Transcript CUNA Mutual Mastering the Role of the Help Desk Analyst

Proactive Strategies for
Managing Stress and Change
Presented by: Performance Consulting
508.650.0770
[email protected]
November, 2002
Introductions
Your name
Your role, department, and company
One cause of stress
Major changes planned for the next 18 months
What you would like to gain from this workshop
Defining Stress
Exercise:
Please talk within your groups to define
the word, stress. Then write down your
group’s definition in the space below. If
necessary, build a consensus first or
coherently tie together individuals’
definitions.
Warning Signs
Physical
 Weight loss/gain
 Hypertension
 Headaches
 Difficulty sleeping
 What else?
Psychological
 Reduced attention span
 Escape activities
 Job dissatisfaction
 What else?
Types of Stress
Episodic
Chronic
Note: Chronic stress can lead to burn out
The Stress Response
Digestion slows
Breathing becomes faster
Heart rate speeds up, blood pressure rises
Perspiration increases
Muscles tense
Chemicals released into the blood for clotting
Sugars and fats spill into the bloodstream
Causes of Stress
Sporadic change
Constant change
Unrealistic or unclear expectations
Lack of feedback
Time pressures
No closure
What else?
Managing Time-Linked Stress
Establishing and committing to priorities
Delegating successfully
Self-managing effectively
Establishing and
Committing to Priorities
“Besides the noble art of getting things done,
there is the noble art of leaving things undone.
The wisdom of life consists of eliminating the
non-essentials.”
The Urgent versus The Important
1. Urgent & Important
CRISIS
2. Important, Not
Urgent
WORK TO DO
3. Urgent Not Important
TRIVIA WORK
4. Not Urgent or
Important
TIME WASTING WORK
The Urgent versus The Important
Quadrant I: Urgent and Important
Quadrant of Addiction
Crises, irate customers, system and equipment
failures
Deadline-driven projects, meetings, preparations
Pressing problems
This is the “response” quadrant. Investing all
our time here creates burn-out.
The Urgent versus The Important
Quadrant 2: Important, not Urgent
Quadrant of Quality/Personal Leadership
 Prevention and Preparation
 Values Clarification
 Planning
 Relationship building
 True re-creation: reading, professional development
 Empowering others
Investing in this Quadrant shrinks Quadrant 1 by
preventing crises and providing growth and balance.
The Urgent versus The Important
Quadrant 3: Urgent, Not Important
Quadrant of Deception
 Interruptions, some phone calls
 Some mail, some reports
 Some meetings
 Many popular activities
 Many seemingly pressing matters
Investing our time in this quadrant helps us believe
we’re accomplishing important matters when we’re
not.
The Urgent versus The Important
Quadrant 4: Not Urgent, not Important
Quadrant of Waste
 Busywork
 “Escape” activities
 Irrelevant mail
 Some phone calls
 Trivia
We may end up in this Quadrant when we’re
exhausted from activities in Quadrants 1 and 3.
Delegating Effectively
1.Think and plan first
2. Clarify the responsibility and results intended
3. Select the right person
4. Decide on the authority level.
5. Decide on controls and checkpoints
6. Create a motivating environment
7. Hold them accountable
Delegating Effectively
General levels of authority when delegating:
Level 1:
Get the facts, I’ll decide
Level 2:
Suggest alternatives, I’ll decide
Level 3:
Recommend an alternative, I’ll decide
Level 4:
Decide, wait for my approval
Level 5:
Decide, act unless I say no
Level 6:
Act, report results
Level 7:
Act, report if unsuccessful
Level 8:
Act, reporting not needed
Coping Resources
Flexibility & Resilience
Be open to diverse ideas
“Try on” other people’s roles
Avoid judging, allow and accept
Change your perspective
Recognize benefits
Brainstorm, solve problems
Be patient, pick your battles
Coping Resources
Nutrition, Exercise & Relaxation
Reduce caffeine, sugar, starch
Take breaks away from your desk
Exercise to combat the stress response
Use the buddy system to reinforce good healthy
habits
Learn TM, yoga, tai chi, prayer
Listen to music
Get rid of clutter
Coping Resources
Supportive Community
 Make time for family and friends
 Develop a network of professional colleagues
 Volunteer
 Find a mentor
 Be a mentor
 Get a dog
 Find a larger purpose, spiritual connection
Coping Resources
Communication & Listening
Listen to your inner guidance
Listen to discover and understand, not judge
Summarize what is being said
Acknowledge others’ contributions
Focus on facts, feelings, and solutions
Coping Resources
Communication & Assertiveness
Speak with purpose, support your statements
Ask for feedback
Describe facts & feelings of stressful situation
Acknowledge shared goals or shared focus
Identify what you need
Request a change
Be comfortable saying “no”
Learn to negotiate
Adopting to Change
Innovators
Early Majority
Early Adopters
Late Majority
Laggards
Accommodating
Change
shock
denial &
isolation
Accommodation
envision growth
new opportunities
bargaining
building
anger
guilt &
remorse
panic
depression
acceptance of
reality
resignation to
situation
Coping Resources for
Managers
Develop, manage, and enforce SLAs
Staff and schedule realistically
Provide work task variety
Schedule “good news” meetings, game room
Provide managed forum for venting, humor
Provide recognition and rewards, ongoing
Arrange for coverage for off-site training,
meetings, events
Coping Resources for Managers
Effectively Implementing Change
Communicate vision and strategy for change,
using all available venues
Communicate why change is necessary
Recruit informal leaders
Identify possible downside of change, who
might be effected, plan to minimize effects
Create short-term wins
Monitor, evaluate, and adjust as needed
Guidelines for Successfully
Implementing Change
Clearly communicate reasons why change is
necessary, what will be accomplished, risks if
change doesn’t occur
Recruit informal leaders to generate potential
solutions
Identify what needs to change and what doesn’t
Identify who will be affected and take actions to
minimize adverse effects
Guidelines for Successfully
Implementing Change
Define and communicate new roles and
processes
Market and communicate the change
Recognize perception of broken promises, make
new agreements with employees
Reward those who make the change
Monitor the process, solicit feedback, make
adjustments, course corrections
Identify and communicate short-term wins
Change Versus Transition
Change is an event that is situational and
external to us
Transition is the experience of the gradual
psychological reorientation process that happens
inside of us
Endings – disengage from “what was”
Neutral Zone – confusion, in-between state
New Beginnings – familiar with “what will be”,
acceptance of new reality
Change and Transformation
Change often begins with:
New business objective
Which necessitates:
Organizational change
Bringing about:
Professional transition
Resulting in:
Personal transformation
Remember...
Stressed spelled backwards is
desserts