Silent the Silence. No… Never Do That.
Quotes of Silence. Indeed a time to think.
Reflect. Review. Choose one. Be inspired.
Author: Dr. Shelly
Dr. Shelly Cameron is a leadership strategist, author, and executive coach dedicated to helping individuals uncover their purpose, elevate their leadership potential, and achieve meaningful success. She is the creator of the GreenLight Leadership Framework. As the curator of SuccessfulLeaders.net, Dr. Shelly shares insights drawn from her extensive experience in organizational development, human resources, and personal growth. She is passionate about empowering professionals to navigate change, manage stress, and design fulfilling lives through intentional goal setting, self-discovery, and continuous learning.
Dr. Shelly's research on Success Strategies was published in the JAABC Business Journal. She is also the author of several books, including works on leadership, success, and cultural intelligence.
The Hikes of Success
Traveling in the slow lane, I get angry. I get upset. Forgetting that I’m traveling in the slow lane. My progress is slowed. My destination eludes me and seem to get further away. My anger grows. My frustration… like a fuse lights up, ready to explode!
But that’s how it is with life. Missed steps, missed deadlines, procrastination. Failed business, exams, twisted careers, and more cause us to feel like we are driving in the slow lane. Our goals, dreams, aspirations seems unreachable. We get angry, frustrated, feel punished. But that’s because we have gone off course. We fail to plan. We fail to focus. We fail to keep our eyes on the goal. Milestones recede…ebbs away in the distance. One by one. We procrastinate saying I’ll get it done tomorrow…, but tomorrow never comes.
But all is not lost. Achieving our goal is like a Hike. If carefully planned our long walk to success can be achieved one step at a time. One foot before the other..again and again, and again. And if we plan it, we are able to enjoy the beauty of the experience along the way.
Today, take a step in the right direction. If you slipped… get up, dust yourself off, and get back on track. Your goal will be a step closer for sure.
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Creative Writing Genius
Fragile: The Art of A Child
The natural creativity of a child inspires us to dream, to expose the feelings of the heart. The heart of a child is not afraid, not Fragile. A child steps out in confidence to do what he or she wants to do.
Today let’s be like a child. Let’s be bold! Let’s reach for those goals, dreams, and aspirations buried deep inside our soul.
Go ahead. Unveil the Dream. Bring it to reality.
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Things That Make You Go hmmm…
Radical Steps To Deal With A Bad Boss
We show up everyday doing a job that we don’t like, and then feel like we are losing our mind when we are expected to be productive and profitable.
Get angry! Tell them off on national TV-like that famous weather reporter did! Give them a piece of your mind-like that flight attendant did, then de-planed! Or quietly sneak away never to return again, which unfortunately happens too often.
Though we may smile at these examples, they are real life situations that actually happened. As a HR consultant, I have worked with clients that have had these experiences and more. Because we spend most of our time at work, it would be great for us to really like what we do, and who we have to work with.
Vincent Van Gogh said that he put his heart and soul into his work and lost his mind in the process. How many of us really feel that way? We show up everyday doing a job that we don’t like, and then feel like we are losing our mind when we are expected to be productive and profitable. It’s hard. But we keep at it if we are to cover our basic needs to survive, thrive, or for those at the higher levels, fulfill our higher need to self-actualize.
STRATEGIES FOR DEALING WITH A BAD BOSS
If you have a bad boss…see qualities in 23 signs you have a Bad Boss, it is not likely that you are going to change them. So here are a few strategies to help you take the steps to work better with him or her.
- Have an early, upfront conversation about what is important to you in a leader and how you can best work together. In a civil manner, discuss things such as:
- Leadership style and the coaching you would need to develop.
- Expectations. What he/she expects from you, and what you expect.
- Perception. How each of you perceive “success” with regard to the job.
- What “meets expectations” or “exceeds expectations” look like on the performance-rating continuum.
- Your current performance
- Be proactive and check in with him or her often to provide reports, or updates.
- Acknowledge them publicly for their support, especially when they have been instrumental in helping you succeed.
- If problems occur that escalate, have a conversation with the HR manager to ensure that any complaints are logged. HR will take the necessary steps to help resolve the issue and can serve as a mediator in future meetings.
- If 360-degree feedback systems, and other anonymous options are in place in your organization, do use them to provide input regarding your concerns.
- Keep a record of dates, times, and specific examples of issues that have occurred so that you will be able to recall them when necessary.
Essentially, do your best to try to work with the situation you are charged with at the moment. Nothing lasts forever. Things do change sometimes. But by all means, if the horizon really looks bleak in that company, then start the process to move on, especially if it starts to negatively affect your health. Start the job change process to search for a new opportunity. Take the steps to:
- Update your Resume
- Refresh your LinkedIn Profile
- Connect with a Recruiter
- Consider other career options
It’s important to heed the caution before you make such Radical change….Making irrational decisions then saying “oh wait”, will be too late. So be cautioned that you never leave a job without first finding another one. It will be well worth it in the long run.
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23 Signs You Have a Bad Boss
We have all had to deal with bad bosses at one time or the other throughout our career. We scream, complain, lose the Zing, become demotivated, do barely enough to get by, or inevitably jump ship. If you are dealing with a bad boss here are a few examples of characteristics that depicts the behavior.
Common Bad Boss Behavior
- Lack of vision and inability to communicate effectively
- Micromanaging
- Thinking you have all the answers and that you must have all the answers
- Working late everyday
- Poor Hiring Decisions
- Failure to Admit Mistakes
- Takes the credit but gives the blame
- Does not Lead by Example
- My way or the high way
- Mistakes being liked for being respected
- Provides little/no feedback or coaching
- Shows favoritism
- Task-focused vs team-oriented
- Embraces the status quo
- Being a good ‘doer’ means you will be a good manager
- Selects and leads based on “like me”
- Ignores diversity of thought or varying opinions
- Past focused vs present/future
- Lacks courage
- Being a friend instead of a leader
- Failing to delegate and demonstrate trust
- Allowing ego and pride to get in the way of good decisions
- Personal agendas/motives
If you are a new manager, reflect on these characteristics. Recognize the signs and plan to change. You will then be on your way to becoming a good leader.
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Captiva’s Edge
Nature’s birds converge at the Edge of the seas. Captiva Island, Florida.
The Sand: Which Goal…
Even downtime is to be planned like a marinating
Summer’s over! Free reign! The iguana walks around like he’s the Don in charge. The gecko scampers on my approach, and the little lizard (big to me but small when compared to the iguana), stands still as if asking me “what you gonna do now”? What can I do but dart in the opposite direction.
That said, it’s the same in our lives. Seasons change and Businesses take on renewed zest. We take a look around and realize …oh yea I’m supposed to be busy working on my goal. The truth is, you should never have stopped. Even downtime is to be planned like a marinating Sandwich until we return.
But don’t be too hard on yourself. Get back in the game. Push forward and catch up.
Here are two Goal guides to help you compliments of The Coaching Tools Company and iHarry.
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Top 10 Success Quotes
I love Quotes. They inspire us to achieve; to go after our dreams, goals and aspirations. They motivate…instilling the desire to move beyond our comfort zone to attain new heights. Quotes encourage… giving us hope especially when we must ride those difficult waves of tough economic times, health scares, job changes, or more. It’s rather comforting to reach for those Quotes that boost our confidence to keep moving forward to maintain the drive for success.
Inspirational Quotes connect us with individuals who have been there done that. Many are the words of famous, influential historical figures whose words last well beyond their years. It is not uncommon for teachers, coaches, and mentors to use the power of Quotes to stimulate our desire to reach our goals. We are driven by their faith in us …that we can accomplish that great feat. Our innate desires sparked, we move forward with renewed zeal.
Success Quotes
Here are 10 of my favorite Success Quotes.
- The starting point of all achievement is desire –Napoleon Hill
- Success is not final: failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts –Winston Churchill
- In order to succeed, we must first believe that we can – Nikos Kazantzakis
- Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it –Bruce Lee
- All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure ―Mark Twain
- You don’t make progress by standing on the sidelines whimpering and complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas –Shirley Chisholm
- Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day –Jim Rohn
- Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort –Franklin D. Roosevelt
- The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will –Vince Lombardi
- With Every Success Comes Celebration -Elaine Cameron-Walters
Do you have a favorite motivational Quote? Do share! We want to hear!
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Write Away…
Success and Stress
Be careful what you wish for.
We often dream of success…however, we define it. But to place a twist on attaining success, one wonders whether the good life is always good. Are the very things that so many individuals strive for, such as a high-paying and powerful job, a beautiful house, a wardrobe of nice clothes in desirable sizes, and a fancy education for children to prepare them for carrying on this way of life: Do these very things turn out to be more trouble than they are worth? In fact, it is believed that the psychological burdens associated with being a low-status individual (i.e., poor) grow lighter as people move up the social ladder, but that is true only to a certain extent. Once individuals achieve more success, the mental and physical health benefits associated with greater affluence fade away. As individuals near the top, life stress increases dramatically, and its toxic effects essentially cancel out many positive aspects of succeeding. Basically, it falls
High Status Stress
The stress of high status is also a reason for caution. Schieman, Yuko, and Van Gundy found that people with higher levels of education and in higher status occupations with higher income experience higher levels of stress. Some factors that contribute to stress include more authority and autonomy, non-routine work demands, involvement, and longer hours, may lead to more conflicts between work and home. This was due to the rationale that the very trappings of success can make life harder for those who are more driven and work devoted.
Power And Stress
Power is another benefit that is a stressor. Having authority over others binds people to all sorts of interpersonal conflicts and management turmoil, leading to very high stress. In the same way, the smaller details associated with micro-impression-management activities, such as getting the right clothes, the right haircut, and the big enough house, as well as raising the attractive, athletic, community-serving kids that will get into Harvard, all contribute to stress.
Also, in high-status communities, such activities might be a requirement rather than a choice in order to maintain credibility. Individuals have to wear the right suit to work or have to live in the right neighborhood, or else people will not take them seriously. Because millions of Americans struggle to make ends meet and would probably be willing to trade places, Time magazine writer Warner warned, “Be careful what you wish for.”
