The main causes of stress are work, home, and personal problems. Some stress is actually good for us. Pressure to complete a task can help us focus on it. But if you are under stress each day you need to take steps to cut it or eliminate it.

1. What is Stress?

There are tons of books, seminars, and self-help gurus that say they will help you find stress relief in your life. Many are good, some are preying on those who need help for their own monetary gain. I’ve never written a book on it and am not a self-help guru, but I am very familiar with stress and have found some ways to deal with it.

For me it helped to learn what stress is from a physical perspective.

• Stress is part of life, it is part of being human. Stress comes from the primal “fight or flee” instinct in each of us. When your body is under stress it produces hormones that are meant to alert you to something that is wrong. This causes the physical symptoms that we feel when we are under stress. Stress is far worse on your body than you may think.
• There is no way you will eliminate all the causes of stress from your life. What you can do is develop ways to manage stress. It is easy to say “it is all in your mind”, but the truth is it really is. How our mind perceives an event determines if we consider it stress or not. Controlling how we perceive such events is how we control stress.

2. How To Manage Stress At Work

The most common stress in our lives comes at work. Learning how to recognize what causes you stress and using various methods to reduce it can help you better deal with it. In fact, you may eliminate some of the sources of your stress once you learn the cause and find a solution for it the next time it occurs.

Here are some methods to use to help you find, cut and make good use of stress.

• Identify when you are stressed so you can learn what causes you stress. One method for doing this is by keeping a stress diary. Anytime something comes up that causes you stress write down the date, time and what caused the stress.
• At the end of the day or end of the week review the diary and look at what caused you stress. Do you see common triggers? If so look for ways to eliminate them. If driving to work causes you stress take a different route or leave earlier.
• Look at what caused you stress and ask yourself was it really that big of a problem? Removed from the stressful situation you can think of ways to deal with a problem. The next time a problem comes up you will know how to deal with it and eliminate the stress.
• Learn to turn stress into “good stress”. Deadlines and tasks can cause stress at work. These are situations where you can draw energy from those hormones released when you are under stress to focus and complete a task. Don’t perceive these as bad stress. Channel the stress to make you more productive. Look for ways to motivate your mind.
• Get help. Talk to others when you are stressed about something. Sometimes just getting it off your chest will eliminate it. They may point out something you never saw because they are looking at it from a different perspective. If you are stressed by your workload delegate or find someone who can help you with it.
• Remember that how we perceive an event often determines whether we are stressed by it. Sometimes you just have to learn to accept that there are some things you can do nothing about so why stress out over them? For these times just accept, “it is what it is” and it is not worth the stress.
• Working under pressure can lead to stress. Learn how to work under pressure and you will eliminate this source of stress.

Did you ever watch a war movie where the character runs into battle taking heroic action without concern for himself? He is not superhuman.  He has learned to control his stress and channel the natural energy stress produces to help him get the task done.

He does not fall to the ground or crawl in a hole saying woe is unto me. He sees stress for what it is, the human body’s reaction to an emotional event. Without doubt he is still stressed, but.he does not let it debilitate him. Instead he takes those natural hormones and channels them to give him more energy to complete the task.

3. Take Care of Yourself

Since stress acts on your body you need to take steps to take care of yourself as part of your overall plan to deal with stress. There are many things you can do to relieve the effects of stress on your body. There are also things you can do to help your body be better able to deal with stress.

• SLEEP. If you are only getting 4-6 hours of sleep on work nights you are stressing your body before you even get to work. You need at least 7, preferably 8 hours of good sleep each night. Sleep deprivation is a known cause for increased stress because your body and mind are not working at 100%.
• Eat healthy, not just for the health of your body, but for the health of your mind. When you skip or skimp on meals you are denying your body the nutrients it needs to fight off and deal with stress. Many studies have shown reduced levels of certain vitamins and minerals can increase stress.
• Exercise has long been shown to be a great relief for stress. When you exercise your body produces natural “feel good” chemicals that counteract stress. You feel better, your body is healthier, better able to deal with stress, and you will sleep better. Exercise that uses you whole body has been shown to work best at relieving stress.
• Learn relaxation techniques. Breathing techniques, muscle relaxation techniques, mental “thought stopping” techniques are all methods you can use when stress strikes. My favorite is if possible removing myself from the situation, also known as taking a break. Just breaking your mind and body out of a stressful situation for 10 minutes can do wonders to lower your stress level. Have a problem you can’t solve? Take a break. Suffering from work overload? Take a break. When you come back you will be better able to deal with it than if you try to stick it out.

Take Away

Stress is a natural part of being human. Stress is caused by a release of hormones due to how we perceive and event. While we can not totally eliminate stress, knowing how we perceive it can determine if an event is stressful or not gives us a method to deal with it.

Learning what causes you stress will help find triggers to your stress. Once you find them you can come up with ways to deal with them the next time they arise. Sometimes stress can be useful when you channel that natural energy caused by the release of hormones to focus on completing a task.

Other ways of dealing with stress at work include delegating when you can and asking for help with a task. Sometimes just talking to someone about an issue helps relieve the stress. Taking care of your body and your mind is the most proactive thing you can do to deal with stress. A healthy mind and body can handle stress far better than a tired and undernourished one.

Sometimes the best way to deal with stress is acceptance that there is nothing you can do about the particular event. Doing so allows you to let go of some of the stress related to it. After all there is no sense in stressing out about something you have no control over.

Which certifications are right for you depends on your career path. A certification in your current line of work will certify your skills and increase your value in your present position. If you are looking to move into other areas of IT a certification can give you the skills and knowledge you need to make the jump.

Certifications should be looked at for what they can do for you now and in the future. If you look at your career plan as a road map a certification is just one stop on the way to your next destination. If you do not already have a career plan read “How To Develop Your IT Career Plan and Why You Should Do It”.

10 Career Building Certifications

Below in no particular order are 10 certifications that can certify and improve your present skills and add valuable stops on your IT career path.

ITIL V3 Foundation Certificate in IT Service Management

ITIL v3 is a best practice framework for IT Service Management that is being adopted by IT departments around the world. There are four levels of ITIL V3 certification. The Foundation certificate is the entry-level certification that shows general knowledge of the key parts of ITIL V3. ITIL V3 certifications are most useful to managers and leadership.

For more information on ITIL V3 certifications visit the ITIL website.

CCA – Cisco Certified Architect

Cisco offers a range of certifications from entry-level to master. The Cisco Certified Architect is the highest accreditation achievable within the Cisco Career Certification program. This certification is intended for experienced Cisco network professionals and puts a  large gold star on your resume.

For more information about CCA visit the Cisco Certified Architect website.

MCTS – Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist

MCTS offers a variety of certifications you can specialize in. MCTS certifications prove your ability to successfully implement, build on, troubleshoot, and debug a particular Microsoft technology, such as a Windows operating system, Microsoft Exchange Server, Microsoft SQL Server, and Microsoft Visual Studio.

For more information about MCTS certifications visit the Microsoft MCTS website.

CompTIA Security+

Network security will always be an important part of IT. The CompTIA Security+ certification is an international, vendor-neutral certification that proves competency in system security, network infrastructure, access control and organizational security.

Although not required, it is recommended that you have at least two years of technical networking experience, with an emphasis on security.

For more information visit the CompTIA Security+ website.

VCP – VMware Certified Professional

Virtualization is a hot topic in IT and will continue to grow in the future. The VMware Certified Professional Program is designed for people who want to show their ability in virtual infrastructure and increase the potential for career advancement.

For more information visit the VMware Certified Professional on vSphere 4 website.

PMP – Project Management Professional

Since so much of what IT does today is project related a Project Management Professional certification from the Project Management Institute is a valuable certification for project managers. The PMP certification shows you have demonstrated the knowledge and skills in leading and directing project teams and in delivering project results within the constraints of schedule, budget and resources.

For more information on PMP certification visit the PMI PMP website.

CompTIA Strata Green IT

CompTIA’s Strata Green IT certificate is designed to improve an IT professional’s experience, knowledge, and existing IT credentials to incorporate emerging technologies shaping the global green IT industry today.

This is one of CompTIA’s newest certification programs. It is designed to show that a candidate is schooled in power management as well as virtualization techniques. The certification also includes training on developing and calculating ROI for green IT initiatives and knowledge of environmentally sound waste disposal techniques.

For more information visit the CompTIA Strata Green IT website.

CCNA – Cisco Certified Network Associate

CCNA has become the standard for network and IT professionals who work in network related areas. Cisco Certified Network Associate prove your ability to install, configure, use, and troubleshoot route and switched networks, including implementation and verification of connections to remote sites in a WAN.

For more information about CCNA certification visit the CCNA Certification website.

MCITP – Microsoft Certified IT Professional

Microsoft Certified IT Professional certifications are Microsoft’s newest lineup of specialized certifications. Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP) certification enables IT professionals to show comprehensive skills in planning, deploying, supporting, maintaining, and optimizing IT infrastructures.

For more information about Microsoft Certified IT Professional certification visit the MCITP website.

MCPD – Microsoft Certified Professional Developer

For those who create and support the software solutions in IT the Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (MCPD) credential certifies a comprehensive set of skills that are necessary to deploy, build, optimize, and manage applications successfully by using Microsoft Visual Studio and the Microsoft .NET Framework.

For more information visit the Microsoft Certified Professional Developer website.

As a manager or a member of leadership it is your responsibility to encourage your employees to pursue education and training. You add value to the employee which in turn adds value to your team, your department and to the company. Coaching employees towards their success leads to your success.

Without the proper knowledge and training of employees your IT department runs the risk of not being able to deliver and manage existing technologies to their full potential.

Make Learning an Expectation

One of the first things you want to do is to create a learning friendly environment for your employees. Get them in the habit of building new skills, pursing new certifications and continuing their education. They should understand that improving themselves is an expectation of their job. It helps to create a strong culture of performance.

Employees may have done four years of college and passed a few certifications, but their training and education can not stop there. As technology evolves so to must your employees. Given the chance most employees will jump at the opportunity to learn a new skill, get a new certification or continue their education. Your job is to help them do it.

What Motivates People to Learn

An interesting study reveled six reasons people are motivated to learn job related skills. This is useful information you can use to craft a learning plan  after you assess for your employees. Learning what motivates your employees also help you improve performance.

1. They are more likely to learn what they need to learn to do their jobs. Just-in-time learning works well in IT. You teach your employee a skill when they need it. There is no sense in wasting time or money to learn a skill you do not use.
2. Not everyone learns in the same way. For some all they need is a book and time to study. Other do better in a class environment. Talk with the employee and find out what type of environment they learn best in.
3. People prefer to learn at their own pace. This works well for those who self-study since they set the time and place they learn. You do not want to force your employee into or rush your employee to complete training. You do want to keep them motivated and on track.
4. People want to learn a variety of new things. Learning is a continuous process and most employees will benefit from a variety of skills. Their first learning task may be a new technical skill they need. Their next may be a new soft skill. By mixing up what they learn you keep the engaged and interested.
5. People want to be in charge of what they learn. You can offer a variety of technical and soft skills for the employee to develop. Even offer suggestions on which ones they will benefit from the and which skills are needed in their present job or a new role. Ultimately it is up to the individual to learn the skill and it needs to be something they want to do. Trying to learn a skill you do not like or are not interested in will yield poor results.
6. In the workplace most people learn best when taught by others in the workplace. For some skills this is very practical. One employee possesses the skills another needs. You set aside time for them to work together and learn. Cross training employees is very effective.

Provide The Tools to Learn

To help create a culture of learning in your workplace you need to offer the tools and the time for employees to learn. You need to do assessments to find what skills are needed and a path towards obtaining them.

Assessment

• Perform skills assessments on employees so you and the employee can better see where it would benefit them to develop.
• Help your employees develop a career path so they know what education and training they need to get to where they want to be. See “How To Develop Your IT Career Plan and Why You Should Do It”.
• Include skill and knowledge development as part of each employees performance review.

Providing The Tools For Learning

• Work with employees by allowing them to adjust their schedule so they can take classes.
• Have the company offer to pay for relevant classes or for the cost of a certification exam.
• Purchase CBT nuggets for your employees and schedule time for them to use them.
• Purchase books and training materials to create an “Employee Development Library”. Employees can check out books and training material to learn at their own pace.
• Schedule instructors to come to the workplace to hold classes for employees.
• Hold meetings that employees can attend to learn from skilled employees.
• One way to train an employee is by delegating new tasks to develop your employee in new areas.

Take Away

Companies that value employee  improvement will outperform those that don’t. A well-trained IT staff with a diverse set of technical and soft skills will allow IT to support and improve present services as well as provide new services the business will demand in the future.

You should make sure you employees know that improving themselves is an expectation of their job. To create a culture for learning you must assess each employee to decide what skills they need to develop and determine the environment they will best learn in.

You must accommodate employees who want to improve themselves by providing them the flexibility and time to pursue it. Provide the tools that employees need to learn with. It will cost money, but the benefits will greatly outweigh the costs. IT is graying so it is important to have people trained and ready to step into vital roles.

Get your employees in the habit of learning. This is the foundation on which you will build. The rate of change in IT is so fast you can not let yourself or your employees fall behind the technology curve. Make learning new skills part of your work environment. Educating your employee adds value to them and to the company.

Why should you care? Employees who are happy in the job are more productive and more content. They have fewer sick days, better attendance records and higher morale. They are more loyal and less likely to seek other employment.

Do you want a high performance team? Then find out what you employees want and give it to them. Trust me, they are not asking for much.

Dear Manager,

I love my job and I think you are a good manager, but there are some things I would like to hear from you and some things I would like you to do.

1. I want you to give me praise. I want to know when I have done a good job. Don’t let the only time you have a serious conversation with me be when I have done something wrong. Let me know when I have done something right.

2. Tell me what my job is, how to do it and what rules I need to follow. I want to clearly understand what my job is, how you want me to do it and what policies I need to follow. Be specific and give me clear instructions.

3. I want to be excited by my work. I don’t want a dull, boring job where I never know what is going on. Get me excited about what my role is, what our project is, about our department and our company. Show me how I fit into the plan.

4. Challenge me. I don’t want to keep doing the same job each day. Give me something new to do. Challenge my skills and my mind. I can contribute more than you think.

5. Give me opportunities to improve myself. I am a good worker, but I want to be a better one. Train me in something new, send me to a class, let me learn a new skill from a coworker. Help me develop my career. Help me to be better able to help you.

6. Delegate to me. When you need something done let me do it. Let me prove that I am capable of doing more. Trust me to get the job done right and on time. It will build my confidence and my respect that you can trust me with a task.

7. Deal with my coworker. You explained the policies I must follow, but you need to back it up by enforcing those policies. Be fair and treat everyone equally. It kills my morale when a coworker is not disciplined for consistently breaking the rules.

8. Inspire me. Show me you are passionate about your work, about our team, about our project. Share your vision for our department and our team. Tell me what our mission statement is and why it is important.

9. Ask for my opinions and ideas. I have worked here a long time and I know what works and what doesn’t. Ask me how things can be improved and what we can do to make our team and our department more productive and successful.

10. Improve my work environment. My desk and chair are. My computer is old and slow. I need a new one with a monitor that does not hurt my eyes. You need to remodel our break area. I will be happier and be more productive in an improved work environment.

Sincerely,
Your Employee

Management is About People

Never forget it is your employees who get the work done and that they are human. They have needs and they look to you to fill them. When you ignore them they become unhappy with their job even though they may like their work.

Here are a couple of posts that will help you connect and learn the needs of your employees.

• The Gemba Walk – A Tool for IT Management and Leadership
• Management by Walking Around MBWA

Leadership and management should never forget who does the work. ITPS. Be sure to take the time and make the effort to meet the needs of your employees. It will benefit them, you and your company.

The idea behind the post “The Keys to Successful IT Service Management – ITPS” is that people run IT departments. A Gemba walk is a technique that can help you deal with the problems that arise every day and be more effective at managing the people who solve them.

The Gemba Walk

My introduction to the Gemba walk came from the book Gemba Kaizen: A Commonsense Low-Cost Approach to Management? by Masaaki Imai. In it he wrote “The worst thing a manager can do is live in a world isolated from gemba”.

Gemba (genba) is a Japanese word that means “the real place”. In management terms Gemba is the workplace, the place where value is added and the work of the business is done. While it may be where you work, Gemba is not your desk. Gemba is where the people who run an IT department work.

In the post “Why Management Should Go to Gemba” I wrote “If you seek solutions to problems that need to be fixed, go to Gemba. If you want to see the work behind the reports, go to Gemba. If you want to show leadership, go to Gemba. Go to where the work is performed and observe and engage with those who do it.”

I do a Gemba walk several times a day to help me stay on top of what is going on. By walking through the department, talking with people, observing the work and the workplace I am aware of everything that is going on at that time.

Why You Should Do It

• It helps you build relationships with those who do the work. Getting to know them on a personal basis and helping them to do their job better is vital to team building and team effectiveness.
• By talking with people you can find out about any problems they are having and take care of them. W. Edwards Deming, a brilliant teacher of business effectiveness once wrote “If you wait for people to come to you, you’ll only get small problems. You must go and find them. The big problems are where people don’t realize they have one in the first place.”
• It breaks down barriers between management and the people they manage. Even if you have an open door policy sometimes people are reluctant to come to you.
• It allows you to praise people for the good work that they do. One of the biggest complaints employees have is they feel that their work is not appreciated or recognized by management. Use this time to thank people when they do good work. It lets them know that both they valued and the work that they do is important. This is a great morale booster.
• You can be sure the work that needs to be done is getting done. If not then you can clearly communicate the goals and objectives face-to-face.
• By being visible you can increase the discipline of team members. Knowing that you could come around the corner at any time cuts down on non-work related activities which increases productivity. When you see people are standing around talking walk up and join the conversation. If it is work related you may be able to help. If it is not the cluster will usually dissolve before you even get there. If not, engage them about their work as a reminder of what they should be doing.

How You Should Do It

• Look at your schedule and set aside one or more times during each day when you can do a Gemba walk. At the start of the workday is the best time to be sure team members are engaged in their work and to learn of the issues of the day. Pick different times if possible so everyone does not know when to expect you.
• Grab your best friends for time and problem management, your paper list and pen. During your walk write down anything that needs to be taken care of or that you want to remember.
• Don’t walk around like the management police. This is supposed to be a productive engagement, not checking up on everyone.
• When you get back to your office take your notes and follow-up on them. Write down any additional items you want to remember or that need to be done. Take care of any problems you found right away. If someone had a problem, let them know when it has been taken care of.
• If you keep a personal log for those you manage (great idea) record praises and kudos’s as well as any discipline issues you discussed.

The job of a manager is to manage and one can not manage if they are not engaged in the work and with the people who do the work. Get up and get out of your office several times a day. It will improve your relationship with your team and productivity.