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What accounts for the difference between “Oh crap, it’s Monday” and “Thank God it’s Monday”? It all boils down to seven habits that can change everything about the culture of your workplace:
1. Show up fully and commit with all your heart
At work, we think of home. At home, we think of work. Time to stop that. The first step toward a TGIM workplace is being present and accounted for at work. Thinking about being elsewhere leads to resenting where you are.
While you are at work, commit to work with all your heart. This is what I call throwing your heart over the bar—committing 100 percent to the moment and task before you.
2. Communicate clearly
Use powerful and positive language about what you will do and the attitude you expect from others. If a TGIM workplace is your goal, take the time to make your communications clear on every level.
3. Go beyond the job description
Going beyond the job description happens when you pitch in and help others at work without expecting reward. Willingly share the load. If you’re caught up on your tasks, help someone else who is crunching for a deadline. Instead of an extra burden, you actually feel more a part of things than ever.
4. Don’t tolerate dysfunctional behaviors
Establish a zero-tolerance policy for talking behind another person’s back, then give each other permission to address conflict head-on, out loud, courageously and honestly. Create a trusting and open environment and watch the dysfunction ebb away.
5. Clean up your messes
Relationships are built on trust. Without that foundation, there is no basis for a relationship. We breach the trust each time we don’t do what we said we would do. But here’s the thing—that breach can be healed quickly IF you come back and clean up the mess. Acknowledge that the results are not okay, then make a commitment to put things right and prevent a recurrence.
6. Live a life of profound service
Once you place yourself in the service of those around you—your family, your colleagues, your customers—every moment becomes imbued with purpose and significance, and you feel GOOD.
As you drive to work, begin thinking about how the work you do is serving others, contributing to their success and happiness. This is the essence of true service, and the key to a workplace that draws you happily back, Monday after Monday after Monday.
7. Celebrate
Every project consists of little steps, little victories along the way. Recognize and celebrate them in ways large and small. Build a system of celebrations and rewards—quarterly, weekly, daily—and follow through like your company’s life depends on it. Because (psst) it does.
Acquire these seven habits and spread them through your workplace, then be sure to notice the first Monday your hand reaches for the alarm—and you smile.
