Back to School Spirit

The weeks after Labor Day trigger a “back to school” feeling for many of us. The air is filled with the possibilities of a fresh start that can be quite energizing. With the back to school spirit in mind, think about what’s on deck for you in the next three and a half months.

Consider things that are important to you that may have set aside because of more urgent priorities. Often, what is important can be overtaken by the urgencies of daily life. When we take time to breathe, we discover that important things may have been set aside.

Celebrating Labor Day

A holiday weekend is upon us with the celebration of Labor Day on Monday, September 6. Today, many people think of Labor Day as a national holiday that marks the unofficial end of summer, rather than thinking about the underlying history that resulted in its origins.

Labor Day came about in the late nineteenth century to honor workers and their achievements at a time when people were working mandatory 12-hour days, 7 days a week.

Does Your Company Have a Case of Presenteeism?

Why is employee engagement so important? Obviously, there are myriad answers, but at the core, the more engaged your employees are the better they will do their jobs. Better job performance results in fewer mistakes, which ultimately leads to more satisfied clients.

You know what absenteeism is, but are you familiar with presenteeism? This happens when employees show up at work and simply go through the motions of their jobs. They do the minimum amount of work without calling attention to their declining effectiveness and productivity.

Employees to Employers: “I QUIT!”

The Gallup Organization conducted a survey recently that concluded that 48% of people who are active employees are looking for new jobs. In fact, 3.6 million employees quit their jobs in May. Tried to hire recently? I’m sure you’ve experienced that this is more difficult than it has been in recent memory.

Gallup is coining this emerging trend as “The Great Resignation”, but suggests that the underlying theme is “The Great Discontent”.

The Impact of Leaders Who Step Up

I received an exceptional email from a founding partner of a national window covering company. He thanked me for my interest in their company and reinforced their commitment to the “health, happiness and safety of our team and our customers.”

So far, so good.

He then said, “You’re in great hands with your Design Consultant, but please don’t hesitate to reach out to me directly if you have any questions or if there is anything I can do to make your experience with us more enjoyable.”

Focus and Simplicity

“Focus and simplicity…once you get there,
you can move mountains.”
– Steve Jobs

It almost seems counterproductive to think that simplifying can make a difference in achieving the results you desire. Instead, we tend to overly complicate things. If we add this embellishment or that (time intensive) detail, we think the outcome will be so much better.

Clarity in Communication

Everyone is getting busier, which is great for business but perhaps more challenging in execution. This continues to be more complicated if you are working remotely or in a hybrid situation.

During the most intense periods of the pandemic, employees adapted and got the work done clumsily but effectively. What’s different now is the pace and higher levels of expectations. Business is returning to previous activity levels and leaders need to help their teams adjust to expectations.

The Price/Value Equation

The recent appearance of inflation in the economic data has spurred on price increases. With choruses of “welcome back” and “we’re returning to business as usual”, companies are charging more while offering the same or less as they did before the price increases.

While that may have worked in the past, today’s buyers expect more when prices go up.

Handling the Unexpected

No one likes to deal with disruptions, but let’s face it, every leader has dealt with the consequences of unexpected interruptions. Sometimes the timing can be so disruptive that you feel paralyzed about how to move forward.

Good decision-making ability is a the key to having the least disruptions during such times. People sometimes overly complicate making decisions. When you approach the problem by first looking at the intended outcome, you create a path for a better result.

Spot Check

Does it seem to you that the first half of the year just flew by? Let’s seize the moment by doing a spot check to analyze your progress towards this year’s goals.

Start by identifying your accomplishments. You can get as granular as you’d like, but you’ll benefit the most by looking at your top achievements.