SigmaU Blog

Over the last couple of months, I’ve become increasingly aware of my consumption.  When I am more disciplined about my physical, emotional, and spiritual consumption I’m peaceful and productive.  When I lose sight of this awareness, I can easily spiral into negative thinking and experience anxiety.

Outlets are an important part of healthy and balance living.  We have some outlets like exercise which support our growth in a positive way. Working out can also provide a way for us to feel a small sense of control in an unstable world. Other outlets include binge watching Netflix, alcohol, or drugs. Our outlets are ways for us to feel a little calmer, a l...

I’ll admit it, the past few weeks have been a struggle. I’ve been pulled into the news and sensationalism of news stories and doom and gloom. As a result, I found myself cynical, negative and on edge. I’ve always guarded my mind from the news. It’s been a discipline to ignore the news since 2008 when a coach challenged me to give it up for a month and see how my life changed. Well, it changed in an incredible way! During one of the most challenging economic times to run a business, ours grew 43% and I’m a big believer that it was because of the positive mindset I adopted during that time!

Some may say that missing the news is naïve.  I’m here to challenge that way of thinking and ask that you consider that if anything absolutely critical is happening in the world, it will filter through to you. You’re going to find out the major news that impacts you directly and that watching the news on a loop is one of the worst things you can do to your mental health!

Here’s how you can reframe y...

Ever have one of those “hit you over the head” moments where your perspective dramatically changed in an instant?

Well, that happened recently while I was watching a recording of Brendon Burchard’s teaching.  He was talking about his ability to connect deeply with a diverse group of people across ages, gender, cultures, religions, political affiliations, and it all came down to one powerful concept.  Release your expectation that others should think and behave the way you do, and your life will be forever changed!

What the what what??!!! YES!

See I’ll admit, I was stuck in this way of thinking and it absolutely impacted my relationships. I would get frustrated when my husband would hold on to something that I deemed he was holding on to for too long. Well, who cares? Let him feel and process things the way he wants to. In the past, I would immediately want to remedy the situation, give him 3 ways to change his physiology or make him tell me 3 things he was grateful for to try and co...

Who would have thought that one of the most powerful ways you could get ahead today is to be fully present!

Back when I wrote Relationship ROI, my keynotes were all about being a magnetic person to do business with by giving people your undivided attention. It was true then and it’s incredibly relevant now. We’ve all been on Zoom calls for over a year and I totally get it - fatigue can set in and we’re distracted more now than ever.

The challenge is that when we’re not present, we do more damage than good. I remember several years ago when I trained to be a kids coach for Future Possibilities for Kids. One thing that they taught that has stuck with me is the importance of presence. They warned that if you seem distracted on a phone call, your kid will sense it and probably call you out on it. As adults, we’re not as forthcoming calling it out.  Instead, we proceed with the meeting while others on a Zoom call check their phones, turn their videos off to take calls or write emails whil...

When I’m afraid or feeling stressed my ego takes over! Bold statement, I know, but it’s true. I show up rude, sarcastic and I can be short with people.  When I’m leading as my best self and I’m intentional about how I want to show up as a leader, it’s a totally different story.

I’d venture to guess that as a leader, you may be able to relate. When you’re under pressure you just want things done and done properly with minimal questions and minimal interruptions so you can work on what’s most important.  This happens to most of us when we’re in reactive mode vs. being proactive and intentional.

Here are some telltale signs that I’m under pressure and my ego has taken over…

I assume the worst intentions. I have moments where I doubt the intentions of those around me and question if my team did all that they could in a situation vs. assuming the best in others.

When I’m operating from my ego, my ideas are the best. I leave little room for collaboration. In fact, when I run a meeting an...

If you’re a growth-oriented and innovative company then courage should definitely be a part of your culture. It takes guts to be different, to challenge the status quo and to set BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals) for your company!

To execute and navigate through unknown territory takes courage and it’s not enough for the leader to be courageous. Courage needs to be woven through the organization.

Show Courage as a Leader

Like most things, courage will require you as a leader setting an example for your team. My old coach Lindsay used to always say “Leaders get the behaviours they display or tolerate.” So how can you be an example of courage? Courage as a leader isn’t necessarily about control or leading the charge. In fact, courage as a leader shows up when you push yourself outside of your comfort zone. When you’re vulnerable by putting yourself out there on social media for example. It’s being courageous enough to admit to the team when you’ve made the wrong strategic move or when...

Most leaders I meet hate firing people. Even if there was absolutely no way the relationship could continue and it was the wrong fit, firing still feels awful. 

I did this poorly for so many years and wish I had done a lot differently, but we live and learn. As entrepreneurs we don't have the luxury of a corporate HR team guiding our steps or doing the dirty deed on our behalf. 

One thing that I wish I did differently was address the issue with the entire team right away. Having said that, I'm grateful to say that it's been a very long time since I've had to terminate someone but these are the steps I would take again.

Rally the Troops 

Bring your entire team together, preferably in person or at least virtually if you're reading this during a lockdown. Without disclosing anything confidential and while respecting the terminated team member, explain that the team member has been asked to leave the premises and their employment has come to an end. It may be nice to offer a kudos of a...

The winter blues are a real thing ya’ll! Many people head south during the winter months or get active skiing with friends and volunteering in hot climates to break up the winter. With spring officially here, it’s a new reminder that not everything is back open due to COVID restrictions. So, we’ve created a list of ten ways to beat the blues and keep the motivation train moving!

1. Gratitude journal

I go on and on about a gratitude journal and here’s why. During coaching, one of the major differentiators in my clients’ moods and outlook on life is their commitment to keeping a gratitude journal. You cannot be thinking about all of the amazing things in your life and upset and worried at the same time. Take three minutes and write down three things you’re truly grateful for today. If you’re having a hard time coming up with three, consider these options: You are living in a safe country where you are not fearful for your life. You have access to clean drinking water and the dignity ...

My mentor Bob told me, “Hire slowly and fire quickly Nikki”. While I’d love to stand here and tell you that I took his advice and acted accordingly every single time, I didn’t! There were times that I waited WAY too long to pull the trigger. Perhaps you can relate.  Few leaders have ever thought to themselves after firing someone, “Man, I wish I kept him/her around longer.” When we know, we know.

The role of values in your hiring process

What brings an extra level of clarity to the decision is when you base the decision on culture and core values.  They become your compass and North Star and there’s total clarity which happens very quickly when you’re basing decisions on this type of alignment.

We recently did a “Core Values in Action” workshop for a small team. They have never sprinkled core value questions into their interview process. We mapped out exactly how core values would show up in how people would respond in the interview process and she emailed me to let me know that the...

According to Wikipedia, “Work engagement is the ‘harnessing of organization member's selves to their work roles: in engagement, people employ and express themselves physically, cognitively, emotionally and mentally during role performances.’"^[1]:694 Three aspects of work motivation are cognitive, emotional and physical engagement.^[2]

When I read this definition, a few things come up for me. I’m reminded of the importance of seeing the “whole” person not just the worker bee on my team. I love that this definition includes the emotional and mental expressiveness of importance. Better yet, it seems that equal value is given to each area of the employee’s self. As leaders, we can often forget that optimal performance can only be met when team members are actively engaged in all areas.

Sadly, for many organizations, engagement to them means recognizing a birthday with a digital card, or a work anniversary with a letter from the president. Or worse, they may feel that a team member is enga...