by Marilyn Manning, Ph.D.

Stress is like measles - contagious. But unlike most cases of measles, stress can be deadly. So, what do we do about this all-too-common ailment of modern business? Learn to use stress positively. Stress is an automatic, generalized response to a perceived need for action. We don’t get locked into stress if we take action; but when we can’t act, physical and psychological pressure to act remains, and we suffer from stress. Many people think stress is something to be avoided. But you can’t eliminate stress from your life. Most of us need a certain amount of pressure and exhilaration for motivation. Stress provides these motivators. The real challenge is to use stress positively to obtain maximum performance from yourself and your employees, if you have any. Uncontrolled stress can lead to physical problems such as ulcers, high blood pressure, and increased risk of heart attacks. Controlled stress, on other hand, can provide energy needed for sustained effort and high productivity. Medical researchers have discovered that some Type-A driven people have what they call “stress resistant personalities.” These people experience a stronger sense of control over their lives than do other Type-A personalities and are, therefore, more stress resistant. They don’t necessarily experience less stress; they just don’t respond negatively to stressors that they do experience. If you experience stress negatively, look at stressful areas of your life to identify action you can take to use stress more positively, and to take control.

by Dr. Marilyn Manning CSP, CMC

To sell your product or service, you need vision. To attract investors, you need vision. To market yourself, you need vision. Is this article, I give you simple steps to articulate your vision.

All successful leaders have a vision for their businesses, projects or teams. In fact, you wouldn’t be a leader if you didn’t have vision, if you couldn’t see exciting possibilities not only in your product or services, but also in your people. And, yet, many leaders when asked to create a vision statement for their team tend to minimize importance of this process. They often give it lip service, so they can get back to “real work.”

An in-depth, thoughtful vision process can be a major motivator. An authentic vision comes from your soul, your team’s soul, and touches heart. A team that is emotionally moved by their vision has strength to overcome rough spots and ups and downs any business faces. When team has a clear vision for business, they are creating a picture of future. They can then work backwards, identifying priorities and what needs to be done to actualize end result.

Having facilitated many strategic planning and visioning processes for my clients, I have found following to be a blueprint for a successful visioning process. To know potential and possibilities of our organization, we have to access where we are, our strengths, our vulnerabilities, our competition and society’s trends.

STEP 1: Conduct a thorough internal and external environmental scan. a.Identify all stakeholders b.Analyze stakeholder needs and impact c.Administer a reliable employee satisfaction survey d.Conduct customer focus groups e.Identify key questions for environmental scan f.Seek input from stakeholder representatives g.Consider using an organizational assessment consultant

Although many teams, projects, and even divisions of companies are not required to develop vision statements, they can be helpful in creating identity and aligning priorities. A vision is a picture of future we seek to create, described in present tense, as if it were happening now. It shows where we want to go in next few years, and what we will be like when we get there. The word comes from Latin “videre,” to see.

Criteria to consider in writing a vision statement include: strategic focus and market place competitive advantage, adding value, building on current strengths, and embracing organizational values. Vision should provide driving force. It should be clear, specific and simple. Everyone in organization should be able to speak it, feel it, act on it, and integrate it.

Examples of some of my clients’ vision statements developed in our strategic planning:

“To be leader in providing high quality communication support services by exceeding our customers’ service expectations.” Lotus division cc:Mail

“California State University, San Bernardino will become one of leading comprehensive universities in nation, distinctive for its contributions to understanding of learning and for innovative partnerships promoting educational, social, economic and cultural advancement in region.”

“We are an educational institution with resources to provide our distinct services to community at large.” Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo

“We envision Cupertino Educational Endowment Foundation as a leader in entreprenurial philosophy, leveraging its human and fiscal resources in partnership with others to enhance quality of education in our community."

“We will strive to insure that City of Gilroy is a safe, clean, prosperous, well governed city, in which citizens are involved in decision making process.”