Our recent Linkedin poll results show that most respondents had a healthy relationship with their boss.  A significant minority however described their relationship with their boss  as “Nightmare, I can’t wait to leave.”  It is easy to see how this situation can develop:

One issue that has come up frequently with our coaching clients recently has been making up stories about what their boss expects.  The various scenarios have some common factors:

• the boss is very busy and has not been in touch as frequently as usual
• the executive has high standards for themselves and their performance has been rewarded with extra responsibilities
• the executive has, in the absence of a clear communciation of expectations, made up a story that they are expected to deliver huge improvements rapidly
• the executive ends up working extremely long hours, to the detriment of their family relationships, their energy levels, their health and their moods
• their colleagues feel less inclined to help out or go the extra mile, making life even harder for the executive
• the boss is in blissful ignorance of the blood, sweat and tears being expended
• the executive ends up feeling resentful towards their “heartless” boss

The good news is that the coach can hold up the mirror to this situation and encourage the executive to test out their assumptions.  The executive can take control by designing a weekly diary that brings more balance to their week so that they are not only productive and effective, but are enjoying their newly expanded role.  And the boss is impressed that they have made proactive decisions.

If you enjoyed this article, try our others on Managing Your Boss (Part 1) and Work/Life Balance.

To find out more about how Business Jigsaw Coaching could help you, go to www.businessjigsaw.com

So what sort of boss do you have? Would your job satisfaction, productivity and general wellbeing increase if you got along better with them? (Do our quick survey here).

This is a topic commonly raised by our coaching  clients, and we have developed some tips to help in this area:

1. Understand their world – Your job is always to make your boss’s job easier. The better you understand his/her goals and pressures, the better results you will get.

• Align your job goals with your boss’s targets and other informal areas that get noticed.
• Summarise information and have the detail to hand if needed.
• Be clear on what you need from them (decision, input, information) and by when.
• The No Surprises rule.  Keep your boss up to date with any brewing issues or opportunities.

2. Manage your reactions – You can be someone who reduces your boss’s stress levels or increases them.  Use every ounce of your emotional intelligence to maintain a positive state, read his/her moods, judge when to drop by for a chat and when to quickly provide data. Your number 1 issue may only be number 10 on their list.

3. Change the chemistry to get a different result – Understanding personality types and how best to relate to opposite types is a powerful tool.  It is vital when your boss has a different working style to your own. We use a variety of psychometric profiling tools like Insights Discovery Profiles, MBTI and DISC. By exchanging notes on the way you both prefer to communicate, tensions and conflict can be avoided.

And finally, if you find a great boss who values and respects you – hang on to them!

Look out for our series of articles offering detailed tips on managing different types of boss.

Don’t forget our quick survey here.

Meanwhile, please feel free to browse some of our other posts on Work/Life Balance, Dealing with Overwhelm and Goal Setting.

To find out more about our coaching programmes, please click here, or contact Clare Moore on clare@businessjigsaw.com

Here is a simple five point approach for when your shoulders are up around your ears, tension headaches are striking and sleepless nights seem to be regular occurances:

1.  Write down a list of everything that needs to get done. Include non work stuff like MOT, doctor or dentist appointments, the children’s party invitations or gifts and family birthdays. When you think you’ve got everything, take a minute to remember another 5.

2.  Prioritise the list with A= MUST happen this week, B = MUST happen this month, C = OTHER

3.  Go down the list and write down the initials of the person who could get this done (be creative here – you can delegate upwards and across as well as down)

4.  Block out time in your calendar this week for all of the As with your initial

5.  Start your first task – delegating everything with someone else’s initials on it.

These 5 steps usually don’t take more than 15 minutes and they will get you back into a resourceful state of mind.

For more information on how to bring balance and focus into your life, read our other posts on Getting Your Work/Life Balance Back and Making New Year Resolutions Stick.

To find out more about Business Jigsaw’s Coaching Services, please click here.

During your career there will be times when you are stretched and challenged to achieve more, and you will feel enthused and energized by this.  At other times, how you feel may not be quite so confident and positive.  Pressing deadlines and an over-flowing in-tray may leave you behaving like our friend pictured above – someone who has lost sight of ‘going home time’ and has resorted to setting up camp in the office.

So, if your working hours are starting to creep up and loved ones are calling you in the office simply to check you are still alive, here are 3 quick-fix ways to get your work/life balance back:

1. Get Organised.  Create a master To Do list which captures your personal as well as professional commitments.  Diarise when you will attend to them.  For larger tasks, particularly those which require the input of others, carefully schedule your hands-on work-time and a completion date which will still allow for a small catch-up contingency.  Do this with every new Task as it lands on your To Do list.
2. Get More Done At Work.  Minimise distractions and interruptions over key work-periods.  Switch phones to voice-mail and close open email applications – create regular ‘focus-slots’ throughout the day to allow you to stay on top or your To Do list.  If you are interrupted by a colleague coming to your desk, explain that you are keen to finish off a particular task and specify a time when you will be free to give them your full attention.
3. Reduce Email Stress.  Manage your email inbox by creating folders which allow you to file emails by subject or sender.  Make full use of automatic rules, particularly for subscription emails or regular non-urgent emails which can quickly clog your inbox.  A streamlined inbox will allow you to quickly identify pressing matters which require your attention – if any of these add to your To Do list, manage when and how you will attend to them by diarising them as tasks for follow up.

By consistently applying this three-pronged approach to managing your time, distractions and interruptions will become a thing of the past.  Your desk will return to being a haven of calm productivity and your family and friends will once again enjoy the pleasure of your relaxed company.

For more information on how to bring focus and balance to your life, read our posts on Dealing with Overwhelm and Making New Year Resolutions Stick.

To find out more about Business Jigsaw’s coaching services, please click here.

As you know, most people drop their New Year Resolutions within days or sometimes weeks.  But you are NOT most people. These simple tips will massively increase your chances of success.

1. It’s impossible to focus on lots of things – so narrow your ideas down to one thing you really want to achieve.

2. Set your goal with clarity – exactly what, by when and how will you know you’ve got there? For example, I will run in the local 10k competition in April, crossing the finishing line in under 55 minutes.

3. Commit by telling other people about your goal and asking them to hold you to your plan.

4. Break your goal down into a plan – what are the steps you will take to make it happen?  For example, agree a training plan with friend to run twice a week, building up the distance and speed.

5. Take the first step now…. I’m already on my way out to buy those new running shoes!

For more information on bringing focus and balance into your life, please read our posts on Dealing with Overwhelm and Getting Your Work/Life Balance Back.

To find out more about Business Jigsaw’s coaching services, please click here.