Dilemma's - what do I do to solve this?

A dilemma (Greek: δί-λημμα "double proposition") is a problem offering at least two possibilities, neither of which is practically acceptable. (Source: Wikipedia)

How often do you have dilemmas at work?  You are working towards creating a solution or are trying to work out a problem but no matter what you do there are going to be ill consequences.  Those consequences can either directly or more often indirectly affect you.

Dilemmas are often things we try very hard to steer away from and to avoid.  But when we are faced with a dilemma I recommend you consider these things before you go forward -

1. Who will this decision effect.  Map out the parties and persons that will ultimately be affected by your decision.  Think how about who will be directly/indirectly affected and what will happen with those people?
2. How will this decision affect people.  Some decisions will have limited impact while others will have wide riplle effects. 
3. When will this decision take affect.  You may not be able to avoid making a decisions but it is better to let key affectted people know well before the fact when you can.

Here is what I recommend.  Draw a series of circles within circles and map out the two scenarios using those circles.  Start with the directly affected people in the middle of the pond and then work your way outwards.

Consider such things as - financial impacts (them and you), people affected, the timeline, the strength of the affect on people, the amount of work that will be left behind and how many other people may you need to employ to offset the loss?.  For example - the person at the centre of the pond will have the highest % of affectedness.  Then in each ripple ring out from the centre the % of affect will decrease.

Then you can overlay the two and make a decision based on those facts.  A dilemma simply put is making the best choice yu know how using the information that you have available to achieve the best outcomes for all involved.

The worst thing you can do when you face a dilemma is to be an ostrich, put your head in the sand and hope it will go away.  What you really need to do is be clear, make a decision and move on.

Stress Busters

There are times in everyone's daily work life when stress hits.  Time lines aren't met, there are too many tasks to be done or people are just plain ticking you off.

There are many different ways that people react to stress.  Some are positive and some are destructive.

Here are some ideas to deal positively with stress when it next hits -

1. Breathe.  Often times when I start to get stressed my breathing patterns change and I don't breathe properly.  So what happens?  Less oxygen gets into the body which means muscles tighten up and the brain has to start working harder.  Take a minute or two next time stress hits and just focus on slow, steady, constant breathing.
2. Stretch.  Physically get up, walk around and stretch.  Similar to the point above when you stress your body reacts.  Your muscles tighten and you become more and more tense.  Solution - get up. move around and release the tension.
3. Stop and Assess.  What is it that is actually stressing you?  Is it an important task or is it a niggling issue that just won't go away.  Stopping and assessing the situation is a critical step.  If you choose to keep plowing on with the task chances are you will only make matters worse for yourself and you will in fact create rework for yourself.
4. Delegate.  Give work away.  Get others working for you.  You can't do it all yourself.
5. Reflect and Plan.  How did you get into this situation?  What will you do differently next time to be better prepared before you get stressed? 

Deal with stress in a positive way and let it be a method of focusing you on what is important and what isn't.

(Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tzofia/270800047/)

Motivating People

I have found in my experience it is better to manage staff with a carrot than a stick. When people operate out of fear or a lack of security then they are not in the best mind space to give their best.

Here are a few tips for creating a work environment that will enable workers to give their best -

1. Talk about the situation using positivity.  This is not a call to ignore the truth but rather be careful and smart about the way you present the facts and express the situation. 
2. Reverse the negative to create positive results.  If the business or organisation is in trouble financially there are two ways to inform employees of how they can contribute to change.  The first os to tell them redundancies are coming and the doors will soon be closing.  The second way is to get the employees to start making positive changes in their areas to lift production and end results.
3. Reinforce changes and positive results using tangible rewards.  When staff start to contribute and make changes to their work make sure they and thanked and when possible rewarded for their efforts.

If you choose to use fear as a self-motivator that is your choice.  If you choose to use fear as a motivator for others - I would ask that you reconsider.

You can also check out this article by the Credit Union Times that speaks about the negative effects of using fear as a motivator.

Allies, Acquaintances and Alliances.

I have been thinking recently about work relationships.  There are three main positive categories that I can think of.  Those categories are -

• Allies,
• Acquaintances and
• Alliances.

These are three different groups of people that we interact with everyday while at work.

• Allies are your close circle of friends or those in whom you know you can trust.  Those whom you interact with and are friendly with.
• Acquaintances are those people whom you know and occasionally (sometimes frequently work with but wouldn't necessarily classify as a friend.
• Alliances are those relationships whereby your allies choose to stand with you when it comes to the crunch.  You can also from alliances with your acquaintances from time to time but generally the relationships with your allies are the ones that will stand the test of time.

So what does this have to do with the everyday manager?  It is important to know who is on your side and when.  It is also important to know who will stand with you should the pressure come on you through time restrictions, employment issues or personality clashes.

You don't have to classify everyone you know but if you do know who you allies are - you can save a lot of time when it comes to finding solutions to the problems you might face.

Here is my quick suggestion -

1. Make a list of all the people that you work with.  This can be as narrow or as broad as you like.
2. Seperate those people into two groups - allies and acquaintances.
3. Draw connecting lines betwen those people whom you a) already have alliances with and b) could choose to form alliances with.
4. Make a plan to communicate with your allies as much as you can when the correct work situation or opportunity arises.

If you spend the energy to foster grea relationships your allies and your alliances will help you when you need them.   (Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/greentea/508815606/)

Take a Break

An important part of managing is knowing and understanding your energy cycles. Energy cycles are governed by what you eat and the amount of rest you have.

Here are a few tips to help you through the year -

1. Keep a diary. Keep a hourly record of your energy levels over a fortnight and map the trends. What time's were you full of energy and ready to go? What time's were you on a low and needed a boost?


2. Plan your year. When you put together your annual leave plan make sure you take breaks right across the year and most importantly when you will need them. Aim to have a few spare days up your sleeve for those days when you just can't face another day at work.


3. Eat right. Your energy levels will rise and fall based on your diet and fitness levels. If you eat right then your food should provide a constant amount of fuel throughout the day to enable to be balanced.
   
   
4. Take breaks. You might feel like you are accomplishing more by skipping your coffee break but you may actually be achieving less. Take your regulated breaks when you can. If you are busy - reschedule your break for a better time - but don't skip it! Your body and brain's need to take a break. Then when you come back to the task you wil feel more fresh and you will be able to apply yourself better to it.

Taking time off and not being in the office is just as if not more important as being there!

Crisis - Help!

What do you do when a crisis hits? A crisis provides the perfect opportunity for you to step up and display your leadership skills and prowess - provided you handle the situation correctly.

Try these easy steps -

1. Breathe. Allow oxygen into your lungs and brain before proceeding any further.


2. Focus. Stay in control and wait for the air to clear before doing anything else.


3. Get the full picture. Examine the situation as much as you can as quickly as you can.


4. Focus on the what first and the who later. In the middle of a crisis - you have to deal with the what. Deal with what is right in front of you.

There is nothing wrong with being in a crisis situation. Crises are sent to test you. You have the choice to become stronger through crisis - or let someone else become stronger instead of you.

Use crisis to show people what you are really made of!

Staying On Top Of Things

There are two kinds of stress at work - good stress and bad stress.

Good stress is the type that motivates you and gives you the edge to work smart, hard and better.

Bad stress is the kind that is demotivating, harmful and ultimately very bad for you.

How do you tell which is which? And how do you get better stress while avoiding bad stress?

1. Which is which? The best way to tell which stress you are under is to reflect on where you are at and what is taking place internally. Good stress creates a drive and pull factor within you to get the job done. Bad stress causes you to become frustrated, upset and often times will make you irritable and restless.


2. How do you get better stress? Simply - time management, delegation and understanding your role and the task.


3. How do you remove bad stress? There are times that projects and tasks will just not be completed properly or on time. There are also times that you will receive requests and extra work without knowing about it first. What do you do about it? In the short term - cope. In the long term - point out to the person who dumped the task on you that they could have manged the task better and it wasn't fair on you to have to pick up the pieces.

You can't avoid stressful situations - but you can learn to manage them and manage them well!