*|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|*

#BestBoss This week’s trek is inspired by James K. Harter's work on employee engagement. In his book, The Elements of Great Managing, he covers best practices from a range of leaders on how to boost employee engagement. Have you ever had a horrible boss? A bad manager can make work a major challenge. A recent Gallup study has shown that "managers account for as much as 70% of variance in employee engagement scores." Here's how to avoid becoming one of those bosses. Introducing Your #BestBoss Exercise What It Is A 15-30 minute conversation with your direct reports or team members to better understand how they are feeling about their work and overall career journey.  Why We Love It  The best managers know how to build genuine relationships with their team members, but sometimes it can be challenging to find the right way to engage. This exercise provides a series of questions that can help you open up a more meaningful dialogue with your team. How It Works 1.  Set aside 30-60min with each of your direct reports or team members and walk through these 5 questions courtesy of Inc: - What do you like about your job? - Could you describe a good day at work that you recently had? - Do you feel your skills are being utilized to the fullest? - Do you feel you get properly recognized for doing good work? - Do you feel like you are treated with respect? 2. As they respond to each question, approach the conversation like you are just getting to know them. Ask open ended follow up questions and try to understand how they view their role at the company and how that fits into their broader career goals.  3. At the end of the conversation, pick one thing that you can do immediately to support your team member in improving their work experience. Is there something about their job that they love that you can give them more of? Are there opportunities opening up for them to utilize more of their skill set? Is there something more you can do to recognize their contributions? 4. Once you've completed these chats with your entire team, take 10 minutes to reflect on what you heard. Were there any consistent patterns across the team? If so, what role might you be playing in contributing to those patterns and how might you behave differently to improve the overall team experience? Source: Inc. Want to dig deeper into this topic? To learn more about how great managers engage their teams, read this from HBR. To learn about four essential components of strengths based leadership, read this from Forbes. To read about the top reasons why employees stick with a company even when they have better offers, read this from Entrepreneur.  Have a favorite trek?  Hit us up at treks@lifetrekkers.me and tell us which one you liked and what you learned! Here's what your fellow trekkers have to say about past treks: "The creative recovery trek was one of my favorites. This exercise helped me push past my creative blocks. I love using it to clear my mind and reflect by rereading it at the end of the week." - Dama Dipayana, Founder Be Frank Tweet Tweet Email Us Learn More Copyright © 2018 LifeTrekkers, All rights reserved. Want more information? Drop us a line at info@lifetrekkers.me. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can unsubscribe from this list.

*|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|*

Change Aid This week’s trek is inspired Michael Singer's work on the role fear and uncertainty play in our ability to conceptualize change. Are there times in your life when you have been resistant to change? Change is hard to conceptualize and a lot of times the resistance we feel towards it results from our fear of the unknown. At the same time, we change all the time without really paying attention to it (remember  popcorn shirts? ). This exercise gives you a chance to reflect on how change has been beneficial to you in the past in order to give you more confidence in your ability to embrace it moving forward.  Introducing Your Change Aid Exercise What It Is A 10-15 minute opportunity to embrace the uncertainty of change. Why We Love It  It's often really easy to assume that the situation you are in right now is fixed. That things shouldn't change and that you won't benefit from change. This exercise helps us recognize the simple ways we've endured change in our lives and reminds us that, in many cases, change can bring us possibilities we never even imagined.  How It Works 1.  Take 5 minutes at the beginning of your day tomorrow and reflect on this question: - What’s something you’ve let go of that once meant the world to you?  - Why was this particular thing so important to you at that point in your life? - What's different in your life now that you no longer place as much importance on it? 2. Then, take 5 minutes and reflect on this question: - What’s something you love today that you never even knew you needed in your life? 3. Now, consider something that might be changing in your life right now. Imagine yourself a few years down the road after the change has occurred. - What might be different in your life at that point? - How might you be more empowered in a new or different way than you are right now? - What kinds of opportunities might have opened up for you as a result of this change? Want to dig deeper into this topic? For some tips on how to be more comfortable with change, read this from Entrepreneur.  For an overview on how to overcome the fear often associated with change, read this. To learn more about why change is important for organizations to thrive, read this from Inc. Have a favorite trek?  Hit us up at treks@lifetrekkers.me and tell us which one you liked and what you learned! Here's what your fellow trekkers have to say about past treks: "Listen Up was one of my favorite treks. It helped me rethink how I engage in conversations and understand what it really takes to actively listen." - Shankar Desai, Group Manager @ Google Tweet Tweet Email Us Learn More Copyright © 2018 LifeTrekkers, All rights reserved. Want more information? Drop us a line at info@lifetrekkers.me. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can unsubscribe from this list.

*|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|*

Perfection Pruning This week’s trek is inspired by the work of clinical psychologist Ellen Hendriksen. In her work she discusses a common myth that many people with social anxiety believe - that they 'have to perform perfectly" in social situations.  Are there certain situations in which you feel the need to be perfect? From trying to seem like you have it all together to obsessing about keeping an awkward conversation going, perfectionism can manifest in sneaky ways. However, Hendriksen argues that when you evaluate the validity of your perfection-focused beliefs, it's possible to see that they might not hold as much weight as you thought. Furthermore, when you are able to let those beliefs go, you will likely feel less pressure to perform and therefore act more naturally, which will result in a better response from others. Introducing Your Perfection Pruning Exercise What It Is A 5-10 minute exercise that helps you examine your perfectionist tendencies and gauge whether you are holding yourself to standards that leave little room for being human. Why We Love It  When you have a high bar at work, it can sometimes be hard to separate out when that quest for quality might be seeping over into the rest of your life. This exercise helps you examine some perfectionist tendencies that can show up in social interactions so you can determine what is useful and what might be producing unneeded anxiety.  How It Works 1.  Review the following list of perfectionist beliefs, thoughts, and assumptions, courtesy of Hendriksen. Pick one from the list that really hits home for you when you are in social situations - one that mirrors your own self-talk.  I have to sound interesting so people don’t think I’m boring. If I do anything offensive people will get mad. I have to be cool and funny and confident at all times. I am responsible for carrying the conversation. There can never be an awkward silence. I can’t say anything wrong or I’ll look stupid. I have to speak smoothly and not trip over my words. I have to make everyone laugh. I can’t make any mistakes or they’ll think I’m incompetent. I must always sound intelligent. People must always think I have everything together. I should always have something interesting to say. There should never be gaps or silences in conversation. I am responsible for keeping my conversation partner interested at all times. I have to be entertaining. I have to make a good impression. I must connect with everyone. People need to like me. 2. Then, imagine you are talking to a child and consider whether you would dish out this kind of advice to him/her. For example would you tell a kid, "Listen, you don't want people to think you are boring, so it's important to sound interesting all the time." 3. Assuming your answer to #2 was, "Heck, no, I would never say that to a kid," take a minute and ask yourself what kind of advice you would give that same kid on the topic. For example, you might say, "Not everyone is interested in the same things and that is ok. Just be yourself."  4.  Now, take the advice you'd give that kiddo and give it to yourself next time you're in a social situation.  Source: Ellen Hendriksen Want to dig deeper into this topic? To hear from Ta-Nehisi Coates about why perfectionism can paralyze you, read this. For Joseph Campbell's take on the relationship between perfectionism and love, read this from Brain Pickings. For a balanced view of the healthy and unhealthy aspects of perfectionism, read this from Inc. Have a favorite trek?  Hit us up at treks@lifetrekkers.me and tell us which one you liked and what you learned! Here's what your fellow trekkers have to say about past treks: "The Wake-up Call trek really hit home for me. My best days are the ones when I avoid email until as late as possible and this reminded me to stay mindful. It's key to make sure I get grounded first so I can give important things the attention they deserve." - Vijay Rajendran, Director, BBVA New Ventures Tweet Tweet Email Us Learn More Copyright © 2018 LifeTrekkers, All rights reserved. Want more information? Drop us a line at info@lifetrekkers.me. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can unsubscribe from this list.