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I apologize for getting this out so late this month.  My explanation: it seems like there is never enough hours in the day to get all of the work completed.  So, what to do?  Prioritize.  How do I decide what's most important?  I know someone that would disagree with me on just about everything that would move up and down on my priority list.  So, how do I make progress and avoid getting bogged down with the idea of how much there is to do, and how can I ever possibly get it all done.  

Well, first thing for me, like many others, the kids are most important.  For me, those kids are the NYEP residents.  Showing I'm doing my part and care, through action, much time is invested in assisting the girls in accomplishing tasks, as well as spending bonding time together.  This interaction, as most parents know, is crucial in fully developing a young person.  It's necessary to build trust and strengthen the relationship.  

We have also found that the more honest and solid a relationship  we have with a youth, the more likely they will make progress and/or achieve their stated goals. Plus, we really enjoy spending time with and getting to know young people. 

When I help care for the NYEP girls, it really makes me happy.  If I'm happy, it encourages me to deal with other responsibilities in a positive way.  I'm human and imperfect though, so sometimes things just don't get done.  But, I never give up.  I just refocus the next day, and give it my best shot.

Martin Luther King Jr. once said "Cowardice asks the question: Is it safe? Expediency asks the question: is it politic? Vanity asks the question: is it popular? But conscience asks the question: is it right? And, there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular-but one must take it simply because it is right."

I push every day because it's right.  You have to find what's right for you, to find your "push" or passion.  When you do, going to work sure won't feel like a bad thing :)

Sincerely,

Monica DuPea

There are dozens of books on the topic of difficult, crucial, challenging, important (you get the idea) kinds of conversations. Those times when you know you should talk to someone, but you don't. Maybe you've tried before and it went badly. Or maybe you fear that talking will only make the situation worse. Still, there's a feeling of being stuck, and you'd like to free up that stuck energy for more useful purposes. There are many well-written and informative books on how to have these important, crucial, and difficult conversations. At the end of the article, I list them. Get at least one and read it. They're all great.

What you have here is a brief synopsis of best practice strategies: a checklist of action items to think about before going into the conversation; some useful concepts to practice during the conversation; and some tips and suggestions to help you're energy stay focused and flowing, including possible conversational openings.

You'll notice one key theme throughout: you have more power than you think. 

Working on yourself: How to prepare for the conversation before going into the conversation. Ask yourself some questions:

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Forget good to great. Here's what makes a great employee remarkable. Great employees are reliable, dependable, proactive, diligent, great leaders and great followers... they possess a wide range of easily-defined-but hard to find-qualities.

A few hit the next level. Some employees are remarkable, possessing qualities that may not appear on performance appraisals but nonetheless make a major impact on performance.

Here are eight qualities of remarkable employees: