Posts Tagged ‘Inspired Workplace’

Set Ground Rules for your Meetings

Monday, January 11th, 2010

* Transcription

Thank God it’s Monday!™ Meetings can be exhilarating or exhausting, and it really depends on how the kids play around the table. Since you know that, why not set some ground rules about how you want them to play? Think of all the things that make you crazy in meetings and start (even if you’re not the leader) by saying, “Can we spend a minute deciding the ground rules for this and all our meetings?” Then be prepared to list all the things that make you crazy and list them as ground rules. Examples could be:

Start on time!

Make sure the agenda is actionable with agreed upon time frames for each piece.

Don’t go off on tangents, don’t interrupt, state things in the positive, and use advancing language
instead of complaining.

Don’t repeat yourself or the same thought, hear opposing view points openly, make sure your comments are focused and speak of solutions, not of problems.

Then make sure there’s a code that reels people back in when they get off track. Perhaps you’ll have a visible hand sign—a nice one of course—that indicates a violation of a ground rule. This sign then means that there’s no debating, but to just bring your behaviors back on track.

So set some ground rules for your meetings and start having some great meetings that are exhilarating, fun, and productive.

Have a great Monday!

Roxanne

Roxanne Emmerich’s Thank God It’s Monday! How to Create a Workplace You and Your Customers Love climbed to #1 on Amazon’s bestseller list and made the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists—all in the first week of its release. Roxanne is renowned for her ability to transform “ho-hum” workplaces into dynamic, results-oriented, “bring-it-on” cultures. If you are not currently receiving the Thank God It’s Monday e-zine and weekly audios, subscribe today at www.ThankGoditsMonday.com.

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Board Reports

Monday, December 28th, 2009

* Transcription

Thank God it’s Monday!™ Perhaps you’re not the CEO that reports to the board with the monthly board report. But just think if you acted like you were? Really.

What makes a CEO a CEO is they are responsible for results and making sure that their board is never surprised. But why would you want to act just like a CEO? In fact it’s the fastest way to get advanced and celebrate. So, even though your boss didn’t ask for something, blow her away.

Here’s what you do. It will only take a few minutes to do a fairly decent job. At the beginning of each month, create a board report that has two parts. First, list what you accomplished last month and where you hit the mark, and where you missed the mark. Wherever you missed the mark give your massive corrective action plan to bring things back on task. Then, list what you will be accountable for next month—your priorities for results and projects. That way, if your boss disagrees, you will hear about it before it’s too late. Then, for each of these two sections list two areas—measurable results and status of projects.

The best part of the board report is it will be great for you to stay focused on the things that matter, instead of chasing around with busy work. Once you start doing one, you’ll never go back to day-to-day survival strategies. And you better be careful, it might not be that long before you are reporting to the board because very few people in the workplace think and execute to this level. You will stand out and be a superstar!

Have a great Monday!

Roxanne

Roxanne Emmerich’s Thank God It’s Monday! How to Create a Workplace You and Your Customers Love climbed to #1 on Amazon’s bestseller list and made the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists—all in the first week of its release. Roxanne is renowned for her ability to transform “ho-hum” workplaces into dynamic, results-oriented, “bring-it-on” cultures. If you are not currently receiving the Thank God It’s Monday e-zine and weekly audios, subscribe today at www.ThankGoditsMonday.com.

Love this audio message? You may also download the MP3 version and PDF transcript below:



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Watch Your Mouth

Monday, December 21st, 2009
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* Transcription

Thank God it’s Monday!™ Watch your mouth. Language is the precursor of results. If you don’t believe it, listen for the next 24 hours and form your own conclusions.

Here’s what you’ll probably hear. The people you know who complain about being overwhelmed
really are. Not because they are getting more results, but because their critical thinking
skills are weak and they are disorganized on how to approach things. People who say, “Sure I’ll figure it out,” get things done in a small fraction of the time. People who say, “I’ll try,” don’t actually get results, they have already bought into the story that it won’t happen, when they negotiate with their language.

People who use committed language like, “You can count on me,” and “Yes I’ll get that complete,”
rarely miss deadlines or results. People who have excuses are very poor at getting results. People who are accountable and say, “I blew it and here’s what I am doing to be back on track,” really will get back on track. They get stuff done and you can count on them.

Also, people who gossip or listen to gossip feel inadequate, and feel that the way to feel better
is to hurt others by partaking in hurting others. Of course that further destroys their self-esteem. If you don’t believe that language is an extremely accurate predictor of future results, you will enjoy your day of research. Let me know if you still don’t believe when you come to the end of the day.

Language is the precursor of future results!

Have a great Monday!

Roxanne

Roxanne Emmerich’s Thank God It’s Monday! How to Create a Workplace You and Your Customers Love climbed to #1 on Amazon’s bestseller list and made the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists—all in the first week of its release. Roxanne is renowned for her ability to transform “ho-hum” workplaces into dynamic, results-oriented, “bring-it-on” cultures. If you are not currently receiving the Thank God It’s Monday e-zine and weekly audios, subscribe today at www.ThankGoditsMonday.com.

Love this audio message? You may also download the MP3 version and PDF transcript below:



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Fix Problems Fast & for Good

Monday, December 14th, 2009
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* Transcription

Thank God it’s Monday!™ Oh those problems… and what’s even worse is those problems that won’t go away! Well what if you reframed those problems as opportunities so you can fix them fast and for good?

Here’s a five-step process:

First, identify the problem to be fixed. That’s easy enough.

Second, frame it as a system problem and this is where most people go wrong. It’s not a ‘who’ problem, but a ‘what’ problem. What need’s to be fixed?

Number three, dive deep into two areas. First identify the root of the problem, and be clear and specific. If you are not clear and specific you will be stuck with this problem forever. Then next, be clear and specific about the outcome that you want.

Four, frame the problem as the system that will fix it by saying, “The solution is to create a system that will…” and then identify the specific outcome you want.

And then number five, create the specific step-by-step solution and identify who is responsible for what.

Or then again, you may want to create a sixth step, which is to celebrate your problem is solved and you never have to deal with it again. It’s easy time for easy street!

Have a great Monday!

Roxanne

Roxanne Emmerich’s Thank God It’s Monday! How to Create a Workplace You and Your Customers Love climbed to #1 on Amazon’s bestseller list and made the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists—all in the first week of its release. Roxanne is renowned for her ability to transform “ho-hum” workplaces into dynamic, results-oriented, “bring-it-on” cultures. If you are not currently receiving the Thank God It’s Monday e-zine and weekly audios, subscribe today at www.ThankGoditsMonday.com.

Love this audio message? You may also download the MP3 version and PDF transcript below:



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Put on Your Big Boy Pants

Monday, December 7th, 2009
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* Transcription

Thank God it’s Monday!™ I bet you remember when you were small and your mother told you that you could put on your big boy, or your big girl pants. I remember those days. It meant you got to go out and do what the big people do.

Well now you know that when you have a job, that there are decisions. And sometimes they are gut-wrenching decisions that put you into a state of terror. You can’t even feel like you can move ahead. That’s when we get to put on our big boy pants, and big girl pants, suck it up and go for it anyway. You decide to be unstoppable in the midst of what seems to be all kinds of reasons to stop. Being frozen in fear is no way to spend your career. Ask yourself, “What would I do if I were brave?” Then, answer it with not just thinking, but doing those things.

That’s the ultimate way to put on your big boy, and big girl pants, and make big things happen.

Have a great Monday!

Roxanne

Roxanne Emmerich’s Thank God It’s Monday! How to Create a Workplace You and Your Customers Love climbed to #1 on Amazon’s bestseller list and made the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists—all in the first week of its release. Roxanne is renowned for her ability to transform “ho-hum” workplaces into dynamic, results-oriented, “bring-it-on” cultures. If you are not currently receiving the Thank God It’s Monday e-zine and weekly audios, subscribe today at www.ThankGoditsMonday.com.

Love this audio message? You may also download the MP3 version and PDF transcript below:



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Deal With Your Anger

Monday, November 30th, 2009
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* Transcription

Thank God it’s Monday!™ How do you deal with anger? Yes it’s true, temper tantrums are a career limiting impact. You can’t just go and throw a tantrum when you are getting mad. So how do you deal with it? You know that high emotion creates low intelligence. There’s something about having anger in your heart that really makes for your mouth not making sense.

So what do you need to do? First of all, know that you will disagree with other people. You were hired to disagree and to challenge, but you were hired to do it with a little bit of tact and grace. So first of all you need to calm down. Take a deep breath, get away, go for a walk. Get your brain sane before you challenge the idea. Then it can be as simple as saying “Hey Joe, when you did that, it created this mess. My request is that you do this from now on. Do I have your commitment?” Remember, there’s no space in the workplace for raging maniacs. So don’t become one.

Deal with your anger and what the heck? Why not have a great Monday?

Have a great Monday!

Roxanne

Roxanne Emmerich’s Thank God It’s Monday! How to Create a Workplace You and Your Customers Love climbed to #1 on Amazon’s bestseller list and made the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists—all in the first week of its release. Roxanne is renowned for her ability to transform “ho-hum” workplaces into dynamic, results-oriented, “bring-it-on” cultures. If you are not currently receiving the Thank God It’s Monday e-zine and weekly audios, subscribe today at www.ThankGoditsMonday.com.

Love this audio message? You may also download the MP3 version and PDF transcript below:



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Highest and Best Use of Time

Monday, November 23rd, 2009
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* Transcription

Thank God it’s Monday!™ Are you constantly in the highest and best use of your time? Yes I know I’ve been in the work place too. The tail does wag the dog too much of the time. That’s because we forget to stay in the highest and best use of our time.

This requires us to ask every day, “What is the highest and best use of my time?” For most people it’s client follow up, following up with leads, doing what you uniquely do that no one else can do that adds massive value to your organization.

For others it means focusing on key results, or key projects, and bringing things to closure. Almost always these are the highest and best use of your time. Focusing on these types of things makes it possible for you to create high return on investment from every minute that you spend, which means that you go home at night feeling like you’ve accomplished miracles.

Remember to ask yourself, “Are you in the highest and best use of your time?”

Have a great Monday!

Roxanne

Roxanne Emmerich’s Thank God It’s Monday! How to Create a Workplace You and Your Customers Love climbed to #1 on Amazon’s bestseller list and made the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists—all in the first week of its release. Roxanne is renowned for her ability to transform “ho-hum” workplaces into dynamic, results-oriented, “bring-it-on” cultures. If you are not currently receiving the Thank God It’s Monday e-zine and weekly audios, subscribe today at www.ThankGoditsMonday.com.

Love this audio message? You may also download the MP3 version and PDF transcript below:



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Make it a Game

Monday, November 16th, 2009
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* Transcription

Thank God it’s Monday!™ Make it a game! We all love games! Gaming is one of the fastest growing activities that people are doing in the evening. Everyone wants to win that point. So why not create games in everything you do? It’s a wonderful way to trick your brain into having more success and create more results.

Let me give you an example—now calling clients is something you never seem to have time to do. Give yourself points and give yourself one point every time you call a client. Set a goal and as soon as you hit your goal shout “Woo Hoo!” and stand up, celebrate, and ring your bell. Have some fun playing your own game. Will people think you’re crazy? Of course, but you’re going to get a lot better results!

Celebrate your wins and enroll others in the game. In fact, if you don’t think you can play the game by yourself, enroll others to play in the game with you. So, when you call those customers or get projects done on time, you get those points and as a team you can compete against another team. How fun would that be!? Creating a game can radically change the results you get because you keep it fun and you keep your brain focused.

It’s all a game anyways so you may as well call it a game. Have a ball making it all a game!

Have a great Monday!

Roxanne

Roxanne Emmerich’s Thank God It’s Monday! How to Create a Workplace You and Your Customers Love climbed to #1 on Amazon’s bestseller list and made the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists—all in the first week of its release. Roxanne is renowned for her ability to transform “ho-hum” workplaces into dynamic, results-oriented, “bring-it-on” cultures. If you are not currently receiving the Thank God It’s Monday e-zine and weekly audios, subscribe today at www.ThankGoditsMonday.com.

Love this audio message? You may also download the MP3 version and PDF transcript below:



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Breathe Life into Life

Monday, November 9th, 2009
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* Transcription

Thank God it’s Monday!™ Are you breathing life into life? You know those people who just breathe life into life? Everywhere they go they’re thinking about positive things, sharing positive ideas, giving people reinforcement, leaning forward, their eyebrows are up, they’re listening with all their heart, they’re seeing the possibilities. These are not the same people who are sucking life right out of people by having their arms crossed, their eyes rolled, and sitting back in their chair.

So how do you breathe more life into life? For one thing, you take your work very seriously—but take yourself lightly! Come with a playful spirit and enjoy the moments because it’s a choice. Keep it light and keep it fun, that’s your job! And when you’re listening to people, do lean forward, have your eyebrows up, be passionate about pulling out great ideas from people. Be the one who’s always first to share a positive focus at the beginning of every meeting to let people know that you, as a team, are unstoppable and that you appreciate the things that they do.

Have some fun breathing life into life!

Have a great Monday!

Roxanne

Roxanne Emmerich’s Thank God It’s Monday! How to Create a Workplace You and Your Customers Love climbed to #1 on Amazon’s bestseller list and made the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists—all in the first week of its release. Roxanne is renowned for her ability to transform “ho-hum” workplaces into dynamic, results-oriented, “bring-it-on” cultures. If you are not currently receiving the Thank God It’s Monday e-zine and weekly audios, subscribe today at www.ThankGoditsMonday.com.

Love this audio message? You may also download the MP3 version and PDF transcript below:



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My Way or the Highway

Monday, November 2nd, 2009
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* Transcription

Thank God it’s Monday!™ You know those people—the ‘my way or the highway’ people. Let’s face it, there’s a lot of people who want to be right—but you can either be right or you can be happy. You don’t need to be right, but you do want to be heard. You also want to hear other people. So choose your battles where you really want to challenge things.

Most importantly, stop blowing up when you do disagree. Sure, we did this in the fourth grade, but now it’s time for us to realize that when we disagree we can just simply disagree. We do not need to hold it against the other person and have our feelings crushed as a result. Choose to seek, understand, and be heard about your ideas, and do it with kindness and grace.

There’s no more need for the ‘my way or the highway!’

Have a great Monday!

Roxanne

Roxanne Emmerich’s Thank God It’s Monday! How to Create a Workplace You and Your Customers Love climbed to #1 on Amazon’s bestseller list and made the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists—all in the first week of its release. Roxanne is renowned for her ability to transform “ho-hum” workplaces into dynamic, results-oriented, “bring-it-on” cultures. If you are not currently receiving the Thank God It’s Monday e-zine and weekly audios, subscribe today at www.ThankGoditsMonday.com.

Love this audio message? You may also download the MP3 version and PDF transcript below:



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choose ‘save link as…’ to save the file to your computer.