Shared values matter....

These daily messages are based on popular core values that many companies share: loyalty is certainly one of them. Values are often associated with mission statements, and they highlight what’s important to customers and employees. I think it’s important to market to employees with the same enthusiasm and professionalism as you do to customers: if it’s true that your employees are among your most important assets then this makes sense. Spend the time and energy to communicate to them regularly and effectively: good written materials that are clear and understandable, websites and apps that are easily accessed and understood, and regular face to face interactions that let them know you’re there and that you care – not unlike what you do for customers. If your employees believe they share your values they will be loyal to the company, their colleagues, and the work they do. Make sure you and your employees understand and share these values – it’s the best way to build company and brand loyalty today.

Howard Schultz (b. 1953): American businessman – founder and currently chairman emeritus of Starbucks

Leaders inspire loyalty....

Families, like yours and mine, as well as those that Puzo wrote about, grow close because of blood and relationships: they stick together because they like each other. The Army grows close out of shared commitments and security: they join in common purpose and all of their training reinforces the need to work together and protect each other. Companies have traits from each: employees grow close because of shared values, experiences, goals, and efforts. But this doesn’t happen on its own – as a leader, you need to introduce these things into the mix of recruitment, orientation, training, relationship building, effective recognition, general communications, and coaching … in other words, just about everything you do. That’s how General Schwartzkopf won the war in Desert Storm, and most likely how Coach Swinney brought the college football championship to Clemson. Like them, you must be committed to achieving this level of employee engagement if you want your employees to be into their work and focused on excellence. It’s not enough for you to just be there: you must actively lead this effort. Be the kind of leader that inspires others to be all they can be today.

Mario Puzo (1920 – 1999): American author, screenwriter and journalist

Live your values.....

  

The flight attendants on Southwest Air practically sing the safety message: they love where they work and it shows in what they do. The cooks and servers at Panda Express actually smile when working and taking care of customers: the owners stress the importance of the company’s culture and it shows. The owner of The French Bakery in Las Vegas loves his employees: it’s no wonder they love what they do. As we begin 2019 here, it’s worth mentioning again that employee satisfaction drives customer satisfaction, and that both together drive revenues and profitability. So many companies still think it’s their location, products or marketing that ensure success, but it’s been proven time and again that it’s the employees – their engagement, enthusiasm and energy – that attract and retain customers. There can be no happiness or success if the things we believe in are different from the things we do. Our values are important: they should be reflected in our handbooks andin the way we actually treat each other. There’s no substitute for good employee relations and that starts with living your values every day.

Dame Freya Madeline Stark (1893 – 1993): Anglo-Italian explorer and travel writer

Go for it....

So, how are you doing in making those 2019 resolutions: have you made them all or are you still trying to decide? Here’s a thought: make sure they’re ones you really believe in. Like: eating a healthier, exercising more, re-connecting with old friends, learning something new, getting out more, or any number of other interesting initiatives that take you away from your cell phone and increase your activities. And when you settle on one or more, stick with them: they’ll put you in a positive frame of mind and that will result in your being …. well, more positive. Me: I’m going to sing and make harmonies, get back into walking (after finishing my PT), maybe make some podcasts, and change my diet (as opposed to dieting). I promise that this is the last of the new year’s messages: next week, it’s back to the values we all share.  The goal: be better, stronger, and healthier – starting today.

William James (1842 –1910): American philosopher and psychologist, and the first educator to offer a psychology course in the United States

Go ahead and try....

As you consider your new year’s resolutions, remember to save at least one for the stuff that dreams are made of. Most will probably be routine, focusing on the everyday things we can do, and do well. But it’s those stretch goals that are the most fun and can be the most rewarding. Many of my friends know that I sang in a band while in college – folk music in the 60s – and making harmonies was a big part of what we did. I still play a variety of stringed instruments but my vocals are no longer in the shape they were back then. My former bandmates tell me it’s because my vocal chords are out of shape – practice along with good breathing techniques will help restore my singing capabilities. But, as with most things in life, it’s easier to not make the effort….and to accept limited circumstances and capabilities. That kind of thinking – whether applied to singing or achieving New Year’s resolutions is a mistake. Open your mouth and sing, or open your mind to achieving anything great, today.

Joan Oliver Goldsmith—Ghostwriter, Copywriter, Author, and Orchestral Singer

Get started on 2019.....

“Every single year, we’re a different person. I don’t think we’re the same person all of our lives.”Stephen Spielberg

All this talk about year-end reflections and new year’s resolutions portends possible new beginnings: so today, are we the same or a different person. We can each look back and come to our own conclusions, but it’s probably a bit of both. How we approach and perceive things might be the same, but what we feel may be different. How we go about the business of our lives might be the same, but our focus may be different.  And how we look to and think about the future might be the same, but our goals may be different. Every single year we learn and grow; but it’s likely we’re not exactly the same person all of our lives. While those reflections give a clue to our current thinking, our resolutions point the way over the horizon. Now is the time to make up your mind where you’re going, and why and how….and to set a course for the next 12 months.  It may be the same as before, or quite different.  Either way, get started on 2019 today.

Steven Spielberg (b.1946): American filmmaker

Happy New Year....

“Every time you tear a leaf off a calendar, you present a new place for new ideas.”Charles Kettering

Last night we tore a leaf off the 2018 calendar and put up a new one for 2019 in its place: the kind with the big boxes for each date where you can write notes. It’s a new year, a new calendar, and 365 new boxes to fill with new ideas, notices, activities, and memories.  Here’s hoping that each and every day is filled with everything we want in 2019.  

HappyNew Year!

Charles Franklin Kettering (1876 – 1958): American inventor, engineer, businessman (head of research at GM), and the holder of 186 patents