Do you have any quick reference tools that you find are effective when navigating change?
I recently found myself in a discussion with a friend, colleague and business partner Sharon Gilmour-Glover about sharing thought leadership and acronyms that create strong visuals. Sharing information is a great way to incorporate new resources into our personal toolbox. Sharon and I have started to meet weekly, virtual of course, as an update on various business projects and to provide each other with a little friendly support.
With Sharon’s permission, I share her unique phrase and what it means to me: O.O.P.S. = Owning Other Peoples Stuff
I think this is brilliant, on so many levels it creates a visual that provide us with an opportunity to take a moment and think about our own relationships.
How many times have you found yourself in O.O.P.S.?
Every business leader has at one time or another been in a situation where we are empathetic to other peoples “stuff.” It is easy to jump in and provide alternatives or solutions to assist when someone is experiencing a challenge or excited about an opportunity.
This acronym is especially effective when we are trying to describe challenges with a given situation. There may be times when we begin to internalize the problem by trying to find a solution. I’m sure, in recent weeks, we have all found ourselves navigating a number of issues that are best described by O.O.P.S. These events present themselves from time to time during any business or personal situation and at any given time.
How many of us will find this acronym helpful as we begin to transition back to work?
O.O.P.S. is a great reminder to be proactive with our own time, energy and expertise. Empathy is a wonderful leadership skill, that often fosters respect and guidance from our colleagues and teams. It creates healthy boundaries and encourages us to nurture decision making with solutions based thinking in times of stress and transition.
When we are feeling overwhelmed or just simply wanting to help, this will become a great reminder to be respectful and yet at the same time supportive to someone else’s journey.
I am going to create a sticky note to put on my computer as a friendly reminder… everyone has their own process for processing information and each individual has their own stress meter that will guide them towards a solution.
In general, I find acronyms are helpful and O.O.P.S. will become a new resource in my personal toolbox.
I think, this is a great signpost for leadership self-care!
Trish Tonaj is a Master Coach, Certifed Personal Trainer, Author, Mentor and Speaker. She is the founder and guest blog host for shareyourstories.online a portal in support of the entrepreneurial spirit and sharing great ideas. Join us and share your story! https://bit.ly/37N3XQw