The Company You Keep

I was asked to be the guest speaker at the Metro DC ASTD Chapter, Free Agent Special Interest Group (SIG) event on Friday, June 17th.  The Free Agent SIG is a group of independent consultants who gather to discuss topics related to self-employed learning and development professionals. The topic for the event was "Growing Yourself, Not Just the Business".  During the event, I had the pleasure of experiencing very stimulating and engaging conversation with my peers and colleagues.  On my ride home from the event, I began to reflect on the people with whom I just met.  Then, I began to dig a little deeper into my "inner circle."  A particular quote from Les Brown came to mind..."If you're the smartest person in your group, then you need a new group."

The topic of the April 20, 2010 Inspiration, Motivation, Information - Personal Development Blog, discusses Les Brown's quote.  I took the advice of the blog and started evaluating my inner circle or group that I associate with these days.  I specifically asked myself the following questions that are mentioned in the blog:

Why am I with this group?

Am I the smartest person in my group?

Do I like where this group has me headed?

Am I okay with what my group has me becoming?

After careful evaluation of my inner circle, I decided that this group is exactly the people that I need to be associating myself with.  Here are my answers to the questions...

Why am I with this group?
They help me grow!  My inner circle encourages and supports me when I face challenges and helps me move along my learning journey. 

Am I the smartest person in my group?
Absolutely not!  I make it a point not to be around people from whom I can't learn.  My inner circle is comprised of people from diverse backgrounds, educational levels, ages, and are smart.

Do I like where this group has me headed?
Yes, I do!  My inner circle is going somewhere.  They are always looking for ways to improve systems, communication, processes, etc.  They are continuous learners like me.

Am I okay with what my group has me becoming?
Yes, I am!  My group wants what's best for me.  They are happy when I'm fulfilling my purpose and passion.  They want me to be successful.

We must be careful of the company that we keep.  We also need to ensure that the people with whom we're associated are going to help us achieve our personal and professional goals.  They need to be going somewhere and not holding us back from achieving our best.  It's important to evaluate our groups from time-to-time. 

When the company that we keep is the right group, they will help you on your learning journey by sharing their experiences with you as they move along their journey.

Recharging Your Battery

Over the weekend, I took time to recharge my battery.  I spent time with family and read books, unrelated to learning and development, and relaxed.  As usual, I started reflecting on a time in my life when I wasn't able to relax, and when I was spending time with family...I was still working!

Burning Out

I have learned that it's not healthy to have an out-of-whack work-life balance which can lead to burnout.  Freudenberger, a psychologist and author of Burnout: The High Cost of High Achievement, stated that burnout occurs when good people are trying their best.  I would like to slightly alter Freudenberger's definition to say "when good people are trying to be perfect."  This is exactly what most of us are trying to do, if we admit it...exceed our best.  We don't want others to see us make a mistake because of what they might think.  Guess what...we gain the most value from our experiences when we make mistakes and learn from them. 

Burnout doesn't happen overnight, but it's a slow burning ember that suddenly turns into an out-of-control wildfire!  Before you know it, it's too late.  You can't concentrate, you're easily agitated, you can't sleep, and eventually the mistakes you were trying to avoid start occurring more frequently.

Cost of Burnout
We workplace learning and performance professionals are often guilty of making too many sacrifices to achieve the unachievable...perfection!  We should avoid burnout at all costs because it is a serious state of emotional exhaustion and loss of motivation which can lead to serious problems like depression, addiction, and physical illnesses, according to Joan Borysenko, author of Fried.  Burnout effects your creativity as well as your productivity.  As learning and development professionals, we cannot afford to lose the two things that allows us to meet our customers needs.

Recharging Your Battery
Take time to enjoy life...spend equal amounts of time on what really matters!  For me, what matters is my family, friends, and allowing myself to have downtime to read for pleasure, as well as my professional life.  Just like with a car, when you don't have a charged battery, you will not perform.  You will undoubtedly achieve higher levels of performance when you take time to recharge your battery.  What do you do to recharge your battery?