Dr. Paul White's Blog

Family Philanthropy — Some Lessons Learned through Observation

Paul — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 03:55:45 +0000

Over the past several weeks I have been involved with a number of families, helping them with their philanthropic giving process. What has been interesting is the fact that almost all of the families are at some different stage in their developmental stage of philanthropy. Some are really just beginning, others have been “doing” philanthropy for a while but are at a new life stage in their families and having to reshape their giving process, and some are not only experienced but are providing leadership to other families and foundations.

Let me share some lessons I am gleaning from my facilitator role.

“Successful” philanthropy reflects the true, authentic character of the family. There is a lot of discusssion within the marketplace about what “successful” philanthropy is, but from an observer’s position, it seems successful philanthropy entails actively engaged family members who enjoy the process of giving along with positively impacting people’s lives as a result of the money given — both pieces seem to be necessary. Given this description, I see “successful philanthropy” take on many shapes and forms. No one approach or format yields these results for families. Rather, if a family is laissez faire and goes through life more experientially (versus planned out), their philanthropy and generosity works well in this form. But for families who are more goal-driven, structured and need to help “move things along”, a laissez faire approach to their philanthropy would drive them mad and not be fulfilling.

Ongoing, regular two-way communication is key. Regardless of the level of development of the family’s philanthropic process, whether it is just a couple sitting down to talk together informally; parents sharing about their giving with their adult children; or a group of adult siblings with their spouses having a formal Board meeting — if there isn’t ongoing regular communication, problems erupt. Misunderstanding, hurt feelings and mistrust can grow over a few thousand dollars to be given or over hundreds of thousands of dollars — the amount of money is not critical. The challenge is — regular communication takes effort and time, and a commitment to overcome the obstacles of life (busyness, interruptions, illness, unexpected demands from other commitments). Families that can meet the challenge win — the process of giving together stays healthy.

There needs to be a healthy acceptance of different levels of interest, passion, and involvement across generations. I am asked to speak on or address (to families) the topic “How to Engage the Next Generations in Philanthropy” fairly frequently. And the pattern which I am seeing that is yielding the most positive results is this: a) there is a generation of the family which is interested, passionate, and involved in giving; b) there is a desire within this generation to pass on their passion to other family members; c) however, they understand that there are seasons of life and interest in philanthropy needs to be grown and developed over time; d) the involved generation attempts to model and share about their giving at a level which matches the level of interest by the next generation; and e) the involved generation continues to be involved and excited about what they are doing philanthropically regardless of the response of the next generation (that is, they don’t get discouraged, start to manipulate or place “guilt trips” on the next generation).

These are just some initial observations from recent interactions. Being forthright, working with families and their philanthropic plans is once of the most enjoyable and rewarding aspects of my work right now.

Have a great week!

communication, Family, Family Business Issues, family philanthropy, philanthropy, wealth transfer, wealthy families communication, Family, Family Business Issues, family philanthropy, philanthropy, wealth transfer, wealthy families

Handling the Stress of Election Night Returns

Paul — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 18:58:57 +0000

I just finished traveling from Wichita to San Francisco this Election Day and was reflecting on the stress of prior Election Nights. So I thought I’d give a few suggestions for each of us to manage our stress successfully.

Manage your expectations. Regardless of your political affiliation or views, it is probable that not all of your desired results will happen. In fact, it is highly likely that you will be disappointed with some of the election results. When this happens, your life (or even your day) probably isn’t ruined. Realize that the world doesn’t revolve around you and want you want.

Watch the channels that are consistent with your viewpoint. Again, it really doesn’t matter what your political position is — unless you want to become irritated, have high blood pressure, and be grumpy to those around you — choose to primarily watch those news stations that are more consistent with your views. This should lower your agitation for the evening.

Get some exercise. Take a walk. Go for a run. Go to the gym and work out on the machines (while watching the returns, if you must). Do something physical, and this will help “wash away” those tension building chemicals in your body.

Stretch. Getting uptight, literally does that — it makes your muscles tense up. So instead of just sitting in the easy chair or on the couch, stretch on the floor or stand up and do some upper body stretches while watching the election returns.

Set a goal for when you want to get to bed (and possibly give yourself an extra 30-60 minutes). Think through tomorrow, when you have to get up and what you have to accomplish. Set a “drop dead” time that you will get to bed by.

Realize that the impact on your life will be the same whether you find out the results at midnight, 2 a.m. or tomorrow morning. We are addicted to “real time” news and have become accustomed to wanted to know the latest information right now. In actuality, the impact on your life will most probably be the same if you find out the results in the morning, so don’t “kill” tomorrow by staying up too late tonight.

Provide some margin in your life and schedule tomorrow for being tired and emotinally drained. It would be wise, if possible, not to pack your day full tomorrow and expect to be able to function at 100%. You probably will be both physically and emotionally tired, and it would be good for you (and those around you) to plan accordingly.

Burnout, Emotional intelligence, Life Balance, Stress management, Tiredness Burnout, Emotional intelligence, Life Balance, Stress management, Tiredness

Learning from the Best: Musings from a Successful Top CEO

Paul — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 13:02:52 +0000

This weekend I had the opportunity to speak at a conference for major donors of a charitable organization. It was a beautiful setting in Southern California, and my wife accompanied me, which was a treat.

The other keynote presenter was Carlos Sepulveda, who is the CEO of Interstate Batteries, and a dynamic presenter. In addition to his presentation, Mr. Sepulveda had a follow-up question and answer session in which he expanded upon the concepts he shared. I thought I would share some of his thoughts which were thought provoking to me:

“There is no such thing as business ethics.” He did not mean this in terms of an oxymoron. Rather, Mr. Sepulveda’s point was that there really is no division between public and private behavior – choices and decisions are made by individuals, whether or not the context is in the home, community or workplace. As Carlos stated directly, “Truth cannot be compartmentalized.” Unfortunately, we have seen this issue (behavior and choices matter, regardless of the context) impact our lives and news repeatedly (Enron, sexual misconduct by business and government leaders, business policies driven by greed).
“Successful people absorb in early in life what reality is, and they spend the rest of their lives making and managing decisions made in reality.” Mr. Sepulveda shared some about his early life’s history, which was rocky, and the resulting lessons he learned. He affirmed straightforwardly, “You will never be any more successful than your understanding of reality” and that this is true in one’s personal life as well as in business.
Regarding businesses delivering value, he stated that “competence delivers value.” He stated that the way to increase competence is through a combination of “ability + technique + effort”. He reported that our culture is always trying to “get around” work, but that ultimately work is good, brings value to our lives, and the means by which goals are reached.
The definition of the role of a CEO, according to Mr. Sepulveda, is encapsulated in the initials “CEO”. The primary responsibilities of a CEO are to: 1. Organize (goals and resources); 2. Encourage others – to always be coaching those around you; and 3. Confront – to confront actions, beliefs and policies that don’t match reality, and to confront the gap between promised results and what is actually delivered. In a follow-up discussion, he indicated he tries to accept bad news well (that is, not “blow up”) but he asks the question: “How did it happen?”
There are two primary activities that make up life – resource allocation (time, our “brain”, talents, financial resources) and conflict resolution. We are constantly making choices about how to use our time, talents, money, etc. and this is the daily activities of our lives. But because we live in relationship with others, and we all have our unique perspectives, values and priorities, this leads to conflicts over how resources should be allocated. And so the second most frequent activity we engaged in is managing these conflicts over the use of our resources.

I found Mr. Sepulveda an extremely engaging speaker, a thoughtful leader, and one who clearly caused me to repeatedly ask myself: “Really?” “Is that true?” He brings a unique perspective to leadership and daily life. If you ever have the chance to hear him speak, I would encourage you to choose to do so.

Business Success

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Executive performance

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A Different Kind of Birthday Gift — Time & Fun

Paul — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 23:46:04 +0000

Most “gifts” in our culture are tangible presents — either something we buy, or sometimes make, for another. So when we think of Christmas gifts, or presents for other events like birthdays and anniversaries, we think of “things”. However, given that most people are hard to buy presents for because they “already have everything”, truly meaningful gifts are often taking on a different characteristic.

This past week I had a birthday and I had a wonderful day. I started by sleeping in a little, and then went for a run on a cool, fall morning. I went to work for the morning, and then had a nice lunch with some friends and one of my sons. After completing my work in the afternoon, I met up with my family (all except my son who is at college in Texas) and they gave me my birthday gift.

The gift I asked for was not one they (or I could purchase) and not the typical gift you unwrap. They gave me the gift of taking time out to (willingly) do an activity with me that I enjoy — and wanted to do together with them. In some ways the activity itself is not that important. In fact, it might be good to think about those things that you would enjoy taking time to do on your birthday (or at Christmas), and an activity that you would really enjoy sharing with your family. The key to this gift (for me) was that it is an activity I enjoy, but none of my family really does. In fact, over the years, I have included them (sometimes by coercion) — asking them to go with me, and they generally haven’t enjoyed the experience. In fact, over the years, it became clear that they really didn’t like the activity and would only go out of guilt, pressure, or not at all.

The fact that they chose to go with me truly was a gift because it was a sacrifice for them to participate. What made it even more special and fun for me was that we actually had a good time together (I had fun because they did).

So after we were done fishing together for two hours, we went home and enjoyed a home-cooked steak, salad and baked potato dinner — along with the traditional birthday cake.

And then the fun continued — we hung out together and played a board game together, laughing at each other until we were ready to call it a night (at least, for Kathy and I). Not the typical Friday night that teens and young adults sit around wishing for. But I enjoyed the time with them, and I appreciate the gift of time and fun they gave me.

So for those of us that have a difficult time thinking of “what to get” friends or family members for a gift, I would encourage you to consider giving them the gift of time — especially inviting or planning to do something with them that they really enjoy doing but maybe don’t get to do as often as they like — or that you usually don’t do with them. It is the kind of gift that money can’t buy.

holidays, Personal stories, thankfulness, wealthy families holidays, Personal stories, thankfulness, wealthy families

Blog Glitch — Try Again

Paul — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 01:29:48 +0000

Friends, although the text on my most recent blog entry appears on my blog site, the version that was sent out to subscribers was blank. Not sure how (or why) that happened. Sorry.

So, rather than go through the same action again, I think the easiest solution is for you to click here and it will send you directly to the entry, entitled “Principles for Leading Effectively in Times of Financial Turmoil”. Sorry for the hassle.

Leadership Leadership

Principles for Leading Effectively During Times of Financial Turmoil

Paul — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 20:44:23 +0000

This past week the business editor of my local newspaper called and asked me to write a column for business leaders regarding the current financial turmoil. The following is the article I wrote, and which can also be viewed at the newspaper’s website.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Few current business leaders have had to navigate the turbulent waters of economic difficulties that we find ourselves in today. But we can learn from those who have studied accomplished leaders and identified characteristics of successful companies that have weathered difficult times.

Richard Peterson, who researches the neurological responses associated with financial decisions, says there is a difference between fear and panic. Fear is largely anticipatory — assessing potential risks. Panic is characterized by an urgent pressure to act immediately. In fact, Peterson clearly reports: “It takes tremendous effort and fortitude to ‘keep one’s cool’ when frightened.” Panic then can lead to poor decision-making.

Jim Collins, in his classic study “Good to Great,” proposes that one key characteristic of leaders of successful companies is the ability to confront the brutal facts yet never lose faith. He states, “You must maintain unwavering faith that you can and will prevail in the end, regardless of the difficulties, and at the same time have the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.”

In his best-selling book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” Stephen Covey identifies being proactive as the first core principle for successful individuals and business leaders. In difficult circumstances, he encourages leaders to ask: “What is our response? What are we going to do? How can we exercise initiative in this situation?”

Daniel Goleman, one of the foremost researchers of emotional intelligence, proposes that optimism is a core characteristic of successful leaders. Effective leaders “persist in seeking goals despite obstacles and setbacks,” and they “operate from hope of success rather than fear of failure.”

So how do effective leaders respond in times of uncertainty and fear?

• Assess the potential risks. The critical factor is to try to accurately assess the reality of the risks. It is crucial to differentiate between facts (what do we really know) versus conjecture (what might happen). What are the risks posed to your organization? To the best of your ability, determine how reality-based the risks are.

Consider constructing an “if-then” decision-making tree regarding the risks you see. Arrange the options from “best case scenario” to “worst case scenario” (the likelihood of both extremes is usually small), with the scope of possible outcomes in between. Then try to identify the results that have a higher probability of occurring and what impact they could have on your organization.

• Determine strategies and actions that can manage the risks. Individuals who focus on fear tend to stop at risk assessment. Leaders who are proactive seek to actively manage the situation and move to determining what steps can be taken to minimize the risk. “What can be done to minimize the probability of ‘x’ happening?” “If ‘x’ does happen, what can we do now to limit its negative impact on our company?”

• Look for potential opportunities. In addition to assessing potential risks to the organization, successful leaders also scour the marketplace for potential opportunities to capture. Your key competitors may have difficulties because of cash flow issues or not be able to access credit needed to finish projects. There may be assets (property, machinery, inventory) that can be purchased at a steep discount for cash.

• Communicate proactively. Lack of information increases anxiety. So take initiative to talk with your leadership team; let them know your thoughts and listen to their concerns. Communicate with your customers and your vendors; find out how current circumstances may affect them.

• Model courage and optimism. A “we will figure this out” attitude is contagious. These are difficult times. But the opportunity exists to step up to the challenges we face by demonstrating courage and resiliency.

Executive performance, Family Business Issues, Leadership, Management, Optimism, Responsibilities Executive performance, Family Business Issues, Leadership, Management, Optimism, Responsibilities

Character Issues: Responsibility — its apparent demise

Paul — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 02:36:50 +0000

Just some musings and observations from the past week– from the news, working with some businesses, and some reading.

It appears that the character quality of responsibility is slowly (?) disappearing from at least some parts of our culture. It is an odd experience — on the one hand, to be dealing with businesses and managers where they are all about responsibility — both giving it and expecting it from managers, sales people, and employees at all levels. While on the other hand, to see “leaders” (I use the term loosely) who seem to spend most of their time and effort in avoiding responsibility — making excuses, but mainly blaming others.

And what is really interesting is that many seem to be attempting to place “responsibility” on institutions (Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac), career categories (mortgage brokers, investment bankers), political parties (”its the fault of …Republicans, …Democrats”), even laws (”its due to the repeal of the … Act). Funny. I thought individuals made choices and complete actions.

Similarly, it appears that many of today’s leaders want to take responsibility for “fixing” other people’s mistakes (at least that is the claim on the front end of a decision to be implemented over time, with the actual results to be determined). And even the general populace (or maybe it is the media’s presentation of the populace) seem to want someone else to fix problems. But rarely do I hear individuals stepping up and saying, “I was wrong. . . I misjudged the situation and had an error in judgment. . . I made a mistake.”

Why is this? Fear of being sued? Being afraid of public embarrassment? People not really believing they did anything wrong?

And yet in business settings in which I am working, I consistently have seen individuals who have “messed up” and who admit it, apologize, and attempt to rectify the situation. Now, interestingly, an apparent difference is that it is clear who made the decision or committed the action. And also, members of the system in which they function hold them accountable — and “call them” on their mistake.

So maybe one factor we need to work towards in the “public sector” (in this case, government) is to clarify when a decision is made and who is responsible. But the challenge seems to lie in the fact that, many times, in government it takes multiple parties to make and implement a decision (the Senate, the House of Representatives, the President). So when multiple parties are involved, does that mean no one is responsible? Or, conversely, does it actually mean that all parties who are involved are responsible (my current position).

It is just that the juxtaposition is stark. In small to medium businesses (I think it may be different in larger corporations), doing “business” means making and implementing decisions, taking risks, and managing the results. And if you make a poor decision (or fail to implement a good decision), you experience the consequence. In the public sector of government, the whole process and concept seems foreign, even counter-cultural.

For me, until the practice of being able to hold public officials (or those within large business organizations) accountable for decisions made and actions taken, I have little hope of good decisions being made and implemented (”good decisions” being ones with that have positive results).

I am open to your thoughts and comments (just click on the title of the blog and it will send you to the comment section OR go to www.drpaulwhite.com/blog and scroll down to the comment section).

Business Success, Character Development, Emotional intelligence, Family Business Issues, Leadership, parenting, personal development Business Success, Character Development, Emotional intelligence, Family Business Issues, Leadership, parenting, personal development

Antidote to Stressful News

Paul — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 01:45:55 +0000

Major (repeated) upheaval in the financial markets. Hurricane Ike. Flooding across the Midwest. Concerns about who will be elected President (from both sides). Bombings in Pakistan. Political turmoil in Bolivia and Venezuela. The negative, worry-producing news keeps coming.

What’s a person to do? Ignore it? Stress out? Drink more? (I heard a news report that beer and wine sales are up significantly in the last 6 months.)

Previously, I have written about the role of thankfulness and gratitude in helping us live more contentedly. Rather than pontificate on the subject further, I thought I would share the things in my life that I am thankful for — and then encourage you to make your own list.

I love:

Sunny, warm fall days with clear blue skies. Cool fall evenings with the stars out. The contrast of the sky blue with the late summer dark green grass and leaves. Going to high school football games with friends on Friday nights. The pagentry of college football games on Saturday afternoons with all the colors, sounds of the marching bands, and faint smells in the outdoor air. Sitting around bonfires with young people and old friends. Teaching others how to split wood and build a fire.

Fresh, perfectly ripened fruit — blueberries, blackberries, red (and black, when I can get them) raspberries, wonderful golden juicy peaches, slightly tart and crisp apples, sweet juicy grapes, cool watermelon on a hot day, sloppy mangoes (that’s how I am when I eat them), refreshing pineapple, cantalope that freshens your mouth when you eat it at breakfast, zingy pink grapefruit, fresh limes in limeade, there’s probably more.

I also love sounds: Cicadas in the woods. The rhythmic buzz of grasshoppers, crickets & other insects when walking through a field of prairie. The breaking of waves on the beach. Rolling thunder in the distance at night. The wind in the trees (especially cottonwoods and eucalyptus). The unique swoosh of the wind moving through the needles of pine trees in the mountains. Children’s laughter when they are playing and running. Music of all kinds — soothing classical orchestral music, energizing classic rock from the 70’s, foot-tapping quick paced bluegrass, the angelic sound of a women’s choir, the rousing fullness of a strong men’s choir, and the wonder of a talented musician playing a solo on their instrument.

I could go on. But you get the idea. Think of your senses — what do you enjoy the feel of? the sound of? the taste of? being able to see? what aromas bring you pleasure?

And while I’m am thinking about it — I am thankful for eyeglasses, for hot showers, for cool refreshing drinks with ice, for clean water, for quality medical treatment, for pain medication, sleeping in a comfortable bed with no bugs, being able to walk and run, for my wife and kids, for my friends. Life is good.

Now it’s your turn. What is good in your life?

Burnout, Emotional intelligence, Feelings, Gratitude, Happiness, Hope, Life Balance, Optimism, Stress management, thankfulness Burnout, Emotional intelligence, Feelings, Gratitude, Happiness, Hope, Life Balance, Optimism, Stress management, thankfulness

Learning about Marketing — and Community

Paul — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 16:54:31 +0000

I want to write about some things I have been learning about “marketing” but I don’t know how to frame the issue and information in a way that doesn’t turn people off. That, historically, has been my reaction to “marketing” — makes me think of either high-dollar, high-glitz Madison avenue advertising campaigns or a slick (possibly slimey), fast-talking guy who gives you tips on how to sell people services or goods they don’t need and don’t really want. (My apologies to my marketing consultants who are wonderful, warm people that don’t come anywhere near close to this description.)

But this weekend I read an article about the intersection of marketing and living in community — a viewpoint which struck me as quite unique. Dr. Bruce Howard is a professor of business and economics at Wheaton College (my alma mater) and he shares the following thoughts:

“In graduate school, I was surprised by the first course I ever took in marketing. Like most people, I thought it would be about sales and advertising and learning how to convince people to buy your products. I could not have been more wrong. It turned out to be mostly about the practical arts of building community. I was expecting a perspetive that was primarily individualistic and self-centered, but learned that true marketing always takes the spotlight off me and focuses it on others.”

Dr. Howard then cites Theodore Leavitt’s article, Marketing Myopia, from the Harvard Business Review in 1960 (yes, that date is correct), where Levitt states that business “is a customer-satisfying process, not a goods-producing process.”

This actually cross-sects with Michael Gerber’s statements on marketing in his best-selling The E Myth Revisited (the “e myth” is that most businesses are started by entrepreneurs; in fact, most businesses are started by technicians and service providers who think they can “do better”).

Gerber emphasizes two key aspects to marketing: 1) know who your customers (or potential customers) are (demographics); and 2) know why they decide to buy (what he calls psychographics). He restates the classic line, “Find a need and fill it” to “Find a perceived need and fill it.” Gerber then argues that, for companies to be successful in marketing their products, companies must gather information about who their customers are and how they think about things.

He gets a bit intense when he states, “[I]t is absolutely imperative that you forget about your dreams, forget about your visions, forget about your interests, forget about what you want –forget about everything but your customer! When it comes to marketing, what you want is unimportant. It’s what your customer wants that matters. And what your customer wants is probably significantly different from what you think he wants.”

Now, back to Dr. Howard with his thoughts about marketing and living in community. He states:

“I … discovered that building the business enterprise is about creating a community that is linked with other communities for the purposes of enhancing mutual welfare. When people join a business, they don’t just want a job .. they want to be part of something greater than themselves. They want to be part of a community.”

He then asks a key question: “If business is supposed to be so community friendly, why does it feel so highly individualistic?”

He then discusses the current values driving much of the Western world’s marketplace — what is best for me (individually)? What costs the least for me (individually)? Dr. Howard then argues that effective enterprises must also be intentional about the values they bring to the marketplace, including the value of community.
It reminds me of social entreprenuership — developing businesses that also have a positive social impact as part of their mission (for some great information on social entrepreneurship, go to www.socialimpact.com).

Part of my interest in “marketing” is how I see it all around us, in almost every sphere of life.

The political process and all of the media communication surrounding Obama, McCain, et al.
The bombardment of advertisements in virtually every “screen” media — the Internet, watching a movie, television, email.
In people making daily life decisions — about cars, about food to eat, where to eat out, what movie to see, where to go to college, clothes to wear, where to go for professional services.

Secondly, I recently had an article in my community’s newspaper about a service I provide (a non-medication intervention for individuals with ADHD), and I was amazed at the amount of communication that resulted from this one “blip” on the marketing / information scene. The story about a teenage girl who was significantly helped in her life by this approach seemed to touch people and they responded.

I guess I have a number of threads that are starting to come together in my mind (and don’t seem to be especially well-articulated yet!). Marketing seems to be largely about the same things relationships are built on: clear communication, understanding the other person and their point of view, trust in communication, providing accurate information, responding appropriately. Maybe that is why, as I am coming to understand what marketing is, it intrigues me.

Family Business Issues, Management, Networking, work Family Business Issues, Management, Networking, work

Dealing with Being Overwhelmed Successfully (Reprise)

Paul — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 02:04:11 +0000

After being on the road for a week in California, I came home fairly tired. As the weekend progressed I seemed to get more tired — both emotionally and physically. And as I started dealing with home-related (e.g. lawn) and family matters, as well as getting caught up on some minor office work and then looking ahead to the beginning of next week, I started feeling emotionally overloaded. So I started taking a personal inventory of what was going on. I thought about my own advice I’ve given previously on different types of tiredness and different types of rest as well as what I have written about being overwhelmed and ways to try to keep your life balanced.So I reviewed key principles:

Get rest. Check. I slept in on Saturday and took a nap today.
Keep exercising. Check. I did some physical labor in the yard yesterday and I ran (figuratively speaking) today.
Eat well. (Stay away from sugar, caffeine and junk food). Well, I didn’t totally blow it. Had some cake.
Take a break and do something rejuvenating. Check. Went to a high school football game Friday night, spent time with Kathy, went for a walk in the woods, and watched the Jayhawks win in football.
Prioritize — figure out what needs to be done now. Check. Went through my mail, email and incompleted work and figured out what had to be done now, what needs to be done Monday, and what can wait.

But it wasn’t working. I was still feeling quite stressed and emotionally overloaded. What was up? And then it hit me — the real issue was that I was carrying the weight of responsibility for things I really wasn’t responsible. I was stressed and feeling overwhelmed because I was concerned about things that weren’t really my responsibility. All the steps I had taken would have reduced my stress if I was just dealing with my regular responsibilities. But I was taking on additional issues that weren’t mine and they were stressing me out.

So once I realized: 1) what I was really stressed about; 2) that the issues weren’t my responsibility to take care of; and 3) I could quit worrying about things that weren’t mine to carry — then I began to feel more “normal” (at least, just normally tired).

So if you are stressed, you are doing the best you can to manage your stress, and you still feel overwhelmed — do
another check.

Are you taking on and carrying responsibility that is not yours to carry?

Burnout, Emotional intelligence, Executive performance, Feelings, Life Balance, personal development, Responsibilities, Stress management, Tiredness Burnout, Emotional intelligence, Executive performance, Feelings, Life Balance, personal development, Responsibilities, Stress management, Tiredness