As my birthday month of May progresses, I tend to reflect on the past year and my life in general. This May, several of my cousins’ children are graduating from high school. I was thinking about what I know now that I wish I knew then and jotted them down. I hope they are helpful to you.

Life
is easier when:

You don’t get embarrassed.

You don’t worry about being nice for niceness sake.

You don’t worry about people liking you.

You embrace good enough for some projects.

You treat others the way they want to be treated.

You are true to yourself.

You exercise at least 10 minutes every day.

You talk to strangers.

You let your light shine.

You have a comfortable work chair.

You have a jam free stapler.

You check in curbside with heavy luggage.

You let go of could’ve, would’ve, should’ve.

You treat yourself and others with kindness.

You use carrots rather than sticks.

You realize everyone is doing the best they can.

You silence the negative voice in your head.

You don’t look to others to determine your worth.

To think about: For you, life is easier when…….

• 
• Tweet

 

 

As a management consultant, I am brought in to help organizations perform at a higher level.
When I interview employees, they usually fall into 2 categories:  little dogs and big dogs. Little dogs are
yippy and focused on bringing attention to themselves. Big dogs are confident
in their abilities and results. Consequently, they do not feel any need to
repeatedly bring attention to themselves. Big dogs let their actions speak for
them.

Big dogs can be found at all levels of an organization. Big dogs are focused
on the needs and goals of the organization rather than solely looking out for
their own interests. Because big dogs are confident in their own abilities,
they are humble. Creating an atmosphere of humility, allows each team member to
thrive. Below are the steps I’ve discovered in my work with successful
organizations.

3 Steps To Being A Humble Team Player

1.  Give public credit to other team members for their success.

2.  Practice kindness in working with all other employees, regardless of their status or ability to
help you.

3.  Focus on achieving team goals.

By cultivating humility, individual team members are encouraged to succeed and produce excellent results.

 

To think about:  Am I constantly trying to get credit for what I do (little dog behavior) or am I looking for ways to help the team achieve our goals (big dog behavior)?

• 
• Tweet

Systemization secures steady results. The New Year is the
perfect time to review the processes and systems you have or need in your
office. As a management consultant, I am often brought into organizations to
increase capacity and improve outcomes. I do this through developing systems to
help organizations run smoother. Having processes in place creates consistency
of results and increases productivity. I just read a book addressing this
issue, The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right. In The Checklist Manifesto, Dr. Atul Gawande
reviews the role of checklists in different settings and then applies it to his
field of surgery. Checklists rose to prominence with flight checklists
developed by test pilots in 1935. The checklist for test pilots of the B-17 was
short enough to fit on an index card, with step-by-step checks for each
activity – takeoff, flight, landing, and taxiing.

Dr. Gawande proposes two types of checklists: do-confirm and
read-do. In do-confirm checklists, team members perform their jobs from memory
and experience and then run the checklist to confirm that the needed steps were
completed. In read-do checklists, team members perform the tasks as they check
them off – like following a recipe.

While Dr. Gawande does not discuss the application of checklists
to business settings, I have found much success using checklists in my business
and with my clients. Organizations can develop do-confirm checklists based on
the expectations of their team members. In an organization with clients, have a
checklist attached to the file with all of the needed components of the file
listed. The team member fills out the appropriate paperwork and then confirms
the information is included.

One read-do checklist that is helpful for a range of
businesses is a simple incoming call checklist. On it, include information
such: demographics/contact information of the caller and next steps. The key to
effective checklists is for them to be edited ruthlessly down to the essence of
what is needed. If something so complex as flying a plane can be made into a
checklist that would fit on an index card, any organizational process can be
distilled into its essence. By systemizing your organizational processes, you
will create consistency.

 

To think about: Which activity in my office could most
benefit from being systemized using a checklist?

• 
• Tweet

 

1.  Send out the newsletter quarterly. Since others do this also, send yours the second month of each
quarter – February, May, August, and November.

2.  Brand the newsletter with your logo, colors, and look. The goal is that when they see the newsletter
before reading it, they know it’s from your organization.

3.  Use a newsletter template –from your software: Word, Publisher or from a service such as Constant Contact,
who will at no charge assist you with developing a customized template.

4.  Develop a content template and use it for every newsletter. You may want to include the following:
executive director’s column, program updates, volunteer spotlight, employee spotlight, and how to help column.

5.  For each story or column, have 2 paragraphs and 1 photo. Keep it short and to the point.

6.  For photos – use photos you have taken, Microsoft downloads, or purchase a CD of royalty free photos at an
office supply store.

7.  Use clear, easy to understand words. Stay away from the multitude of acronyms used in non-profits.

8.  Proofread, edit ruthlessly, and revise. The newsletter represents the best of your organization. Readers
will have a negative impression if there are typos and bad grammar.

9.  End the newsletter with a call to action. Let people know what you would like them to do as a result of
reading your newsletter. Examples include: nominate people for your Board of Directors, make a donation, volunteer, etc.

10.  Have a subscribe/unsubscribe option at the bottom of the newsletter.

 

to think about: how can a newsletter help me build new relationships or strengthen established relationships?

 

• 
• Tweet

 

In this week before Thanksgiving, my thoughts are brought to being thankful for those
aspects of my life that bring me joy. Thankfulness is a 2 step process: feeling
gratitude (helps self) and expressing gratitude (helps relationships).

Focusing on gratitude creates a positive self-fulfilling prophecy in one’s life. The
more one focuses on what one is grateful for, that area of one’s life is
expanded.  I begin each day with meditation on personal and professional areas
of my life for which I feel grateful.

While you may feel grateful for your client with whom you enjoy working, if you don’t
share it with him, you have missed out on strengthening that relationship. I’m
a big believer in thank you cards. I carry stamped thank you cards with me so I
may jot a note while traveling. Thank you e-mails and brief phone calls are
also quick ways to connect with others. Saying thank you to two people each week is a great place to start.

Here’s a simple template for saying thank you:

Dear  ____________,

Thank you for being such a great client/colleague/leader. I have enjoyed working with
you on _____________. Your energy and enthusiasm are infectious. I really
appreciate the personal attention and  commitment to excellence that you bring to this project.

All the best,

 

Taking a few minutes each week to thank others will help you create deeper connections and meaningful relationships.

To Think About: Which relationships am I most thankful for? Have I let them know lately?

• 
• Tweet