Word Of the Week #573: Respect
July 31, 2015 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on Word Of the Week #573: Respect
Respect – to show consideration for; treat courteously or kindly.
Do you work for a company that treats you with respect? Do you respect the people that you work for? How about your co-workers?
WOW #570 featured Mian Ridge’s article from the Financial Times of London about Michael Lee Stallard’s book titled, “When workers thrive, companies do too.” He wrote that “humans have six needs at work” and I felt those would be good to address individually over the next several WOW’s.
There are so many different kinds of respect that it would be impossible to list them all so I picked a couple that were work related. And as Stallard says below “they also apply to your relationships at home and in the community.”
“The first need is respect. We need to be around people who are courteous and considerate. People who are routinely patronizing, condescending or passive aggressive, drain the life out of us and keep us from thriving.”
This article, “The Importance of Respect in the Workplace” written by Tricia L. Branchaud, clearly reinforces Stallard’s points on thriving.
“It is nice, but not essential that all co-workers like each other. It is crucial however, that people treat each other with respect.
Why is respect in the workplace vital? Well, if common sense alone doesn’t convince you, or remembering work settings where you have seen respect flourishing or where it is lacking, I invite you to Google search the topic. Respectful behaviors in the workplace affect employee loyalty and morale, team work and team cohesiveness, employees’ attitudes towards work, employee turnover, leadership effectiveness, and even potential risk of liability to the employer.”
Stallard has a serious of posts titled, “100 Ways to Connect.” He writes, “It highlights language, attitudes and behaviors that help you connect with others. Although the language, attitudes and behaviors focus on application in the workplace, you will see that they also apply to your relationships at home and in the community.
#35 Respect Other People’s Time – When you interrupt someone while he/she is otherwise engaged, show that you respect his/her time by saying “Sorry to interrupt you. Is this a good time to talk?”
Another way to respect other people’s time is not to linger. If the other person is not very responsive, it may be a sign that he/she is busy and is eager to get back to work. Be sensitive to the other person’s responsiveness or lack thereof as a cue. Many people will not explicitly tell you they are busy because they don’t want to hurt your feelings.”
This week’s focus is on respect. How high or low is your employee turnover? Could morale be better? Does everyone work well as a team and support each other? Is everyone treated with courtesy and kindness?
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WOW 11th Anniversary – Cheers!
July 23, 2015 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on WOW 11th Anniversary – Cheers!
Cheers – shouts of encouragement, approval, congratulation, etc.
Do you remember the last time someone in your life encouraged you to do something? Did it make you feel validated? When was the last time you cheered someone on?
This week I am celebrating the 11th Anniversary of my WOW’s. Once again, it’s hard to believe that time goes by so quickly. And I want to thank all of you who have cheered me on with your words of encouragement!
I have always wanted to be a good writer. In the beginning it felt very daunting to create those first WOW’s. But just by writing several paragraphs once a week, I am so much better at forming my thoughts and writing them down quickly. It’s like anything, the more you practice the easier it gets.
Is there something that you have wanted to do but haven’t because it felt too intimidating to get started? Can you see yourself having the courage to at least try? Could you devote one hour a week practicing or working on it?
This week is all about giving cheers. Who do you know that needs to be congratulated? Who needs some words of encouragement? How about you? Do you feel you are being validated for your accomplishments?
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Word Of the Week #574: Recognition
July 16, 2015 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on Word Of the Week #574: Recognition
Recognition – the acknowledgment of achievement, service, merit, etc.
How good is your company at given recognition? How much responsibility do you feel you have? Are you allowed to make important business decisions on your own?
This week features the second of the “6 Needs to Thrive at Work” that Michael Lee Stallard featured in his book, “When workers thrive, companies do too.”
Once again, there are so many different ways to show recognition so I picked a few that were work related. And as Stallard says “they also apply to your relationships at home and in the community.”
Stallard writes, “The second need is recognition. It energizes us when we work with people who recognize and voice our task strengths (“you’re a great manager”) and/or character strengths (“you persevere to overcome obstacles”). It’s almost as if we have a recognition battery that needs to be recharged periodically. The problem is that the plug-in is on our back, exactly in a place we can’t reach, so we must rely on those around us to charge our recognition battery. If it’s not charged, we will feel emotionally and physically drained.”
Another great article I found is “5 Ways to Build a Recognition Culture” by Jessica Miller-Merrell. She writes, “Any type of organizational change takes 18 to 24 months to fully take effect meaning that an employee recognition culture doesn’t happen overnight.
- It Starts at the Top. Any type of culture shift within an organization must have senior leadership support. It’s that simple because without them walking the talk, the change won’t happen. No way no how.
- Empower Your Employees. Map out a formal employee empowerment policy whether it’s the ability to recognition employees on their own or make business decisions. The responsibility one has can make a difference in their level of engagement and care they take in their work.
- Promote FUN. Employees that play together stay together. Make your workplace FUN and ask your staff what they want and need to stick around using employee town halls, stay interviews, or employee surveys. You don’t know if you don’t ask.
- Shower Them with Affection. Employees need to be recognized in both formal and non-formal settings, public as well as private. Sometimes all it takes is a quiet thank you to employees help drive results. Individual employees and cultures prefer different recognition methods too.
- Regular Recognition. And by regular, I don’t mean your annual review or dropping off a copy of the five year employee anniversary catalogue. Regular recognition needs to happen for a positive and engaged workplace.
This week’s focus is on recognition. Do you feel that your talents get recognized? Do you have FUN at work? Do you come home feeling emotionally drained after work?
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Word Of the Week #571: Epiphany
July 16, 2015 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on Word Of the Week #571: Epiphany
Epiphany – a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the essential meaning of something.
When was the last time you had an “aha” moment? When you had a sudden insight into the essential meaning of something? Was it a positive experience?
This last weekend we celebrated the life of my step-father who would have been 97-years-old in September. He came into my life in 1967 and was for all intents and purposes my “father.”
In the last couple of weeks I pondered what I would say at his service. What could I say that everyone didn’t already know? He was a kind, loving, gentle man, and gentleman. Everyone knew that! There were so many happy memories that made me smile and some that even made me giggle.
And the one memory that was so strong and kept coming up for me was the last time I had taken him to the 
doctor in May after he had fallen, yet one more time. The doctor was checking all of his vital signs and then asked, “Can you show me how you walk?” So my father got up with his walker and walked around the small examination room and when he was done said, “Do you want to see me jog?” To which we all cracked up laughing as he proceeded to jog in place. I love that he never lost his sense of humor!
We checked out, got in the elevator, walked down the long corridor, and I sat him down on the bench closest to the front entrance so he could rest, while I went to bring the truck up to him. When I pulled up and got out to help him, a big burly man walking by asked, “Can I help you?” To which I said, “No, but thank you, we have this routine down.” Then I said to my father, “You are such a kind, sweet, gentle soul that even perfect strangers want to help you.” And his response was, “I am just a reflection of my surroundings.”
I was totally blown away by that! And then this week I had an epiphany, when I realized that my father had it all wrong. He was not a reflection of his surroundings. His surroundings were a reflection of him! He was so well loved, because he loved so well. He has left me wanting to carry his reflection around with me by being a kinder, gentler soul just like him.
This week I wish you your own positive epiphany!
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Word Of the Week #570: Thrive
July 9, 2015 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on Word Of the Week #570: Thrive
Thrive – to do well; prosper.
Do you work for a company that is doing well? Do you feel that you play an important part? Are you respected?
This week I am featuring Mian Ridge’s article from the Financial Times of London titled, “When workers thrive, companies do too.”
He writes, “Michael Lee Stallard, a business consultant from Greenwich, Conn. and the author of ‘Connection Culture: The Competitive Advantage of Shared Identity, Empathy, and Understanding at Work’ makes a strong point when he says that people are the most important part of a business. And focusing on operations and financials is not only wrong, but commercially foolish.
Companies with a ‘culture of connection’ – broadly speaking, one in which workers are able to ‘thrive for sustained periods of time’ – have a competitive advantage. Stallard spells this out, citing research that sounds plausible enough. Businesses with high ‘connection scores’ boast higher levels of profitability and productivity than those with lower scores.
The author also garners the findings of neuroscientists and endocrinologists to build his case, pointing out that ‘human connection’ has been found to reduce the levels of stress hormones in the blood, making us more likely to make rational decisions.
Stallard attempts to draw up some broad definitions. He writes that humans have six needs at work: respect, recognition, belonging, autonomy, personal growth, and meaning. He offers suggestions for how employers can meet these needs, with practical advice on topics such as hiring and communication.
His exposition of the ‘connection culture’ is best made through the anecdotes he tells about the companies that got it right. When Alan Mulally was introduced as the new chief executive of Ford in 2006 and was asked what car he drove, he replied without hesitation, ‘a Lexus… the finest car in the world.’
His generosity to a rival did not do the company any harm.” Mulally led Ford to 19 consecutive profitable quarters and, having raised eyebrows at his introduction, was given a standing ovation at his retirement.”
This week’s focus is on making your business thrive. Is your company profitable? How productive is the staff? Is everyone given recognition? Is your work meaningful?
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