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janhoistad@drjanhoistad.com

How Business Partners Can Successfully Navigate Growth and Change Together

While some business partners start out as friends, or friendly, it isn’t a requirement to be friends to have a thriving business. In fact some business partners start out as close confidants and then don’t know how to shift when differences come to the surface. Some never establish the mature foundation important in a long-lasting business relationship. Navigating Challenges Together Ingredients of a solid foundation include a steadfast respect for one another as human beings and workmates, impeccable accountability that maintains trust, laser-focus on working the business objectives, and an unwavering perspective that two or more heads are better than one. And acknowledging that challenges arise, a deep commitment to working through them together. Adopting consistent partnering mindset, tools, and skills help you work efficiently and navigate the challenges, saving you time and money. Healthy, mature, successful partnerships establish a solid foundation from the beginning and maintain it throughout. They understand that long-lasting partnerships grow through stages and require consistent commitment to navigate each stage and grow together. Mature partners have a growth mindset, always open to learning—not only staying on top of the latest best business practices, but growing personally and growing in all their relationships. They live their values, and role model them in their business and personal relationships.                                -Dr. Jan Hoistad In many fundamental ways, business partnerships are like marriage partnerships. Those that are long-lasting are well-vetted around compatibility, skill sets, and financials. They are consciously developed with deep discussions around the business, and acknowledge personal [...]

Can’t See A Career Future? 7 Ways to Develop Your Skills Even in a Dead-End Job (While Looking for Another)

DJHP / Careers If you're just surviving at work, here are some ways to get your head out of the sand and personally thrive while looking for a new position. Face the Facts It's amazing how many people are dissatisfied in their everyday worklife. In a recent presentation, Jeffry Brown, President of Global CashSpot reminded his audience that 80% of employees report being unhappy. That today people work 164 hours longer than 20 years ago. That the average person spends 90,000 hours on the job over a lifetime, and that less than 55% of that time is productive. Where are you on this workforce continuum of negative statistics? So much time spent at work - shouldn’t you feel challenged, grow your skills. even enjoy it? If you don’t like your current employer, find your colleagues annoying, or do something that bores you to tears, you need to ask yourself why you’re staying put, how to make the most of it while you are there and then how to move on. After answering that question, it’s probably time to starting looking for a new position. But don’t just bide your time until you find a new one. It’s a waste of valuable hours. Be proactive and put them to good use. Go Beyond Survival No matter what your age or life stage, there are three cornerstones to life planning that are necessary to create a better future. These include self development planning, life development planning, career development planning and — if [...]

10 Ways to Cope with Transitions You Don’t Choose—In Your Business, Career or Life

Transitions are often stressful. Especially when it's not fully your decision. Like losing a job or promotion. They're also a choice point. So if you're facing a tough challenge, consider the following. 1. Take an honest look at yourself. What are your strengths, weaknesses, skills? How did those influence—positively or negatively—the change you are facing? 2. Step up your self-care. Major changes are physically and emotionally taxing. You need self-care now more than ever. 3. Engage your curiosity. What went wrong, or right? What could you have done better? What worked really well? What can you let go of. 4. Focus on what you want, and less on what you don’t want. Keep your eye on the prize. What do you want to take with you into your future? 5. Find support. Since your transition may affect your family as well, it may be wise to seek the outside support of friends or professionals. 6. Work on your thoughts. Mindfulness is key. Calm your fears and reinforce your sense of hope and happiness. 7. Reassure (or avoid for a time) those who are threatened by, or jealous of, the changes to come. 8. Create your own rite of passage. Ceremony and ritual help with all transitions. 9. Let go of how things were “supposed to be” and accept “how things are.” Find appreciation for what is. 10. Keep things in perspective. Or try on a new perspective. So you don’t get stuck.   Remember, the only constant is change.   [...]

Standing Still vs. Reactivity When Facing Career Discontent

Over the course of business, career and personal life we all come to stages when we are dissatisfied, want growth or desire change. Decisions made at these times can have a profound effect on the course of one’s life. We call these “Choice Points” because you have a choice in how you respond or capitalize on them. Awareness of how decisions in one area of your life affects all other areas can be complex. At a Choice Point you can move forward fully aligned, with confidence, or you can be reactive and become sidelined, resulting in a lifetime of consequences you may not want. You can settle for less, never knowing “what if,” or you can take control and strategically plan how you respond to the choice point so you build toward a better outcome. The internal or external circumstances leading to a career choice point are less important than how you approach it. Standing Still: A Proactive Start Instead of exiting a job dramatically, seeking a promotion with lots of over-zealous activity, or starting a new venture flailing about trying everything that the media says you should do, start by Standing Still. Standing Still is taking a breath, taking the discontent as opportunity to become more self-aware so you assess fully, listen to what the discontent is telling you and then, from that centered place opening to new possibilities that are right for you. If you scramble and make change in a state of anxiety or desperation, the chances [...]

Finding Your Purpose at Work

DJHP /Careers Negative employees are everywhere. Odds are good, everyone has been that person at one point in his or her career. I was once that employee, and the reason for my negativity corresponded with my purpose. I had no real purpose for being in that position. I wanted more out of my job and wanted different things than that employer could provide me. Whether you’re in a bad situation or not, finding your purpose is important. And until recently, I’d been floating around, trying to align myself with the career path I was currently in. I realized that I was trying to be someone I could not. No matter how hard I tried, something wasn’t working. Everyone has a purpose. Unfortunately, not everyone knows what that is. It takes thought, time, and a lot of energy. It’s important to understand why you’re here and what’s your reason for your work. Once I realized this for myself, I started targeting my career to fit my purpose. Working with purpose allows me to be the person I truly want to be. It allows me to act accordingly. Everything has become clearer. It may have taken me 29 years to figure out, but I’m now working for my goals and my values. Reflect on what you want (or your values). It’s important to understand your values. These are a part of you. "Everyone has values, but this is the process of making them reality.  Learning how to communicate these to others is golden." Look at [...]

Business Owner Self-Care Leads to More Thriving Business

       When talking about leaders, we often focus our discussions around the needs of employees. Not too far behind that, you’ll hear a lot of talk about the needs of customers. But another facet in the ability to lead rarely makes its way into our public conversations, and that’s your needs. This lack may be detrimental to business, the economy and so much more.        Whether a CEO, entrepreneur, or business owner, you’ve got needs. If those needs aren't being met, it’ll directly impact not just your personal life but your business as well.        Here’s the thing, fulfillment directly correlates with engagement, and engaged employees are 50 percent more productive and 33 percent more profitable. That includes you. You’re also more likely to remain at your job and generate higher customer loyalty — not a bad way to lead, if you ask me. So, what’s getting in the way? Obstacles to Satisfaction        In my coaching experience, there are some tendencies that stand out. The very positive sense of responsibility, seemingly hardwired for men, has a definite downside when misused. They more often sacrifice their personal and family life for their business.  They may mistakenly replace love, presence and attention with providing financially. This choice results in long hours and inattention on the homefront. In addition, they take responsibility for everyone around them at both work and home, typically at the expense of themselves, their physical health, and their mental well-being — not to mention their relationships with those [...]

Is Over-Focusing on Needs Of Others Keeping You From Feeling Success at Work and Home?

Do you find yourself so busy with work assignments and home tasks that you just collapse at the end of the day, never getting to do what you wanted to do for yourself? Are you meeting everyone else's needs but your own? Do the demands of your life outweigh the personal energy you have to meet them? Are others pulling at you from all directions? So many women I know struggle with choices about where to focus their time and energy. They usually end up feeling like they never have enough time. Things that are important to them are relegated to the the back burner where they pile up. This conflict starts with or leads to self doubts about the value of their own needs and wants–let alone their future dreams. There's a lot of societal, environmental, and familial training that goes into over-giving. The good news is that because a huge part of this dynamic is learned behavior, it's possible to unlearn, and train yourself to do it differently. With patience, good commnication and some coach-able skills, it's possible to train others to make adjustments too. Self-Talk and Back-Talk Do a quick self inventory to see where you stand in the balancing act of meeting your needs and others by asking yourself these questions: Am I building up resentment, maybe feeling like no one is working as hard as I am? My head tells me it can't be so, but it sometimes makes me feel like lashing out, especially with coworkers who don't [...]

Do You Fight It or Stand Still When You Feel Discontent at Work?

DJHP /Careers People seldom seek change when things are going well. Seeking to grow during these times is then a choice versus a push. Because the force of nature is all about growth, if we are not doing so, circumstances will arise to create discontent or circumstances leading to eventual change–desired, planned for or not. So the internal or external circumstances leading to the desire for work-life change are less important than how you approach it. You might as well embrace it. Standing Still Brings Self-Awareness Instead of exiting a job dramatically, seeking a promotion with lots of over-zealous activity, or starting a new venture flailing about trying everything that the media says you should do, I’m advising what I call Standing Still. Standing Still is taking a breath, taking the discontent as opportunity to become more self-aware so you assess fully, listen to what the discontent is telling you and then, from that centered place opening to new possibilities that are right for you. If you scramble and make change in a state of anxiety or desperation, the chances of your new life or work being truly satisfying are slim. If you make a desperate move it's like treading water or losing ground. Instead, thoughtfully create steps that actually lead where you want to go. If you do nothing, you’ll be right where you are now. Standing Still is taking a breath, taking discontent as an opportunity to become more self-aware. I have 4 suggestions outlined below for how to navigate [...]

What to Do When You’re Not Having Fun at Work

DJHP / Careers / Generations If you’re not feeling all that satisfied with your job, count yourself as part of the majority. As of 2013, over 52 percent of U.S. workers were unhappy at work. Reasons for dissatisfaction vary, ranging from compensation and benefits to job security and the work itself. But the one reason most troubling (at least to me) was the opportunity to either use or develop skills. While it’s ultimately the employer’s responsibility to provide you with opportunities to develop into a role, that’s not always the case, which can leave you feeling stuck. Of course, we all know what they say about a body at rest. It stays at rest, and this stasis isn’t usually easy to handle. It makes you questions your choices. It leaves you wondering whether the time, energy, and education invested in a career was worth it, and this inevitably leads to difficulties staying fully engaged with your job. Before jumping ship, understand that the time at your current employer can still be used to your advantage, and the process for doing so is a fairly simple one: Establish a development plan. No matter where you are in a career, a job should do more than pay the bills. It should have a reason. It should have a purpose. Why did you take the job? What are your expectations? What are you hoping to gain? Establishing a set plan for development provides direction in how to proceed in your current position. It [...]

Walking the Line: Feedback Vs. Micromanagement

DJHP / Leaders Millennials grew up with the Internet. They also grew up in a world of texting, tweeting, posting, pinning, liking, and following — all of which provide almost instantaneous feedback. Now that they’ve entered the workplace, their expectations are virtually the same for this environment, which has posed a problem for employers. Is this person just needy? Or, is he asking for feedback in hopes of improving his performance and growing in a career? What’s more, will this continuous feedback lead to the micromanaging of employees? To walk that fine line between feedback and micromanagement, I suggest the following: 1. Practice reflective listening. Reflective listening is all about trying to understand exactly what the person is asking, and then offering that question back before your response. It’s a way of clarifying a question or idea prior to providing your feedback as to not confuse the situation. Once you know what they’re seeking, respond with concretes. 2. Role-model behavior. Employees have always looked to leadership in how to behave in the workplace. Follow up and follow through on objectives and promises. Demonstrate integrity by listening actively and communicating appropriately. Be authentic in your interactions with everyone on your team. By role-modeling behavior, fewer questions remain about what’s appropriate (and not appropriate) in the workplace. 3. Own up to mistakes. This really goes hand-in-hand with role-modeling. When you own up to mistakes yourself, and provide an explanation of intent going forward, you’re not just showing your human side but giving [...]

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