Mindset of Success: The Science of Personal Leadership Development

Have Work Anxiety? How to Conquer The Common Work Fears and Phobias

The fear of work is very common. Many people are anxious at work every day and will avoid going to work, dealing with difficult people at work, and challenging projects.

Some of the most common fears at work are:

1.      Public speaking

2.      Informal conversations (office parties, water cooler conversations)

3.      Other situations where you can embarrass yourself

4.      Losing one’s job

5.      Not performing at or above par; failure (this entails perfectionism)

6.      Dealing with difficult people at work (including your boss)

 

All of these anxieties center around the fear of losing esteem in the eyes of others or yourself.

 

How Does Work Anxiety Relate to Work Stress?

Workplace anxiety entails your fears and worries about yourself and your work performance. Stress entails your sense of being overwhelmed or overtaxed by the quantity and magnitude of work you need to complete.

Stress management can also be helpful because work stress can increase anxiety. You can reduce work stress by practicing your assertiveness skills and declining certain projects, delegating tasks, teaming up with people to help with certain projects, asking your boss for help, and practicing work stress management at home by building in relaxing and enjoying activities.

 

Is Work Anxiety Something More Serious?

Anxiety at work can signify an underlying anxiety disorder, although this is not always the case. Indicators that you may actually have an anxiety disorder and need professional help rather than normal levels of worry are:

1.      Anxiety is so intense that it is creating significant physical symptoms, such as panic attacks.

2.      You are avoiding important work-related or other activities and can’t get yourself to confront them.

3.      Anxiety is interfering with functioning, including eating, sleeping, and socializing.

4.      Your mood is consistently down because you’re so upset about the anxiety you experience.

 

If you are experiencing these symptoms, speak with your doctor. Anxiety disorders are highly responsive to treatments such as medications and cognitive behavioral therapy.

 

How to Overcome Work Anxiety

The way to handle work related fears involve 5 steps:

1.      Recognize if the anxiety is realistic (ex, your boss really is a tyrant) or exaggerated.

 

2.      Learn specific behavioral skills to best handle the feared situation, such as assertiveness skills, conflict management, public speaking training, and organization skills.

 

3.      Plan to confront your fears by gradually seek out the feared situations, beginning with the easier ones and working up to the harder ones.

 

4.      Ask yourself what the worst thing that could happen is, and how you’d handle it in the unlikely event that it did happen.

 

5.      Deal with unwanted work-related worries that occur while at home by writing concerns down and problem-solving each one.

 

6.      Find a mentor and build a support team at work to help you perform your best.

 

7.      Explore whether your role, your company or your line of work are the best match for your natural talents, abilities, and interests, and seek out ways to best utilize your strengths.

 

 While some people are more susceptible to anxiety than others, you are not destined to be uncomfortable with your work and you can overcome work anxiety and enjoy your time at work.

Career Reinvention: Part Evolution, Part Revolution

I believe that reinvention should be part evolution and part revolution. You may choose to move up in the same direction that you’ve been heading or steer towards a completely new course.

 

Whatever you do, realize that your career reinvention is a fine-tuning of your personal brand. It entails others’ perception of you and the way that you present yourself.

 

On the evolution side, hold the factors constant that have made your career successful. Continue to develop these aspects. These are things such as:

 

·         Your interpersonal strengths

·         Your natural talents

·         Your education and learned skill sets

·         Aspects of your personal brand, such as your professional image and communication style, and  that fit the new avenue you’re pursuing

 

On the revolution side:

·         An entirely new direction or field

·         A new target audience (customers or clients)

·         New strategic alliances. For business owners, a new set of investors. For people who have jobs, new colleagues.

·         Aspects of your personal brand (professional image, etc.) that you need to modify to fit the new avenue you’re pursuing

·         Personal development to strengthen areas that are important in the new direction. For example, communication skills, focus and efficiency.

·         Professional development to strengthen areas that are important in the new direction (job training, specific skill development, mentoring and training)

 

Think about some ways to reinvent your career and make the changes YOU want.

 

Learn more about how to take charge of your career and be a Confident Leader in all you do.

Bad Bosses: 9 Ways to Positively Influence Even the Most Difficult Boss

If you have a difficult, demanding boss, you may feel helpless. After all, that is your boss. In  reality you are not trapped and you can actually make a significant difference with any boss. “Leading up” is a skill that allows you to influence your boss. Here are some tips on how to manage up and create the work environment you want:

1)      State the priorities: “I understand that project A is a priority and that it is due on Friday. In order to get the results we need on that one, I cannot take on project B this week. If there’s still a need for work on project B next week, I’d be happy to lead it.”

 

2)      Be direct and do not over-explain. If you start explaining too much you’ll reduce your credibility and appear to be defensive and offering excuses.

 

3)      Refer to your track record. For example, “You and I have both been pleased with my performance in our organization to date. You know that I’m not a slacker and my saying no is because I’m working on being strategic and not taking on more than I can successfully accomplish.”

 

4)      Ask for your boss’s support. This sounds strange, but it is of the “If you can’t beat them join them” approach. Now, with increasing demands on my time, I’m concerned that the quality could decrease. How do you suggest we handle this?” Saying “we” is critical. This approach is very effective because she co-creates the solution and will, therefore, need to support it ongoing.

 

5)      Calmly state your position referring to evidence. You don’t want your boss thinking that you’re simply emotional or unable to handle stress. It is crucial that you remain calm and highlight specific objective examples.

 

6)      Be aware of your body language. Even if your boss is intimidating, look her in the eyes, sit or stand up straight, and maintain a serious facial expression while making your request. This will enable her to take you seriously and respect your assertion.

 

7)      Take responsibility. Do not say “You give me too much work,” because saying “you” will put her on the defensive. Instead take responsibility for your response and request.

 

8)      Express empathy for your boss’s position. Empathy is the most important characteristic in your ability to influence others. Your boss will best understand you if you express understanding for her. This will also allow you to collaboratively come to solutions.

 

9)      Don’t back down from the boundary you established. For example, if you told your boss, “I will be taking a personal lunch today for 45 minutes and won’t be accessible except in a true emergency,” and midway through your lunch your boss calls your cell, don’t answer it. Let her leave a message. If it is truly urgent, call her back and if not, touch base when you get back to the office.

Strategic Work Breaks: How to Take Breaks at Work to Replenish Energy and Boost Productivity

Whether you work from home, at an office, or on the road, you may feel pressure to work continuously without taking breaks. This philosophy come from the old school “more is more” camp, which focuses on hard work, rather than what truly makes us as effective and efficient as possible.

 

Ironically many people don’t take breaks because they think that it will make them more productive. They think that they’ll get more done if they use the time to work or take a “working lunch.” The opposite is true.

 

Taking a work break is very helpful in restoring energy and reducing stress. Peak performers push themselves and then take strategic breaks. It’s like working out a muscle- you want to exercise it until it’s tired and then give adequate recovery before exercising it again.

 

In addition to brief stretching and mental breaks during the day, I advocate making good use of your lunch break. A lunch break can also be a great time to network with coworkers and build your work relationships.

 

And of course the nutrition from a healthy lunch boosts energy and reduces susceptibility to mood difficulties (depression, anxiety, burnout).

 

I recommend that people be strategic about their lunch breaks by considering:

 

1)      The purpose of the lunch break (networking, rest, etc.)

 

2)      Their personalities. Introverts, for example, will rejuvenate better with solo time, while extroverts reenergize by chatting with others.

 

3)      The minimum amount of time to achieve their goal. As little as 15 minutes can serve to reset set-points if utilized effectively.

 

4)      Getting out of the office. A simple change in scenery can make a major difference in replenishing energy for peak performance.

 

 

If you are unsure, try it out and see what works for you. When you find the best ways to use your breaks, you’re likely to see that they improve the quality of your work and your mood throughout the workday.

 

Sometimes the Most Rewarding Things are the Least Expected

My mom is a talented artist and gardener. She has taught me so much about creating and appreciating beauty in art and nature. She has an amazing garden which I've always admired.

Last year my husband and I moved out of the city and into a house with a yard. I thought I'd love a garden like my mom's but that I'd need to hire a landscape designer and landscapers. I never thought I had the patience or interest in gardening. In fact, it sounded kind-of boring and awful to me. I liked the results but didn't want to engage in the process. She encouraged me to try it out and start small and last year I planted a few perennials.

Well, this spring, I've found it very exciting to watch these flowers grow back, even more full and beautiful than last year. My mom helped me add to the garden and now I'm hooked. I've found gardening to be one of the most enjoyable and rewarding things I've ever done. I love looking outside each day and seeing the new developments.

This weekend my husband and I are going to see a Dead (formerly Grateful Dead) concert. There's a quote in a song called Scarlet Begonias:

"Once in a while you can get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right."

(I planted scarlet begonias in my yard and this quote seems fitting to my gardening experience)

Think about what you've resisted or thought you couldn't or wouldn't do, and try it out. Start small and see what happens.

Here's a picture of my mom painting in France.