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You are here: Home / Archives for Good Health

A Three-Part Plan for Finding Motivation

March 6, 2019 By Dave Ferguson Leave a Comment

A Three-Part Plan for Finding Motivation
Image Credit: Shutterstock

Featured article by Dave Ferguson in CEOWORLD magazine. Reprinted by permission.

Leaders are often faced with the challenge of keeping their team motivated.

But…who motivates the leader?

Leaders are people, just like everyone else. And like others, there are times when they lose momentum, get weary, feel rudderless, or suffer from apathy. During these times, motivation becomes a challenge, even for those who are naturally goal-driven.

Who motivates the leader?

Ultimately, the leader motivates the leader. But when there is nothing left within, he or she must also know where to find outside help.

What can you do to get your motivation back?

This three-part plan, mostly crafted in advance, will get you back on track quickly.

1. Examine Your Wheel of Life

When you are off your game, it means some area of life is out of order. This is why, in coaching, the wheel of life is addressed on a regular basis.

The areas of the wheel are as follows:

  • Physical
  • Mental
  • Social
  • Spiritual
  • Relationships
  • Finances
  • Work

If you lack motivation, visit each area, and ask yourself if something in that area is de-motivating you.

For example, you may have just completed a major initiative. Work has had strong focus for weeks, with all hands on deck and high alert. But it paid off with a highly successful launch.

Yet, suddenly, on the heels of great success, you find yourself de-motivated. When you look at your list of upcoming initiatives, you feel a sense of dread. You can’t convey your enthusiasm to your team for the next goals because, frankly, you don’t have any enthusiasm.

This is a warning signal for you to check your wheel of life.

When you do, in this scenario, you will see how spending so much time on work has impacted other areas. This often happens without conscious awareness until you stop and examine each area.

Physical recalibration is one of the first areas to address. Good health is central to everything you do in life. It is a game changer. To regain motivation, first be sure you are rested, well-hydrated, nourished, and refreshed by physical activity.

Beyond that, look to the other areas that need to be adjusted. Perhaps as part of that work cycle, you tapped into a great deal of mental energy. You will need to refill the bucket.

Relationships are often impacted by a heavy work cycle, so be sure to spend some time with those who mean the most to you.

While many bosses will push themselves and their teams from one intense sprint to the next, with no break in between, wise leaders will pause between initiatives to refresh the wheel of life and allow their team to do the same. Even a short pause can make a difference.

2. Determine Your Personal Motivators

There are essentially four types of personalities, with varying combinations. Each type is motivated and recharged in different ways. For some, doing something active outdoors will quickly re-charge their batteries; while for others, being indoors and reading a book is highly energizing. Some are energized by socialization; others are drained by it. Motivators are different for each person, but every person needs them.

Identify yours ahead of time. Write them down. As a leader, it is not a matter of “if” you will need them; it is a matter of “when.”

Energy is everything to a leader. When you lack energy, do something on your list.

3. Identify Your Motivational Team

As a leader, you may not be a direct report; but you do need to create a system of support and accountability. You can do this by proactively identifying your motivational team.

A good motivational team will include four key types of members: mentors, partners, supporters, and mentees.

  • Mentors will guide you and hold you accountable during those times when you do not feel engaged.
  • Partners will provide the collaboration you need to ignite new ideas; and new ideas bring renewed motivation.
  • Supporters are essential to motivation. Those who support you will keep things moving, even when you need to step away and re-charge. Support comes from two facets: systems and people.
  • Mentees are often overlooked as part of a motivational team, but their role is critical. They give you purpose and a path to legacy. And there is no greater motivation than purpose.

It is important to identify your motivational team ahead of time so that when you hit a wall, you have a place to turn. Each of the four team roles is critical. If you short-circuit even one of them, you are short-circuiting your ability to experience full impact.

Are you a leader experiencing a lag? Be assured, this is normal. But staying there is not. Follow the plan above, tap into the resources you have identified, and your motivation will return.


PE 101

The registration for our next class is now open. I’m excited to once again be sharing the stage with Titus Bartolotta and others.

The program is four half-day group workshop-style sessions that, combined, make up a really amazing experience.

Where:
9820 NorthCross Center Ct.
Huntersville, NC 28078

When:
April – 12th & 26th
May – 10th & 31st

Time:
8am – 1pm

If you are interested, reach out to me directly (email Dave@LivingtoLead.com), and let’s get you registered. I’m giving away a FREE coaching session to a few early birds.


Dave FergusonDave Ferguson is “The Leaders’ Coach”, an internationally recognized executive leadership coach, speaker, facilitator, and author. Are you interested in talking to Dave about coaching or having Dave speak to inspire and motivate your team? “ASK COACH DAVE” at 704-907-0171 or at Dave@AskCoachDave.com.

Give Yourself the Gift of Good Health

December 26, 2013 By Dave Ferguson 1 Comment

Give Yourself The Gift of Good Health

I have one more gift for you this year! Each year, late in the month of December and over much of January, many people approach me and ask for advice on fitness, diet, and overall health. As we all know, many people start of each year with some health resolutions. While I am primarily a business coach, I do quite a bit of life coaching along the way. While today’s topic may appear to be a non-business subject, don’t be fooled. Just as business people read this column to assist in their business, there is no reason why health shouldn’t be just as important. Your health is absolutely critical to not only your personal success but also to the overall success of your business, whether you are a business owner, or not.

Today, record numbers of people are losing their lives to cancer, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, stress and more. The latest statistic I could find on diabetes is a staggering one. It states that, “one in three children born today will contract diabetes, primarily due to obesity, which is caused mainly by poor diet and lack of exercise.” In addition, the “highly acidic” lifestyles many of us live, which creates massive amounts of toxins in our bodies, is thought by many to be the leading cause of cancer. Can we effectively run a business when we are living lifestyles that destine us for these diseases?

Regardless of the physical or emotional shape we are in, we can always improve it. With good physical health comes energy, which is vital to our success. All the experts tell us that if we truly want to make a change in our life we should find a mentor to help us. In essence, we should find someone who has already made the changes we want to make and model them. Today, if you’ll let me, I’d like to be your mentor for physical health. Without going into too much detail (I save that for my one-on-one clients) I want you to know that this past year I let “things” get in the way, and I lost control of my diet and didn’t take good care of myself physically. I’m taking steps I will discuss with you today to get back on a healthy track. You will not believe the amount of energy and creativity you’ll gain by practicing these habits. I’m excited!

1. Reduce the amount of these you put in your body:

  • Processed Fats and Oils: Cooking fats makes them unusable and toxic to the body, resulting in acidic and disease bearing conditions.
  • Animal Flesh: This is the leading source of saturated fat and cholesterol and a big cause of heart disease. Watch the red meat!
  • Dairy Products: These are also a leading source of saturated fat and cholesterol. They are extremely fatty and one of the most destructive things we can put in our systems. As a former cheese lover, I can tell you this was personally a very challenging change to make, until I really looked at the flip-side.

2. Drastically reduce or eliminate your dependence and consumption of these acid additions:

  • Sugar (there are 14 teaspoons of sugar in one can of soda)
  • Alcohol
  • Nicotine
  • Caffeine
  • Drugs

3. Eat a diet that consists of water rich foods:

  • This should be about 70% of what we put in our mouths.
  • We should also drink half our body weight in ounces of water per day.

4. Make Aerobic training a priority:

  • At a minimum of 30 minutes, 4 days per week.
  • Heart rate should be between 70 and 80% of your maximum heart rate.

5. Include supplements in your daily plan: I will gladly discuss the many options with anyone who contacts me.

6. Exercise daily.That’s right every day. All you need is 25 minutes per day. A mix of strength and cardio exercises is recommended.

While making these changes in your lifestyle are difficult, I can tell you from personal experience, that you will indulge in life much more when you have the energy, vibrancy, and clearness that these healthy habits afford you. You will think, act, and feel at a different level, and your business will follow. Join me! If you need any assistance or if I can answer any questions for you, please do not hesitate to email or call me.

I will close with a quote from the great Zig Ziglar: “Discipline yourself to do the things you need to do when you need to do them, and the day will come when you will be able to do the things you want to do when you want to do them!”

Happy Holidays, and Awesome Health!

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