Month: October 2020

How Meditation Can Help You Become a Better Leader

Becoming a better leader stems from many daily practices. Mediation may not even be on your radar when it comes to finding ways to be a better leader. However, making this a part of your daily routine can change your day completely.

Here are ways that meditation can help you:

1. Objectively Tackle Daily Task

Meditation is a mindful discipline that can do wonders for not only your personal life but for the leadership aspect of your life as well. Pride is one factor at the root of failed relationships and poor management and with the lack of quality leadership, these days meditation is a technique worth trying. When one stops to quiet their mind and breathe deeply they are able to silence many of the thoughts that tend to create conflict.

Even a short ten to twenty-minute meditation session can help to refocus the mind, reevaluate an email, a tough phone call, and reply without “self” involved. When you practice stillness you can virtually remove thoughts that contribute to defensive behavior and think more clearly.

2. Build Deeper Connections

Over time it has been noted that meditation allows a person to feel more empathy and better connect with their employees.

People who practice meditation regularly learn to release fear and can then connect better and approach and confront employees they find “difficult”. This approach is not only for the workplace but can be used in other forms of leadership.

Parenting is a great place to practice these techniques especially during the teen years or if you are a caregiver for someone with special needs or mental illness. Take some quiet time to breathe in and out, listening to the breaths, then reevaluate how to respond. Acting out of emotion instead of logic just because we could not take time to meditate can cause long-term relationship hardships.

3. Still Your Mind

Our minds on average have 70,000 thoughts that run through our minds on any given day. The goal with meditation is to release those thoughts, release the ego, the pride, the thoughts that hold us back. Find a quiet place with a chair and set your timer for anywhere between five and twenty-five minutes.

Count to one in your head while you take your first breath in and then breathe out on two. Repeat this process all the way to 10 and start over. With every breath release the thoughts, let go of the anxiousness and notice how this helps during your decision-making throughout the day.

Practice Regularly and Extend Your Practice Over Time

Start out with five minutes and slowly work your way up to ten or fifteen. If all you have is five minutes then just make sure to meditate for five minutes daily. Start with your consistency and then work on extending your meditation time.

We would love to hear your comments on this article or any of our latest articles.

Gary Brunson
gary@myclearfocus.com

Debra Rider
debra@myclearfocus.com

574.361.2674

Sustainable Growth & Profit Consultant, Coach, Mentor and Counselor/Therapist for Business Owners and Professionals.

Should schools reward skills or talent?

Talent is something you’re born with.

Skill is something you earn.

Skill comes from commitment and practice and self-discipline. The skill of earning skills is a lifelong advantage.

Without a doubt, encouraging kids to leverage their talents is a skill. And yet…

Who gets to be the center of the kids’ volleyball team–the tall kid or the one who practices the most diligently and brings the most teamwork to the game?

Who gets an ‘A’ in math–the one who can breeze through the tests or the student who asks intelligent questions and challenges the assumptions?

Who gets into a fancy college…

You get the idea.

Leaders talk about developing real skills and encouraging people to develop into their full potential, but too often, we take the short-term path of betting on raw talent instead. And of course, what looks like raw talent might not be. It could simply be our confusion about first impressions compared to the power of commitment, enrollment and persistence.

Reprinted with guidelines permission from Seth Gordin’s Blog – https://www.sethgodin.com

We would love to hear your comments on this article or any of our latest articles.

Gary Brunson
gary@myclearfocus.com

Debra Rider
debra@myclearfocus.com

574.361.2674

Sustainable Growth & Profit Consultant, Coach, Mentor and Counselor/Therapist for Business Owners and Professionals.

Top Reason Your Employees Quit

High turnover rates can be stressful and financially draining on businesses. With record-low unemployment levels, it can be difficult to replace the talent that leaves your business. Not to forget, 76% of employees are actively looking for another job or open to one. It’s important to understand why your employees may be quitting.

Why They Leave and How To Keep Them

First and foremost, take time to understand why employees typically leave. This will help you better understand what you as a company can do better to make sure employees stick around. Here are some common reasons employees leave and ways to convince them to stay:

Managers are Demanding and Mean

Don’t allow managers and supervisors to create their own work environment that makes life miserable for those who work under them.

Start by hiring and focusing on those with a positive attitude and outlook. Attitude is difficult to change so get rid of people who aren’t positive and contribute to a toxic environment.

Bored With Tasks

Often times, the most talented working are inspired and motivated by challenge. If your top talent is bored, give them some of the biggest challenges to solve and reward them with promotions and recognition. This will help keep top talent motivated, focused and invested.

Reached a Point of Burn Out

Even the top talent, who is motivated by challenge, can get too burnt out. If you’re noticing that your employees burn out quickly or are too stressed out, focus more on a positive work/life balance. This will not only decrease the number of burnouts but it can also increase productivity as your employees don’t feel as though they’re just going through the motions.

Not Paid Enough

This is obviously one of the most common reasons why employees leave their current employer. Negotiating the lowest possible wage a candidate will accept is not a successful negotiation. Paying your employees what their worth will go a long way in building trust, instilling loyalty and building a positive working environment.

Focusing on your workplace culture is one of the best ways to make sure employees are happy with their place of work. Focus on hiring people who bring a positive attitude to work day-in-day-out.

Challenge your employees who need a challenge, praise your employees who deserve praise and promote a healthy work/life balance. Building a healthy work environment not only encourages those who work in it to stay but it also increased productivity.

We would love to hear your comments on this article or any of our latest articles.

Gary Brunson
gary@myclearfocus.com

Debra Rider
debra@myclearfocus.com

574.361.2674

Sustainable Growth & Profit Consultant, Coach, Mentor and Counselor/Therapist for Business Owners and Professionals.

Less Talent Means Employers Are Casting a Wider Net

Rapid growth is causing problems for the tech industry. They are having a difficult time finding experienced and trained employees. There are an estimated 700,000 job openings unfilled in the tech industry. Last year job postings for AI job positions increased by a whopping 159%. This increase is causing employers to be more creative in their search for qualified workers.

What Kind of Jobs Are They Trying to Fill?

Tech employers are looking for employees trained in data mining, analytics. They also need people skilled in robotics and automation engineering and AI. Very few people are trained and educated in the United States to fill these positions.

Where Are Employees Trained to Fill These Roles?

India and Brazil are the largest two areas with highly trained people willing to go to another country for a job. About 2/3rds of these foreign job seekers are willing to move. The top 3 countries they want to go to are the United States, Canada, and Germany.

Limitations to Finding Qualified People

Bringing employees into the United States is not an easy thing to do. Employers in the United States are looking to the H-1B visa program to find qualified people worldwide. The H-1B visa program limits H-1B visas to 85,000 annually. It is a cumbersome process requiring the submission of many forms by employers. The annual cap limitation forces smaller companies to compete for this labor pool.  Smaller companies have to compete with companies like Apple and Microsoft. Also, the approval rate for the H-1B visas has dropped to 75%. This makes it more difficult to get approval for people interested in coming here. Currently half of the people with H-1B visas are from India.

Efforts to Find Qualified People

Employers are trying to find people interested in coming to the United States. Many companies are looking into alternative training sources. Tech boot camps and certification programs are two of these possibilities. Offering relocation packages and supporting family members is another. Some employers are trying to help with the paperwork for people trying to move here.

To ease the employee shortage other American companies are moving tech teams to foreign countries. Distance and cultural issues are not always easy to overcome. Yet it’s another alternative companies are considering to find educated and qualified employees.

Companies may need to consider investing and developing training programs to meet their future needs for these high tech employees.

We would love to hear your comments on this article or any of our latest articles.

Gary Brunson
gary@myclearfocus.com

Debra Rider
debra@myclearfocus.com

574.361.2674

Sustainable Growth & Profit Consultant, Coach, Mentor and Counselor/Therapist for Business Owners and Professionals.

5 Ways to Increase Productivity and Boost Motivation

If your workplace has fallen flat then it might be time to recenter your employee’s focus and increase their motivation. There are some ways you can boost your employee’s drive-by changing just a few things in the workplace.

Here are 5 great ideas to get you started.

1. Make the Workplace Fun

If you ask the workforce what makes them happier and more likely to stay with a certain company, the #1 answer is always a fun workplace. Bringing fun into the workplace can also:

• Reduce stress
• Increase overall job satisfaction
• Increase motivation
• Improve productivity
• Increase employee performance

Think about some ways that you can bring some fun into your workplace. If you don’t already, encourage your employees to hang out in social settings to build camaraderie.

2. Bring Music Into the Workplace

Music has been known to change our emotions and how we view and perceive life. It has the power to calm us in times of stress or make us happy in times of sadness. If you bring music into the workplace, you can give your employees a mental boost.

The one thing to keep in mind is that instrumental music has been shown to be more effective at increasing focus and attention than music with lyrics.

3. Encourage Exercising

Employees who exercise regularly are 25% more focused, driven, and efficient than those who don’t. They are also 40% more motivated in the workplace. It’s vital to encourage your employees to exercise. If you have space, it would be worth the investment to convert an area to an office gym. If you don’t have space, you can encourage exercise by increasing employee incentives to workout or by providing gym memberships.

4. Encourage Learning

Learning a new skill or concept can greatly improve your employee’s drive and motivation. It can also improve productivity. Analyze your employees’ job performance and existing skill set to see what concepts you can bring in to encourage innovation. You can provide incentives for mastering new skills or even provide funding to further their education.

5. Make Time for Meditation

Many people already set aside time every day for personal meditation. We are now seeing the benefits of bringing this practice into the workplace. In fact, setting aside just 10 minutes every day can reduce workplace stress, enhance workplace relationships and help to resolve conflicts, and enhance mental and emotional health. Set up time early in the workday for your employees to meditate.

We would love to hear your comments on this article or any of our latest articles.

Gary Brunson
gary@myclearfocus.com

Debra Rider
debra@myclearfocus.com

574.361.2674

Sustainable Growth & Profit Consultant, Coach, Mentor and Counselor/Therapist for Business Owners and Professionals.

Risks Associated With AI

Much is said about algorithms in artificial intelligence discriminating against different groups of people. Whether this is intentional or unintentional it poses serious problems that can ruin a company’s reputation permanently. This can also overlook many potential options unconsciously denying a business of a preferable choice.

Preventing Discrimination and Encouraging Fairness

Amazon was using an AI tool that was later found to discriminate against women and therefore had to do away with it. Apple’s new credit card is being accused of discriminating against sexist lending models. Transparency among AI models is necessary and will help to solve some of these issues and gain the trust of the public.

Security Risk With AI Transparency

With AI comes convenience and at the same time, with AI transparency, comes an open door to hackers. AI transparency means opening up and sharing the methods by which they create their algorithms. Disclosure can not only open explanations to hacking but it can also open employers up to even more regulation.

Companies also become more susceptible to lawsuits which are not the goal of transparency. Transparency is for the protection of all and not to create more government regulation but to create accountability and fairness. Here lies the AI transparency paradox, creating an open and honest forum is good and necessary but this open forum creates complex problems for companies.

Releasing the fine details about an AI’s algorithms only increases liability and risk, but then again all data carries its risk. As AI is accepted more and more and becomes mainstream the more downfalls, bugs, viruses, etc will be discovered.

AI Has a Long Way to go in Development

There is still a lot to learn concerning artificial intelligence and how we can simultaneously be fair and protect our programming, our rights, and our safety. The more information is released about an algorithm the more harm that a malicious hacker can cause. This is not to say that we should throw the baby out with the bathwater.

It is necessary for people to understand that with transparency, comes risk. As AI is progressing so is AI security, an entire network dedicated to catching and exposing risk before they cause harm.

Lastly, another form of protection is to employ lawyers as often as possible when dealing with AI. Lawyers create a legally privileged space, allowing companies to thoroughly decipher and look for vulnerabilities in their AI models without the worry of more liabilities and unwarranted trouble.

We would love to hear your comments on this article or any of our latest articles.

Gary Brunson
gary@myclearfocus.com

Debra Rider
debra@myclearfocus.com

574.361.2674

Sustainable Growth & Profit Consultant, Coach, Mentor and Counselor/Therapist for Business Owners and Professionals.