Author: Katy Goshtasbi

Hello 2019! While I find the notion of a new year so exciting, I also often find I get extra stressed about it. Will I “perform”? Will I hit my “numbers”? Will it all work out? This is no different than what I hear from clients and their employees who are doing their best to manage stress at work.

It’s often so hard to manage stress at work. After all, the same stress we feel at work is there when we get home to our family, right? If we could figure it out once and for all, then everything would be great.

Can it be that easy? It can, my friends. Here are three tricks to use:

1. Self-awareness- the first thing to do is to notice how stressed you really are at work. Otherwise, how do you know what to fix? For instance, is your stress level impacting your substantive work? Is your stress impacting your relationships at work? I talked all about self-awareness and job success in this post on getting promoted. I know this step can be very difficult, because who wants to look inside, after all. But you are braver than that, so go for it.

2. Seeing it differently- I often say we can’t control how others behave- personally nor at work. So quit trying. That should take the pressure off of you. In fact, if “control” is your thing (who doesn’t have “control” as a challenge?), then perhaps consider taking control of your own perspective and stop focusing on your co-workers and boss’ actions. What do I mean? Well, instead of the looming deadline being a stressor, can you see it from the vantage point of “educational” or your way of “educating and helping others”? Simple, and not easy. I know. Boy, do I know.

3.Do the common sense stuff- educators on stress often point out the need for us to eat well, stay hydrated with water, take frequent breaks, be in nature, stay oxygenated and focused. They are right. If you can build in one or two of these tips a day at work, then you are off to a great start. Studies have shown employee productivity is drastically impacted when employees reduce their stress. So to manage stress at work and be productive, (ie, do more in less time), then perhaps consider: a) take 3 deep breaths before you go into a meeting, b) step outdoors for 2-3 minutes every 3-4 hours c) keep your water bottle full on your desk. Any small change, will make you feel good because you are doing something new.

Not convinced? Please give it a go- if for no other reason than to prove me wrong! It always helps to be able to have these conversations with someone and get support. I’m happy to support you.

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When I was working my way up and through the corporate ladder as a securities lawyer, there was always talk about “strategies to move up” and what to do to “win”. Frankly, everyone had something different to say and none of it fit every person well. There didn’t seem to be any one tip for getting your foot in the door when moving up the corporate ladder.

As my career advanced in Washington DC, I used to get lots of questions about how I “got that new gig” or “that new client”. I used to take people to lunch and tell them what I was doing. Little did I know, I was giving branding advice on the run back then!

I had no real “plan”, per se. I was just following my gut and doing my best to do the right thing- for me and for others. Often, I was unsure if what I was doing was the “right” thing to do. I got nervous and felt uneasy. But the one thing that kept me going was my sense of right and wrong in life.

Nowadays, I work with clients and organizations all the time where the goal is to have the client move up the ranks or to have a particular division be more influential. As time has gone by, I can say I do see a pattern for moving up- no matter where you are on the corporate ladder.

1. There Is No Ladder – When we look at it as climbing the ladder it puts us in a very difficult mentality. What do you think of when you envision climbing a ladder? When I do so, I feel a bit uneasy and unstable and even fear possibly falling off. Doesn’t feel too good, right? So, stop and consider, maybe you should look at it as gliding across the ocean in a boat or skating across an ice rink- whatever makes it feel easier and do-able for you.

2. Listen to Yourself – Taking advice from too many people is not always worthwhile. When you take in too many viewpoints, you tend to confuse yourself. So, listen to others’ experiences and stories. Then step back and adapt everything for yourself. No one knows better than you – that includes reading blog posts like mine!

3. Reduce your Stress – My formal research has proven that as your stress goes up, your self-confidence has gone down. If you don’t believe in yourself and show it, then no one else is going to buy “you” and promote you. End of story. There are so many tools to reduce your stress. Don’t look at it as “fluff” or “mushy”. In a very real way, that’s all there is to your success. Trust me on this one.

4. Have Fun – My dad once told me that if I got up one morning and didn’t like what I was doing for a living, I should change careers. So, I listened to him and never regretted my choice (thanks, dad!). The point is if you are not having fun in business, you are not being a contribution at your ultimate capacity. We can all see it.

5. Are You of Service? – Marianne Williamson says in her New York Times bestseller, “A Return to Love”, that every day our goals at work should be to wake up and be of service. The money will then follow. I totally believe this mentality. It can’t fail. However, often as we are trying to climb the ladder, we lose sight of our real goal. Our work must be a reflection of our greater life purpose and what we are bringing to others by way of service. Clients and superiors can sense our genuine purpose and motive. They respond in kind. Plus, if you are in service you feel good and are having fun (see #4 above).

These tips may sound simple, and it’s not always so easy to implement. There is no magic formula, but the above five tips are golden rules, I’ve found.

Email me and tell me what works for you. Good luck. You’ve got this – I’m your fan!

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When I think of innovation, I don’t think of innovation in the way most people do. I think of innovation as people choosing to see things differently in business. Let’s discuss three examples of innovation in business and how they impacted day to day tasks and see where you can grow your brand and business.

The dictionary defines a synonym for “innovation” as “transformation”.

That’s how I see innovation- where are you in business choosing to see things differently. Transformation is all about truly seeing things differently, which always involves risk and iteration. This requires bravery.

What do I mean? Well, let’s look at three examples of innovation in business that made an impact on day to day tasks. These examples are all based on people choosing to see things differently.

1. Having Fun: why in the world is it such an odd thing to have fun in business?! Why is it that business has to be so serious? Who would ever want to work at a place that is so serious? Isn’t fun a good thing? Most people believe that if work is fun, it will detract from employee productivity. The opposite is true. Zappos is the perfect example. One of Zappos core values is to “create fun”. When employees have fun, they do their day to day tasks- no matter how monotonous- better. That’s a fact of life.

2. Be Kind: A very successful (and unhappy) business man one day told me that I was “too nice in business”. I thanked him for the compliment. I ask you the same question as I did above: when did being kind in business become such a bad thing? If customer and client service really matters, isn’t it all about being kind? Employees are humans. If you treat them with kindness, they feel wanted and perform every day tasks best.

3. Be quirky: Elon Musk is a good example of quirky in business. You can call him whatever you want, but quirky works for him and hasn’t necessarily hurt Tesla. If you don’t believe that, then let’s go back to Zappos. They call it “weirdness” in their top ten core values. Quirky means you are unique and can “own” it. Letting employees show their quirks (within reason) allows them to be themselves and do their tasks well.

You may not consider any of the three above as innovation, but I do. We have to go back to basics in business and in life because we have forgotten the truth in this world.

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