Being a Leader is tough…

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As a leader today, you’re expected to attend to your employees’ mental health, demonstrate sensitivity and compassion, and provide opportunities for flexibility and remote work—all while delivering results. This kind of emotional labor is taxing and often overlooked by organizations. 

Here’s how to handle the emotional labor of being a leader:

Recognize emotional labor as work. Don’t ignore the burden of being an emotional pillar in your organization. Instead, be honest with yourself about the challenges.

Request training. There are tangible skills you can build to help you be more mindful and less drained by emotional labor. Ask your leaders to invest in this kind of training.

Create peer support groups. It doesn’t have to feel lonely at the top. Sharing your stress with like-minded colleagues can help alleviate it.

Embrace self-compassion. You can’t be emotionally available all the time, and that’s okay. Be kind to yourself when you’re struggling to perform emotional labor. Frustration can quickly turn into negative energy, which will trickle down to your team. When you practice self-compassion, on the other hand, you’re leading by example.

AI is making us lazy…

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Today if I am writing an article, instead of writing it fully, I can just go ahead and give the idea or topic to ChatGPT and it will write for me.

Why shouldn’t I just give the idea and generate the text using AI?

Because it’s not just the idea that you write, It’s how you write it, your personal style, your background, and your context.

An idea can be written in different ways, one way is Generative AI but it’s a single way because for both you and me it will generate exact text.

But when a person writes and adds context, adds love & hate into the writing, the idea comes alive.

So let us not be lazy, sit up and write.

Why do we like gossiping?

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Gossiping can be an enjoyable activity for many people for several reasons. 

Firstly, it provides a sense of social bonding and helps to build and strengthen relationships. When people share gossip with one another, they are often expressing trust and intimacy with each other, which can lead to a sense of belonging and closeness.

Secondly, gossiping can be a way to gain information about others and the world around us. People often share gossip as a way to stay informed about what is happening in their social circle and to learn about the behavior of others. This can be useful in understanding social dynamics and in making decisions about who to trust and who to avoid.

Thirdly, gossiping can be a form of entertainment or distraction from boredom. People often enjoy hearing and sharing stories about others, especially if they are juicy or scandalous. This can provide a sense of excitement and intrigue and can help to break up the monotony of daily life.

However, it is important to note that gossiping can also have negative consequences, such as damaging relationships or spreading false information. It is important to be mindful of these risks and to engage in gossip in a responsible and respectful way.

Love Criticism…

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Criticism is our friend.

Criticism can be harsh but cleansing. 

Criticism can be emotional.

Criticism can be ruining.

But Criticism helps us grow.

So let’s use Criticism and not shy away from it. 

Let it go thru us, let it help us in the best way possible.

In the end, Criticism gives us victory, it is the only thing that remains with us…always…

So let’s “Love Criticism”!

Don’t let your memories ruin your work…

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You would have noticed whenever you are working on a tough task, something which is difficult or requires deep mental work. Our thoughts of failure demotivate us to not continue the work.

It either reminds us of our failure or makes us gloomy self-doubting ourselves why we are doing this task etc.

But go past it, give it some time, and keep continuing that task even with half-mind and things will clear out and we will be able to continue doing that task…

High Sensitivity Personality…

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High sensitivity, also called sensory processing sensitivity, relates to having a more reactive nervous system, attuning to subtleties in the environment, and processing information more deeply. It’s a trait that’s been researched for more than 30 years and is found within 15% to 30% of the population. And yet, the majority of us aren’t aware of it. 

Here are three distinct strengths of highly sensitive people (HSPs), and their benefits:

HSPs are skilled at spotting patterns, reading between the lines, and catching subtle cues. It gives them an edge over others to solve real-world problems faster if they can detach themselves.

HSPs are more attuned to others’ emotions and needs. Hence can be savvy persuaders and influencers, they are in general experts in their field. 

HSPs have an uncanny ability to listen to multiple perspectives and find common ground, especially when conflict, tensions, or negotiations.

While they have a lot of advantages but one of the most significant disadvantages comes with the emotion attached to being sensitive.

If you are HSPs try to manage your emotion and use these traits to your advantage.

Memories…

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Memories are good.

Memories are whimsical.

They let us thrive in despair.

They let us laugh in the gloom.

They let us cry in happiness.

They let us suffer in success.

They let us beat ourselves for nothing.

They let us beat ourselves for others.

They let us choose if we want to choose.

They let us be happy if we choose!

Take Care of Your Team During Crunch Times

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Crunch times — those long hours of work leading up to a product launch or deadline — are stressful and often unavoidable. As a manager, how should you handle yourself during these high-pressure stretches so you and your team don’t burn out? Here are three strategies:

Set aggressive but achievable goals. Think about something exciting but reachable based on the team’s level of performance and maturity. Evaluate the risks before assigning a goal. Learn from your team’s failures, and provide feedback to address their development gaps.

Keep open lines of communication. Crunch often affects a leader’s availability. Ensure that team members have a way to share key information with you, such as when they are being pushed too hard or things are not working as they should.

Recognize the costs of your decisions. Sometimes leaders don’t know exactly what they’re asking of their teams during these crunch times. Pay attention and, to the extent possible, share the burden and partake in the team’s sacrifice.

How Emotional Bookending Can Help You Make Better Decisions…

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Making difficult decisions can be an emotionally charged experience. Whether you’re hiring someone, firing someone, or reshuffling your team, the complexity of the decision can cause a range of emotions to surface, such as fear, anxiety, overwhelm, or excitement. However, these emotions can be harnessed to help you make better choices by using a technique called “emotional bookending.”

Emotional bookending involves identifying the decision you need to make and naming the exact emotion you’re feeling in response to it. By acknowledging and naming your emotions, you create a little space between your emotions and your actions. This space allows you to become more self-aware and better able to understand why you’re feeling the way you are.

Once you’ve named your emotions, the next step is to visualize how you might feel on the other side of the decision. Will you feel a sense of accomplishment or relief, or will there still be some anxiety there? This exercise allows you to project the emotions you’ll feel in the wake of your decision, which can help you untangle the discomfort you’re feeling in the face of it.

For example, let’s say you’re considering firing an employee who’s been with your company for years. You might feel a sense of guilt or sadness about letting them go. By emotional bookending, you can acknowledge these feelings and then visualize how you might feel on the other side of the decision. Perhaps you’ll feel a sense of relief that you’ve made the right choice for your company, or maybe you’ll feel a sense of sadness but also a sense of opportunity to find someone who’s a better fit for the role.

Emotional bookending is a powerful tool that can help you make better decisions. By identifying and naming your emotions, you create space between your emotions and your actions, allowing you to move forward with greater clarity and confidence.

How to boost your own creativity…

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When you’re trying to innovate, emotions like fear, doubt, regret, and frustration can get in your way. Yet, they’re normal to feel. So how do you manage these feelings so they don’t stand in your way of being creative? Here are some common emotional hurdles — and what to do about them:

The fear of getting started. Pursuing a truly innovative idea almost always involves risk and you might be worried that you don’t have the confidence or competence to succeed. Identify the source of your concern then seek out the information or partners you need to compensate for any shortcomings.

A tendency to go into overdrive. Passion is a good thing. But if unbridled, it can hamper critical thinking. Schedule breaks and continually double-check with those around you that you’re on the right track.

The frustration of setbacks. Everyone knows it’s important to learn from failure, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to do. It’s a process that requires conscious effort and discipline. If you do stumble, dissect what went wrong, process your grief, and reframe your misstep as an opportunity for a turnaround.