Social Media Stress

This week we welcome my good friend and Guest Blogger Marian Doll, Director, Student Awards & Financial Aid, University of Windsor.

I'm slowly realizing that a big part of my stress these days is because of technology.  Work and life in general have their own set of challenges.  In addition we are all so immersed within a world surrounded by quick texts, likes, tweets, Facebook updates and connecting with others in so many ways than we could have ever imagined 20 years ago - a time when we actually "talked" to people and had conversations in full sentences.

I do think social media definitely has a purpose in our lives and is a great way to stay in touch and connect with those you might never have connected to, from both a personal and business perspective.  I consider myself a fairly well balanced person and I still struggle with the dynamics of social media.   I often feel for the young and impressionable who do not really have the life experiences that allow them to keep things in perspective.

I have friends who have not succumbed to the social media drug and my hats off to them.   Twenty years ago my life seemed much simpler.   Today, trying to raise two young girls with the perspective on what it was like for us growing up is a challenge. 

I just  hope that we as parents can use our experiences to guide them and to help keep them grounded to what really matters:  honesty, integrity and a solid work ethic.  We cannot shelter them, but as long as they use social media to build on those three things, I think we will be OK.

Marian Doll, Guest Blogger
Director, Student Awards & Financial Aid
University of Windsor

Stompers Video

Stompers 2014 video:

Top 6 Things the Greatest Leaders Can Teach Us

1.  Be willing and able to change
2.  Surround yourself with great people
3.  Be willing to experiment
4.  Real leadership is everyone else feels in charge
5.  Reach people where they are
6.  Don't compromise your vision

How many of these do you follow?

Most of us do not like to change.  #1 is tough when we feel we are in a good place and do not want to  change.   Challenge yourself to change for the better and for everyone around you.

#2 can happen by finding great people and helping to create great people all around you.   Are you the genius in the room or the genius creator?

Experimenting takes us out of our comfort zone and sets us apart as the greatest leaders from the rest.

Enjoy #4 and have had this mentioned a few times over the years.   Some of us have the ability to be the leader while making the others feel they are leading the team.

With social media channels today there are no excuses left for not reaching all audiences everywhere anytime.

#6 is about your vision and your values with no room to compromise to achieve your success.  What are your core values and what do you stand for?

This week's blog was inspired by:  https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/article/20140915062329-64875646-what-the-world-s-greatest-leaders-can-teach-us?trk=tod-home-art-list-small_1

Doing the Right Thing

How many times do we ask ourselves if we are doing the right thing when making so many decisions every day?   How many of them are the right decisions?  How many of them are really tough decisions?

We all face these questions and some of us react immediately, some of us take a little time and some of us procrastinate.   Effective leaders will use a bit of each depending on the challenge faced and sense of urgency.

Reviewing all the facts without emotions being involved is my personal challenge.   Instincts and gut feelings kick in and then it's convincing the emotional side this is the right decision.  

The easy way is going with the flow and saving the energy required to make the right decision.  We want to make everyone happy, we do not want to create more challenges and we want to be liked.  It is very difficult doing the right thing.  

Sticking to core values of honesty, integrity and taking the "high road" in certain situations have been principles guiding my challenging decisions.   Yes sometimes they are incorrect decisions and you must react quickly to correct them if that is the case.   Is anyone Perfect out there?

Enjoying all the things we have to face in a day and choose the path.  Doing the right thing makes you a better and stronger leader.

Why are You so "Busy"?

Ever wonder why you are so "busy"?   For the Building Circles followers, you may know "busy" is banned from the AlphaKORian dictionary.   Filling the banned words cuss jar this week!

We all have a number of things to do and they all need to be done, yesterday, right away and there never seems to be enough time.   

So how do we respond to this?   Some people panic, some get frustrated, some talk about it to everyone they interact with while others stay focused, calm and prioritize.  Working on the calm part and admit it is easy to panic sometimes.

How do you handle your too "busy" time?

Do the first big task that you do no overly enjoy first.   Remember to Eat that Frog and the rest will be easier and will get taken care of according to your priority list.  One system used that works is First In, First Out.  This one is tougher than it sounds.  

One strategy is to add each new task to the bottom and take care of the oldest task you listed before moving onto the next task.  Continue to next task on your list.  

Many are guilty of Last In, First Out which results in most tasks not being completed.   This approach results in constant reactionary mode and the older tasks never get done.

Sometimes the right answer is to simply say no and it does not become part of your things to do.  You can also delegate some tasks or group some together to be more efficient with your time.   

Multi-tasking is not more efficient.   How many conversations have you heard the person multi-tasking ask "Sorry what was that again?"

We all have good and legitimate excuses for being too "busy" and one of the best answer is to Just Do It.

How "busy" are you today?