April Coaching Call – Examples of How We are Coping with the “New Reality”

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I feel blessed to be able to talk to some members through our monthly coaching calls. Last months, we touched on two subjects

  • How to Build Your Reputation Remotely with Your Manager
  • How to Build Mental Toughness during this “new reality.”

I am thankful for members who shared their personal experiences with all of us. Here is the 15 min discussion on the second topic above. I will be sharing the recording for the first topic next week.  ...  read more

I Have Been Crying a Lot and It’s Okay

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I have probably cried at least once a week since March 13, the first day of our voluntary “Shelter in Place.” It always happens unexpectedly. The first time was when my 8 year old showed me her first eLearning homework. She wrote about the “3 good things” from the weekend. It was simple and lovely. As soon as she left the room, I cried uncontrollably. I didn’t even know why. I think it was because  ...  read more

7 Unexpected Blessings from “Sheltering in Place”

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How are you doing with “Sheltering in Place”?  It’s day 48 for our family. Believe or not, I am starting to like it. We have developed a mentality to be thankful for what we have and a routine that maximizes our social distancing and cleanliness

  • We still go out but not everyday – My kids have been unusually happy just to hang at home; My husband do most of the grocery shopping and I look forward to my run outside by the water as well as our weekly farmer’s market on Saturaday. Once in awhile, we bring our kids out to play soccer or frisbee at the park.
  • We don’t bring outside clothes indoors – We put everything we wear outside on our balcony includes dipping our shoe soles in bleach water. We clean everything we bring back from shopping with either bleach or food wash and put it all in our own containers
  • We meet all family and friends virtually or outside at a distance – We contemplated visiting our neighbors whose routines are even more stringent than ours. They politely refused, which is very understandable. We also decided for now, visiting others who have less stringent routines is just not worth the risk.

While I still worry about the threat of coronavirus and absolute chaos created by our own government leaders, I know the best I can do in Nov is to make sure everyone we know votes and for now just live a simple and content day to day life. I practice gratefulness everyday both in my mind as well as when I speak to my family and friends. I discovered 7 unexpected blessings from “sheltering in place” ...  read more

A Little Humor – Here are My Top 5

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It’s time for some humor to help us get through the week. I was laughing so hard at some of these. Hope they can also bring out a belly laugh or two for you. Here are my top 5.

What surprises you most about this…

A little morbid humor …

Looking cool…

Trump …

Words…

  • Half of us are going to come out of this quarantine as amazing cooks. The other half will come out with a drinking problem.
  • I used to spin that toilet paper like I was on Wheel of Fortune. Now I turn it like I’m cracking a safe.
  • I need to practice social-distancing from the refrigerator.
  • PSA: every few days try your jeans on just to make sure they fit. Pajamas will have you believe all is well in the kingdom.
  • Homeschooling is going well. 2 students suspended for fighting and 1 teacher fired for drinking on the job.
  • I don’t think anyone expected that when we changed the clocks we’d go from Standard Time to the Twilight Zone.
  • This morning I saw a neighbor talking to her cat. It was obvious she thought her cat understood her. I came into my house, told my dog….. we laughed a lot.
  • Quarantine Day 5: Went to this restaurant called THE KITCHEN. You have to gather all the ingredients and make your own meal. I have no clue how this place is still in business.
  • My body has absorbed so much soap and disinfectant lately that when I pee it cleans the toilet.
  • I’m so excited — it’s time to take out the garbage. What should I wear?
  • I hope the weather is good tomorrow for my trip to Puerto Backyarda. I’m getting tired of Los Livingroom.
  • Classified Ad: Single man with toilet paper seeks woman with hand sanitizer for good clean fun.
  • Day 6 of Homeschooling: My child just said “I hope I don’t have the same teacher next year”…. I’m offended!

Remember, we will get through this and come out stronger. Stay safe and stay home everyone.

Your Comments: Do you have any to share? What’s your favorite? I look forward to your comments ...  read more

How to Communicate Concisely

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As more of us work from home in this new crazy reality, knowing how to communicate concisely is more important than ever. We have all been on call thinking to ourselves – when is this person going to get to the point? A professional that cannot engage or get to the point will easily lose their audience. Being able to communicate concisely is a fundamental skill that is critical to master for all professionals.  ...  read more

5 Tips – How to Manage a Remote Team During Covid 19

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It’s day 24 of our “self quarantine.” Thankfully, I still get to work full time, as do my team. I am writing to share 5 tips on how to manage a remote team during our new covid 19 reality. Prior to this, only 2 out of 10 of my team members were remote. While the sudden change has been jarring, we have learned to adapt, stay connected, support each others and still make progress. Hope these tips can help you continue to be a great manager during this difficult time.  ...  read more