Avoid the big career regret
We’ve all had regrets and spent time pondering how we wished we had things differently.
You’re likely to lose a good deal of sleep because of regrets, yes?
Well, to help support your improved sleep habits, I’m sharing today a practice to avoid one of the biggest career regrets.
According to studies, the majority of career people, at the end of their lives, wish that they had…
done a better job recognizing and thanking the people in life who had been nice to them.
Today I’m blatantly stealing the playbook of one of my favorite Executive Coaches on the subject. According to CEO Coach, Marshall Goldsmith, we all can greatly improve our performance and happiness simply by making the sharing of gratitude a common practice.
Marshall teaches the following process to all his CEO clients. I think it’s valuable to learn and implement at whatever level you may be in your organization, as well as in life beyond the corporate walls.
Here’s Marshall’s simple roadmap.
List the names of the key groups of people that impact your life—both at work and at home (customers, co-workers, friends, family members, etc.).
Write down the names of the people in each group.
Post your list in a place you can’t miss seeing regularly.
Twice a week—once on Wednesday, once on Friday—review the list and ask yourself, “Did anyone on this list do something that I should recognize?”
If someone did, stop by to say thank you, make a quick phone call, leave a voice mail, send an email or jot down a note.
Don’t do anything that takes up too much of your time. As a business leader, this process needs to be time efficient, or you won’t stick with it.
If no one on the list did anything that you believe should be recognized, don’t say anything. You don’t want to be a hypocrite or a phony. No recognition is better than recognition that you don’t really mean.
Stick with the process. You won’t see much impact in a week—but you will see a huge difference in a year.
According to Chief Executive Magazine, “Study after study has shown that effective positive recognition is highly correlated with increased engagement, retention and performance. Even more important, when you are pondering the meaning of your life, it may help you smile because you just avoided one of the major regrets most human beings experience.”
We’re never in this alone. Take time to share gratitude with those who help(ed) you get where you’re going. You might be surprised by the many blessings that come from this simple, yet powerful, habit.
If you’re doing this thing called life well, you’re embracing the changes that force you to grow and evolve. In my work,, I’m assisting folks from all levels and walks of life stock-up on tools to improve their success rate with their changing careers and lives. If you need help in this area, reach out HERE. You’ll be grateful you did.
Till next time -
Thanks for being part of my community and the support you’ve shown me through the years!
It has mattered.
You matter to me.