Dr. Gia's Blog

Consultant To The Purpose Driven

My Book

Available Now On Kindle!

by Leave a Comment

Click Here to Order Now!

 

Gia Suggs, MPA, MA, EdD is an Organization Development Consultant. She manages a private practice and is a Distinguished Adjunct Professor at Olivet Nazarene University located in Bourbonnais, Illinois. Dr. Gia is also the author of Onboarding; Maximizing the Success of New Employees & Shattering the Glass Ceiling; How to Break Through Without Breaking Down (both available on Amazon.com).

We would love to hear from you!  Please submit your comments, questions, and feedback. Let us know how we are doing. Want to connect with Dr. Gia? Click HERE to request information.

The Insidious “Ding”

by Leave a Comment

I work hard because I love my work. (Many have heard me say this before.)

In fact, there are moments when the work just “flows”.  It is rhythmic … words turn into sentences, sentences evolve into ideas, and during those moments, I am not actually working at all. I am creating. I am not giving, I am receiving. It is awesome, and the experience feels like a gift.

Unfortunately, clients are not always willing to wait for me to have a “nirvana” experience. There are timelines, deliverables, and due dates. During these moments, the work is extremely laborious and I am a mule. Too many of these moments threaten the joy I intrinsically experience when I am working.

Even more significantly, I am in jeopardy of burnout.

Back in March of 2016, it became clear that I needed to include more discretionary time in my schedule. For the girl that worked 7 days a week, up to 10 hours a day, it seemed like a no brainer. But it wasn’t. I feared reducing my labor, would mean reducing my productivity.

As I contemplated this quandary, I received a nudge from Alan Weiss (2010). In his book Million Dollar Coaching, he wrote,

“Real wealth is discretionary time. Money is simply fuel for your life. You can always make another dollar, but you can’t make another minute. Don’t let the pursuit of money erode your wealth.” Alan Weiss, Million Dollar Coaching

Discretionary time is the time available for use, free of obligation.

Taking Weiss’ lead, my goal for 2016 was to accumulate as much discretionary time as possible. That year, we have spent more time walking on beaches at day-break, taking in mid-week movies at noon, and lingering over cocktails after dinner. We were busy, but less hurried. The work was demanding, but we were less stressed. And to my surprise; more discretionary time DID NOT = less productivity.

It was just the opposite; more discretionary time = more productivity.

How could this be?

After enjoying some discretionary time, I reengage work more focused and clear headed.  I am less fatigued, more creative, and more innovative.

I will admit, I do think about work during my downtime, but without the pressure of having to do it. Instead of behaving like a bulldozer and plowing through the work, ideas are free to come and go. When I appreciate a particular idea, I write it down so that I can revisit it later.

I am grateful to Dr. Weiss and consider my experience last year to be a huge win!

For 2017, I decided to follow the same work / discretionary time formula as I did in 2016. But the impact has not been exactly the same. A different monster reared its head … TECHNOLOGY.

Technology is supposed to make work more efficient. But I wonder if it hasn’t run-a-muck.

Each client project has its own email server and list serve. I am constantly deleting and adding new email address to my phone. I have multiple laptops that correlate with different projects. And every time my iPhone, iPad, Mac Pro or laptop “dings” it seizes my attention. Even if I am enjoying discretionary time, I still experience an involuntary response. This has clearly developed into a learned behavior. I fear that it is evolving into a distraction that has the potential to pull me back into old behaviors.

My resolution?

When I am enjoying discretionary time, make a portion of that time “technology blackout time”.

Can I do it?  I’m not so sure …

 

On my way to breakfast the other day, I realized I forgot my cell phone. I still reached for it several times, not for any particular reason, but more out of habit. By the end of the breakfast, I felt anxious, thinking to myself, “I hope I haven’t missed anything important”. This involuntary ruminating is counterproductive.

My next step towards improving my overall quality of life is to detox from the “ding”. I have no idea if I can handle the withdrawal.

Gia Suggs, MPA, MA, EdD is an Organization Development Consultant. She manages a private practice and is a Distinguished Adjunct Professor at Olivet Nazarene University located in Bourbonnais, Illinois.

Dr. Gia is the author of Onboarding; Maximizing the Success of New Employees & co-author with Hayward Suggs of Shattering the Glass Ceiling; How to Break Through Without Breaking Down (both available on Amazon.com).We would love to hear from you!  Please submit your comments, questions, and feedback. Let us know how we are doing. Want to connect with Dr. Gia? Click HERE to request information.

Don’t Disparage Your Flaw

by Leave a Comment

In my teens, not only was I intensely introverted, I also suffered from social anxiety. I still do. This was a closely guarded secret, primarily because, I did not understand what was wrong with me. One year, the lunchroom felt particularly paralyzing, so I took refuge in the library and did not eat lunch that school year.

What’s interesting is, I have stood on a stage in front of over 3000 people and, minus a few butterflies, felt completely at ease.

Yet, the moment the applause starts, so does the discomfort. My nervous system knows that the accolades from the crowd are an indication that my descent from the stage into the sea of waiting people, is eminent.

I begin clutching the podium. It’s difficult to breath. I feel dread or terror … or something ….

I want to sprint towards the exit. Of course, I am not completely inconsiderate.

I would totally, send a thank you note;

Most people have “stage fright.” I have whatever the opposite of that is …

I used to lament my unfortunate fate. I mean really, who hyperventilates walking into their own church on Sunday morning? To avoid what I termed “excessive engagement” my attendance usually fell somewhere between the “greet your neighbor” at the start of the service and “shake hands with someone before you leave” at the end. What can I say, pray for me.

I felt like Paul. Paul had a “thorn in his flesh.” The bible never explained what the “thorn” was. But like Paul, I felt tormented. Like Paul, I pleaded that the Lord would take it away. And like Paul, God’s grace has had to be sufficient (2 Corinthians 12).

I have often wondered how certain individuals are able to unearth a reserve of strength and resilience when seemingly, so much is working against them. After all, understanding the tenets of human performance is how I eat.

There are many evidence-based explanations including worthwhile work (Blanchard, 1998), the impact of leadership (Northouse, 2007), protective factors (Bell, n.d.), 10,000-hour rule (Gladwell, 2008) (which has recently come under some scrutiny but, that’s another story).

I think the one that strikes me the most in this scenario, is the impact of flaws. To be clear, a flaw is different from a weakness. A weakness, you can improve; a flaw, you cannot (Goldsmith, 2011). For example, I have a family member who is dyslexic. She can volunteer to calculate the tip for the check 100 times, but she will always see $115.00 instead of $150.00. Practice won’t improve her performance. She can either spend fruitless time trying to get better or, she can simply buy a calculator. Buying a calculator is what we call a “work-around.”

This is a pretty simplistic example but, many professionals have flaws. If you pause and honestly self-reflective for a moment, you will likely be able to identify yours. The more difficult the flaw, the more determination, creativity, and sheer resolve it takes to implement an effective work-around.

People who are able to overcome complex personal challenges, are able to overcome a lot of other challenges too!

Identifying and employing work-arounds is a skill. A skill is something that can be done extremely well. For many, without their flaw, their most valuable skill may have never been developed.

Sometimes, the flaw or professional challenge you face isn’t the thing that is hindering your success, it is the very reason for your success!

How can an intensely introverted individual with social anxiety be a professional speaker and presenter? Easy …

Ok, that’s not exactly true. HA!

What does the person do who avoids social interactions, but their job requires them to interact and connect?

They LEARN how to be highly engaging for maximum impact. They refine their ability to deliver a singular message that can influence both an 8th grader and a college professor simultaneously. They master the art of humor. They become an expert at interpreting both verbal and non-verbal cues. They cultivate these skills in a deliberate and intentional way, that most others don’t have to.

Don’t disparage your flaw. It may be the key that unlocks your hidden potential. As you mine for a work-around, you may actually unearth something amazing.

Gia Suggs, MPA, MA, EdD is an Organization Development Consultant. She manages a private practice and is a Distinguished Adjunct Professor at Olivet Nazarene University located in Bourbonnais, Illinois. Dr. Gia is also the author of Onboarding; Maximizing the Success of New Employees & Shattering the Glass Ceiling; How to Break Through Without Breaking Down (both available on Amazon.com).

We would love to hear from you!  Please submit your comments, questions, and feedback. Let us know how we are doing. Want to connect with Dr. Gia? Click HERE to request information.

Father’s Day Wishlist for Their Daughter: Female Superhero

by Leave a Comment

Christopher Bell’s TedTalk “Bring on the Female Superheroes” is one that definitely makes you think.  He talks about how our perception of the world and what is going on around us is directly related to the media and what they want to portray, especially in regards to the marketing of superheroes.  Christopher points out that all of the media that we digest on a daily basis is generated from only SIX different main companies.  These companies have a say in what we read, what we hear, and what we watch. How crazy is that?

And when it comes to marketing superheroes from movies, TV shows, comic books, or whatever it may be, there is a serious lack of female superheroes for the children of our society to idolize.  What kind of influence do you think that has on such young minds?

With such a strong preference towards male idols, our daughters are being taught that regardless of how strong, or athletic, or smart, or tomboy, or girly they are, that it doesn’t matter to the rest of world because boys are viewed as more capable.
And what about our sons? They are being told that liking anything “girly” is wrong and unacceptable.

If your daughter wants to be a princess, you’re in luck.  But if she wants to be a superhero …  

Check out Christopher Bell’s talk

“Bring on the Female Superheroes,”Christopher Bell
and hear it for yourself.

Gia Suggs, MPA, MA, EdD is an Organization Development Consultant. She manages a private practice and is a Distinguished Adjunct Professor at Olivet Nazarene University located in Bourbonnais, Illinois. Dr. Gia is also the author of Onboarding; Maximizing the Success of New Employees & Shattering the Glass Ceiling; How to Break Through Without Breaking Down (both available on Amazon.com).

We would love to hear from you!  Please submit your comments, questions, and feedback. Let us know how we are doing. Want to connect with Dr. Gia? Click HERE to request information.

Meta