SITUATION QUESTION:

A client who is learning how to be a better manager through my tele-coaching and mentoring program asked how she could get people in her personal life to see her as less intense and stressed all the time.

It is no surprise that she is seen this way. She is a Field Manager of a large firm that has recently been bought out by a much larger and demanding company. Her friends and family have described her as intense, serious and stressed out all the time.

Ironically, this coaching session question was asked during the time I have been preparing for a program called, De-stressing Your Help Desk for Greater Productivity. As a frequent presenter at call center and help desk conferences, I speak on a number of subjects related to leadership and customer service management.

SPECIAL INVITATION!

I would like to invite you to attend this Service Desk and Contact Center conference where I will be speaking. The first 2 people who contact me to attend it will receive half-off on their registration.

NEW EVENT NAME
The Signature Customer Service and Support Professionals Conference (CSSPC) a.k.a. The 9th Annual Conference for Help Desk Professionals

Pointe South Mountain Resort, Phoenix, AZ

EXPANDED FOCUS / FRESH MATERIAL / SAME HIGH QUALITY!
Learn success factors for contact centers and service desks from industry experts and advanced service and support professionals. There are educational programs, in-depth discussions, workshops, and intimate networking discussions! Join me at the event that keeps on delivering even after it's over. If your company would also like to to be a vendor at the conference, please contact me soon.

http://www.helpdeskconference.com

SOLUTIONS:
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When work becomes a major stressor in your workplace, your personal life suffers too. You become like a tightly wound spring, much like the one-piece garage door that is operated with a spring on each side. After too much tension of being opened over and over, it eventually breaks and has to be repaired or replaced. The same thing happens to humans when they get over stressed and they have to see doctors to be repaired or even be replaced on the job if the stress begins to be debilitating because of stress-related
ailments.

Then if you add a few personal stresses, such as moving, being a single parent, coping with illness in the family, aging parents, childcare, dating or any other stresses that are part of living, you can have an intense, serious, stressed-out person all the time.

The stresses are not going to go away over night as much as you wish they would, but there are solutions to help you relax and enjoy life more. It is hard to relax when you feel you have the weight of the world on
your shoulders, so treat it like a backpack.

This reminds me that it's almost back to school time for children, and for parents that means buying them new clothes and "the backpack." When school starts they will stuff the backpack full of books, papers and personal items. It is their "baggage" they carry around, so to speak. Did you ever watch grammar school children come through the door of their homes after school and see what they did with their backpacks? In seconds they take them off, toss them in the corner and they are replaced with smiles in
anticipation of playing with their friends or grabbing a quick snack to recharge themselves.

When you come through the door after work, what do you do? You're probably tense, stressed from the traffic and serious about what you need to do at work that didn't get done. This is the point where you treat your job like a Backpack! Take it off! leave it in the corner of the room and put a smile on your face in anticipation of some recharging time with your support group, your family. Spouses, significant others, children and friends deserve this time with you to be as stress-free as possible. In fact, they need it as much as you do!

When you take your job backpack off at the door and start the relaxation immediately, it's like taking a mini vacation. Yes, thoughts of work will pop into your head so keep a notepad and pen in your most occupied rooms. Then you can jot down your thoughts and put the notes in your backpack to be
ready for work in the morning. Release the thoughts and go back to building a healthy home life that will recharge you.

The recharging comes from the change of scenery, enjoying your family and participating in activities that make you burn calories for weight control and health and give you a humor workout (laughter) for overall relaxation.

It takes discipline to make it happen, so talk to yourself about how you are going to be different when you take off your backpack. It is an attitude shift and a spaced-repetition learning process that pays off with multiple benefits. Making the effort every day will create the new habit, but it will take time. In fact, it takes approximately 21 day to change a habit, which then gives you the right to continue the new behavior. With perseverance, you can count on it taking as long as a few months to even a year and a half
before it is what you do without thinking about it.

The bonus that comes with taking the job "backpack" off after work is that you will be refreshed and more creative to deal with the workplace stresses the next day. Try it! It works! It could make a huge difference in your health, relationships and your work to become even more productive and
valuable to your company.


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JJ's FAVORITE QUOTES:
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"Observe the postage stamp: its usefulness depends upon its ability to stick to one thing until it gets there."
- Zig Ziglar

"You were born to win, but to be a winner you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win."
- Zig Ziglar

"Changes will occur when the pain of change is LESS than the pain of remaining the same."
- Jack Rayburn

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Tele-COACHING & Tele-MENTORING
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DO YOU WANT TO IMPROVE in an area? Service? Sales?

* Motivation and growth of your people?
* Dealing with irate internal or external customers?
* Leading and Coaching your staff?

TRY our one-on-one Tele-Mentoring (phone coaching service) that is available to business owners, executives, managers, supervisors and staff members.

Call for your FREE CONSULTATION now! 800 500-9656 or 408 445-1590

EVALUATION OF YOUR ENVIRONMENT:

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http://www.jjlauderbaugh.com/about.html

ABOUT JJ:

JJ Lauderbaugh, CMC
408 445-1590 or 800 500-9656, 1716 Husted Ave., San Jose, CA 95124.

JJ works with companies that want to give exceptional customer service to increase sales, and with Directors and Call Center/Help Desk Managers who want to improve human performance.

She's an international speaker, trainer, facilitator and certified management consultant (CMC) on customer service management, specializing in performance improvement, call centers, up/cross selling and outbound calling.

For training resources, free articles, tips and streaming video, go to our web site at:

http://www.JJLauderbaugh.com

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© JJ Lauderbaugh, CMC, JJ Lauderbaugh & Associates, 2007. Reprinted with permission from JJ's Tips, a monthly internet newsletter. For your own personal subscription, email jj@jjlauderbaugh.com.
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JJ