Communication improves performance

Employees who feel connected, passionate, and part of your organization are obviously people who you feel good about investing your company resources in. How about those employees who have grown disenchanted, burnt out, or who exhibit negative attitudes? Are they worth an investment of your time and resources? Absolutely!

The irony is that these individuals most likely feel a strong connection to your organization and have become disenfranchised because they have been disappointed from their experiences. This is an excellent opportunity to examine your workplace. Why are people becoming frustrated? Is your organization living up to its mission to the end user, as well as the employees hired to execute the mission?

The single most common complaint of employees is they feel their workplace lacks effective communication and employees often feel unappreciated or uninformed. The decisions of management seem to be made at will, without clear understanding by the staff tasked with carrying out the policies and procedures.

One of the most effective techniques for turning around negativity in the workplace is to communicate directly with the employees and ask them to share their perceptions and/or experiences. It is likely that what they share may be information you were unaware of. Encourage them to not only pinpoint the problems, but also encourage them to make suggested solutions. Perhaps they have thought of solutions but were unaware their feedback would be considered. Work to improve communication in the workplace with weekly meetings between employees and the appropriate managers. When employees feel as though they have a valued role on the team, they tend to perform more productively.

If after meeting to address the employee frustrations and/or concerns, it becomes clear that the individual cannot or will not be amenable to solutions, you may want to consider the impact this employee has on the greater work team. Leaving negativity unchecked in the workplace is a disservice to those employees who are productive members of your work group.

Essentials of Leadershp

Competent leaders know that to reach their business objectives, the team(s) they employ need to be focused, committed, and have a shared vision. Because teams are only as effective as their leaders, it is essential for team leaders to create environments where teamwork and productivity thrive. Some key factors to effective leadership include:

• Creating a positive work environment. Leaders are responsible for setting the tone and should always encourage and model positive attitudes and communications, even in the face of great challenges.

• Inspire confidence. In the face of challenge, how do you respond? What behaviors do you model for your team? Believe in your product/service and others will follow.

• Set clear expectations. Tell others what you expect. Unclear expectations set your organization up for frustration and missed opportunities.

• Give clear instructions. Don't expect team members to "figure it out." Give them the road map; don't keep information from them.

• Be enthusiastic. It is contagious!

• Provide training and necessary resources. Show your team members you value them by making resources available to them that will enable them to grow professionally and aid them in their work.

• Inspire team spirit. Show appreciation to team members and provide regular opportunities to give and receive feedback. Team members will feel more committed to the company's success if they feel their ideas and performances are valued and respected.

Are the best things in your life FREE?

It's said that money can't buy happiness and that the best things in life are free. From a philosophical perspective, it's true. Sunsets, beaches, smiles from a baby, a call from a friend, that melody that makes you tap your toes ... some of life's biggest rewards are not things that are bought and sold.

In more practical terms, some of the things that make us happy do involve dollars and cents. A simple exercise can help you determine if your $$$ investments are in alignment with those things that bring you smiles.

First, make a list of all the things that make you happy: traveling, spending time with friends, concerts, sleeping late, watching a play or movie, etc etc. Think back to the last few weeks and off the top of your head make a list of how you've spent your money: gas, food, excursions, bills, any and all drains to your pocketbook that come to mind.

Refer back to your first list, your happiness list. Put $$ signs next to the things on this list that cost money. Now look over your expense list and determine if any of the things you've spent money on, also make you happy. Do the first and second lists have commonalities?

This quick exercise is meant to help you reflect on your asset allocation strategy, and see how often you are turning your dollars into smiles.

Reduce turnover and improve productivity

Reducing employee turnover is an integral part of helping to boost your company's bottom line. The top reason that employees leave an organization has nothing to do with salary -- it's due to frustrations with management.

How can today's employers combat frustrations and burnout?

• Keep your employees connected to your organization by clarifying and communicating your company's goals and mission. Staff can best handle challenges when they understand the value and purpose of their work.
• Reward employees that exhibit behaviors that promote your company's mission. Employees want to do work that is valuable, but most importantly, they want to be valued.
• Allow employees the opportunity to determine how they will accomplish their goals. The highest levels of burnout occur in situations where employees have high levels of responsibility coupled with little control. Delegate assignments and whenever possible let your staff determine how the work will get done.

Giving your employees the latitude to accomplish tasks under their own direction is not only good management, it makes good dollar sense. A motivated and enthusiastic staff member will accomplish more in 8 hours than two disgruntled or burnt-out employees in 12 hours.

Building a top notch organization

There are four winning strategies that can propel your organization to greatness. It's been said that "ordinary happens, greatness is achieved." Just ask the fishmongers at the world famous fish market at Pike Place in Seattle. By employing four simple principles, this team of committed and spirited individuals created a winning and profitable model for businesses everywhere.

Choose Your Attitude:
Not all of us can love the work that we do. But we can choose how we do our work. The simple and conscious decision to choose our attitude every day, it is the difference between ordinary and great. Attitudes are contagious -- does your work team have an attitude that is worth catching?

Be Present:
Business is based on communication between people. How many times have you been dismissive, abrupt or not fully present in a meeting, on the phone, or in person? When you choose to be fully present with others, people will feel as though they are important, they will feel valued, and they will feel you are on the same team. In today's world of impersonal and often slip shod customer service, just being fully present can have a remarkable impact on your clients and staff. Being present builds loyalty and trust with your internal and external clients.

Make their Day:
Simple gestures can make some one's day. You've already committed to having an attitude worth sharing with the world, and you're committing yourself to your interactions with others by being fully present...now what would happen if you went the extra mile and made their day? This might mean your customers receive an added value at no additional charge (ie 5th cup of coffee free; no interest charges for 6 months; movie passes; etc etc) or that your staff receives recognition for their work (ie time off; movie passes; free coffee; or a compliment!). When people choose where they want to spend their money, or how they want to spend their time -- it's with those companies and people that make them feel like they are receiving a good value and where they will be treated in a friendly and respectful manner. The value of positive interactions cannot be underestimated. Making their day is simple and has a lasting effect.

Play:
At the fish market you'll see fish flying and staff laughing and engaging with customers and passersby. It's a playful vibe and it's impossible to miss. The fishmongers are working and playing. While it's not practical for most organizations to fling fish across the lobby, it's not about throwing fish. It's the manner in which they approach the work. Playfulness makes work less like work. There are many different ways that your organization can approach play at work: contests, fieldtrips, barbeques, giveaways -- online booksellers have virtual shelves packed with activities meant to make work more fun. Injecting play into your work day does not mean important tasks are cast aside, but it does create an environment that can lead to increased productivity and employee ownership.

In today's competitive marketplace it takes continued commitment and vision to attract and retain clients and quality staff. Does your organization employ principles that will keep customers coming back? Is your organization poised for ordinary? By engaging in a handful of simple, practical strategies your organization can rise above the ordinary and achieve greatness.

Three steps that can help you on your path

Someone once told me "If you believe you can, or you believe you cannot, you are always right." Probably the number one barrier to personal achievement is negative self-talk, the tape that plays in our heads, telling us we'll never make it, we couldn't possibly do that, or we don't deserve "it", whatever that "it" may be.

When we change our attitudes, we change our lives. The first step is to STOP that negative tape when it creeps into your consciousness. Replace that tape with a new message. It takes practice, typically 21-28 days to create a new belief. Practice, Practice! Ask yourself:

• How often do I envision reaching my goal?
• How often do I dismiss it and reason my goal is unreachable?

You must consciously and purposefully focus on what you want and tell yourself that you WILL have it. Envision what it will look like, what it will feel like. EVERY day, without fail. Practice, practice. Make it a habit to focus on success.

An excellent exercise is to journal. Consciously write down you goal. Script what it will feel like to reach your goal. What will it look like? What feelings will you have? Devote 10 minutes each day to write in your journal. Begin every entry with "I am so thankful to have abundance in my life. I am joyful to be/have ....because...." Start every entry in the same way and then intently write about what it feels like to have reached your goal. When you are done, read back what you have written.

Do this each day or evening for 21 days. You will feel the positive effects long before 21 days - however it will take a little time to create a new belief system.

One of the most important steps of the process is creating a support system. You are committed to your goal. Now you need to share this goal. Talking about your goal in positive speak is an important part of the process. As you begin to visualize your success, share it with others.

Think about who in your life will share in your joy of having achieved what you want. This could be a colleague, partner, family member or friend. You needed have "it all figured out" just yet. But sharing where you want to be, where you intend to be, where you WILL be, reinforces your commitment & energizes your focus.

You may receive feedback that feels less than supportive - turn off the negative tape - and continue to take care of yourself by focusing on achievement. YOU are scripting your life.

Best of luck on the journey!

Dealing with employee dissatisfaction

Businesses are founded on vision, principles, and practices. Businesses rely on employees. Employees are people, and people need to stay motivated to further the vision, principles, and practices of the business, and quite frankly to turn a profit. Whether the mission of the organization is saving homeless animals, creating widgets, or analyzing market data, all rely on people power to get the job done. Motivated employees are the greatest asset to any business.

Studies indicate that employees who feel a strong connection to an organization's mission are more productive and generally happier in the work environment. This logic does have it's faults however, because a passionate employee may also not be a team player. While it is wonderful that Jane would give her eye teeth to further the mission of the organization, would she do so at all costs, ignoring the needs and expectations of others on the team?

What does the office look like when team members are running in opposite directions, with ineffective communication, bruised egos, and expectations that differ greatly from employee to employee? It translates into decreased productivity, low employee morale, and sometimes an unpopular public image. Employers cannot afford to ignore employee dissatisfaction and toxic work environments.

Most people experience periods when they feel unmotivated on the job. Optimally, the periods are brief. However, if your office is a place where people are often unmotivated or employee morale typically hovers at "low," it becomes near impossible for even the most satisfied employee to find focus, clarity, and to be productive.

Many employers recognize when employee morale is low and do one of two things; either ignore it, or decide to hold a retreat to encourage discussion and re-energize the work force.
Both approaches have serious consequences. While ignoring the employee morale issue seems to be an obvious poor choice, it is handled in this fashion by many employers. It is easy to dismiss poor morale as employees who have personality conflicts or assume that if an employee is dissatisfied, it is their choice to leave the organization. An assumption can be made that the organization would be better off if all who were unstatisfied made a quick exit to the door, but this is flawed thinking. This does not uncover what led to the employee dissatisfaction in the first place; the firm could be losing a very valuable team member; and the dissatisfaction has likely spread to other members of the team. This approach is not a long term solution and does not address the health of the organization.

A retreat, done properly, with outcomes that are put into practice with commitment and follow through may help turn around productivity and morale. Unfortunately it is very typical for an organization to hold a retreat, put the "ugly" issues out on display, acknowledge their existence, then neatly put them back in the box back on the shelf, with no follow through and no action plan in place. This ends up solidifying peoples' negative perception of their work environment and generally bodes ill for the organization.

The solution? Communication. Retreats can be effective tools if executed properly, however the first step should be to acknowledge what the employees already know: "things are tough around here." Take it another step and tell the employees "they are valued" and the employer is aware of the difficulties and is currently working on a plan to change the work environment. Follow up these communications with a plan, be it a retreat, training for employees, or regular staff meetings meant to improve communications between departments or individuals. By acknowledging that difficulties and problems exist, employers improve their credibility with employees. I assure you that you won't be telling people something they don't already know by acknowledging the problems -- there is not one employee that goes uneffected when team members are dissatisfied.

The Platinum Principle

Most everyone is familiar with the "Golden Rule," but equally as important is another rule or principle, I'll call it the Platinum Principle: the Law of Attraction. All of us experience the Law of Attraction working every day.

For example, it's Monday morning, you wake up late, leaving you feeling anxious or cranky, and definitely stressed out. Everything is setting you off. You *eminate* frustration. Which is why you *attract* situations that frustrate you further...already running late, and then a traffic jam, or maybe you spill your coffee all over your lap, or your cell phone rings and there is trouble brewing at the office. What a crappy morning!!! And you haven't even made it to work yet. Guess how that is likely to go, once you get there? In this state of mind you can guess, pretty poorly. Your negative energy is literally attracting negative energy. You are proving yourself right -- this is going to be a crappy day!

The good news is that as quickly and as effortlessly as you attracted negativity, you can just as quickly attract positive energy and experiences to you.

It is important to not let the *little* things turn into huge things. Unless of course it's the *good* things. Creating new habits and belief systems takes work, and time, 21-28 days to be specific. New behaviors are not necessarily automatic, but with practice they require less and less effort.

Seeing your life and experiences as meaningful and significant is essential. You deserve positive experiences, healthy relationships, abundance and joy. When we stop the negative talk (internal and external) we make room for the positive.