Uncategorized – Page 2

Lessons From the Edge

“I see hundreds of high-level professionals who are brilliant, achievement-oriented and accomplished, but at the same time exhausted, depleted, depressed and demoralized. In the pursuit of a great career, they’ve compromised their health and well-being. …Sacrificing your health and well-being demonstrates your lack of prioritizing yourself as important, failing to understand that you must care for yourself before you can be of true service to anyone else, your organization, yourfamily or your employer.” ~ Kathy Caprino for Forbes https://www.forbes.com/sites/kathycaprino/2012/09/05/what-you-should-never-compromise-on-while-building-your-career/#70cbc8a95298 Picture this. I’m at a large consulting firm and meeting an executive client for the first time, I turn to greet her and notice immediately that her eye is twitching so wildly that she can’t even make eye contact with us. What we learn is she was just notified that she would be traveling out of the country the next day on business and her housekeeper just reported that the washer broke mid spin cycle. So, the clothes she needed for the trip are submerged in 15 gallons of soapy water. The icing on the cake is that the housekeeper doesn’t speak English. I explain we will have a Spanish-speaking team member call the housekeeper and ask her to take the wet clothes to the laundromat to wash them. Meanwhile a member of our team headed to the house to check the warranty and manage the washer repair. When I mentioned we would pick up voltage converters and healthy snacks for her trip on the way, I saw a tear roll down her face. She said nothing. I opened my arms and gave her a big hug. Dare we admit that we have been that executive a time or two? Perhaps you are surrounded by

Building Your Corporate Culture…one small gesture at a time

The September 2014 Robert Half article titled, “9 Low-Cost Ways to Keep Employee Retention High” reminds us that it is often the small gestures that are important. But, isn’t that usually the case in life? Men, don’t get me wrong, expensive jewelry is always appreciated! However, dare I admit that remembering my favorite dessert or finding a message on a Post It note when I open my laptop can mean almost as much. This concept reminds me of the saying, “Rome wasn’t built in a day” and neither is your company’s culture. The foundation may be your Core Values and Mission Statement, but you have an opportunity to lay bricks each day with the small gestures and initiatives that are in complete alignment. An example of one small initiative at TimeSquared Concierge is that we gather personal information during on-boarding and you never know when that information may be used to surprise you. For example, your favorite ice cream flavor may be purchased for the office when you make a big sale or your favorite type of flowers might be sent to you when you are out sick. We are in the business of anticipating needs and making our clients feel special. Why wouldn’t we do the same for our valued employees. After all, without them, our company simply couldn’t succeed. I’d love to hear some of your signature small gestures that shape your corporate culture. https://www.roberthalf.com/blog/9-low-cost-ways-to-keep-employee-retention-high

Great advice on ways to safeguard our four-legged family members

We are always looking for ways to keep you happy and healthy! So, we'd like to share this blog post from K-9 Coach. They are a great dog training, grooming, boarding company that we highly recommend. This particular post is important because it warns all of us about some foods that you probably didn't realize could be harmful to your pet. For example, grapes could cause renal failure in dogs and Macadamia nuts can be poisonous! So, heed these warnings...... no matter how much they give you those pleading "puppy dog eyes". http://www.k-9coach.com/category/blog/

To Do Or Not To Do….That Is The Question

Tommy Newberry, the author of “Success Is Not An Accident”, teaches us that we should focus on our greatest contribution to our organization and every day we should dedicate more time towards that effort. Of course, I’m hoping Tommy will appreciate the shout out and forgive the paraphrase! Everyone should be performing functions that are at or above their pay grade. To do so, we must delegate. That means stop doing all the tasks that are well below your pay grade. For example, an executive printing mailing labels or doing data entry is not working at one’s greatest contribution. Me fixing the photocopier is definitely NOT an example of me focusing on my greatest contribution and will probably result in permanent damage to the photocopier! More importantly, what is the opportunity cost of that misguided effort and energy not being spent on driving revenue or strategy? What are you going to stop doing today?