Pat Katz

I’m guesting this week on CAPS colleague, Merge Gupta-Sunderji’s, leadership blog – Turning Managers Into Leaders. Check out three great tips in the article: Help Your People Get Better At Managing Their Workloads.

REFLECTION: For some time now, I’ve been writing and speaking about the impact of overload and overwhelm in our lives and workplaces. We’re all familiar with the near term impact of overload – feeling crunched for time and stretched in capacity. Still, when overload is only a temporary situation, we tend to adapt and work around it.

Problems arise when overload moves from a temporary to chronic state. Chronic overloading drains energy, saps productivity, cripples capacity and poisons relationships.

So, how do we avoid that chronic state and those miserable outcomes? Downloading, uploading and offloading don’t always bring relief. What will make a difference is moving towards rightloading™. Rightloading™ engages minds, encourages hearts, energizes bodies and builds spirit at work and beyond. (more…)

We met Jorge on Labor Day weekend as we strolled through the Old Strathcona Farmers Market in Edmonton. As you can see from his photo, Jorge stands out from the crowd.

When I complemented him on his haberdashery finery, he explained his reason for being dressed so well so early on a Saturday morning. You see, at 85 years old, Jorge is looking for a wife. And, in case, the opportunity arises, he wants to be prepared for the wedding. Now, that is what I call being ready for life!

Jorge told us he arrived in Canada from Bulgaria when he was five years old, and spent many years performing as a magician. He certainly worked his magic on us that morning, leaving us with smiles on our faces, and warmth in our hearts.

Good luck Jorge. I hope your search for a mate turns out well! I’m sure she’s out there somewhere!

PS – Here’s a sketch of the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market that I did from our hotel room earlier in the day.

If you’re ever in the Whyte Avenue vicinity on a Saturday morning, it’s worth taking the time to drop in – especially this time of year when the produce is tumbling out of the gardens and into the market.

REFLECTION: If you had some time off over the summer, chances are you returned to the workplace feeling a bit more relaxed and at ease. If the work that piled up in your absence hasn’t kicked the stuffing out of your mellow, you may be wondering how you can hang on to a bit more of that zen-like calm as the fall revs up.

Could be that the person working next to you or just down the hall shares the very same concern. Here’s where it make sense to team up to calm down. (more…)

I KNOW YOU’VE BEEN WONDERING … what kind of photos I received in response to the invitation to ‘Send Me Your Smiles’. Well, as it turns out, some fabulous ones! It was great fun working them into a short upbeat inspirational video. Check out ‘Sunny Smiles‘ and pass the link along.

REFLECTION: Last day of August. First day of September. Summer transitions to autumn.

I’m looking at the list of projects I’d planned to tackle over the summer months when my business is typically slower. Truth be told, I’ve made a dent, but not moved mountains. Research, redesign, product development. Yep, progress on all those fronts. But nowhere near what I apparently anticipated in those more optimistic, summer stretching out ahead of you, early days of July. Maybe you find yourself in the same situation – with merely a dent in work related tasks or home and family projects.

Frustrating? Somewhat. Discouraging? Only mildly. You see, one of the things I’ve learned so far in life is that my ambitions always have and always will exceed my time and energy. That’s just the way it is.

On the other hand, there were so many things that never appeared on the ‘To Tackle’ list in the first place that have contributed to two memorable summer months. Visits with sisters. Connections with friends and neighbors. Mentoring chats with ‘just beginning’ colleagues. Time with my folks at the farm. Adventures with my grandson, my husband, my children. Hours in the company of watercolors. Moments in the garden, along the river, appreciating the great outdoors.

The contrast speaks to the balancing act between making a living and making a life. (more…)

Ask and ye shall receive. Through the month of August I invited Pause readers to send along pics of their favorite smiles and grins. What a fabulous collection arrived on my desktop – bringing me smile after smile as I opened each message and clicked on the pics.

I’ve put together a compilation to share with you and the world. Hope you enjoy these Sunny Smiles. Share the link with others who just might need a lift and a laugh!

REFLECTION:  In the process of clearing out the pigeonholes above the kitchen desk on the weekend, I discovered a Fuji Quick Snap film cartridge with the words ‘Summer ’98’ pencilled on the label. It’s impossible to tell with these little guys if the film has been developed or not, and I could not stand the suspense.

Thinking, perhaps, I’d unearthed a gem of remembrance, I dropped the film off at the photo counter at the local Shopper’s Drug Mart on my way home around 6:00 the next evening. The young woman behind the counter assured me that they did still handle that kind of film.

Then she immediately apologized that it would not be possible for her to turn the order around within the hour as she had several other jobs backlogged and was closing at 8:00. She further noted, again falling all over herself in apology,  that she was pretty sure she could have the prints ready by noon the next day.

I laughed and reassured her that since the film had been hanging around for at least 12 years, I could easily wait a few more days – or even weeks for that matter. She looked surprised at my reaction. Apparently she serves a lot of people who have ‘last minute – must rush’ photo emergencies! (more…)