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3 main keys to spark growth

3 main keys to spark growth

  • rs_ph_website

  • March 3, 2021

  • 1:39 pm

  • 0 comments

For most of us, the term “growth” was taught in the manner of photosynthesis. We are taught how plants need nourishment such as water, sunlight, and soil to grow into its full potential. In today’s landscape of mental health awareness, we as adults are poised to realize the growth of the self is like the initial teachings we had as young children.

At work it is no different, when we speak of growth, usually career growth is coupled with the development of one’s character and how else better to develop one’s character than to willingly instigate change and growth.

In the book, Secrets of a Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Ecker, he attributes the level of difficulty one can face to the strength of character one develops.  In one of his wealth principles, he states:

One may ask, how does one instigate growth and change? How can we even begin to take the first crucial steps in that direction? Luckily for you, we have the 3 elements one needs to do to achieve growth.

In the Venn Diagram are three components: Awareness, Acceptance and Willingness to Change. These three important factors are intrinsically necessary to spark growth and self-development in whatever field or industry. You cannot use only two lest you want to experience self-sabotage, little accountability, or no direction.

AWARENESS is first knowing where we are adept and where we are insufficient. Just a straight-forward assessment of what you are good at and what you are not so good at. A cumulative understanding of the good qualities you possess as a person and the poor qualities you possess too. For instance, a dentist may be good at managing people and raking in patients, but he lacks administrative know-how and has little follow-through with patients. The weak spot is the lack of follow-through.  She may be skilled in pooling people in, but she has difficult maintaining the doctor-patient relationship through patient follow-up. Instead of being defensive and beating herself up about it, she veers onto the second component of growth which is: Acceptance.

ACCEPTANCE is being self-aware of all the things you lack and giving yourself permission to acknowledge it without judgement or self-criticism. It is a valuable skill to have not just in your career, but in life.

The third important key is having the WILLINGNESS TO CHANGE. It isn’t enough to be aware and to accept your shortcomings. You need to find ways to act and willingly try to improve whatever you lack. It may come in many forms; a socially awkward introvert can try to strike more conversations with people, a neurotic worrywart teaches himself to worry just the right amount per day, a compulsive shopper can place a budget and stick to that while locking all her credit cards away.

Growth can be seen in many ways, for different people, but it does not veer away from the three keys we have slated today.

This March, Rocket Station places value on self-development, where we give a lot of credit to the development of others, especially our own. Keep in touch with us and take the opportunity to read more of our articles by joining our mailing list and being part of the Rocketeer Community.

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All Careers Health and Wellness

Why developing work friendships is good for your productivity

Why developing work friendships is good for your productivity

  • rs_ph_website

  • February 28, 2021

  • 5:53 pm

  • 0 comments

Since time in memorial, it was widely believed that developing close friendships at work were more detrimental than productive. People always advised against getting into business with a friend as it could “ruin” the relationship. They would say that getting into business with a friend is bad for business, and to some extent, for friends turned business partners it has been challenging indeed. However, it was studied that friendships that start as business contacts and develop into a close friendship are less nuanced and more beneficial.

A study done in the University of Seoul in South Korea back in 2006 stated that the positive potential for both individuals and the organization of having friendships at work may override the negative aspects. Workplace friendship is mainly categorized as boss and subordinate relationships. It was suggested that workplace friendships develop positive workplace attitudes with more emphasis on the quality of the friendship versus the opportunity behind it. The study emphasized the importance of workplace friendship to increase the positive work attitudes and performance of team members.

These cornerstone research initiatives paved the way to a more inclusive and less boxed-in view of the leader-follower dynamic.

Enter the year 2021, where these theories are put into practice and we see more vibrant and engaged companies like Rocket Station popping up. LinkedIn has chimed in with publishing multiple workplace articles pushing the need, not want, but the need of having a close friend at work if you desire to be productive. They ran a study that suggested that having a work BFF improves a team member’s overall happiness. People who feel less connected to their colleagues tend to feel less productive.

Here is how you can start developing closer relationships with the people you want to be friends with at work based on LinkedIn’s Relationships @Work study:

SHOW GENUINE INTEREST IN THEIR LIVES.

Be engaged—sincerely engaged about the things they care about outside of work. Take time to listen actively and show interest in what they share. An insider tip to achieve this is to maintain eye contact, put down your phone and do affirmative nods while absorbing the details they share with you. Most of the time, people respond to great listeners with more trust than great talkers.

BE MINDFUL OF THEIR SCHEDULE

In LinkedIn’s study, it shows that teammates get very rattled when unprecedented actions and tasks are done to disrupt their work schedule. They’ll more likely see you as a nuisance to their productivity versus someone who will actually aid them at work. Find ways to be mindful of their schedule by sending over a message to ask if they are free first and try to find ways to connect with each other at your shared down time.

GIVE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE

This comes as a no-brainer, but believe it or not, some people are indifferent to giving thanks and appreciation to others not because they do not want to, but because they don’t know how to. So, practice by seeing little positive things that they do and start saying thank you for these things. Give them praise for a job well done and be thankful for their contributions no matter how small by verbalizing it.

BOND OUTSIDE THE OFFICE

Find time to bond in an environment that isn’t at the office. You can bond with each other by messaging or just doing quick video calls if meeting outside the office for coffee or doing errands together is too much of a stretch for now. The goal is to see your teammate in the lens of normalcy. You get to know them outside of work and see that deep down inside, they are just like you, someone trying to earn a living and finding a place to belong too.

This February, Rocket Station places emphasis on the relationships that build us and make us the people we are today. If you like the articles you have read so far, feel free to sign up in our newsletter to receive updates on more articles like this.

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All Leadership

Key Ingredients of a Great Work Culture

Key Ingredients of a Great Work Culture

  • rs_ph_website

  • February 28, 2021

  • 3:35 pm

  • 0 comments

Today’s workforce ushers in an era of highly astute and purposeful individuals. We are no longer looking at a working class that considers money and achievement as the sole factor of being part of a company. Now we see more Millennial workers getting into more purposeful pursuits and endeavors.

According to Great Place to Work, Cisco garnered the top spot in 2020 World’s Best Workplaces. With their 98% employee satisfaction rate, you will be surprised to know that they did not become no. 1 because of the perks associated with their company. In fact, their success was not at all associated with employee perks.

A study conducted in 2018 by Geue, P. and published in the Journal of Applied Behavioral Science discovered that there is a significant relationship between positive work culture practices, social climate, work engagement, and task performance.

Upon quantifying positive work culture practices, it was directly related to the importance of team members discovering meaning in their work through mutual interaction that promotes trust, respect, and confidence, with fellow teammates, believing the best in one another and inspiring one another in their performance.

Another study conducted by Cameron, K. in 2011, says that to promote positive work culture there are six dimensions necessary to achieve them:

Respect: There exists trust and confidence between teammates and they treat each other with integrity, dignity, and gratitude

Care: People show interest and genuine involvement with others as if they were friends.

Support: People honor and support one another in their endeavors, building strong relationships through kindness and helping those who are struggling.

Inspiration: People share enthusiasm, motivation, and inspiration to one another

Meaning: People are motivated, renewed, and elevated by their work as they see the greater purpose in work and discover its profound meaning.

Forgiveness: People do not place blame on one another for errors but forgive one another’s mistakes.

In essence, positive practices concern behaviors and techniques that are affirming and virtuous. The key to building positive practices is to elicit positive feelings of oneness. It is suggested that positive work practices bring in life, excitement, and the zest necessary to push others into the development of company relationships, engagement, and ultimately achieve better work performance.

At the conclusion of Geue’s study, the researcher stated that these positive management practices can be done to suggest a more positive and fruitful work culture:

REDIRECT TEAM ENERGY ON WINS

Managers should take on a “glass half-full” mentality, choosing to focus more on what is good and best. This can be achieved by celebrating wins, highlighting team member accomplishments, telling success stories, and prompting the search for solutions rather than dwelling on problems. This will include encouraging team members towards thinking optimistically, using that energy to see challenges as opportunities instead of a pessimistic vanguard towards failure. This can enhance meaningfulness at work by granting team members more autonomy in problem solving, taking a can-do proactive attitude that enhances engagement and energy. The findings of this research suggested a connection between workers sensing accomplishment in their work and work becoming more elevating and renewing that when team members feel more useful, they are also more inspired.

FOSTER GRATITUDE

Managers can facilitate a culture of gratitude and appreciation in work teams by leading team members in acknowledging one another for their contributions, expressing thankfulness for accomplishments, and engendering virtuous cycles of honor. In this way, managers lead the way in recognizing the inherent value of their employees. The current research suggested that task performance in teams is enhanced by coworkers communicating the good they see in one another; which managers should model and mentor for team members.

ALLOW FREEDOM TO GROW INTO AND MODIFY SET TASKS

Managers can help team members identify and utilize their strengths by granting them increased autonomy in recrafting job tasks and reshaping their roles and relationships in these tasks to enhance the full potential of their employees, thus instilling greater confidence and meaningfulness in work. Help them understand what works and what doesn’t work to make their role more beneficial. The results in this study found employees’ confidence related to their task performance. Managers can expand team member confidence by leveraging and developing member strengths, allowing members to experience more accomplishment and discover greater significance in their work.

FORGIVE MISTAKES AND TREAT THEM AS LEARNING EXPERIENCES

Managers can encourage and model forgiveness for mistakes by giving latitude for missteps, engendering a safe environment to make error, and viewing mistakes as opportunities for learning. Thus, managers do not do the blame game. It is so demoralizing and defeatist. It only serves to elicit defensiveness from team members. Avoidance of this encourages team members to engage themselves without fear of negative consequences to their self-image or job status. Forgiveness is integral to a positive social climate.

VALUE THE INPUT AND ABILITIES OF EACH TEAM MEMBER

Managers can exhibit respect by asking for ideas and opinions and listening to what team members have to say, thus valuing their input and trusting their abilities. Trust is the glue that holds relationships together, and when managers grant and elicit trust in a higher exchange relationship, it promotes collaboration and allows for emotional and social contagion, which can energize, charge, and inspire employees. Higher quality connections are established through managers and coworkers expressing positive regard and taking a mutual interest in one another. The current research indicated that better performance stems from employees trusting and respecting one another in their work tasks.

ESTABLISH SIGNIFICANCE BY SHARING IMPACT

Managers can help team members recognize the value of their work by raising their sights to perceive its impact on customers and colleagues. By sharing customer feedback with team members, managers can encourage team members that their efforts are valuable and make a difference. When work is perceived as significant and purposeful, engagement in work increases.

This February, Rocket Station places focus on the relationship between team management and the people who make our lives more meaningful. Sign up in our newsletter to get more interesting articles delivered straight to your mailbox.

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All Health and Wellness

The Challenge: Managing love and work while at home

The Challenge: Managing love and work while at home

  • rs_ph_website

  • February 15, 2021

  • 5:00 pm

  • 0 comments

Haven’t we all been there? When work gets intertwined within the same space as romantic relationships it becomes very challenging. While working from home has a lot of perks–we don’t have to deal with the daily traffic or pollution, we stay away from office politics, we stress less over meetings with difficult clients, we develop a sense of autonomy and comfort.

No matter how we’ve adjusted to it, working from home has become the new normal.

This becomes quite the challenge when the home you are supposed to share with your significant other suddenly becomes a workspace. The dynamics shift entirely. Changes in your roles as partners become apparent. The shifting of house chores to accommodate one’s working schedule can cause a lot of tension and there now is an occasional lack of mental presence in the relationship which was not there prior to working from home.

Working from home with your significant other places in pressures that are new, specific, and unique. So, we’re here to give you sustainable and practical advice on how you can best manage this challenge.

Set Intentional Time Together. Nothing is more important than scheduling a “we” time apart from your “me” time to help nourish the relationship. This means being 100% present. Turn off your laptops, put down your phones, play whatever playlist that evokes nostalgia and just spend complete uninterrupted time together without mentioning the topic of work. According to the Gottman Institute, couples who set intentional time to connect are happier, have their needs met and are more content versus couples who don’t.

Do small gestures of love often. In this day and age, if it’s not grand, it’s not worth talking about. Relationship experts digress by saying that it isn’t the grand gestures that makes people fall deeply in love with someone. It’s the small consistent gestures of love that lead up to that grand gesture that makes it all the more meaningful. Examples of small gestures can be offered by doing the dishes even if you’re not assigned on that day. It could be cooking their favorite breakfast food just the way they like it. It can also be just taking time to tell them how much you appreciate them. These little things matter.

Have a dedicated workspace. If possible, get a room. It is crucial to set your mind in work-mode at a specific nook in your home. This helps you affiliate work with only that specific area. This strategy programs your mind to leave work in that dedicated room or workspace, focusing more on your significant other when you step out of the room, literally.

Take equal responsibility for house tasks. One of the main reasons why couples argue is because there is an imbalance in the splitting of house chores. Letting go of your responsibilities and having your partner do it all “because you have work” is a recipe for disaster. The goal isn’t to exhaust yourself with chores and

work, the goal is to show up in other ways and carry the load. A good example is if you can’t walk the dog anymore on weekdays offer to do so on weekends. If you can’t cook dinner anymore try to order take out. If you must work undisturbed and can’t really offer a helping hand, wake up early the next day and prepare for them their coffee just the way they like it.

Fight fair. Fighting fair is a skill. It’s a muscle that requires practice to grow. Like almost every relationship that has been, experiencing conflicts is inevitable. The importance is how you manage the conflict. Fighting fair is learning not to be defensive. Fighting fair is not showing contempt or casting blame. Fighting fair is being able to listen when it matters and withdraw when the emotions become too much to bear. Fighting fair acknowledges the unmet needs and tries to find ways to best meet them.

Express Admiration and Appreciation. Research supports that gratitude practiced in intimate relationships increases relationship connection and action the day after it is expressed, both for the giver and receiver. Gratitude is mutually beneficial. You can put gratitude into your routine by either writing an appreciation letter, providing daily expressions on gratitude or having a dinnertime gratitude practice.

At the end of the day, sharing work and managing intimate relationships while at home can be challenging but it is not impossible to manage. This February, Rocket Station put focus on the relationships that surround us and how we can make them better. If these tips work for you feel free to sign up in our newsletter to keep up with more interesting articles.

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Success, accomplishments, and consequent rewards are things every person and company strives for. However, it is easy to observe that not everyone manages to reach these goals. In the same way, not everyone who gets these goals are equally happy about the results. Why is this though? There are countless possible reasons, but a fundamental idea that is quickly forgotten and dismissed is having the correct values.

SHARE

POST A COMMENT

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All Health and Wellness

The Enneagram: A Tool to Help Strengthen Relationships

The Enneagram: A Tool to Help Strengthen Relationships

  • rs_ph_website

  • February 15, 2021

  • 4:52 pm

  • 0 comments

In the isolation of COVID-19, there was a short hiatus in work and the eventual reprise for self-discovery. Suddenly, people had nowhere to go but home, isolated with family, forced to get along with people they lived with. In this deep isolation there came about multiple discoveries on self-development and aneed for relationship building.

Enter the Enneagram.

The Enneagram is a unique system that classifies people into 9 different personality types and different subtypes subsequently. It was first introduced to the world by George Gurdjieff in 1915 and further developed by Oscar Ichazo in the 1960s. The personalities are charted in an enneagon shape, therefore calling it The Enneagram.

Unlike most personality assessment tools the Enneagram seeks to not only to define your personality, but your key motivators, your fears and how you behave.

Many companies utilize the Myerrs-Briggs 16-personality type model to understand the persona of a team member. However, this tool never gets past labelling someone as an INTJ or ENFP. Very rarely is it dynamic enough to determine needs assessment, determine motivations, and piece together blind spots.

The Enneagram offers a clear perspective on the following questions:

What is my personality type?

What motivates me?

What do I fear then most?

What enneagram type do I get along with the most?

How do I behave when I am stressed?

How do I behave when I am experiencing growth?

What are my instinctive behaviors and needs?

How do I behave in general?

What is my leadership style?

How do I behave in general?

Interesting, isn’t it? When I first came across the enneagram, I felt like I discovered a gold mine in managing people better. Mastering the enneagram is easy if you are willing to put in the time of studying books into it and practicing it by observing teammates. Luckily for you, we have made a quick summary of the 9 types and what it means for you at work.

According to the Enneagram Institute, the 9 types can be explained as such:

ENNEAGRAM TYPE 1: THE REFORMER

The Rational, Idealistic Type: Principled, Purposeful, Self-Controlled, and Perfectionistic Ones are conscientious and ethical, with a strong sense of right and wrong. They are teachers, crusaders, and advocates for change: always striving to improve things, but afraid of making a mistake. Well-organized, orderly, and fastidious, they try to maintain high standards, but can slip into being critical and perfectionistic. They typically have problems with resentment and

impatience. At their Best: wise, discerning, realistic, and noble. Can be morally heroic.

At their Best: unselfish and altruistic, they have unconditional love for others.

Basic Fear: Of being corrupt/evil, defective

Basic Desire: To be good, to have integrity, to be balanced

Key Motivations: Want to be right, to strive higher and improve everything, to be consistent with their ideals, to justify themselves, to be beyond criticism so as not to be condemned by anyone.

ENNEAGRAM TYPE 2: THE HELPER

The Caring, Interpersonal Type: Demonstrative, Generous, People-Pleasing, and Possessive Twos are empathetic, sincere, and warm-hearted. They are friendly, generous, and self-sacrificing, but can also be sentimental, flattering, and people-pleasing. They are well-meaning and driven to be close to others, but can slip into doing things for others in order to be needed. They typically have problems with possessiveness and with acknowledging their own needs. At their Best: unselfish and altruistic, they have unconditional love for others.

At their Best: unselfish and altruistic, they have unconditional love for others.

Basic Fear: Of being unwanted, unworthy of being loved

Basic Desire: To feel loved

Key Motivations:  Want to be loved, to express their feelings for others, to be needed and appreciated, to get others to respond to them, to vindicate their claims about themselves.

ENNEAGRAM TYPE 3: THE MOTIVATOR

The Success-Oriented, Pragmatic Type: Adaptable, Excelling, Driven, and Image-Conscious Threes are self-assured, attractive, and charming. Ambitious, competent, and energetic, they can also be status-conscious and highly driven for advancement. They are diplomatic and

poised but can also be overly concerned with their image and what others think of them. They typically have problems with workaholism and competitiveness. At their Best: self-accepting, authentic, everything they seem to be—role models who inspire others.

At their Best: self-accepting, authentic, everything they seem to be-role models who inspire others.

Basic Fear: Of being worthless

Basic Desire: To feel valuable and worthwhile

Key Motivations: Want to be affirmed, to distinguish themselves from others, to have

attention, to be admired, and to impress others.

ENNEAGRAM TYPE 4: THE ARTIST

The Sensitive, Withdrawn Type: Expressive, Dramatic, Self-Absorbed, and Temperamental Fours are self-aware, sensitive, and reserved. They are emotionally honest, creative, and personal, but can also be moody and self-conscious. Withholding themselves from others due to feeling vulnerable and defective, they can also feel disdainful and exempt from ordinary ways of living. They typically have problems with melancholy, self-indulgence, and self-pity. At their Best: inspired and highly creative, they are able to renew themselves and transform their experiences.

At their Best: inspired and highly creative they are able to renew themselves and transform their experiences.

Basic Fear: That they have no identity or personal significance

Basic Desire:  To find themselves and their significance (to create an identity)

Key Motivations: Want to express themselves and their individuality, to create and surround themselves with beauty, to maintain certain moods and feelings, to withdraw to protect their self-image, to take care of emotional needs before attending to anything else, to attract a “rescuer.”

ENNEAGRAM TYPE 5: THE THINKER

The Intense, Cerebral Type: Perceptive, Innovative, Secretive, and Isolated Fives are alert, insightful, and curious. They are able to concentrate and focus on developing complex ideas and skills. Independent, innovative, and inventive, they can also become preoccupied with their thoughts and imaginary constructs. They become detached, yet high-strung and intense. They typically have problems with eccentricity, nihilism, and isolation. At their Best: visionary pioneers, often ahead of their time, and able to see the world in an entirely new way.

At their Best: visionary pioneers, often ahead of time, and able to see the world in an entirely new way.

Basic Fear: Being useless, helpless, or incapable

Basic Desire: To be capable and competent

Key Motivations:  Want to possess knowledge, to understand the environment, to have everything figured out as a way of defending the self from threats from the environment.

ENNEAGRAM TYPE 6: THE LOYALIST

The Committed, Security-Oriented Type: Engaging, Responsible, Anxious, and Suspicious The committed, security-oriented type. Sixes are reliable, hard-working, responsible, and trustworthy. Excellent “troubleshooters,” they foresee problems and foster cooperation, but can also become defensive, evasive, and anxious—running on stress while complaining about it. They can be cautious and indecisive, but also reactive, defiant and rebellious. They typically have problems with self-doubt and suspicion. At their Best: internally stable and self-reliant, courageously championing themselves and others.

At their Best: internally stable and self-reliant courageously championing themselves and others.

Basic Fear: Of being without support and guidance

Basic Desire: To have security and support

Key Motivations:  Want to have security, to feel supported by others, to have certitude and reassurance, to test the attitudes of others toward them, to fight against anxiety and insecurity.

ENNEAGRAM TYPE 7: THE GENERALIST

The Busy, Fun-Loving Type: Spontaneous, Versatile, Distractible, and Scattered Sevens are

extroverted, optimistic, versatile, and spontaneous. Playful, high-spirited, and practical, they can also misapply their many talents, becoming over-extended, scattered, and undisciplined. They constantly seek new and exciting experiences but can become distracted and exhausted by staying on the go. They typically have problems with impatience and impulsiveness. At their Best: they focus their talents on worthwhile goals, becoming appreciative, joyous, and satisfied.

At their Best: they focus their talents on worthwhile goals, becoming appreciative, joyous, and satisfied.

Basic Fear: Of being deprived and in pain

Basic Desire: To be satisfied and content—to have their needs fulfilled

Key Motivations:  Want to maintain their freedom and happiness, to avoid missing out on worthwhile experiences, to keep themselves excited and occupied, to avoid and discharge pain.

ENNEAGRAM TYPE 8: THE LEADER

The Powerful, Dominating Type: Self-Confident, Decisive, Willful, and Confrontational Eights are self-confident, strong, and assertive. Protective, resourceful, straight-talking, and decisive, but can also be ego-centric and domineering. Eights feel they must control their environment, especially people, sometimes becoming confrontational and intimidating. Eights typically have problems with their tempers and with allowing themselves to be vulnerable. At their Best: self- mastering, they use their strength to improve others’ lives, becoming heroic, magnanimous, and inspiring.

At their Best: self-mastering, they use their strength to improve others’ lives, becoming heroic, magnanimous, and inspiring.

Basic Fear: Of being harmed or controlled by others

Basic Desire:  To protect themselves (to be in control of their own life and destiny)

Key Motivations:  Want to be self-reliant, to prove their strength and resist weakness, to be important in their world, to dominate the environment, and to stay in control of their situation.

ENNEAGRAM TYPE 9: PEACEMAKER

The Easygoing, Self-Effacing Type: Receptive, Reassuring, Agreeable, and Complacent Nines are accepting, trusting, and stable. They are usually creative, optimistic, and supportive, but can also be too willing to go along with others to keep the peace. They want everything to go smoothly and be without conflict, but they can also tend to be complacent, simplifying problems and minimizing anything upsetting. They typically have problems with inertia and stubbornness. At their Best: indomitable and all-embracing, they can bring people together and heal conflicts.

At their Best: indomitable and all-embracing, they can bring people together and heal conflicts.

Basic Fear: Of loss and separation

Basic Desire: To have inner stability “peace of mind”

Key Motivations:  Want to create harmony in their environment, to avoid conflicts and tension, to preserve things as they are, to resist whatever would upset or disturb them.

How do you find out your type?

There are multiple tests online, you can take the official RHETI 0.2 exam for a fee, take free tests online or simply read books on the enneagram and discover your type yourself.

The Enneagram is a tool that helps us understand our uniqueness and the motivations of others. This February, Rocket Station sheds light into developing and nurturing relationships. The Enneagram, when mastered and learned well can aid anyone in understanding their needs and that of those around them. Learn more about interesting topics that can help you connect to yourself and the world around you by joining our Newsletter.

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While all individuals have their dreams and paths to take, there are a few common truths no matter the intended result. One of these is that leadership is important. It is many things. Leadership is a concept, an action, a goal, and of course; it is a requirement to achieve success whether you wish to be a business leader or a simple community volunteer.

Reaching Better Success By Finding The Right Values
Success, accomplishments, and consequent rewards are things every person and company strives for. However, it is easy to observe that not everyone manages to reach these goals. In the same way, not everyone who gets these goals are equally happy about the results. Why is this though? There are countless possible reasons, but a fundamental idea that is quickly forgotten and dismissed is having the correct values.

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Why community empowerment can push you the right way

Why community empowerment can push you the right way

  • Rocket Station

  • February 8, 2021

  • 2:00 pm

  • 0 comments

When was the last time you felt emboldened by a crowd of people who spoke up against injustice? When was the last time you experienced being part of a movement where people gathered to meet an intended goal? Or maybe you pursued a passion or expertise simply because you saw your peers do it.

Today, we see the impact of community in humongous proportions. One amazing example is the #MeToo movement where women mobilized together and formed a community—neigh, a sisterhood, to challenge perpetrators of harassment and hold them accountable.  

Another example can be seen in the rise of businesses in the Philippines due to stifled job opportunities and scarcity of work during the pandemic. People were emboldened to put up start-ups and become entrepreneurs for the first time because they saw that others were doing it, and as a result, they felt empowered and strengthened to do the same. 

This is how the magic of community works in the Rocketeer’s playbook:

When people around you see you go for something with confidence and vitality, they think to themselves, “maybe I can do it too.” Their proximity to you makes what you do more impactful and real. You can redefine the standard and the expectations set in your network by going for something with grit and courage. 

I know someone who went copywriting with no business background because her peers did it. I know people who capitalize in investing in small time start-ups just because they lived in a city that believed in taking risks. Some people leave their stable jobs because they see their friends living their lives putting up their own businesses.

This is the empowered community effect.

Imagine being part of an amazing community that has this effect on people? Imagine moving with like-minded individuals towards the same goal whilst having the same core values? Communities can affect change, shape optimism, and bring out courage from others. It makes people feel more one with themselves and others and it gets them involved. 

Another aspect of being part of a community is the support you get when things do not go according to plan. You are surrounded by people who understand the journey. They usually see clearly how they can help bring you to solutions. 

Comedian Ali Wong said in one of her skits that when she became a mother for the first time, she needed to join a mommy’s support group to feel connected with people who can help her through the early stages of motherhood. She did this because she understands the power of community. 

So whether you feel like you are already part of a community, or are looking to join something new, here are some tips to find yourself a place where you can build connections.

Go to networking events.

As a social-introvert, I always preferred controlled environments versus large crowds and that helped me find places and communities that were right for me. I wanted to make more friends and develop my artistic interests with people who knew how. So, I joined events that had themes to them such as happenings that delved into strangers meeting and discussing over a deck of question cards. I’d go to book expos and bond over book recommendations. I veer into the worldwide web and find companies such as Rocket Station and try to get into their online forums. Wherever you choose to network, make sure it’s at a time and place where you feel your interests are most acknowledged and put to light. 

Be curious.

Let go of those biases and approach looking for a community as if you were discovering a new place. Listen to what people have to say. Observe the energy in the room. Talk about the things that matter to you and see if they catch on. If bravery is not at your disposal, then use curiosity. It is less frightening and more forgiving, because not everyone has the courage (yet) to go forth and be part of a bigger community, but at least we all can be curious about it. 

Find a community that resonates with you.

Do not settle for less just because you need support. It is crucial that you find people or an organization that you connect with at a level where you can experience growth. 

This February, Rocket Station focuses on building and nurturing relationships. We offer you the chance to be part of our growing community where we discuss all things on careers, health and wellness, finance and leadership. Join our newsletter and have full access to all our blogs and articles. 

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6 Ways to Celebrate Valentine’s Season while Flying Solo

6 Ways to Celebrate Valentine’s Season while Flying Solo

  • Rocket Station

  • February 8, 2021

  • 1:45 pm

  • 0 comments

Ah, to be single or simply on your own during Valentines can be woeful for some, for others, it is a day to celebrate singlehood and catch up with all those romcoms airing during the month of hearts. We believe that there is no such thing as love without self-love. No matter your relationship status, or if you are simply alone this season due to the pandemic, we have interesting activities you can use to develop you and your relationships. 

For ladies, have Virtual Galentines Movie Nights

Kick off the month of hearts scheduling movie nights with your girls while at home. You can have Watch Together events on Netflix and different online platforms. The ladies you celebrate Galentines movie nights with do not have to be single, they can be ladies in an LDR relationship or other women who just want to catch up with old friends. I suggest whipping up some wine and bubbly while you’re at it to keep the spirit of Galentines alive!

Plan a Workout Regimen

Alone on Valentines? No problem! Keep the month of hearts filled with endorphins to boost positivity the entire season. Have a work-out schedule that works for you and do this with an activity that you like. Is it full-body Pilates? Do you like indoor cycling? Or maybe some hardcore home work-outs to buff up your physique? The possibilities are endless. Researchers state that there are plenty of hormones the brain releases when it comes to love, and endorphins is one of them! Endorphins are the “happy hormones” responsible for lifting one’s mood and eliminating stress. Get those dumb bells, booty bands and sneakers ready!

Journal or do Crafts with Interesting Prompts 

Invest in your alone time by writing down your thoughts on paper with interesting journal prompts or by boosting your creativity by crafting something new. Studies show that journaling about what you are grateful for and keeping a diary about your day can help release anxieties and lessen stress. Creativity also boosts the mind’s ability to remain focused at a certain task at hand, it also aids you in developing your perspective of design and beauty. For the season of hearts, remember that you are safe in the pages of your journals and sketchbooks. 

Plan Game Night

Game night can be enjoyed alone, or with the company of friends. For people who love to play console games, flying solo with pizza and a drink of choice would be the perfect way to cap off Valentines. For others, a little co-op wouldn’t hurt. If you aren’t a gamer yourself, trusty, old-fashioned card games usually do the trick. Have a Zoom call with your friends and have an online poker game. If you’re not feeling too competitive, some ice breaker card decks can be utilized to build rapport with your friends. 

Virtual Cook Off or Bake Off

Valentines is about all the sweetness love can bring; so why not share that in baking your own sweets and sending it over as a blind taste test among friends? Best cookie/chocolate truffle/cake wins! This can also be applied to cooking dishes. Have everyone cook their best dish that reminds them of romance and send it over to friends. The winner will be decided by blind taste test! 

Send Love Letters to Loved Ones 

While all the above-mentioned activities may seem fun, nothing can replace the old-fashioned way of expressing love and affection other than letters written in long-hand to loved ones. When you write to people and tell them how much you love them, how much you appreciate them, and how grateful you are for them, research says your relationship with this person improves. It improves regardless of who gives or receives the gesture. It’s a win-win, mutually beneficial endeavor. Pick up that pen and start writing away if you want to improve or build a relationship with someone. 

This February, Rocket Station places emphasis on the relationships that build us. Be it with our significant others, our families, our work mates, or ourselves; we pay tribute to the connections that make us who we are. For more interesting tidbits and articles, feel free to sign up in our newsletter.  

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Filling the Void: Leading with Empathy while working from home

Filling the Void: Leading with Empathy while working from home

  • Rocket Station

  • February 1, 2021

  • 5:49 pm

  • 0 comments

When in elementary school, I remembered having favorite teachers, and they were all different in their own way. Back then, I couldn’t find common ground as to why I liked them so much in spite of their differences. One favorite teacher had a particularly good knack of making everything fun and exciting. Another favorite was so detailed and knowledgeable in her subject you could almost see the information radiating from her mind.

My most favorite teacher was an old man who patiently taught us TLE classes and would never tire of answering our questions; even the nonsensical ones. No matter how different they were, there was something about them collectively that had me wanting to connect with them more as a child.

Is there a secret sauce to leading? Is there a way to let people migrate at your influence? As I grew older and worked with different mentors, slowly discovered the singular factor that made them all respected, loved, and productive educators: EMPATHY.

I remembered that despite their differences, they commonly shared an innate sense of compassion and willingness to understand the plights of their students. They did this in their own unique way, and for some reason, the students responded in large numbers. Now, imagine the impact this would have on adults in a workplace set up.

What is Empathy, really?

Empathy is the unique ability to utterly understand the situations and life stories of others as if you were to live it yourself. Empathy is the act of being so emotionally aware; you can feel emotional energies emanating from people and how it affects their behavior and their perception. It is, more succinctly, being able to understand the needs of others. Empathy is a powerful trait that helps you see perspectives that are different from your own and therefore, as a leader, enables you to make more holistic decisions.

Why is Empathy Important at Work?

Having an environment that pushes empathy allows people to feel that they are in an environment that is safe and open for positive feedback. It helps peoplen respond better to constructive criticism, and encourages collaboration. Empathy allows us freedom to make mistakes because we know we will not be unreasonably blamed for them. It encourages an atmosphere of acceptance and shared humanity. Most importantly, empathy, when used with leadership, can act as a conduit for motivation and efficient needs assessment.

Leadership and Empathy

The importance of empathic leadership cannot be overstated enough, especially nowadays where people are all isolated and many are working from home. Having a leader that acts as an overall head giving the most direct and clear orders is not enough to develop positive team culture. One needs to really connect and build relationships with their team in a way that is authentic. Leading with empathy boosts overall team satisfaction by virtue of motivating people based on needs that must be met. Empathic leaders become catalysts for change. They are aware of the needs of their team. They are usually the firstm people to know if there is something wrong with one of their team members. They can explore and respond to the problems team members face in a way that is proactive, thus finding more solutions. Being an empathic leader also garners respect and admiration from those they lead.

How does one become more empathic?

One of the key traits of expressing empathy is learning how to listen actively. earn to understand the perceptions and thought processes of others by truly being interested in them and what their needs are at work, without bias. Be vigilant about your goal in expressing empathy. Take moments to step back, reassess yourself and understand whether you are truly listening, absorbing, and understanding the person you are conversing with. Learning how to understand people at a deeper level takes time and practice. The more you practice, the more natural you become at it.

In a nutshell

Empathy in the workplace as in life is one of the fundamental tools people need to connect. This February, Rocket Station focuses on the topic of building and nurturing relationships. How else better to contribute to this topic other than leading with empathy? If you like our articles and want to read more, feel free to subscribe and get the freshest insights from our blog.

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5 ways to bond with your remote team

5 ways to bond with your remote team

  • Rocket Station

  • February 1, 2021

  • 3:09 pm

  • 0 comments

Who knew that years into the future we would face a life-threatening pandemic? Suddenly, everything we know changed drastically, and yes; this includes the way we work too. The threat of the COVID-19 virus has almost every company investing in a work from home set-up. While many have spear -headed the movement by applying virtual workspaces, developing remote work tasks, and setting up online meeting protocols; it still does not change the fact that bonding with team members has taken a distant turn.

A study released in 2007 states that while working from home can increase a sense of autonomy and boost overall work performance, its main challenge is bringing the team closer to work on overall tasks together. The detachment ram real life work culture can cause individuals to feel excluded, feel like there is favoritism, or in extreme cases, that their colleagues are conspiring to work against their intended goal. Developing this can cause festering of negative emotions and loss of teamwork, the presence of which is crucial in meeting deadlines and in achieving overall project success.

To prevent this from happening, Rocket Station believes it is important to develop regular team building activities. Monthly team building efforts are necessary in establishing a positive team culture. The importance in building a cohesively integrated network in the team is vital for overall team satisfaction. It aids in alleviating the negative interpersonal effects and intends to fully develop relationships that are profound and meaningful.

So how do we keep things lively and unique while building substantial relationships within the team on a monthly basis? Team managers are more likely to scratch their heads thinking of ways to keep the team engaged versus getting them together. In the age of the internet and hyperstimulation, the online environment becomes exceedingly difficult to work up for over -worked adults. Luckily for you, we have listed the five more exciting activities you can use to amplify your religious team bonding in a way that is not just motivating but also meaningful.

1

Provide an environment to share similar interests.

Creating a channel separate from work, where team members can just share what they are reading, watching, or debating about can make people feel a sense of oneness. Focusing on where we are similar versus where we are different makes people believe that they are in an environment where they can freely share what they like. Some companies have introduced Slack as one of their main platforms in establishing remote work culture. Other companies turn to Facebook and other social media platforms to develop this necessary area of team bonding.

2

Have the team discuss a shared topic.

An interesting activity would be asking team members to watch a movie, start reading a book, an article, watch a documentary or a TED talk and have them discuss freely during team building meetings what they think. This establishes closeness by hearing what other people have to say outside of issues involving work.

3

Prepare Ice Breaker Questions and use Question Card Decks.

You can also generate a question for the day that entices thought provoking answers or just a simple icebreaker question such as: “Are you a coffee or tea kind of person? If neither, why not?”. This provides an opportunity for people who want to connect but do not know how to connect, start conversations. We encourage the use of question decks that stimulate conversations. These decks are more often created to start conversations and develop relationships. Once the team members get into the flow of the card game, the rest of the conversations are up to them. Being able to share and gather knowledge about teammates not only humanizes them it also helps us see where we all are alike.

4

Do online co-op games of any nature.

Try working as a team in achieving an intended goal in online games. Someteams can choose to play in sports games or a team bingo game where prizes can be split among the winning group. This builds the value of trust and reliance in your team without placing the element of work. How can we best apply this? Set a “play time”, whether during break time or during team building activities and make sure to have everyone’s investment in the game. When the game is done don’t stop there! Discuss this in team chatting channels and plot your next big goal.

5

Have a shared meal online.

Ah, this can be one of the most accessible and easiest things you can do to bolster a psychological sense of oneness. Remotely, this is doable by ordering the same take-out meal the team will agree upon and have everyone eat this during the set team building. Studies have shown that having people eat the same meal can make this group feel closer. It is mainly subconscious and psychological. Shankar Vedantam, a social scientist, chimes in during a podcast, and says that the more people eat the same kind of food the more it increases agreeability of the relationship. Food can shape trust and cooperation, especially if you eat the same kind of dish. The commonality in all these strategies is seeking human connection and the similarities we all share. While working from home may pose as a beneficial set-up today, it does not discount the challenges. This February, Rocket Station sees the value in every relationship that is built. We seek to be part of a community that seeks to capitalize on human connection and the enhancement of lives. The online community platform is an amazing tool where like minded people can break bread together, talk about things that matter and engage in meaningful conversations.

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