Discover How You Can Learn the Significance of Focus for Your Team
August 21, 2008
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By Mohamed Abdul Rauf Bin Mohamed Yusope
There are many great lessons that one can learn from the importance of focus. One can learn that focus is important in many different aspects in life such as building a business, playing team and individual sports and building a strong relationship with others.
"No life ever grows great until it is focused, dedicated and disciplined." - Source Unknown
First great lesson about focus can be found when one is faced with big challenges in life. When face with big challenges in life, it can either motivate or break down individuals or team. The lesson here is when facing with major challenges, one can learn greatly by focusing on developing solutions for the challenges. Brainstorming and developing solutions can enable individuals or team to deter any distractions that might prevent them from overcoming the challenges.
Second great lesson here is it can enable individuals or team to identify the problems involved in the challenges clearly. Maintaining focus here can enable the individuals or team to list details of possible causes for the problems faced. Through such activities, it can enable team to work well together. Working well together can encourage great development of cohesion and support among each team member.
Third significant lesson in focus especially when working in a team is it enables the team to leverage on each other strength well. Through such measures, it can enable individual to develop and improve on each other strength well. For example, in business team, the business development team can develop on methods of branding the company to the next higher level while the finance team can focus on better management of money for the company. Such niche area of focus can enable the team to leverage on each other strength well and such efforts can ultimately provide great improvement and success for the team.
Fourth great lesson is it can also provide great test for the individuals and team when face with adversity and challenges. The lesson here is when face with adversity, it is important to focus on remaining together as team. There are many methods and strategies that team can use to overcome the challenges and adversity. Such methods can include welcoming constructive feedback among the team, monitoring on the development for the team effort and celebrating success together as a team. Such methods can enable better team work effort and satisfaction in the team. Overall, one can realize that focus can provide significant and positive results for individuals and team growth.
Article Source: http://www.leadershiparticles.net
Learn About Work At Home Ideas and Opportunities at Work at Home Ideas and Opportunities! Rauf writes articles on Home Business and Personal Development for Success.
Employee Gifts - Showing Your Appreciation & What it Can Do For Your Business
August 12, 2008
By Mark Choy
Giving out employee gifts is an appreciative gesture. A company can strengthen working relationships with the staff through the means of these employee gifts. There are different gift ideas when it comes to this matter.
You may opt to present items which they can use at home or in the office. Things such as pencil holders, mugs or even leather attaches are deeply appreciated. Moreover, you can take it a step further if you desire to imprint your company logo to the gifts that you are giving away. This will serve as a constant reminder to your employees that they are much appreciated and that you value their presence as a member of the team.
Another employee gift idea would be custom figurines. You may want to present your own design and give it to a specialist business which will gladly come up with some items which will be deeply appreciated by your staff. You may want to have a paper weight with the logo of your company.
To take it a step further and to let your staff know that they are deeply appreciated, you may decide to come up with a miniature of their own images. This would surely be a good gesture for your employees (and also helps market your company at the same time!).
Make sure that your employee gifts show that you care about the service and hard work that they give your company. Remember that without your staff, your company will not prosper the way that it is today. Employee gifts express your appreciation and help boost staff morale.
To find out more about employee gifts and custom figurines that are totally unique go to MiniMeGifts.com - Mark Choy is the founder of MiniMeGifts.com and you can get the latest and cool in unique gifts. The runaway trend of the year - customized figurines.
The Power of Fun
July 23, 2008
By Grace Judson
Last week, I went to Disneyland for the first time ever. Being fortunate enough to have native guides (two people who play there often, one of whom used to work there), I didn't do any planning or research - I just showed up and allowed the day to be whatever it wanted to be.
It was an absolute blast - and since I live just an hour away, I'm looking forward to going again soon!
Along with rediscovering my delight in roller coasters, I found myself considering fun. What are my reactions, and my clients' and friends' reactions, to fun, and where does it belong in life? What expectations do we have about fun, and how could we shift those expectations to have more fun?
My conclusion is that for most people, fun is what happens after everything else is done - after all those weighty responsibilities are taken care of. Fun is something we earn. Fun belongs at home; it might happen at work, but it's not usually what we think of when we look at our career goals.
On the other hand, we know from fields of study such as Positive Psychology and Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi's work on the experience of flow that when you're having fun, you're much more engaged and much more productive.
Your own experience backs that up. Just think of the last time you enjoyed what you were doing, and how quickly the time passed and how much you got done. Then compare that to the last time you had to force yourself to do something you didn't want to do.
So in celebration of roller coasters, summer (or winter for those of you in the southern hemisphere), and just plain life, here's my invitation to you to have more fun at work - and some practical suggestions to help that happen.
Start with intention
Next Monday morning when you're dreading getting up and facing another week, set an intention to find something fun in your day - every day. Be curious about how it will show up each day, each hour, each moment.
Curiosity and an intention to have fun will open your eyes to opportunities you wouldn't otherwise see. New ways to approach old challenges, creative ideas for problem-solving, and inspirations for real leadership - all of these spring from an intention to be curious and have fun.
Break rules
Whose rule is it, anyway, and why is it a rule?
I'm not talking about ignoring standard operating procedures and workflows. They're there for a reason; understanding how work moves from one person or area to the next, understanding who needs to know about something, understanding who's responsible for deadlines and approvals - all of that is crucial to the smooth, functional operation of any organization.
On the other hand, who says you have to have a meeting sitting down - or indoors? Why not go to breakfast with someone instead of going to lunch? What about not using PowerPoint for your next presentation?
Your organization's rules - and your personal rules - are unique. Think about which ones you can have fun breaking, while remaining careful of stepping on unspoken organizational taboos.
Do what you want
No, no, I don't mean going to Disneyland instead of going to the office! But within the context of your work, what has real juice for you? What's exciting? What tasks do you use as a reward for getting other, less-interesting stuff done?
What if you were to focus on those tasks, instead of on all the others that you think you "should" do?
When you focus on the interesting work, other supposedly less-interesting tasks tend to come along for the ride - they get done as a side benefit. But when you focus on the less-interesting work, then you get bogged down in the tedium and funlessness, and progress slows to a crawl.
Engage with others
Some corporate cultures are more social than others, but no matter what the norm is in your organization, it's fun to find ways to connect.
Within teams, a little social knowledge of your co-workers deepens trust, and with trust, more gets done. It's that simple. And you'll have more fun doing it.
You don't need elaborate team-building events or potluck parties or Happy Hours to create social engagement. Those sorts of things can be great, but it's the day-to-day opportunity to (for instance) tell a brief personal story at the beginning of a meeting that really builds the frameworks of trust.
And that's as simple as starting out by saying, "I went to Disneyland for the first time this past week - it was great! Who else has been there? What's your favorite ride?"
"To love what you do and feel that it matters - how could anything be more fun?" Katharine Graham, 1917-2001, American publisher, CEO, and board chair of the Washington Post.
Resources
You can find more information about Positive Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania's Positive Psychology Center site: www.ppc.sas.upenn.edu/
Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi's work includes Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, Finding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life, and Good Business: Leadership, Flow, and the Making of Meaning, among others. You can find all his books on Amazon.
(His last name is pronounced "chick-SENT-me-hi-ee.")
And my favorite ride at Disneyland is Space Mountain. No two ways about it. Wanna go? I'll meet you in line!
(Just for the record, I have no affiliation with Disney - I just had a really great time!)
(c)Grace L. Judson
It's not magic. It's just positive workplace politics.
About the Author
I'm Grace Judson, the founder of and driving force behind Svaha Concepts
Feeling trapped between your career goals and your loathing for "playing politics"? You can remain true to your values and integrity and still be politically savvy. For more information or to access my free resources (including my free workbook "The Five Deadly Shoulds of Office Politics that Maul, Mangle, and Murder Careers (and what to do about them)," please visit Svaha Concepts' website
Leadership Tools For Inspiration and Motivation
July 19, 2008
By Bryant Nielson
Inspiration and motivation are musts for any leader. You can have perfect structures, awesome communication, and loads of emotional intelligence, but they aren't worth much if your group is not inspired and motivated to keep moving. What are some of the ways you can inspire and motivate?
First, you should take the time to encourage others. Don't confuse this with coaching - this is simply the act of telling people in the group that you believe in them and that their work is valuable to you and the organization. When you encourage this way, you can also cross the line into empowerment. Sometimes, you can encourage a person by telling them that you believe in their abilities to make decisions - and allow them to do it. Encouragement and empowerment go a long way to create an inspired atmosphere. Jack Welch famously said that the best way to harness people's power is to "let them loose, let them go."
With this newfound empowerment, you should try to create energy in other ways. For example, you must know what motivates people. In community organizations, it may be the motivation to create a better world, to help people. In your family, members could be motivated by personal factors or just the desire to do something, like playing soccer or taking ballet. In corporate situations, you may find that money, praise, or the promise of advancement motivates some people. When you look for motivation, think about your group and break it down from there. Remember that creating energy involves putting the spotlight on others' successes.
Many times, the leader of a group is the one who receives the congratulations when things go well - if the members of your group truly contributed to the effort, you should have no problem giving them credit. The fact that your group is competent will only make your leadership look brighter. With empowerment and the spotlight comes accountability. If someone falls short of a goal, you must find out why and hold that person accountable for it. It's a way of teaching that the authority of empowerment comes with serious responsibility. We'll talk about coaching in an upcoming Foundations of Leadership article.
Show your investment and commitment to the group. It may be easy to empower, but what do you do when a person seems to reach their zenith with nowhere else to go? It may be time to send them for education or conferences. Think about the possibility of rotating people in the group through other areas of responsibility. You, as the leader, must prove that you are committed to success and that you are willing to invest in group members to keep them. This is probably easier in corporate situations, where there may be a budget for education or rotation. What about a community organization?
Think about the ways you can show investment in the group where cost may be a factor. Perhaps cross-training group members in other functions could be a way to show that you value their contributions and that you're willing to do what it takes to keep them around. When you go home, take the time and money for soccer teams or dance lessons - as long as the accountability is there, you can prove that you want to see advancement.
The spirit of inspiration and motivation continues by driving for results. One of the best ways to do this is to set realistic but challenging goals - you're already aware of the group's abilities and motivations, so why not give them something to reach for? And show urgency in your drive for results - goals should always have a challenging timeline attached to them. Of course, any forward movement will almost always run across challenges and obstacles.
You have to show that the momentum must continue in spite of the obstacles and challenges. You can either move the obstacles out of the way or challenge the group to come up with creative ways to go around the obstacle. Either way, you're inspiring the group to keep moving and keep thinking. Are goals and timelines applicable outside of corporate settings? In most cases they are. Think about your community and family involvement and what kind of goals you can set in order to keep people motivated.
When you inspire and motivate a group, you'll be surprised at the energy and loyalty you'll create.
Copyright 2007-2008 Bryant Nielson. All Rights Reserved.
Bryant Nielson - National Corporate Sales Trainer - assists executives, business owners, and top performing sales executives in taking the leap from the ordinary to extraordinary. Bryant is a trainer, business & leadership coach, and strategic planner for many sales organizations. Bryant's 27 year business career has been based on his results-oriented style of empowering.
Subscribe to his blog at: http://www.BryantNielson.com
7 Tips To Help You Maintain Your Discipline While Working at Home
May 19, 2008
by: ameenmk
The good news about working for yourself is that you don't have a boss breathing down your neck. The bad news about working for yourself is that you don't have a boss breathing down your neck.
Working for yourself can be great, but it can also be frustrating, especially if you don't feel that your self-discipline is in good working order. Self-employment gives you more flexibility to decide when you will go to work, what your priorities are, and when you need to take a break. But running your own business generally requires more self-discipline than you would need if you worked as an employee.
Thing is, self-discipline is critical. It is easy to get distracted or procrastinate. Family interruptions and our own resistance-especially when it comes to tasks that we don't like doing but that still need doing-can get in the way of making steady progress. Without a boss and coworkers around to help keep you focused, it will be easy to spend too much time eating, sleeping, watching television, golfing, or even working. You must be disciplined.
Here are some initial suggestions to help you increase your work discipline:
Treat the business as a business. Simply having this attitude can easily eliminate many problems. When you treat yourself like a real business, others will too.
Keep office hours. A realistic daily schedule fosters discipline. For many loan officers, discipline means getting to the office by
Make a daily task plan. Plan what you are going to do in the course of the day, and when you will accomplish each task. Consider making a rule that when you are done with the tasks on that day's schedule, you are done for the day. This will help avoid workaholism or burnout.
Know your rhythm. Some of us are morning people, some are best in the afternoon, while others thrive at
Set rules for yourself. Decide the circumstances under which you will take time off to play, read or watch television, what interruptions you are willing to allow, and when you will do household chores.
Dress for work, even at home. Similarly, some folks find that it helps to dress nice. No suit required, but the casual Friday look, for example, might be appropriate.
Create "company policies." In addition to setting rules for yourself, it is equally important to set policies so that family, friends, and business associates know what to expect from you and how to behave. For instance, you may find that your spouse or a neighbor expects you to do chores while they are at work. You may want to do this, or you may not. Either way, having policies that include this kind of thing makes such decisions easier.
Article Source: http://www.ArticleStreet.com/
Don't Rain on my Parade-
May 14, 2008
How to Deal with Negative People
Have you noticed negative or difficult people around you are affecting your otherwise cheerful disposition (and how unfair is that)? Someone who knows nothing is making your life miserable. Why do Negative Nellie’s feel they need to unload their pent up vex at an unsuspecting person? What is up with the negativity?
Studies by the
The unfortunate part is we tend to become like the people we are around the most. For instance, when you visit somewhere and people have accents you tend to take on the accent, people in groups tend to dress alike and take on similar characteristics.
This may mean because you are around negative people you may become negative too! Yikes.
Listen to people complaining endlessly about work, and you'll find yourself starting to do the same. Add to it that negative emotions exert a more powerful effect in social situations than positive ones.
Unfortunately you can’t eliminate the negative person, but you can find ways to deal with them. If you were around someone with an infectious disease you would probably take steps to reduce the risk. Negativity is infectious so it makes sense that we should ward it off.
Negative behaviors are defense mechanisms; they protect people from developing relationships, from taking risks, from getting in trouble or making mistakes. If you can permeate the wall there defenses hold up you have a hope of diffusing toxic emotions.
Make ‘em Smile!
Anger and negativity usually stem from the anxiety, fear response in the brain, -one of the oldest, most primitive parts of our brain. Also responsible for the fight or flight response, It reacts without thinking. From a Society for Neuroscience article on Bliss and the Brain: A scrutiny of brain activity indicates that individuals with natural positive dispositions have trumped up activity in the left prefrontal cortex compared with their more negative counterparts. "Happy people think more logically. If you can make someone smile or laugh you literally force them to use a different part of their brain that is more logical and reasonable. A person cannot be negative and smile or laugh at the same time.
Let it roll off your back
Some people are just ANGRY. Negativity, hatred and disgust are boring and not worth your time. Sometimes these people are out there to help you develop your resolve to stay positive no matter what.
Distance yourself from negative people by taking a detached, impersonal view. The more you can see them as separate from yourself, the less likely you'll be to interpret their behavior as being a personal attack against you. It's just the way they are; you had nothing to do with it!
Adjust your tolerance. People who are easily annoyed have a low level of tolerance for inconveniences or frustrations. Think of yourself as “buoyant” and resilient in the face of stress and respond that way. Find out what triggers your anger, and then to develop strategies to keep those triggers from tipping you over the edge.
If you are confident and feel good about yourself you are more likely to be buoyant to negativity and be a force for change.
Negative people try to validate their victim hood by pulling others into their warped view.
Don’t be their prey! Think of it this way, If someone were to say “Nice job of handling that”- what would you have done to deserve that comment?
Interrupt Negativity- When someone is heralding negative assumptions simply do something to distract from it or stop it. I love to do the unexpected because it literally halts a persons point of view and gets them thinking about something different. It is the whole premise of humor. It has to be unexpected to be funny (which is why you don’t laugh at a joke if you’ve heard the punch line before).
Pass some perspective please.
Who says criticism requires anger? Who says doing overtime is a bad thing? It all depends on your perspective.
Negative accusatory people are likely inferring things that aren’t true. Their flawed assumptions are creating a negatively warped picture. Clear up the facts so you both see a clear picture.
Do you Fight? Or Flight?
My experience is under stress people either fight back or retreat. It is the classic fight or flight response at play. Your mind tends to respond to stressful situations as dangerous and immediately fights back to protect, or your retreat( run away, disengage) Physically within your body adrenaline pumps into your blood stream and stored fats turn into sugar for energy, your digestive and immune systems suppress and your focus become fight or flight.
This response was very useful for cavemen but much less adaptive for today’s society and acute sources of stress. For example, one of the key sources of dissatisfaction in the workplace today is lack of appreciation, our stress response to feeling unacknowledged would have us fight or retreat, making the situation worse. As long as all stress is seen as dangerous, which for a lot of people it is, than this fight or flight reaction can wreak havoc on your life. Prolonged continuous flight or flight reaction takes a strong physical toll on your health. The degenerative wear and tear leads to heart attack, stroke, cancer, diabetes and more.
The best thing to do is short circuit the fight/ flight response by refusing to react.
- Respond to stress by recognizing your pattern. Under stress do you typically fight (get angry, lose your temper) or flight (disengage, give in, or become passive)
- Reframe your attitude to perceive the stress as a challenge not a threat. If you feel a lack of appreciation challenge the situation and yourself to recognize why you are upset and how can you get the recognition you deserve.
Have a good laugh- we often laugh hardest when we have been feeling most tense. Just because you laugh doesn’t mean you don’t take it seriously.
Remember positive people ground your outlook so find positive people and be around them.
The next time someone tries to rain on your parade and affect your sunny outlook you will know what to do about it.
Jody Urquhart is a professional speaker who for the last ten years has motivated and inspired professionals to use humor to change there lives. Please contact us to see how we can recognize and inspire professionals at your next event. "http://www.idoinspire.com/"
What Every Supervisor Should Know To Succeed - Set the Example
May 14, 2008
By Shaun Kieran
Your employees experience you by what you say, and what you do. It's not that you have to be perfect, brilliant, or totally know everyone's job, but how you handle yourself at work is huge.
Some bosses are the driven, Type A characters who can be inspiring to work for, especially if their intelligence or creative gifts add up to tangible rewards for everyone else. But most employees find those folks to be ultimately too much. They're too jarring to deal with. Plus, it's hard to sustain trying to get into alignment with a workaholic.
The key example a leader should set is the focus on the work, while at work. Being very determined can be good, bringing high seriousness to the project can be exactly what's needed, but a good manager can also be light-hearted, even funny.
It's possible to have wonderful conversations about kids, baseball, movies - whatever - with relaxed bosses. But good bosses also like to talk about the work - how are we doing, what's been happening, what else can we do, how can I help you?
It's really important to recognize good work, in both senses - be able to know it when you see it, and also say it out loud.
Say "thank you" anytime you reasonably can. Yes, praise can be overdone, especially if it seems too pat or automatic, but it's a critical piece of true human motivation. People need to know you're watching, recognizing what's actually going on, and appreciating the effort.
Integrity is more than not lying; it's about honorable motivation. It's noticed right away if it looks like you're trying to take credit for someone else's work. And, if you actually get caught, that's a major loss of credibility.
Go the other way - convey that you're the fortunate colleague of wonderful workers. Get them the resources they need. Shoulder blame and defend your people from criticism, especially sniping from outside or even from on high.
Being relaxed can make all the difference. The underlying message being conveyed is that the work is not overwhelming: "We're in this to succeed, and we all will if we just stay focused, keep moving forward, learn from mistakes, and trust and support each other."
For more than 30 years, Shaun Kieran has been helping supervisors navigate the often difficult human environment so necessary for success in the modern workplace. Visit his website http://springpointservices.com/blog/ to find more resources on this and other topics of interest. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shaun_Kieran
Give Your Quality Team a Kick Start
May 12, 2008
By Gail Yahner
Do you feel like you should start naming the days of the week after their behaviors?
- Maudlin Mondays – where they "can't get motivated" for the week?
- Tired Tuesdays- two days into the work week and you can see the productivity lessening?
- Where did they go Wednesdays- did they disappear or are they avoiding the boss?
- That isn't for me anymore Thursdays- are they looking for other jobs or career opportunities?
- Funday Friday isn’t fun any more
- Show no enthusiasm Saturdays- as the saying goes… I am up, dressed and at work; what more do you want?
Does this sound like your quality team? While we can hope for a motivated, happy team at all times, we know that won’t always be the case.
Since you can't just dump them, hire new QA's and start over again. You may privately dream that dream but that probably isn’t really an option.
Teams go through cycles and phases. Even the strongest teams have cases of the doldrums once in a while.
Once you determine that there are no underlying issues that need to be dealt with (or you have dealt with the issues) and it's just a case of the blahs taking over the team…. it is time to get that team Kick Started!
Show your appreciation: at least once a month come into work on a Sunday evening and leave little thank you bags on their stations! What a nice thing for them to see when they come in to start their new work week! You can purchase small plastic party bags at the Dollar Tree (or make your own), toss in a note pad, a colored gel pen or an unusual pencil, a stress ball and a few pieces of candy. It is like getting a Christmas stocking with stocking stuffers- fun!
Have your QA Team meeting outside- the weather is getting nice, so take that meeting outside and enjoy the change of scenery
Have a Trading Spaces for their work stations: team everyone up and have them do a work station redo. Limit the time to 45 min for each team and watch to see how many Hildi's or Doug's come crawling out of the carpet.
Hold a monthly productivity party: If the monthly required number of coaching/monitoring for the site is 98% or above, then the team has a Potluck Party to celebrate. With each team member bringing a dish to share and the site or the manager provides the main course. This doesn't need to be costly, think Italian theme ie spaghetti or a Mexican Fiesta ie tacos.
Create a trophy or award: let the team decide upon a weekly/monthly traveling trophy given to the QA that has the most monitors completed or has the highest quality ranking teams. Have fun with the presentation: make some well deserved noise, send out a "congrats" email to the center recognizing the honored QA. Once the trophy has been presented, it should reside at the workstation of the deserving QA until the next person pries it from their fingers.
Have fun and enjoy!
Gail is a contributing writer for Call Center Cafe, the Community for Call Center Professionals. As the self professed Call Center Quality Queen, Gail shares her experiences in Quality and Training with readers. If you are would like to read more of Gail’s articles please visit: http://www.callcentercafe.com While you are on the site, sign up for the free e newsletter: The Call Center Café Newsletter at http://www.callcentercafe.com/call-center-newsletter/
