The Modern Observer Group

Feb262020 by Modern Observer GroupNo Comments

Strategies to Use When You’re Feeling Anxious

It’s normal to experience occasional anxiety — for example, when we’re faced with a high-stakes meeting, a stressed-out boss, or a conflict with a colleague. Feeling anxious can make you more vigilant, engaged, and productive, but it can also exacerbate negative thoughts. To regain control of your internal monologue, there are a few strategies you can try. First, take note of any physical cues: a churning stomach, sweaty palms, or flaring nostrils. When you experience these systems, divert your attention away from the stressor. One technique is to do a tough math problem in your head. Then, identify the “thought trap” you’re falling into. Are you catastrophizing (i.e. imagining the worst possible outcome)? Mind reading (i.e. imagining what others might think?) Or black-and-white thinking (i.e. considering only two possible outcomes)?…

Feb32020 by Modern Observer GroupNo Comments

Lean Into Adversity

Attitude and Mindset, Featured

When times get tough, many people think the first thing they need to do is minimize the pain. It's a reasonable idea. No one wants to suffer after all. If you minimize the pain it's easier to get through the adversity. That may or may not be true but minimizing the pain, can actually make the situation worse. Adversity brings out who people are. It breaks people and organizations down and builds them back up. Thins about the worst things that have happened in your life. You would not be the same person you are today if they didn't happen. To be stronger you need to lean into adversity. Focus on solving the problem: What caused the adversity? Fix it.Deal with the fallout: What's the fallout from the problem? Accept…

Jan312020 by Modern Observer GroupNo Comments

Don’t Brush Off Positive Feedback — Study It

Attitude and Mindset, Featured

Most of us remember critical feedback. Criticism is jarring and threatening, so it tends to stick in our brains. Most of us dismiss positive feedback, sometimes people think of it as people being nice and sometimes people assume that it's sarcasm. We have been conditioned not to pay attention to positive feedback. Positive feedback is an invaluable way to learn about your strengths and growth areas. Create a space (digital or physical) where you save the praise you get, anything from thank-you cards to written notes in your evaluations to comments in email threads. When you get mixed feedback, tease apart the positive and negative aspects, and put the positive ones in your kudos folder as well. Set a time in your calendar to periodically review and reflect on what…

Jan202020 by Modern Observer GroupNo Comments

Skate To Where The Puck Is Going To Be

Attitude and Mindset, Featured, Improvement

Hall of fame hockey player Wayne Gretzky famously described his method for success in the quote, "I skate to where the puck is going to be, not to where the puck has been." Business people have recited the quote for years, but what does it really mean? In its simplest form, the quote refers to success being a moving target. You can't hit a moving target by aiming where it has been. You need to be able to anticipate where the target will be. While this sounds obvious, in practice more people try to move the target back to where it was rather than figure out where it is going. In an age of fast moving innovation, the target doesn't move back. Employees are being replaced by contractors. If you…

Dec232019 by Modern Observer GroupNo Comments

Yes Virginia There Is A Santa Claus

Attitude and Mindset, Featured

Every year we reprint this editorial from The New York Sun. Eight-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon wrote a letter asking if Santa Claus was real. The answer has become part of history and should never be forgotten. Here is the letter and editorial response. DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old.Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.Papa says, ‘If you see it in THE SUN it’s so.’Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus? VIRGINIA O’HANLON.115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET. VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men’s or children’s,…

Dec62019 by Modern Observer GroupNo Comments

To Come Up with New Ideas, Get Out of the Office

Attitude and Mindset, Featured

Every leader needs to come up with ideas that will separate their companies from the crowd. And to do things that your competitors don’t, you need to see things that other people miss. Find ways to expose yourself to new ways of thinking. For example, go on a business field trip and spend time as a customer — of your company’s products or another’s. Look at how employees serve people, where bureaucracy gets in the way, and whether there are opportunities to improve. You might also consider swapping jobs for a day with a counterpart from a different industry. Notice how the other company approaches engagement, motivation, and communication. What can you learn? And if you can’t leave the office, try a simple perspective-swapping exercise: Pretend you’re the CEO of…

Dec42019 by Modern Observer GroupNo Comments

How Leaders Can Make Better Use of Feedback

Attitude and Mindset, Communication, Featured

Do you get real value out of feedback? Sometimes leaders aren’t sure how to move from receiving it to using it to grow. To put your feedback into practice, Harvard Business Review recommends that you take the following steps. First, talk it through with someone who is trustworthy, curious — and not in a position to evaluate your performance. Ask them to listen carefully and help you sort through your thoughts. Next, draft a development plan. It should include a summary of the feedback, questions you have about it, the steps you’ll take to improve, and the help you’ll need. Then share this plan with the people who gave you the feedback, and use the opportunity to ask your questions. Don’t debate or get defensive. Next, revise your plan with…

Dec22019 by Modern Observer GroupNo Comments

Building Your Career While You Wait for Your Dream Job

Attitude and Mindset, Featured

When you’re starting your career, should you hold out for your dream job or take anything you can get? Trick question — the answer is “a little of each.” There is value to be had from almost any role, so while you search for that ideal match, pay the bills with jobs that give you one (or more) of three things: experience, credibility, or income. You’ll need the right skills and background to land your dream job, so in the meantime, look for roles that will let you build relevant experience. And consider jobs at companies with great reputations, even if the job in question isn’t your exact goal. Having a top company on your résumé will make you stand out both now and in the future. Of course, sometimes…

Nov112019 by Modern Observer GroupNo Comments

The Enemy Of Success Is Fear

Attitude and Mindset, Featured

There are always obstacles to success, but the biggest barrier is one that people put up for themselves. In many cases we know what needs to be done to achieve our goals, but we let fear dictate what we do. Fear of losing what we already have, fear of failure, fear of ridicule, the list goes on but it all boils down to being afraid. While fear is a useful as an alarm for danger, letting it decide your actions is almost a guarantee of failure. It's okay to have fear, but you can't give it control. THe first step in dealing with your fear is identifying it. What exactly is it that scares you? When you identify your fear you find it is not as scary as it seems.…

Nov42019 by Modern Observer GroupNo Comments

4 Signs That You’re An Entrepreneur At Heart

Attitude and Mindset, Featured

It hits everyone at one time or another. The idea that you should leave your job and start a business of your own. IS it a momentary whim or are you really an entrepreneur? Entrepreneurs have certain traits in common. Before you jump off into your own venture, see if you match these traits. They are not the end all and be all of being an entrepreneur, but having these traits is a good sign that you can be happy as an entrepreneur. 1. Entrepreneurs are passionate, inside and outside of work. Whatever they immerse themselves in, entrepreneurs typically invest fully and passionately. This extends beyond business building into many aspects of life outside the workplace. 2. Entrepreneurs are committed to building businesses, not just coming up with great ideas.…