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The Importance of Focus

Image courtesy of Jeroen van Oostrom/FreeDigitalPhotos.net Why are we so prone to distractions? The amount of information we now process is greater than ever before. The Sunday New York Times  contains more information than the average 18th century European learned in his lifetime. (David Rock, Beat Back Distractions: The Neuroscience of Getting Things Done) New technologies and applications distract us easily. Think of how much time you can spend...

Quotes of the Week

“Not the cry, but the flight of the wild duck, leads the flock to fly and follow.” ~Chinese Saying “Ah well! I am their leader, I really ought to follow them!” ~Alexandre Auguste Ledru-Rollin “We must become the change we want to see.” ~Mahatma Gandhi “Dissatisfaction and discouragement are not caused by the absence of things but the absence of vision” ~Anonymous “You don’t have to hold a position...

Gen Y Expects!

Currently, Gen Ys (1981 – 2000) are in the process of completing their post-secondary education and planning their careers. What are their expectations? Can their dreams become reality? Let’s take a look at some common career expectations of my generation: Great Benefits In my previous article, How do you keep employees happy? Ask Google, I outlined a scenario of the current Google employee and the great benefits that they...

Delivering Happiness at Work

I laughed to myself as I headed to my breakfast presentation last Wednesday on Happiness at Work. That’s a topic that never would have attracted an audience when I started my career.  Happiness at work didn’t even enter our minds. It was all about making money, your mark and climbing the corporate ladder. How things have changed …and for the better. Tony Hsieh talked to a packed audience about...

Simple Steps for Creating a Great Relationship with your Boss

Understand their goals so you can help them succeed.  This may involve asking what their goals are so you can be aligned with them. They’ll appreciate your desire to support them. Meet regularly. Even if it’s for only 10 mins, it gives you an opportunity to touch base and get your questions answered.  Make sure you prepare the agenda and put the meeting in his/her schedule. Manage their problems....

Quotes of the Week

“No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself, or to get all the credit for doing it.” ~Andrew Carnegie “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.” ~Zig Ziglar “If you’re not failing every now and again, it’s a sign you’re not doing anything very innovative.” ~Woody Allen “The creation of a thousand...

Need a Break from Work? Laugh!

Laughter is the perfect break; it reduces stress, improves immunity, and boosts moods just to name a few benefits.  As Milton Berle said “Laughter is an Instant Vacation” so take a mini holiday even if it is at work. Here are a few quick ways to start laughing: Take a break with your favourite cartoons or funny quotes. Here are a couple of resources to get you started: (cartoons) ...

Why Take Breaks and Vacations?

In 2009 Americans will throw away 465 million vacation days. Expedia.com, 2009 Men who take vacations every year lowered the risk of heart disease by 20%. Those who did not have a vacation for the 5 years of the study had the highest mortality and incidence of heart disease. Houston Woman Magazine, 8/2009, re: State University of New York research Workers receiving the alerts on the job to take...

Fast and Simple Stress Solutions

Image courtesy of Ambro/FreedigitalPhotos.net Stress is meant to protect us from dangerous predators and situations. However today our stress response is triggered by less hazardous situations (e.g. deadlines, countless interruptions). Because these situations are constant, we never get the break needed for our bodies and minds to recover. As a result, stress can cause a multitude of problems, such as physical (cardio-vascular diseases), mental (depression), and behavioural (absenteeism) symptoms....

The Self Aware Leader

In  How to Crack the Self-Awareness Paradigm, written by John Baldoni (Havard Business Review, December 2009), Jeff Immelt, CEO of General Electric, admitted that he had some weaknesses coming out of the recent recession and was committed to making changes. Immelt demonstrated a crucial aspect of leadership: self-awareness. This skill is the ability to see one’s shortcomings and to improve on faults. Self-awareness allows a leader to see where...

Creating a Culture of Health for Employees

Health costs have become a vital part of today’s business expenses especially in the States. In a WebMd Health Services webinar, healthcare costs were reported to be worth 17% of U.S. GDP and about $25,000 per employee.  Apparently 88% of these costs are attributed to personal lifestyle so it’s important for management to create a culture of health for their employees. Successful strategies have included benefits (such as cash...

A New Paradigm for Creativity & Innovation

I love Dan Pink. Why? When I started my business 7 years ago most friends and colleagues thought I was crazy.  They asked why I would leave the safety and compensation of corporate life for the roller coaster ride of entrepreneurship.   They were right and I began to question myself until I read Dan Pink’s book Free Agent Nation. He made me realize that I was part of a...

How Happiness Makes you Better at Work

“Don’t worry, be happy”, a song by musician Bobby McFerrin, is one of most famous songs in the history of jazz music. Being happy can change your life. According to Gretchen Rubin’s book The Happiness Project, being happy brings a lot of benefits to the workplace. They are: 1)      Enhanced relationships as others enjoy being around those that make them happy. 2)      Greater self-confidence which helps them perform better...

EQ vs. IQ ?: Is the Smart Quiet Type No Longer the Star Employee?

Emotional intelligence has become an increasingly popular requirement among employers. In the Globe and Mail article, Emotional intelligence trumps technical know-how, the IT service company, Softchoice, boldly stated that a stronger emphasis on emotional intelligence (EQ) is required for today`s workplace. An emerging trend among companies: hire employees for their attitude and then teach them skills during their careers. They want employees who are flexible, adaptable, and have the...

Quotes of the Week

“To reach a port, we must sail—Sail, not tie at anchor—Sail, not drift.” ~Franklin Roosevelt “It is not enough to take steps which may some day lead to a goal; each step must be itself a goal and a step likewise.” ~J. W. von Goethe “Perseverance is failing nineteen times and succeeding the twentieth” ~Julie Andrews “There’s one good thing about snow, it makes your lawn look as nice...

The Opportunity Cost of Innovation

Today, there is one major quality required for leaders: innovation. Who immediately comes to mind? Most likely, this person is probably under the age of 30. We are too quick to associate the younger generation with creativity and innovation. A young prospect is bound to lead the future generation on a path of success with a substantial understanding of technology and social trends, right? Probably. But, will this modern...

Finally Happiness at Work

When I did my MBA we took courses like strategy, finance and marketing.  The closest thing to a ‘soft’ subject was one on ‘ethics’ that wasn’t even a core requirement.  Today MBAs are being exposed to a wide range of personal development topics like Creativity and Personal Mastery taught by Srikumar S. Rao at Columbia. In his course, Rao asks his students to discover their unique purpose, creativity and...

How to Help your Employees from Burning Out

Burnout: “the extinction of motivation or incentive especially where one’s devotion to a cause or relationship fails to produce the desired results.” The article Job Burnout: Job Factors That Contribute to Employee Burnout by Elizabeth Scott outlines how highly stressful work environments can lead to burnout. According to the article, here are a few things that you can do to prevent burnout in employees: Give Clear Requirements: It’s hard...

Summer Networking Opportunities

The Globe and Mail article On the job hunt, success can lead to setback highlights how difficult looking for work can be. This is especially true during the summer when so many employers are on vacation. However there are many opportunities to network and have fun while you are doing it. Barbeques, beach parties or block parties are only a few examples of networking opportunities this time of year....

The Costs of Stress

Stress is one consequence of today’s workplace with a high economic cost according to Dan Bobinski in Superman is a Fictional Character, In fact, research shows that the cost of stress to the American workplaces is about $300 million annually. Companies have been doing what they can to try and alleviate the stress of their employees by providing benefits (e.g. massages, yoga classes) and programs (e.g. Employee Assistance Program)...

5 Ways to Create a More Relaxing Environment

When you are relaxed you are more productive, creative and less stressed. Here are 5 simple tips: Clear the clutter.  Organizing the mess frees you of the mental energy you encounter every time you see it. Put pictures that elicit feelings of relaxation and serenity (e.g. vacation spots, nature) Have soothing music playing. Here are some or our favourites: Satori – Music for Yoga and Meditation, Tibetan Chakra Meditation...

La Bella Vita: Life Lessons from Tuscany

At the beginning of June, I spent a week in Tuscany at a charming Agroturismo, with my sister, Dana, and cousin Natasha.  Dana has been going there for years and just loves it.  This summer she is staying a month – her longest stay yet. I was excited to see Il Cellese because the pictures looked gorgeous and Dana had been raving about it.  When I arrived, it actually...

Diversity Training: Is it the Best Solution?

Managing and promoting diversity is a challenge in today’s workplace. The problem is that diversity training doesn‘t work. In Employee Diversity Training Doesn‘t Work published by Time Magazine, 3 sociologists from Harvard, UC Berkley and the University of Minnesota found that there had been no change in the amount of minority or female higher ups since diversity training programs were put into place. Psychologists’ explanation is that studies show...

4 Ways to Manage Post G20

Image courtesy of Nutdanai Apikhomboonwaroot/FreeDigitalPhotos.net Nowadays, lots of things are happening in Toronto. In the midst of the rare earthquake that rocked the city, one of the more prominent things affecting Toronto is the G20 Summit. With protestors being arrested, leaders making big decisions, damage being done to the city, and its expensive nature in general, the G8/G20 has been quite stressful for everyone. Here are some techniques to...

The 5pm – 5pm Job

With so many employees working from home on a permanent or temporary basis, they  are having greater challenges with work/life balance without even stepping out of the house. The issue comes from management’s failure to set clear policies and training on working from home. Research done by the BT Group has found that even though 8 out of 10 companies in the U.K. invest heavily in mobile technology, only...

To Answer the Phone or Not to Answer the Phone… In a Meeting

A colleague of mine was presenting at a meeting when one of the participants’ phone rang. The woman proceeded to answer her phone and then motioned to my colleague, the speaker and chairperson, to ‘hang on a minute’ while she took her call. Needless to say my friend was aghast at this woman’s lack of consideration and awareness of phone/blackberry etiquette. Here are some quick ideas to ensure that...

Thinking of quitting smoking? Here’s another reason why.

In the aftermath of the recession, productivity has become the main focus of recovering companies. In the recovery process, the cost of saving a faltering business is substantial. Businesses that are inefficiently using this money are bound to go downhill. A great amount effort must be put in by the business’ employees and executives for workplace productivity to be maximized to its fullest potential. Smokers can pose significant barriers...

Top 10 Business Networking Tips

Whether you are self-employed or working for a company, networking is one of the critical skills you need in the work environment. Your network can help you quickly respond to work changes (e.g. downsizing, client loss) by putting you in touch with new contacts and opportunities. Here are 10 networking tips to keep in mind. 1. Build relationships, not the record for handing out the most business cards Networking...

Where Did All the Innovation and Creativity Go?

During challenging economic times, companies tend to avoid risks and stick to what they know.   This results in discouraging innovation and creativity which actually fuel growth (do you have a source to support that?) in the long run. How do we get back on track to greater creativity and innovation? In an article published by the Harvard Business Review titled Innovation: Who Else is Doing it?, Rosabeth Kanter states...

How do you keep employees happy? Ask Google.

We’ve all heard of Google’s impressive benefits and employee perks. But the question remains – do these perks really work? Is employee happiness really so profitable that companies should change their benefit structure? Consider this all too common scenario. It’s Tuesday morning and you are starting your work day. Your cold and stale morning coffee doesn’t seem to have a taste to it anymore as you bought it on...