| Inspiring Workplaces |
ISSUE 978 - June 28, 2023 |
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Is It Time To Stop Giving 100%? |
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Is it time to stop giving 100% at the office?
In a Harvard Business Review article, Greg McKeown suggests that effective leaders never use the rallying cry of "giving it a 100%" and instead urge employees to "give 85%". Now, I doubt you'll see any fictional movie coach rallying their players to "get out there and give it, you know, not quite everything, well, almost everything, maybe 85% or so?" But there's a reason why the best leaders ask for 85% and why highly productive
employees work with this guideline.
Trying to give 100% day in and day out is simply a recipe for burnout and, studies show, leads to lower productivity in the long run. Just as runners know they can't accelerate to maximum speed too early in a race, we need to pace ourselves better if we want to be effective and as mentally and physically healthy as possible.
Giving 100% also doesn't leave any wiggle room for unanticipated surprises or changes in priorities that inevitably pop up. And the language of "giving it 100%" (whether it comes from ourselves or externally) creates unrealistic pressure that can extract a huge toll on our health.
So, change the language you use. Adjust your expectations. Think long term - it's rarely a sprint! Practice being more present. Don't cram your calendar to the gills with no room to breathe. Block off chunks of time each day and protect them. Take regular breaks. Take micro-breaks. Eat more ice cream. (Okay, that's a little off topic but still, it seems like reasonable advice to me.)
Now get back to work and give it 85%!
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Mike's Fun at Work Tip |
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Another alter ego name generator for you to use during a meeting or some Friday when you want to add a bit of goofy fun to the day.
The formula to create your exotic, international name is: Your favorite spice + the last place you went on holidays. So, that would make me: "Curry Montezuma, International Man of Mirth."
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Quote of the Week |
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"Laughter and humor are the canaries in the mine of commerce - when the laughter dies, it's an early warning that life is ebbing from the enterprise." Paul Hawken
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Funny Business |
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Roald Dahl once said, “If I had my way, I’d remove January from the calendar altogether and have an extra July instead.” And why not, especially considering that July is official Ice Cream Month?
As always, the fun July theme days are up on the website, including:
July 1: International Joke Day and of course, Canada Day!
July 6: International Kissing Day
July 8: SCUD Day (savor the Comic, Unplug the Drama)
July 11: Make Your Own Sundae Day
July 13: Embrace Your Geekness Day/Gruntled Workers Day
July 15: Be a Dork Day
July 16: Ice Cream Day
July 17: Hotdog Day
July 18: Insurance Nerd Day
July 22: Be a Good Teammate Day
July 24: Tell an Old Joke Day
July 27: Take Your Houseplant for a Walk Day
July 28: Talk in an Elevator Day
July 29: Water Gun Fight Day
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Copyright © 2023 Michael Kerr. All Rights Reserved.
mike@mikekerr.com
Suite #644, 104-743 Railway Avenue, Canmore, AB, T1W 1P2 |
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