Purple Rain, Productivity & You…really?

With the sad and sudden loss of Prince comes a lesson in the power of passion.The child of divorced parents, Prince ran away from his mother’s home to live with neighbors at a young age due to issues with his step father. He was subject to epileptic seizures as a child and was teased by his peers.  He was only 5’2″ tall and compensated by being flashy. Strike Three? Not!

At age 7 Prince taught himself how to play the piano, followed by the guitar at 13 and then the drums at 14 years old at which time he joined a band called Grand Central.  Not bad for a kid without a teacher. His passion for music led him to develop other talents of singing, dancing and playing multiple instruments to produce a demo tape at age eighteen that ended up in the hands of a local Minneapolis businessman who negotiated his first contract with Warner Bros.

And so a star was born………kinda sorta.

In his efforts to express and establish himself as a recording artist, his music was limited in air play due to his erotic approach resulting in controversial popularity. After experiencing his first big success with Little Red Corvette in 1983 it was not until the album Purple Rain was released in 1984 that his career catapulted into stardom.

Why should YOU care?

If you’re sitting at a desk all day wondering how/when you’re going to be happy, take a tip from Prince’s life: get happy NOW. Find things to love about your job NOW. Make a list of benefits you receive from your work and look at it every day to motivate you to do a great job versus just a good one. With employee engagement being at an all time low of 32% you need to fall in love with your company because just like Prince, passion + persistence pays off.

Bringing your A game to work every day results in a habit of excellence that super charges productivity up to the sky.

And we all know what falls from the sky………..purple rain, right?

 

Keys to Employee Engagement

In my recent research as a motivational speaker preparing for an upcoming conference, I came across an astounding fact:  52% of US employees are not engaged at work. (Gallup poll January 2016)

That’s a whole lot of unhappy people, let alone an enormous loss of productivity.

Gallup categorizes workers as “engaged” based on their ratings of key workplace elements that predict important organizational performance outcomes, such as having an opportunity to do what they do best each day, having someone at work who encourages their development and believing their opinions count at work.

Traveling across the country speaking to corporations and associations, I’ve heard a lot of whining in the workplace about one thing in particular: bosses. Bosses that don’t listen, bosses that manage with rigid rules, bosses that play favorites and bosses that take all the credit. What I’ve found is that people join companies but they leave bosses.

In my speeches on super-charging productivity, I emphasize the power of nice. Having the right attitude of being humble, likable and teachable wins fans and influences people – even bosses. Business is all about building great relationships. Nurture team relationships by being the ‘go to’ guy who is always ready to help, offer constructive suggestions to your manager in a non-threatening way, volunteer to work on a project, be innovative about learning new things and share with team members.

Nice gets noticed in a good way. Whining – not so much.

If you’re a boss reading this, here’s your essential takeaway: never underestimate the value of appreciation. Praise and encourage employees for their efforts regardless of success rate. Management expert/author/speaker Marcus Buckingham conducted a survey of the top Fortune 500 companies in the USA and said the #1 reason people leave companies is because they feel unappreciated. I spoke to a company in Dallas that had 500 employees with almost zero staff turnover in the past twenty years. The reason? Each employee said they felt like part of a family with a common purpose because they were treated with courtesy and respect from the CEO on down. Great relationships.

Being engaged at work means staying focused. Staying focused requires liking what you’re doing. If you’re not doing what you like, ask. Ask your boss to work on projects that utilize your best skills. Most managers will take advantage of a win-win situation whereby the employee experiences more job fulfillment and the company gains with improved productivity.

Employee engagement: it all starts with YOU!

Got Summertime Sluggishness? Wake Up and Try This!

With temperatures soaring, days lengthening and folks posting pics  of cool vacations on FaceBook, productivity takes a 20% dive in the average workplace this time of year.

So how do you avoid the seasonal sluggish thing in these lazy hazy crazy days of summer?

Some professionals are taking time out to regroup and refresh. Tackling to-do lists that get ignored in busier times such as updating websites, creating a plan for better work/life balance, catching up with friends, exercising (tennis anyone?), host dinner parties, sharpening skills with further education, trying something new to be revved up for fall. As a motivational speaker I’m taking time out to create new programs and networking with peers.

You can do this, right?

One company in Florida uses summertime to boost teamwork and collaboration by closing at 1 p.m. on Fridays, catering a two hour lunch on Thursdays and having the whole staff take a yoga class once a week.

A single Mom entrepreneur takes a vacation with her daughter that would not be possible any other time. She packs a journal because she says “with rest comes creative ideas” for business.

So what are YOU going to do to beat the summertime blues?

I’m thinking about dance classes……….
in between tennis, of course.