HR Professional - December/January 2008 - (Page 62)

L AST WOR D oday’s ambitious employees are often simultaneously dealing with the rapid pace of change, increasing levels of complexity, global competitors who are active 24/7 and communication devices that erase the boundaries c b between work and personal time. A natural response is to work harder and l longer in an attempt to keep up. This pays off b but only to a point. Past the point of diminishing returns, we start m making mistakes, b both of omission and c commission. Essential a activities that help drive results or c career management— p preparation, reﬂection, c communication, n networking and e effective selfp promotion—may fall by the wayside. Fatigue or stress w will also negatively i impact your alertness, decision-making a abilities and emotional i intelligence. Stress can i increase the incidences o of career-limiting m moves, including harsh e e-mails or emotional o outbursts that eventually cancel the beneﬁts of m months of work. BY MARTY SELDMAN OPTIMIZING YOUR TIME AND ENERGY T Building stamina F For HR professionals, taking the following steps to combat these 21st-century problems will not o only ensure your own success but also increase y your contribution to your organization. Increase your capacity: In the same way that some chess experts run six miles a day to prepare f for the mental rigours of a championship match, p paying attention to your physical and emotional w well-being will give you the foundation to meet b business challenges. Higher ﬁtness levels increase e energy, endurance, mental alertness and the a ability to learn while also breaking down stress 62 D e c e m b e r 2 0 0 8 / J a n u a r y 2 0 0 9 hormones and promoting deep, restful sleep in addition to boosting our immune systems. Keys to making it an integral part of your life: • Look at ﬁtness as part of your job and essential for top performance • Schedule ﬁtness like any other priority • Be creative and combine ﬁtness with other goals or activities, for example, read papers while on a stationary bike or commute on foot. Find your career sweet spot: This is the meeting place of what you are good at, enjoy doing, have a deep interest in and aligns with your values. Spending more time in your sweet spot means higher energy, less stress and greater satisfaction. De-stress on the job: Develop stress management techniques like positive self-talk to reduce anxiety and anger, breathing techniques to induce calm and centring and yoga stretches that you can do at your desk to break up body tension and tightness. Mastering these skills, which can be used for three seconds or several minutes, will increase your conﬁdence and sense of control. Optimize time: Know which activities constitute the best use of your time. Sort out your priorities by creating three buckets of tasks: Nice to Do, Need to Do and Need to Do Well. Nice to Do tasks can be delegated or temporarily ignored. Need to Do actions must be done but don’t have to be perfect. Need to Do Well activities should be your main focus and get your top effort. Putting these practices in place will make you both more productive and more effective. You will increase your chances of elevating your career and well-being. I L L U S T R AT I O N : B R I A N F R AY Marty Seldman, PhD, is an executive coach and co-author of Executive Stamina (Wiley, 2008). HR P ROF ES SI O N AL

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of HR Professional - December/January 2008

HR Professional - December/January 2008 Contents Editor's Letter Contributors Leadership Matters Upfront Legal Compensation Human Capital Talent Management The R-Word Speak No Evil On Message Strategy HR 101 Interview with Donna Wilson Off the Shelf The Last Word

HR Professional - December/January 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.