Tuesday Tips

Tuesday Tip, May 23, 2023

Are you doing what you want with your life? This is an important question that most people do not take the time to answer. We are busy with our everyday lives and before we know it, we are in our later years wondering where all the time went.

This week’s tip is to take time and write a list of things you want to accomplish before you die. Then take each item and figure out its level of importance. Once you have your list prioritized you can begin the process of making the list your reality.

This may sound a bit morbid, but we are all going to die. We have a choice to die having done the things that are important to us or not. My goal is to look back on my

Tuesday Tip, June 6, 2023

The Neuroscience of Trust - Harvard Business Review (article)

A Culture of Trust

Do you have a culture built on trust, or do you have a pseudo-culture built on fads? One creates a meaningful workplace while the other creates short term workplace contentment.

First, let’s define culture. Culture is a combination of norms and behaviors within a given society. In this case society is a team. Paul Zak wrote in his article titled “The Neuroscience of Trust” ways in which certain management behaviors encourage trust ultimately leading to greater productivity and creativity.

Here are the behaviors he has found increase trust:

Recognize excellence.
Induce “challenge stress.”
Give people discretion in how they do their work.
Enable job crafting.
Share information broadly.
Intentionally build relationships.
Facilitate whole-person growth.
Show vulnerability.

For a full understanding of these behaviors please check out Dr. Paul J. Zak’s article at: https://hbr.org/2017/01/the-neuroscience-of-trust

Tuesday Tip, June 13, 2023

"If the environment you are in has stagnant air find the door, breathe in fresh air, and find a new environment with supportive air! You will be happier and find yourself energized to succeed with your dream."

~ Debra A.

Tuesday Tip, July 11, 2023

Hiring staff has always been a challenge. Today, with our low unemployment, it is even more of a challenge.

One way to help with finding the best fit for your openings is to use behavioral interviewing. This form of interviewing process will help you find the best fit for your particular openings.

What is “Behavioral Interviewing? It is interviewing for the characteristics required of someone who will be successful in a particular position.

You start the process by fully understanding the behaviors required for success in each position for which you are hiring.

The better the “fit” the higher satisfaction and job performance. This leads to a higher level of job retention.

If you have any questions about how to use this method in your business, give us a call!

Tuesday, July 18, 2023

The Platinum Rule

Almost everyone is acquainted with the Golden Rule. For many of us it was a staple of how we were taught to treat others. What’s interesting is we are all different and how we want to be treated can be different as well. For instance, I like to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, Mothers Day…you get the picture. Other people see each of those occasions as just another day. So what happens when you follow the Golden Rule? Someone ends up either angry or hurt.

Here is where the Platinum Rule comes in. The Platinum rule says do unto others as they would have you do unto them. It means stepping outside your needs and recognizing what is important to the other person. For me it is at the core of emotional intelligence and showing others you respect what is important to them.

Something to think about!

Tuesday, July 31, 2023

A couple of weeks ago I was watching a documentary on Bill Walton, NBA Hall of Fame, NBA MVP and UCLA All-American. When asked about his success, Bill referred to the Pyramid of Success introduced to him by Coach John Wooden. Since I am always looking for ways to better define success, I decided to read Coach Wooden’s book titled “Coach Wooden’s Pyramid of Success.”

Coach Wooden believed “Success is the reward for anyone who gives their all.” His pyramid is a diagram of emotional intelligence in action. Knowing how to use your voice for building success in those around you and yourself.

Take the time to review and to remember no one achieves success by themselves.

Tuesday, November 7, 2023

This week’s Tuesday Tip is from “Multipliers” written by Liz Wiseman. In her book, Ms. Wiseman describes two types of leaders: Multipliers and Diminishers.

Multipliers have learned how to bring out the best in their staff and Diminishers believe they have a “rare trait” not possessed by their team. As a result, they must do the “thinking” for the team.

Through her research, Ms. Wiseman, says she has found Multipliers are able to double a teams output without doubling headcount. Not a bad outcome!

If you do not have the time to read her book, I suggest you review an article that can be found in Forbes

Liz Wiseman's 5 Secrets To Make Your Team Smarter

Definitely worth your time!

Tuesday, April 2, 2024

This may sound a bit morbid, but we are all going to die. We have a choice to die having done the things that are important to us or not. My goal is to look back on my life with as few regrets as possible.

Tuesday Tip, May 30, 2023

One of the most powerful tools in anyone’s toolbox is knowing when and how to give a sincere apology. The importance of being able to make an apology is an indication of your level of emotional intelligence and your ability to empathize when you know you have hurt someone. Unfortunately, most people do not care if another person is hurting. Why? Because they only see their side of the issue. A true indicator of no empathy or emotional maturity. Below is a great article describing the importance of learning how to apologize with true meaning.

Career Coach: The power of an apology

By Joyce E. A. Russell

September 25, 2011

Last week, in my column on “Measuring your customers’ satisfaction before you lose them,” I mentioned that when you fail to deliver on your promises, you need to sincerely apologize. Since then, I have received a number of comments from readers affirming the importance of an apology.

Successful companies know that apologizing to a customer or employee when someone has made a mistake is the first step toward rebuilding that relationship.

By definition, an apology is a written or oral expression of remorse, sorrow or regret for having failed, injured or wronged another. It may involve asking for pardon or forgiveness. However, not everyone agrees on what an apology should contain — this may explain why apologies work in some situations and don’t work in others.

Gary Chapman and Jennifer Thomas wrote “The Five Languages of Apology” in 2006, revealing that people have different ways of apologizing, and what one person considers a sincere apology, another doesn’t. Many people don’t realize how critical apologies are for rebuilding relationships at work.

Most organizations do not train employees on how to apologize, leaving people generally not very skilled in that area.

Why don’t people apologize more? They may not see themselves at fault. Other times, people are afraid that apologizing for not meeting a request will make them look weak in future dealings or negotiations. Yet research has shown that starting with an apology for failing to meet your commitments may be the best way to start a negotiation because it diffuses the potential bomb aimed in your direction. And many employees say having a leader who admits when he or she made a mistake is preferable to one who doesn’t admit when they are wrong.

Sometimes we don’t apologize because we are afraid the person will want more from us, when in fact they really just want someone to assume culpability. This helps them restore their own sense of justice and personal dignity.

What makes an effective apology?

Acknowledge what you are apologizing for. Just saying you’re sorry does not convey the same thing as saying why you are sorry.

Recognize that those behaviors caused the other person harm. Maybe it didn’t seem like a big deal to you that you were late in completing a project at work, but it may have caused your teammate stress or embarrassment in front of a client or boss.

Take responsibility for your actions. Even if you didn’t mean to yell at an employee, you have to assume responsibility for your actions. Recognize that what you did was a mistake and wrong.

Say “I’m sorry.” This is a good first step in reestablishing the relationships and rebuilding trust between parties.

Make restitution. Offer some ideas for how you can make things right again.

Show repentance. Pledge not to repeat the action (“I will try not to criticize you in public again”). And ask for forgiveness.

Be sincere. If not, it will be obvious to the other party and can damage the relationship even further.

It’s best to apologize in person. It shows the other party that you are serious. If that is not possible, sending a letter is more effective than e-mail. It’s also important to be timely. Don’t let weeks go by; otherwise the relationship can become more damaged and the issue can grow much larger.

If you are providing an apology in a letter, start your letter with the apology. Sometimes sending a handwritten letter is much more effective than a typed letter. It demonstrates that you took the time to really think about the issue.

Misunderstanding and conflicts at work are to be expected — people have different views, work styles and personalities. Don’t wait until the problem becomes so deep that your relationships with customers, peers or staff are ruined. And if someone sincerely apologizes to you, make sure you accept his or her apology if you want to rebuild the relationship.

Tuesday, October 31, 2023

This is not what I expected!

There have been numerous articles written about employees “quitting on the job” over the last year. Many reasons have been given as to why this is happening but one that has not been discussed much is the role of recruiting. Companies are desperate for employees and recruiters are pushed to bring them in the door.

Inc. (attached) recently published an article that offers a different perspective on why people are unhappy with their work and scanning for a new position rather than giving their best to their current employer.

Food for thought!

A Recent Survey Revealed That Hiring Managers Have A Dirty Little Secret That is Driving High Turnover

Tuesday, February 13,2024

EMPATHY

How often do you think about helping others? How often do you call to see if someone needs your help? How often do you put yourself in someone else’s shoes? If you reach out to your friends, family, or a stranger, without being asked, you exhibit empathy.

A person’s level of empathy is inherent and is nurtured by what they are taught and what they observe when they are growing up. As a parent it is important to exhibit empathy. Children need to see empathy exhibited by their parents. This is how they know when and how to be empathetic.

What does any of this have to do with business? Everything! Empathy is the foundation of emotional intelligence. If you cannot exhibit empathy, how are you able to work in a team? How do you lead people without empathy? Without empathy how do you recognize it in potential staff members?

Something to think about…