Sarah J. Gibson https://sarahjgibson.com/sarah-j-gibson/ Speaker & Author Mon, 01 Feb 2021 14:13:26 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.3 All Things Come to an End https://sarahjgibson.com/all-things-come-to-an-end/ Thu, 10 Sep 2020 16:48:29 +0000 https://sarahjgibson.com/?p=1797 All good things come to an end. We’ve heard the phrase. We’ve had conversations in our homes and workplaces about when the right time was to end something. Maybe it’s a development program that’s less applicable than it once was. Maybe it’s a home rule that didn’t apply as your children matured. Maybe it was […]

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All good things come to an end. We’ve heard the phrase. We’ve had conversations in our homes and workplaces about when the right time was to end something. Maybe it’s a development program that’s less applicable than it once was. Maybe it’s a home rule that didn’t apply as your children matured. Maybe it was a volunteer event that saw diminishing involvement.

How do you know when it’s time to end something good? That’s the difficult struggle for most of us. This year we’ve had many of those things ended for us because of COVID-19, which puts us in the position of evaluating if and how we’ll do something different moving forward.

For me, this past year was already a year of transition when COVID hit. I had been refocusing my work to speak and travel less. I had started building a CEO peer group in the region. When COVID hit, I had choices to make about how I would use this time to innovate and think differently about what my path would look like moving forward.

This innovation and new path have also included several goodbyes along the way. This past week I talked with someone I adore and have worked with for many years. I had to share with her that my career path has shifted and that I won’t be available to work with her company. It was difficult to say no to someone I adore. It was hard to feel like I was letting someone down.

That’s why seeing something come to an end is sad. Let me reframe that sadness though. Wouldn’t it be worse if something came to an end and no one was sad because that thing had long outlived its purpose and people no longer supported or believed in it? That would be far worse to have your goodbye be good riddance!

While my goodbye to the work I had done with this colleague was sad, it was also filled with best wishes for the next phase for both of us. We aren’t done with one another – our relationship is changing into something new.

There’s an ulterior motive to my writing this to you today. One of the things I’ve had to evaluate in my new career path is this blog. I love to write, and I love the creative outlet it’s given me over the past five years. And, I realize the next part of my journey doesn’t include blogging publically.

So like my parting conversation with my colleague and friend, it’s with sadness, and gratefulness, I’m letting you know this will be my last blog – for now. I’ve been so grateful over the years for the encouraging messages and comments from all of you! My heart has been filled by people who have emailed me or stopped me in a store to say how helpful that week’s blog was to them. Your loyalty and support have meant the world to me.

Thank you for being part of this journey. Please stay in touch – and I mean that! You can reach me at Sarah@AccentLC.com.

Until the next good thing and a new crossing of our paths!

Sarah

 

Vistage chair, keynote speaker, trainer, and consultant, Sarah Gibson, helps organizations leverage the power of communication, teamwork, and diversity to improve engagement and transform teams.

If you are a CEO, or know a CEO who would benefit from a peer advisory group, please contact Sarah at Sarah.Gibson@VistageChair.com. To inquire about her speaking programs, please visit www.sarahjgibson.com. 

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Wisdom https://sarahjgibson.com/wisdom/ Thu, 27 Aug 2020 21:41:34 +0000 https://sarahjgibson.com/?p=1791 Wisdom isn’t something we talk about often. It’s sometimes hard to define. The word often implies old, archaic, and wizened. When we think of wisdom, we may have an image of hoary- haired grandparent types sitting in rocking chairs. I’d like to challenge our image and have us look at wisdom as a process that […]

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Wisdom isn’t something we talk about often. It’s sometimes hard to define. The word often implies old, archaic, and wizened. When we think of wisdom, we may have an image of hoary- haired grandparent types sitting in rocking chairs. I’d like to challenge our image and have us look at wisdom as a process that starts today.

Wisdom is an important word to me. “Why?” you ask. Whether it’s the knight from Indiana Jones and the Holy Grail saying, “You have chosen wisely,” or my readings from the book of Proverbs, I’ve learned wisdom is something born and grown within us over time. It’s not static, it doesn’t just happen, it’s chosen.

What is Wisdom?

As I think about the characteristics of wisdom, it’s knowledge and experience gained over time. It’s a sense of humility. It’s a state of being with other people. Here are a few examples.

Wisdom born of knowledge and experience begins the first time we do something foolish and see the consequences. We can choose to learn from those experiences and do things differently or we can repeat our mistakes and repeat the same or multiplying consequences.

One of my first experiences with wisdom was swimming at a public pool, leaving my wallet in my locker, and having the money stolen out of my locker while I swam. Wisdom taught me that not everyone is honest and I shouldn’t assume others will treat me as I treat them.

Wisdom is also experience gained over time. When a friend’s dad died while we were in college, I didn’t go to the funeral or send a card. I was scared and nervous about saying the right thing and about not knowing the right things to say.

After my mom died, I learned the importance of simply saying, “I’m sorry. This hurts.” When people grieve, wisdom asks us to simply be with others where they are at. It’s a hug, a smile, a tissue offered.

Wisdom is Humility

Wisdom comes from being there for others, and it also comes from knowing I don’t have all the right words to say. I don’t know all the right things to do. Wisdom of that sort is seen in steeped in humility.

Humility comes with confidence stemmed in knowing you are enough, no matter what mistakes you’ve made. You have value and worth, not because of your success but because of your humanness.

Humility is wisdom stemming from your experience that shows you have just as much chance of screwing up as anyone else. It’s wisdom that gives you the knowledge to choose a different path.

Who We Want To Be Starts Now

One of my goals is that by the time my body reaches our mental picture of wisdom, my heart and mind will also have matured in wisdom to match. I have a long road ahead and hopefully enough years to practice this life of wisdom. But wisdom tells me there’s no guarantee. I get today, so if I want to be wise, it begins fresh each morning.

My challenge this week – think about what values and characteristics you want to be remembered for. How can you live out today in a way that will create a life legacy of who you want to be?

 

Vistage chair, keynote speaker, trainer, and consultant, Sarah Gibson, helps organizations leverage the power of communication, teamwork, and diversity to improve engagement and transform teams.

If you are a CEO or know a CEO who would benefit from a peer advisory group, please contact Sarah at Sarah.Gibson@VistageChair.com. To inquire about her speaking programs, please visit www.sarahjgibson.com. 

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The Last 10% https://sarahjgibson.com/the-last-10/ Thu, 06 Aug 2020 20:34:50 +0000 https://sarahjgibson.com/?p=1785 While I pick at my kids to finish the last 10% of their work, the reality is a lot of adults, including myself, leave jobs 90% done.

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“If I were your employer, I wouldn’t pay you to do only 90% of the work,” is what I tell my teenage kids when they “finish” a job, but not really. And while I pick at my kids to finish the last 10% of their work, the reality is a lot of adults, including myself, leave jobs 90% done.

Just today I walked my tax folders to the storage spot, then left them on top of a box, four feet from where they were supposed to be filed. Really, four feet away? For those of you who are homeowners, you probably know this struggle well. We have house projects that are mostly done, but the last 10% gets finished right before we sell the place. So often it’s such a small step to finish the last 10%, why do we struggle to complete the last 10%?

Why Don’t We Finish?

The truthful answer – I don’t really know why we struggle to complete the last little bit. Especially since not finishing a task goes against all the research Daniel Pink did in his work on what motivates people at work. What his research showed was more than money, people wanted to accomplish something – to see the results of their efforts. Learn more about his work in this fun, animated video.

So why do we struggle? Perhaps we feel the work is done even though there’s 10% left. Or perhaps we realize there isn’t a consequence and that the last 10% doesn’t really impact the outcome. Or perhaps there’s a tiny bit of rebel in us that says, “Close enough.”

Whatever our motivation for not finishing, we forget the reward of finishing a task.

The Rewards of Finishing

What are some of the rewards of finishing?

  1. Having peace of mind that there’s not going to be any last-minute surprises like, “Wait, that’s supposed to be here, where did I put it?”
  2. Knowing you dug deep into the yuck of the last few steps and found the grit to get it done.
  3. Realizing you don’t have to circle back because you created more work by not completing the steps to begin with.
  4. Enjoying the final product before needing to finish the project for someone else who will reap the benefits of the finished product (homeowners – am I right?).

This last 10 percent applies to so many things. Our inboxes, our offices, our good intentions of writing a thank you note. This week I’ve been challenged to finish the last 10% on several projects, and when I’ve taken the few extra minutes to complete the task 100%, I feel amazing. Having these unfinished projects has added unconscious stress, which I have only realized now that the last 10% is done.

What do you need to wrap up this week? What can you cross off your list for good? What can you enjoy even more knowing the job is 100% complete? Finishing the last 10% – that’s your goal for the week. In the words of Larry the Cable Guy, Go and “Git R Done.”

 

Vistage chair, keynote speaker, trainer, and consultant, Sarah Gibson, helps organizations leverage the power of communication, teamwork, and diversity to improve engagement and transform teams.

If you are a CEO or know a CEO who would benefit from a peer advisory group, please contact Sarah at Sarah.Gibson@VistageChair.com. To inquire about her speaking programs, please visit www.sarahjgibson.com. 

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Taking Time Off https://sarahjgibson.com/taking-time-off/ Thu, 23 Jul 2020 16:25:19 +0000 https://sarahjgibson.com/?p=1780 In my conversations with leaders in the past couple of weeks, one of the common themes emerging has been, “Our employees are not taking time off, and I’m seeing the fatigue it’s causing.” Why Aren’t You Taking Time Off? This begs the question, why aren’t people taking time off? A few reasons: There are limited […]

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In my conversations with leaders in the past couple of weeks, one of the common themes emerging has been, “Our employees are not taking time off, and I’m seeing the fatigue it’s causing.”

Why Aren’t You Taking Time Off?

This begs the question, why aren’t people taking time off? A few reasons:

  • There are limited options to what we can do during our time off, so why take time now?
  • My workload has increased significantly and I can’t afford to take time off.
  • My job is uncertain so I’m going to save my time off in case something happens.

All of those are legitimate reasons, but those reasons don’t take into account the most important reason we take time off – to refresh and regroup.

If you google the importance of taking time off of work and walking away from the work, you’ll get limitless numbers of articles sharing why we need to walk away from our work for both mental and physical rejuvenation. We have the head knowledge this is true.

So why not take the time? It’s because we lack is the heart knowledge. The deep-seated belief this is true in a soul rejuvenating way.

My family and I are about to take a week’s vacation. This week leading up to those days off has been insane. Both my husband and I have been putting in 10-11 hour days trying to catch up and put enough stop gaps in place to walk away. Yesterday I lamented the work leading up to vacation makes me not want to take a vacation. Many of us feel that way!

What I know, deep down is that while my defensive lizard brain is functioning in fight or flight mode, I need time to rest and give my pre-frontal cortex time to regroup and take control of my work and habits again. The only way for me to do that is to walk away.

There’s even something called COVID brain, check out Inc. Magazine’s article on it here. Given the state of being we are at as a world, we need the time away more than ever. Time off clears our head and gives us a chance to think and process freshly.

We may need to reimagine what vacation and time off looks like during this phase of our lives. Maybe it’s day trips to local state parks. Maybe it’s a camping trip in the backyard. Maybe it’s a series of long weekends versus a solid week off. It will look different, but the importance of time off hasn’t changed.

If you haven’t taken time to regroup and recharge since the pandemic hit, carve out some time to regroup. While our work is important, but it’s not what we’ll look back at on our death bed and wish we had spent more time in our offices.

We know this cognitively (head knowledge), now it’s time to take action because you believe it’s true (heart knowledge). The leaders I’ve been talking to would say, “You’re too valuable to our business to burn you out. Go – rest – enjoy. We’ll see you in a little while.”

Trust your head and follow your heart and take some time off! You’ll be glad you did.

 

Vistage chair, keynote speaker, trainer, and consultant, Sarah Gibson, helps organizations leverage the power of communication, teamwork, and diversity to improve engagement and transform teams.

If you are a CEO or know a CEO who would benefit from a peer advisory group, please contact Sarah at Sarah.Gibson@VistageChair.com. To inquire about her speaking programs, please visit www.sarahjgibson.com. 

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Is What I’m Doing Enough? https://sarahjgibson.com/is-what-im-doing-enough/ Thu, 09 Jul 2020 16:18:48 +0000 https://sarahjgibson.com/?p=1774 Every once in awhile I spiral into this crazy spot where I question everything about my work life. Am I doing the right thing? Is there something else out there I should be doing? Is what I’m doing enough? What would happen if I quit it all, sold everything, moved to a Caribbean beach, and […]

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Every once in awhile I spiral into this crazy spot where I question everything about my work life. Am I doing the right thing? Is there something else out there I should be doing? Is what I’m doing enough? What would happen if I quit it all, sold everything, moved to a Caribbean beach, and sold coconuts? These seasons of discontent come for all of us. What can we do when we are feeling this way?

Earlier this week I ran across a wall sign that reads, “Let whatever you are doing today be enough.” Each time I see it, the sign literally makes me stop and take a deep breath. Whatever I’m doing today is enough. It may not be glamorous or amazing or impactful, but it’s enough.

Ironically, I’m writing this at 8:55 p.m. because it’s been a super full two weeks at work. I’m tired and my head hurts from the storm that rolled through earlier (yeah, my brain reacts to changes in atmospheric pressure). Today has already been full of enough and here I am doing more.

“Let whatever you do today be enough,” is about more than what I get done or the hours I work or the laundry I do. It reminds me to focus on what really matters. The email can sit. The house can be a mess because it’s enough that I spent time with my husband and children today. It’s enough that we had dinner and watched a movie instead of walking the dog.

Two Things

I’ve been learning two things:

1) Rarely do others have expectations of me that exceed what I expect of myself. They aren’t disappointed in what I am doing or delivering and that liberates me to let things go.

What are you holding yourself accountable for that doesn’t really matter? Odds are good you are the only one holding yourself to the expectations that make you anxious or upset when they aren’t completed.

2) I’m also not responsible for the expectations people have of me that I haven’t agreed to. We often feel guilty that we are letting people down, but we didn’t actually agree to what they want us to do, and rarely did they ask if we wanted to do it – they simply assumed.

I’m responsible for me. That’s a big enough task without being responsible to expectations others have about me.

Work hard. Do your best. Be forgiving of yourself and others. Pause. Breathe. And repeat after me. Let whatever you do today be enough.

 

Keynote speaker, trainer, and consultant, Sarah Gibson, helps organizations leverage the power of communication, teamwork, and diversity to improve engagement and transform teams. To buy her book or inquire about her speaking programs, please visit www.sarahjgibson.com. Sarah also runs a Vistage CEO group. Learn more by emailing her at Sarah.Gibson@VistageChair.com

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Pause https://sarahjgibson.com/pause/ https://sarahjgibson.com/pause/#comments Thu, 25 Jun 2020 16:09:08 +0000 https://sarahjgibson.com/?p=1769 This week I want us to pause. Pause to recognize that it’s been four months since we had normal socialization patterns. Pause to reflect and remember our brothers and sisters of color. Pause to thank those serving our communities in law enforcement, health care, and schools. Pause to breathe and notice something to be grateful […]

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This week I want us to pause. Pause to recognize that it’s been four months since we had normal socialization patterns. Pause to reflect and remember our brothers and sisters of color. Pause to thank those serving our communities in law enforcement, health care, and schools. Pause to breathe and notice something to be grateful for.

Thanks. I needed that pause and think you maybe did too. The power of pause is significant in our lives and provides us with perspective.

This week the world continues to swirl and churn around us and yet many of us push through determined to have things be as normal as they can be. For many of us, the going has been hard. Maybe you lost a job. Maybe a friend has been ill with COVID. Maybe you’re tired of fighting for equality.

Maybe you are sick and tired of not having anything to look forward to. Maybe everything is fine but it all feels weird and funky. Whatever your maybe is – it’s real and we should pause and acknowledge it.

Pause to Recognize Your Feelings

It’s important to pause because then we can see cause and effect in our lives. This week I had another disappointment come my way and later found I was super irritated with the kids. The kids hadn’t done anything – it was my frustration tainting my thought patterns and reactions. It was cause and effect, but without pause, I wouldn’t have recognized it.

When I paused to put the two together, I could then adapt. I put boundaries on how long I could feel frustrated and then determined to change my attitude by the next day. It was nice to wallow a bit and even nicer to move on.

As we discussed a few weeks ago, our feelings will come out sideways if we don’t let them out properly. Pause let’s us identify, claim, and adjust to how we are feeling.

Pause to Recognize How Others are Doing

The other powerful part of the pause is that it allows us to recognize others and how they are doing. This week I see tiredness in my families’ eyes. A tiredness from the everyday wear and tear of the past few months.

My 14-year-old son sat by me at lunch today and said, “I need a vacation.” Without pausing, I would have missed that very quiet signal that he needs a break too. It caused me to ask, “How can I help him process what he’s feeling?”

In our hurry, hustle, and hold on attitudes, we forget to pause, process, and acknowledge all that goes on around us. When we do though, we’re better for it. Those around us are better for it.

Join me this week and build in moments of pause.

 

Vistage chair, keynote speaker, trainer, and consultant, Sarah Gibson, helps organizations leverage the power of communication, teamwork, and diversity to improve engagement and transform teams.

If you are a CEO or know a CEO who would benefit from a peer advisory group, please contact Sarah at Sarah.Gibson@VistageChair.com. To inquire about her speaking programs, please visit www.sarahjgibson.com. 

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Where Do We Go From Here? https://sarahjgibson.com/where-do-we-go-from-here/ Thu, 11 Jun 2020 21:47:36 +0000 https://sarahjgibson.com/?p=1764 The past two weeks have been full of important, heavy, emotional conversations around the death of George Floyd, protests, rioting, and thoughts about where to go from here when it comes to racial equity in our world. I don’t have the answer – nor will I say everything correctly. However, I can provide the starting […]

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The past two weeks have been full of important, heavy, emotional conversations around the death of George Floyd, protests, rioting, and thoughts about where to go from here when it comes to racial equity in our world. I don’t have the answer – nor will I say everything correctly. However, I can provide the starting point of a safe space for this conversation, so here’s some of what I’ve heard flowing out of many hearts:

  • I have a black son and we’ve been talking about what kind of car he should drive – one that’s not too nice and one that’s not too crappy – even though he doesn’t get his license for a year. We have to address issues other families don’t even think about.
  • They (rioters) have been throwing bricks and rolling flaming garbage cans at my husband (a police officer).
  • I don’t understand what white privilege is– I don’t think I’ve ever really been exposed to people of color in my small community.
  • My wife, an African-American woman, was running through our new neighborhood when a white woman came running out of her house and started asking my wife where she lived and why she was running through the white woman’s neighborhood.
  • I am ashamed I don’t know more about racial equity.
  • I’m afraid to say the wrong thing

Wow. All of these are heavy, hard things to say aloud. It took courage for each of these people to share their stories.

Where Do We Start?

Let’s start with two themes I’ve heard in these conversations. The first theme is there’s a lot I don’t know and don’t understand but I want to learn and be a better person. The second theme is: What can we DO to make things right for people of color?

Here are a few practical steps that begin this conversation among our families, friends, and colleagues.

  1. Admit you don’t know what to do and share how you will say something wrong.
  2. Extend grace in these conversations because we will get them wrong. It’s more important to say something than to not speak up because you are afraid of saying the wrong thing.
  3. Listen to people’s stories and learn what each of them has experienced and is feeling.
  4. Read, watch, learn about what it is like to be someone of color. Here’s a great list of 40 shows/TED Talks/books from Parade.com to get you going.

Next, Be Specific

Whether you are a business owner, an employee, a parent, or a friend, get specific about how you will take action to create conversations that produce racial equity among those in your sphere of influence.

Your specifics may include things like:

  • I will identify ways to attract and retain people of color to work at our workplace.
  • I will speak up when I hear an unconscious (or conscious) racial comment.
  • I will advocate on our school board for equal opportunities in learning.
  • I will bring home books that help my children see and understand the world looks different than our family.
  • I will identify the moments when I feel afraid I may say the wrong thing, and I will claim that, and then say what needs to be said.
  • I will extend grace to those who have humble hearts and are trying to do better even if it’s not perfect.

Additionally, Create Self and Team Check-ins

It’s not enough to talk about equity one time. We won’t change a history of discrimination in one conversation. Create checkpoints for your own goals and your team goals around creating equity. Revisit the conversation regularly and see how you are doing. Revamp your specific action steps.

Together

This is a complicated subject and we each bring something unique to the conversation. When we listen and learn, we move forward together. Writing this is one of my specific steps in changing things. Will you join me on this journey?

 

Vistage chair, keynote speaker, trainer, and consultant, Sarah Gibson, helps organizations leverage the power of communication, teamwork, and diversity to improve engagement and transform teams.

If you are a CEO or know a CEO who would benefit from a peer advisory group, please contact Sarah at Sarah.Gibson@Vistage.com. To inquire about her speaking programs, please visit www.sarahjgibson.com. 

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When Your Plans Go Sideways https://sarahjgibson.com/when-your-plans-go-sideways/ https://sarahjgibson.com/when-your-plans-go-sideways/#comments Thu, 28 May 2020 17:16:11 +0000 https://sarahjgibson.com/?p=1759 Ever have those streaks where all of your plans go sideways? I think more and more of us are having those days. Our plans aren’t what we thought they’d be. Our emotions aren’t what we expected. Our future if not what we were thinking it would be. Let me give you a glimpse of my […]

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Ever have those streaks where all of your plans go sideways? I think more and more of us are having those days. Our plans aren’t what we thought they’d be. Our emotions aren’t what we expected. Our future if not what we were thinking it would be.

Let me give you a glimpse of my Sunday – a day when it all went sideways. This Sunday, I went to use my pressure cooker and found the cord was missing. I didn’t even know the cord came out of the pot, so I was surprised. Then I realized the rest of what went sideways.

During our self-quarantine, I cleaned out our back pantry and removed a random cord that didn’t belong to any current appliance. I put the cord on the counter thinking that in a couple of days, if I hadn’t figured out what the cord went to, I’d throw it out.

My husband enters the scene by conscientiously super cleaning the pressure cooker and removing the cord from the pressure cooker and putting it on the counter. A few days have gone by and the cord is still on the counter. I assume it’s the cord I removed from the pantry and I throw the cord away, discovering later that I got rid of my pressure cooker cord and not the random cord. Yep, that moment went sideways.

From there, through a series of events outside of our control, we ended up delaying all of our plans to head out on our boat by two hours. All of our timelines went sideways. From there, we got to the boat launch, which was all backed up and we ended up driving to three different launches until we found one where we’d be able to launch and get parking. Yep, sideways.

All of the delays meant our workout bike ride wouldn’t be possible that day because we simply couldn’t do it all. Sideways.

Throughout this time where our lives and work are sideways thanks to COVID-19, I’ve noticed my emotions, and other people’s emotions are coming out sideways as well. I’m more irritable. I tire easily. I miss people. So what can I do, what can we do, when it all goes sideways?

Making the Best of It

One thing we can do is remember the serenity prayer – “God give me the serenity to accept what I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” Side note: there are wonderful additional verses to the serenity prayer. Check them out here.

Out of all that happened on Sunday, there was a lot I could not change. What I could change was my attitude and heart toward what was happening. There was a lot of wisdom needed to decipher between the two.

The second thing we can do as we make the best of what we have is to let go of my expectations. Expectations that none of what’s going on should really impact me or my emotions. Expectations that reframing things will make everything better.

Reframing is helpful, but some things simply suck about what we are going through – and letting go of the expectations of what I am supposed to feel and do has been helpful in recognizing what I can and cannot control through all of this.

This week, my husband and I celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. It’s going to be a sideways anniversary – not what we expected or hoped to do in celebration. We have looked at what we cannot change, we are courageously choosing to celebrate within the limited capacity we have, and we want to be wise in knowing the difference. Come to think of it, this may be how we made it 25 years to begin with!

Friends – our world is sideways. Now more than ever. As you go through this time, may you find serenity, courage, and wisdom.

Fun side fact for you: This is blog 151 – that’s almost four years’ worth of blogs! Thank you for sharing in the past four years of thoughts and writings as we all work through this messy thing called life together!

 

Vistage chair, keynote speaker, trainer, and consultant, Sarah Gibson, helps organizations leverage the power of communication, teamwork, and diversity to improve engagement and transform teams.

If you are a CEO or know a CEO who would benefit from a peer advisory group, please contact Sarah at Sarah.Gibson@Vistage.com. To inquire about her speaking programs, please visit www.sarahjgibson.com. 

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This Isn’t About Winning https://sarahjgibson.com/this-isnt-about-winning/ https://sarahjgibson.com/this-isnt-about-winning/#comments Thu, 14 May 2020 15:55:09 +0000 https://sarahjgibson.com/?p=1754 Last week a colleague of mine said, “The capitalist side of me is fighting with the healthcare side of me,” as he described how he was feeling about the Safer at Home restrictions impacting our businesses. I think many of us are feeling that way today and we need to accept that juxtaposition in our […]

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Last week a colleague of mine said, “The capitalist side of me is fighting with the healthcare side of me,” as he described how he was feeling about the Safer at Home restrictions impacting our businesses. I think many of us are feeling that way today and we need to accept that juxtaposition in our belief systems and remind ourselves this isn’t about winning an argument. It’s about saying both sides are right.

Zero-Sum Mentality

A few months back I wrote about the zero-sum mentality. As a reminder, the zero-sum mentality is the false belief that in any given disagreement there is a winner and a loser. If we stay home longer to fight the coronavirus we win, while our businesses suffer. One wins, one loses. If we lift stay at home restrictions, we win while we lose lives.

It’s the idea that if I let your voice be heard in the conversation, I have lost my voice.

Truth is, I’m grateful to not be the one having to make these decisions. There are many angles and facets to all that’s going on around us. I see my kids’ suffering from social isolation. I have friends whose businesses are functioning at 20% of their normal revenue and they aren’t sure how long they’ll last. I know families who have lost loved ones to the Coronavirus and who feel strongly that we have to kick this virus’ butt.

In each of these cases, there are legitimate concerns. My opinion and voice are as important as yours, so how to we veer away from being trapped in the zero-sum mentality of having a winner and a loser?

Here are a couple of conversation skills that will help your voice be heard while also enabling others to share their thoughts and opinions.

Yes, And

Use the phrase “Yes, and.” This improv skill requires taking someone else’s statement, validating it, then adding on a new perspective. If you hear a one-sided argument about this very complicated issue, you can reply, “Yes, you’re right, our healthcare workers are under tremendous pressure, and I also see the impact of social isolation on people.”

“Yes, and” is a powerful diffuser of one-sided arguments. It allows us to acknowledge the other person while adding in new viewpoints.

Identify What You Don’t Want

Identify what you don’t want. As discussions have shut down because of zero-sum tactics, I’ve seen people successfully open the conversation again by restating what everyone wants. It may look like this:

“We don’t want businesses to suffer. In addition, we do want to limit exposure to the virus on behalf of those who are vulnerable.”

Acknowledging what we don’t want makes it clear our intention isn’t to dismiss the other person’s side. It legitimizes both sides and keeps the conversation going.

The Concerns From Each Side

Identify the competing concerns from each side. Often we have two equally important concepts that are competing for top priority. When we can identify what I want and what the other person wants, we often find those items are not mutually exclusive. However, sometimes we both have to give something up to reach a mutually beneficial solution.

For example, I may say, “I don’t have all the answers to what we are going through. I do see the importance of opening the economy and know many who are struggling because they have lost their jobs. I also recognize lives are at stake here. I’d like to explore how to best balance those two concerns – opening jobs and keeping as many people safe as possible. What are our options for doing both to the best of our ability?”

Erasing The Zero From Our Equation

The zero-sum mentality is harmful on many fronts. What we are facing today is amazingly complex. We need to hear all the voices impacted. To do that we start with our own awareness and skill. Ask, how can I move from the default of win-lose to what we all want? How can I open conversations with “Yes, and,” and how can I be clear about what I don’t want to do in this conversation?

Empathy and compassion happen when we put ourselves in someone else’s position. Out of all the things we need today, when we put empathy and compassion at the top of the list, we’ll find that we don’t have winners and losers, we have human beings on the same team working together.

That’s something I can get behind.

Wishing you all the very best as we navigate this together. If you find yourself in a spot where you need an ear to listen or someone you can reach out to, I invite you to contact me. I can think of no greater honor than to walk this journey together to find the support you need during this time.

 

Vistage chair, keynote speaker, trainer, and consultant, Sarah Gibson, helps organizations leverage the power of communication, teamwork, and diversity to improve engagement and transform teams.  

If you are a CEO or know a CEO who would benefit from a peer advisory group, please contact Sarah at Sarah.Gibson@Vistage.com. To inquire about her speaking programs, please visit www.sarahjgibson.com. 

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I Need to Take Care of Me https://sarahjgibson.com/i-need-to-take-care-of-me/ Thu, 30 Apr 2020 18:15:43 +0000 https://sarahjgibson.com/?p=1748 This week I talked to a CEO about the impact of COVID-19 on his business, his staff, and himself. I asked how he was doing, personally, with all that was going on. His reply, “You know I’m good. When this hit, I realized I need to take care of me if I’m going to serve […]

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This week I talked to a CEO about the impact of COVID-19 on his business, his staff, and himself. I asked how he was doing, personally, with all that was going on. His reply, “You know I’m good. When this hit, I realized I need to take care of me if I’m going to serve my team and this business. I changed my diet. I’m exercising more. I cut my work hours. I’m doing really good.”

His comments struck me as I thought his actions are the opposite of what most of us tend to do in unknown situations. We dig into the stress, we stop taking care of ourselves, we turn to our emotional comforts of food and television binge-watching. His remark left me wondering, what am I doing to take care of myself during this time?

The Symptoms

My answer – not much! For each of us taking care of ourselves looks different. We need to understand how our symptoms manifest themselves. Our queues suggesting something is off looks differently for each of us. For me, I become irritable and touchy. I misread comments made by my spouse and children. I become snippy. I get headaches.

For some in my family, they disengage from those around them. They play more video games. They eat more food (as do I). These are all symptoms we should monitor, but not to fix the symptom, instead to fix the cause.

The Cause

When these symptoms appear, I need to take the time to ask, “What’s really behind my action?” For many of us in today’s situation, we are having a hard time putting a finger on what the cause is. There are too many things changing and it’s the general chaos causing our anxiety and stress – it may not be one thing, which makes this all even more complicated.

The important thing is that we acknowledge that this is not normal and how we are feeling about that is normal.

Navigating Our Feelings

We can also ask these questions to help us navigate these feelings:

  • Why am I feeling anxious or stressed? Dig into the root cause of your feelings.
  • What can I control in this situation? Acknowledge, then release what you have no control over.
  • What changes can I make that would impact my physical ability to handle the emotional and mental stress I feel? Lean into those things. Get enough sleep, eat better, share how you feel with those around you.

These questions help us identify the root cause of how we are doing. However, there’s a practical side to making sure we are doing well.

Strengthening Ourselves

For me, these next two questions move me from diagnosing how I feel to what I can do to strengthen myself for the ups and downs of today.

  • What expectations do I need to shed for this season?
  • How can I fill my tank?

These practical questions help me focus on becoming and maintaining my sanity. We may be holding on to expectations like: I’ll be able to get as much work done as before and help my kids with virtual school; or our house is going to look like a model home even though we’ve had to reinvent our space and add in makeshift offices and desks wherever they fit.

You don’t have to release these expectations forever, but you do need to let them go for this season. That alone can free you to feel healthier and happier with what simply is.

The question about how can I fill my tank is individual. For me, it’s social distance walks with friends that I used to see weekly. It’s boundaries on meeting up with folks via Zoom so I can walk away from my computer and do some creative thinking.

What Are You Doing to Take Care of Yourself?

Your expectations and whatever it is that fills your tank, probably doesn’t look the same that it did before, but perhaps there’s a version of each of those that can tide you over as we navigate life at this point.

I’d love to hear what you are doing to take care of yourself. The more we share what we are doing, the more ideas for the rest of us.

Be safe. Stay well. Take care of yourself this week!

 

Vistage chair, keynote speaker, trainer, and consultant, Sarah Gibson, helps organizations leverage the power of communication, teamwork, and diversity to improve engagement and transform teams.

 If you are a CEO or know a CEO who would benefit from a peer advisory group, please contact Sarah at Sarah.Gibson@Vistage.com. To inquire about her speaking programs, please visit www.sarahjgibson.com.

The post I Need to Take Care of Me appeared first on Sarah J. Gibson.

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