EATING THE ELEPHANT

By:?Craig Mitchell

President,?Robroy Enclosures

?????????Many?of you have heard the old truism, posed as a question:

?????????“How?do you eat an elephant?”

?????????Answer:?“One bite at a time.”

?????????I’ll?get back to the elephant in a moment.

?????????Recently,?I read an article focused on stress in the workplace. Alarmingly, 25?percent of people still on-the-job view their work as the number one?stressor in their lives. 40?percent of workers say that they are in?very or extremely stressful work environments.?According to the?American Institute of Stress (AIS), job pressure is the number one?cause of stress in the United States followed by money, health, and?relationships.

?????????The?article continued by giving advice as to how best to cope with such?stress. Here are a few suggestions?from?that article plus?notes from me aimed at bridging the gap?between “academic”?thoughts and lessons learned in the real world of work.

?????????1.)?Discussing?problems/ issues with colleagues

?????????My?opinion: I think this is critical. There is nothing more potentially?destructive than isolating one’s-self. You cannot and should not?live in a vacuum. Expressing thoughts,?ideas, concerns, frustrations,?and even fears, to other persons is an essential way of establishing?balance and a peace-of-mind necessary for proper planning and, when?necessary, crisis control. I will add to this the observation that?many people are reluctant to reach out to others and ask for help.?Some believe that this is a sign of weakness?and, as a result, they?will struggle alone. In reality, the willingness to ask for help is a?sign of maturity and a recognition that we can accomplish more?together than we can?individually. When I look for leadership in a?manager, one of the first things I try to identify is the willingness?to openly discuss problems and challenges.

?????????2.)?Keep?yourself organized and practice time management

?????????My?opinion:?The?failing of the above statement is that it is so easy to say, but so?difficult to actually do. Obviously, we know the importance of?organization and time?management, but how do we achieve optimum?performance in that context?

?????????Here’s?where we return to the elephant.

?????????First:?you need a plan. Do you, in fact, want to eat the elephant? If so,?why? If so when and where? Now you can decide how.

?????????Second:?you need to be realistic. Trying to eat the elephant in one mouthful?will choke you. The old truism about “one bite at a time” may?seem?a bit silly but?really relates to?establishing day-to-day good?business practices. If you have a plan that guides your actions, you?can maintain a true perspective of your real priorities. What must?happen?first? Second? Never? Through this focused way of working, you?will reduce stress by actually achieving goals, versus simply “doing?activities” that do not contribute to?reaching your ultimate?objectives.

??????3.)?Take?care of yourself

?????????My?opinion: this is one of the most under-rated aspects of eliminating?work life stress. Your mind and your body are constantly in some type?of balancing act. Your job and?your personal life are constantly in?some type of balancing act. If you are out of balance in ANYTHING: a?good diet, quality sleep, happy relationships, physical stamina ---?EVERYTHING?in your life will suffer. The underlying message here is that?frustrations at work often have their root in something within your?lifestyle that needs to be healthier.?You are more than the sum of?your parts, so always be self-analytical about whether those parts?are working together in harmony.

?????????4.)?Avoiding?faultfinding or perfectionism

?????????My?opinion:?this?is another way of saying – “Focus on the positive and minimize?the negative.” Life has a way of being self-determining. If you?expect things to go badly, they?probably will. If you expect things?to go well, there is an improved chance that success will be the?outcome. Vince Lombardi, the famous football coach, once said: “We?can?never achieve perfection, but by striving to be perfect we can?achieve excellence.” I believe that the quest for excellence must?be based on pride in one’s own actions,?coupled with a willingness?to share with others, give credit where credit is due,?learn from mistakes versus using mistakes to blame, and celebrating?with others the triumphs?that will result from true teamwork.

?????????In?conclusion, let me voice one last opinion.

?????????Throughout?the commentary above there is one over-riding reality:

?????????“You?are not alone.”

?????????As?you eat the elephant, many things can happen to stress you.

?????????Don’t?let stress overcome you.

?????????Reach?out to others.

?????????We?are in this together.

?????????Together?we can succeed.