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Burnout at Work? Part 1 of 4
December 16, 2019 | Uncategorized
Photo by Phil Robinson on Flickr As defined by healthgrades.com, burnout is "a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It occurs when you feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet constant demands. As the stress continues, you begin to lose the interest and motivation that led you to take on a certain role in the first place." Specifically, workplace burnout can have devastating effects on a company but, more importantly, on a person as well as their family and friends. A recent survey by Gallup found that out of 7500 people that they surveyed,…
You Gotta Swing the Bat!
August 5, 2019 | Business Development, Government
Photo by Erik Drost on Flickr I've just started to follow baseball. My oldest daughter plays softball and loves to watch the Yankees so I've found myself watching more softball and baseball. I often hear her coaches say, "That was your pitch. Why didn't you swing?" I assume they are also implying, "you may not see the 'perfect' pitch so you must take some chances when the ball is delivered to the strike zone". Another obvious message is if you want to hit the ball, you gotta swing the bat! Doing My Homework I thought about that a bit and…
Pigheaded Discipline or Flexibility?
February 6, 2019 | Leadership, Self Help, Time Management
Photo by Mark Cooke on Flickr As I have posted before, I am in the midst of re-reading Chet Holmes: The Ultimate Sales Machine. While the book talks about how to increase sales through better prospecting and scripting, it first addresses time management and how to plan out your day. A Life Long Student I have long been a student on how to best manage time. I don't believe tools such as google calendar, google tasks, or Microsoft Outlook are time management strategies. They are just tools. Since being in the workforce, I have used Franklin-Covey's Planner and David Allen's Getting Things…
Not All Government Customers Are Created Equal
January 4, 2019 | Business Development, Government
Photo by dpbirds on Flickr When I first started doing business with the Federal government, I assumed they were one customer. Since they all followed the same rules, why wouldn't the process of winning business be the same, right? However, after I participated in some procurements, I found this not to be the case. Even each agency has different customers within their organization. In my experience, they are not all equal in the sense of being a good fit for the goods/services we were selling or our company's vision. I have listed below some experiences that showed me we were not a good…
Does Being A Great Team Leader Mean The Door Should ALWAYS Be Open?
December 31, 2018 | Leadership, Time Management
Photo by egvvnd on Flickr I began reading a book called the "Ultimate Sales Machine" by Chet Holmes. I enjoyed reading the first chapter that discussed time management some time management techniques. One point the author made was to schedule every aspect of my day. This schedule included managing frequent pop-ins by other co-workers. He called them, "got a minute" meetings. You know, each time a subordinate, co-worker, or boss peeks their head in your cubicle or office door and says, "got a minute?". Instead, he encouraged his readers to block 30 minutes each day for "open office hours" where people could hold…
‘Twas The Night Before Enlightenment
December 14, 2018 | Communication, Employee Recognition, Leadership, Teamwork, Trust
Photo by sea turtle on Flickr I wrote this a few of years ago, and I hope you enjoy reading it this holiday season! ''Twas the night before Christmas, all had left for the holiday break. But I was at the office stirring, for rarely a break did I take. How could I rest, with a business to run? If I am not here, nothing gets done. With profits at a record low, and turnover at an all-time high, Unless I improved in 2019, my business and dream would surely die. If only my employees were loyal and engaged in…
Your Government Business Plan: How to Get Started–and Why Now is the Time
November 29, 2018 | Business Development, Government
It was March 2004. Our community had lost two of its three largest employers within one year of each other. Even for something as essential as health care, when people have no insurance and they have to choose between making the mortgage payment and a doctor's visit, the mortgage payment wins. We had to have a new line of business, and fast or cuts including my job were inevitable. A large Request for Proposal (RFP) for primary care and clinic management services with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) was just released for competition. Winning this opportunity would solve a…
Did We Respond or React?
October 16, 2018 | Communication, Leadership, Trust
Photo by aaron gilson on Flickr One of Merriam-Webster's definitions for the word "react" is "to act in opposition to a force or influence." One of Merriam-Webster's definitions for the word "respond" is "to say something in return." Given these definitions and some of my experiences, here is what I have learned: Along with the spoken message, reacting involves some type of behavior. It could be defensiveness, manipulation, passive-aggressiveness, or rage. Reacting comes from someone who is either angry or scared or both. Often, that feeling of anger or fear is triggered by the message being heard, and usually, this is…
Every Workplace Needs Standards of Behavior
October 4, 2016 | Communication, Teamwork
Photo by f3nd1 on Flickr During a time of unprecedented growth at our company, we decided that we as the senior leaders must be the ones that drive the culture. WE needed to define the "why" at our company and more importantly define the standards of behavior that help to support the "why". If neither the "why" nor the behaviors were defined by us, they would still be defined by others, but they may not be consistent with the senior leaders values. A company standards of behavior which is created by senior leadership in collaboration with other company employees helps define the values that support…
You’ve Been Promoted To Supervisor. Now What?
May 18, 2016 | Communication, Leadership, Trust
Photo by David Blackwell on Flickr Your boss quit. Management has promoted you to supervisor. Please check out my short video about what to do when you have been promoted from a non-leadership position to your first one as a leader. https://youtu.be/EGu1e84mNYw What would you say in your first conversation with your direct reports after you had been promoted?
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MYTH: Government agencies only do business with large businesses.
