Short Chick w/the Walking Stick: “Stick To It’’ / Strained Workplace Relationships

Some workplace relationships are simply to be endured. I was discussing how to persevere in relationships with a more experienced group this week. It was agreed that workplace relationships are the trickiest relationships of all – and this came from a group of mostly married people.

If the workplace relationship is an especially challenging one at our place of employment, how do we Stick To It – No Matter What?

The situation gets trickier still when one of the people in that challenging relationship hands the other person her or his paycheck. Those situations require a little more finesse. Today we’ll concentrate on strained coworker, peer to peer, relationships.

Stick To It when workplace relationships can’t be ignored.

Thankfully, most workplace relationships are not ones I’ve wanted to ignore. I was fortunate that in my 20-odd employee working years on the job, I was surrounded by a lot of really great people in the form of coworkers and managers. Many became close friends.

However, I experienced my share of workplace relationships that fell to the other extreme. Those are the ones that make office hours, and after-office hours, miserable.

The very relationships you want to desperately ignore are ones you decidedly can’t. Paying the mortgage depends on it.

Assuming you’ve tried everything to professionally and maturely work together, and the vibe is not there, and never will be, the best you can do is accept it for what it is. Know it will not change and work around that person as best you can.

Stick To It when direct communication within strained workplace relationships is challenging.

When you do have to work together or have direct communication, keep it brief, on task, professional, and walk away when the required business is done.

No need to linger, no need for small talk, no need to extend the pain any longer than is necessary for either of you. The other person wants to be done with you as quickly as you do with them. Let them. By all means, help them toward that mutual goal.

Don’t get distracted by their desire to draw you into a disagreement. Stick to the plan. Stick to the point of the conversation. And then be done with it.

Stick To It when a workplace relationship is otherwise non-productive.

Sticking to a workplace relationship may mean letting go of any non-productive part of it and concentrating only on the good that comes from it. If it’s a strained work relationship, focus on only that part of it necessary to get the job done.

I recall one or two specific workplace relationships where each of us nearly visibly bristled when approached by, or needed to approach, the other party. It wasn’t pretty.

The conversations were brief, to the point and devoid of niceties. Sometimes that’s the best that can be done. Our positions required infrequent but necessary interaction, equally loathed by each person.

There may be no good reason for the animosity. Some personalities don’t jibe and never will. It’s not necessarily a reflection on either party. It simply is what it is. Sticking to some kind of plan to get and give the required information for the job requires as much perseverance as any other effort.

In strained workplace relationships, make a plan to get the job done, and Stick To It – No Matter What.

Stick To It til next Thursday,

Kris Harty

Stickabilities Specialist and Perseverance Thought Leader

www.StrongSpiritUnlimited.com

P.S. Don’t get side-tracked by petty workplace relationship issues. Just git ‘er done.

Copyright Kris Harty 2011

Reprint Permission: Credit Kris Harty, The Short Chick With The Walking Stick, with the following paragraph:

“Reprinted from…” Kris Harty, The Short Chick With The Walking Stick, Thought Leader on Perseverance, Keynote Speaker, Workshop and Discussion Facilitator, and Author of the upcoming book ‘A SHOT IN THE ARM AND A STRONG SPIRIT: How Health Care Givers Help Patients Persevere.’ For more information on perseverance and a message of hope, visit Kris’ Web site: www.StrongSpiritUnlimited.com or contact her at StrongSpirit@StrongSpiritUnlimited.com. Don’t quit, keep persevering through strained workplace relationships and Stick To It – No Matter What!

The Short Chick with the Walking Stick: Stick To It! #4

How do you Stick To It when your goal’s finish line keeps moving?

With each step toward your goal, the finish line in front of you moves farther enough away to cause eye strain.

Maybe your goal is obtaining employment, a certain job at work or running your own business. It could be getting back in shape or working through relationship problems.

Whatever the goal, don’t let the moving finish line stop you. Keep going.

Stick To It when the goal’s finish line is a moving target.

I experienced my most recent ‘moving-target finish line’ while writing my book. If you’re an author, maybe you can relate. If you’re not, no doubt you have your own book-like experience. The more you do, the further out that finish line gets pushed. Sound familiar? The dangling carrot principle at its finest. It takes chutzpah to keep going, to persevere.

In August, I started the process of writing my soon-to-be-available book. And what a process it was. It was a good thing I didn’t know what all was ahead, or I might not have started.

Can you say vertical learning curve?

Stick To It when the process seems never-ending, when you want to quit.

When you’re tackling something new or familiar, it’s hard  – and it takes guts – to keep working toward an unknown outcome. The continual feeling of ‘will this never end?’ can be exhausting.

I don’t know about you, but I like to be the go-to person. I like to be well-versed in whatever role is on my plate. It’s hard to be that when there is so much to learn, and implement, before you can move to the next level.

But the next level is where I want to be – NOW.

Paraphrasing the words of author Jerry Jenkins, I want to have written a book. I’m not so crazy about the time and process involved in the ‘sitting down and writing’ part.

Stick To It: the finish line, like an object in a mirror, is closer than it appears.

I can only say that in retrospect. For months and months, I was writing, then rewriting, then editing, editing and editing some more. All the while learning about the book publishing world, creating covers and titles, and working on all the geeky details involved along the way.

I thought the end would never come.

And then, poof. The fog cleared and I could see the sparkling, beckoning, welcoming finish line. Right there, right in front of me. It was there all along, waiting patiently.

I had only to keep pushing toward it. It hadn’t ever really moved. When I took my sights off the finish line, it seemed to move because I realized all the steps between where I was and where it was. But the steps were there all along. My eyes didn’t register them for what they were. I wanted to take longer strides than my short legs would allow.

But there’s no shortcut, no cutting corners. Every step needs to be taken to get us to the next one. Having a Walking Stick at my side helped me push along to the next step and the one after that. Find your Walking Stick and push yourself along.

Your finish line is closer than it appears.

Stick To It til next Thursday,

Kris Harty

Thought Leader on Stickabilities

P.S. Don’t count your steps. Count your finish lines.

Copyright Kris Harty 2011

Reprint Permission: Credit Kris Harty, Short Chick With The Walking Stick, with the following paragraph:

“Reprinted from…” Kris Harty, Short Chick With The Walking Stick, Thought Leader on Perseverance, Keynote Speaker, Workshop and Discussion Facilitator, and Author of the upcoming book ‘A SHOT IN THE ARM AND A STRONG SPIRIT: How Health Care Givers Help Patients Persevere.’ For more information on perseverance and a message of hope, visit Kris’ Web site: www.StrongSpiritUnlimited.com or contact her at StrongSpirit@StrongSpiritUnlimited.com. Don’t quit, keep persevering and you’ll Stick To It – No Matter What!

The Short Chick with the Walking Stick: To Quit or to Stick

When I say I’m the Thought Leader on Perseverance, most people nod, smile and admit that they quit too easily. Most people go on to tell me that they need more perseverance because they invariably quit to soon at whatever is on their plates.

Perseverance. It’s a long word followed by a short attention span.

What do I mean by that?

Most people admit to me they’d rather quit something difficult and start up something easier, even if the something easier isn’t their passion.

We’ve become a nation of people who quit. Or have we?

We live in an Instant Gratification world. We live in an Instant Everything world. We’ve lost the art of persevering. It’s so much easier to quit.

We try another Web site when the one we want takes longer than three seconds to load. We tune out this month’s flavor-of-the-month project at work knowing it won’t last long. We enter in and out of relationships as soon as they get a little rocky.

I’m here to bring back perseverance. Some people are bringing sexy back. I’m bringing Stick-To-It back, and maybe that in itself is sexy.

Who doesn’t want someone who is in it for the long haul, personally or professionally?

We’re attracted to people who don’t quit. They’re sexy.

Athletes at the top of their game are sexy. As are Oscar-winning actors. And so are the biggest business names. Why? Because they’re not quitters.

If they’d quit their craft along the way, would we ever have heard of them? They kept at it and succeeded. Success is sexy. Success only happens for those who Stick To It – No Matter What!

So how do we keep going when we’d rather…not?

Follow the Stickability Steps to persevere when you’d rather quit.

Pick a project on your plate that you wish wasn’t, and see if my simple Stickability Steps help you Stick To It this week.

1. Stick To The Plan. Set your sights on the end product, know there will be bumps along the path, and plan to flexibility steer around them to reach the goal you want to see happen.

2. Stick Out Your Hand. Seek out someone who has traveled a similar path and ask for their tips. Find someone who is following your path and offer them a hand up.

3. Stick Together. Don’t think you’re the only one who has ever encountered the issues you’re facing. You have lots of company, and they’re usually willing and happy to let you know you’re not alone.

Persevere through any sticking points. Don’t quit.

Stick To It til next Thursday,

Kris Harty

Thought Leader on People Helping People Persevere

www.StrongSpiritUnlimited.com

P.S. Only quitters quit, so help bring perseverance back, back to the point where it’s sexy.

Copyright Kris Harty 2011

Reprint Permission: Credit Kris Harty, Short Chick With The Walking Stick, with the following paragraph:

“Reprinted from…” Kris Harty, Short Chick With The Walking Stick, Thought Leader on Perseverance, Speaker, Workshop and Discussion Facilitator, and Author of the upcoming release ‘A SHOT IN THE ARM AND A STRONG SPIRIT: How Health Care Givers Help Patients Persevere.’ For more information on perseverance and a message of hope, visit Kris’ Web site: www.StrongSpiritUnlimited.com or contact her at StrongSpirit@StrongSpiritUnlimited.com. Don’t quit, keep persevering and remember to Stick To It – No Matter What!

Sticking Points to Small Business Success

Sticking points may feel like barriers to small business success. In reality, persevering through them is the linchpin to success.

It’s only when we reach a sticking point in our small business plan that we’re forced to dig deeper. How can we creatively solve the problem? How badly do we want to succeed? How badly do we not want to fail?

Acknowledge sticking points as an ongoing event toward small business success

Unfortunately, sticking points are not a one-time occurrence in the running of a small business. Businesses are loaded with problems. When these problems first appear on the horizon, they often seem unsolvable. It takes time to find a solution.

And we all know there is never enough time when running a business.

On top of everything else we need to do in our daily operations, there is now this huge sticking point staring us in the face. What are we going to do about it?

Choose failure or small business success at each sticking point

If we choose not to let this sticking point derail our goals, we can persevere by pushing past the threshold we’re at and rise to the next level in our business. This guaranteed learning curve provides us our linchpin. We either choose to fold and fail, or we choose to stick to finding a solution and succeed.

Each sticking point betters our business, if we allow it.

Recognize sticking points as linchpins to small business success

How do we go about turning this linchpin to our small business’ favor?

1. Stick To The Plan. Determine that you will succeed, that there is a solution and that you will not fail. Remember your original plan for your business. Persist toward it, while remaining flexible in the path to get there, knowing sticking points merely reroute us for a bit.

2. Stick Out Your Hand. Reach out to those who are further along the small business journey to find out what they learned from their own similar linchpin. It may seem that you’re the only one who has ever encountered your sticking point – but surprise! – you have uncountable company.

3. Stick Together. Problems often cause us to want to isolate ourselves. We like to think and project ourselves as being in control at all times. Admitting we’re facing a sticking point feels like failure in itself. By not hiding it, we exponentially better our chances for success.

Persevere through your next sticking point. Use it as the linchpin it is to propel your small business success another step or two further up the entrepreneurial ladder.

Stick To It til next Thursday,

Kris Harty

Thought Leader on People Helping People Persevere

www.StrongSpiritUnlimited.com

Here’s to persevering toward small business success!

Fight Entrepreneurial Fatigue to Reach Small Business Success

Instead of reading this blog, what should you be doing toward your small business success?

 You’ve told yourself it’ll wait, that another hour – or day – won’t make that much of a difference to your small business success. As entrepreneurs, we love our freedom – and that can be our small business’ biggest downfall.

It’s tough to keep going when distractions abound, motivation lags, and we’re tired.

Steps to Fight Fatigue when Aiming for Small Business Success

We’ll address, weekly, how to persevere through entrepreneurial fatigue – and fatigue in all other parts of our lives, including relationships.

Each week, we’ll talk in-depth on specific points of how to persevere. These points are called Stickabilities, as in Stick To It – No Matter What!

Not to spoil the suspense, but here goes. The three overriding secrets to fighting entrepreneurial fatigue:

Stick to the Plan

Stickability #1:  Stick to the Plan.

Focus on the future. Sometimes the future seems a long way off. But doesn’t it seem like we were just celebrating the new millennium? That was over a decade ago. How fast did we get to the future we’re now living in? Crazy fast. Heads up, the next ten years will cruise even faster. Where do you want to be when they’re up? Focus on the future by Sticking to the Plan.

Stick Out Your Hand

Stickability #2:  Stick Out Your Hand.

Giving is getting; getting is giving. If we’re thinking we can make a go of our businesses by being literal solopreneurs, think again. It takes a village to raise a child; it takes a metro area to raise a business. The great thing about receiving help is it also invariably provides a way for us to recover our egos by giving help in return. To give help is to get help is to Stick Out Your Hand.

Stick Together

Stickability #3:  Stick Together.

It’s all about relationships. Even in our techno-world, it’s still about relationship. We’re geared that way as humans, like it or not. We do business with those we know, not with strangers. As entrepreneurs, we need to band together with other ‘treps, whether in similar or dissimilar industries, friendly competitors or otherwise. We’ll keep going by sharing business insights as we Stick Together.

It’s not your average, standard accepted protocol to divulge all the goods upfront. But trust me, you ain’t read nothing yet. I’ve been called by many labels, but ‘average’ is not one of them. We’ll have some fun while generating great insights and discussion. Stick around.

Stick To It til next Thursday,

Kris Harty

Thought Leader on People Helping People Persevere

www.StrongSpiritUnlimited.com

Here’s to your small business success!