Well, the challenge is on.  How can we put more fun and subsequently more energy into our work in 2010?

People are tired.  Tired of pretending all is well when it might not be, tired of bad news, tired of things not going exactly as planned.

The antidote to tired is right at your finger tips.  Try these things today and see if you don’t see a difference.  Share them with your family, friends and staff.

1.  Look in the mirror and smile.  Not a regular smile, but a big goofy smile.  Put the light back on in your head and your body with your smile.  Smile at other people in the office, in the store and on the street.  Absorb the return smiles.

2.  Wear new underwear.  Go out and buy a different color, a different style or something you haven’t tried before.  Let what is “underneath” give you a smile and new perspective.

3.  Plug in your ipod, log on to iTunes, tune in a radio station or pop in a CD of really upbeat music to accompany your email work today.  Let the music guide your responses and how you feel about this task.  Come up with a good number of different songs that you can have going when you are doing email.  Look forward to email because you know you will get to listen to something you love and that gets you going.  (Headphones please if you share an office!)

4.  Stand up.  Get up from your desk and use a Blue-tooth or headset and walk around today.  While you are standing, try to do so on one foot.  Balance is a key indicator of good physical health.  Work on yours.

5.  Put your to do list on something more fun.  If it is on your blackberry/i Phone move it to colored paper in the morning and put it up on a wall or tape it to the top of a notebook.  Draw a quick picture to go with each item.  (Smiley face, stick figures, skull and crossbones, whatever will give you a lift when you get to the task.)

In other words Play More!

With the clocks about to “fall back” employees often get a good case of the doldrums this time of year.  The holidays aren’t quite here yet and going home in the dark is just depressing!  Budgets are due, year end closings are happening, shopping for those impending holidays, money woes, and more all pile on this time of year.

Do these simple things to give everyone in your workplace a boost;

1. Ask people for a few good simple and inexpensive ideas that will make the workplace better in the coming winter months. 

2. Give a few more minutes each week to each person in your office and find out what is going on in their life.  This time of year may present some special challenges and you may have some ideas to help.

3.  Bring in a funny movie.  Remember school when instead of class we had a movie?  Take a laughter break.

4.  Start some new health challenge.  Lead a walk at lunch, stock veggies in the kitchen for snacking, sign up a group to hike or bike over the weekend.

5.  Add some music or the sound of a waterfall near the front door in the morning.  We all need a pick me up in the morning and coffee isn’t always the answer.

6.  Get excited about something you can do together.  With the holidays coming possibly a charity event.

7.  Smile, smile and then smile some more until it catches on.

Quite often we find a team inside an organization with a certain amount of dysfunction.  People are quick to pick apart the reasons, “It’s because he does this, or she didn’t do that or……”  The blame game is very popular.  Most of the time teams are dysfunctional for a much simpler reason.

In reality most teams have a little dysfunctionality in them when they first form because people have yet to know and understand the work habits and basic behaviors of their teammates.

There is a quick and easy solution to this problem. 

First, get some basic information about each of the players.  I like to use an assessment for this that is validated not to tell us who does what better, but rather just who we are.  The assessment I use allows people to see how they behave normally, under stress and most importantly, what they need on a day to day basis.

Second,  with the group gathered I then facilitate an understanding of where we are all coming from and why people are different yet okay in what they are doing.  My groups have a lot of fun as I demonstrate our actions as just normal, yet different from one another.  We use some props and games to get ourselves to become relaxed with who we are, be open to how others are different and look at what we might need to do to be on a team together.  We don’t memorize letters or try to remember how we are supposed to treat each person, rather we learn to appreciate who each person is and respond to them as they are.

The best part of all this work is that it does work.  An assignment I did with a 7 member team in April of 2009 has netted cohesiveness, respect, calm, productivity and more fun in their work.

Check out your teams today and call me if you think a tune-up on working together might be in order.

Find me, Barbara, at 303-984-9271.

Did You Accidentally Lay Off More People Than You Planned?
It is important to check your payroll to see if you might possibly have lain off more people than you planned.  How could that be? 
If the layoff you did was accomplished with honoring those who had to leave, giving them the company’s full support with recommendations, strong job search assistance through outplacement experts and more, you do not have this problem. 
If not, look to see how many of your people may have “checked out” even though they are still working and on your payroll.   Employees who remain make judgments about the company and their position in the company based on how departing employees are treated.
So how do you know how well you did?  You will be able to tell very quickly by the amount of energy and enthusiasm your people have for what comes next.  If they are just working hard, heads down and delivering, but not moving toward new ideas, creative ways of doing things, offering suggestions and more than they are indeed “checked out.”
How does this happen?  The answer is simple.  Look at how you have handled the current economic crisis within your organization through this check list and answer yes or no to these questions.
#1 – Are you involving every employee in helping to decide how to manage this?  Are you using mass collaboration through blogging and the web to stimulate thoughts on successful strategies?
#2 – Is this being done with everyone on some type of team that is charged with coming up with ideas to increase revenue or reduce expense?
#3-  Have all employees been given the opportunity to report out on these ideas and get feedback if they are on the right track or need to go in another direction?
#4 – If you had any layoffs, were they done with honor, exiting people in a short amount of time but not pushed out the door, giving them a chance to get support from their colleagues, good outplacement services meetings, even held on site, and more?  (See Layoffs with Heart)
#5 – Have you been communicating your numbers and challenges much more frequently, becoming more and more transparent to your team so people can work with the reality of your situation?
#6 – How many new revenue ideas have been tried since January 1st?  Is it at least 3 or 4?
#7 – Did all your executives personally thank each departing employee, honoring them with your presence and your support in their next endeavor?
#8 – Is your organization planning to ride out this economic downturn only with “lean and mean” strategies?
#9 – How many Mastermind groups are currently working on your future plans?  Are they in different areas of your company for diversity of thought?
#10-Do you rest easily knowing you are trying 101 different ways to reduce expense, including salary reductions and shortened work weeks?

Could a Situational Specialist help you with this?

“If you are a servant of time, rather than letting time serve you, you are a prisoner of time.”  Alan Cohen

My friend, Alan, has hit the nail on the head with this statement.  In today’s world of email, voice mail, snail mail, texting, imaging, PDA’s, Twitter and more you have to wonder, “Do I have anything to do with how I spend my time?”

The answer is a resounding YES!

Do this simple thing, write down the three things you must have as priorities for today.  KEEP IT SIMPLE.

Make these things that will:

•  increase the quality of what you do, (like just listening more closely)
• provide better customer service, (like getting back to someone who is waiting for you)
• or grow the organization. (learning as an example)

 The rest can wait. 

Now make two or three priorities for yourself.  (Eat better, spend time with the kids, take a walk, get the tires rotated, take a nap.)  These don’t have to be big, they just have to be important to your life.

Set yourself free with a few simple priorities.

If you are beginning this year without a plan, be prepared, the default plan just may be a plan to fail. 

This year is asking more of the leadership of our organizations than any other time in history.  The marks have moved,  the goal is elusive, accountability must be embraced and leaders must be able to show the path to people who are confused, even in the dark.

Are you ready?

#1 – Have you put together a half day or full day with your key decision makers and created a road-map for this year?

#2 – Does the road-map include the forks in the road that may be required?

#3 – Have you put in a humane lay-off/outplacement program that shows your integrity?

#4 – What are the 7-9 key initiatives that will make the difference this year?  Who owns these?  Who is holding people accountable weekly for these?

#5 – Where is the creativity being generated about what you are facing?  Are you taking 1-2 hours a month to think about all of this from an “out of the box” view?  Who facilitates this?

Don’t think that what you learned, what you experienced or what you know will be any where near enough for this year.  Learn, discuss, invite in new people and ideas, break new trail and stay in your integrity as you are challenged to do otherwise.

Need some help with all of this?

Invite me in to help you with this through a facilitated meeting that will make all your paths this year not only manageable, but possibly finding new opportunities that you had not envisioned before! Let me help you keep your eye on the ball and help everyone who has the same responsibility.  Call at 303-984-9271.

In a recent release of HR Magazine, Evan Scott of BOOST tells us about the new challenges that we face with our workforce and how to address them.  He points out that we need to not only know who these people are and what they need, but then we need to be prepared to reward them in a way that pushes the envelop, using technology and aligning those rewards with what we are trying to accomplish.

A leader knows how important incentives and rewards are.  In the new world, where we must not only attract and maintain the best, new leaders are looking at what else is needed to convey the message of accomplishment .  People want and need more.  Companies need to align incentives to outcomes so that it is a win-win situation all around.  Both of these need good technology as a partner to make it happen.

Check out this great article and Evan’s words of wisdom at “It’s a New World and Everyone is Paying Attention.”

A leader knows that the morale of his or her staff will make or break them in the long run.  We have watched staff exit from the political campaigns of leaders that can’t be clear, stay on track or even take the time to discuss next steps.  There is a lesson there and it came to me in a strange way today.

 I had the unusual opportunity to walk in a beautiful forest in upstate New York as a break from my work, which is slated to go well into the night.  As I hiked up a path on a steep hill a young doe walked out in front of me on the trail.  A quick glance in my direction stilled me and the deer.  We eyed each other for a while and then the deer eventually sauntered off into the forest.  A little later we ran into each other again, this time near a pond where the doe was headed for a cool drink on a warm day.  Again, I stilled, again the deer did not flee but wandered on to drink.

Leaders need to approach their people as the doe and I did with each other.  Be still, quiet your mind, and just be.  Listen to hear what is in the air. Is it peace?  Is it fear?   Let your thoughts be set aside, while you hear their thoughts.  Know that you can co-exist because you have a mutual respect and understanding of each other. 

If you rush, run, blurt, or push you will cause their thoughts to flee.  You will miss the opportunity to hear the magic they bring to you and your business.

Our Mastermind groups learn how to do this every month.  Are you missing out on this valuable leadership experience.  Call us today to learn more about how two hours a month can make your managers into leaders and your leaders into superstars.  303-984-9271

In 2008 most businesses are experiencing some significant changes that don’t necessarily fit the rules of leadership that have been on the books for ages. Things that worked yesterday, last year, and many years before that are suddenly not working and leaders are scratching their heads in puzzlement about what to do next.

Here are a few ideas if you see yourself or leaders on your team looking for new information on how to handle what is in front of them today.

#1 – Get out of your office

You need to get into the shoes of your employees and find out what their work experience is like.  When you know what it is like, you need to know if that is the experience that will allow them to produce the most.  You will know how to utilize them the best and grow them into the next generation of leaders for your organization.

In addition to that information you will find the answers to most of the puzzles in front of you are available in the people around you.  It is time to stand up and talk with everyone on your team and ask what they are thinking, find out what they are experiencing and LISTEN to what they think.  Then start implementing some new ideas.

#2 – Know why your people will leave

This is heresy to say the least, but it is the road to success.  You need to have a relationship at some level with every one of your direct reports that allows you to know why they would leave and if they would ever leave.   Does that mean you will then do everything you can to stop them?  Not necessarily.  For some people the future may be with your organization, for others it may be somewhere else for very good reasons.  Helping people to make the right decision about where they work and why is part of the new leader.  We all know that the 30 year career with one company is still out there, but rarer and rarer with the varied interests of new generations.

#3 – Don’t Lead the way your Father or Mother did

Your Mom and Dad were good, smart leaders in their time, and many of the things they did you should note and follow, but if that is all you do, you are in trouble.  You need to find all the new ways people are communicating and use them to lead in a different manner.  If some of your employees NEVER use the phone anymore, how will you know the inflection in what they say?  Will that come across in a text or IM? How will you lead with a subculture of communication all around you, asking questions, challenging ideas and possibly undercutting initiatives without you even knowing it?  How will you get in on this information?  In the reverse, how can you use all the new ways of communicating to inspire and grow your people?

Look for new ways to lead and share them with us at his blog!

When Jana went to work at her new company she was convinced that it was going to be the answer to her prayers.  Good work, good pay, good people and stability.  This company wasn’t going anywhere.  And that was exactly what she got.  Good work, good pay, good people and a company that wasn’t going anywhere, literally.
As someone who studies what good companies do that make them go someplace, I have found an interesting disconnect in “being good” and getting to the next level.  Experience Leaders know this better than anyone.  They understand that they must create and powerful experience around the issues of the day to push their companies to success in both good and bad economic times.
Experience leaders know the correlation between all this “good” stuff and taking your company somewhere.  Good work, good pay and good people are only 75% of the formula for success. 

The other 25%, the 25% that will make or break your future success as an individual or a company is tied to three key things;
Innovation – In today’s world if you are not doing something new, different, increasing your offerings, delivering in a new way, the boat is sailing without you.   If you are marketing the way you have in the past, you will be left behind.  If you are delivering what you delivered last month or even last week, you will be left behind. 
Innovation parties! - Experience leaders take their teams on a regular basis and say, “today we innovate!”  What can we do that is new, different, in line with the interests of our clients to be there for them?  At a minimum an Experience Leader will set aside one day a month as innovation day.  They will not rest until everyone contributes an idea and until innovation is a habit.
Knowing your control levers – What are the key levers in your business?  (People, products, quality, development, sales, investment, technology or more?)  Experience Leaders know what these levers are and how to control them as markets bounce up and down keep the boat afloat in the storm of economic challenges.  They move quickly to change around personnel if people are a key.  They move quickly to change marketing strategies if this is a key. They challenge everyone who works for them to find their levers and their control in the situation.
Make Finding these controls an adventure! –Experience Leaders make it an adventure for their colleagues by asking everyone to determine exactly what they think they can control and what they cannot.  They then take on the adventure of saying how can I get some or total control of the things I think I cannot?  They teach this to everyone who works for them.  With their hands firmly on the controls they can drive through economic typhoons and set their sights on the next best thing for the organization and the people they serve.
The self-interest of clients is your interest! – An experience leader knows the most importance thing for their clients/customers today.   An Experience Leader is right there to help them.  What they needed yesterday is not what they need today.  How they bought yesterday is not how they will be buying today. “What is my customer’s biggest interest today?” is the question that dominates the thought process of an Experience Leader throughout the day.  The Experience Leader asks their team to think about this throughout the day as well in an effort to ingrain the thought.
Don’t struggle with any of these in your organization.  Let a Leadership Mastermind group tackle these and ingrain them in your culture.  Find out more at Leadership Mastermind Groups.