Bait, Tackle, Ice, Advice and Beer Blog » Michela Fleury

Each Day is a New Beginning

Michela Fleury — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 13:56:28 +0000

So gather up your jackets, move it to the exits

I hope you have found a friend

closing time

every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end

-”Closing Time” by Semisonic

I’m sure many of you are familiar with these lyrics. Every time I hear them, they resonate differently with me. It seems to me that they can be adapted to any stage in life: whether its high school or college graduation, moving to a new city, starting a new job, or something as simple as the literal lyrics portray- leaving a bar.

The ability of these lyrics to transform and grow with you at whatever stage of life you’re in is amazing to me. The only constant with my generation is rapid change and so I often find myself in this position of being at step 1, looking ahead at the long process that I know is to soon follow. Sometimes it can be overwhelming. Yet on the flip side of that, it’s an adrenaline rush to be able to jump into something so unknown and start new.

Wouldn’t it be awesome if you could get that same rush at the beginning of every day? I was thinking about it and really it is possible. Every night when you leave work, or are going to sleep… think of that as exiting the bar in the song. Leave behind everything, get rested, and then wake up the next morning with a fresh mind ready to think about new things (or even the same things as yesterday but in a new perspective). Sometimes we get so bogged down in worrying about the things we didnt finish yesterday, or even the things we have to get done today. I challenge you all to think of it as an opportunity, and let this mindset aid in your creativity.

><(("> Michela Fleury

Michela is a ><(("> Team Member at Catch Your Limit, a management firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. To learn more, visit http://www.catchyourlimit.com/.

When things don’t go as planned…

Michela Fleury — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 17:01:00 +0000

You can work as hard as you can at something. Plan all the details perfectly and hope for the best. But what happens when something out of your control interferes with that perfect plan? You can get upset, cry even, but then what? What is the next step?

Recently I was let down on something that I have been striving towards for almost 2 years. The position I was aiming for was given to others who have not been involved as long or as strong in the organization as I had been. To say the least, I was disappointed when I found out. Friends, family, and even others on the team comforted me telling me that I deserved the position but in the end nothing would change.

I took a break from my self-pity party and sat back and thought about the situation. I knew that I deserved it and for whatever reason, I didn’t get it- yes- but sitting there upset was not going to help me at all. I vowed that I would give myself the rest of that night to feel lousy and then the next morning I would wake up and move on. And that’s exactly what I did.

The point is, things are not always going to go the way you hoped or planned and I think that is when true character reveals itself. How are you going to handle yourself? Are you going to sulk or are you going to get up and say “it is what it is, now time to move on” ?

Michela ><((">

Write it down & Make it happen!

Michela Fleury — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 18:19:00 +0000

Bonjour!

At the beginning of the year, all of us at Catch Your Limit sat down and created some personal action plans. Mine was two-fold.

This summer Erin & I are going to be going to Europe for a month of traveling, exploring, and eating a LOT of amazing cuisine. One of the components of my action plan was to really prepare myself for traveling by learning some of the languages. That week I was so inspired and excited about it, I went to Barnes & Noble and found the most amazing thing! It’s a cd set that sings to you and talks through skits that help you learn different languages and for $6 per set, I HAD TO have them! I bought one for French and one for Italian. I decided to start with French and in just a few short weeks I have learned how to greet someone, how to say where I am from, colors, how to tell time, some weather, how to order, ask for a table, and some food. It’s amazing how much you can learn while enjoying some cheesy (but extremely witty and entertaining) songs. But what feels even better, is knowing that I am taking the steps to accomplishing a goal that many would think is pretty hard to reach.

The second part of my personal action plan was to learn how to read music. I’m currently taking guitar lessons and am singing in a choir which is definitely helping the process. This part of my plan is not being accomplished as quickly as my other goal, but steps are definitely being taken and results are definitely becoming apparent. When I play the guitar, I feel like a kid again. I grew up around constant music entertainment. My dad is a guitarist but I never picked it up for some reason (even though now I wish I would’ve). Now, I am counting down the days till I can go back home with my guitar and play his favorite Beatles songs with him. What is so great about learning an instrument is that when you can finally play through a song, it is so rewarding. It’s instant gratification for all the work you’ve put in prior to that moment. For me, the greatest feeling is going to be able to play with my dad- someone who I’ve always looked up to musically. Anyways- the reading of music part of my plan is a little behind, but on the flip side, I am learning how to play chords and bar chords and my musical knowledge is expanding so all is not lost!

The point of this post is to show you all that sometimes putting things down on paper is enough motivation and inspiration to really set the ball in motion. You know…that ball. The one thats been sitting in the corner of the room that you constantly look at but never seem to have the time to play with. Well I encourage all of you to take five minutes out of your busy day and write down a personal action plan for yourself and be sure to share it with someone you trust. That way, you will be more likely to take the next steps in case that person asks you about it in the future!

And I wish you all the best in all of your future endeavors!

><(("> Michela Fleury

Michela is a ><(("> Team Member at Catch Your Limit, a management firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. To learn more, visit http://www.catchyourlimit.com/.

"Trust is earned, not given"

Michela Fleury — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:39:00 +0000

Trust & Loyalty, Loyalty & Trust.

Where are these two things today?

When the economy got bad and layoffs started becoming more and more frequent, people began trusting their bosses about as much as they would trust being locked in a room with a sleeping bear, about to wake up and pounce without much notice. It’s understandable that when companies start doing bad, the effects are felt everywhere from the top of the employment chain all the way to the bottom. With these cuts, layoffs because a fear looming over employees heads. The people who held jobs would be thankful to have survived the day as they left their office for the night.

Maybe I’m being a little over dramatic, but the point is that a lot of people were terrified. The people that they have come to known as respectable bosses were suddenly becoming the enemy. They lost faith in their superiors. The morale of almost every industry drastically decreased. When you lose that faith and trust in your employer, your loyalty to them also goes out the window.

Now, businesses must take on the responsibility of earning back that trust. There was a time when people loved going to work, they felt secure there. They felt that if they worked hard and completed the tasks at hand, that they would be allowed to keep their jobs. We need to get back to that.

I read an article by a man named Roger Hall called “Bring Trust and Loyalty Back to the Workplace” and he made some very good suggestions that I would like to share with all of you:

1. Schedule ‘face time’ with every employee

2. Choose appropriate communication channels

3. Over acknowledge and praise often

4. Be honest

5. Walk the Talk

I can’t help but be reminded of when I was younger and I would disappoint my mom somehow, and she would say “you have to earn my trust back.” That’s exactly what employers have to do now. Yes, it may take time and effort on their part but the benefits of having happy employers who value, trust and are loyal to their bosses will have much more of a payout than what needs to be invested upfront.

><(("> Michela Fleury

Michela is a ><(("> Team Member at Catch Your Limit, a management firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. To learn more, visit http://www.catchyourlimit.com/.

Expectations v. Reality : Which Side are You On

Michela Fleury — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 17:35:00 +0000

It is no surprise that the way an office is run is changing due to the increasing presence of us “Gen Y”-ers. We’ve been labeled everything from the ‘MyPods’ to ‘the Baby Boomlets’ to ‘the Boomerang Generation” (and that’s just to name a few). We’ve had negative connotations associated with us, such as lazy, greedy, self-centered and unrealistic. We’ve been ridiculed for our outlook on life, but what if the perceptions on both sides of the matter are just so completely polar from one another that we are struggling to find middle ground?

I was reading an article on eweek.com called “Generation Y for Dummies” , in which they listed some of the main differences between these ‘millennials’ and senior management in companies.

One of the differences they mentioned was as follows:

“Generation Y workers have a reputation for experiencing boredom and frustration with slow-paced environments, traditional hierarchies and even slightly outdated technologies- that is, almost everything common in most workplaces.”

So now my question is, whats wrong with that?

In this day and age, we are having to work longer hours. It’s no longer a traditional 9-5 work day. It’s a stay late, be twice as productive(if not even more), do the job of what traditionally would have been 3 or 4 different positions, work environment. We need that fast pace.

The boredom and frustration comes in when we feel our time is being wasted, precious time that could be spent with our loved ones for example.

I personally have no problem working long hours, staying late, working weekends, whatever it is that needs to be done to get the job done -and well- but I have worked with people on projects who are strong believers in ‘face time’ (aka being there even if you aren’t doing anything/contributing) and that is extremely frustrating.

Generation Y-ers value their time. We believe that there needs to be a balance in personal and work life as opposed to our parents who would have sacrificed anything for work. Again, this is often viewed as laziness or selfishness but I suggest for people to stand back and look at it again with a new angle. In my lifetime, I have already witnessed multliple natural disasters that have stripped people’s loved ones right out of their lives in a matter of seconds. It’s just like that saying “live like your dying”, you’ve got to appreciate every moment in your life and not just worry about working yourself to death. Not to become a complete downer, but most people when they become terminally ill or who are just older in age, will say if they could’ve changed one thing about their life, it would’ve been to spend more time with those close to them.

When it comes to our work environment, we like it to be open and yes- we like to be equipped with all the latest technology. Our knowledge of these tools could be utilized to our maximum potential and benefit the company greatly. They could increase productivity and again, save us even an hour or two, if not more, of that precious time. It is also this knowledge that sometimes causes conflicts with those senior managers who are too routine, and stuck in their ways to accept the new and boot out the old. We are not afraid of CEOs and senior management, we see our ideas as valuable and worth sharing with all members of the company. What’s wrong with that? Shouldn’t a work environment encourage this open sourcing of information and sharing? Isn’t that how good ideas develop into great ideas? As workers, if we are terrified of management what kind of work do you think would be produced?

I know that this street runs both ways, and there are certain aspects of our generation that are lacking but instead of debating who’s expectations are realistic and who’s right or wrong about these things, we should instead aim our efforts into finding that ying-yang balance and making the most out of the experiences and knowledge of all the generations involved.

><(("> Michela Fleury

Michela is a ><(("> Team Member at Catch Your Limit, a management firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. To learn more, visit http://www.catchyourlimit.com/.

New Year Resolutions

Michela Fleury — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:00:00 +0000

With every new year, comes new promises to ourselves: lose weight, spend more time with our families, quit smoking, etc. etc. etc. However, according to an article by Keith Hartung, only “52% of all of the participants in a resolution study believed they would accomplish their goals, and only 12% actually achieved them.” I’m not really surprised by this and I’m sure many of you wont be either.

One thing I did find interesting this year was that when I asked people about their new years resolutions, many people said “this year… I’m not making any.” When I asked why, they simply responded “because I’d rather just try to better myself all the time than set a shallow goal that will probably get pushed aside by the end of January.”

It got me thinking, why do we make new years resolutions? Shouldn’t we be doing just that… improving upon ourselves always? It’s like comparing a sprint race to a cross country race. We should be focused on the big picture, using our endurance to continuously better ourselves over time rather than just for a fleeting moment.

So this year, I encourage you all to throw out the vague, over ambitious resolutions and get focused on the bigger picture.

Happy 2010 all!

><(("> Michela Fleury

Michela is a ><(("> Team Member at Catch Your Limit, a management firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. To learn more, visit http://www.catchyourlimit.com/.

What do you measure your success against?

Michela Fleury — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:35:00 +0000

“The deepest principle of human nature is the craving to be appreciated.”

(William James, 1842 ~ 1910).

Isn’t it funny how we can work so hard at something and put our all into it but it’s not a success until someone else says it is?

For the last few months I’ve been planning a trip for approximately 60 people to travel to New York for the Advertising Women of New York conference. This includes finding hotel accommodations, booking advertising agency visits and the conference. Doesn’t seem like much, but with 60 people it’s not a small task by any means. Just collecting the money takes weeks. Then of course there are the people who change their minds back and forth a thousand times about the small things.

While planning this there has always been this weight on my shoulders, a little voice in my head saying that I have to make everyone happy. I can’t mess this up. I’ve got to prove myself. Now the trip is only 48 hours away. Everything is done and out of my control. It had been very stressful for me and so when my supervisor finally looked me in the eye and told me he was proud of how well I put together the trip it was like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

Then I thought about it and couldn’t figure out why I needed to hear that. I know that I did everything I could for this trip to be as successful as possible, and I should never have measured my success on the approval of someone else.

I started to think about this on a larger scale. Every day we deal with situations in which we feel this need for approval, for this gold star sticker and badge of success- but why? I think becoming aware of this has helped me de-stress in certain situations. I now sit back and think about it- do I really need this persons approval or can I be happy with what I’ve done without it?

><(("> Michela Fleury

Michela is a ><(("> Team Member at Catch Your Limit, a management firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. To learn more, visit http://www.catchyourlimit.com/.

Evaluating Your Leadership

Michela Fleury — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:44:00 +0000

I am a perfectionist.

I know I am and I have come to accept it. You would think that this would be okay and just make the caliber of my work better, but in the end being a perfectionist is just an annoyance to myself. I enjoy being in a leadership position because I like to have my hands in all aspects of a task or an organization, but what I’m realizing is that I’m having trouble with delegating. I don’t give other people as many tasks to take on as I should because I don’t trust that the work will get done on time or to the level of expectations that I would have for myself. So the result of this is that I end up overloading myself with work and all the accompanying stress.

Each day I’m realizing more and more that I have to move away from my current method and more towards one that does divide the work out amongst the team but I’m struggling with the ‘how’ part. How do you motivate your team to have the same expectations as you? How do you get them to understand that when you set a deadline… you mean it?

I am also an easy going person. I prefer to stay away from confrontation (although I’m not afraid of it if it’s necessary). Yet again, I’ve realized some times you need to stop being overly nice to make sure that you are not being walked all over.

The way I see it is this: When you are working in a team situation, there should be a mutual respect for one another.

I think that step one in my effort to fix my situation is to evaluate myself. I started doing some research so that I can make an honest effort to fix my faults that are contributing to this lack of team work and I found this article that gives 10 tips for being a good leader.

Check it out:

http://www.uptonscouting.org/Leadership/10Tips.html

This is something that every one from time to time needs to do. Sit back, evaluate yourself, and try to realize the things that you could change or improve on to make yourself a better leader, team player, and peer.

><(("> Michela Fleury

Michela is a ><(("> Team Member at Catch Your Limit, a management firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. To learn more, visit http://www.catchyourlimit.com/.

Catches of the Week!

Michela Fleury — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:04:00 +0000

“The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you’ll discover will be wonderful. What you’ll discover is yourself.”-Alan Alda

1.Break the Rules to Boost Your Business
2.Fail Often, Fail Fast, Fail Cheap
3.Why You Aren’t Allowed to Panic
4.10 Tips for Winning Respect of Your Followers
5.Tips for Enjoying Work More

><(("> Michela Fleury

Michela is a ><(("> Team Member at Catch Your Limit, a management firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. To learn more, visit http://www.catchyourlimit.com/.

Catch the killers of Creativity!

Michela Fleury — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 20:08:00 +0000

Whenever I find myself sitting at my desk wanting to blog, I always struggle with a topic. Then instead of persevering through it and coming up with something, I usually get distracted with some other task. My procrastination ends up being fatal with my time. Before I know it, the day is done and only a word or two is typed in the submission box.

So today, while I was sitting down staring at my computer screen contemplating what to write, I did the same thing as I always do… something else! I started just searching the web and reading articles that people posted on twitter.

Then, I stumbled across this article on the killers of creativity. I found that almost every single one of them has affected me at one point in time. So I wanted to share them with you.

The article that I found on “Freelance Shack” blog, calls them “The Dirty Dozen” and they are “the 12 things that kill creativity”.

1. Mouthful : basically, biting off more than you can chew stresses you out and ruins the quality of your work.

2.Fear: Don’t be afraid to go outside of your comfort zone and explore new things.

3.Money: the economy has caused a lot of money issues- for everybody. This in turn makes people work harder and faster, but possibly may lead to a sacrifice of quality.

4. Distractions: this is probably my biggest killer… and it is exactly what it says it is. If you are working.. stay working, avoid these pesty distractions that avoid you from being productive.

5. Family & Friends: try to work through any issues calmly so that they don’t cause a sky-rocketing stress level.

6. Your Health

7.Insomnia

8. Lacking Direction in life: this is a huge stress factor for a lot of people and causes loss in motivation. They struggle to focus because they are unaware of their goals and wishes for life.

9. Deadlines: I think this one can go without explanation!

10. Block: sometimes, it just happens. Writers block that is! (or designers or planners or just thinking in general)

11. Competition: Instead of letting your competition get you down, use that competition as motivation to be even better and more creative!

12. Belief: The most important thing… if you believe it, you can do it!

So take all these “killers of creativity” and murder them! Throw them out and get to being the creative person you are!!

><(("> Michela Fleury

Michela is a ><(("> Team Member at Catch Your Limit, a management firm with offices in Tallahassee, Florida and Richmond, Virginia. To learn more, visit http://www.catchyourlimit.com/.