Friday, February 15th, 2008

Where is the Pot of Gold?

These life facts are written by Lynda and have become my Christmas gift every year for as long as I can remember. Different themes for different years. Since success in life, both personally and professionally, is directly impacted by our self awareness, I have found comtemplation on these life facts beneficial. This is what I am working on in February. A somewhat, as it turns out, grueling month.

#1. Question: If the rainbow exists within each and every one of us, where is the pot of gold?

It is said the each and every one of us carries a rainbow within. For some, the rainbow only shows itself after the rain. But, for others the rainbow exists every day as subtle aura of beautiful arched colours. It is easy enough to see the rainbow within others, but can we find the pot of gold at the end of that rainbow? To find the pot of gold within others we must be determined. We must be patient. We must be non-judgemental and we must be observant.

Consider what it would be like to search for the pot of gold at the end of the everyday rainbow. We would have to be determined enough to travel forever. We would have to be patient enough to ignore the anxious thoughts of futility. We would have to be non-judgemental of our goal in order to keep searching and we would have to be observant enough to keep the rainbow in sight.

FACT: To have someone return your friendship, admiration and love is like uncovering that person’s pot of gold.

Genella’s workplace question to you: Where is the pot of gold in those you lead or with whom you work?

Sunday, January 20th, 2008

It’s Not Easy Being “Blue”

Today I was fortunate enough to facilitate a conference for S.E.C.A. (Saskatchewan Early Childhood Association). This group involves those who care for our most valuable resource, children. At the conference, groups examined personality styles. The following poem was written by one group of Blues in Personality Dimensions. Here it is:

Roses are red, I am blue.

I will cry if you don’t say I love you.

I don’t like to fight, I avoid confrontation.

Friendship’s my delight and I love the true colour nation.

When I feel guilty, I like to cry,

I will tell you the truth because I don’t like to lie.

I can express my emotions without any shame.

So tell me I’m a winner, and that I’m not lame.

I’m sorry you’re sad, let me walk in your shoes.

We’ll get through this together, your friendship I don’t wanna lose.

I will help you look, if you lose your cat

But DON’T walk all over me because I am not your doormat.

So hold me, hug me, thrill me, kiss me and we will all get along fine

Because I am yours and you are mine.

- Lee-Anne Massey, Jessica Bates, Shawna Peirone, Lisa Krueger, Melanie Ricketson, Genaya Schreiner, Jessica Johnston

 COOL!

Wednesday, December 19th, 2007

A Real Stress Relieving Clip

My neice, Laura, sent this clip to my sister who forwarded it to me. Thanks, guys! It is a great stress reliever! Watch the following and feel tension fall away as you laugh! Humour helps in our personal and professional lives.

Tuesday, December 18th, 2007

Applying Christmas Qualities in the Workplace all Year

Christmas stands for so many wonderful things. What if the essence of Christmas were present in each work day? Does that sound like an impossible task? Too big of a New Year’s resolution? Too silly?

Applying “Christmas qualities” throughout the year can be as simple as considering the following five strategies:

1. Giving gifts at Christmas and giving recognition throughout the year
When we give Christmas gifts we know that “one size” does not fit all. In fact we make a point of shopping for just the right gift. Throughout the year, the same principle applies. Recognition for a job well done means you are letting others know that what they do matters. Recognizing an employee by being very specific and tailoring your recognition means you are applying Christmas principles throughout the year. And, recognition does not need to cost money but rather a well placed “thank you” and comment specific to the employee’s performance is in many cases a reward in and of itself.

> continue reading this article

Sunday, December 16th, 2007

Teams:Synergy or Assimilation?

At Christmas there is increased emphasis on people getting together. In our personal lives we spend time with family; however we may define that collective. At work we develop professional relationships. Increasingly, employees are asked to operate as a team. Teams can be powerful. There is no disputing the fact that an effective team outperforms a group of people operating independently and without a common goal. However, the concept of team, like so many other workplace concepts is both simple and complicated. And sadly, some organizations seeking to harness the power of a team miss the mark completely thus doing more harm than good to their employees and to the concept of team. Some seek to assimilate members into a collective and others seek synergy. What is the difference?

First of all, some of you might already have noted the Star Trek reference – with terms such as collective and assimilation. Are you thinking Borg?

You are right! For those of you non-Trekkies, the Borg (Click here to read article from Startrek.com) is a part organic and part artificial species that assimilate other species to “raise the quality of life of the species they assimilate.” Those assimilated become part of the collective, losing their individuality in all sense of the word. Once individuals, now drones, their lives are “improved” by serving the collective. I have heard employees express concerns that being part of a team means losing their individuality, especially when the leader practices a “one-size-fits-all” approach to recognition, motivation, and performance management. Or, if the leader has not taken the time to connect with the team members, and to understand their strengths, ambitions, values, talents and challenges. It is interesting to consider that treating all employees fairly does not mean treating everyone the same.

> continue reading this article

Friday, November 16th, 2007

Effectively Managing Stress

What do you do to relax? What do you do to initiate a relaxation response? Those two statements are connected because an effective stress management program might be more called, “Managing Stress: How to Initiate a Relaxation Response”.

First it is important to remember that all stress is not bad stress. In fact a little stress actually improves your performance. When the stress accumulates or is great in degree, however, the stress that helped you perform now becomes distress and impedes your overall performance. In fact, memory and rational thought are the first things to malfunction when under distress. Therefore, you want to manage distress rather than work to eliminate all stress from your life. Besides, as long as you are breathing you will have stress and distress. There are ways to cope with distress however. Let’s take a closer look.

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Wednesday, November 14th, 2007

Character and The Workplace: The Five “P’s”

Many of us separate our lives into two areas, personal and professional. In fact, people often report that they are different at work than at home. Albeit there are differences between work and home, there is one very important factor that connects the two areas – character.

Character is built from beliefs and values. For example, if we value honesty and integrity we will work to express those values in our lives. If we believe we are responsible to create our own realities, then our behaviour will reflect that belief. It may seem that at work, however, our values and beliefs have little influence. Yet our character traits are an unique contribution to the work environment. Consider the following five character traits – the five “P’s”.
> continue reading this article

Wednesday, November 14th, 2007

Every Little Thing That You Do (And Don’t Do) in Customer Service Counts!

It really is the little things that count in providing great customer service. What is great customer service? The formula is really quite simple:

1. Make a great first impression

2. Delivery a quality service or product

3. Fix things when they go wrong

Though the formula is simple, its execution is not. Consider the following questions. Your answers will determine the areas your organization may need to work on developing.
> continue reading this article

Wednesday, November 14th, 2007

Your Personality and Work Relationships

It’s a strange thing about personality. We tend to believe that the way we see things is the best way to interpret the world. Nowhere is this more applicable than at work. In fact, personality conflict is one of the most frequently cited reasons for conflict.

Whether building a team, dealing with conflict, or becoming a more effective leader, understanding your personality type is central to success! Are you introverted or extraverted? Introverted people tend to get their energy from inside themselves via solitary endeavours. Extraverted are energized by being with others. Under pressure and stress, introverts will withdraw and extraverts will want to discuss what’s going on.

> continue reading this article

Wednesday, November 14th, 2007

Effective Teleconferencing Tips

The key point for more effective teleconferencing has to be in “overcompensate.” That is, because there are no visual cues, speakers must attend to auditory details such as volume and tone of voice. The following are a few tips for more effective teleconferencing.

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