What Brings You Joy?

Over the winter holidays we were visiting a friend in Santa Fe, NM. When we arrived at her house, she presented us with a gift – a Nambe holiday ornament depicting the word “Joy.” As she handed it to us, she said, “We need to find more joy in our lives this year!”  Her words were particularly powerful to me, not because of the contentious election season we’d experienced and the divisiveness in the country, but because she’s a physician and she understands the very positive effect that joy has on our mental and physical wellbeing. 

Last week, Barbara and I attended a rehearsal of the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.  Just being there – this magnificent, elegant, national crown jewel dedicated to the performing arts – brings me joy. Being able to go there during the day in the relaxed atmosphere of a rehearsal – the orchestra and conductor in casual dress – is priceless. All this joy, before the rehearsal even begins. 

We were treated to a number of performances lead by conductor Gustavo Gimeno.  Even though it was a rehearsal, it sounded flawless. Watching both the conductor and the musicians, I couldn’t help but think of the energy and passion they brought to their work. It reminded me of a speaker I’d heard who said that musicians manipulated melodies to create emotions. It was evident that these musicians were feeling join in the music they were making and sharing with the audience. 

Observing talented musicians so enjoying their work reminded me of how important it is for everyone to find joy in their work.  How wonderful it would be if we could all find this same level of joy in our work all the time, but there isn’t a job anywhere that is that perfect. Being self-employed for years has been a wonderful experience, but it’s not without its stressful moments. How disheartening it is to hear people say “it’s just a job” or “I work for the pay” or worse, “I work with a bunch of lunatics!”  Yes, work is work and we all work to get paid, but as I heard a speaker once say, in reference to the workplace, “If the horse is dead, it’s time to get off!”  How wonderful it is when we find joy in the work we do! 

Not everyone has the talent to make beautiful music like the National Symphony Orchestra does. Some people, like our favorite cashier in our regular Tuesday meeting place, works at a repetitive job. However, she finds joy by smiling at everyone and engaging people in conversation. She makes everyone feel special because she greets you like a friend. She gets her joy by bringing joy to everyone else. 

Since that conversation last December with my friend, I vowed then and there to find something to be joyful about every day in 2017. I’ve certainly found joy in my writing – which is not free from stress – because it’s creative and rewarding.  I take the time every day to reflect on something that I’m grateful for. And I keep that ornament prominently displayed in my office so it’s a constant reminder to find joy every day.

With This Ring – Employee Engagement

How engaged or entangled are you at home or at work? A related question is “How committed are you to living your life as fully as possible wherever you are?” Both questions are important to seriously ponder. Your answers make a difference and determine your productivity regarding anything you are doing, your physical and mental health, and your enjoyment of life. Engagement, entanglement and commitment are indicators of your level of intention to proactively manage your life and/or business.

The Big Book of HR gives these statistics from The Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) that employees fall into three categories:

·       17% -- Are actively disengaged, busy acting out their unhappiness and undermining what the organization is trying to accomplish.

·       54% -- Are disengaged, “sleepwalking” through their day and putting time, not passion, into work.

·       29% -- Are engaged, working with passion and feeling a real connection to the organization.

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Disengagement costs the U.S. economy approximately $300 billion in lost productivity annually.

I expect these percentages can be similar to what we would find in how people in general live their lives. And I am very sad to say, the percentages would be much worse regarding our current political world and government. So, what can you and I do?  Here are some areas to place your intentional attention:

Communication: This is not a new topic. Many of my articles include statements of the importance of communication. We cannot overemphasize, at work or at home, that open, direct, truthful and timely communication is an absolute must, in personal and professional relationships. If we want to be fully engaged and entangled, we must pay attention to communication. This means no hiding, no holding back, no lies and being totally open to the good, beautiful, challenging and ugly. You and I need to learn to communicate to the utmost depth of our ability! Speak the truth about what is really going on, no matter what. Truth sets us free.

Involvement: Awareness and involvement go hand in hand to get people interested and excited about belonging. From there pride, passion and ownership can be cultivated and created. Involvement happens at deeper levels within person- to-person sharing of questions, making decisions and working as a team.

Having fun: Humor, laughter and playfulness are great catalytic elements of engagement and entanglement. Often we get stuck in seriousness with a frown on our face. Smiles and giggles are great additions to even the most challenging of topics. Consider the word entangle. It is a fun word. Remember the game Twister? It’s a good image of entanglement. Entanglement can include difficulties and challenging situations. And in those involvements there typically is both conflict and humor where we recognize a larger spectrum of being human with each other.

Gatherings: Team events to include learning, celebrations and sports can tremendously enhance engagement.

This is only a start regarding ways to build employee or family engagement. Check out chapter fourteen of the Mitchell and Gamlem – “The Big Book of HR.” You will find many more ideas and insights.

Bernie Linnartz, of Empowerment Experts,

Consultant, coach & facilitator

This article was first published in the Taos News on April 14, 2016

Top Ten Tips For Great Leaders

I saw this infogram on social media – Management Tips for Great Leaders. These are all great, common sense, pointers and we’ve been talking about them, in our books, in our blog posts, and in our videos and presentations. Here’s a quick review.

1.     Share Information.  Communicate the news that you can so minds don’t wander.

·       Communication and getting to the root of the problem is the topic discussed in Chapter 4 of The Essential Workplace Conflict Handbook. Open communication helps reduce conflict in every organization.  We can’t say enough about this.

2.     Say thanks.  People want to feel appreciated! A simple thank-you note doesn’t cost a thing and it makes a huge difference.

·       I think this infogram got this exact line from us. Take a look at our video 9 Must Haves for Small Business Success at https://www.bigbookofhr.com/9-must-haves-for-small-business-success. Saying thanks and letting people know that they are appreciated is one of the most important things a leader can do and the returns are significant.

3.     Empower through delegation.  We know no one can do it as well as you can, BUT you need to delegate to give yourself time to complete tasks more appropriate to your level.

·       Shout out to our friend and colleague Scott Eblin. His book The Next Level: What Insiders Know About Executive Success covers this topic in detail. It’s a great read. Along with his latest book Overworked & Overwhelmed – a topic last year in our blog Overworking in America at http://makingpeoplematter.blogspot.com/2015/12/overworking-in-america.html

4.     Adjust your style. You have many different communication styles and personalities on your team. Don’t think that you can manage everyone the same way, and don’t assume that everyone likes to be managed the way you like to be managed.

·       You also have different styles for dealing with conflict and we suggest in Chapter 8 of The Essential Workplace Conflict Handbook that conflict styles be adjusted to match the situation and the individuals involved.

5.     Set small milestones. If you can’t match last year’s numbers, set milestones that can be reached.

·       No management or business book would be complete without a discussion of SMART goals. Chapter 25 of The Big Book of HR talks about the importance of goals being attainable. If they are not, rethink them.

6.     Have fun. You team likes to enjoy going to work. Play ten minutes.

·       Our blog post from April 9, 2013, Lighten Up http://www.bigbookofhr.com/lighten-up talked about the importance of bringing levity into the workplace. It’s such an important tool for employee retention.

7.     Remove obstacles. Bureaucracy stifles creativity and innovation. Cut down some on the paperwork.

·       Clearing roadblocks is a critical way to Keep Employees Engaged and Excited, the subject of our April 30, 2013 blog http://www.bigbookofhr.com/keeping-employees-engaged-and-excited. Stop demotivating. Review policies and practices that may be getting in the way – they may be outdated. Small changes will excite everyone to do better work.

8.     Give feedback. Your team wants feedback, and it’s crucial in making your team as productive as possible.

·       Chapter 6 of The Essential Workplace Conflict Handbook is all about setting expectations and giving feedback – letting employees know they are doing a good job. Our blog post from June 6, 2015 The Middle Seat which encourages leaders to get out of “first class” and get to know the people who make their organizations fly. http://makingpeoplematter.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-middle-seat.html

9.     Raise your hand (and your head). When your team sees your extra effort, they are inspired and will follow your lead.

·       Employees, who are not tethered to their devices, will look up and take notice. They may be inspired to lead from wherever they sit in the organization, or as we discuss in Chapter 9 of The Essential Workplace Conflict Handbook, take responsibility for their own problems. Being visible and aware is the topic of our blog post Situational Awareness, on May 20, 2014. Read more at  http://www.bigbookofhr.com/situational-awareness

10.  Focus your time. Focus the majority of your time on the 20% of your team and projects that generate 80% of the results.

·         Well, if not focusing your time – which is great advice, we do talk a lot about focus in The Essential Workplace Conflict Handbook. Chapter 6 emphasizes the importance of focusing on interest and not positions in conflict resolution. Just as critical is the message to focus on the problem and not the people involved in the problem.

Hot Topic-- Employee Engagement

The good news is that, according to the latest Gallup survey at the end of 2014, employee engagement in the US is at its highest level since 2000 but it still isn’t good.  Here’s what they found:

31.5% of employees are engaged

51% are not engaged

17.5% are actively disengaged

It is estimated that disengaged workers cost the US economy approximately $300 billion in lost productivity annually.  Employee engagement corresponds to the level of the staff members’ commitment and connection to the organization they support.  High levels of engagement translate to increases in customer satisfaction, employee retention and productivity.

 One way organizations can gauge whether or not their employees are engaged is by doing employee surveys or by holding focus groups to ask questions around how employees are feeling about the work, the organization, and its leadership.  Leaders and managers who listen carefully to their employees in meetings or in one on one situations have a much better chance of having engaged employees than those who aren’t good listeners. 

The Big Book of HR (available on Amazon or Barnes and Noble) has an entire chapter on employee engagement.  Included is a sample engagement survey that you may find useful as you attempt to understand your current employee population and what’s important to then.

One of the things that fuels employee engagement is when people are proud of where they work.  Being a good corporate citizen in whatever community the organization is in is hugely impactful on employee engagement.  This doesn’t mean you have to be a household name—just that you actively support your local community or pick a charity to sponsor—employees love getting behind a good cause and making a difference.

Another way to build engagement and also give back to the community is to volunteer for causes that matter to your employees.  Some organizations ask employees to nominate a favorite charity and select that group to sponsor for a year. Others select organizations where not only are you giving back to the community but you are building teams such as volunteering for Habitat for Humanity.  The organization makes a donation to the organization and then employees work on a build site for a day and in the process, get to know each other while supporting a good cause.

Of course, we know that to have engaged workers, you have to pay them fairly so it is important to participate in salary and benefits surveys in your market to be sure you are competitive.  Pay and benefits are only part of what is now called “Total Rewards Programs” which, in addition to pay and benefits, also include recognition programs and flexible work schedules.  Employees want to be recognized for the good work they do and, now more than ever, having flexible work arrangements have a hugely positive impact.  (See the Total Rewards chapter in The Big Book of HR).

Investing in your employees by showing genuine interest in them as individuals and in their well-being will go a long way toward having a more engaged workforce.