www.sagelead.com

There are a number of significant differences with Tiger’s situation. He has taken time out to reassess his life through intensive therapy. He apologized and acknowledged that he thought he was entitled – he doesn’t get to play by different rules than everyone else. I have never heard such sentiments from a powerful public figure. He apologized to the children for whom he is a role model. He appears genuine.

The road to true transformation is messy and chaotic with no quick fixes. He acknowledged he is at just the very beginning of this process. The challenge of any great leader who is at the top of their field is to not to allow their ego to run their life. When their success comes with a lot of money and a lot of people riding on this money, the stakes and temptations are even higher.

My biggest hope for Tiger’s reform is in his approach – taking full accountability for his actions and trying to protect his family from further damage and exposure – and above all else where he rests his ultimate solution – to rebalance his spiritual life with his professional life. He is looking to reclaim his spiritual foundation and values – and recognizes he can’t do it alone. He needs the support and help of the very same people he has disappointed. This humility is the way of the sage leader.

Ultimately, I am with Elin – true atonement comes over time seeing a real change in behavior. Tiger has made the necessary first step – asking for forgiveness. This requires something on all our parts – understanding and giving him and his family privacy to journey through this difficult process.

For the judges in the audience, please remember the great adage: all saints were once sinners and all sinners can be saints.

© Copyright Sage Leadership Strategies, LLC                 www.sagelead.com

I am not excusing Tiger Woods from his digressions in any way.

However, given all the many public figures whom have fallen from grace due to transgressions – sexual, money or otherwise – his apology appears to be one of the most authentic and heartfelt.

He did not express a dismissive “I’m sorry,” nor is he indicating this is all past him. Instead he paints a very realistic picture that he has just begun a journey of healing that requires intensive treatment and will take time. As with any healing process, he is starting with trying to make amends – in his own words – he has a lot “to atone for.”

Many disgraced public leaders make apologies after much pressure from the media and their constituents. For those skeptics who say he’s doing this because there is a lot of money riding on his comeback, I say, pay attention to HOW he made his apology – the tone and tenor – and you will see a sincerity that I have not witnessed with other fallen leaders.

© Copyright Sage Leadership Strategies, LLC           www.sagelead.com

As a leader, leadership is about you and not about you. It’s about you, in so far as you can inspire and support others.

It’s about you to the degree to which you engender a sense of credibility with others.

It’s about you to the extent to which you have clearly articulated a vision and have communicated it to others.

It’s about you to the extent to which you have a following.

After this, it’s about other people. What do you do that helps others be all they can be? How do you achieve your goals together?

At the end of the day, leadership must be about listening and serving others – otherwise it isn’t leadership but an ego trip. Paradoxically, you must think about yourself in so far as you understand the impact you have on others and then turn the focus back on them. You can only be a leader if someone is following you.

You can only be a truly great, sage leader if you have a following where together, you are accomplishing something of importance to further the collective good.

Copyright 2010 Sage Leadership Strategies, LLC       www.sagelead.com

Happy 2010 and happy new decade! You have probably set your goals and plans for the year. Now is the time to strike the balance between keeping your vision clear and … Read more in our  January Newsletter

Copyright 2010 Sage Leadership Strategies, LLC           www.sagelead.com