What's really important?

One of the most peaceful places for me is to be at the beach.  I become very introverted and introspective and it is where I can truly clear my head of all the stresses in life.

Living in Texas, there is so much to do, however, due to my fears of jellyfish, rattlesnakes (yes at the beach I have seen warnings for them), sharks, etc. I tend to stay out of the water.  Up until 3 weeks ago, I had never been to Galveston Island.  Over the last three weeks, I have been there twice. 

The first time it was with the family for a baseball tournament that my son's were playing in.  The games were OK, they both played well, but the important piece was the bonding time we had.  My oldest son is a Senior in high school this year, while my youngest son is a Sophomore.  They are the best of friends, period.  After the tournament we went over to the sea wall and the boys decided they wanted to feel the water.  It was really cool to see them really spend some bonding time with each other aside from being at home or on the ball field.  Next year will be hard on both of them.

 

 

My second trip to Galveston was for a work conference.  Like I said earlier, I get very introspective at the beach and spent some time on one of the jetty's.  The picture at the top of this post is one that really focused me on our first visit.  The statue is a family holding on to one other, looking for guidance from a higher power.  WOW! 

 

It is easy to get so focused on the hustle and bustle of daily life, but all of us really need to take that me time to remember what is truly important in our lives. Take the time to seek guidance, but hold on to those values and beliefs that are most important.

 

Hope this isn't too deep a post.  Usually I draw inspiration for my posts from reading others posts or based upon what is happening in my daily hustle and bustle.  Unfortunately, I have been away from reading and writing for a couple of weeks, but while these thoughts were in my head, I felt it best to share them.

 

Regardless of your situation, you should never get too busy to get back to the basics.  The basics will vary for each of us, but when you do, you will feel so much better.

 

Hope you all have a great weekend!  Let me know what getting back to the basics looks like to you.

The Importance of Culture

Each work week, we each of us spend at least one-third of the weeks hours at our offices, for those of us that do not work remotely.  What we tend to do is forge strong relationships with our co-workers and get to know each of them personally, not just professionally.

In each of our roles, there are some team members that are innovators, motivators, individual contributors, and leaders.  The glue that bonds all of these people together and keeps them focused and wanting to return each day is not the paycheck (although that does help).  The bonding agent is the culture of the workplace.

As a leader, it is important to understand the cultural aspects of what makes a success team within an organization.  In call centers I have worked in, I have seen where those that can hit high numbers, were not always the best fit for other teams.  I am believer that if you can create a culture, and hire team members that embody the cultural aspects of the environment, the results will take care of themselves. 

As I have talked about in other posts, it is like a peer of mine reminded me about the movie Finding Nemo.  If you remember towards the end of the movie, when the fish begin swimming in the same direction, they are finally freed from the net.  Not one fish individually was able to become freed on their own, however, all the fish working together were able to become freed.  Having a common goal makes teams very effective.  Are you applying the Nemo Principle to your hiring practices?  Are you hiring those individuals that are team goal focused?  Are your front line leaders bought into this concept?  Are you compensating and rewarding your cultural values?

Developing the culture is a daily challenge for all leaders and one that will require constant work.  Once you get it where you think it needs to be, you will need to make adjustments, but keep your cultural beliefs at the core of your decisions.  In buying into this concept, your results will take care of themselves.  Attrition will be lower, as team members will not only hear that their perspectives matter, but they will see it in action.

Here is the first step...  Ask your teams what they like and dislike about their work environment.  Then ask them what they value in the ultimate work environment.  When you determine why they continue to spend one third of their week with you and their co-workers, you will begin having a stronger culture, and a stronger, more focused team.

Have a great week!!!