Work-Life Balance: !

Pulling Your Own Strings!

Presentation to!
Ruby Tuesdays!
October 17, 2006!
Bryan Hiebert!
Faculty of Education
Division of Applied Psychology!

Overview!
! Stress revisited!
! What is resilience?!
!!Resilience comes in people!

! Some environments are more easy

to be resilient in than others!
! Leaders are responsibility for
creating an environment !
conducive to resilience and balance!

!!

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Demands " Stress!

DEMAND!
Appraisal!
- Demand!

Nature!
Intensity!

- Coping Resources!
- Consequences!

What is stress? Revisited!

DEMAND!
Appraisal!
- Demand!

Nature!
Intensity!
- Coping Resources!
- Consequences!

Demand!

Coping!

Avoid self-blame!

What is resilience?!
The ability to bounce back (recover)
when hit with unexpected
demands out of out of the blue!

Take things in stride!

Resilience Model!
!
!
!
!

Stressors!
Environmental contexts!
Person-environment transactional process!
Internal resiliency factors!
!!Personal agency!
!!Peoples beliefs in their ability to control their
own functioning !
+ control what occurs in the environment!

Creating Resilience: !
Whos job is it?!
! Its a leadership job!
!! BUT dont wait for your boss!

! Learn how to train your boss!

!!Approach your boss with solutions,
not problems!
!!Stroke your boss, !
what goes around comes around!
!!You can make a difference in YOUR
emotional climate !
8

Who is in charge of your life anyway?!

! It depends on how you look at it!
! Can you count on others to !
look out for your best interest?!
!!Usually not!

The answer needs to be ME!

Im in control!
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Work Life Balance:!

Whos in charge?!
The answer needs to be ME!

Im in charge!

10

Watch your perspective!

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Creating a Sense of Control!

! Start small!
!!What you eat affects how you feel!
!!Be hydrated!

! Give yourself permission to

negotiate demands!
! Be self-directed!

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Perspective is Important!

13

Giving yourself voice!

If you ask me !
and nobody has!

Dont wait to be asked!

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Creating Resilient Communities!

! 3 factors are predictably !
difficult to deal with!
!!Intense and unpleasant demands!
!!Uncertainty (about outcomes)!
!!Ambiguity (regarding expectations)!

! Not all demands are reasonable!

15

A Starting Point!

All things !
To all people!
All the time!
is !

All over!
16

Plan for Balance!

! If you are a schedule person!
!!Schedule your leisure time!

! Start with the small stuff!

! Create non-work-like balance points!
! Listen to your body!
!!Before it sends you a message you
cant ignore!
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Keep your priorities on track!

18

Plan for Balance!

Its fun to have fun!

but you have to know how!

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Creating A Positive Climate!

! Say something nice to colleagues!
!!Every day!

! Message seen is stronger than

message spoken!
! Need to model what we are trying to
accomplish!
! Walk the Talk!
! Create slogans to keep a positive focus!
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Slogans to sustain a positive focus!

! No one can insult you!
Without your permission!
! Stop Psychosclerosis!
(hardening of the attitudes)!
! I will not should on my self today !
! Change is inevitable!
Growth is optional!
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Say NO! to zero tolerance!

Zero!
Tolerance!

A little tolerance is a good thing!

!
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Creating a Resilient Workplace: !

Whos job is it?!
! Its a leadership job to create a
healthy work environment!
! Model the goal set a good
example!
! Jump on mistakes !
OR jump on successes!

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Bosses want motivated employees!

2 key factors for motivation!
! The goals must be valued
(valuable)!
! The goal must be perceived as
achievable (achievable)!
! Create a motivation-oriented
environment!
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A New Approach to Leadership!

! If it goes wrong,!
!!say I did it. !

! If it goes sort of OK,!

!!say we did it. !

! If it goes really well!

!!say you did it. !

! Reduce Look at me, look at me.!

!!And replace it with Look at us !
!!or better yet, Look at them.!
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Control and Choice!

! Lobby for structural changes!
! Some people always will feel they !
have no control!
! Many workers feel that the clocks are
controlled in head office!
!!Consider ditching the clock?!

! Demands gravitate towards competence!

(so be prepared or be less competent)!
! Basic assertiveness helps keep balance!
! Bottom line !
I need to be pulling my own strings!
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Summary: Tell them what you told them!

! What is stress?!
!!Stress comes in people !

! What is resilience?!
!!Resiliency comes in people!

! Work-life balance!
!!Im an active player in managing my life!
!!How do you contribute to your own balance?!
!!How do you interfere with it? !

! Some environments are more conducive to

being resilient and balanced!
!!What have you done to !
make your life more balanced? !
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High above the hushed crowd, Rex tried to remain focused. Still he couldnt shack
one nagging thought, he was an old dog and this was a new trick.!

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Work-Life Balance: !
Pulling Your Own Strings!
Presentation to!
Ruby Tuesdays!
October 17, 2006!
Bryan Hiebert!
Faculty of Education
Division of Applied Psychology!