Keep Calm! Stress Is Contagious!

Stress is not your enemy. It’s how you respond to it.

One of the top issues that I work with my coaching clients on is time management. Their struggle with managing their time effectively has led them to be overwhelmed, and often feeling like they are out of gas and running on nothing but fumes! But being mentally and physically spent and depleted doesn’t just affect them as leaders, it also has a major effect on their employees as well. In a recent survey, 30% of individuals stated that they have experienced “second-hand” stress and increased cortisol levels. What this means is that stress is 100% CONTAGIOUS! So, as a leader, when you are stressed, your team is STRESSED OUT, when you are burned, your team is BURNED OUT and when you are maxed, your team is probably MAXED OUT as well. But you can be just as contagious on the other side of the spectrum by creating healthy work habits for yourself that will also have a positive effect on you and your team! In fact, 20% of individuals experience an increase in wellbeing when their leader and colleagues have healthy habits. Here are some healthy habits reminders that you can do:

• Take your lunch and your breaks AWAY from your desk!

• Set aside 5-10 minutes of #MINDFULNESS (Calm is a great app).

• Block OUT focus time on your calendar. If you use #Microsoft, #Cortana is amazing!

• Take a midday nap (20-30 minutes) to reset and revive yourself! Studies show that it can boost memory, improve job #performance, lift your mood, make you more alert, and ease stress (WebMD).

• Dedicate at least 1-3 hours a week to your own personal #development (DID SOMEBODY SAY, LEADERSHIP COACHING? I KNOW AN AWESOME COACH NAME NIKKI:)! We spend so much time taking care of our teams' development that we often neglect our own.

• Get an #accountability partner to check in on you and hold you accountable for violating your unhealthy habits.

• Have crucial wellness conversations with your team on a weekly basis. Ask your team what can be done to identify stressors for you and for them, and discuss how you all can work together to reduce them.

Because, if you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t take care of your #team. So, what other kind of creative and healthy work habits can you create for yourself as a leader? I would love to hear your thoughts.

Nikki Trotter is the Founder and CEO of IO, LLC., a transformational coaching company. I specialize in coaching professional women in leadership from the front line to the C-Suite. I help my clients master the art of resilient leadership to take control of their careers with courage, clarity, and confidence.

The 10 most effective ways I start my day with impact

As leaders, we only have so many hours in a day to get things done. To be exact, we have 24 hours, 1440 minutes, and 86,400 seconds in a day; and only 8 hours dedicated to our respected workplace. For me, being a leadership #coach and a business #leader means that I need to put my energy into the things that get me going, and keeps me #growing. So, here is a list of the ten things that I try to do every workday. Yes, there are some days when I don’t get them all done, but I do my best to deliver. It has proven very effective for me and has helped me kick-off and complete my day with the right mindset. In no particular order my day includes:

1. Reading something related to my industry. Staying abreast of the trends and statistics within my industry gives me a competitive edge, and helps me to continue to deliver the highest quality of service to my clients.

2. Reading something related to my business or personal development. Sharpening my saw in just one small way makes all of the difference for me as a leader and coach.

3. Send an email to touch base with a stakeholder, vendor, client, or colleague (past: present). For me, checking in lets them know that they are important, and I value our relationship.

4. Taking a few moments in the morning to acknowledge and write down “how I am feeling.” This helps me to acknowledge and be more self-aware about how I am and how I will show up for the day.

5. Check-in with my team member on their progress, and have a short non-work-related conversation with them. We are physically distant, but it is important to elevate our social connection. Therefore, checking in first thing in the morning, and throughout the day; especially working in a virtual environment, gives me and my team an opportunity to do what we would do if we were in the office.

6. Reviewing my top three GOALS for my company that are focused on its growth. By keeping goals top of mind, I am much more motivated and energized by my "why" and my purpose for doing what I do.

7. Identifying and executing just ONE task to support each of my top three goals. I debunk the myth that multitasking is effective. Therefore, my objective is to focus on one task at a time so that I am 100% productive and efficient at completing that task.

8. Posting valuable pieces of content on all my major social media accounts. I don't post for pleasure, I post to educate, empower and engage with those that follow me. Therefore, it is vitally important for me to post quality content at least once a day.

9. Giving back or pay it FORWARD! Out of all of the things that I do daily, this is definitely the most important one! I try to pay it forward in more ways than one; including coaching pro bono or taking the time to provide insights and information to a new graduate that is interested in I/O psychology, coaching, etc. These daily actions always fill my cup, and I am always thankful.

10. Taking at least 5 minutes to reflect on what I am grateful for, appreciate what I have and how far I’ve come in my life, business and career. This is one of the first things that I do in the morning (in my Rocketbook). I take a few moments to sit in silence and think about what I am most grateful for in my life.

As Jim Rohn stated, either you run the day or the day runs you! And I don't know about you, but I definitely prefer to run my day by making an impact in at least one small but important

way; each and every day!

What is something that you do daily that gets you FOCUSED and into your state of productivity?

Nikki Trotter is the Founder and CEO of IO, LLC., a transformational coaching company. I specialize in coaching professional women in leadership from the front line to the C-Suite. I help my clients master the art of resilient leadership to take control of their careers with courage, clarity, and confidence.

For a confidential coaching conversation, please contact me at nikki@theiopcoach.com

Do you know what September 1, 2021 is? It's our...

1-year anniversary!

On September 1, 2020, I launched IO (which means individuals and organizations); a dream of mine that has now become a beautiful reality. And I can't believe that today I am celebrating my 1st anniversary as the CEO and Founder of a coaching company that helps transform, elevate and empower the work of leaders and the organizations they lead through the POWER OF COACHING! Although it has been a year of uncertainty, challenges, obstacles, and a lot of hard work, it has also been a year of relationship building, growth, and I must say some transformational coaching! Overall, it has been an incredible year! And that is why I am so excited and optimistic about the future. But most importantly, I want to take this time and this moment to say "thank you" to everyone that has supported me from the conception of this dream to the birth of this reality. That includes all of my family, friends, colleagues, associates, vendors, social media followers, and clients, etc. I wanted this to be my first blog post and be a very important one because, without you and your unwavering support, I can do nothing. And I definitely would not be able to do the passionate work that I do. So, on that note, I would like to welcome you joining me in celebration of my FIRST ANNIVERSARY as an #entrepreneur, a #smallbusiness owner, and a soon-to-be #coachingempire with big plans to change the world, one leader, one culture, and one organization at a time. Just know that the best is yet to come, and you can be certain that what is to come, will always be my BEST! Cheers and blessings! THANK YOU!

#coachinglife #anniversary #one #thankyou #grateful #levelingup #dreamsdocometrue #leadershipdevelopment #organizationaldevelopment #performance #winning #successful #gettingresults #upwardandonward #powerful #transformational #bigthingtocome #behavior #iopsychologist #areyouready #theiopcoach #letsgrow #entrepreneur

Nikki Trotter is the Founder and CEO of IO, LLC., a transformational coaching company. I specialize in coaching professional women in leadership from the front line to the C-Suite. I help my clients master the art of resilient leadership to take control of their careers with courage, clarity, and confidence.