motivation

Beyond the Obvious: The True Cause of Procrastination and How to Beat It

Procrastination. Even the word sounds unpleasant, like an itchy skin disease. Many of us are guilty of putting off a challenging task or project. In fact, I had “draft blog post on procrastination” on my to-do list for several days before I started working on it. Quite ironic, isn’t it?

While procrastinating once in a while is not something to be concerned about, habitual procrastination can have serious consequences. Research shows that this habit can result in anxiety, low self-esteem, and even physical illness. Plus, procrastination can create a vicious cycle leading to even more procrastination.

In this blog post, we’ll explore what procrastination is, what the root causes are, and what you can do to conquer procrastination once and for all.

Encouraging Reluctant Leaders

A reader sent me a question about reluctant leaders. That is, people who have expertise and experience to step up as leaders but who hesitate to do so.

He wrote, “I have two friends I believe should practice leadership but lack the courage or the energy for some reason. They are both in their fifties and at this point their profession needs them to share what they’ve learnt.”

He went on to describe leadership qualities he sees in each of them and some of the challenges in their professions that could use their leadership.

He concluded, “Any advice Deborah? Do you have a blurb in you to share about the reluctant leader?”

The 4 Best Ways to Get Your People Excited About Doing Their Job

Charlotte’s Conundrum

Charlotte dreads her upcoming meeting. She has to give performance feedback to James, one of her longtime employees. He’s frequently late on project deadlines; each time he has a different—and plausible—explanation. But there’s a pattern affecting his relationships with his co-workers and she has to deal with his behavior.