by Beth | Feb 23, 2022 | Company Culture
One year ago today, a mangled, scruffy little kitten wandered into my daughter’s apartment. She was hungry, tired, skinny and scared. My daughter, Katy, decided right then and there that she had to help this tiny being that she ultimately named, Dani Lou. Fast forward to today. Dani Lou is a fluffy, happy adventurous cat who fetches and sits for treats on command.
Over Christmas, Katy and Dani Lou came to visit me, and every morning Katy and I would compare notes on Dani Lou’s night-time activities. Our conversations went like this:
Me: Did Dani sleep with you last night?
Katy: Yes, for a while. Then she left.
Me: What do you think she does all night?
Katy: Cat work.
Here is the bottom line: you as the manager don’t know what your staff does all day every day. You especially don’t know all the daily activities of your remote workers. And yet, they get their work done. They meet deadlines. Your clients are thrilled with the work that your company does, and they tell you that. Do you really need to know every minute of every day what your staff is doing? Once your employee earns your trust, give them some free reign to learn something new.
You might be surprised at what they create.
Power thought: Let them do their cat work. Then, you can purr in satisfaction.
by Beth | Jan 26, 2022 | Attitude, Company Culture
As many of you know, my daughter Katy was adopted by a stray cat named Dani Lou. This cat literally walked in the door of Katy’s apartment, and she never left. She fetches toys and brings them back, and this cat sits for treats! Never seen anything like it.
One day, Katy heard the cat in the trash. Dani Lou pulled out a string that had come off a pair of sweatpants and began tossing it around the room and fetching it. She put it in her mouth and brought it to Katy to throw for her. When Dani catches her string and pulls it away, she prances back to Katy to have her throw it again. She has such pride in her steps! She has her head held high and dances her way back to you to show you what she has done. “Mr. String” goes everywhere with Dani Lou!
I had a bookkeeper one time who wanted to change the way that I did my books. I was hesitant at first, because I couldn’t really understand what she was wanting to do. What she was describing was way over my head, but she was so compelled to do it, I finally just let her. When she came back to me, she was SO proud of the work that she had done. It was written all over her face when she pranced into my office to present my spotless books.
The key to happy employees is this; as often as possible, let them take the string and run with it. When you have employees on staff that take ownership of their work and are allowed to pursue the best way to complete their tasks, they too have immense pride in their work. They are happier, they stay longer, and they put their best foot forward, which means you can too.
Power thought: Don’t string your employees along in a way that they hate. Let them take the string and lead you. You will both prance with pride.
by Beth | Jan 12, 2022 | Company Culture
Last week, Colorado lost almost 1000 homes in an awful fire. A client called me who had employees that lost their homes, and frantically he said, “Beth, I don’t know what to do here! How do I help my people?” So, I put together some suggestions.
1) Pick up the phone and call them. They need to hear from you. They need to know that you are going to support them and that you have their back. They may not be in a place to call you back immediately, so don’t read into it if they don’t. Call once every week to two weeks, with no expectation of a call back.
2) Take action. Don’t ask them what they need, just provide it. When my daughter, Katy, was in the hospital the first time, my friend Beth sent a ton of food to our hospital room. She didn’t ask; she just did it. Also, a friend sent a handmade blanket to the hospital. I have it on my lap as I am typing this. I have never forgotten these beautiful acts of kindness, and your employees won’t either.
3) Items to give. When someone has lost their home, “stuff” isn’t what they need, because they have no place to put it. Take them food and water; bottled water, fruit, nuts, crackers, peanut butter, bread. The people that have come to the donation center where I donated my time asked for blankets, towels, socks, underwear, and warm clothes.
4) Donate money to the family directly. In the Boulder 2012 fire, $650,000 went to the Red Cross, but the families didn’t see that money. If you have a friend or employee who was directly affected, donate directly to them or take the initiative to set up a GOFUNDME account.
5) Listen. Just listen. Your friend, family member, employee needs a safe outlet to process their heavy emotions when a tragedy strikes, and they have a huge loss. You don’t have to fix it for them; in fact, you can’t. But you can be a sounding board and provide support when they need it most.
Finally, take care of yourself, so that you can be available for them. Rally the troops and check in regularly. We all need each other right now, and your employee will never forget the action that you are taking on their behalf.
Power thought: Put your oxygen mask on first, and then help your employee out with the suggestions above. They will never forget your act of kindness.
by Beth | Dec 30, 2021 | Company Culture
As we begin each New Year, many of us take the opportunity to re-group and redefine goals for our businesses. This time is often filled with renewed energy to get our lives and work in order. As a part of your New Year’s goals, it might also be time to fire that one employee that is not contributing to your company’s vision.
The impact of an unengaged employee on your business can be catastrophic. Decreased productivity, lowered company morale, and miserable working environments have been common complaints by my clients as they come to the decision to relieve an employee, especially when an estimated 50% of employees will change jobs in 2022! I say start the New Year fresh!
A past client of mine had an employee who consistently gave her ultimatums. The threats were often “If you don’t do this, then I will quit.” Who wants to work with an individual who is constantly threatening you? The team was struggling to work with the individual, my client was unhappy with the performance of the individual, yet the concept of firing and replacing this person seemed daunting and ill-timed. When my client finally became fed up, they did indeed fire the employee. I won’t sugar coat the transition. It was hard, uncomfortable and came at a terrible time, but my client knew that this was the right decision for the company.
In addition, the busiest day of the year for applicants looking for a job is the second Tuesday in January. Think about this: the people who are fed up with their work environments are also looking to make a change. So, if you want to start the New Year with someone who REALLY wants to work for you, get going! Now is the time.
POWER THOUGHT: New Year, new goals, new culture!
by Beth | Oct 27, 2021 | Company Culture
Halloween has been very hit-and-miss in the workplace, in my experience. Some companies really promote it by buying pounds and pounds of candy and giving out prizes for the best costumes. Some companies don’t celebrate it at all with the mindset of “Please don’t bring candy here! I am trying so hard to stick to my diet!”
But this year, there is something in the air. The fall is so beautiful, the air is calm, and winter is late to the party. Most of my clients are in the mood to do something different, like celebrate.
Here are some of the comments that I have heard from my clients:
“I started buying chocolate mid- September. I NEVER do that!”
“This year, by God, I am dressing up for Halloween. I haven’t done that in a decade.”
We have all been walking around in a Zombie fog since the beginning of the pandemic. In many countries, Halloween is the beginning of the New Year, and it definitely feels that way now. We are all tired of walking around half-dead in a zombie state and looking ghostly on a zoom call.
So, this year, I encourage you to step out of the norm. Make the effort to celebrate in a way that you haven’t done in a long time. Buy the candy and the costume and engage with your employees like you haven’t been able to in a while. After all, the zombie in all of us needs to wake up.
Boo!
Power Thought: Don’t ghost Halloween this year!
by Beth | Jul 7, 2021 | Company Culture, Employee Hiring
A few weeks ago, I had a potential new client call me wanting to discuss my services. He asked me if I conducted confidential searches. He further explained that he needed to fire the person in a top-level role in his company, but he couldn’t NOT have a body in that seat. Can you help me, he asked.
My answer? No, I do not do confidential searches, and here is why: you can’t find Prince Charming while you are married to the frog.
When you begin a new search under the cloud of secrecy, lies and lack of transparency, that is the type of person you will attract. Keeping a secret is really, really hard, and it is especially hard when you are interacting with the person that you KNOW you are going to fire. You will most likely slip up. Or the candidate, who instinctively knows that their head is on the chopping block, is likely looking for a new job. What happens when they see your ad? And with all of the focus on getting fired/ finding someone new, you can be sure that this person isn’t doing their job well anyway.
In addition to the secrecy, think about the tone that this sets for all of your other employees: how will they feel when they find out that you treated someone on their team in such a shady way? Do you think they will stay with you? Think again.
Letting someone go from your team is horrible for all parties. But putting it off for any length of time only creates additional bad will, drama and disruption.
Bottom line? Cut ties with the frog as soon as possible. Re-group, bolster your existing team, and hold out for Mr./Ms. Right. There is nothing more satisfying than working with people who all want to be there.
POWER THOUGHT: Break up with the frog to make room for the Prince/Princess.
