10 Ways to Build a Positive Atmosphere

February 7, 2012 · Filed Under 2 Little Time, Be a Better Manager, Get 2 Goal, Quick List, Serious About Service · Comment

This week’s quick list* is a companion piece to our Quote of the Week for Heart Month: Energy flows where attention goes.

There is so much negative talk out there – on talk radio, television, twitter.

I’m not sure where it started, but it’s spreading. In epidemic proportions.

Is it infected your organization?

Can you believe what he said? Can you believe what she did? Can you believe the way he just looked at me? Did you see the way she just put her pen on the table?

The negative begets more negative. If allowed to continue, the cycle will strengthen and take over, leading to a downward spiral of morale, productivity and overall performance. Bad for the heart of a business. Bad for the heart of each person in it.

Strong leaders recognize and know how to break negative energy cycles. They also know how to prevent them. It’s all about strong, consistent attention on the positive. Positive thoughts. Positive feelings. Positive results. Here are 10 ways to break and prevent negative energy cycles from taking over your mind, your home and/or your office – and build a culture of positive energy instead. Read more

Tags: employee engagement, goals, morale, performance management, productivity

Quote of the Week for Heart Month

February 6, 2012 · Filed Under 2 Little Time, Be a Better Manager, Get 2 Goal, Quote of the Week, Serious About Service · Comment

February is American Heart Month, declared as a reminder to take care of the health of our hearts. Three primary ways to do this: diet, exercise, stress management and regular medical check-ups.

With the latter in mind, we selected an ancient Hawaiian huna (or “secret”) of life as our Leadership Quote of the Week: Energy flows where attention goes.

What are you paying attention to? Read more

Tags: DOING BUSINESS WITH HEART, employee engagement, expectations, goals, linkedin, management, morale, motivational quotes, performance management, productivity

February-Only Opportunities to Boost Morale, Productivity, Performance

February 1, 2012 · Filed Under Be a Better Manager, celebrations, Get 2 Goal, Serious About Service · Comment

Additional links added each week.

Tags: celebrations, goals, meeting ideas, morale, performance management

10 Ideas for New Endings

January 31, 2012 · Filed Under 2 Little Time, Be a Better Manager, Get 2 Goal, Quick List, Serious About Service · Comment

This week’s quick list* is a companion piece to our Quote of the Week for Groundhog Day.

Botches can send us underground, hiding out with the hogs…keeping us from shining the way that we could. It could be a botched presentation. Or conversation. Or relationship. Or deadline. Or a missed goal. Or wayward resolution.

Some people worry more than they should.

Some people should worry more than they do. Like Phil, the weatherman (played by Bill Murray) in Groundhog Day Read more

Tags: employee engagement, goals, leadership, management, meeting ideas, morale, performance management, productivity

Quote of the Week for Groundhog Day*

January 30, 2012 · Filed Under Be a Better Manager, Get 2 Goal, Quote of the Week · Comment

Thanks again and again to longtime Business Class subscriber, Mark Young at Baby Boomer Talk Online , for sharing this quote a year and a half ago. Since then it has been the #1 Quote of the Week (in terms of traffic) and several readers have told me about the impact it has had on them and their teammates. It has been a real catalyst for change for many. Now is a good time to feature it again for reasons indicated in the title, added artwork and comments below.

Most of us have something hidden in the shadows somewhere. Something we wish we could do over. Something that is making us or someone on our team go underground. Or cower in a corner a bit. Keeping us – and them - from really shining the way that we and they could.

It could be a botched presentation. Or conversation. Or relationship. Or deadline. Or a missed goal. Or wayward resolution.

And speaking of resolutions… Read more

Tags: goals, linkedin, morale, motivational quotes, performance management, productivity

Get Furniture & More For Less

January 25, 2012 · Filed Under Be a Better Manager, Get 2 Goal · Comment

for Chapel Hill area readers

Just because your budget has been cut, doesn’t mean you can’t get what you need to operate your business and maybe even grow revenue so that your budget won’t be so tight in the future.

That is – IF you know about UNC Surplus.

UNC Surplus is like a gigantic yard sale except there’s a roof and it’s ongoing. Read more

Tags: budgets, goals, performance management

10 Times to Get Off the Path

January 24, 2012 · Filed Under 2 Little Time, Be a Better Manager, Get 2 Goal, Quick List, Serious About Service · Comment

This week’s Quick List is a companion piece to our Quote of the Week: On Paths & Trails which is a perfect segue from last week’s Quote of the Week for MLK Day. Dr. King didn’t like the path we were on – didn’t like where it was leading. He had a dream of something different and better. And so he got off the path. And he left a trail.

There are certainly times that it is more efficient, more logical to follow a path that’s already in place. And then there are other times….

Yesterday we asked the question: “When do you think it’s a good idea to get off the current path to forge a new trail?”

And we promised to post a few ideas on this in: “10 Times To Get Off the Path”.

Tags: employee engagement, goals, leadership, management, morale, performance management, productivity

Quote of the Week: On Paths & Trails

January 23, 2012 · Filed Under 2 Little Time, Be a Better Manager, Get 2 Goal, Quote of the Week, Serious About Service · Comment

Quote of the Week subscriber, Kathy Peppers is the Business Office Manager at Lake Martin Community Hospital in Dadeville, Alabama. She hangs many of the quotes she receives from us outside the door of her office. People stop to read them. People seem to learn from them. Some people even act differently – in a positive way. And other people have noticed the difference.

Another sign of impact and engagement… one of Kathy’s team members brought in a quote she had received from a friend. Kathy did two things. She posted the quote on her wall and she sent it to me.

Thank you, Kathy. I was thrilled to receive it. And as it turns out, it’s a perfect segue from last week’s Quote of the Week for MLK Day. Dr. King didn’t like the path we were on – didn’t like where it was leading. He had a dream of something different and better. And so he got off the path. And left a trail.

There are certainly times that it is more efficient, more logical to follow a path that’s already in place. And then there are other times….

When do you think it’s a good idea to get off the current path to forge a new trail?

The paths you are on right now…which ones should you stay on? Which ones should you leave?

Tomorrow we will post a few ideas on this in: “10 Times To Get Off the Path”.

Meanwhile – use the above quote as background or wallpaper for your computer with just three clicks. Read more

Tags: goals, leadership, linkedin, management, morale, motivational quotes, performance management, productivity, teamwork

Ready Set Go! … 11 years ago

January 22, 2012 · Filed Under 2 Little Time, Be a Better Manager, Get 2 Goal · Comment

Below is the first issue of what is now known as the “Business Class” E-Zine. The feature article, actually the only article, was entitled: “Ready—Set—Go!” Here’s a funny thing about it. I was petrified to send it. It was ready. It was set. And then I read it and re-read it. Over and over. I just couldn’t push the send button. It was my sister who finally said, “SEND IT!” It was just the encouraging nudge or kick in the pants that I needed, after which I said, “Ready—Set—Set—Set—Go!”, and finally pushed the button.

That was January 22, 2001. Eleven years and over 140 issues and 967 articles later…. Read more

Tags: goals, morale, performance management, productivity, vision