Self-Management Skills You Need To Succeed

Self-management skills are defined as one’s ability to control their actions, feelings, and thoughts in a calculated and constructive manner in order to follow through on their goals and responsibilities. (GlassDoor) With many professionals continuing their careers in a remote or hybrid role, the ability to work autonomously and self-manage is a fundamental part of improving job performance and productivity. People who are well-developed in self-awareness and self-regulation are “well-positioned to develop a set of self-management skills that support them on their work and personal journeys.” (BetterUp)

“Self-Management is all about becoming your own leader by training your mental, physical, social, and intellectual faculties in different ways.” – Dr. Prem Jagyasi. 

With supporting research from the career resource hub at GlassDoor, we compiled four critical components of effective self-management and reveal steps you can take to improve on each of them:

1. Stress Management

“In high-pressure situations, you remain calm and collected. Rather than losing your focus, you find a way to solve stressful problems.”

Learning to balance your physical and emotional capacities is critical to limiting your stress intake and mastering self-management. Where is the benefit of allowing yourself to focus on your job’s negative features and letting yourself get easily upset with co-workers and clients? Keep your happiness and productivity top of mind by prioritizing your stress management and mental health.

Put It Into Practice: 
– Get outside to release tension and recharge for a productive afternoon.
– Set up appointments with a life coach or therapist.
– Define what being ‘healthy’ looks like in your life.
– Set a sleep schedule.
– Reflect in a journal.
– Exercise regularly.
– Get organized.

2. Time Management

“You can prioritize your tasks and get things done on time. You have ways to stay motivated and avoid procrastination.”

The pandemic pushed us outside of our patterns and inside of our homes. With the high connectivity to our house and family, the importance of establishing boundaries is magnified when it comes to work-life balance and upkeeping productivity. From being consistent in your schedule (no matter what it may look like) to minimizing distractions such as social media, web-surfing, or household chores, effective time management is a source for stability and freedom in a hybrid or remote role.

Put It Into Practice: 
– Set your own deadlines.
– Stick to a consistent schedule.
– Learn to say ‘no.’
– Don’t pressure yourself to multitask. 
– Take breaks. Staying at your desk for 8+ hours allows stress to consume your workday.
– Identify your timewasters. 

3. Adaptability

“When things suddenly change, you can control your discomfort and roll with it. Figuring out ways to embrace new situations comes easily to you.”

Optimism and resilience are indications of an adaptable employee. The willingness and preparedness to embrace change is a vital component in measuring effectiveness. Within the unpredictability and frequent change brought by COVID-19, many workers’ flexibility and job performance were tested. As a result, this self-management skill was in high demand to see out success. In shifting to new trends and market trends, the ability to navigate change instills trust from management teams and allows them to focus on other areas desperately needing attention. 

Additionally, adaptability is a core value linked to a variety of essential leadership qualities: (Key Step Media)
– Improved ability to lead in challenging environments.
– More practical and rapid responses to unexpected changes & ability to ‘sell the change.’
– Effectiveness in multiple roles, functions, or different organizations.

Put It Into Practice: 
– Research: Be proactive in staying relevant/current – seeking new solutions and strategies to address new or recurring problems. 
– Push yourself to take risks by setting goals that are outside of your comfort zone.
– Get curious. Stay open-minded and encourage others to do the same (i.e., procedures, technology, delegating responsibilities, etc.)

4. Conscientiousness 

“You are always mindful of what you say and the way you treat others. Others would describe you as kind and thoughtful.”

Conscientious people are careful, disciplined, responsible, and thorough, and they tend to plan and think things through before acting. (NOBA Project) Becoming a more conscientious employee (or self-aware employee) grants greater access to our thoughts, feelings, and desires, thus providing a sense of control. Conscientiousness is achieved by taking a more scheduled, communicative, and diligent business approach in tune with high awareness and appreciation for others. Assertive communication is critical to understanding your purpose and maintaining motivation. Digital miscommunication results from the absence of non-verbal cues such as tone, body language, and facial expressions.

Put It Into Practice: 
– Refine your communication skills.
– Schedule ‘check-ins’ with your management team, clients, or co-workers. 
– Set reminders for your tasks and responsibilities. 
– Organize your desk, desktop, and email dashboard. 
– Set methods for improving punctuality (setting clocks back, buffer times, etc.)

“All management starts with self-management, defined as the intentions and actions to be taken and the quantifying of those actions.” -Julian Pencilliah.

Wrap Up

Having these self-management skills shows that you are a reliable and emotionally intelligent employee. Managing yourself properly allows you to be more successful in achieving your goals and opens doors to future exciting career opportunities. What’s next? Reflect on the areas you can improve your self-management. Acknowledging any need for improvements is the first step towards change.

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Improving Mindfulness For Career Growth

What is mindfulness? The American Psychological Association defines mindfulness as “a moment-to-moment awareness of one’s experience without judgment. It is a state and not a trait.” A mindful individual is fully present and aware of their surroundings and reactions to specific thoughts and situations. Mindfulness is not something people can be born with but instead attained through attentiveness and comprehension. By tending to your thoughts, emotions, and sensations, you can accurately identify your habits and prepare the necessary steps to improve job performance.

A lack of mindfulness presents a disconnected employee walking through their days on autopilot. In the absence of self-awareness, organization, and intentionality towards one’s mental health, employees are not only stunting growth potential but instituting a continuous cycle of detachment as well. Making a conscious effort to these three healthy habits will unify an increased sense of mindfulness and take your career to new heights!

The Quest For Self-Awareness

Being self-aware is a critical part of becoming more mindful, as it allows you to better understand how you fit into your environment. Stay alert of your surroundings; offering attention without personal bias enables you to see how your work affects others and how it makes you feel. As you improve your self-awareness, you will learn to properly assess your capabilities and know your limits. Self-awareness is not just about recognizing your weaknesses but knowing how to capitalize on your strengths as well. 

Self-awareness is a continuous practice that often includes scheduling times to measure your progress and nurture your mind. This can be achieved through daily journaling or speaking with a mentoring figure. But remember, your quest will require you to take on some tough criticism with an open mind and a level of comfortability to examine your perpetual obstacles. Additionally, completing aptitude tests online or seeking performance reviews from your superiors or peers is another great tactic to initiating self-awareness. 

Recognizing Organization as a Form of Self-Care

Are you putting your organizational skills into practice? Becoming more mindful is achieved by putting your self-care methods into practice, and one of the best strategies for your career is organization. Examples include maintaining a well-kept, uncluttered workspace and a structured calendar with blocks of time left open for mindfulness exercises such as journaling, walking, yoga, or meditation.

The Mindfulness and Wellness experts at Mindful.org proceed to expand on the connection between mindfulness and organization by detailing a self-care roadmap. The ‘activity list’ consists of various exercises and strategies written out to become more intentional in your self-care in your Workplace, Physical Fitness, Emotional Life, and Relationships. As you improve on your organization in these areas, you will find yourself to be more confident, energized, engaging, and patient in your career. 

“Self-care means asking yourself what you need and following through on the honest answer.” (Mindful.org)

Prioritizing Mental Health Through Kindness

While mindfulness is recognized as just one outlet for enhancing your mental health, its connectivity to your thoughts, emotions, and sensations makes it a large piece of the puzzle. Humans are naturally wired to be kind, and being kind to others starts with being kind to yourself. When you act on your instincts to be compassionate and mindful of others, you are strengthening yourself and society. Tying into your surroundings, you must make yourself approachable to others and look out for their mental well-being. Studies have shown that providing social support to others often has more benefits to your physical and mental health than receiving it. 

5 Ways To Improve Mindfulness

Via CERIC & Mindworks:

  • Concentrated attention exercises on different objects such as the breath, bodily sensations, or the five senses.
  • Concentrated attention exercises on body movements (e.g. mindful walking, mindful stretching, yoga)
  • Enjoy the silence. Meditations that develop compassion for the self and others. 
  • Eliminate distractions to help avoid multitasking. Focusing on one task or project for a specific period helps to take a weight off your shoulders and pinpoint your attention.
  • Pour yourself into your household chores wholeheartedly.

Final Thoughts

Remember that mindfulness is about showing yourself unconditional kindness during your highs and lows. Mindfulness techniques, such as meditation and relaxation, are proven to enhance moods and dramatically reduce daily stressors. These benefits offer a significant boost to career satisfaction and increased productivity. Erasing stress and worry is not the goal but rather a byproduct of your renewed confidence and elevated sense of purpose.

Stay Vigilant – Watch out for signs of a toxic work culture. Find your support group and keep looking to grow it! Don’t be afraid to allow people the chance to surprise you.

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Reduce Your Daily Stress With These Four Principles

Where does stress come from? The American Psychological Association reveals their top work-related examples:

  • Excessive workloads
  • Low salaries
  • The nonexistence of a work-life balance
  • The feeling of being undervalued and unappreciated
  • Limited growth potential
  • Unclear performance expectations
  • A lack of social interaction

If you are feeling a heavy weight on your shoulders from these everyday stresses, it is likely because you have not learned how to manage your stress effectively. 

With remotely operating jobs here to stay, it has become increasingly difficult to separate our work life from our personal life. While experiencing some levels of stress is unavoidable, there are specific steps you can take to move closer to a healthy work-life balance. Learning to limit your daily stress intake will not only play a tremendous role in your career growth but positively impact your physical and mental health. Hold tight to these four principles:

1. The Power of Saying ‘No.’

It’s always easy to say yes, and you may feel the pressure to do so to advance your career, but is it worth forfeiting your peace of mind? When you are overloaded with responsibilities and rapidly approaching deadlines, you are giving stress an open-door policy into your life. Saying yes to everyone is not the only way to propel your career. In fact, juggling too many commitments is an unhealthy habit that will often lead to experiencing career burnout and ultimately stall your career. 

The career experts at The Mayo Clinic provide three additional reasons to say no:

  • “Saying no isn’t necessarily selfish.” Honor your existing obligations and avoid taking on too much; otherwise, the quality of your performance is at stake.
  • “Saying no can allow you to try new things.” Stay focused on the tasks at hand and use free time to pursue other interests in or outside work.
  • “Saying yes can cut others out.” Saying no allows the opportunity for others in your organization to step up.

2. Set Clear Goals & Boundaries

Are you tired of feeling overwhelmed in your current career? Does your fear of disappointing others lead you to put too much on your plate? Learning to set clear objectives and establish boundaries is an excellent tool to coping with your stress. Maintain self-respect by being assertive rather than aggressive and passive. During your workday, it is not recommended that you divide your focus across several responsibilities at a time. Prioritize and organize your tasks and projects and ensure that your daily tasks tie into an overarching goal. Plan your schedule for the week ahead, and be sure to include breaks (and actually take them!).

Many employees tend to blend their work and home life, which brings conflict and confusion when working to achieve a work-life balance. While the flexibility and freedom offered with a remote position has immeasurable benefits, the blurred line between work and home only becomes more magnified. Making yourself available to answer phone calls and respond to emails at any time of day is again laying a path for feeling burnt out. Establish boundaries in your job to disconnect from the laptop or phone and focus on your personal life. 

3. Relax & Recharge

Taking time out of your day to clear your mind by listening to some music or calling a friend can play a significant role in keeping your stress from catching up to you. Especially in a remote position, the importance of taking time to get away from your desk and get out of the house cannot be understated. Temporarily separating yourself from a stressful environment or assignment can allow you to return to a more focused, calmer state of mind with a fresh perspective. Utilize techniques such as meditation and mindfulness exercises. On a larger scale, using your vacation days is a great way to unwind and return to work feeling inspired and focused. 

4. Eat Healthy & Live Healthy

Don’t push back on your daily stressors with junk food or alcohol. Stress-eating through comfort foods is a safe way to deal with your issues but strictly serves as a temporary solution to your stress. After a difficult day at work, there is no better alternative to letting out your frustrations than a trip to the gym or unwinding at a fitness studio. If exercising is not your currently preferred method, consider alternatives of making time for friends or family, reading a new book, or picking up a new hobby. Prioritizing a good sleep schedule is also critical to effective stress management, which can be achieved by eliminating the use of stimulating devices, such as your phone or television, up to an hour before bed.

Recently, I had a discussion with a Cleveland-based CEO who shared the immense toll that operating from a home office took on his mental and physical health. In addition to becoming more susceptible to stress and dips in productivity, he revealed how he was confronted with a rude awakening one year after the work-from-home order began. After deciding to go for a quick jog and failing to make it down the street, he realized just how out of shape he had become. He did not notice the effects of no longer being able to walk to and from meeting rooms or proactively choose the stairs over the elevator. This consequence was greatly heightened when the alternative was walking a mere few feet out of bed.

The solution? Make time to care for your mind and body.

  • Create your own commute to work or take a few meetings while you walk down your street. 
  • Extend your lunch break to include a quick trip to the gym.
  • Switch to an adjustable sit/stand desk.

Reminder: Experiencing Minimal Levels of Stress Can Be Healthy

Too much stress leads to career burnout, but too little stress? This will enter you into a career rut as you coast through the day-to-day tasks of your week. Facing the pressures of increased performance expectations can be detrimental to your career, but encountering stress in moderation can improve your job performance and health. Experiencing healthy levels of stress, or eustress, keeps employees motivated and ready for the next challenge and allows companies to grow.

Wrap Up

Encountering stress is inevitable, but managing the way you respond to stress can help rid of its negative ramifications. Asking for help is a sign of strength and courage. If you are struggling with feeling overstressed or overworked during this season, remember that you are not alone. Don’t be afraid to reach out for support from your friends, family, or company management. Whoever you reach out to can likely relate to your feelings of anxiety and share an experience that can help you cope. 

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Building A Positive Team Culture

“Individual commitment to a group effort: That is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.” — Vince Lombardi

It takes real leadership to establish a vibrant, uplifting work culture where your employees can feel a sense of authenticity and fulfillment in the workplace. When this kind of working climate is achieved, the foundation for employee satisfaction is secured. Here are a few things you can do to ensure your company’s culture is one that fosters growth and attracts future ‘all-star’ employees.

Hire the Right People

Identifying the ideal ‘fit’ for your active job listings goes beyond hiring the most intelligent individual. Recently, I spoke with a friend in the recruiting industry who revealed that his company ranks ‘culture fit’ as their No. 1 priority in candidate analyzation. He shared a story of turning away a highly qualified IT professional due to his arrogance, smug, and ‘my way or the highway’ mentality. Despite all his accolades and capabilities, it appeared inevitable that his presence would cause strife and disrupt the chemistry within the department. When you establish core company values, your goal should be to identify the same values in individuals before you hire them. 

Relationship Building

When there is limited interaction between colleagues or departments, the challenge of instilling a sense of unity and camaraderie is intensified. So, what steps can you take? Stay intentional when it comes to including others and intermixing your departments. Courtesy of our friends at Inc, here are five leadership tips to help you strengthen relationships and build a sense of community, inspired by Rick Warren’s book, The Purpose Driven Life.

  1. Speak the truth out of respect.
  2. Think of yourself less.
  3. Practice uncommon courtesy.
  4. Maintain confidence.
  5. Focus on frequency rather than intensity.

Check out the full breakdown from Human Capital Specialist, Michael Schneider here.

“Great teams do not hold back with one another. They are unafraid to air their dirty laundry. They admit their mistakes, their weaknesses, and their concerns without fear of reprisal.” -Patrick Lencioni

Establish Goals

Every employee wants to feel heard, valued, and like they made a difference. Setting new goals with your employees, both from an individual standpoint and as a team, offers the chance to make that happen. Additionally, challenge your employees to step out of their comfort zones and set some new objectives for themselves. It can be daunting, but excelling in an area outside your specialization brings a level of job satisfaction that cannot be measured.

Track the progress of these goals and encourage them throughout the way. Advocating for your employees will renew their motivation and yield feelings of importance and purpose. However, make sure that the goals set forth are ones you believe are attainable and align with the employee’s strengths. Falling short of a goal can put your employee in a rut, but completing these goals will build a sense of job security and loyalty.

Be a Role Model

If you have expectations for your employees to follow company values or act a certain way, you must understand those same guidelines apply to you. If you have core values of integrity, honesty, and fairness, you must demonstrate those values and lead by example. Choosing to put your team before your objectives is one of the most manageable steps to creating a positive culture. 

Make yourself readily available. Being in the building is not enough. If you want your brand to have a positive correlation and message, it starts at the top. Show respect to your employees and allow them to feel comfortable approaching leadership with any questions, concerns, and frustrations. Mastering ‘The Art of Listening‘ will establish a healthy work culture through trust, empathy, and complimentary exchanges. When you choose to empathize with them, trust is established for both parties.

The Benefits of a Positive Culture

Employee satisfaction is the driving force behind a business’ success. When your team sees value in the work they are doing, there are enhanced levels of joy and loyalty that can become contagious throughout your company. Courtesy of our friends at Forbes, we take a look at a few of the top benefits that a positive work culture ensues: 

Recruitment
People want to work for organizations that are thought highly of by their peers. A toxic work environment can be picked up on by candidates right away, so having a positive culture is a real competitive advantage for employers.

Collaboration
When there is a sense of authenticity and fellowship, it gives way for more social interaction. Workplace acquaintances develop into genuine relationships, and fruitful ones at that! When there is open communication and teamwork, amazing things can happen.

Reduced Stress
A strong corporate culture tends to boost employee morale, health, and work performance. When employers are dedicated to seeing their employees achieve a healthy ‘work-life balance,’ you will find increased focus, communication, and interest in their work.

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