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I'm delighted to
bring you a new regular column in Home Health Care Today called
Relationships @ WorkTM . The
author is Elizabeth Jeffries, RN, CSP, CPAE, my business partner, wife
and best friend.
Elizabeth is an expert on relationships in leadership. She is an
award winning professional speaker, author of three books, and an
executive coach. In coaching high level executives in home health
care, hospice, long term care, hospitals and corporate America,
Elizabeth has learned that, "executives get promoted because of
their technical skills, and fired because of their lack of relationship
skills".
In this column, Elizabeth will be sharing her stories, insights and
wisdom to help you build stronger relationsh ips and maximize your
personal performance. I'm sure you will find her articles
stimulating, challenging and engaging.
Best Regards,
Stephen Tweed
Leap...and the net will appear!
by Elizabeth Jeffires, RN, CSP, CPAE
Sometimes
I get stuck. It’s been one of those times.
I was asked by Stephen some time ago to write this column
on Relationships@WorkTM to share ideas
and inspiration for Home Health and Hospice leaders. Actually, it
was months ago! I said ‘yes’ but I’m just acting on it today. I’ve been
full of excuses, distracted by other projects, and just plain ole’
procrastinating. Guilty!
I was reviewing notes in an old journal this morning and
ran across the ‘Leap’ statement above. It’s a favorite saying of my
colleague, Les Brown. It stopped me cold and caused me to look in
the mirror of my heart! I had to admit I’d been stuck in a
waiting mode on this project…waiting for the ideas to come, waiting for
the right time to plant myself at the computer and start talking to
you. . . waiting for the net to appear. I lacked the faith
to just begin, to put my fingers to the keyboard, to take a leap and
trust that the net would indeed appear.
Isn’t that the key to getting things done and making
things happen? Begin. If we wait till we are in the mood, we
could and often times do, wait for a long time.
If you are challenged by procrastination, you are not
alone. It plagues all of us. It’s a nemesis for many of us. Even 2000
years ago, Paul wrote a letter to the Romans and said ‘what I don’t
understand about myself is that I know what to do, but I don’t do
it. I know what not to do, but I do it anyway.’
If you find yourself avoiding an associate rather than
confronting her with a discipline problem, or watching TV instead of
exercising, or cleaning files when you need to be writing that report,
then you, too, have fallen in the habit of procrastinating.
And it is a habit.
Procrastination breeds procrastination. Remember in
physics class you learned that “a body at rest tends to remain at
rest?” Well, it’s true, isn’t it? Once you begin a task, you’re
more likely to continue. It takes more energy to start something
moving than it does to begin it.
OK, so if it’s so logical, then why can’t we do the things
we ‘should’ be doing?
Some causes of procrastination seem to be:
- The desire to avoid unpleasant tasks. This actually
causes stress because the task still needs to be done. Then guilt shows
up and worsens the problem.
- The project is so overwhelming we don’t know where to
begin. So, we don’t.
- Worry and fear. ‘I’m not good enough. They
won’t like it. Something will go wrong.’
Unfortunately, there’s a price to pay for
procrastinating. It affects people around us, too. We can
get cranky, sarcastic and judgmental and this can hurt our team and
their productivity. There can also be a loss of clients and
dollars. We substitute paper work for making visits to physicians and
discharge planners.
Want to break the Procrastination Habit? Here are a
few tips to help you:
* Set a deadline for completing the task. Put it on your
calendar. Tell someone so you are accountable.
* Break the project down in smaller pieces. (Unless
you are one of those who wants to start and complete it in one sitting.
A friend of ours goes off to a hotel for 4 weeks to write a whole
book).
* Do the unpleasant parts first. The rest will flow
easier.
* Face your fears. The best way to overcome fear is
to do the thing you fear. Ask yourself what the worst possible
outcome could be. Then have a solution ready. (That physician
won’t see you this week? Ok, call another one.)
* Promise yourself a reward when the task is completed and
make sure you deliver on the promise.
* Don’t wait till you are ‘in the mood.’ Inspiration
is 90 % perspiration. Start moving and the mood will
follow. I promise!
Step Up!
* The one thing I’ve been putting off is
____________________
* The one action step I will take to start this project is
________________
* I will reward myself with ____________________ when I’ve
completed it.
Have faith that the net will appear. Take the leap
today!
It’s what leaders do.
Elizabeth Jeffries, RN, Certified Speaking Professional
(CSP), CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame, Keynote Speaker, Executive
Coach-
Elizabeth is a principal in Tweed Jeffries, LLC, the
parent company of Leading Home Care.
She is a relationship strategist who works with executives and
executive teams who want to master their connection with others and
turn ALL their leaders into high performers. She is the author of
three books on leadership, and an award winning professional speaker.
Elizabeth provides keynote speeches, executive coaching and learning
retreats for home care leaders.
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Stephen
Tweed, CSP, is Chairman and CEO of Leading Home Care ... a Tweed
Jeffries company. For over 25 years he has been a recognized leader
in strategy and leadership development for home health care &
hospice companies and associations. He is the author or co-author of
seven books, five of which were written specifically for the home care
industry. He has served on the boards of directors of three
not-for-profit home care agencies, and has served as interim
President & CEO of a $25 million home care company. 