Retail Observer

July 2017

The Retail Observer is an industry leading magazine for INDEPENDENT RETAILERS in Major Appliances, Consumer Electronics and Home Furnishings

Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/840487

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 43 of 67

RETAILOBSERVER.COM JULY 2017 44 Libby Wagner Culture Coach Libby Wagner, author of The Influencing Option: The Art of Building a Profit Culture in Business, works with clients to help them create and sustain Profit Cultures www.libbywagner.com RO I work in many industries: health care, education, beverage, emergency services, professional services, science, and engineer- ing. Almost every single client of mine will comment upon how their work, their world, is changing at an almost relentless pace. We have shifting technologies every day, not only in our communication, but in our specific industries. We have access to more information, which allows us to access bits and bytes at our fingertips, but requires us to be even more discerning than when we chased information via card catalogs. We are pushed and pulled by trends, politics, banks, media, and international and global conversations. There's no wonder we witness a rise in stress-related diseases and chronic adrenal fatigue as the maladies of a modern work life. So, what's a leader to do? The bookshelves of Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com groan with the weight of leadership books, self-help ideas, and change experts telling us how to manage this. The metaphors are war-like, weapon-filled, and win-based. We are going to conquer time, hunt for customers, kill our goals or KPIs. Sometimes I feel like we need emergency response vehicles parked outside each workplace, ready to serve the exhausted, the compassion-fatigued, and the burned-out. And by the way, aren't you just SO excited about leading these legions of tired people? Recently, I got together with a group of leaders who have devoted their professional lives to accessible health care, especially for those who most need it: the elderly, children, those who live in poverty. They are really trying to change their little corner of the world. It's easy to see how it would be stressful in this work. Mostly, they are committed, energized, and on a mission because they believe in what they do. And, they wanted to talk about "how to lead in uncertain, changing times." It's a fair question. This is what their day-to-day conversations feel like, and these days, it's impacted by the national, political arena. The truth is, the most significant thing you can do to deal with, manage, or navigate change is to practice radical self-care. It's utterly impractical. It's completely counter-intuitive. And, it's essential. In our meeting, we brainstormed what ways help each of these leaders show up to their work places and conversations in the best way possible. We don't need Prevention Magazine or WebMD to tell us that sleep, nourishing food and regularly moving our bodies is good for us. We don't need to watch Dr. Oz to find out that some supplements are all hype. But what does radical self-care look like for you? For me, it consists of three things: freedom, beauty, and connection. "Ooookaaay..." you may be thinking. Please, hear me out. Your three things for radical self-care might be different, but these are mine. A few years ago, I stopped making my annual goals or intentions the primary focus of my yearly planning. Don't get me wrong: I've got goals, I've got aspirations, but I took a look at Danielle LaPorte's Desire Map and decided to do an experiment. What if, instead of setting my goals first, i.e. to increase my clients by X, grow my revenues by Y, lose Z pounds, I thought about why I wanted these things? What was it I wanted to feel or experience more of in my life? For me, freedom, beauty, and connection are some of my core essentials: the things that recharge or refuel me, the state of being that supports me being my best. If I evaluate everything on my to-do list through these core-desired feelings, there's a chance that I will be more calm, confident, and present in my work. More able to deal with stress, or setbacks or disappointments. More able to support others as they are dealing with these challenges, too. For me, freedom is about having choices and space in my schedule. It's also about making an income that supports my livelihood. Beauty means I make my traveling easy on myself: I get a car service rather than trying to wrangle a train after a cross country flight. I take my lavender bath salts with me to the hotel. I say "yes" to an invitation to explore the Salvador Dali Museum on a recent trip to a St. Petersburg meeting. Connection means when I make time for you on my calendar, I'm utterly and totally focused. No distractions, no multi-tasking. I'm connected. And so on. This is how I practice radical, ongoing self-care. This isn't a special event, or a yoga retreat or massage (though it could be), it's more about creating a working life — a life itself — that nurtures and cares for me and is aligned with my vision and values. That's what helps me be ready for change. That's what helps me help others, too. CHOOSING A RADICAL RESPONSE TO CHANGE

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Retail Observer - July 2017