Instant Stress Relief for Managers
I sat in my office at 9:30 PM leaning my face into my hands. My eyes were burning, I hadn’t eaten a good meal all day, and I still had a mountain of work on my “To Do List.” It was 1984 and I had taken on the huge job of revamping an aging records system, overseeing a 3 year Audit, and managing an office full of high-energy Commercial Real Estate Agents in a wild market.
I said to myself, “If ONLY I weren’t interrupted so many times, I could get all of this done in a heartbeat!!”
In that instant, I had an epiphany that changed my life forever. I can hear that little voice in my head today as clearly as I did that night. My brain informed me:
“You are a Manager. Your JOB IS TO BE INTERRUPTED!”
I felt a huge wave of relief as my attitude changed about my work. I got busy planning the next day and the work for the rest of the month. I created a more practical “To do List.” I looked hard at what I could delegate, delete, diminish… and in one instant became more relaxed, more productive, and more efficient.
As Managers, we are not paid to play all the instruments in the orchestra. We are paid to make sure all the players are on the same page of music, all can read the notes, and all are great at playing their instruments in concert with everyone else. When we try to do it all ourselves, we burn out, can’t think, and become the type of bosses we complained about when we were mere peons.
I’m remembering my epiphany today, because I just gave a program in Honolulu at the Outrigger Hotel Retailers Meeting. The topic was Resilience, and I tossed that out to the handful of Managers who had accompanied their staff that day. My comment was this: “
You have two key jobs as Managers: To make it possible for your people to succeed; and To Be Interrupted.”
I then went on with my Resilience conversation with their staff. In the past 72 hours, I have heard from four different managers in attendance. All of them said that ONE sentence has changed their lives. One called it “instant Stress Relief” and said it has continued to be his morning mantra. He wrote it on a piece of paper and taped it to the top of his computer.
See – it’s all in your perspective. What tiny attitude shift can you make today about the stressors in your life? How can you look at your job, your home, your financial or economic situation in a positive way? What are the lessons and blessings? Take a deep breath and ask yourself. It may save your life – or at least change it in a positive way.
All the best,
Beth
@ 2009 Beth Terry Seminars, Inc. All Rights Reserved
