In today's economy business leaders can't afford to accept under-performing personnel in their companies. Yet, in a recent survey 44% of them reported being unhappy with the performance results of their employees.

In order to solve a problem such as this, employers need to first identify the cause and then create viable options for applicable solutions. There can be many reasons why employees under-perform and some leaders may point to poor attitudes, low motivation and individuals' inability to work with others, or accept and adapt to change.

Although those reasons may be absolutely valid on the surface, there are always underlying issues that have led to the causes identified by the business leader.

There are only two aspects to evaluate with under-performing employees. It's either due to an individual's:

 1) ability, or

2) their attitude.

In either instance, the employee is not at fault.

There are three primary mistakes business leaders make that prevent employees from being engaged in their workplace and contributing at higher levels.

1) The organization has not given the employee a reason to be engaged and motivated, or to contribute more than minimum effort.

2) The organization has created an environment that is actually de-motivating and dis-engaging.

3) The employer failed to hire the right person for the job or to ensure the person hired is working in a role that fits their talents, skills and interests. 

Business Leader Mistake #1 - Not Giving Employees a Reason to be Engaged, Motivated & Contribute 

Many business leaders mistakenly believe that providing someone the privilege of a steady income and certain quality of life via a paycheck should be enough to create a motivated employee. 

Yet, studies continue to show that salary and benefits, although important for providing base levels of motivation, is not enough to generate higher levels of engagement. 

Many managers and leaders say they are frustrated with the feeling they have to continually find ways to light a fire under their people to get them to do what needs to be done. Instead they should be investing energy in connecting to their employees on a personal level to instead find ways to light a fire within them.

One extremely effective way to do this is to apply the Employee Motivation Equation.

The Employee Motivation Equation begins with creating an inspiring vision for the company that employees at all levels will be excited to contribute to. Daniel Pink, in his 2010 book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us identified "Purpose" as one of the key motivating components for a 21st Century workforce. 

Business Leader Mistake #2 - Creating a De-Motivating Environment

In any new relationship there is always a honeymoon period where all the parties involved have good feelings about the possibilities moving forward. It's the same when a new hire joins a company.

Unfortunately, a survey of about 1.2 million employees at mostly Fortune 1000 companies in the early part of this century conducted by Sirota Survey Intelligence, and revealed in 2005 that in 85% of companies, employee morale sharply declines after an employee's first six months on the job, and continues to fade in ensuring years.

In a significant number of companies, as this Sirota research shows, something is occurring in these work environments that causes an enthusiastic and engaged employee to change their attitude.

Many factors can be attributed to this drop off, some of which include:

a) Poorly communicated job descriptions and responsibilities causing uncertain performance expectations for the individual,

b) Inequity in managers addressing inappropriate behaviors and poor performance of co-workers,

c) Managers that play favorites and communicate disrespectfully in the workplace,

d) Lack of positive feedback for contributions made

Business Leader Mistake #3 - Making a Wrong Hiring Choice

In the haste to fill positions, often those making the hiring decisions fail to invest enough time in making sure the new hire is a good fit for the position. A "good fit' includes assessing skills, talent and job experience perspective, plus checking into the potential new hire's personality, including beliefs, attitudes and motivations.

Additionally, sometimes due to unforeseen circumstances employees are asked to fill roles not originally intended, and for which their skills and talents are not the best fit.

In these situations, despite the employees best efforts they are unable to meet desired performance expectations, and both the employee and the employer become disenchanted with the relationship. Yet, the onus must be on the employer to get it right when inviting someone into his or her work culture.

Before proclaiming employees are unmotivated, and/or unwilling, to perform to expectations and bring positive attitudes to the work environment start evaluating these three workforce mistakes from an organizational leadership and communication perspective to see if there is room for improvement.

About the author:

Skip Weisman is The Leadership & Workplace Communication Expert. Skip works with the leaders and teams in small to medium sized businesses and not-for-profits to improve communication, collaboration and teamwork in a way that delivers champion level results. You can find out more about Skip’s work at www.HowToImproveLeadershipCommunication.com .

This material is copyright protected. No part of this document may be reproduced, in any form or by any means without permission from weLEAD Incorporated. Copyright waiver may be acquired from the weLEAD website.

Mainly because a great many among us continue to misunderstand the far reaching implications of effective leadership, I find myself amazed at the number of middle and senior level managers who are dying and desperate for results and through poor planning and time management,  find themselves too busy to lead. That leadership is one of the most valuable assets any manager could bring to the table would seem lost on a mentality that looks upon leadership as little more than a word and with the enthusiasm that most of us reserve for a dental appointment or a colonoscopy.

The obvious and immediate human concerns that would arise out of this reluctance to engage and challenge staff members aside, the very real business impact is tangible and decidedly negative. If you can imagine a boat in the middle of a stormy ocean without a compass, you can visualize a business or organization lost, floundering and at risk of disaster. Leadership is the compass for any business or organization and as such provides direction toward that safe port in a storm or, more hopefully, allows us to plot a course toward strength and prosperity.

I have worked for more than one organization that goes to great lengths to engage senior managers in all aspects of the business, which should be a great thing but when hours and days are taken up with meetings and the preparation of reports and discussions of strategy, forecasting and results, there is no time left to engage staff members, check progress or verify the great and wonderful things we had thought were being done were actually taking place and more importantly, there is no time to lead.

 Human beings are highly complex creatures, who at their best can astound you with their initiative and ingenuity but at their worst can thwart your best intentions and frustrate you with their failings and unpredictability. They are just very needy as compared to a printer or a web site and this in particular if you are not there to lead them.

A former client of mine, not one I would describe as entirely successful, once described leadership to me as his creating a new policy and his posting it on the wall. As far as he was concerned the very second he tacked a policy on the wall, his job was done and it was up to his staff members to follow the policy or get out. I would tell you that over time an awful lot of his staff members chose to get out and when I suggested to this business owner that his approach might be the problem, he told me that to him it was obvious that he had hired the wrong people and he just needed better people. He maintained that attitude until the day he sold the business, never once entertaining the idea that it was his lack of leadership that kept his policies from being fully implemented and his unwillingness to engage his people that led to constant turmoil and staffing turnover. People need to know what is expected of them, they need to know that their efforts matter and they need to be encouraged along the way. In short, people need to be led.

Organizationally the greatest threat to effective leadership is too many senior level meetings, discussions, demonstrations, brainstorming sessions and policy round tables. It doesn’t matter the quality and urgency of these events, if they are consistently pulling managers away from their teams and consistently creating a separation between the task at hand, the team members and the leader, they are a detriment to the tasks we are performing and a threat to the success of the organization.

Standards should never be arbitrary, quality and excellence never just happen and productivity is much more than the perfect process. Leadership and the oversight it provides assures our standards are met, verifies the quality and guarantees our process. If our leadership is buried in meeting on top of meeting, our leadership is absent and unable to deliver the excellence we had expected and had been looking for. Leadership is that critical ingredient in moving us from good to great. If it a choice between meetings and success, fewer but better meetings might be the more prudent choice.

Leadership is a very intimate interaction between us as leaders and our staff, giving us the opportunity to reinforce the many good things we are doing toward accomplishing our goals but also giving us the opportunity for mid-course corrections toward that same end. Plans and projects rarely go entirely as conceived and an important aspect of leadership lies in our taking counsel and adjusting the things we are doing to assure success and our hitting our goal. In the same way, the meetings, discussions, brainstorming sessions and round table discussions are designed to review progress and communicate where we are to our various stakeholders but when this gets in the way of effective leadership, we have to make a choice between talking about what and how we are doing something and actually leading us toward doing something and accomplishing something. Without the leadership, accomplishment becomes a less likely outcome of our efforts, no matter how good the plan or process, no matter how good our staff. Visible leadership is that important.

Action in the absence of leadership may or may not be supportive of our organizational goals but more often than not, it occurs out of confusion over what is or is not expected and ignorance about what we are trying to accomplish. It cannot rightly be called initiative or going above and beyond what was expected because the leadership has not been around to set those expectations. In too many of these cases we have no idea of what is wanted or where we are going. Too often it is a sign of a motivated staff, all dressed up with nowhere to go. Quality leadership would provide that direction and move us toward accomplishment.

In the end leadership is not about the perfect plan or process. It is not about the latest analysis or the most up to date intelligence. It is taking the people assigned to you, letting them know what is expected and when and letting them know what success looks like. It doesn’t matter that you accomplish this in a huddle around the coffee maker in your office or in a teleconference covering three time zones and two territories but you need to connect, you need to expect and you need to inspire.

As Colin Powell said “Leadership is solving problems. The day your people stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help or concluded you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership”.

Not being there is a great way to show that you don’t care and an ever better way to lose your people’s confidence. Maybe we should have a meeting to discuss all of this. Or maybe not…

Leadership is about accomplishment and being there for your staff. It’s not about meeting, it’s about leading!  

 About the author:

Brian Canning is a regular contributor to weLEAD and a business analyst working in the federal sector. For the past thirty years he has worked in the automotive repair industry, most recently as a leadership and management coach with the Automotive Training Institute in Savage, Maryland. After serving as a tank commander with the 1st Armored Division in Europe, he started his career as a Goodyear service manager in suburban Washington D.C., moving on to oversee several stores and later a sales region. He also has been a retail sales manager for a large auto parts distributor, run a large fleet operation and headed a large multi-state sales territory for an independent manufacturer of auto parts. His passions are history, leadership and writing.

 *image courtesy of pakorn/freedigitalphotos.net

This material is copyright protected. No part of this document may be reproduced, in any form or by any means without permission from weLEAD Incorporated. Copyright waiver may be acquired from the weLEAD website.

Last month I discussed the limited nature of our own personal resources. I drew an analogy between the limitations of the world’s most popular operating system and ourselves. These precious limited resources can be defined as our physical energy, mental sharpness, ability to focus, emotional well-being, and coworker relationships. When our personal resources are stressed, the results are often poor decision-making and inadequate leadership skills. In last month’s article, we used the Microsoft WindowsÓ analogy to draw three valuable lessons regarding our own personal resources. To go directly to part 1 in last months issue click here. This month I would like to discuss how we can balance and nurture these resources.

One reason for a major decline of our own resources is a lack of real direction in our lives. We easily recognize organizations that lack direction and when we do, we often ask, “What is it’s mission plan?” What is the organization’s direction? What is it striving to be? What makes it unique and why does it exist? When an organization begins to struggle, the stakeholders typically ask the following basic question, “Are we modeling our mission statement?” The same is true for people. In this ever-complex world, we too need a personal mission statement! Much like an organization, this mission statement is intended to remind us of who we are, why we are here on earth and in what direction are we headed!

In my personal experience I have found that many individuals who reached the limit of their personal resources and suffered from career burnout were those who lost their mental balance. They often became so consumed with one area of their life that they forgot why they were working or the real purpose of their career. Sadly, some individuals go so far off balance they acquire the social disease of becoming a workaholic in order to mask other painful area’s of their life. However, most people who suffer from burnout simply never established in their minds what things are really important to them and why! This is why I often place so much emphasis on a term I call personal leadership. What is personal leadership? Personal leadership is the ability to visualize a goal, to embrace the values of that goal, and maintain a positive perspective in a self-disciplined environment until the goal is attained.

A personal mission statement is a written “game plan” or blueprint for your life. Its purpose is to help you establish your own path and desired destination. It is a written reminder of who you are, what you desire to be, and how you expect to get there. It should contain your personally established values. These are often expressed by the religious or philosophical principles you esteem. Dr. Roger Birkman has some interesting comments about values. He reminds us that if we say we value something but aren’t affected by it in any way, it’s not a genuine value. He continues by stating “it is much better to be honest about your values and then be consistent in your pursuit of them.” He correctly reminds us that there is a difference between our needs and our values. We have no control over our needs. They exist because of our inborn traits and we must learn to deal with them. However, values are chosen and should be high standards that influence our lifestyles, attitudes and behaviors.

Much like a compass, your personal mission statement it provides a true “north” for your life during difficult times. If you don’t have your own personal mission statement, by default you have someone else’s mission statement! For most people this default mission statement is not an acceptable alternative since it reduces your ability to choose you own direction. It is created by societal values and cultural norms. For example, those who grew up in the middle of the 20th century were conditioned to accept that cigarette smoking was sexy, sophisticated, attractive and macho. Multiple missions accepted it as a default cultural habit and it was part of their lifestyle. In reality it has been confirmed to be an expensive, foul, addictive and deadly habit. Either we chose to decide what is of value or important to us, or society will for us.

As Stephen Covey explains, this effort will answer the question of whether you are “living” or “being lived!” Without your own personal mission statement, you are most likely not living according to your own hopes or goals, you are being lived by others. Your own mission statement will focus your energies and resources. It will also tie together the fragments of your life such as a career, personal goals, responsibilities, and desired achievements into a value-centered foundation.

Here is a suggested list of potential areas we should include when creating a personal mission statement.

1. Belief system based on religious or philosophical values and principles

2. Personal career goals including job orientation, attitude and income needs

3. Personal family goals and role as parent, spouse, grandparent, son/daughter

4. Personal life goals including education, talent development, health
maintenance, community service or philanthropy

As you create your own desired mission on paper, here are a few things to remember. It is yours only! Personalize it especially for you. Feel free to make it as short or as long as you want. Work on it until it inspires and motivates you. Begin by asking yourself…from this day on, what do I want to be? What do I really want to do and how can I get there? It should reflect not just where you are today, but what you hope to become tomorrow. After completed, what do we do with it? It should be well written and made public in our home or office! I suggest you either put it in a picture frame and hang it on a wall or sit it on a desk. It should be reviewed at least once per week during the year as you reflect on the week past or the one to come. It should provoke humble self-analysis and it should be allowed to be re-written as you grow and change. It is intended as a tool for personal focus, goal setting, growth and self-analysis.

Unfortunately, I realize that many who read this article will not create a personal mission statement because you may have actually given up on yourself or are afraid of a challenge or even change. Yes, much like an organization, most of us are also resistive to change and self-examination. It threatens our comfort zone! But, the right perspective is to view change as an opportunity to gain something new! Accepting the need for change is at the heart of leadership! Our life is a book with many chapters. Each chapter has a beginning and an end. As we proceed to another chapter, it should lead us to something new and challenging. We need to view change and the need for change as something positive...not as bad or detrimental. It is natural to resist the change process because we know it may wrench us out of our routines or habits. But, we should view change as a powerful opportunity to begin another step of growth!

How does creation of a personal mission statement help us to avoid burnout or our own personal “blue screen of death”? It does so it in a number of ways. It helps us to have a proper perspective to determine which events and activities are really important. It reminds us not to focus on unimportant activities at the expense of significant activities. Establishing written values help us in the decision-making process because the rational realm of “right vs. wrong” or “proper vs. improper” behavior becomes clearer. In times of stress our own personal mission statement reminds us of the direction our compass is pointing and our most important priorities. If written thoroughly, it reminds us of our need for balance including recreation, talent-building, and relationship needs. I have never seen a tombstone that said, “I wish I had spent more time in the office.”

There are also a number of important things we do at work to avoid potential burnout and nurture our resources. Take a number of scheduled breaks during the day and clear your mind. During these breaks, spend a few minutes to think about enjoyable activities away from the work environment. The mind is like a battery and needs to be renewed to remain highly “charged” and able to focus effectively. Take your scheduled lunch break to recharge your mind. Take a walk or short drive to change environments for a while. Don’t eat at your desk when you are supposed to be on a lunch break. It is counterproductive and is a warning sign of possible meltdown if changes are not made. You will be much more productive if you refresh your mind and take a scheduled break.

Another important way to nurture your personal resources is to take a vacation regularly. This is not only important annually but on a weekly basis. More and more physicians and professionals are emphasizing the tremendous importance of taking at least one day off every week. Again, the human mind and body needs a period of rest and relaxation! Learn to become aware of your body’s warning signs of stress. These may include a tense jaw, stiff neck, headache, or the feeling of being overwhelmed. When any of these signs begin to occur, its time for an immediate break! Then ask yourself some questions. Think about the possible root cause of the stress. Are there any small tasks you are holding on to that you can delegate? Are you making more out of an obstacle or problem than is really there? Is there another co-worker with the expertise available to help? Are you feeling stressed out because of time restraints or the responsibility of too many tasks? Think the situation through…you will see there are always some good answers.

One other area can help you to avoid your own personal “blue screen of death.” It is regular exercise. The good news is that medical professionals have now come to see that major improvements in daily energy level and longevity are possible with a moderate amount of regular exercise! You don’t need to strenuously run, swim or lift weights to gain significant health benefits. Dr. Andrew Weil promotes walking over jogging and suggests 45 minutes of walking at least 5 days a week. So take a long walk regularly, work in the yard, play some sports with the family. In other words, get more active and step away from the sedentary lifestyle too many of us are now in due to work environments, television and the Internet.

Remember, your personal resources are limited and precious. If you nurture and balance them well you will be rewarded with a greater ability to handle stress and provide leadership when needed. Consider writing your own personal mission statement. It will help to link together the various segments of your life including your career, personal goals, responsibilities, and desired achievements into a value-centered foundation. Committing your life goals and mission to a written plan will help you to deal with stress and sort your priorities. Finally, remember to take scheduled time away from the workplace daily, weekly and annually. Allow your mind and body a period of relaxation and recreation. Leaders know how to work long and hard. To balance your personal resources and increase your career’s longevity, learn how to take time out for yourself!

*Image courtesy of Rawich/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Comments to: gthomas@leadingtoday.org 

About the author:

Greg has over 20 years of sales and marketing experience within the electrical distribution industry. Some of his positions have included being a National Sales Manager, National Marketing Manager and for the past 9 years that of Regional Sales Manager. He also has extensive experience in public speaking and has written articles for various publications. In August of 2000, Greg completed his studies for a Master of Arts degree in Leadership from Bellevue University. He is the founder of weLEAD Incorporated.

References:

Birkman, Roger. True Colors. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995.

Covey, Stephen R. Principle-Centered Leadership. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1991.

Weil, Andrew. Healthy Living. New York: Ivy Books, 1997.

The greatest victory any leader can enjoy is mission or task accomplishment. That is what we are here for and the standard by which we will be measured but before we achieve that lofty goal, before we get to celebrate that success, we have to do something toward getting our people to do the things we want them to do. That, of course, is what leadership is all about but too often that is where the seeds of failure are sewn and where we miss the opportunity to assure a complete and overwhelming success.

For good or for ill our people are a reflection of our leadership and if marginal successes and marginal victories are what we are celebrating and what we are accepting, I can promise you the paradigm will hold true and that staggering collapse across the finish line that you use to mark the successful completion of a task or project, will show itself in how your people mark their own milestones and wins. Not begrudging any success but aiming just a little higher, pushing just a little further, both assures the win and sets a standard for something just a little better. Excellence is nothing more or less than our not accepting the norm or commonplace and holding out for something better. As leaders we get to define success, though too often we are not taking that time or insisting on anything beyond the ordinary. If you are asking for ordinary I am guessing that is just what you will get. I am suggesting that as long as we’re asking, we might as well ask for something better.

One of the scariest and most challenging things any leader will ever face is putting the fate of a task or project in the hands of another human being. As leaders we are tasked with delivering results every day,  in every task, project or mission we take on and in the final analysis we are either effective leaders and deliver the goods, or we are something else. Our success or failure will always be tied to how effectively we lead, empower and motivate our staff. If we are finding ourselves in that “something else” category, maybe it is time to take a look at how we lead.

The very best staff member you could ever ask for is one who will do all the things you would ask, with the initiative to go one better and do the extra things that would assure a quality result delivered ahead of our expectations. There is no doubt that this is a rare bird in most work places but that is more a reflection on our failures as leaders than it is testament to the rarity of the species. Our people are what we make them. Behaviors like initiative only occur in work places that support and empower their staff members. Initiative only exists where it is encouraged and when there is enough confidence to act and to step beyond what is expected. It is not the responsibility of a staff member to show initiative, it is our responsibility as leaders to encourage and reward this type of behavior when it occurs. Extraordinary is always the result of leadership that empowers people toward something better, with the confidence to act.

In our setting expectations for something better, it is very important that we paint that picture for our people. In training, in planning and in communicating, we do everything possible to support their efforts toward this new frontier, correcting our course as necessary and celebrating our victories along the way. George Patton once said “Don't tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results”. Initiative and the courage to act we had talked about only comes in an environment that encourages innovation and imagination in finding solutions. There is a risk in delegating responsibilities to other staff members. To whatever degree we are able to train them, to whatever degree we are able to communicate our expectations, we mitigate that risk and create an environment that goes beyond what is expected, assuring success, time and time again. A side benefit to our empowering our staff members is in their confidence. A confident worker is one who displays that initiative we had talked about and one who will make suggestions and share ideas and grow and learn and become more productive. There is no doubt that there are risks through all of this but that journey from good to great is never without challenge or setbacks but it is always worth the effort. Effective leadership is the key.

In staff surveys I have seen over the years and in productivity studies I have participated in, I am amazed and astounded at how often I run into whole populations of staff members who don’t know what is expected of them. Nearly as often I hear from business owners and senior managers that they are frustrated with the lack of initiative and willingness to act they observe from their staff members. As a leader it is easy to blame your staff when things are going wrong but if you are failing to set expectations for excellence and if you are failing to train and encourage their efforts, any shortfalls or failures rest squarely on your shoulders. If you, as the leader, are not defining success, how can you reasonably expect your people to deliver the results that you were looking for? When I ask this question I am nearly always presented with a “common sense” argument that seems to say that our people should know what is expected and that ‘we shouldn’t have to babysit them’. Really?

I am one of those old dogs that happen to believe in people. I believe that if we do a good job in defining our expectations for our staff members and if we train them in such a way as to assure their ability to perform the things we are asking of them and encourage them and celebrate their successes, most people will go beyond what you had wanted and deliver that high end success we should all be looking for. There are exceptions; those rare and misguided individuals that, despite the explanations and training and encouragement, just don’t ever seem to get it. Another important aspect of leadership is in our recognizing those among us who are not willing or not capable of delivering on the tasks and responsibilities we have laid in front of them. As painful as it might be, they have to go. I would tell you to be patient and give them every reasonable chance to succeed but if they are not contributing to your success, for whatever the reason, then they are hindering it and you need to move on. Remember, the leader’s greatest responsibility is task or mission accomplishment. Nothing or no one can stand in the way of that. People always need to be given the opportunity to do the right thing and if you have helped them define that, they might just surprise you.

In ‘Leading Change’ John Kotter said “Leaders establish the vision for the future and set the strategy for getting there; they cause change. They motivate and inspire others to go in the right direction and they, along with everyone else, sacrifice to get there.”

Who have you motivated or inspired today?

 About the author:

Brian Canning is a regular contributor to weLEAD and a business analyst working in the federal sector. For the past thirty years he has worked in the automotive repair industry, most recently as a leadership and management coach with the Automotive Training Institute in Savage, Maryland. After serving as a tank commander with the 1st Armored Division in Europe, he started his career as a Goodyear service manager in suburban Washington D.C., moving on to oversee several stores and later a sales region. He also has been a retail sales manager for a large auto parts distributor, run a large fleet operation and headed a large multi-state sales territory for an independent manufacturer of auto parts. His passions are history, leadership and writing.

This material is copyright protected. No part of this document may be reproduced, in any form or by any means without permission from weLEAD Incorporated. Copyright waiver may be acquired from the weLEAD website.

Because of thunder storms in Atlanta, the flight from Dallas to Atlanta had been delayed twice. On the third attempt, we were boarding and I felt hopeful of actually getting off the ground. My hopes faded fast when the tired-looking flight attendant came down the aisle quietly announcing that if we were not permitted to take off in the next 15 minutes, the crew would have exceeded their 16-hour work day and we would have to taxi back to the terminal and await another flight.

We were not given permission to take off, the crew's time expired and as we taxied back to the terminal I felt mixed emotions. I kept thinking, "But we were right there ready to take off. How could 1-1/2 more hours matter?"

Just as airlines are concerned about overworked pilots and flight attendants, employers should be concerned about overworked employees. Why? Errors, accidents, and low productivity for a start.

My mixed emotions as we taxied back to the terminal are similar to the signals our culture sends today about long work hours. In one breath we agree with employees having a pity party about how hard they work and with the other breath, we award employees a "red badge of courage" for having the guts to go the extra mile.

A study by the Families and Work Institute concludes that overworked employees should be taken seriously. Employees who are overworked are more likely to exhibit anxiety, make mistakes at work, harbor angry feelings about their employer for expecting them to be on the job for long hours and resent coworkers who don't pull their share of the load. The study documents that nearly half of employees who feel overworked report that their health is poor and 8 percent of employees who are not overworked experience symptoms of clinical depression compared with 21 percent of those who are highly overworked.

Helping Employees Feel Less Overwhelmed

What can the organization do to help employees feel less overworked while still finishing their tasks in a given day? Using time efficiently at work is an individual and an organizational issue. On the organizational side, managers can help employees reduce the feeling of being overwhelmed by:

• Training employees in time management principles
• Discouraging the practice of eating at the desk and working through lunch
• Insisting employees taking vacation time
• Permitting flexible work hours when appropriate
• Encouraging non-interrupt zones in the day when workers can focus on their tasks
• Assigning tasks well in advance of the drop dead date
• Helping Employees Be More Effective 

A tried and true principle states that to be efficient, you must first be effective. For instance, the maker of buggy whips might be highly efficient in manufacturing techniques, but if no one buys the buggy whips, the process is not effective.

To encourage efficiency and effectiveness, managers can:

• Have clearly stated goals with built in deadlines
• Insist employees make a daily "to do" list
• Make certain equipment works properly
• Supply the necessary materials for job completion
• Train employees on software packages that enable more efficient work

Ensuring the above items are taken care of is essential to help employees leverage their time while in the office and be more productive. 

Realizing a Productivity Culture Change

Managers should make a concerted effort to grease the wheels of productivity, and not be the stick that gets caught in the tire spokes, catapulting the rider from the trail. By attending to these issues, managers can help workers feel less overwhelmed and enable them do more in less time. You'll like the results.

About the author:

Karla Brandau is CEO of Workplace Power Institute. She offers keynotes, workshops, and retreats to move your organization forward in the chaotic environment of the 21^st Century. You can contact Karla at karla@workplacepowerinstitute.com visit her blog at www.FromTheDeskofKarlaBrandau.com

 This material is copyright protected. No part of this document may be reproduced, in any form or by any means without permission from weLEAD Incorporated. Copyright waiver may be acquired from the weLEAD website.

Remember your very first day on the job?  Your shoes had a shine like the tiles on the Space Shuttle and the crease in your slacks could have diced celery.  The air was somehow fresher, the birds chirpier.  You had been hired.  You'd been given a chance to excel, a chance to make a difference.

Now contrast that with this morning.

Are you motivated to wake up every morning and go to your job with full enthusiasm?

After a while, most people end up making one compromise after another until they've resigned themselves to mediocrity.  It's darned hard to keep that first-day buzz going. 

BUT…there's no reason you can't choose to recover a good measure of that first-day feeling. You can motivate yourself to strive for excellence, and put it to good use in the service of everyone whose lives you touch on a daily basis. And, you can love your job again.

It's all about making the choice to do it.

Why You Need to Get Motivated, Find Your Enthusiasm, and Love Your Job Again

Have you ever met a two-year-old who wasn't enthusiastic?  We come prepackaged with it.  And then…

What happens to us?

What happens is that we make a choice.  Some of us choose to make the effort to stay in touch with our inner enthusiasm and love our jobs.  Others find reasons to lose touch with it--boredom, responsibilities, challenges, fatigue.

But here's the problem:  Enthusiasm is the lifeblood of all success.  Without it, nothing great happens.  If you choose to lose touch with your inner enthusiasm, you are choosing mediocrity.  It's really that simple.

Sure, there are plenty of reasons to curb your enthusiasm.  But there are just as many reasons to find it again including celebrating your incredible good fortune. In the process you can make that fortune even better.

Here's How to Find Your Enthusiasm

Step 1: Start with the fact that you're not dead yet, that you were born at all, that you have a job, and that compared to a lot of folks, you have a pretty darn good job.

Step 2: Now take a close look at the circumstances of this good job you have.  Write down your five biggest complaints and spin them into positives.  For example, "My boss micromanages me" can be reframed as "My boss cares enough about me to step into my work when I need help."

If you've truly committed to finding your first-day buzz again, you should be an awful lot closer to it now than you were ten minutes ago. 

All this rethinking and reframing has removed a HUGE energy drain from your life--one you were probably unaware of.  It takes massive amounts of energy to continually reinforce your own sense of victimhood.  Excellence is MUCH less expensive.  Now that you feel lucky instead, what on Earth are you going to do with all that energy?

How about playing the Big Game you signed up for?

Now, you just filled yourself up with a lion's share of this precious thing called the human spirit, and it will not invest in mediocrity.  So play the meaningful, bighearted game you always dreamed of playing, and leave the mediocrity to others. Get motivated and start loving your job again.

 About the author:

Roxanne Emmerich is renowned for her ability to transform the "ho-hum" attitudes of leaders, executives, business owners and entrepreneurs just like you into massive results-oriented "bring-it-on" attitudes. To discover how you can get motivated and love your job again, check out her new book – Thank God it's Monday.
at: http://www.thankgoditsmonday.com

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Are rules and red tape really necessary? Some companies have rules for everything from holidays to bathroom breaks. Does your company have a policy for when it’s appropriate to create a rule? Most companies don’t; instead they create one whenever an issue comes up that affects operations. This is an ad-hoc approach based on the fear that things can and will go wrong.

Too many rules and you end up spending all your time enforcing them. This creates a lot of work. Some people argue that rules add structure. A certain amount of structure creates freedom because guidelines liberate people and make them more productive. However, most companies place too much emphasis on structure and not enough on their people.

The Pitfalls of Rules

1) Applying the same rules to everyone can cause resentment. Different people have special circumstances. If these are ignored, people feel ignored;

2) too many rules create an atmosphere of prohibition. Employees learn not to rely on their own judgment. Instead of thinking on their feet and taking risks, they use the rules as their fall back position;

3) if it’s not in the rulebook, they may not do it;

4) relying on stale rules deprives employees of their creativity;

5) rules create more rules, which create a lot of administration and, in the long run, are very costly;

6) usually rules spill over onto customers. Soon, if someone wants to buy from your company they must first study and abide by the rules. They could just go somewhere else;

7) too many rules communicate a lack of trust in employees;

8) rules create an attitude. Employees mimic this attitude and it affects how they deal with suppliers and customers. For example, the company has strict policy about payment terms. So employees continually bang customers over the head with payment terms. They are just doing their job;

9) rules affect the atmosphere employees work in and customers buy from. Everyone has had the experience of walking into a store to be greeted with signs like, “Do not touch!” or “You break it you pay”. Imagine being invited into someone’s’ home and seeing signs like these. Would you be eager to come back?

10) managers become parole officers enforcing rules. They get so caught up in who did what wrong, they forget to lead and end up babysitting.

How Rules are Set

How are rules set? Usually an employee does something undesirable, so management creates a policy and punishes everyone. Actually rules are set this way in every facet of the company. Consider this example: a few customer cheques bounce, so the company sets a policy of accepting no personal cheques. It’s hard to estimate how much lost business is directly related to this new policy.

 Rules are also set strategically. A company has a certain objective so they create rules to make sure it happens. Instead, why not empower employees to achieve goals, versus punishing them with more rules?

Power Comes from People

Effective managers know power comes from people. The manager’s role is not to have power over people by enforcing rules, but to support and coordinate employees’ efforts. This may be a complete attitude shift for some managers who are used to being in charge.

 In most companies, the manager is also expected to be the leader. They can most effectively lead by empowering employees to use their own judgment and skills to benefit the company. Can you trust people to do their job without all the rules and controls? Yes. Most people do the right thing when left to their own judgment. If you tell employees what to do, they will automatically do it your way without calling on their own creativity and judgment. After awhile this creates a stale work environment. Instead of being alive with creative ideas flowing, people dutifully do their jobs.

Stop Relying on Rules

How to stop relying on rules? Empower employees to solve problems on their own, making them a part of the solution. Get them asking, “What is the best way to handle this?” Then, provide them with the resources and support to do it. For example, let’s say it was taking employees too long to go through their email every day. Instead of creating a policy that limits the time spent picking up email, ask employees, “How can we use our email system more effectively?” Let them come up with the solution. Being a part of the solution makes employees more accountable, creating much less paperwork and formality.

For larger organizations it’s more difficult to put the power in people. It takes a tremendous amount of trust. So start slowly. Let employees you know you can trust rely on their own judgment and solve problems on their own.. Go through different work scenarios and ask, “ Can we substitute the rules in this situation for individual judgment? “ Even if employees can’t be involved in setting rules, let them be a part of their implementation. For example, a new policy may be that we want all “accounts receivables” collected within 30 days. Who is going to make this happen? Employees of course. So involve employees in the implementation (how can we collect our accounts quicker?) Employees will be the best judge of this information. Some of their clients have special circumstances that will require a unique approach.

Finally, always make sure that employees know WHY a rule is created. Not only for their own good but because often rules get in the way of helping a customer and employees need to be able to explain why.

The level of accountability appropriate for your organization depends on how much control you feel comfortable giving employees. There is a right mix and balance for every organization

Final Words

Decide how and when you will set rules. Instead of setting them ad hoc whenever it seems necessary, decide in advance when and where it is appropriate. For example, rules are often necessary for routine things where, otherwise, everyone would do it differently every time, causing chaos. If something comes up that you think requires rules to be developed, ask, “How many people does this directly affect? Will this rule help us deal with future situations or is it just creating more paperwork? Is this something that we can empower employees to deal with themselves and use their own judgment? How can I involve all people who are affected by this policy?”

Be careful where you set rules, they may come back and haunt you.

Comments to: ido@idoinspire.com

About the author:

Jody Urquhart, a popular speaker and writer, is recognized in Canada, the United States and Europe, She has presented her signature topic, Joy of Work, to 65 organizations last year alone. Her monthly column on the same subject appears in over fifty trade journals. Jody is also an associate speaker for the Individual Development Organization in Vancouver where she works with Bill Clennan, the Dean of Canadian Speakers.

Jody holds diplomas in Professional Speaking and Writing from Mount Royal College and in Management and Marketing from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology. She studied Management for three years at the University of Calgary. Her business experience includes management positions in both the banking and retail industries. Jody is a proud member of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers and holds the distinction of being one of its founding board members. Jody is the author of the book “ALL WORK & NO SAY TAKES THE PASSION AWAY”. To order your copy, or to discuss having Jody speak at your next meeting, feel free to email her at ido@idoinspire.com

“With ever-increasing public scrutiny, conducting effective school public relations campaigns is no longer a luxury – it’s a necessary!” (Newquist, 1997) In order to convince the public that their money is being spent effectively, schools must ensure they are viewed in a positive light whenever possible. In this day and age of tax increases and an uncertain economy, taxpayers want to know their tax dollars are not being wasted. Unlike other businesses that produce tangible products, the schools are often viewed as a money pit, because its investors, the taxpayers often do not see their dollars in action. However, schools do produce a product, and that is productive, knowledgeable members of society. The only way the taxpayers will be knowledgeable of this is if the school gets involved in public relations.

Unlike corporations, schools do not have unlimited revenue potential. Therefore what can the school do to promote itself, given its very limited and often non-existent monetary resources for public relations? The school can utilize its number one asset for public relations -- students. Students are often overlooked when it comes to public relations, however; they are a readily available public relations tool. Students’ knowledge and experiences are the products the schools produce. Hence, if their experiences are positive they will go into the community and share their experiences with other stakeholders, such as parents, community leaders, politicians, and other students.

Teachers are also vital in promoting a positive school image. The majority of students’ interactions will be with other students and teachers. Hence, teachers must make the students’ experiences at school both enlightening and positive. Teachers can ensure students have something positive to say when asked, “What did you do at school today?” At the end of each day or period the teacher can take a “few minutes to highlight the activities and accomplishments of the day” (Pawlas, 1999). Teachers must remember their actions are viewed as the actions of the school. Therefore, everything that is done must be done with the image of the school in mind.

Pawlas (1999) enumerates several other things teachers can do to develop a positive school image: do their best job of teaching, make the classroom inviting, dress up bulletin boards, make the first parent contact positive, give personal appearance a boost, attend community meetings, join professional organizations, get to know the newspaper’s education writer, and use classroom volunteers. Classroom volunteers from the community bring their knowledge to the classroom, at the same time they can see what is being is taught, how it is being taught, and the impact the teacher is having on the students. These volunteers will eventually take this positive information into the community.

Students, teachers and classroom volunteers are not the only people involved in promoting the school’s positive image. The administration must also take an active role in promoting the school’s image. It must share both the successes of the school, as well as the school’s failures, with the public. However, how information is disseminated is at the administration’s discretion. This is where planning comes in. Administrators want the school to be viewed in the best light possible. In essence, an assertive effort must be made to get positive information out about the school. This should be an ongoing process, “the more times positive mentions of your school or district appear in the media, the more the public will perceive your schools in a positive light” (Newquist, 1997). Therefore, administrators must have a plan to get information of successes to the media.

The school’s administrators should develop a relationship with the media. Why? Schools that contact the media often, get more attention! As a result, the administrators must develop a plan to bombard the media with the school’s successes. This can be done by inviting “reporters and editors to special functions to show them ‘good news’ in action” (Newquist, 1997). However this should not occur once, it should be ongoing. The administrators should develop a relationship with the school reporters for the newspaper and television news. Important information such as duties, telephone numbers, fax numbers, e-mail addresses and other pertinent information should be kept by the administrator. When successes and positive activities occur at the school these people should be invited and sent photographs and videotapes. In addition, administrators should encourage teachers to photograph, videotape and document classroom highlights that can be shared with the media.

Unfortunately, there will be times when failures or negative information, such as declining test scores, school violence, staff reduction, and other things must be released about the school. The administrators must “be prepared to tell the facts right away” (Newquist, 1999). First, the staff should be made aware of the situation and the facts, immediately. Secondly the parents should be notified. This can be done with a clear concise letter that states the facts and the school’s plan of action. People tend to accept change more readily when they are armed with information. (Hersey, Blanchard, & Johnson, 2001, p. 389). Thirdly, the administrators should delegate one individual who is thoroughly knowledgeable of the situation to speak with the media. A written statement should be prepared and used as a reference. The delegate should not say anything they are not now willing to have printed. They should speak slowly and clearly, and they should remember the goal is to disseminate the information while preserving the school’s good image.

In spite of what the Sprite commercials say, image is everything! Thus, in order to ensure the school is viewed in a positive light, everyone in the school must make an assertive effort to project a positive image for the school. This includes teachers who ensure students’ experiences are positive, and maintain positive communications with the parents and community. It also includes students and classroom volunteers who can tell their families and community about positive experiences at school. Lastly, the administrators must be straightforward and honest with parents, teachers and the media when disseminating information on the school’s successes, as well as its failures.

REFERENCES:

Hersey, P.; Blanchard, K.; & Johnson, D. (2001). Management of Organizational Behavior: Leading Human
Resources (8th edition).

Newquist, C. (1999). Public relations 101: How-to tips for school administrators. Obtained online at:
http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin123.shtml

Newquist, C. (1997). Best face forward. Obtained online at:
http://www.education-world.com/a_admin/admin003.shtml

Comments to: chemdoc@aol.com

Pawlas, G. (1999, May). Working magic on the school image [Electronic version]. The Education Digest 64(9),
52-54. 

About the author:

Shanika Taylor has taught science at the middle school level, in Miami-Dade County Public Schools for five years. She has also taught Introduction to Education at Miami-Dade Community College. She is presently certified in Educational Leadership, Middle Grades Science, and Business Education. During the past five years, she has served as the science club chairperson, published the school newspaper, and mentored new teachers. She has earned a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University and a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Florida International University. Currently, she is working on a doctorate degree in Educational Leadership, with a concentration in Organizational Leadership, at Nova Southeastern University. In 1997, she was nominated for the Sallie Mae Beginning Teacher of the Year Award. Upon completing her doctoral degree, Shanika plans to teach at the university level, conduct research and consult.

*Image courtesy of David Castello Dominici/FreeDigitalPhotos.net