Work-Life Balance: !

Pulling Your Own Strings!

Presentation to !

Ruby Tuesdays !

October 17, 2006 !

Bryan Hiebert !

Faculty of Education Division of Applied Psychology!

2 !

Overview !

•! Stress revisited!

•! What is resilience? !!!Resilience comes in people!

•! Some environments are more easy to be resilient in than others !

•! Leaders are responsibility for creating an environment !conducive to resilience and balance !

2 !

3 !

Demands " Stress !

Intensity !- Demand !

Nature !

- Coping Resources !

- Consequences !

Appraisal !

DEMAND!

4 !

What is stress? – Revisited !

Intensity !- Demand !Nature !

- Coping Resources !- Consequences !

Appraisal !

DEMAND!

Demand! Coping!

5 !

Avoid self-blame !

6 !

What is resilience? !

The ability to bounce back (recover)

when hit with unexpected

demands out of out of the blue !

Take things in stride !

7 !

Resilience Model!

•! Stressors!

•! Environmental contexts !

•! Person-environment transactional process!

•! Internal resiliency factors!!!Personal agency!

!!Peoples’ beliefs in their ability to control their own functioning !+ control what occurs in the environment !

8 !

Creating Resilience: !

Who’s job is it? !

•! It’s a leadership job !

!! BUT don’t wait for your boss !

•! Learn how to train your boss !

!!Approach your boss with solutions,

not problems!

!!Stroke your boss, !

what goes around comes around !

!!You can make a difference in YOUR

emotional climate !

9 !

Who is in charge of your life anyway? !

•! It depends on how you look at it !

•! Can you count on others to !

look out for your best interest? !

!!Usually not!

The answer needs to be ME !

I’m in control !

10 !

Work – Life Balance: !

Who’s in charge? !

The answer needs to be ME!

I’m in charge !

11!

Watch your perspective !

12 !

Creating a Sense of Control !

•! Start small!

!!What you eat affects how you feel !

!!Be hydrated!

•! Give yourself permission to

negotiate demands !

•! Be self-directed !

13 !

Perspective is Important !

14 !

Giving yourself voice !

If you ask me !

and nobody has… !

Don’t wait to be asked !

15 !

Creating Resilient Communities !

•! 3 factors are predictably !

difficult to deal with !

!!Intense and unpleasant demands !

!!Uncertainty (about outcomes) !

!!Ambiguity (regarding expectations) !

•! Not all demands are reasonable!

16 !

A Starting Point !

All things !

To all people!

All the time!

is !

All over !

17 !

Plan for Balance !

•! If you are a schedule person !

!!Schedule your leisure time!

•! Start with the small stuff !

•! Create non-work-like balance points!

•! Listen to your body !

!!Before it sends you a message you

can’t ignore !

18 !

Keep your priorities on track !

19 !

Plan for Balance !

It’s fun to have fun!

but you have to know how !

20 !

Creating A Positive Climate !

•! Say something nice to colleagues !

!!Every day!

•! Message seen is stronger than

message spoken !

•! Need to model what we are trying to

accomplish!

•! Walk the Talk!

•! Create slogans to keep a positive focus !

21 !

Slogans to sustain a positive focus !

•! No one can insult you !

Without your permission !

•! Stop Psychosclerosis !

(hardening of the attitudes) !

•! I will not should on my self today !

•! Change is inevitable !

Growth is optional !

22 !

Say NO! to zero tolerance !

Zero!

A little tolerance is a good thing!

Tolerance!

23 !

Creating a Resilient Workplace: !

Who’s job is it? !

•! It’s a leadership job to create a

healthy work environment!

•! Model the goal – set a good

example!

•! Jump on mistakes !

OR jump on successes !

24 !

Bosses want motivated employees !

2 key factors for motivation !

•! The goals must be valued

(valuable)!

•! The goal must be perceived as

achievable (achievable) !

•! Create a motivation-oriented

environment !

25 !

A New Approach to Leadership !

•! If it goes wrong,!

!!say “I did it.” !

•! If it goes sort of OK, !!!say “we did it.” !

•! If it goes really well!

!!say “you did it.” !

•! Reduce “Look at me, look at me.”!!!And replace it with “Look at us” !

!!or better yet, “Look at them.”!

26 !

Control and Choice !

•! Lobby for structural changes !

•! Some people always will feel they !have no control!

•! Many workers feel that the clocks are controlled in head office!

!!Consider ditching the clock? !

•! Demands gravitate towards competence !(so be prepared or be less competent) !

•! Basic assertiveness helps keep balance !

•! Bottom line …!I need to be pulling my own strings !

27 !

Summary: Tell them what you told them !

•! What is stress?!!!Stress comes in people !

•! What is resilience?!!!Resiliency comes in people !

•! Work-life balance!!!I’m an active player in managing my life !

!!How do you contribute to your own balance? !

!!How do you interfere with it? !

•! Some environments are more conducive to being resilient and balanced !!!What have you done to !

make your life more balanced? !

28 !High above the hushed crowd, Rex tried to remain focused. Still he couldn’t shack

one nagging thought, he was an old dog and this was a new trick. !

Work-Life Balance: !

Pulling Your Own Strings!

Presentation to !

Ruby Tuesdays !

October 17, 2006 !

Bryan Hiebert !

Faculty of Education Division of Applied Psychology!