“The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wise grows it under his feet.” -James Oppenheim
I am overflowing with gratitude...everyday. I realize I have many, many, many, many things to be thankful for. I have a terrific husband, four healthy kids, a job I love, and the list goes on. Those are indeed the biggies, and we should certainly remember to notice those, but what about all the little, important things that we take for granted - that go unnoticed? Breathe in and out. Some people can't. Did you notice today the squirrels in the trees, the man that held the door for you, or the smile from a complete stranger? Do you truly notice all that we are surrounded by and should be thankful for each day?
In today's fast-paced, ever-changing world, we seem to be trained to never truly be content or satisfied - never fully happy because we are always thinking we need more or waiting for the next thing to arrive to make us feel fulfilled. Somewhere in all of that, we are missing the everyday moments and are preventing ourselves from being amazing by life now. In "The Book of Awakening: Having the Life You Want by Being Present in the Life You Have", author Mark Nepo talks about one of the keys to true joy - being easily pleased with what each day brings. Seeing the extraordinary in the ordinary. From the atom in a drop of water to the atom in a human being, from the ant to the zebra, from the sky above to the dirt beneath our feet, we need to realize that the extraordinary is all around us all the time. If we open our eyes, we can witness the miracle of life in every moment, no longer waiting for the next thing or condition that promises happiness.
"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.'
-Melody Beady
In the book, "Simple Abundance" by Sarah Ban Breathnach, she suggests keeping a daily gratitude journal. Here is an exherp from her website www.simpleabundance.com...
"This tool could change the quality of your life beyond belief: it's what I call a daily gratitude journal. I have a beautiful blank book and each night before I go to bed, I write down five things that I can be grateful about that day. Some days my list will be filled with amazing things, most days just simple joys. Mikey got lost in a fierce storm, but I found him shivering, wet but unharmed. I listened to Puccini while cleaning and remembered how much I love opera.
Other days--rough ones--I might think that I don't have five things to be grateful for, so I'll write down my basics: my health, my husband and daughter, their health, my animals, my home, my friends, and the comfortable bed that I'm about to get into, as well as the fact that the day's over. That's okay. Real life isn't always going to be perfect or go our way, but the recurring acknowledgment of what is working in our lives can help us not only survive, but surmount our difficulties.
...You simply will not be the same person two months from now after consciously giving thanks each day for the abundance that exists in your life. And you have set in motion an ancient spiritual law; the more you have and are grateful for, the more will be given you.
...As the months pass and you fill your journal with blessings, an inner shift in your reality will occur. Soon you will be delighted to discover how content and hopeful you are feeling. As you focus on the abundance rather than on the lack in your life, you will be designing a wonderful new blueprint for the future. This sense of fulfillment is gratitude at work, transforming your dreams into reality."
Let yourself be amazed by what you find around you when you begin to notice all that is there.
SHINE ON!
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Happy Employees = Increased Productivity, Creativity, & Engagement
One of our most requested keynote presentations is entitled, "Finding Happiness in the Craziness of Life". Some may think that happiness isn't relevant to work. Not true, as a recent Harvard Business Review article reports. An employee's happiness level impacts their productivity, creativity, and engagement. Click HERE to read the article.
SHINE ON!
SHINE ON!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
An Unconventional Gift
I received the following in a newsletter from Patrick Lencioni, the author of "The Five Temptations of a CEO", "Death by Meeting", and "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team" (and other titles). I have spoken many times in the previous few months about retention and motivation and I believe this is timely and on target. Good news - you don't have to be a manager to apply it (it works with kiddos, too). There's no magic bullet for motivation, but I do think taking the time to do this is part of the motivation equation. Try this...
"I think it’s fair to say that most managers like to do good things for the people who work for them, to make them feel more appreciated, productive and fulfilled. Unfortunately, many of them don’t seem to know what their employees really want or need, and so they end up relying on the same traditional things - monetary bonuses and small office perks.
Now, employees aren’t going to turn down a bonus or a perk, but those things don’t have the transformational affect on people that managers would like. And because they cost real money, they’re not always available for managers to use, especially during difficult times.
I have an idea about how a manager can meaningfully impact an employee’s sense of esteem, enthusiasm and importance. It is completely free, and turns out to be almost as beneficial for managers as it is for the people who work for them. But it’s a little counter-intuitive. Let me explain.
Instead of doing something for the people who work for you, find a way to let them do something for you. I told you it was counter-intuitive. But it actually makes sense, and isn’t at all selfish.
See, when I was in college I took a course in social psychology and learned that, contrary to conventional wisdom, the best way to endear yourself to someone is not to offer to do something for them, but rather to ask them to do something for you. The underlying logic is that people actually feel better about themselves and about someone else when they are in the position of being a helper, rather than a helpee. That’s because helpers receive a sense of contribution and confidence, while helpees often feel dependent and in debt to someone. As my professor explained to me, if you want a girl to like you, don’t ask her if she wants help with her homework, ask her to help you with yours. Who would have thought?
I realize that this might sound manipulative, and indeed, if used insincerely, it can be. But with the right intentions, with a genuine interest in helping employees grow in confidence and self-esteem, it can be transformational.
Here’s how it might work. Sit down and think about each of the people who work for you. Identify something about them that you admire, that you genuinely believe they do better than you. That shouldn’t be hard, because every employee has skills or talents that exceed those of their bosses.
Once you’ve identified those skills or talents, take a moment to tell each employee why you admire them. If you mean it – and that is absolutely essential – it will blow them away. Be sure to be specific about what you admire about them and state the fact you would like to learn from them. It doesn’t have to be right then, and it doesn’t have to come in one fell swoop. Over time, you’d like them to coach you in that area.
Here is my own example, using three of the people who work for me. One of my staff members is much more gracious and empathic than I am. She doesn’t jump to conclusions about others as quickly as most people do – including me – and she tends to understand where people are coming from. I love that, and really wish I were more that way. I’ve told her that, and I let her know that I’m trying to be more like her in that way.
Another of my staff members is very steady and disciplined about how he plans for the future and manages money for his family. I want to learn from him. I’ve asked him to help me, sometimes in very tangible ways, do the same for my family.
Finally, another staff member who is quite a bit younger than me, is very involved in charitable activities in a way that I greatly admire. In addition to expressing our admiration for her, my wife and I have taken an interest in her missionary activities and asked her to help us get involved and teach our children about what she’s doing.
I am convinced that I have built much stronger relationships with each of these people, and contributed to their sense of confidence and importance, by genuinely expressing my admiration for them and asking for their assistance. All that I have done is acknowledged – and rightly so – their superiority to me in various, important areas, and made myself vulnerable to them. This has not diminished my authority as their leader at work, but rather made it abundantly clear that they have as much to offer me as I do them, in spite of the hierarchy at work.
Now, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that this is sometimes difficult for me, and probably for any manager, to do this. There are times when I don’t want to acknowledge another person’s superiority, and I know that, in my weaker moments, I’ve downplayed the talents of others out of pride. But overcoming that pride, and allowing my staff members to shine, is something that is good and right and liberating, and it will probably have a more lasting impact than any bonus or perk ever could."
SHINE ON!
"I think it’s fair to say that most managers like to do good things for the people who work for them, to make them feel more appreciated, productive and fulfilled. Unfortunately, many of them don’t seem to know what their employees really want or need, and so they end up relying on the same traditional things - monetary bonuses and small office perks.
Now, employees aren’t going to turn down a bonus or a perk, but those things don’t have the transformational affect on people that managers would like. And because they cost real money, they’re not always available for managers to use, especially during difficult times.
I have an idea about how a manager can meaningfully impact an employee’s sense of esteem, enthusiasm and importance. It is completely free, and turns out to be almost as beneficial for managers as it is for the people who work for them. But it’s a little counter-intuitive. Let me explain.
Instead of doing something for the people who work for you, find a way to let them do something for you. I told you it was counter-intuitive. But it actually makes sense, and isn’t at all selfish.
See, when I was in college I took a course in social psychology and learned that, contrary to conventional wisdom, the best way to endear yourself to someone is not to offer to do something for them, but rather to ask them to do something for you. The underlying logic is that people actually feel better about themselves and about someone else when they are in the position of being a helper, rather than a helpee. That’s because helpers receive a sense of contribution and confidence, while helpees often feel dependent and in debt to someone. As my professor explained to me, if you want a girl to like you, don’t ask her if she wants help with her homework, ask her to help you with yours. Who would have thought?
I realize that this might sound manipulative, and indeed, if used insincerely, it can be. But with the right intentions, with a genuine interest in helping employees grow in confidence and self-esteem, it can be transformational.
Here’s how it might work. Sit down and think about each of the people who work for you. Identify something about them that you admire, that you genuinely believe they do better than you. That shouldn’t be hard, because every employee has skills or talents that exceed those of their bosses.
Once you’ve identified those skills or talents, take a moment to tell each employee why you admire them. If you mean it – and that is absolutely essential – it will blow them away. Be sure to be specific about what you admire about them and state the fact you would like to learn from them. It doesn’t have to be right then, and it doesn’t have to come in one fell swoop. Over time, you’d like them to coach you in that area.
Here is my own example, using three of the people who work for me. One of my staff members is much more gracious and empathic than I am. She doesn’t jump to conclusions about others as quickly as most people do – including me – and she tends to understand where people are coming from. I love that, and really wish I were more that way. I’ve told her that, and I let her know that I’m trying to be more like her in that way.
Another of my staff members is very steady and disciplined about how he plans for the future and manages money for his family. I want to learn from him. I’ve asked him to help me, sometimes in very tangible ways, do the same for my family.
Finally, another staff member who is quite a bit younger than me, is very involved in charitable activities in a way that I greatly admire. In addition to expressing our admiration for her, my wife and I have taken an interest in her missionary activities and asked her to help us get involved and teach our children about what she’s doing.
I am convinced that I have built much stronger relationships with each of these people, and contributed to their sense of confidence and importance, by genuinely expressing my admiration for them and asking for their assistance. All that I have done is acknowledged – and rightly so – their superiority to me in various, important areas, and made myself vulnerable to them. This has not diminished my authority as their leader at work, but rather made it abundantly clear that they have as much to offer me as I do them, in spite of the hierarchy at work.
Now, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that this is sometimes difficult for me, and probably for any manager, to do this. There are times when I don’t want to acknowledge another person’s superiority, and I know that, in my weaker moments, I’ve downplayed the talents of others out of pride. But overcoming that pride, and allowing my staff members to shine, is something that is good and right and liberating, and it will probably have a more lasting impact than any bonus or perk ever could."
SHINE ON!
Monday, November 28, 2011
Goals: 101 to Accomplish in the Next 1001 Days
Only a little over a month until the New Year. What a great time to think about goal setting! I recently came across this website: Day Zero Project. At this website, you can create a list of 101 things you want to do in the next 1001 days. You'll also find the top 101 things people have listed... Here are a few of my favorites:
1. Donate blood
2. Write a letter to myself to open in 10 years
5. Leave an inspirational note inside a book for someone to find
7. Don't complain about anything for a week
19. Make a new friend
25. Build a snowman
26. No fast food for a month
30. Find a personally inspirational quote and work it into a piece of art or home decor
34. Read 100 books
35. Do some volunteer work
48. Complete a coloring book
49. Improve my posture
56. Not log into Facebook for a whole week
58. Identify 100 things that make me happy
69. Clean out my closet
78. Make a custom recipe book
79. Learn to knit
85. Read all the books currently on my shelf
88. Expand my vocabulary by 100 words
93. Put change in someone's expired parking meter
"The tragedy of life doesn't lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach." - Benjamin E. Mays
Shine On!
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
The Not-So-Great Workplace
A bit ironic that last month's blog post was about the best workplaces in Iowa and this month, I'm highlighting an ABC news story that caught my attention on a not-so-great Iowa business. This is definitely a what NOT to do. Check it out here. I think I'd suggest some management and leadership training from PeopleWorks for Mr. Ernst and supervisor Ms. DeFrieze!
SHINE ON!
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Iowa's Top Workplaces
It was SO awesome to see so many of our clients appear in the Sunday, September 18, 2011 Des Moines Register "Iowa's Top Workplaces" (we were not surprised)! This special edition to The Register included the survey results of Iowa's Top Workplaces on the question: "What is Important to Employees?" This list is critical to understanding how to recruit and retain the best in our fine State. Take note that pay and benefits make the list, but look at where they appear - the bottom of the list. As we talk about in many of our programs, it's the people work that's most important (it's not just about the paper work)...
From The Des Moines Register & Workplace Dynamics:
The following statements on the employee survey are used to determine which companies are top workplaces. The importance value shows how strongly each statement correlates with how employees in Iowa rate their workplaces. The closer importance to 100 percent, the more important the statement is.
67% I believe this company is going in the right direction.
67% I feel genuinely appreciated at this company.
66% I am confident about my future at this company.
65% I am happy with my career opportunities at this company.
63% My job makes me feel like I am part of something meaningful.
62% I have confidence in the leader of this company.
60% This company operates by strong values and ethics.
60% Senior managers understand what is really happening at this company.
59% New ideas are encouraged at this company.
58% At this company, we do things efficiently and well.
54% I feel well-informed about important decisions at this company.
53% My manager listens to me.
52% My manager makes it easier to do my job well.
52% I have confidence in my manager.
51% My manager helps me learn and grow.
47% There is not a lot of frustration at my workplace.
47% I get the formal training I want for my career.
45% My pay is fair for the work I do.
42% I have the flexibility I need to balance my work and personal life.
34% My benefits package is good compared to others in this industry.
SHINE ON!
Monday, August 29, 2011
Don't Underestimate The Power of Goals
One day in the mid 1980's, before he was famous, Jim Carrey decided to write out a real check to himself in the amount of $10,000,000. He dated it Thanksgiving Day, 1995. On the memo line, he wrote, "For Services Rendered." At the time, he was broke and out of work - trying to make a living in Hollywood. For years, he carried the check in his wallet, pulling it out occasionally to keep his goal visible in his mind. He visualized himself going into a bank and cashing the check. He pictured himself in a movie premier getting interviewed by the media. He practiced signing his autograph. He would drive into the Hollywood Hills and imagine buying one of the houses there.
In 1994, Jim Carrey played key roles in "Ace Ventura", "Dumb & Dumber", and "The Mask". He got his REAL check for $10,000,000. Regardless of what you think of Jim Carrey's acting, he is now a successful and highly paid entertainer - getting well over $20 million for just one film. What role do you think that check played in his success?
Fewer than 3% of people have clear, written goals. But typically, that 3% are usually the most successful in every field. Supposedly less than 1% of people write, rewrite, and review their goals on a regular basis. There's something almost magical about putting a goal in writing - using a pencil, an ink pen, or a keyboard. When we write something down, we declare that we are "in the game".
Have a clear vision of what you want, set clear goals, and be determined - put 100% commitment into making your goals come true. One of my favorite quotes, "Vision without action is hallucination." Have the goal, then do the work to make it happen. A picture might be worth a thousand words, but your written goal? Priceless!
SHINE ON!
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