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Uncategorized
There’s quite a craze these days about wearable devices like FitBit, Apple Watch, and Jawbone. They allow you to constantly monitor your pulse throughout the day. Why is the pulse so important?
Your pulse tells a lot about what is going on in your physical body. If your pulse is racing or is too slow it can indicate something is amiss and needs to be addressed. It can mean that something minor is going on or something that needs more attention. Your pulse (or heart) rate is defined as the rate at which the heart beats in one minute. As the heart pumps blood into the body, the blood vessels at the wrist, upper arm and neck start pulsating and throbbing.
While the normal pulse rate is usually between 60 to 100 beats per minute, there are certain medical conditions such as cardiac arrhythmia, which may alter the normal pulse rate of an individual. The factors that can influence your pulse rate are your age, gender and fitness level. So a toddler’s pulse rate is significantly higher than an adult’s. Similarly females tend to have faster heart rates than men. Conditioned athletes may have heart rates as low as 40 beats per minute.
My purpose in stating the definition of a pulse is to point out that everyone is different. Everyone is unique.
Although an individual’s situation is personal and unique, the principles that I’ve acquired and teach to clients are universal and can apply to everyone. Therefore, I’m thrilled to announce a new coaching model centered around the acronym PULSE.
The PULSE © coaching model is as follows:
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Over the next few weeks I will be writing a blog based on this model. It is a stirring and empowering premise.
When your pulse is beating at a nice, steady pace your body feels balanced and able to function properly. When your mind practices and incorporates the PULSE © model you will experience balance and calm like never before. This is not a magic pill or a quick-fix. This takes work. It is a process.
It is digging deep into what is already within you and drawing it out to live powerfully and in alignment with what you want to accomplish in life.
Are you ready for the next step? Use the contact form on my page and let’s chat about this exciting coaching journey together! https://execexcellence.wpengine.com/team/jenny-jacobs/
For over a decade Jenny Jacobs has studied the principles of healthy living, life balance, stress management, positive psychology, and self-development. Jenny is a dynamic speaker, coach, and blogger and is passionate about helping people integrate their personal and professional selves.
Driven by the premise that excellence is the result of aligning people, purpose and performance, Center for Executive Excellence facilitates training in leading self, leading teams and leading organizations. To learn more, visit us today at www.executiveexcellence.com or message me directly on LinkedIn if you want to receive our monthly CEE News!
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Leadership
Have you ever seen what kids can do with a box of crayons, a cardboard box and an afternoon to kill? They may build a rocket ship and explore Mars. They might build a pirate ship and bury treasure in the Caribbean. Kids have boundless imagination. They also have a natural sense of partnering and affirming each other. They instinctively work together to explore ideas that defy time and space.
(Flickr photo by @Eric Peacock)
As we grow up, the time in our lives when afternoons stretched endlessly ahead fades. Play time gets interrupted with the structure of class time. Eventually, we lose even our summers to year round work. Today’s workdays come at dizzying speed and exponential complexity. Creativity is a fundamental requirement for survival. Yet, American workers are experiencing a creativity crisis. Ironically, the creativity that we naturally tapped into as children seems unnatural as adults. As Picasso said, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.”
How can leaders help employees get back in touch with their inner kid? Many companies like Google, PepsiCo, and MetLife are turning to improv. As you may have seen on the popular show Whose Line Is It Anyway?, the premise of improv is simple. Performers don’t know what will happen on stage until they’re given a prompt. They start with that prompt, making up the story as they go along. Improv draws on the time-honored principle of “yes, and.” Performers accept whatever their scene partners do or say as part of the reality of the scene and then build on it with their own contributions.
Think about our conversations with our own teams. Ever notice how often we say “but?” What happens afterward? The team stops contributing ideas, they physically pull back, the light goes out of their eyes. To truly create, our teams need a safe space where they can generate unique ideas, then combine those ideas into the best result. As soon as we say “but,” the creative process can no longer move forward. Simply put, “but” stops the bus.
Saying “yes, and” tells your team that you are doing two important things. First, you are affirming that you respect the thoughts and ideas of others. That’s big. Second, you are truly listening and are willing to build on the ideas of others. That’s huge.
The more we practice “yes, and,” the better we hone four powerful leadership skills:
1. Listen more respectfully
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2. Pick up on subtle cues
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3. Demonstrate trust
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4. Value opinions
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Let’s face it. Not every idea is going to be a home run. But, building creative, collaborative teams is a leadership imperative. Collaborative teams are focused and present in the moment. They can think on their feet and adapt quickly to unexpected demands.
Question: How often do you get off your but and draw out the best from your team?
Business In Focus
A closer look at companies executing leadership excellence
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HR is getting a lot of bad press these days. We thought we’d share one HR Department that gets an A+ in recruitment transparency. They’re at Cumming Corporation, an international construction management firm in San Diego.
Too often, candidates who apply for job openings are treated like commodities. They either get no feedback, or a boilerplate email. This approach leaves candidates feeling degraded and discouraged.
Cumming Corporation does 3 big things right:
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- Bottom line – Cumming calculates that “time-to-fill” costs the company approximately $120,000 for each week jobs stay open. Shortening speed of hire improves both dignity and efficiency.
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- Candidate experience – Recruiters are trained to “Treat candidates as you would like to be treated if you were applying. Communicate throughout the process. Tell them if they’re not qualified. Be direct and move on.”
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- Transparency – Cumming’s hiring process is posted on their website and they post a link to their Glassdoor page where candidates can hold them accountable.
As one applicant told us, “Even if I were to receive a rejection, I would feel respect for how they treated me as an individual.”
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Kudos Cumming HR! Read more at Culture & Hiring Transparency Drives Recruiting Efficiency.
Sticky Solutions
Sticky solutions to your everyday business challenges
Dear CEE,
My company was acquired by a much larger organization two years ago. Since the acquisition, I’ve noticed that our employees no longer seem actively engaged. We’ve lost touch with the culture that once made us proud to be a part of the company. I would like to propose to our new executive team that I take on a role that gets us back in touch with the culture that makes us proud. What title do you suggest, and how might I go about proposing the new role to my executive team?
-Cultureless VP
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Dear Cultureless,
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Many companies are adding a Chief Culture Officer (CCO) to connect employees with not only what business they are in, but more importantly, why they are in business. We suggest that you prepare a business case for the new role to underscore how culture impacts the bottom line. Look at metrics like employee engagement, voluntary turnover, and net promoter score. Is there is significant difference in these metrics at your business unit from pre- to post-acquisition? Is there a significant difference between your business unit and other business units? Also, be prepared to show how the CCO would work in collaboration with Human Resources to:
- Evaluate how the existing culture aligns with the company’s strategic objectives
- Define organizational goals and align departments effectively to support strategic objectives
- Collaborate with management to develop action plans focused on building trust, increasing employee engagement, satisfaction, productivity and retention
- Build and successfully drive key culture initiatives to positively influence business outcomes
We admire the passion you have for your team, and insight you share about culture. Thank you for sharing, and keep in touch with us along your journey!
-CEE Team
Letter from the Founder
Welcome to the first issue of CEE News!
If you know me personally, or have read my blogs, you know that I am passionate about writing quality content. I’m also passionate about reading quality content. I’ve challenged our team to develop a newsletter with fresh, high quality content that will help you build a resilient culture that thrives.
That’s just what they’ve done. Our CEE Newsletter is designed to help you with the challenges you face every day by sharing best practices, industry trends, thought leadership, and updates on CEE news and upcoming events.
Here are some of my personal favorite features:
Resource Corner – From infographics to our Vantage© white papers, you’ll find the latest research on how leaders like you are navigating organizations through the 21st century.
Sticky Solutions – We’re passionate about helping you find solutions that stick. Send us your current challenges, and we’ll put our panel of experts on the case!
Business In Focus – Every time our team gets together, we find ourselves sharing stories of leaders we come across who are really making a positive impact. We thought you’d like to hear about them too.
So enjoy. I hope you find information and insights to help move you forward on your leadership journey.
