by Beth | Jul 7, 2015 | Attitude
While vacationing recently, I took long walks on the beach. The wind in my hair, the sun on my face, the sand under my toes… pure bliss. After a few days, I began to look around at the other folks enjoying their time on the beach as well. What I noticed was shocking… not a single person was on their phone. I didn’t see a soul on an iPad. I didn’t even see a Kindle. What I did see was people talking to each other. I saw people playing games together and building sand castles with their kids. I saw people napping, eating, reading and working. Yes, I did say working….
After sitting on the beach for a while, your mind wanders. You look around to see the surroundings and, lo and behold, inspiration strikes. People made some of the most beautiful sand castles, wrote inspirational messages in the sand, collected sea shells and created art work. They were working. The word “work” means “an activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result”. And at the end of the day, people were satisfied.
Work has literally become a 4 letter word… something that we have to endure in order to live. I think work is a beach. When we are inspired by our work, we create and innovate. We are more willing to try new things, and we sometimes make mistakes. We are learning!
So, if you are thinking to yourself “Work is a bi*%h”, then I encourage you to visit a beach… stat!
by Beth | Dec 23, 2014 | Interview Process, Leadership
I was recently flying back from Kansas City and was seated behind three gentlemen on a business trip. One of the men was the boss and the other 2 worked for him. I always like to listen in on conversations between employers and employees as I learn a tremendous amount through their interactions with one another, particularly when it comes to company culture. Here is a recounting of the conversation I overheard:
Boss on the phone: “I’ll call you when I get there. Bye honey!”
Employee #1: “You didn’t tell your wife what we were doing, did you?”
Boss: “Of course! I don’t lie to my wife.”
Employee #2 (laughing): “You just color the truth, right?”
Boss: “Nah. She sees through that crap. One of the things that I like about her. Now, about those reports…”
After that, the 3 men continued to laugh, joke around and talk about business, but the tone of the conversation had shifted. The boss had declared the values of his interaction with his wife and set the tone for the interaction with his employees. This short, simple conversation with the man’s wife had shifted the company culture. There is no longer the expectation that you lie to your wife (or to your employer for that matter). The boss declared that lying was unacceptable, and the employees paid attention.
I have lots of people ask me how to interview more effectively because they want a different company culture. My answer to them is always the same: shifting the culture is a simple conversation about values. Once you know your company values and can articulate them quickly, you have changed your company culture.
At A-list Interviews, our values are spelled out through an acronym of “A-list”: Authentic, Leadership, Integrity, Satisfaction and Teamwork. Where that culture really plays out is when we make a mistake, we take full responsibility for it. And we certainly don’t lie to our spouses (or employees) about it. If you want better culture, set the tone and your people will follow.
by Beth | Feb 22, 2012 | Adventures in Interviewing
Last week, as I was interviewing, I kept smelling bacon. It smelled SO GOOD! I felt like that dog in the Beggin’ Strips commercial whose sole focus was to get some bacon! Anyway, I turned to my client and said “I must be going crazy because I think I smell bacon!” She laughed and said “You aren’t crazy. Our staff makes lunch together, and they usually cook breakfast foods.” As I rounded the hallway to see for myself what was taking place, there were 5 people with plates piled high with bacon, eggs, pancakes and French toast crammed into one little office around an even smaller desk sharing a meal together.
Company culture can be created in so many different ways, and it doesn’t have to cost a lot or take up much time. These staff members not only enjoyed their bacon, but they were able to talk about work in a casual way. They created friendships and deeper relationships over those amazing pancakes, all while they were passing the syrup. Ask any of the employees and they will tell you that those brunches are not only fun, but they are also productive.
If your company is lagging behind, or employee morale is low, it might be time to introduce some fun into the game.
Making bacon together really can help you bring home the bacon!
I would love to hear from you if you or your employees introduced a morale boosting activity that has become part of your company culture?
While vacationing recently, I took long walks on the beach. The wind in my hair, the sun on my face, the sand under my toes… pure bliss. After a few days, I began to look around at the other folks enjoying their time on the beach as well. What I noticed was shocking… not a single person was on their phone. I didn’t see a soul on an iPad. I didn’t even see a Kindle. What I did see was people talking to each other. I saw people playing games together and building sand castles with their kids. I saw people napping, eating, reading and working. Yes, I did say working….