Jann’s Jottings #16
Jann’s Jottings # 16
“The most practical pages for perusal on the web”
Jotting (defn): short details of significant events, behaviours and conversations about wellbeing, growth, and career.
Wellbeing Jot: Laughter is life giving
Recently I worked with a leadership team to complete a VIA Strengths survey with the aim of applying their insights to leading their team more effectively. One of the VIA Strengths is Humour. I scored lower on humour than I wanted to. We all love a good laugh to build social bonds and release the feel-good endorphins, as laughter is the best medicine after all (Prov 17:22). So, I set myself a goal of laughing every day. My goal is to set aside 5 minutes to watch something that really makes me laugh as a brain break. I have noticed that I feel pleasure, calmness, wellbeing, joy and relaxation no matter how hectic the day. Turns out there is a lot of research that watching comedy videos can decrease a hospital patient’s need for opioid painkillers and has both preventative and therapeutic values.
Ponder this: How can you use humour to reduce stress and enhance relationships in the lead up to the silly season?
Growth Jot: Progress and Persistence
I recently heard this analogy about worry: Worry is like sitting in a rocking chair – there is lots of movement but no forward momentum (Meyer 2024).
Progress is measurable, time bound and comes from clarity of goals. Our goals create our purpose and value. Difficulties are part of the process to test our resolve and a way of checking if our ‘want’ is strong enough. Results do not respond to wants or desires. Results respond to persistent effort, labour and activity and not the kind we do in a rocking chair. As we continue to deposit into our emotional, financial, health, work and relationship bank accounts through daily persistent goal-oriented actions repeated consistently over time, the results and progress will appear and bring fulfillment, future joy and prosperity.
Ponder this: Are you in a rocking chair worrying or persistently taking action using effort, endurance and enthusiasm for to achieve your goals?
Career Jot: Conflict in teams
Do you know what the odds are of hitting a hole in one in golf?
According to the National Hole in One Registry, if you are a:
Tour player: 3,000 to 1
Low-handicapper: 5,000 to 1
Average player: 12,000 to 1
Not something you would bet on or even expect, right? Expecting happy, productive relationships with complete agreement at work all the time is like expecting a hole-in-one every time you hit a golf ball!
Effective, productive relationships are not relationships where there is no conflict. The difference is that effective, productive, high functioning teams play the ball not the person. They operate in an environment that enables them to trust one another to engage in unfiltered conflict around the idea or issue not personal conflict. If you want to read more see Patrick Lencioni’s The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: a Leadership Fable. I love the audio book.
How is your team’s trust level? Coaching can help with that.
Keep practicing and when you get that hole-in-one, remember to register it!
“You are loved, valued and worthy. Keep up the great work!”
