JANUARY 2015
ISSUE: 30
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BOUNCING
BACK


 


Educating For Happiness and Resilience: Dr. Ilona Boniwell at TEDxHull
Educating For Happiness and Resilience: Dr. Ilona Boniwell at TEDxHull




HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Exactly 3 years ago this month, I began writing this newsletter and the positive responses from you are the main reason I keep doing it. So, thank you!

Bouncing back is something we all do every day in lots of ways. And sometimes, it's tougher than others. As human beings this is true, and when we serve others in a leadership role, it can be challenging to keep on keeping on with all that is on our plates.

Since my #1 goal is to help you continue to rejuvenate, enhance and improve your leadership skills in direct, applied, real-world ways, let's take a few minutes to strengthen your resilience "muscles" to get your year off to a great start.  We'll know it's working if you are able to take the information and apply it directly to your life and work.

I hope you will enjoy the above video with Dr. Ilona Boniwell's TEDx. She is one of the most prominent positive psychology academics in Europe. Her first bestselling book, Positive Psychology in a Nutshell, has been translated into many languages. She is the author or editor of five other books including the Oxford Handbook of Happiness. She founded the European Network of Positive Psychology and the first Masters in Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) in Europe. Currently, she teaches at l'Ecole Centrale Paris and assists the Government of Bhutan in developing a framework for happiness-based public policy, at the request of the UN. Her research and applied interests include: psychology of time, resilience, eudaimonic well-being and applications of positive psychology to leadership, coaching and education. 
 
RESILIENCE 
 Bouncing Back IS NOT a Spectator Sport!  
Even as our economy recovers and we are seeing higher employment rates and homes are inching back up in value, there is no question that the last 6 years have been tough on a lot of people in our country and in the world. The toll that 24/7 hour mostly bad "news" takes on everyone cannot be overestimated. Sometimes it's hard to remember that most people work hard, care about their families and communities, and want a to make a contribution that matters.

In the words of my good friend and colleague, Rehan Dawer, "Every single person on this planet is in pursuit of happiness - whatever that means to that individual."  Learning how to increase and strengthen one's resilience is definitely one way to increase happiness.

I spent nearly a month looking at a plethora of current research and reading excellent articles about the subject of "resilience." I landed on a book called "The RESILIENCE FACTOR" by Reivich and Shatt�.  There are 7 KEY Factors the authors' research identified as critical for measuring and increasing resilience. They include a self-test for these factors. It is fun and eye-opening to work through. Here is a short summary of the 7 Factors:

 

1.Emotional Regulation: the ability to stay calm under pressure
2.Impulse Control: the ability to delay instant gratification/action
3.Optimism: the ability to believe things can change for the better
4.Self-efficacy: the belief we can solve the problems we face
5.Causal Analysis: the ability to accurately identify the causes of our problems
6.Empathy: the ability to read and respond to others' state/situation
7.Reaching Out: the ability and willingness to ask for and give help

  

There is a path people tend to follow under stress...
      a negative event occurs ---> we assign belief --->then we react
There are a number of very useful strategies to build resilience in real time for yourself. Awareness is the first step of course, and then REACHING OUT is, in my view, the most critical factor in building and strengthening your personal resilience.  I concluded the talk with these three points:

  

It's about CHOICES - your attitude, your decisions, your behaviors, and your actions.

It's about PAYING ATTENTION - to what pushes your buttons, your beliefs about those things, and then what you feel and do about it, first in the moment, and then in the long run.

It's about taking back YOUR POWER and taking control of YOUR CHOICES.

  

If you want to learn more about this topic, CLICK HERE with many practical strategies to help you strengthen your resilience and bounce back muscles! 

  

NEWS:

We haveopened our new Highland Consulting Group, Inc. and AskRoxi.com office in Brevard, NC!  2014 was a year of massive change and a lot of hard work and fun. We deeply appreciate all the support and trust people have given us.

Cross of Ivy, Koehler Publishing will be released in June 2015

 
is available in hardcover and e-book and NOW... audio book at Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and iTunes. When you read it, please provide a review - it makes a world of difference!  Thank you.
 

                    
             PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD AND 
            PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK

  

I'd be delighted to speak with your organization about what I believe matters... in leadership. 

Please contact Kristin Haggar, The Haggar Agency at 605.310.5594 or  email Kristin  or  send me an email  directly and I'll respond. 
 
 
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QUOTES
QUOTES OF THE MONTH AND BOOK RECOMMENDATION

"It's not how much we have, but how much we enjoy that makes happiness."
Charles Spurgeon

"Someone once said adversity builds character, but someone else said adversity reveals character." Brooke Shields 

 
   

books-apple-icon2.jpg

BOOKS OF THE MONTH

 

THE RESILIENCE FACTOR 

Reivich and Shatte�

 

 

WHY CEOs FAIL

David L. Dotlich and Peter C. Cairo

11 Behaviors that can derail you

 

SPREAD THE WORD!

I encourage you to share this newsletter with anyone you feel would enjoy it. Remember, past newsletters on a wide variety of leadership topics are located in the archive in the link above right. Just click and read. Enjoy!

See you in February!

Happily yours!

Roxi Bahar Hewertson
AskRoxi.com
HighlandConsultingGroupInc.com

Ask Roxi  
JANUARY
Question

QUESTION: 
 
"How can I figure out if leading other people is the right direction for me?" 

ANSWER:

I wish everyone would ask this question before agreeing to take on a role that requires leading people!

The first question to ask yourself is, "Why do I want this role?"

If your primary motivation is to get a promotion, more money, or status, you have chosen the wrong reasons.

If instead, your motivation is a desire to help others succeed, or you love building a great team, then you are on the right track.

Leading people really well is hard,  work and it requires a completely different skill set and opposite motivations than being the individual contributor you are now - no matter how good you are at what you do.

Whatever you do, please take on this role only with the right heart and at least a plan to attain the skills you need to be successful in the discipline of leadership.

I'm sure you would want to be the leader your people deserve and not their worst nightmare or even mediocre.  This is a BIG decision you are about to make so please give it the mindfullness it requires.  You and those you might lead will all be much happier if you do. 

 





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