"It's not the time you put in, but what you put in the time"
Great read from the Harvard Business Review on staying late vs going home.
I love how he brought up that routinely working over 10 hour days increases your chances of getting heart disease by 60%. That is likely due to the added stress placed on the body from the hours, but the underlying cause is a lack of proper exercise and nutrition. People that put in 10+ hour days typically don't exercise because they're so physically and mentally worn down they don't have the energy or "time" to exercise. When you're working those kind of hours you also don't focus on eating healthy foods - large gaps between meals and fast food become the norm.
By my initial quote I'm sure you can see where I stand on this. I firmly believe it's about the quality of work, not the quantity. Yes, more and more is being demanded of employees, but that can be handled through prioritizing, delegating, and time management. Being a "hard worker" has little to do with the hours you put in and a lot to do with the quality of work you produce. I've known and managed many people that have been to work before others and left after others that didn't have the results of people that worked closer to the standard 8 hours each day.
By prioritizing what's essential for you to be doing and delegating what's not essential you'll remove unnecessary tasks from your day and free up time. By setting your tasks and estimating time to complete them the night before you leave you can hit the ground running the next day; saving you time. And by focusing on the task at hand you can save time - stop fighting fires and start focusing. If possible, designate "quiet hours" when you will not accept interruptions, let everybody know, and stick to them.
If you're not in a position to use the above suggestions because your manager unloads task after task on you then be honest with them. Let them know you cannot accomplish these tasks to the best of your ability, thus affecting the company, and balance all the demands being placed on you (work, family, physical health, mental health). A good manager will be understanding and work with you on it. If they're unwilling to listen or work with you then it's time to start looking for a new job. No job is worth sacrificing your family, health, and sanity. You only live once - find that balance, hold your ground/stick to it, and enjoy it.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Friday, October 21, 2011
Great Service Isn't Natural - It's Created
"Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and bring their friends"
Some people are naturally service focused and they deliver great service that's outside of their training for no apparent reason. Again, SOME people are naturally service focused. The large majority of people hired aren't gushing with the need to satisfy somebodies desires. To create WOW service you need great people, but even more importantly you need great training. Creating great service is a process just like creating an engine is a process (without the heavy machinery) - both can cause injury if the process isn't followed correctly.
Walt Disney was one of those people that gushed with that need. And because of his understanding that great service is a process he was able to create a fantasy empire. If you haven't read "Be Our Guest: Perfecting the Art of Customer Service" you're missing out on helping your company's service take the next step.
The Quality Service Cycle is an organization wide process that generates quality service. There are 4 main elements in the QSC: 1) Service Theme, 2) Service Standards, 3) Delivery Systems, 4) Integration
Some people are naturally service focused and they deliver great service that's outside of their training for no apparent reason. Again, SOME people are naturally service focused. The large majority of people hired aren't gushing with the need to satisfy somebodies desires. To create WOW service you need great people, but even more importantly you need great training. Creating great service is a process just like creating an engine is a process (without the heavy machinery) - both can cause injury if the process isn't followed correctly.
Walt Disney was one of those people that gushed with that need. And because of his understanding that great service is a process he was able to create a fantasy empire. If you haven't read "Be Our Guest: Perfecting the Art of Customer Service" you're missing out on helping your company's service take the next step.
The Quality Service Cycle is an organization wide process that generates quality service. There are 4 main elements in the QSC: 1) Service Theme, 2) Service Standards, 3) Delivery Systems, 4) Integration
- Service theme - your mission statement, the driving force of your service and the foundation for your staff's behavior with guests
- Service standards - criteria for actions necessary to accomplish your service theme
- Delivery systems - your employees, the setting, and the processes in place
- Integration - how it all comes together
Take a look at the elements and ask yourself the following questions:
- What's our mission statement? Does our training revolve around it?
- What should we be doing to accomplish our theme? What steps are necessary?
- How are our employees trained to deliver and accomplish our theme? Do the processes in place make sense? Do they work?
- What's the end result? Is everything flowing together to drive us to our theme?
I could go into great detail in each, and will in future blogs, but for now I want you to pick up the book, review the elements, and ask yourself the above questions.
If you have any questions for me please don't hesitate to ask. I look forward to the comments and hearing from you. Have a great weekend!
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
7 Easy Stretches to Do at Work
"Happiness lies first of all in health"
By a show of hands, how many of you stretch every day? I don't see many hands...maybe it's because I can't see you, or maybe it's because you're like most people and don't "have time" to stretch. Stretching is a vital part of an overall fitness program: 1) Weight training, 2) Cardiovascular training, 3) Flexibility training. If you're not working on your flexibility you're more likely to suffer from poor posture and more susceptible to injury (despite how active you are). Studies have also shown that stretching can give a slight increase to strength and maintain strength during a layoff from exercise. As an example, my typical breakdown on a weight training day is: 5 min warm-up, 40-45 min weights, 10-15 min stretch.
Stop limiting your yourself, stop making excuses about time, and try these stretches at work (especially if you have a desk job!)
Stretching will make you feel longer, stronger, leaner, healthier, and just plain better. Get started now and you'll save yourself trouble in the future. Happy stretching!
By a show of hands, how many of you stretch every day? I don't see many hands...maybe it's because I can't see you, or maybe it's because you're like most people and don't "have time" to stretch. Stretching is a vital part of an overall fitness program: 1) Weight training, 2) Cardiovascular training, 3) Flexibility training. If you're not working on your flexibility you're more likely to suffer from poor posture and more susceptible to injury (despite how active you are). Studies have also shown that stretching can give a slight increase to strength and maintain strength during a layoff from exercise. As an example, my typical breakdown on a weight training day is: 5 min warm-up, 40-45 min weights, 10-15 min stretch.
Stop limiting your yourself, stop making excuses about time, and try these stretches at work (especially if you have a desk job!)
Stretching will make you feel longer, stronger, leaner, healthier, and just plain better. Get started now and you'll save yourself trouble in the future. Happy stretching!
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Rid Yourself of Worry
"Worry never robs tomorrow of it's sorrow, it only robs today of its joy"
I had to share another great excerpt from a book I'm currently reading, "Real Success".
If you never accomplish anything else in life, get rid of worry. You will find no greater enemies of harmony than little anxieties and petty cares. Do not flies aggravate a horse more than its work? Do not little naggings, frettings, and worries aggravate you much more than your actual labor?
The little pin-pricks, the petty annoyances of our everyday life, mar our comfort and happiness. They rob us of more strength than the great troubles that we meet head on. It is the perpetual scolding and fault-finding of an irritable man or woman that ruins the peace and happiness of many a home.
What we fear is invariably something that has not yet happened. It does not exist; hence, it is not a reality. The fear habit shortens life, for it impairs all the physiological processes. It actually changes the chemical composition of the secretions of the body. Fear victims not only age prematurely but they also die prematurely.
I love the part about how fear (worry) is something that has not yet happened and that worry robs people of more strength than the actual trouble they meet head on. All those little worries and stresses take a tole on your body. They can make you gain weight, cause you to age prematurely, result in increased blood pressure, and all the compounding worries and little things that nag at you can cause you to be unhappy and perpetually negative (somebody that no one wants to be around).
Free yourself of worry, doubt, stress, anxiety, and fear by having faith in yourself and in situations that everything will turn out OK. It's when you don't free yourselves of those petty annoyances of everyday life that they compound and leave you unhappy, stressed, and full of angst.
Have a worry free weekend!
I had to share another great excerpt from a book I'm currently reading, "Real Success".
If you never accomplish anything else in life, get rid of worry. You will find no greater enemies of harmony than little anxieties and petty cares. Do not flies aggravate a horse more than its work? Do not little naggings, frettings, and worries aggravate you much more than your actual labor?
The little pin-pricks, the petty annoyances of our everyday life, mar our comfort and happiness. They rob us of more strength than the great troubles that we meet head on. It is the perpetual scolding and fault-finding of an irritable man or woman that ruins the peace and happiness of many a home.
What we fear is invariably something that has not yet happened. It does not exist; hence, it is not a reality. The fear habit shortens life, for it impairs all the physiological processes. It actually changes the chemical composition of the secretions of the body. Fear victims not only age prematurely but they also die prematurely.
I love the part about how fear (worry) is something that has not yet happened and that worry robs people of more strength than the actual trouble they meet head on. All those little worries and stresses take a tole on your body. They can make you gain weight, cause you to age prematurely, result in increased blood pressure, and all the compounding worries and little things that nag at you can cause you to be unhappy and perpetually negative (somebody that no one wants to be around).
Free yourself of worry, doubt, stress, anxiety, and fear by having faith in yourself and in situations that everything will turn out OK. It's when you don't free yourselves of those petty annoyances of everyday life that they compound and leave you unhappy, stressed, and full of angst.
Have a worry free weekend!
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Weight Loss Quiz
The person that handles our Wisconsin Athletic Club - North Shore Facebook page posted a quiz this morning that I found very interesting and want to share with all of you.
First, take the quiz, then read below (no cheating!).
I got an 11 out of 14; not quite what I thought I would get given my personal training background. I learned some new things and I really like how they shared the why behind the answer and gave a little extra educational info. Great quiz!
The biggest shocker for me was #3 - calories from alcohol are worse for belly fat than other calories. We've all heard the "beer belly" expression, but given the choice between high calorie/high sugar foods like baked goods (cookies, cakes, brownies...drooling thinking about them...) I would think those foods would contribute more. Your liver is so busy burning the alcohol it can't burn the fat. Add onto that the typical late night high fat foods after a night on the town and hello extra belly fat!
I'm surprised in the fact that men collect more fat in the abdomen due to the fact that women naturally will have a higher percentage of body fat due to less lean muscle mass and also in the fact that you're more likely to lose fat in your abdomen first. Everything I read and trained on in the past said that fat loss happens differently for everybody, but the abdomen is typically the last place (most common first place is the face).
Very informative and educational quiz. How did you do? Anything surprise you? Any answers you don't quite understand or would like to talk more about? I look forward to reading your responses!
First, take the quiz, then read below (no cheating!).
I got an 11 out of 14; not quite what I thought I would get given my personal training background. I learned some new things and I really like how they shared the why behind the answer and gave a little extra educational info. Great quiz!
The biggest shocker for me was #3 - calories from alcohol are worse for belly fat than other calories. We've all heard the "beer belly" expression, but given the choice between high calorie/high sugar foods like baked goods (cookies, cakes, brownies...drooling thinking about them...) I would think those foods would contribute more. Your liver is so busy burning the alcohol it can't burn the fat. Add onto that the typical late night high fat foods after a night on the town and hello extra belly fat!
I'm surprised in the fact that men collect more fat in the abdomen due to the fact that women naturally will have a higher percentage of body fat due to less lean muscle mass and also in the fact that you're more likely to lose fat in your abdomen first. Everything I read and trained on in the past said that fat loss happens differently for everybody, but the abdomen is typically the last place (most common first place is the face).
Very informative and educational quiz. How did you do? Anything surprise you? Any answers you don't quite understand or would like to talk more about? I look forward to reading your responses!
Monday, October 10, 2011
Be Your Own Coach
I'm currently reading a book called "Real Success". The book is based on the writings of Orison Marden, the founder of Success Magazine. The writings are from he earlier 1900s, but it's amazing how much of what he wrote about then still can be used today.
One of the "success skills", as I like to call them, that I'm the most passionate about is attitude. Attitude is the foundation of success - you can't build on a faulty foundation. Attitude is determined by your thoughts, and the amazing thing about your thoughts is that you can control what you think about and control what goes into your mind.
Here are parts of a passage from "Real Success" that I knew I had to share when I read it:
The great literature of the world is replete with mottos, adages, and proverbs that inspires readers to have faith in themselves and in their capabilities. Make it a practice to find, memorize, and apply these to your life...Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize ordinary ones and make them great. Record adages that you find inspiring. When you feel discouraged, refer to this list and renew your faith.
When you need to bolster your self esteem, emulate the coach of an athletic team. When the team falls behind, the coach reaches out to motivate the team. With well chosen words, the coach instills enthusiasm, self-confidence, and commitment to reach the goal. As individuals, we need pep talks, too, when our enthusiasm for life wanes, when we are depressed, when we suffer setbacks, when our self-confidence fades, and when our faith in ourselves is shaken. But where's the coach? We must be our own coaches and give ourselves pep talks.
To change the scripts in your mind, give yourself a pep talk. Tell yourself you are a winner - you have succeeded in the past, and you will succeed again. When we speak to ourselves, we create scripts that govern our lives. If those words are self-negating, pessimistic, and failure-oriented, our scripts and our lives will be the same. If we think positive thoughts, if we dwell on our successes, if we accept that our failures are only temporary, we will generate the enthusiasm that will make life exciting and rewarding.
Make it a practice to replace those negative words in your personal script with positive words: instead of words of despair, words of hope; instead of words of failure, words of success; instead of words of defeat, words of victory; instead of words of worry, words of encouragement; instead of words of apathy, words of enthusiasm; instead of words of hate, words of loves and self-esteem.
My sports background brought coaches into my life that helped develop my thirst for inspirational words/acts. It's amazing what a handful of those "well chosen words" can inspire individuals to accomplish as a team. Your days of overcoming a half-time deficit to win a conference title may be over, but your days of using inspiration to accomplish great feats should not be. Be your own coach and feed yourself words that inspire you to achieve success. I keep a section in my Knowledge Bank (more about that in a future blog) for quotes and refer back to them anytime I need a pick-me-up, decide to change my email signature quote, or need a well placed quote for a meeting.
I would love to hear from you - What are some of your favorite quotes, words, or affirmations that inspire you to succeed?
One of the "success skills", as I like to call them, that I'm the most passionate about is attitude. Attitude is the foundation of success - you can't build on a faulty foundation. Attitude is determined by your thoughts, and the amazing thing about your thoughts is that you can control what you think about and control what goes into your mind.
Here are parts of a passage from "Real Success" that I knew I had to share when I read it:
The great literature of the world is replete with mottos, adages, and proverbs that inspires readers to have faith in themselves and in their capabilities. Make it a practice to find, memorize, and apply these to your life...Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize ordinary ones and make them great. Record adages that you find inspiring. When you feel discouraged, refer to this list and renew your faith.
When you need to bolster your self esteem, emulate the coach of an athletic team. When the team falls behind, the coach reaches out to motivate the team. With well chosen words, the coach instills enthusiasm, self-confidence, and commitment to reach the goal. As individuals, we need pep talks, too, when our enthusiasm for life wanes, when we are depressed, when we suffer setbacks, when our self-confidence fades, and when our faith in ourselves is shaken. But where's the coach? We must be our own coaches and give ourselves pep talks.
To change the scripts in your mind, give yourself a pep talk. Tell yourself you are a winner - you have succeeded in the past, and you will succeed again. When we speak to ourselves, we create scripts that govern our lives. If those words are self-negating, pessimistic, and failure-oriented, our scripts and our lives will be the same. If we think positive thoughts, if we dwell on our successes, if we accept that our failures are only temporary, we will generate the enthusiasm that will make life exciting and rewarding.
Make it a practice to replace those negative words in your personal script with positive words: instead of words of despair, words of hope; instead of words of failure, words of success; instead of words of defeat, words of victory; instead of words of worry, words of encouragement; instead of words of apathy, words of enthusiasm; instead of words of hate, words of loves and self-esteem.
My sports background brought coaches into my life that helped develop my thirst for inspirational words/acts. It's amazing what a handful of those "well chosen words" can inspire individuals to accomplish as a team. Your days of overcoming a half-time deficit to win a conference title may be over, but your days of using inspiration to accomplish great feats should not be. Be your own coach and feed yourself words that inspire you to achieve success. I keep a section in my Knowledge Bank (more about that in a future blog) for quotes and refer back to them anytime I need a pick-me-up, decide to change my email signature quote, or need a well placed quote for a meeting.
I would love to hear from you - What are some of your favorite quotes, words, or affirmations that inspire you to succeed?
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