Become A Better Leader

Productivity: Stop Procrastinating and Start Doing - Quick Tip - 08/26/09

Productivity: Stop Procrastinating and Start Doing - Quick Tip 

Hi %$firstname$% -

Do you often find yourself procrastinating - doing everything but what you need to do? There's a quick solution to your problem in this week's Quick Tip.

There it is again...that big "whatever" that you haven't done yet. You know it's not going to go away - even though secretly you hope it will.

When faced with a project you don't want to deal with, does this ever go through your head?

"I need to do (fill in the blank)..but first I'll clean off my desk... I can't do anything until my desk is cleared."

Later... "Let me get a cup of coffee and I can think."

And then, "Oh wait, I need to call Susan." Or, "I really should file this first."

It goes on and on...because anything looks better than doing the dreaded project. Before you know it, the deadline is looming and you still haven't done what you've needed to do.

Why?

Maybe it's boring or you think the project is too large. Maybe it's outside of your expertise...or you are just not comfortable with it for some reason and you are afraid you will fail.

What to do?

Remember Nike's "Just do it" slogan? Well, here's another one for you, "Just start." Seriously. Once you begin, you will most likely find that it is not as difficult as you imagined.

Just give it five minutes, then see if you can go five more. I bet you can...

This technique is one of several effective ways for you and your employees to stop procrastinating.

"Stop Procrastinating, Now!" is one of the 13 essential tools in the Employee Success Toolkit.

The Employee Success Toolkit is a professional development course for employees in 13
easy-to-follow lessons. It is a system guaranteed to improve attitude, skills, and productivity.

See all the details and learn what the other 12 lessons are at:
http://www.confidencecenter.com/url/toolkit.htm

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The ultimate goal of any supervisor is to turn ordinary workers into extraordinary employees.
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If you want...

- Employees to manage their time efficiently.

- Respect and a better understanding of co-workers with different backgrounds or cultures

- Employees having fun at work while achieving their goals

You can do it -and much more- with the Employee Success Toolkit.

See all the details and learn what the other 12 lessons are at:
http://www.confidencecenter.com/url/toolkit.htm

Have a great day,
Harriet
--
Harriet Meyerson
The Confidence Center
Dallas, TX

http://www.ConfidenceCenter.com

Visit our blog for Leadership Articles, Tips, and Strategies:
http://www.BecomeABetterLeader.com

USA and International 1+214-736-4141

Employee Morale Tips Newsletter - August 25, 2009

Employee Morale Tips
August 25,  2009 - Vol. 9 - Issue 34

Written by Harriet Meyerson and published every Tuesday compliments of www.ConfidenceCenter.com

Do you have middle school or high school age children? School is starting, and if you would like information about an instructor's manual so your child's school or youth group can start their own teen leadership program, go to http://confidencecenter.com/serv10.htm

Hi %$firstname$%

Word and Quote of the Week

***Guidance***

*** "You cannot teach a man anything. You can only help him discover it within himself."
— Galileo Galilei

Trivia Question of the Week

Q. Why is the funny bone so called?

(Answer at the end of this newsletter.)

Joke of the Week

A store manager overheard one of his salesmen talking to a customer.

"No sir," said the salesman. "We haven't had any for awhile and it doesn't look like we'll be getting any soon."

The manager was horrified and yelled after the departing customer, "Come back next week! We’re sure to have whatever it is you need."

Irate, he turned to his salesman, "Never tell a customer we're out of anything! Now, what did he want?"

"Rain," answered the salesman.

Employee Morale

Cover It With Gratitude

Workplace Energy: Variety is the Spice of Life - Quick Tip - 08/19/09

Workplace Energy: Variety is the Spice of Life - Quick Tip - 08/19/09

Hi %$firstname$%

"It is easier to do many things than to do one thing continuously for a long time."- Marcus Fabius Quintilian

It's true...even the most interesting activities can become boring after a while. And what happens when you get bored? You can't concentrate, you become restless, and it takes all your energy just to get through the task at hand.

What happens when your employees get bored? They can't concentrate, they become restless, production slows, tempers flair...or - worst case scenario - they quit.

 So what's a supervisor to do? 

A change of pace is what's needed.

If it's possible, have your employees switch from one task to another. If what they are working on is tedious, have them switch to something that is more physical or creative. Reward them for getting the boring tasks done by giving them a task that they enjoy.

This is so important that we made "Increase Your Workplace Energy" one of the 13 essential tools in the Employee Success Toolkit.

This is just one of several easy and effective ways to increase workplace energy from the Employee Success Toolkit.

The Employee Success Toolkit is a professional development course for employees in 13
easy-to-follow lessons. It is a system guaranteed to improve attitude, skills, and productivity.

See all the details and learn what the other 12 lessons are at:
http://www.confidencecenter.com/url/toolkit.htm

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The ultimate goal of any supervisor is to turn ordinary workers into extraordinary employees.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you want...

- Happy, positive employees who work as a team, deal with problems and get along with each other instead of constantly complaining.

- Shared excitement and enthusiasm for work even though it's very difficult at times.

- Better flow of communication between management and staff

You can do it -and much more- with the Employee Success Toolkit.

See all the details and learn what the other 12 lessons are at:
http://www.confidencecenter.com/url/toolkit.htm

Have a great day,
Harriet
--
Harriet Meyerson
The Confidence Center
Dallas, TX

http://www.ConfidenceCenter.com

Visit our blog for Leadership Articles, Tips, and Strategies:
http://www.BecomeABetterLeader.com

USA and International 1+214-736-4141

Employee Morale Tips Newsletter - August 18, 2009

Employee Morale Tips
August 18,  2009 - Vol. 9 - Issue 33

Written by Harriet Meyerson and published every Tuesday compliments of www.ConfidenceCenter.com

Do you have middle school or high school age children? School is starting, and if you would like information about an instructor's manual so your child's school or youth group can start their own teen leadership program, go to http://confidencecenter.com/serv10.htm

Word and Quote of the Week

***Vision***

*** "The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes." — Marcel Proust

Trivia Question of the Week

Q. Where was the 1960 Summer Olympics held?

(Answer at the end of this newsletter.)

Joke of the Week

There was a knock at the door. It was a small boy, about six years old.

Something of his had found its way into my garage, he said, and he wanted it back.

Upon opening the garage door, I noticed two additions: a baseball and a broken window sporting a baseball-sized hole.

"How do you suppose this ball got in here?" I asked the boy.

Taking one look at the ball, one look at the window, and one look at me, the boy exclaimed, "Wow! I must have thrown it right through that hole!"

Employee Morale

Shining Star

Communication: Four Words that Can Instantly Diffuse Any Argument - Quick Tip - 8/12/09

Communication: Four Words that Can Instantly Diffuse Any Argument - Quick Tip - 8/12/09

Is communication at your workplace effective or destructive? Do you know how to transform conflict into cooperation? Read this article to learn the four magic words that create effective and non-stressful communication.

Anytime you put two or more people together, there are going to be differences of opinion. Even in the workplace, disagreements can turn into a screaming match.

It's very frustrating to think that the other person just doesn't hear you. If only he or she would listen...then they would understand your side..and then of course agree with you, right? Perhaps if you raised your voice a little more, they would hear you.

Does that work for you? Do you feel respected and understood when someone yells at you? Probably not. It's like trying to put a fire out by throwing gasoline on it. Most people will dig in their heels and defend their position even more adamantly.

It's an ugly cycle. Eventually, no one is speaking to each other and nothing gets done. Worst case scenario: you lose valuable employees, time, and money.

So what do you do?

Employee Morale Tips Newsletter - August 11, 2009

Employee Morale Tips
August 11,  2009 - Vol. 9 - Issue 32

Written by Harriet Meyerson and published every Tuesday compliments of www.ConfidenceCenter.com

Do you have middle school or high school age children? School is starting, and if you would like information about an instructor's manual so your child's school or youth group can start their own teen leadership program, go to http://confidencecenter.com/serv10.htm

Word and Quote of the Week

***Endure***

*** "Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all." — Dale Carnegie

Trivia Question of the Week

Q. What is the singular of scampi?

(Answer at the end of this newsletter.)

Joke of the Week

A calendar's days are numbered.

 A lot of money is tainted: 'Taint yours, and 'taint mine.

 A boiled egg is hard to beat.

 He had a photographic memory which was never developed.

 Those who get too big for their britches will be exposed in the end.

Employee Morale

Thank-You Grams

Preventing and Managing Stress - Quick Tip - 8/05/2009

Preventing and Managing Stress - Quick Tip

Stress in the workplace can lower productivity, cause mistakes, and make people cranky. Stress can also cause illness which results in high absenteeism. Read this article to learn how you and your employees can thrive in a stressful workplace.

Have you ever noticed how two people can have completely different reactions in the same circumstance?

It may surprise you to learn that nothing is stressful unless you allow it to be. Take rush hour traffic for example. "Road Rage" is a great indicator that traffic is stressful to some people, sometimes dangerously so. But, it doesn't have to be.

Mary and Sue are co-workers. They both have an hour commute to and from the office. Neither of them like the rush hour traffic they encounter. However, their perspectives are quite contradictory from one another.

Sue - "I hate traffic, it drives me crazy. It takes so long to get home, my whole evening is shot."

Mary - "I can't wait to listen to my new CD without interruption."

Mary recognizes that traffic is unfortunate, but she accepts it and has learned to take advantage of it. She has short circuited the effect that it has on her.

The women often have lunch together. The waitress at their favorite restaurant is working a double shift. When the co-workers ask about the daily special, the overworked waitress snaps at them.

Sue - "Can you believe her nerve? She was so rude to me. People like that just ruin my day."

Mary - "Wow, she must be having a really bad day."

Mary realizes that other people's behavior usually has nothing to do with her. She doesn't take it personally.

Why Is This Important?

At work stress causes us to be irritable, unable to concentrate, frustrated, distracted, ill, etc.

Life is full of situations that can cause you stress. Short of moving to a deserted island, there's nothing you can do about that (and even then there's no guarantee.) The only thing you can change is how you handle those situations.

The Solution

Here are a couple of powerful but simple tips to help you prevent or manage your stress:

 - Don't take it personally.

Understand that most people are reacting to their own life situations and their behavior has nothing to do with you.

- Make it positive.

Find something in the situation to be grateful for. Mary is grateful that she has time to listen to her new CD during her commute.

The best news...
You can teach your employees to short circuit stress when you purchase the video/DVD program -Preventing and Managing Stress-.

Click here to view a short video clip.

Learn what causes stress in the first place, and how you can keep it from controlling your life.

When you lower stress in the workplace, you increase productivity and improve morale.

Don't forget....Click here to view a stress buster tip from this wonderful program, or paste this link in your browser. http://confidencecenter.com/products06.htm#pams

Employee Morale Tips Newsletter - August 4, 2009

Employee Morale Tips
August 4,  2009 - Vol. 9 - Issue 31

Written by Harriet Meyerson and published every Tuesday compliments of www.ConfidenceCenter.com

In This Issue:

• Word, Quote, Trivia, and Joke of the Week
• Employee Morale Calendar
  
• Article:  Little Questions

Word and Quote of the Week

***Courage***

*** "The important thing is not being afraid to take a chance.  Remember, the greatest failure is to not try. Once you find something you love to do, be the best at doing it."
— Debbi Fields: Founder of Mrs. Fields Cookies and author

Trivia Question of the Week

Q. What resin used in varnish is a secretion of the lac insect?

(Answer at the end of this newsletter.)

Employee Morale Calendar

Plan ahead for Employee Morale themes for next month.

For example September is...
One-on-One Month

This is a month to get to know your co-workers, family members, and friends better by meeting One-on-One.

One-on-One time together creates common understanding and closeness.

Visit our 2009 calendar listing many other special days you can celebrate at work.
http://confidencecenter.com/free.htm

Employee Morale

Little Questions