Merry Christmas!!

Tis the season, many people are in the midst of celebrating Christmas. They are shopping, entertaining and enjoying time with family and friends.  This is a great time of year to really relax and get away from your role as a leader. However to many people this can be a stressful and hectic time. It becomes a time for many to juggle their obligations to family, to work and the finances.

How do you deal with the stress of the season? You need to find that one thing that is a constant during this hectic holiday. For me it is focusing on the real reason for the season. I focus on Jesus and His birth. It is a calming effect to focus on the one constant in life, Jesus Christ. Through all the chaos and craziness of this season the author of peace and calm is Jesus so I focus on His birth and every blessing He has given my family and I.

What are some things that keep you calm during this hectic season? Here is a list of some things that might help you think about whether they are calming in your life or not.

·         Focus on Jesus

·         Go Shopping (After all you are buying for others)

·         Bake Christmas Cookies

·         Cook a Christmas meal

·         Decorate your house

·         Visit family and/or friends

If you have more please share.

Merry Christmas!!

Five Things

I am sorry I haven't blogged in while. I have had some things I have been taking care of. I found the following blog article that I would like to talk about. It tells five things you shouldn't do if you are a manager. This blog article "Five Things a Boss Should Never Do" is by Brenda Morris please read the article.

The five things are:

• Micro-manage
• Constantly Re-prioritize
• Lose your temper
• Set unreasonable expectations
• Avoid making decisions

If you are a leader you may have encountered people who have done one or all of these things. Have you done any of these things? There is a difference between managing and leading not doing the above will help you manage like a leader instead of manage like a manager.

The next time we will look at Micro-managing.

What's Your Leadership

I would like to find out from my audience what your leadership life is like? Do you find yourself a leader only in one aspect of your life or in all aspects of your life? Maybe you use different styles at work as opposed to your home. Are you a double agent when it comes to leadership, a Jekyll and Hyde type of situation when you lead. What I mean are you a nice leader in one area of your life and a tyrant in the other area of your life?

I want to hear from you. Let me know how you lead in certain situations and if you lead differently and the reason why you lead differently.

It Has Arrived

Winter has officially arrived. Minnesota winters can bring snow and brutal cold and usually both. Today we spent the day digging out from our biggest snow dumping in two years. Last year we were spoiled with mild temperatures and very little snow. In the northern suburbs where I live we were fortunate to be hit with close to 15 inches. Because of this I spent part of the morning shoveling and then this evening shoveling again. I am one of those Minnesotans who does not own a snow blower. I have to clear the snow the old fashioned way, exercise and sweat.

This is all part of a weekend of leisureship. I know what you are saying; shoveling snow doesn’t sound much like leisure. It really isn’t but if you look at it as exercise it is leisure. Many of you might spend money on a gym membership or home equipment when all you have to do is buy a shovel and live in Minnesota.

It is good exercise, shoveling snow, but you have to be careful when shoveling snow to make sure you don’t hurt yourself. Just like any physical activity care should be taken to make sure they exercise does good to your body and not harm.

If you are planning to shovel here are some things to do to prepare yourself before shoveling.

·         Dress in warm layers

·         Avoid caffeine before shoveling

·         Stretch your muscles

·         Begin Slowly

·         Pace yourself and listen to your body

Follow these items and you could have yourself a decent cardio workout. Be sure you also don’t lift too much heavy snow at one time and take short breaks if you need to do so.