Monday Morning Magic Trigger

Have you ever awakened to the sound of your alarm clock on a Monday morning and had to drag yourself to the shower, hoping that liquid wakeup tonic would prepare you for another day at work? Do you fuel up with coffee? Eat a healthy breakfast? Take a brisk walk or run? Listen to great music? Read something inspirational? Do yoga?

But, then you get in your car and start driving. What happens to your day when someone cuts you off on the freeway? When you dread what awaits at the office? When you start ruminating about what didn't go well last week, or people who seem to be thwarting your efforts? What kind of a mood are you in when you arrive in a haze of negativity? Do you tend to immediately react more often than taking time to thoughtfully respond? What final steps can you take just before arriving at the office to get on a roll and stay there?

As listed in the first paragraph above, there are lots of positive, healthy ways to prepare yourself for a new workday. We've tried most of them and they all work pretty well. But we want to share another idea with you - give you another option once you get into the car (or on the train) and are headed for the office.

The idea was suggested to us by one of our Pathways graduates. A little history first. We have a concept in the training called the Homeward Bound Framework . Simply put, it helps a person to switch gears (and priorities) and let go of workplace concerns as they drive home by asking these forward focus questions at least 10 minutes before arriving home:

This simple process has been enormously successful for our graduates. And it was a natural step to use the same proven technique to prepare for the new workday. It follows our leadership building skills program by allowing the mind to focus on positive questions that give momentum to the day's activities and open the door to a creative, solution-focused attitude with team members.

We call it Workward Bound Exercise. When you are on the way to work, take a few minutes to ask yourself these questions.

Workward Bound Exercise

1. What can I do today to contribute to the team's success?
2. What are some of the team's recent successes I can recognize today?
3. What can I do today to be the best possible leader/role model for my team?
4. What can I do today to especially help someone else?

Try this out tomorrow and see if it doesn't make a difference in your energy, productivity, peace of mind, and effectiveness as a leader - and in the way your team responds. And let us know what results!

(c) 2003 Pathways to Leadership, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.