Archive for the ‘Culture Transformation’ Category

Change Your Routine, Change Your Life

Monday, January 23rd, 2023

Is this your last day on planet Earth? Probably not, hope not. And yet you never know.

There is no guarantee how long we get to go around this planet. But the reality is that we can make every day we live on this planet our masterpiece by creating opportunities and seeing possibilities and living vivaciously as if this could be our last day on planet Earth.

Yet many people plod along, they wake up in the morning, they make coffee, they drive to work, they punch in, they do their job, they punch out. They drive home, they watch television, they eat dinner, they go to sleep, they wake up, they make coffee, they drive to work, they punch in.

They’re not making their life a masterpiece.

We have one chance every single day to start from scratch, to create opportunities that could change our life forever.

Decide to make today your masterpiece.

Creating real value?

Monday, January 9th, 2023

Set an Intention

Ask yourself this question: What action could you take today to demonstrate excellence or real value? It’s a question worth thinking about every day.

I know many people set intentions of how they’re going to go about doing things.

(more…)

The games people play…

Monday, December 5th, 2022
 

The Games People Play

Whether it’s conscious or subconscious, many people play games in the workplace. When I say “play games,” that isn’t exactly a compliment. I’m not referring to workplaces that have bean bags and foosball tables.

For instance, if your supervisor asks you to get something done, and you pretend later not to know about the assignment, and at the time that it’s due, you start to ask questions? That’s not going to go so well.

When bank employees play games in the workplace, it isn’t a good thing because what they’re doing is basically pretending not to know. It’s also called passive-aggressive behavior. Pretending not to know you are engaging in passive-aggressive conversation and behavior is not attractive in adults.

Get Conditions of Satsifaction

Instead, whenever you are unclear about something, get your conditions of satisfaction that we discussed before. And if it looks like you might be missing a deadline, negotiate well in advance and let your boss know well in advance that…

  1. there is an obstacle
  2. what it is
  3. what you’re doing to get around it
  4. and what your new intended deadline would be.

Ask if that is acceptable, because sometimes just because you’ve negotiated for it doesn’t mean that it’s automatically going to be a “Yes” answer from your boss. Maybe you have to reprioritize something else to get it done.

That cleanliness in how you have that conversation makes a big difference in the relationship and the outcomes of your job. Be very thoughtful about keeping your conversations clean, make direct requests of people, fulfill on those, and if you blow it for whatever reason, just say these beautiful words, “I blew it.” It’s that simple.

Everybody knows that everybody makes mistakes. That part’s okay. Granted, that obviously can’t happen every day, all day long. But when you make a mistake, how you handle that mistake defines who you are to everyone around you. It is a sign of your character. So, next time you blow it simply say these 3 words, “I blew it.”

Here’s my massive corrective action plan:

Number one, make sure it never happens again.

And number two, make sure this gets corrected and caught up.

One of the Best Ways to Earn the Respect of Your Team…

Monday, November 21st, 2022
 

Focus on Quality

When I go into one of the workplaces of the clients that we work with and see a sign that says “Clean up behind yourself. Your mother doesn’t work here,” I got to tell you… it rubs me the wrong way.

I find it just a little bit insulting. That said, there is a message there that is probably more important outside of the break room. And that is this: we are all required to do our job well, which means it’s absolutely important to double check—and sometimes triple check—the quality of our work.

When we don’t focus in on that quality, we leave messes for those behind us.

Be Attentive and Have Respect

Listen… You’ve got to get your ego in check and realize that you too make mistakes and that you need to respect the need for accuracy.

Maybe you’re the kind of person who is always accurate anyway (Really though, you’ll still probably want to double check for accuracy).

If you know that you’re not all that accurate, you probably need to check three—or maybe four—times to make sure that you don’t get a reputation as the person being told  “your mama doesn’t work here” and making somebody else clean up behind you.

Be attentive and have respect for the quality of what you put out. You will earn the respect of those on your team.

– Roxanne Emmerich


Doing Just Enough is Never Enough

Monday, November 7th, 2022

We all know those people who just basically do the core things required of the job. And yet, when we put ourselves in a state of assuming that we will do nothing short of excellence, we stand out. Not only that, we make a difference in people’s lives, we get noticed, we feel good about ourselves, and we go home. And yet, most people are trying to figure out how can they get away with the least amount possible, as opposed to, “how can I be a standard for excellence going above and beyond always, “plus-oneing” everything that I do, always making sure everything is accurate and perfect and above and beyond.” It’s an interesting way to live, isn’t it?