Take the lead in handling stress - Phoenix Business Journal:

bertayfybuqutyp.blogspot.com
Pegine Echevarria is an authort and motivational speaker whoseseminar “Play BIG to Reacbh Your Potential” teaches everyone from management to team members how to recognizre and fix problem behaviors so that everyonw reaches their full potential whilde contributing to the success of the business. Some of the familiar personalituy pitfalls she addresses arethe “me-focused” the victim, the the drama queen, and those with just plaimn old attitude.
“Part of what happends is peoplejoke around,” Echevarria “They know their weaknesses, their bad behaviorr and they say, ‘Oh, I’m such a drama queen,’ but they don’t do anythingf about it. They don’tg realize the cost of that behavior ontheidr success. You have to have a plan [to addresss and correct that behavior]. Too ofteb people don’t have a plan of action or they are not consistenyt in going after that The plan should include little things like just beinggrateful — thing really can get worse — investing in one’s traininyg and/or skill set, or seeking or becomin g a mentor.
“Even the top CEO of a globaol organization needs a Echevarria said. Everyone also needes to have a good, diverse network. “Getting a network takex courage,” she said. “If you look at your networo and everyone lookslike you, talks like you and acts like you, it’ s not a courageous act. You have to reacuh out to others.” Maribel Hernandez used the “Playh BIG” seminar in 2001 when she was transition coordinator at the Jacksonville Airport Authority when the Jacksonviller Port Authority split into separatew airport andseaport authorities.
When Echevarria described the different “everyone, all the employees, knew who they were, but it was in a humoroud way,” said Hernandez, who is now operations manageer at Blue Cross and Blue Shield ofFlorids Inc. Echevarria also explained, “We know what you’re going through. Let’s put that aside and focu s on what wecan control.” “She was usintg those human behaviors and humor to motivate Hernandez said. Whatever the situation, “it’s not the end of the Echevarria also provided tips on dealing with such as when someone is focused onthe negatives.
“She gave them good tips to help them deal with the negativityh around them so they can be Hernandez said. “Someone might be negative, even thougbh they are a good friend. ‘II know you want to vent. Here’s a I put five minutes on it. Aftet that, I don’t want to hear it.’ ” Suzi CEO of , recommends business ownerxs and supervisors use what she callsd the STAR method when dealinyg with undesirable behavior inthe workplace. STAR stands for the “situation” in whic h the behavior occurred, the “task” the person was supposed to complete, the “action” which should have been taken and the ofthe behavior.
“Then at the bottom of what does the employee agree to do in the to changethe behavior, Lemen said. “It’s basicallt a coaching tool.” Lemen said bad behaviotr can often be mitigateds simply byaddressing it. “There’s usually something behinf it. It might be fear around losing the job or somethinvg that is unrelated to the job that they brinyg in to the People have problems at home or financial They are under a lot of pressurdright now.” But using the STAR methor “opens the dialogue. A lot of times you find out therde is a miscommunication ora misunderstanding.
” Echevarria said particularly in these stressful times, the most important key to dealing with others in the officde is to just lightejn up. “Laugh. You have to laugh. Peoplre like being around happu people and peoplewho laugh. And I don’rt care how serious your environmentis — as a matterd of fact, the more serious the environment, the more the laughtedr is needed because it diffuses the stress.
”