Are Your Circuits Overloaded?

Did you know that we are exposed to almost 16 thousand bits of information each day? This includes messages from other people, the computer, television, radio, and from what we read, study, or even pass by on our way to work, school, errands, etc. Zap! Yikes! Many of these messages we have little to no control over, but, collectively, they can contribute to big time burnout or meltdown…circuit overload!

We all know the cost to family life and organizations can be staggering!
Many of today’s organizations have workplace wellness programs and are beginning to tune in and better understand how “survivor syndrome” is affecting their cultures and bottom line results. The issues that arise from circuit overload - burnout, overload, and meltdown – like poor morale, disengagement, disloyalty, poor productivity – are real and can be managed! First and foremost, we need to be aware of the changes in our own attitude and behavior and then practice self-management. If we are people managers, before we can help our employees, we need to be in “power surge” mode ourselves.

So, turn up your dimmer switch! Do you know the warning signs of burnout, overload and meltdown?
 Feeling moody – a prevailing sadness and gloomy feeling.
 Decision making is difficult – seems impossible to make big life changes; even small decisions are harder than ever to make.
 Irritable is your middle name – low-grade anger and resentment or stress makes you prone to snapping and sniping at others over petty things.
 Relax – not! Your body feels tense, and as much as you try, you can’t seem to relax. Going to sleep is difficult and you probably wake up and worry in the wee hours.
 On-going colds or other maladies – Your body is run-down and you tend to pick up colds or other infections like a magnet.
 Low power or no power – no matter how much you rest, you feel exhausted, depleted, and energy-sapped.
 Eating habits change – overeating or loss of appetite – either is a sign of trouble.

If you or your employee(s) are experiencing even just two or three of these warning signs, getting back on track is possible with some positive action that builds healthy circuits. If more than three are apparent, please seek assistance…sooner than later…before the circuits blow!

Now more than ever, managers and employees need to stay “connected” in a positive way, and I don’t mean “T2T” - always using technology! Focusing on the ever-important “P2P” (people-to-people) relationships – will build trust, understanding, and loyalty – all of which lead to happier people/employees, a more productive work (and home) environment, and a healthier bottom line.

What are you doing to build and stabilize healthy circuits and bring more positive energy to your life and to your workplace?

Light-en Up!

Happy Spring everyone! It’s so good to finally see the daylight well into the evening hours! It’s time again to shed our winter gear and Light-en Up and Power–Up in attitude and spirit.

There is still much uncertainty out there as we turn the corner of this recession. We don’t have much control over what’s happening in the economy or job market, so remember – we can’t rule the world, but we can control our piece of it! Amid all the doom and gloom, uncertainty is the enemy of the heart. We have the power to not just survive, but thrive…in spite of it all! Even though we all get thrown off track now and again, imbalance can lead to change and empowerment -- with the right attitude, power source and light guiding us!

Are you experiencing a time of black out, brown out, or period of low power? Increase your wattage by (re)focusing your energy and on your personal journey… and no one elses. It’s important to make decisions and choices that are right for you, to set boundaries, and walk thru fear to courage. Generosity is a wonderful thing, but not when it comes to our personal power!

In the world of “P2P” (people-to-people) let’s not forget – the #1 Relationship to get right is with YOURSELF, first and foremost.

So, keep your power -- over our attitudes, thoughts, and behavior – and get ready for the upturn… It’s coming!

Power-Up and Light-en Up! Let your light shine – at home, at work and wherever you go! Be the wonderful, authentic you…The only you that will ever exist! Watch what happens!

OK, all together now, here’s a quick power surge for you… Sing it or hum it with me, “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine...”

Barry Eva's "A Book and A Chat" Blog Radio Show

I had the great pleasure to be the guest author on Barry Eva's (Storyheart) blog radio show, "A Book and A Chat," last night. Barry and I met last fall while manning the CAPA booth at the Big E. We had a great conversation that day and picked it right up again last night. He's a terrific author, radio personality, and, most importantly, great human being!

Thanks, Barry, it was great fun! Here's the link to Barry's site. http://abookandachat.blogspot.com/

The chat can also be found on my website, www.posimpact.net - Have a listen! Enjoy!

Happy New Year! Are You Bouncing Back?

Happy New Year, everyone! It’s hard to believe that we’re beginning our fourth year of Positive Impact! As I’ve traveled around doing my thing these past few years, so many people have asked me how I stay so upbeat and positive! Everyone goes through tough times, and I’m no exception. We’ve all had our share, especially these past couple of years. How we navigate them and “bounce back” is critical to surviving and thriving… personally and professionally.

To help you to stay on track or to “bounce back” this year, I’m happy to launch a new format for my newsletters this year that will include some of my personal navigation tips – words of wisdom, reflections, affirmations, articles and practical advice – that have helped me to focus on the positive and continue moving forward over the years.

Check out my website, www.posimpact.net, for the January edition, "Bouncing Back..."

Here’s to 2010 and new beginnings! Enjoy!

Looking Up & Forward!

It’s mid-December and what a year we’ve experienced! As we approach another new beginning, it’s important for all of us to look up and forward to 2010 with hope and enthusiasm for positive change!

Since the fourth quarter of 2008 and throughout 2009, smart organizations and wise leaders – from solopreneurs to large corporations and non-profits – began (and continue) a process of realignment to serve our (internal/external) customers as well as possible during these changing times to survive and prepare for the upturn. Although, as leaders and managers, we couldn’t do much about the economy at large, we could take certain steps to safeguard our organizations against professional and organizational disaster. We tightened up our spending, went back-to-basics, retooled, and, at times, found it necessary to even resize. Many of us also took advantage of the opportunities presented by the economic downturn to invest in our infrastructures – refreshed websites, new advertising and marketing initiatives, and even added products/services. (Have you heard about my new “Positiv-A-Tea ®”? Check out my website, www.posimpact.net for details about this great new team building program!)

As you’ve heard me say so many times, one of the key elements of our infrastructures is our people, the employees. It’s no secret that resources are strained these days; those wise organizations who recognize and continue to develop and invest in the human resources - the people who are really running their businesses - will hit the jackpot in the short and long run! Their investment in improving the overall workplace environment and boosting morale helps the organization to weather the storm, prepare and recover much quicker and more successfully. Most importantly, it will keep the best and brightest of its talent more fully engaged, thereby, improving customer service and ultimately, bottom-line results.

Engaging the people who are really driving the organization needs to be at the top of this year’s gift list! Keeping morale and productivity up when doing more with less is more critical than ever. As we come to the close of 2009 and begin 2010, (re)building trust, improving communication, growing and fostering the essential “P2P” team relationships are critical to achieving successful results in any organization!

Investing in your people is the greatest gift you can give - to them, to yourself, your organization and to the bottom-line. Spend some time talking with them, informing them about how things are going, retraining and cross-training them, and most of all, having some fun with them! I hope you will continue with the tradition of a holiday gathering - even if it’s on a smaller budget – it will help to improve morale and is needed more than ever this year!

Think about the people on your team(s) and your responses to the following questions as we approach the close of a very difficult year: Do morale and productivity need a boost? Is your organization rebuilding its team after resizing? Do your team members need a renewed sense of community? Does your team need “Positive Energy” and refocusing for the 2010 upturn? I can help…Let’s talk – “P2P”!

Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! Happy New Year to all of you! I wish you all the blessings of good health, work-life balance, family harmony and the joy of building the essential “P2P” (people-to-people) relationships – both personally and professionally! Thank you for your friendship, your support, and your business this year.

The other day, I received The Gratitude Circle" newsletter from my dear friend and colleague, Deanna Collins. What a message! The topic headline was, "Is Negativity Holding You Back?"
(Check out her newsletters - website www.gratitudecollections.net)

I'm new to the blogging thing but, felt compelled to post the following comments on her blog. Hope you find it helpful...Power-Up, Everyone!

I am so with you on all of this, as you know! With all the doom and gloom in today's workplaces, this message is more important than ever! Never mind the H1N1 virus, negativity can be much worse because it robs us of our spirit. Talk about a "power drain!"

I love the song, "This Little Light of Mine," because it reminds me that we all have the "power" within to choose to be as positive as possible and "light-en up." If we all made the choice every day to practice the principles you talk about, think about the tremendous "power surge" we'd experience - in our homes and workplaces - it would be blinding - of course, in a positive way! What a positive impact our "lights" would have on our families, friends, and in the workplace - on our employees, customers, colleagues, vendors, etc. and bottom-line results!

Imagine - It all began with one little light!

To all Gratitude Circle followers: Let's change the pattern today - choose to "turn up your dimmer switch" today - "light-en up" and give yourself and the world around you a "power surge!" Watch what happens…

What’s Right with People? Have You Asked them Lately?

One of my last positions in the corporate world several years ago involved the administration of the employee survey that took place every other year. As the manager of the employee strategy, I interacted with employees at every level of the organization. Overseeing the data collection, analysis of participants’ responses, and the cross-functional action planning processes for improvements that followed was very “engaging” and interesting work.

Many employee surveys are developed and based upon Gallup organization research. After hundreds of focus groups and thousands of interviews with employees in a variety of industries, Gallup came up with the “Q12,” a 12-question survey that identified strong feelings of employee engagement. Results showed a strong correlation between high scores and superior job performance. This research and its overall connection to managerial effectiveness and business results have been invaluable to many organizations ever since. Even some CFO’s (the numbers people) have seen the light about the connection between engagement levels and bottom-line results!

In addition to Gallup, many organizations and global consulting groups have explored the subject of employee engagement. You may recognize some of them: The Conference Board, Towers Perrin, SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management), ASTD (American Society for Training and Development), and the Corporate Leadership council, to name a few.

It’s important to remember that surveying employees and changing the culture are two very different things. Many organizations/companies pay a lot of money (internal salaries and/or external consulting fees) to perform engagement studies and surveys. After spending a lot of time (and money) analyzing and preparing reports for the “upper deck” leadership and creating strategies to implement positive change, in many cases, the work and successful execution of these strategies comes to a stop or gets side tracked, leaving the employees thinking this effort was just “another flavor of the month” program… Lots of time and money spent for what?

Many of you have heard me talk about engagement statistics in my workshops and community college classes. To keep it simple, I’ve combined, averaged and rounded some of these stats for you. Did you know? In most organizations, approximately…
• 20% of employees are fully engaged
• 20% are disengaged
• 60% are what I call the “somewhat’s” – those who are somewhat engaged and somewhat disengaged.

I bet, if you stop and think about your organization, your numbers would be similar. You know the players…

The “engaged”…those who are a joy to work with! They come to work early with a smile and a great can-do attitude. They are eager to learn; run with the ball and, need minimal supervision on our part. Be sure to continue to recognize and reward them appropriately and to offer them development opportunities so they will remain “engaged.”

The “somewhat’s” are the solid middle - the C and B players who are the core of the organization; and, the disengaged, well…you know who they are, too.

With what group do you think we as managers spend most of our time? If you answered, the disengaged, you are correct. Studies show, most managers spend about 80% of their time on (disengaged) employee issues – performance management, attitude adjustment, and other interpersonal and team building issues. Did you know that disengaged employees cost organizations over $300 billion in lost productivity each year?

Do you think it is possible to move the disengaged up into the “somewhat” or engaged groups? Well, hope and positive thinking prompts us to try! But, the hard reality is that rarely do these disengaged folks change their behavior. Improving engagement is a shared commitment and continuous dialogue – between (effective) fully engaged managers and their employees. Do you have employees who feel like "round pegs" in "square holes?" Our conversations with employees should center around the question, "Is this who you are or who you want to be?" It comes down to asking "what can I as a leader do to help you as an employee meet your personal priorities?"

As managers, we need to try to help the “disengaged” with performance improvement plans, coaching, and the like, for a reasonable period of time; of course, always with the guidance of HR. Please, do what is fair, but wasting too much time (and money) is futile… Disengaged employees can have wide-ranging negative effects on a business. Best practices manage them out before they pollute the environment any further.

So, where then should we devote most of our efforts as managers? Where are the odds higher for moving employee performance upward? You’ve got it! With the “somewhat’s!” Research has proven that there is a much higher rate of success in moving the “somewhat’s” closer to the engaged group than there is with improving the disengaged.

So, do yourself and your organization a favor! Open up the conversation channels with all employees, especially the “somewhat’s,” on a regular basis. Ask them their opinions on some key engagement topics: company practices, career & development opportunities, people in leadership and management, quality of life, competitive rewards, and their general work activities, processes, resources. Take the time to develop what’s right with the “somewhat’s” – they are the sleepers!

During these challenging economic times, the “new normal” of leaner organizations has brought survivor syndrome into full bloom. Engagement has never been more critical. As managers, it’s critical to pay close attention to those that are left – those who are really running the day-to-day organization, who are executing your business strategy, who are driving your business results!

Is it easy? No...There is no one-size fits all solution for creating an engaged workforce. No matter what generation - employees want balance, work satisfactionand a good manager who appreciates them.

Did you know?
• +10 – Increasing positive emotions can add 10 years to your lifespan
• Positive interactions don’t just make your job easier; they are vital to a healthy and fulfilling work life
• 65% of Americans say they received NO PRAISE for their work last year – no wonder they are disengaged!
• 9 out of 10 people believe they are more productive when they’re around positive people
• #1 reason people quit jobs – they don’t feel appreciated!

To survive, smart companies do what they have to do – they take advantage of business downturns to continue to develop their people - train in the downturn, implement in the upturn! This preparation helps the company to weather the storm - keeps the best and brightest of its talent more fully engaged which will help them to recover much quicker and more successfully.

Although, as managers, we can’t do much about the economy at large, we can do certain things to safeguard our organizations against professional and organizational disaster. Engaging employees is at the top of the list!

It’s back-to-basics, again folks! Patience, perseverance and positive…

If you’re a people-manager, what is the number one thing you want your employees to do every day? Answer: Come to work! Uplifting employees and boosting morale can help to improve the workplace environment; (you and your) employees will want to come to work! Without the people, nothing happens!

What is the one thing you can start doing today to create a more positive workplace environment for you and your employees? Rather than focus on the negatives about people in your workgroup and organization - flip it around and ask, “What’s right with people?” And, watch what happens!


A Positive Workplace Means Business! It Just Makes Cent$! ®