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Six Ways To Deal With Challenges At Work
Put things into perspective
No matter how awful your situation may be, rest assured that someone else has been through the same thing.
It is important to realize how your situation compares to the rest of what you are doing, and how bad it really is compared to all the good things in your life.
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Get used to the problem
When you are first confronted with a problem, it can all seem daunting. Don't dive right in.
Take a break, go for a walk, ask for some time to think things over, close your eyes for 10 minutes, or even hit the gym. Whatever you do, give yourself some time to get used to the problem.
Define the problem
Ask people to explain it to you a few times. Keep asking questions to really get to the root of the problem.
Then go ahead and explain the problem to someone else, just to make sure you really understand it. Often times, simply formulating the problem and explaining it to others can help you understand it better. And that is the first crucial step to solving a problem.
Put things into perspective
No matter how awful your situation may be, rest assured that someone else has been through the same thing.
It is important to realize how your situation compares to the rest of what you are doing, and how bad it really is compared to all the good things in your life.
Make the problem worse
This may sound like bad advice, but sometimes when you can't get out of something, you might as well dive all the way in.
Did you just get fired? Well, there's no solution to that, so you might as well embrace your new situation and also sell your house, plan that trip around the world, and write that book you've always wanted to write.
Divide the problem into smaller pieces
- Start with finding out what the best- and worst-case scenarios are. Then think about what the most realistic scenario is.
- Divide up the problem into smaller problems and find a solution for every little thing.
- As you are going through these motions, you'll slowly turn your focus to the solutions, rather than being blinded by the problem.
Look at it in a positive way
Problems are just part of what you do, and the bigger you dream, the bigger the obstacles will be.
The best writers, artists, and entrepreneurs have led lives filled with personal challenges and problems. And despite all those problems, or because of them, they were able to do great things.
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When you feel your motivation slows down, switch to another project.
Prioritize
Determine the urgency of your tasks to figure out which requires priority.
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The mentor should..
- make sure that his mentee is being able to follow what's going on.
- understand that all mentees are not the same.
- guide the mentees to arrive at a solution.
- not discourage his mentee with frequent negative feedback.
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Stay Adaptable
Careers and markets change over time, and you’ll need to be able to change in kind to remain relevant.
Thinking outside the box will help you stay adaptable. Your mind won’t be closed ...
Gain Flexibility
If you view things as unchangeable, then nothing can change for the better. By thinking outside the box and questioning the status quo, you’ll constantly be considering how you could improve something.
Greater Perspective
Thinking outside the box can expand your worldview, allowing you to have a greater perspective on the events in your life. When you’re willing to consider alternative ways and points of view, you can find more potential solutions.
A greater perspective can make you more receptive to different ideas, which means that you won’t be limited by a small worldview.
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Slow down
Try not to react immediately, but be patient and gather as much information as possible.
If the problem will not matter a year from now, distance yourself somewhat from the situation to gain ...
Stay positive
When you are in a stressful situation, do not allow your mind to imagine the worst-case scenario.
Focus your mind on something positive.
Never ask “what if?”
The "what if" line of questioning induces panic and lets you focus on imagined situations that escalate the problem.
Focus on the facts and work on a solution.
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Identifying problems
Optimists tend to avoid difficult conversations and this could lead them to miss the opportunity of addressing critical issues.
Pessimists inherently look for the problems more than ...
Hearing only agreement
Pessimists are good role models for those who are "yes men".
If you only have around you people that agree with you, you are being set up for failure.
Unprepared for the downside
Optimists often fail to have a Plan B because they believe they can control all the elements within Plan A.
Pessimists can alert a team regarding the risks that would require a Plan B.
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Addressing problems directly
...without crossing the line:
- Don’t make assumptions: make sure you have all the facts.
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Stress and motivation
Used effectively, stress can motivate us to accomplish more than we had imagined possible. Stress can jolt us to reach our potential. Without stress, we’d feel rudderless and without purpose.
Not all stress is bad for you
- “Good stress”: which psychologists refer to as “eustress,” is the stress we feel when we’re excited about something.
- Acute stress: when something surprises us or catches us off guard. Acute stress is the body’s response to ensure you react and take measures to deal with the unexpected situation. It has no lasting negative effects if we deal with it quickly and move on.
Build your resilience
Resilience is how we deal with stress effectively so we “bounce back” after a difficult time.
As we deal with issues that cause tension and strain, we learn to face adversity, deal with significant issues and overcome problems. We learn how to formulate realistic plans and carry them out.
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Keep yourself accountable
Making a commitment to yourself helps keep you accountable.
Write your goals down, keep a to-do list with you, and create reminders on your phone and on your calendar.
Make yourself accountable to others
- Tell everyone what you plan to do and talk about your goals. Tell friends, employees, and employers your intentions and you won’t want to let them down.
- Start documenting and sharing your journey. A blog or vlog where you share the projects you’re working on and your progress will encourage you to get things done.
Cut out temptations
If you’re a chronic procrastinator and simply can’t resist the temptations of things like Facebook and Youtube, it might be time to cut out temptations.
There are tools such as Rescue Time, SelfControl and Focus that will temporarily block access to distracting websites like Facebook. Less aggressive tools such as Facebook Newsfeed Eradicator and Distraction Free Youtube will allow you to have access to Facebook and Youtube but block the distracting parts of these websites (such as the newsfeed).
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Embrace conflict
Don’t avoid conflict or pretend nothing has happened as it usually will only get worse.
- If you notice a conflict between employees, encourage them to work it out.
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Resolving conflict
- Talk together. Each person should have adequate time to say what he or she believes the other party needs to hear.
- Listen carefully to gain understanding. Give your complete attention to the person who is talking without interrupting.
- Resolution is possible only when you find points of agreement.
- Guide the conversation without taking sides.
Be quick to forgive. Every conflict needs a clear resolution that acknowledges hurt feelings and finds a solution that begins to mend them.
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Understand your indecision
There are many reasons why you might procrastinate.
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Forget perfection
Wanting to choose the perfect option holds us back from deciding.
Such options aren’t realistic, so we’re left instead with a handful of options that aren't particularly good or bad.
Make some immediate progress
Instead of trying to finalize your decision right away, commit to making some kind of progress with your decision.
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