Miri McDonald

Is your tank empty or full?

I was turned on to The Energy Project recently. I think I someone shared it on Facebook. Their work is around helping people and organizations think about questions like:

• What gives you energy?
• What drains your energy?
• When do you feel most energetic/least energetic?
• What do you do in your free time?

I think these are important questions to answer for yourself because everyone is different. For example, if you are more of an introvert, just being around people can drain your energy where an extrovert gets more energized being with people. What type of projects make you feel energized? Do you like detail oriented work or big picture thinking type stuff? Sometimes we don't have a choice with all of the obligations we have in our lives. But many times we do!

I love their related effort Take Back Your Lunch which encourages people to leave their desks during lunch - to eat, go for a walk, do something with friends - anything to take a break and refuel your energy. If you are like me, you are reading this blog posting while eating your lunch that you heated in the office microwave!

Lately though, I've been trying to practice this simple concept. I walk with some co-workers on average 1x a week during lunch. I notice how good it feels to step away and get outside. Get away from the computer. More companies are encouraging it because they are seeing research that suggests it increases productivity and there are health benefits too.

One of my co-workers goes to our atrium area and reads a book and eats her lunch. This is such a simple idea but so hard to do for many of us. There is this cultural expectation tht we put on ourselves that we have to be seen at our desks, working, when in reality many people are at their desks but doing things that drain them. Case in point - email, Facebook, twitter - all useful tools but do we really need to be doing this when we are eating lunch? I am guilty of it for sure "oh, I'll just check it now while I'm taking a lunch break." Then 30 minutes go by, my lunch is finished and I'm still feeling empty and hungry.

I walk my dog in the morning and find myself energized when I return.

On the other hand, I get home from work and get on the computer to check email. This makes me feel drained. Is it really necessary?

What do you do that drains you? What gives you energy? How can we do more of the latter and less of the former?

Image credit: Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Bringing tranquility to the workplace: An interview with Kimberly Wilson

As most of you know, I teach and practice yoga so I am interested in how to bring the principles of yoga to the workplace to make companies better places to be.

I recently spoke with Kimberly Wilson, creative director and founder of Tranquil Space, one of the top 25 yoga studios in the world. When I lived in DC I practiced at Tranquil Space and earned my teacher training there as well. Kimberly has written two books: “Hip Tranquil Chick: A Guide to Life On and Off the Yoga Mat” and “Tranquilista: Mastering the Art of Enlightened Work and Mindful Play.” 

During our conversation, Kimberly and I discussed her book Tranquilista and how it applies to the workplace, what companies can do to help keep people engaged, and how individuals can be empowered to be healthier and more tranquil in their daily lives. You can read our interview on Smartblog on Workforce here: http://bit.ly/9bOsxA

You can follow Kimberly on Twitter @KimberlyWilson

Are you living your change?

Saturday morning I was having one of those "I can't find anything to wear that looks good on me" moments. When I finally settled on the outfit that looked the least bad, I took a look in the mirror and faced the harsh reality. I don't like the way any of these outfits look because I haven't been working out enough. Period. End. I could blame this on a variety of reasons (a.k.a excuses!) but I when it comes down to it, I want to make a change so I need to figure out the root cause of my failure.

 

If I look at this situation objectively as an organization change practitioner, I would identify three problems immediately.  

1. Case for Change: I obviously haven't gotten clear enough on a case for change that drives me to do the hard work when things get tough. The why that is powerful enough to get me to work out even when I'm tired, stressed, or just don't feel like it. Obviously "looking good in my clothes" isn't inspiring enough.
2. Living the Change: Dean Lindsay, author of the The Progress Challenge says to "Be Progress." Same thought behind the famous Gandhi quote "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." That's the hard part about change right? We can want to change. We can talk about it. But how many of us live it? I am obviously not living my change. If you think about this in an organizational context, how many executives talk about how other people have to change but fail to behave in that new way themselves?
3. Prioritizing the Change: This is the more practical aspect but important to the "living the change" aspect. If I want to exercise three mornings a week, I need to find time in my schedule to make it happen consistently. I had committed to working out Mon, Wed, and Fri mornings but then, when I was honest with myself, I realized I was wasting time on the computer in the mornings and then didn't have time for the exercise. In reality, I did have the time, but I didn't prioritize the change so I used the time for something less important.

These kinds of root cause analyses and honest conversations are very important to the change process. Whether we are working with organizations or individuals, the elements of behavioral change are really the same. It all comes down to finding a reason that is uniquely inspiring for the change to be prioritized so new behaviors happen consistently over time. For real change to occur people need to be living the change all the time in their hearts and minds until it becomes second nature.

 

My new case for change: Being a model of health and fitness for my children. How will I live my change?New rule this week: No computer in the morning until AFTER I exercise!

Why should you read my (yet another) blog?

I started this blog because I love having conversations about how organizations can bring the best out their people. I read about what experts think, what other people like me are doing inside their organizations, and how we can use new technologies to engage people differently. But instead of passively taking all that information into my brain, I want to be part of a collective conversation with YOU. I want to share my experiences and thoughts and hear your opinions and ideas. 

I've been reluctant to start a blog because of that notion that there aren't any original ideas anymore. Everything I read has been said before by someone else, albeit a bit differently, but still the same ideas. But I realized it's not about that. It's about being committed to learning not only from what we read, see, or hear, but also from how we can process that information by writing about it. And even better, discussing it with others who are also passionate about the same ideas.

So what can you expect from me? Well, I will commit to being authentic, not taking myself too seriously, and writing at least once a week. I plan to nerd out here about all things culture, employee engagement, change, collaboration, strategy, communications, organization behavior, and the like. I'm also a yoga teacher so there will be occasional posts on wellness and how being and staying healthy can help people be better employees.

For me, it really all comes back to how companies can harness the power of employee happiness. Because when people feel connected to what they are doing, they can help you and your company perform at a higher level and thrive over the long haul.

So please add me to the list of blogs you visit over your morning coffee or 3pm nosh and nerd out with me.