Archive for the Work Smart Category
Work Happy Now’s Best Posts of 2008
I want to thank you for being a part of the community at Work Happy Now. Most of my readers are American and this country has a long way to go to improve employee happiness. A lot of business owners need to adjust with these changing times. France has shortened their work week to 35 hours to help reduce stress and increase productivity. Denmark actually has a word for work happiness: arbejdsglæde.
Don’t get me wrong, we’ve made great strides in America but we need to learn from companies like Google, Southwest Airlines, and Great Harvest (all American companies). The only way businesses are going to stay competitive in this global economy is through innovative techniques that get the most creativity and productivity out of their employees.
Does Luck Play a Role at Your Job?
Do you get lucky at work? No, I don’t mean that. Some of you have such dirty minds that it shocks me. I mean lucky as in good fortune comes to you and it comes often.
I really do believe in the luck that most lottery players are hoping to have. I believe in making luck happen, although even lottery winners have to take action to win. No one is going to win the lottery sitting on their butt while watching TV. They too need to act. They need to get up off that couch and buy a hundred tickets and pray to the lottery Gods to be kind and gracious.
I’m talking about even more action than buying lottery tickets and praying. The only way to create your luck is to take such persistent action that the luck is bound to come. I’ve heard that a salesman must be rejected by a potential client between 8 and 16 times before they make a sale. At first it may seem like the whole world is against them, but they know that like a trickle of water can wear away stone, they too can wear down the client and show them how much their product can help their company.
Steve of Change Your Thoughts wrote a cool piece entitled, “7 Ways to Be more Lucky.” My favorite was #2 Taking Risks.
People who are lucky take more risks. This doesn’t mean they gamble their life savings on a Dallas Cowboys win. Risk -taking needs to be calculated – you should weigh your options, know what you can afford to lose and go for it. If it doesn’t work out, you go for it again with an improved plan of attack.
The people who succeed big take big risks. Bill Gates could have stayed at Harvard, earned a bad-ass degree and made a nice living, but he didn’t want nice. He wanted to create one of the greatest businesses of all time.
How have you been lucky in the recent past?
Articles not Related to Luck at All:
- Slowly Ease Back Into Your Work Before You Really Freak Out
- Getting Someone to Care
- All Right! Are Your Really Feeling Luck? Click here
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6 Things You Should Never Say to Your Boss
We all know the basics:
- Dirty 4 letter words
- No
- This makes no sense
- I’m too busy
- I don’t like it when you…
- Why do I have to do…
I want you to actually use these concepts, but not be a jerk about it. When your significant other asks you how they look in their jeans, if they recently gained weight you don’t respond, “Holy crap you look huge.” You respond with tact and decorum so you don’t hurt their feelings. When you learn to do the same thing at your job you will build a relationship that will help both sides grow.
Dirty 4 Letter Words
When your boss angers you to your core and makes you feel like screaming, you don’t respond with a rant that would make Paris Hilton blush.
Instead you should respond with:
“Ok, please stop.” Wait for them to stop ranting. “Please explain what is really going on.”
A calm mind. It’s the simple rule of fighting fire with water. When they are acting like a spoiled child that’s when you take a deep breath and try talking to them rationally. If they or you are too worked up then walk away and come back after the situation cools.
No
No boss wants to hear the word “no.”
Instead you should respond with:
“Sure, but let me finish this because it’s really important and I’ll do it as soon as I’m done. When do you absolutely need it by?”
A “sure, but.” is one of the best ways to say no without actually saying it. What I like is the ability to set the goal on your terms.
This Makes No Sense
A boss likes to have a resourceful employee. If you absolutely aren’t able to problem solve on your own and need more information then it’s time to ask the boss for help.
Try this:
“What are the three most important goals for this project?”
When you can rephrase something so they have a direction on how to properly explain it to you then you look like a solid employee who is willing to go a little deeper into the task.
I’m Too Busy
Never tell a boss that you are too busy, that’s like saying that you don’t care about the project that they want you to do.
Instead you should say:
“That sounds great. I’m right in the middle of this project and it’s urgent that I get it done (This only works when it’s true), but as soon as I am done I’ll get started. I was going to work on “insert project here” next, but I can push that off until next week if that’s okay.”
When you are honest about the other work that you have to do your boss should be respectful of your time and what you are legitimately able to get done.
I Don’t Like It When You
Never come right out with “I don’t like it when you (insert dislike here)” (ex. make comments about my body.)
Instead you should say:
“It makes me feel uncomfortable when you make comments about my body. I know I’m hot (always nice to throw in a compliment for yourself), but please be more respectful.”
When you come out with accusations of the person being a bad person of course they get defensive. Put the burden on how you feel, so they don’t feel attacked.
Why Do I Have To…
An employee that questions every move can become really annoying.
Instead you should say:
“I’ve noticed that we enter these contacts into the database, I call them to see if it’s a legitimate lead then give it to the sales person. I think we should try giving them directly to the sales person so the company can be contacted by someone who will deal with them in the future.”
Always offer an alternative solution to a problem instead of just complaining about a task that you hate to do.
If you get labeled as a whiner or a complainer, it’s hard to shake this tag. It’s best to learn the subtleties of phrasing problems or questions into constructive sentences that your boss can use to help improve your work experience.
How have you used a “rephrase” to make your response easier to handle?
Other Articles that will improve your work communication:
- How to Tell if You are an Energy Sucker
- How You Are Silently Signaling Your Co-workers to Treat You
- How to Get Your Boss Naked
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iPhone 3G is Pushing the Work Happy Now Theme
The iPhone can sync with your calendar, contacts, email, car, wife, and thoughts to help make you a happier worker. After all, we all know that more productivity makes us happier. That sounded tongue in cheek, but really it wasn’t. When I check off my “to do” list throughout the day it makes me feel good. I actually get a little buzz from accomplishing more than I expected.
We are programmed to accomplish by our parents. As children we were rewarded with praise when we picked up our toys. Even when we drew an ugly stick figure it made them smile which made us feel great.
Apple Gets It
Apple understands that we want beautiful design and things that actually help us be more productive. It worked for the car industry. Who buys a car that’s ugly, but gets great gas mileage? Ok, a few of us do, but most of us want beauty combined with functionality.
Happy Employees and Their Customers
If you are in the service industry you may not be able to give customers beautiful things that they can hold in their hands, but you can give them something that tugs on their heart strings. A beautiful interaction.
I called one of my web hosting providers this past weekend. I wanted to cancel a blog that I haven’t updated in six months. I was greeted with a gruff and annoyed operator who sounded like I had interrupted him in mid stream. He did a fine job, canceled my hosting and even sent me a confirmation email like I asked, but still left a bad taste in my mouth.
The funny thing is that in other situations I’ve been treated much more kindness and I never even received my confirmation email, yet I still felt better about the kind employee’s response to my inquiry even though they didn’t do everything I asked because I felt appreciated.
The equation looks like this:
Friendly Operator – Poor Execution = Still a Happy Customer
Why do I fall for friendly and nice when good execution should win out? It’s because of acceptance. I feel accepted by the friendly person. The gruff guy on the other end of the phone made me feel like crap.
Happy Employees Make for Happy Customers
Make your employees happy, teach them to treat each customer as if they are Angelina Jolie (or substitute any star that gets wonderful service wherever they go) and you can make mistakes and still make the customer feel good. I’m not advocating making mistakes. It just helps, especially when going for repeat business. The most important thing at the end of the transaction is how the customer feels. Does the customer feel like he won or lost?
When I opened the box to my last iPod I won the transaction lottery. It was all mine, to put as many songs, videos, and audio books on it as I wanted. It was shiny, sleek, and made me feel as if every dollar I parted with was worth it. Create that “Apple” feeling within your customers and they’ll allow you to make mistakes.
Have you had a similar experience and if so – which company and what happened? Or do you disagree? You would rather have great service from a grumpy employee. Let us know in the comment section.
* After I wrote this post an article in my local paper Apple manages to overcome bad buzz from iPhone glitches came out. It shows that loyalty to a good experience always wins.
Articles that are Related to Happy Employees Treating Customers Better than the Grumpy Ones:
- Cajole Yourself into a Good Mood Before Work
- Great Managers Care About Their Employees
- Mini Sabbaticals Should Be Mandatory
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Develop Your Emotional Intelligence
Everything that you enjoy stems from your Emotional Quotient (EQ). When you can develop emotional stability, the creative side of your brain and good decision making habits flourish. It gives you a better chance at success. If you keep falling back on the same responses that you used last year or last month you are losing out on opportunities to make your career more enjoyable.
Improve Your EQ
Many of us look toward our working lives as a way to receive more than we give. When we don’t feel like we are being properly rewarded we take longer breaks or sneak some office supplies home.
We are doing ourselves more harm than good. Yes, we may be receiving more things for our time, but it’s not supporting our need for the two most important things that we all need at work.
Appreciation and Productivity
There was a study conducted between two groups of people and how they valued their job. One group was given tasks to do with no pay at all. The second group was given no tasks and they were paid for their time. At the end of the study the first group was more satisfied with their experience because they were accomplishing instead of just waiting around for something to happen.
Appreciation works the same way. There is a reason charity organizations can pay their employees less money. People are more satisfied with the work that they do for a charity than for a corporation whose mission statement is “Make as much money as we can.”
Give Way More Than You Get
The best way to improve your EQ is to learn to give more than you get.
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Give more appreciation than you get
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Give more laughter than you get
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Give more love than you get
When you give more than you get you are creating positive Karma. All societies are based on helping each other, even in a free market economy. So by giving more you’ll be receiving more emotionally and physically from people who want to return the favor.
When you are productive and you show appreciation for the people in your working life, eventually you’ll be rewarded because you are building a strong network that will help you find a new job, make an extra sale, or go that extra mile when you need help.
Articles Related to Emotional Intelligence:
- Emotional Intelligence Improves the Workplace
- Positive Belief
- How You Are Silently Signaling Your Co-workers to Treat You
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Image courtesy of Tico Bassie
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My Guest Posts from Around the Globe
I’ve been given the opportunity to write for various blogs around this great earth. All of them are in English, but I wanted to point out that blogs come from all over and that’s why they are so intriguing. We get viewpoints from all kinds of countries, which helps us expand beyond our normal thought routines.
Denmark
One Fun Day
Small companies are best positioned to offer the “one free paid fun day” perk. Let’s say you have ten employees and they receive three weeks off a year and they make an average of $45,000. You can add an extra day off and spending cash of $50 to each employee. This is a minimal investment of time-off and money for the amount of return received.
This investment will pay dividends because your company is willing to do more than the minimum to make its employees happy. When you give back to your employees they will give back to you. It’s what humans do. Smile at someone and see if they can resist smiling back at you. They usually can’t because they understand the social cues that make a successful society.
Click here to check out the rest of the article:
Sweden
Six Tools to Enjoy Your Job Like a Zen Monk
Reaching a Zen-like state when working is not about being absolutely blissful. It’s a myth that monks walk around with fixed smiles on their faces.
Some probably do, but most are like you and me. They have their ups and downs while working.
But what they’ve learned to do is focus on the everyday routine and immerse themselves in every task they do.
Click here to read the rest of the article.
Brazil
3 Simple Secrets to Reducing Your Blogging Stress
Thoughts, creativity, and writing should flow freely and without tension. As I was writing an article a few months ago I noticed the strain in my stomach, neck, and jaw. I was straining to get the thoughts out. As if tensing my muscles would actually help me focus or even create something helpful to my readers.
My writing was strained because I was uptight through the process. The tension was creating pain and I knew that I needed to fix the way I wrote my blogs. I ignored it in the past because I thought it was normal, sprinting through my thoughts until I began to stumble, hoping that after the first push of energy was over I would have something concrete to work with. And even when I ended up with a minor headache it was okay because I accomplished the work I set out to do. This cycle couldn’t continue and I needed a system.
Click here to read the whole article.
As I try to spread the work happy message I’ve reached so many great people. I want to thank these great blogs for giving me the opportunity to write for their readers.
Related articles that just might change your perspective on your career:
- Productivity at its Most Effective – When It’s Easy to Apply to Your Life
- 7 Awesome Lessons from Bill Gates – Love Him or Hate Him, He is a Genius
- The Google Slide
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Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It, Book Review
Let me list the ways in which I’ve complained about my past jobs:
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I hate waking up early to come in to work.
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No freedom.
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My boss is a micro-manager.
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I have to take an hour for lunch, even when I only need a half hour.
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My co-workers never get their work done on time.
The list can go on and on, but I’ll stop my whining right here. Work doesn’t have to suck, and Cali and Jody of “Why Work Sucks and How to Fix it” have proven their success at Best Buy. They understood the most important point to being a successful business: Get things done and whatever else gets in the way should be eliminated. They figured out the best way to create an environment that accomplishes great work and also makes the employees happy was to focus on results and nothing else.
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No need to attend a meeting (Yes that’s right)
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No boss waiting for you to arrive late and ready to chew you out
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No worry about trying to look busy
Just produce and we will appreciate your hard work.
They overcame many difficulties when developing this concept, but it seems to be worth the effort. In their book they describe the hardest part, sludge. Sludge is the snide comments made by bosses and co-workers that undercut the culture of Results Only Work Environment (ROWE).
We’ve all heard those pesky comments by co-workers, “You going home already?” or “It must be nice to be able to take such a long lunch.” In ROWE those comments are outlawed. If you are producing good work that’s all that matters.
When I finished the book I felt like I wanted more. I would have liked to see Best Buy’s sales figures from before ROWE to the book’s final draft. It would have also been interesting to see how they could apply the concept to different types of company cultures. Both complaints are small for such a powerful concept.
The ROWE system is based on trust. That’s what I really like, trusting others to do good work. When we allow other people to get their work done at any time of day, wherever they want, and any way that allows them to do a good job, that’s all that matters.
Tomorrow I will post a short interview with Cali and Jody, the authors of the ROWE based work environment. If you aren’t subscribed to the Work Happy Now RSS feed then now is the time to join, so you don’t miss any more great work happiness tips and ideas.
Check out their blog or buy their book on Amazon.com, I highly recommend managers and business owners to check both out.
Why do you think your company could or couldn’t implement the Results Only Work Environment?
Other Book Reviews and Related Articles:
- Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It – Interview with the Authors
- How Toyota Became #1 and a Peek into the Short Interview with the Author
- Create the Work Atmosphere You Want
- Tell Your Boss You Need Leisure Time
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Image courtesy of Cali and Joy’s Blog
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When You Get Rich Slowly You Can Work Happier
Our culture is slowly changing from “working for a paycheck” to “working happy.” As our society develops we’re realizing that we can have our cake and enjoy every sweet bit that it offers. Most of us understand this, but we still lack the skills to make it happen.
Over at Get Rich Slowly, J.D. is doing just that. I know it hasn’t come without a sacrifice. When he was seventeen I don’t think he would have told you that he wanted to make money by writing about investing and spending habits. But now that he has found a voice that people enjoy reading, I can see he enjoys his work. If he didn’t, I know his blog wouldn’t have the readership that it commands.
Your Financial Success Depends on Your Habits
Your success depends on your ability to regulate yourself, whether it be in the area of spending or emotions. When you can allow upsetting feelings to slide off your back, then you can bring your emotions back toward happiness. When you can spend less that you take in, you’ll save money.
When you can save more than you spend you will have the ability to put yourself on track to be successful with your finances, whether your goal may be to save enough money to retire by the time you’re 50 or move to India. The thing that you are doing is putting savings above material possessions.
Make the Financial Switch
When I made the switch to saving more money than I spent, I looked at my job not as a necessity, but as an opportunity: the opportunity to create the life that I’ve always wanted.
My financial life isn’t perfect, My wife is a teacher and I work at a non-profit, so we watch every dollar that is spent, but every day gives me something greater than the day before – a little more freedom. My savings is growing and it’s putting me in position to create flexibility in my life. If my wife or I lose our jobs we won’t struggle to pay our mortgage. We have plenty of buffer to find new jobs or to create the dream job that I envision for myself.
Take a look at your budget and see what you are able to cut back on. The most famous example is the Starbucks affect, but try to go deeper and see if you can substitute generic cereal for name brand cereal or make your own birthday cards instead of buying the expensive brand. When you are aware of every item you purchase, from the Tic Tacs in the grocery store to a new pair of shoes, then you are learning to empower yourself to make better financial choices.
You’ll be surprised when you deny yourself that magazine in the check out lane and you notice that your savings account keeps climbing. You will no longer be working just to get by. You will be working to build for your future.
Unrelated Articles:
- Should Your Company Hire an Ombudsman to Rein in the Complaining?
- 5 Smurf-tastic Tips to Work Like a Great Team
- How to Relieve Back Pain after Sitting at a Desk All Day
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Ask the Readers – Redesign of Work Happy Now
I’m gathering information for a redesign of Work Happy Now. The current theme has been outgrown by my readership as well as myself. I have no need to trash this theme because it’s been the best theme that I’ve ever used. I’m just picky and I just want the best for all my readers.
Some of the changes I will make:
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Three columns instead of two
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Color change – white background with splashes of red and orange.
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I want to convey passion.
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Banners in the right column to highlight popular post and ebooks.
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Summaries of each post on the home page, so visitors have to click on the “read full article” link to read the full story.
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I believe people will be more willing to comment if they see other people’s comments at the end of the post.
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What do you think? Am I missing any changes to my website that you would like to see? Just let me know in the comments. If you’re feeling shy then just send me a message from the contact page. This blog is yours too, so give as much feedback as you want. I would like to make WHN as reader friendly as possible.
Thanks for your help in advance.
Unrelated Articles:
- Emotional Intelligence Improves the Workplace
- Create 12 Parties a Year Instead of 1 Boring Holiday Party
- How You Are Silently Signaling Your Co-workers to Treat You
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Give It Your All, Not for Your Boss, But for Your Own Work Happiness
I’m a fan of many blogs around the globe, but one of my favorites is Get Rich Slowly. J.D., the MC and writer extraordinaire of GRS, always impresses me with little bits of wisdom. He wrote a post, The Difference Between a Career and a Job, that articulated what Work Happy Now is all about.
“During the summer after my freshman year of college, I worked as a busboy at the Holiday Inn. I was the best busboy I could be. While the other guys stood around during slack times, I looked for ways to help in the kitchen or to prepare for the lunch rush.”
J.D. went on to say…
“As a result, I got better tips from the waitresses. The manager trained me to run the cash register. Sometimes I even got to help the pantry chef. I wasn’t looking for a career in food service, and I wasn’t trying to brown-nose. But I enjoyed the work and gave it all I had. This made the job fun, and earned respect from people who mattered: from my boss, and from his boss, the hotel manager.”
Many of us just do what we need to get by and we think that we are beating the system. I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve been guilty of this. All we are doing when we refuse to try our best is failing to find happiness in the work we accomplish. How did I learn enjoy my job and stop being a slacker? I searched for the positive in every task, even the small crappy ones. I developed the habit of looking for the tiniest glimmer of joy in everything that I did. Even when I’m stuffing 1,000 marketing bags at work I still find the joy in the effort.
When stuffing marketing bags I realized that I could:
- Listen to my iPod
- Dance as I did my work
- Think of grand plans that will help me in my future writing, speaking and website career. (It became a meditation on the future me.)
When my joy waned at a job that didn’t fit my personality, that’s when it was time to quit. It was as simple as understanding that I got all I could out of the job and I had to develop my skills some where else.
J.D.’s post was inspired by Trent over at The Simple Dollar and his post about the difference between a job and a career – a job being a way to just make money (putting in the time for the paycheck) and a career being a way to learn, grow and develop skills. When we look at work as time to just put in the hours then we’re feeding into our fear. We’re afraid to put in effort for the amount of return. The problem with this attitude is that work is much more than money. It’s also a way to improve ourselves. When we become disengaged, boredom sets in and makes the job torturous. Many of us also become attached to the routine and we’re afraid to leave. Fear makes the cycle go around and around.
J.D. wrapped up his post with:
“So what’s the difference between a career and a job? I don’t believe there is one. A career is simply a lifetime of jobs, whether those jobs are related or not. And while it’s important to focus on your future goals, it’s even more important to focus on doing the best you can right now at your current job.”
We all reach a certain point in every job that kills our spirit, but releasing these feelings and getting back to seeing the joy in accomplishing good work should matter more to a person. If your job doesn’t do this for you then find something that will keep you reaching for new goals. There is a career/job out there that will fulfill your needs.
It’s time to let go of the fear and start taking baby steps toward finding this new line of work, but for now try to notice one thing during the worst part of your working day that has something positive in it.
It could be:
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Stepping out of your normal routine and appreciating the ability to put clear thoughts together
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Taking a break to talk to a co-worker
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Being in the moment and not worrying about where you should be in life, just enjoying each movement as you accomplish your task.
What’s the worst job you’ve ever had and how did you make it through your days there?
Don’t forget to check out J.D.’s whole article at Get Rich Slowly.
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