Building Stronger Relationships Leads to Building a Stronger Business

According to “A Society of Men, Sharing Faith, Concerns and Wisecracks,” reported by Steele in The New York Times, men are coming together for fellowship and companionship in groups such as The New Canaan Society. This group began in 1995 by Jim Lane, a former Goldman Sachs general partner. He was seeking meaning in his life and male companionship. This group began with eight man and now the weekly meetings range from 175-250 men in attendance. The men are providing comfort and support to each other, which many of the highly successful men feel are missing in their lives. The group helps men to combat the isolation they often feel in their lives. Fellowship builds a stronger business.

Stay Calm to Maintain Good Health

According to the article "If You Keep your Cool, You may Heal Faster" in the New York Times, a new study finds that people who are stressed and have trouble controlling their temper may take longer to heal from an injury.

Researchers from Ohio State university say cortisol, a hormone related to stress, seems to interfere with the healing process. The 100 participant study led by Jean-Phillipe Gouin, appears in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. Researchers focused on anger and identifying which patients were more likely to keep angry feelings to themselves and which ones expressed their feelings. They made a blister on each partipant's arm and covered it with plastic to see how long it healed. Those who expressed anger in a controlled fashion and those who did not express it healed quicker. Hot heads were about 4 times more likely to take more time to heal.

Another reason to keep your cool.

We All Need Sleep

According to the article "Scientists Are Still Searching in the Dark For the Secrets of Sleep" in The Wall Street Journal, if we lose too much sleep we become reckless, emotionally fragile, and more vulnerable to infections and to diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. Sleeplessness is a self-inflicted epidemic in which lifestyle overrides basic biolgy. On average, most people sleep 75 minutes less each night then people did a century ago. However, more people are spening more money on sleep aids. By one estimate, pharmacists filled 49 million prescriptions for sleep drugs last year.

There are dire consequence of too little sleep. Almost half of all heavy-truck accidents can be traced to driver fatigues and decisions leading to Challenger space-shuttle disaster, the Chernobyl nuclear-reactor meltdown and the Exxon Valdez oil spill can be partly linked to people drained of rest. The National Commission on Sleep Disorders Research estimated 15 billion dollar costs a year in reduced productivity due to sleep deprivation. A nap can do a lot more good then people may think. People who take regular naps of 30 minutes of more at least three times a week, have a 64% lower risk of heart-related death, researchers at th University of Athens reported last February in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Oddly enough, the well-rested entrepreneur gets more done, not less, than his sleep deprived counterpart. Tale time to be well rested as you build a stronger business.

Eliminate Stress, Live Longer

Worrying takes 16 years off your life! proclaims the article “Chill, You’ll Be Fine” in Men’s Health.

Negative thinking produces cortisol, a stress hormone that can be bad for your health when elevated for long periods of time. Stress-coping habits like overeating can also contribute to overall bad health, but activities like volunteering can help eliminate stress.

Fellowship Builds a Stronger Business

You can be at the top of your profession and have a loving family, but sometimes it just isn’t enough, as the article “A Society of Men Sharing Faith, Concerns and Wisecracks” from The New York Times reveals.

Some people are turning to faith based groups to give them the solace missing from other parts of their lives.

The New Canaan Society is one such group. It was started by Jim Lane, a former general partner with Goldman Sachs in 1995.

“We are a group of men who love each other and love Jesus,” said Lane. “The more successful you are, the more isolated and lonely you tend to be. Being Fairfield County, our men tend to be driven. Many high-powered executives get to the top, only to feel dissatisfaction.”

According to Lane, members of the group support each other and share stories on how to be better fathers, husbands and men. It’s deliberately kept to an all-male crowd because Lane believes men are far more likely to be open with others if women are not around.

The group has mushroomed from eight at its start to upwards of 250 at its Hibernian Hall meeting place in Stamford, CT.

People need all manner of support to build satisfaction in their lives. Having a group that can reaffirm your faith can help you build a stronger business.

These Power Lunches Fulfill a Different Need

Build a stronger business by thinking broadly about your customers

The Philadelphia Inquirer article “Higher-power Lunches” describes how city denizens in search of a bite sized portion of churchgoing have a solution in Church of the Holy Trinity in Philadelphia.

The Episcopal church has launched “Twenty Minutes with God,” a 20-minute lunchtime church service on Tuesdays starting at 12:15pm; it gives enough time for people to pray, have a bite, and return to work without overextending their lunch hour.

By working around people’s schedules, this church has found a useful way to grow its audience and perhaps gain more parishioners in the long run. It offers a useful model on how to build a stronger business.

Things to Do: Reduce Stress

Sometimes the most valuable tips are the most obvious ones.

According to James T Machia, author of A Short Guide to Life, you can reduce your stress if you can remember what you have to do. Write down your responsibilities include schedules for projects, dates and meetings. Always keep a pen and notepad within reach. One you accomplish your tasks, scratch them off your list

Don’t procrastinate! Sure you may be straightening out your desk or finally getting around to organizing that filing cabinet, but don’t you have something more important to do? Like your work?

In his book Getting it Done, Andrew J DuBrin, professor of management at the Rochester Institute of Technology College of Business, advises readers how to avoid getting mired in the swamp of procrastination.

Don’t occupy yourself with busywork if you’re simply avoiding doing a more stressful, time-sensitive project.

Don’t let yourself get distracted. Sit down and outline specific goals.

Don’t while away your time hoping a situation resolves itself. Have a plan of action to accomplish your goals and you will build a stronger business.

Leaders are Readers

The smallest bookstore still contains more ideas of worth than all that has been presented in the entire history of television.

-- Andrew Ross


Television is the default entertainment source for such a large part of society, it seems blashemous to reproach.

However, to the audience of business owners and entrepreneurs who read these posts, it's absolutely vital to be aware of the quality of your entertainment/downtime choices.

Keep these guidelines in mind the next time you're looking for a way to unwind:

1. . Does your activity match your intention?
   If you want to unwind from a stressful day, then do something physical like taking a walk, a bicycle ride, or an exercise class. Sitting in front of the tube is often a way to collapse, not relax, after a hard day.
   
   
2. . Does your activity stimulate your body, mind, emotions?
   Call an old friend on the phone, go feed ducks at a park, join an after work softball league. Involve two or more areas.
   
   
3. . Does your activity make you feel more isolated or connected to others?
   Having friends outside the circle of work relationships is important for life-work balance. The characters from Friends don't count. People who know your name and know who you are do count.
   
   
4. . Does the activity match who you are today?
   Often, we perpetuate habits that were formed long ago. It's helpful to re-examine and upgrade aspects of your life. Ask yourself if this form of relaxation really meets the needs of who you are today and where you want to go with your life. Maybe you're ready for something bigger. Maybe something entirely different would really float your boat. Explore, discover!
   
   
5. . Set up your home environment to make effective relaxation easy and automatic
   This step involves proactive planning. It's so much harder to do certain things when you need to do them, compared to ahead of time. To set up a better relaxation environment at home, you might want to have meals prepared in advance (or at lease the shopping or prep work done before you arrive home). You might want to reorganize your CD collection or iPod play lists. You might want to schedule a tennis match with some buddies a week in advance and make it a regular appointment to avoid having to make arrangements each week.
   
   

So, what options have you thought of as a result of this article?

Stronger Business Quotes: 3 on Stress

"The reason why worry kills more people than work is that more more people worry than work."
-- Robert Frost


"I have a new philosophy. I'm only going to dread one day at a time."
-- Charles M. Schultz


"I don't suffer from stress -- I'm a carrier..."
-- Scott Adams


You've heard of the good stress that pumps us up and allows us to rise to challenges (eustress) as well as the bad stress that can hinder our thinking and actions in addition to putting undue wear and tear on the body (distress). The interesting thing about stress is how much is determined by our internal perspective compared to external circumstances.