Consultation as a Tool for Integrating Personal and Professional Life

Integrate Your Personal and Professional Life in Three Steps

Posted: 17 Jun 2009

We asked Wharton professor and author Stew Friedman how employers could integrate their personal and work lives to find a productive and comfortable balance. Tough as it is any time, balancing the two can be a huge challenge in a recession when challenges seems to spring from every corner.

After all, work isn't everything. On the other hand, some of us are more attached to our careers than others. And we don't all have the same outside commitments or interests.

So, how can you achieve your own best mix of the personal and professional? Most important, says Friedman, is to articulate your goals, get feedback and clarify what matters most to you. He offers the following tips:

1. Describe your legacy. "Write a short piece, one page or less," says Friedman.  "Fifteen years from now, what legacy do you want? What impact do you want to have on the world?" Take a little time and write down where you want to be in 15 years – professionally, personally, spiritually, financially or in whatever way you see it.
2. Learn what people expect of you. List the 10 most important people in your life. Note what each one expects of you and how you're doing at meeting their expectations. "Ask yourself how these expectations affect one another, so you begin to see your life as a system," says Friedman. Then, have a conversation with each one. "This is the part of the process that tends to frighten us," he says. "Most people approach these talks with trepidation because they are afraid of what they will hear." But the good news is that most people's understanding of what others expect of them is not quite accurate. "We tend to overestimate," says Friedman. "People don't expect as much from us as we think they do. In my experience eight out of 10 people discover that what others expect from them is a little less than what they had presumed." Armed with a realistic sense of what people expect from you, you're likely to have more time and energy for your own pursuits.
3. Talk with trusted friends. Discuss what is important to you. "Ask what small changes you can apply that are doable, practical and small," Friedman recommends. For example, walking away from your business to pursue a full-time career as a songwriter might not be a good idea. But devoting one morning a week to your music may enrich your life. "Small is very important, because it is in your control," says Friedman. "This is the best way to build confidence and competence in creating sustainable change."

After taking these steps, you should have a compelling image of an achievable future. Then, translate that future into an action plan that will get you there. "This builds competence and confidence," Friedman says, "to help us overcome the inertia, the inhibitions, the guilt and fear that hold us back from doing what we really want."

 

From OPEN Forum by American Express OPEN

 

Being pro-active in down-times [ATTENTIVENESS], [ZEAL], [INTELLIGENCE], [PURPOSEFULNESS]

How A Business Owner Can Sleep Like a Baby During Tough Times

Posted: 19 Jun 2009

Be scared.  You can't help that.  But don't be afraid. ~ William Faulkner

One of the classic ways to find out what is really going on with a business owner or top-level executive these days is to ask, "What's keeping you up at night?"  Being a small business owner and a formally trained facilitator, I decided to take a different approach and asked 20 presidents of small businesses in marketing, interior design, insurance and a variety of other industries what's allowing them to get a good night's rest.  Here are the highlights of what they shared.

1.  Put in a good day's work. Jumping out of bed, getting to work early, being productive an extra hour or two at the end of a normal day if needed and staying focused and committed to growing the business — these were, of all the pointers, the ones most commonly shared.  No one wanted to be seen as a slacker, indecisive, depressed or out of touch with what's going on in the world.  The word "leader" came up in nearly every conversation or email, as did the importance of being looked at as one.

2.  Connect with upbeat, enthusiastic, high-energy people who share similar business concerns and offer up a whole host of action-oriented solutions to extraordinary day-to-day problems.  One of the things I heard time and time again is that it costs nothing to smile, and oftentimes we forget to do just that (not in a fake way) on a daily basis.  When we don't smile, it can bring a whole operation down into the doldrums — even when it needn't be.

3.  Communicate with the executive team and employees as often as possible to convey what's going on and the steps that are being taken to keep the company strong.  Actively seek input from every paid employee on how to improve the company's performance while maintaining profit margins.  These business leaders are involving everyone in everything, something they said they had not done up until now because they didn't think the employees needed to know.  Well, now they do.  Their lifestyle or job is on the line.

4.  Obsess over listening to customers, employees, vendors, colleagues and friends, and actually take action on what is said.  The presidents even report back to those who shared their thoughts and ideas on exactly what they did differently because of the information.  Of all the tools, this one has helped them the most to sleep peacefully at night.  It's very empowering to everyone.   It shows they really care.  It humanizes them.  And that's a good thing during a downturn.

5.  Emphasize a back-to-basics approach on everything, from how they buy office products to choosing cleaning services (do-it-yourself mentality) to who gets wooed over lunch or dinner for new business initiatives.  The key question to ask before spending money is:  Do we really, truly need this?

6.  Enhance everything they do, from response time to continuous improvement (quality) to total flexibility in how they manage projects.  If they did something in fourteen days, they do it now in four days, with half the number of people.  If a client says, "We're not sure if this will be a marketing, advertising or PR push," they say, "We can be flexible until you decide because we have the expertise to handle all or any one of those areas."

7.  Eliminate unnecessary expenses, from telephone bills (e.g., call waiting, call forwarding) to credit card balances to daily doughnut runs.  They are squeezing out every last little penny to keep their organizations as lean as possible.  An employee at one of their companies said, "We've put the business on a treadmill to trim waste."  No fat, no worries.

8.  Learn to not just live with but love uncertainty, the unpredictability of what's yet to come.  There's a certain strength (oftentimes you don't even know you have it until in a crisis mode) that comes over you when you acknowledge that this might not pass and could be forever.  The business leaders said they look at it this way: It's not your last dance; it's your first, so get in step.

9.  Reconfigure how to become a more nimble, value-added, innovative product, service or market creator. You can't get ahead in an environment like this unless you disrupt industries, trends or markets.  Their intent is to get out there and fire away with untried and untested ideas.  If they don't work, so what?  They said they'd fail fast and move on.  The goal is to generate revenue with a profit wherever and whenever possible.

Don't think of surviving.  Think of thriving.  Action, not words, says it all.  Imagine yourself five years from now and where you will be.  If you can envision it, you can do it.

As Faulkner says, you can be scared, you can't help that, but don't be so afraid that you cannot take appropriate action to move your organization forward.  Sleep well, dear reader.

This article is a preview to what's to come in the new OPEN Forum, you can see this article on the new Open Forum here.  To see more new content and features – including the Connectodex^SM tool for business connections – go to beta.openforum.com.  Just use your Americanexpress.com User ID and Password to log in.  If not a Cardmember, you can still have access to all of the great content once the new site launches.

 

From OPEN Forum by American Express OPEN

 

Motivating one's team members

Re-Engaging Team Members
Turning Negative Back to Positive

	Engaged team members make a valuable contribution.
	©iStockphoto/dgilder

"Excuse me, I'm the new program office administrator, and I need to book a hotel for a meeting. Could you help me with that?" you ask another administrator.

"Uh, just go on the intranet," replies your colleague, who then turns back to the person sitting next to her and resumes her conversation about her weekend plans.

"Okay..." you might reply uncomfortably, even though you've already spent half an hour trying to find the right web page.

Sound familiar? You've just encountered a "disengaged" employee. If you had a workforce full of disengaged employees, how devastating would that be to your business?

Disengaged people exist in all types of businesses, across all industries. You can spot them by their indifferent, blasé attitudes. They don't care about the company, they probably don't like their jobs, and they send negative signals everywhere they go.

Disengaged people are like poison - they don't perform their own jobs well, they drive customers away, and they have a bad influence on your other staff. Yet few people start off disengaged. It's typically a process that happens over time, as employee and employer expectations grow further and further apart.

What Is an Engaged Team Member?

Fortunately, you can re-engage members of your team and build back their pride and commitment. But you'll need to make a continuous effort and a strong investment in positive human capital management techniques.

The first step is to understand what an engaged team member looks like: Engaged people go above and beyond their job descriptions to get things done. They're committed to the organization's success, and they're willing to do what's necessary to reach goals.

It's important to understand that while many "average" employees are not quite fully engaged, that doesn't necessarily mean that they're completely disengaged. However, these average employees need re-engagement as well.

To reach a level of full engagement, you must build a people-focused workplace - one that recognizes that your people genuinely are your most important resource.

Re-engaging People

To achieve this, you need to meet people's expectations and provide a great work environment. There are several key management practices that are fundamental to this process. By providing these workplace conditions and continuously reinforcing their practice throughout the company, you can re-engage people who have fallen out of step with your purpose and vision.

We can divide re-engagement approaches into four areas:

1. Fact-Finding - Activities that help you (a) understand disengagement and your current situation and (b) monitor your situation on an ongoing basis.
   
   

2. Establishing an Environment for Engagement - Activities that help engagement flourish.
   
   

3. Hygiene Factors - Activities that help avoid de-motivation by managing people's stress, putting people in the right jobs, and providing feedback.
   
   

4. Motivators - Practices that help increase motivation and engagement.

Not all ideas will apply to all situations however, as a whole, these are the conditions and practices that will help you build people's engagement. We'll now look at each of these in detail.

1. Fact-finding

• Ask yourself when you ever felt unenthused and unengaged. This is a good place to start your re-engagement process. When you understand the sorts of things that caused you to disconnect with your company in the past, you may gain some insight into what members of your team are feeling right now.
  
  

• Talk to your people about their expectations and issues. Having clear expectations is a fundamental factor in re-engaging people. If people feel that they've been treated unfairly or have not been provided with the employment conditions they expected, you need to know. Once discrepancies are found, work toward a resolution as soon as possible. This lets people know that you care and you take their needs seriously.
  
  And ask them about the situations and issues that may be upsetting them. Push beyond the issues that are immediately obvious - the problem may lie with issues that are entrenched and systematic, and that the person thinks are just part of the way things are.
  
  This step is particularly important when you become the new manager of a group of people who are already disengaged. Resist the temptation to blame the former manager – instead, focus on moving forward from where you are now, based on what you find out from talking to your new people.
  
  

• Schedule regular "one-on-ones" with members of your team. Talk with individual team members about what they believe is expected of them, and then clarify and make modifications as necessary. When you keep communication open, you can often avoid potential conflicts and misunderstandings that can grow worse and lead to major problems.
  
  

• Survey employee engagement on a regular basis. With any kind of change process, it's usually a good idea to regularly ask your people questions related to their dedication and commitment to the company. Use the issues you've identified as a starting point, and construct a questionnaire to discover what you're doing well and where there's room for improvement. Use the results to begin a re-engagement plan that will help you build a stronger and more devoted workforce.

2. Establishing an Environment for Engagement

• Be honest and forthright about your own role in people's disengagement. A little humility goes a long way toward re-engaging someone. What if your management practices have contradicted any of the above points? What if you've been weaker in your commitment recently, and you've contributed to the current situation? Admit it, apologize for your actions, and construct a solid plan to move forward. This is a great way to start rebuilding your team's trust and show how supporting one another can make huge differences for everyone. By demonstrating your commitment to your people, they will likely respond with a renewed commitment to you and the business.
  
  

• Practice participative management. People usually want to participate and be involved. They want and need to feel that they matter and that their contributions are valued. To engage them, provide lots of opportunities for them to be involved with decisions. It's also important that people feel able to voice their ideas and raise issues - without judgment or fear of punishment. To re-engage people, help them feel confident that you'll welcome their contributions and that you'll really listen to what they say.
  
  

• Be a model for commitment to the organization. When employees believe their boss and senior management are committed to the company, that can provide proof that the company is indeed worth committing to. If you have doubts or express negativity toward the business, you can't expect members of your team to be totally dedicated and engaged. They take their cues from you, and they'll react to your opinions and actions.

3. Hygiene Factors

• Identify and manage stress and burnout. Overworked employees can have a difficult time engaging. They simply have too many competing needs, the greatest of which is their own survival. If you want engaged people, develop a genuine concern for their health and welfare. By using regular one-on-ones and staying connected to members of your team, you should be able to keep on top of their workload and stress factors. Do what you can to alleviate their stress by using the tools on our Stress Management pages, and refer your people for assistance as necessary.
  
  

• Put people in the right jobs. As you get to know members of your team through regular contact and feedback, think about ways to capitalize on their unique strengths and talents. Rather than focusing on a specific smaller problem or disciplining someone, look at the bigger picture: Does the person fit the job? You may need to regroup which tasks go with which jobs, or allow people to rotate jobs in order to enrich their learning opportunities. Work with members of your team to meet your company's needs. When people know you're dedicated to their success, they will, in turn, dedicate themselves to your success.
  
  

• Provide fair and regular feedback. Most people respond incredibly well to praise and recognition. For effective employee engagement, this can be difficult if you restrict yourself to a formal program or yearly performance appraisals. Make a conscious effort to observe when people are doing things right, and show them every day that they're appreciated. When you need to provide corrective feedback, make sure it's timely, and centered on a specific task.

For more on hygiene factors and motivators, see our article on Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory.

4. Motivators

• Provide growth opportunities. A big factor in employee engagement is building long-term commitment. This is important because it retains knowledge within the company and reduces turnover. Provide incentive for people to stay long term by discovering their talents and figuring out ways to use those talents within the organization.

This can be a powerful method of re-engagement. However, be careful that you don't try to re-engage someone by promising too much. Be genuine in your offers - otherwise, you can do much more damage to your reputation and to the person's welfare in the long run.

• Help people understand the big picture. Too often, people don't understand what's going on in the organization outside of the small world around their own jobs. When that happens, it's easy for them to become disconnected and disillusioned. Make sure that members of your team know the company's vision and strategy. They need to recognize the roles they play in the organization's success. To do this, keep people well informed, and make sure they stay focused on the big picture.
  
  

• Align personal and organizational goals. Make sure that people's goals are tied to departmental and company goals (this is related to understanding the big picture). A key part of engaging people is ensuring that the company's success matters to them. If you can link personal success and accomplishment to overall company goals, then you provide the basis for an engaged workplace.

Tip: If you've done all you can to engage someone, and they are still not engaged, you may need to take disciplinary action, either to emphasize the need for change or to remove someone who is blocking the team's progress. If you don't, you risk jeopardizing your whole team's progress. This is not an option to take lightly, so talk to your HR department as a first step.

Key Points

Employee engagement is a critical factor in a company's success. When you have people who are committed to your business, they'll stay with you long term and they'll work very hard to make the organization a success. It's extremely important, therefore, that you actively re-engage people who are disconnected with the company and that you work to build and maintain an engaged team. The keys to employee engagement are great management practices, including strong teams and a firm sense that what your people do on a daily basis matters to their boss and to the business as a whole.

The bottom line is that people need to feel wanted. Show them how much they're needed and why. Be honest and trustworthy - and acknowledge, with everything you do, that your people truly are the company's most valuable resource.

From Mind Tools mindtools.com

 

Say it now: "Thank you." Turn to the person beside and you say it to them. "Thank you." [THANKFULNESS], [UNITY], [GENEROSITY]

The Right Investment in the Right Bank

Posted: 16 Jun 2009

 

What investment is this?

• It's inexpensive by most definitions.
• No taxpayer money is needed.
• No regulations need exist much less even be enforced.
• It takes only a moment of time.
• And its ROI is truly priceless.

What is it? Two words, one phrase: Thank you or thank-you.  The recipient doesn't care how you use it. They just care that you did.

It takes only a moment of your time. And no money from your wallet is needed for it.

Say it now: Thank you. Turn to the person beside and you say it to them. Thank you.

Find a colleague in the hallway. Say it to them Thank you.

Maybe the first few times you do this, you're both surprised: you who said it and they who heard it said. They may look around, puzzled, not sure if they heard it right. If they do, say it again.

They will ask For what?

Be ready with an answer. That means you need to have looked and studied this person. Appreciated them.

There's plenty of reason to make this investment. Too often, we just haven't done the research.

Why is this important?

All of us face serious challenges right now. Some of it's tangible, from external sources like losing a job. Some of it's internal like the fear of losing a job.  We all face more demands for more change for more solutions for more creativity in the coming months.

Our personal, emotional, banks may be running low. OK. They are running low. And the least expensive means to insure we have sufficient emotional capital to keep our personal banks open…is this two-word, one-phrase: Thank you.  Saying it or hearing it. The first always leads to the other.

Eventually, you will want to expand your investment in the emotional banks of those around you. Here are some other investment vehicles using this two-word, one-phrase: Thank you. (Disclaimer: Past returns are not indicators of future performance. But…the compound interest on this investment is the highest, most consistent, of any investments when judged over time and in different markets, economies, companies, relationships.)

• Be specific. Thank them for a specific result.
• Share its meaning - I: Share with them how it helped you.
• Share its meaning - II: Share with them how it will help them.
• Memorialize it: Thank them again later, say at a review if you're a manager or leader.
• Go public: Rock their world and thank them publicly.
• Rock the joint: Do the above…for everyone in the room.
• House party: Goin' old school now, make it a house party. Make saying "thank-you" standard for your company meetings. Open the doors for everyone to invest. Allow time for everyone to say "thank you" to their colleague.

Each time you say this two-word, one-phrase: Thank you, you make a risk-free, no strings attached, investment in that person's emotional bank. At work, the returns from that continue long after those words have stopped echoing in your ears and theirs.

That's the right investment in the right bank.

Now's the right time to do it.

This article is a preview to what's to come in the new OPEN Forum, you can see this article on the new Open Forum here.  To see more new content and features – including the ConnectodexSM tool for business connections – go to beta.openforum.com.  Just use your Americanexpress.com User ID and Password to log in.  If not a Cardmember, you can still have access to all of the great content once the new site launches.

From OPEN Forum by American Express OPEN

Tracking progress and instituting accountability creates the discipline needed to effect change [INTEGRITY], [TRUSTWORTHINESS], [RESPONSIBILITY], [UNITY]

 

How to Get Your Back Covered

Guy Kawasaki of How to Change the World | June 16th, 2009

Keith Ferrazzi is the CEO of Ferrazzi Greenlight. Since his breakout first book, Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time, he has counseled the world's top enterprises on how to dramatically accelerate the development of business relationships to drive sales, spark innovation, and create team cohesion. His latest book is Who's Got Your Back: The Breakthrough Program to Build Deep, Trusting Relationships That Create Success—and Won't Let You Fail. In this interview, he explains how to ensure that your back is covered.

1. Question: Why do people fail to perceive how badly they are performing?

   Answer: People tend to fall victim of what scientists call "self-serving" bias. This means that when we succeed, we congratulate ourselves. When we fail, we blame someone else. Therefore, we learn less from our failures than we could or should, and that's why we need people to help us complete the feedback loop.

2. Question: You don¹t really think CXOs can let down their shields, accept feedback, and change, do you?

   Answer: I sure do—I've worked with many execs who've done that, and it's served them well. This is the kind of leader who will thrive in today's economy and serve as the model for a new generation of CXOs. We need leadership focused on collaboration, cooperation, and candor, not isolationism and ego.

   Jamie Dimon, the president and COO of JP Morgan, turned the company on a dime in the financial crisis. He knows the value of relationships and of candor. He lets his employees tell him straight out when he has a dumb idea, and they respect him all the more for it. Candor and accountability are absolutely essential if we're to rebuild this economy and this country. And you can't be truly candid without being willing to "let down your shield" and be vulnerable.
   

3. Question: What are the signs that they need others to "watch their back"?

   Answer: There's lack of transparency; unwillingness to admit—and often to recognize flaws; unwillingness to ask for help; scarcity mindset resulting in knowledge and resource hoarding; and failure to act and/or take responsibility for actions. There are also a number of behavioral bad-habits that people develop. One of my favorites is what I call "The Shamer;" this is a person who tends to shame, embarrass, or humiliate others to cover up for his own fear of failure.

4. Question: Can we receive feedback in a purely digital way via email, tweets, Skype, video-conferencing, etc?

   Answer: Sometimes it surprises me, but I've seen people on my Greenlight Community become incredible lifelines for each other via digital channels. Lifeline relationships involve people who have your back by being generous, vulnerable, and candid with you and hold you accountable to change. That said, I'm a big believer in making that deep connection in person during a time dedicated to relationship-building—like a date, but not a romantic one. I call that a "long slow dinner." After that, technology is a great way to keep the relationship going.

5. Question: What¹s the first step to getting help?

   Answer: Oprah, the queen of respected vulnerability, once said that opening up to others started with one admission to one person. And that's exactly right—you've just got to take one risk and build out from there. But my recommended best practice is to start by adopting generosity as a core relationship-building trait. Unexpected generosity shakes people from their prejudices and established norms of behavior and affords you the permission to start interacting on a deeper level. Putting generosity first is what saves you from the overshare.

6. Question: What are the qualities of a good "buddy"?

   Answer: A great lifeline relationship embraces The Four Mindsets: generosity, vulnerability, candor, and accountability. Generosity means they're supportive, encouraging, and committed to your success. Vulnerability means they're able to listen and share on a deep level; this also means they trust you, and you them. Candor means they'll tell you when you have your head up your butt. Accountability means that they make sure you pull your head out.

7. Question: What is the process of building a team of buddies?

   Answer: I recommend people start with one, and build to a group of three or four. How formal or informal your team works together is up to you, but the more formal, the greater the likelihood of sustainability.

8. Question: Why do people fail to change?

   Answer: The fail to track progress and don't institute accountability. Discipline isn't easy, when we have so many demands on our time and attention. Having committed partners in that process is what can make the difference.

9. Question: Who would you hold up as great examples of leaders?

   Answer: I already mentioned Jamie Dimon. Another great leader is Harvard professor and former CEO Bill George; he is a huge advocate of peer support and authenticity in leadership. And of course President Obama radiates authenticity and has been able to establish an unprecedented level of connection with voters, even those outside of his base.

10. Question: Who would you hold up as the worst examples of leaders?

    Answer: Darth Vader comes to mind— but terms like "best" and "worst" is overly simplistic. We have a pantheon of American leaders heroized for their self-reliance—the John-Wayne type—but that's a model for leadership we need to move away from. We need a new class of heroes whose leadership springs from their courage to engage and connect with others, both to end a growing American epidemic of isolation and to help foster better decision making, stronger ethics, and more positive outcomes.

From OPEN Forum by American Express OPEN

 

Email-tiquette Guide

 

The Yahoo! Email-tiquette Guide in association with Jean Broke-Smith

Posted: 23 Apr 2009 01:07 PM PDT

After tabulating the results of the survey about email pet peeves that we ran last month on this blog, it turns out that your biggest email bugbear is the use of text speak in the body of an email. In fact, more than 1 in 5 of you think so. Here's a list of the top five email pet peeves as voted by you our loyal blog readers:

1. Use of text speak such as LOL and BTW (22%)
2. Mass distribution emails to 5 or more recipients (16%)
3. Use of 'shouting' CAPITAL letters (15%)
4. No entry in subject line (12%)
5. Read receipts (10%)

With those results in mind, we've teamed up with leading etiquette expert Jean Broke-Smith to put together the rules of email engagement. This guide should help you use email more effectively, and show you how you can get the most out of email.

Here it is the definitive guide to email etiquette and don't forget to share it with your m8s ;-)

Do….create the right impression and banish the BTWs. People react to email within seconds of receiving it. As the Yahoo! research shows, text speak can be very annoying and shows a lack of correct spelling ability and laziness. It won't impress!

Don't… offend. Using capitals is the email equivalent of SHOUTING and is perceived as being extremely rude, so make sure your caps lock is switched off.

Do…. include a subject line. You've got three seconds to grab attention when an email appears and by not including a subject in the email, the chances of it being read are greatly reduced. Use the subject line for the purpose it was made and tell people what the email is about.

Don't… use read receipts. Read receipts demonstrate a distinct lack of trust, so avoid where possible. Follow up with a phone call if you want to ensure your message has reached the right person.

Do… remember the recipient. The failsafe method for emailing is to imagine you are writing a succinct letter. Address the recipient in the correct manner and title. You can be light hearted and humorous as in any written communication, it is a just a matter of judgment. But if you don't know the recipient, don't be over familiar and sign off with the right degree of formality.

Don't…. use CC and BCC unnecessarily. The no. 2 email bug bear is mass distribution of emails, so exercise constraint when it comes to copying people in. If the email is important to other people, simply forward to them at the end, rather than them being caught up in a never-ending email trail. Likewise use the BCC button wisely, again forward emails separately rather than 'hiding' other recipients.

Do… take your time. Because of the instant nature of emails it is tempting to deal with them immediately, but rushing an email can lead to errors. Deal with them promptly but don't panic and reply in haste and always check what you have written before you hit send.

Don't… over use 'importance'. Before you even consider using a red exclamation mark, ask yourself is this really important? Only use when it is vital that the email is read, otherwise you are drawing unnecessary attention to yourself and it is a quick way of irritating recipients.

Do…save the kisses. Over familiarity towards your boss or work colleagues is bad etiquette, keep the love and kisses for very good friends.

Don't… email when angry. If you receive a 'harsh' email, read it through, then close it and walk away. Consider your response and if necessary ask someone else to read your reply before you send it, don't fight fire with fire.

Do… choose a sensible email address. Common sense tells you that you are less likely to land a job if you use a frivolous email address, such as, crazychick@yahoo.co.uk. Think about what your email address says about you as it's an insight into your personality.

Don't… hide behind email. It is often easier to write something in words than it is to say it out loud, but don't say something on email that you wouldn't say in person. Emails have longevity and it can come back to haunt you!

Happy emailing,
Andrew - Yahoo! Mail Team

 

From Yahoo! Mail Blog

 

Six Ways to Improve Employee Morale Without Breaking the Bank [ENCOURAGEMENT], [SINCERITY], [OPENNESS]

 

Six Ways to Improve Employee Morale Without Breaking the Bank

Posted: 11 Jun 2009

Happy, engaged employees are the lifeblood of any small business.  Sure, there are the folks that always do their job happily and with great quality (keep them at almost all costs!) and the folks that aren't happy no matter what you do (weed them out!), but most of your employees are somewhere in the middle.  If they're engaged and happy, they do great work and produce great value for you.  If they're unhappy, they don't work nearly as well – and the value produced for you is much less.

Obviously, there are a lot of ways to directly motivate employees: the bottom dollar.  A cash bonus for the employee of the month can work, as can nice perks during the work day.

In my experience, though, the best techniques for improving everyone's morale comes from outside the wallet.  Try these six techniques and keep your checkbook and charge cards focused on other areas, like building your business infrastructure and promoting it to potential customers.

Eat lunch with your employees.  Eat what they eat – if they brown bag it, you brown bag it.  Listen to what they have to say and offer up mostly positive comments and humor.  If your employees eat in regular groups, rotate from group to group – don't keep a group of "favorites."  Lunch is a great time for building camaraderie and trust.

Learn about your employees and follow up. Know about the interests of your employees.  Learn about their families and their dreams.  More importantly, follow up on the things you learn – ask regularly about their mother's health or their son's soccer team.  If you're like me and have trouble remembering such information, especially at first, keep a notebook on it.  Keep a list of such information about each employee and refresh yourself regularly if you need it.

Be candid about how things are going. If things are going well, be sure your employees are aware of the success.  If things aren't going well, talk about the problems early on and nip any gossip right in the bud.  Gossip is the enemy of the happy workplace – and candor is the best way to fight it.  Plus, when you're open about problems, happy employees will often go the extra mile to help pull you through.  Don't be afraid to tell the truth.

Give plenty of opportunities for their candor as well. On a regular basis (I do it weekly), touch base with every employee or contractor in your small business.  Just stop in, ask them how they're doing and if they're having any troubles, and listen to what they have to say, even if you disagree or don't like what they're telling you. Take notes, especially when normally-happy employees observe a problem – there's usually something that needs to be fixed.

Give compliments on good work, both individually and publicly. Make an effort to compliment everyone on their work in individual situations, particularly when you can point out specifics.  When someone really does well, point it out to the group – but don't point out the same person every single time.  Highlight a variety of people and give them public recognition.

Implement reasonable suggested changes whenever you can. Employees often suggest little things that they'd really like to see in the workplace.  If you can implement these things, it goes a huge way towards making that employee feel more empowered, involved, and happy.  If an employee suggests starting a community coffee pot, do it.  If an employee suggests a better arrangement for the office supplies, try it.  If someone suggests a better way to handle meetings, give it a try.  Every time you execute a reasonable suggested change, it greatly raises one employee's morale and gives a small lift to everyone.

Good luck at putting all this newfound employee productivity to good use!

 

From OPEN Forum by American Express OPEN