Three Simple Ways to Increase Productivity

As individuals, it is our responsibility to do a good job at work. Productivity is a big factor in who is selected for certain assignments as well as who gets promoted up the chain of command. This matters because most of us are looking for new challenges and indeed for more money and benefits. There are some ways to increase your personal productivity at work in a big way.

Prepare The Night Before

A big struggle for many is getting to work in a mood that is conducive to being productive. In a world where there is so much expected of us, getting enough sleep often gets pushed to the back burner. People like to believe that they can push off sleep and that it won’t have an impact on them. Those people are mistaken. Getting a good night’s sleep is critical to work success.

Schedule Yourself Appropriately

Most workers have the misguided notion that they can avoid planning out their days. They think that they can simply tackle tasks as they come along. This is a bad idea to have. Apcevent.com suggests to make “appointments” with your work. Block out time on your calendar daily to work on specific projects or assignments. Start with the end in mind. Once you know how long a task will take, work backwards from the end of your day to see where to best allocate time for that particular task. Set a time every week to stay on top of your documents’ organization, to clean out files and emails before your storage gets unmanageable.

The better categorized your day is, the more that you accomplish throughout the day.digital distraction interruption work productivity bridge between

Lower The Amount Of Interruptions

The number of interruptions that can face a worker are at an all time high. There are the co-workers popping in to say something, the e-mails flying in at a rapid pace, and the websites that are just begging you to take a look at a quick video or article. Minimizing these distractions is a key way to accomplish the things that you have set out for yourself.

Contact us to learn more about how to accomplish tasks you have set out for yourself through the day and increase your productivity at work. We’re curious…which type of interruption at your work is hardest to avoid?

Why Development Based Training Is A Wise Investment

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Success in business involves wise investments. Perhaps the wisest investment of all is the development of your employees. By considering the personal and professional goals of each individual, development based training will ensure that your people will thrive and your business will grow. Consider the following when choosing a training program:

Personal Development

Each person who works for your organization is unique and has different strengths. With the right guidance, each individual can set personal goals and identify the steps needed to achieve them. Personal development helps individuals better understand themselves and build on their inherent skills. This, in turn, creates and environment of enthusiasm that breeds success.  When people have a vested interest in what they are doing, there is a natural shift from going through the motions to being truly motivated.  Likewise, when people feel their employer is interested in them as a person, they are more likely to give their best.

Professional Development

Every organization has their particular values and mission statement. To realize these values and missions, ongoing professional development is a necessity. The most effective development programs motivate team performance and enhance leadership skills. Good leaders realize that communication is key. Knowledge is not used as power to hold down others, but rather as the power to mentor others and help them advance.

Success is a journey, not a destination. Continual education and development creates a culture where people want to succeed. When individuals take pride in their abilities and accomplishments, the whole team benefits.

Contact us to discuss the best development based training programs for your continued success.

How Business Leaders Encourage Employee Engagement

A recent Gallup study regarding employee engagement has highlighted
an underwhelming percentage of employees who are engaged (29%)
versus those who are disengaged (54%) and even worse, those who are
actively disengaged (18%).

The study went on to unfold that engaged employees contribute
significantly to the profitability of a given company, to overall customer
satisfaction, and to overall productivity, by upwards of 20% and more.
While disengaged employees – those who are less than satisfied, not
motivated, and ultimately, saving face to receive a paycheck, actively
disengaged employees actually act on their lack of happiness, even
bringing other employees into their level (or lack thereof) of engagement,
and obviously hurting a company’s bottom line.

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Engaged employees are motivated to contribute to the success of their
company. They are happy at work and their customers want to continue
doing business with them.

So how do leaders of businesses – both big and small – develop and
encourage employee engagement, and thus, overall company
performance?

Offer Purpose
The first thing that business leaders must do is to consider and promote
the mission of a company. People are motivated by purpose; they like to
feel like they have contributed and connected to something above and
beyond themselves. Consider and evaluate your company’s mission
statement. Is it inspiring and does it encourage passion and “buy-in”
from the employees who are hired to fulfill it? Consider the passion and
purpose behind your company, display it, and share it often.

Model Engagement
Leaders of engaged employees must be engaged themselves. Engaged
leaders are passionate; they want to make a difference through and in
their job. They set the bar high. They are committed to their work and to
the betterment of their colleagues’ performance in a way that is
infectious. They are cheerleaders for their company’s successes and they
are cheerleaders for those below them. It is important that organizations
select managers who are not simply dedicated to getting things done, but
who will go the extra mile to get to know their team’s strengths and
weaknesses, to encourage fulfillment of a company mission, and to get to
know employees on a personal level.

Celebrate Often
Leaders need to highlight and celebrate, often, the positive change that
their company and its employees are bringing to the community, to
customers, to vendors, and to employees themselves. As often as
possible, through weekly meetings, newsletters, and social media, look
for, recognize, and tout the good things that employees will, therein,
want to be apart of and contribute to.

Pay Attention
Business leaders and managers will increase employee engagement by
offering consistent feedback. Leaders should encourage employees to
set goals, and then take note of how those goals are being reached.
Effective leaders should observe and encourage individual strengths and
guide employees to fulfill goals by utilizing those strengths. Engagement
will result when leaders offer feedback to encourage and support
employees toward reaching those goals. By understanding that someone
in leadership appreciates their efforts, employees will be motivated to
perform.

Trust & Empower
While evaluating the very employees that leaders want to engage, it is
crucial to make them feel trusted and empowered. Many companies
make great efforts to hire the best they can, only to micro-manage and
disempower. The most productive employees are those qualified
employees who are often reminded that they were the best candidate for
the job, and their decisions are trusted and encouraged.

Love
Lastly, leaders who want to engage employees need to get to know and
appreciate them on a personal level. Humans want to be connected –
even at work. Any employee who feels valued as an individual will want
to perform. Really get to know – and love and appreciate – employees on
a personal level. Knowing that what is nearest and dearest to their hearts
is of value at work will undoubtedly encourage engagement on the job.

Companies who avoid prioritizing employee engagement, or who are primarily
focused on the bottom line, end up losing the money that engaged employees would
make. Even worse, the cost of the disengaged employee turnover hurts a company’s
bottom line. Is it time for an engagement injection in your company? We can help!
Contact us today.


Reagan Sowa received her bachelor’s degree in marketing from Southern Methodist University.  After
working in various marketing positions for a few years, and helping her husband start and grow his
business, she received a master’s degree in secondary education from the University of Denver and
now teaches Business and Marketing.  She loves connecting with people, as well as skiing, running,
writing, and reading, but her favorite thing in life is raising her two amazing children.

4 Leadership Tips Regardless of Your Title

You don’t have to be a supervisor to be a leader.  Neither do you have to be in a very high position within a company.  The best leaders are the ones who started leading even though they weren’t told to do so.  If you take the initiative and assume responsibility, you will be appreciated even if your job doesn’t require you to do so.  You may soon find yourself moving up the ranks.

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Here are a few tips for leaders:

  1. Express Your Opinion.  This is a key part of being a leader. Have something important to contribute to your team? Let the higher ups know. Speak up at meetings or prepare a proposal so that your ideas get heard.
  2. Follow Through.  It’s not enough to just tell people your ideas. If they agree that your ideas are worth pursuing, you’re going to have to be the person who follows through with the suggestions. You may be tasked with putting together a team, approaching clients or drafting letters and preparing spreadsheets. Keep in mind that following through is as important as having the idea.
  3. Maintaining Your Team’s Morale.  It’s rare to find a workplace where there are absolutely no problems. People are always going to have some complaints or feel discouraged from time to time. As a leader, you have to learn to manage people so that they keep on going. Keep in mind that rewards work better than punishments. Reward your team with praise and small tokens of appreciation from the company.
  4. Be a Role Model.  As Gandhi said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Want your team to be punctual? Come to the office on time. Want them to be enthusiastic? Stop complaining. Want them to communicate well? Take the time to talk to them about what’s going on.

Contact us for more tips on becoming a better leader in the workplace.

4 Examples of Small Changes to Inspire You

The best things in life are free.  This is a proverb you might have heard.  You may even have experienced it yourself.  Sometimes, happiness strikes you at the oddest times—when you’re shopping for little things, writing a letter or taking a walk during the first snowfall of the season.

These are the times when you feel like you’ve stepped out of your life.  You’re on vacation from yourself, so to speak.  You’re not thinking about any of the usual things.  In fact, your mind is probably a blank.

Is there a way to incorporate more of these joyful moments into your life, either at work or at home?  Being completely happy, even for a few minutes a day, can help to improve your overall sense of well-being.  Think about making the following small changes for overall big results in happiness:

  • Take a walk.  During a walk, you’re focused on the physical activity and on getting from one place to another.  So you can let your mind wander and just take in the things around you.  It helps if you take a walk somewhere pretty, like a park or a waterfront.  Why not do this during your lunch break or in the evening, after work?
  • Get some light.  Getting a bit of natural light during the day can also brighten your mood.  Sit near a window if you can or go for a walk or a run.
  • Buy yourself some flowers.  Why wait for someone to give you flowers when you can buy them yourself and keep them on your desk?  Anytime you need a moment, you can always turn your eyes from your computer to your vase.
  • Incorporate some art.  Making art can be really therapeutic and looking at a work of art can help you step out of yourself and go to a different destination.  So try either of the two.  A calendar with artwork will be a practical and pretty addition to your work desk.

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What’s one simple thing you do – just for you – to bring a little joy into your life?

Contact us for more information about small changes that result in big impact tailored for you.