Thriving Together: 7 Vital Pillars for Company Success
5 TIPS FOR CREATING BEAUTIFUL MOMENTS AT WORK
A beautiful moment is a flash that evokes a positive emotional response and creates a lasting memory. It can be a moment of joy, inspiration, connection, or wonder. Beautiful moments can happen at any time, but they often occur when we are fully present and engaged in the world around us.
What defines a beautiful moment can be unique to the individual or a shared experience and can range from personal experiences like
- Watching a sunrise over the ocean,
- Listening to a favorite song that brings back happy memories,
- Watching birds or animals in a park,
- Feeling inspired by a poem or speech or
- Sharing a laugh with friends and loved ones.
They can also be experienced with a team at work, like when you complete a challenging task or achieving a goal, experiencing a sense of connection and belonging with others.
Beautiful moments can be simple or profound, but they all have the power to uplift our spirits and make us feel more alive. By seeking out and savoring these moments, we can cultivate greater happiness, gratitude, and fulfillment in our lives. Elevating your quality of life – beautiful moments can also elevate your QOL (quality of life).
The bigger challenge is how do we create a workplace that fosters, inspires, and creates beautiful moments. Because beautiful moments are subjective and individualistic, here are five tips to assist and inspire you, and use them as a springboard in your own work culture.
- Focus on positive interactions: One of the best ways to create beautiful moments at work is to focus on positive interactions with your colleagues, customers, and clients. Take the time to connect with people, listen to their stories, and offer words of encouragement and appreciation. Try to set a goal of having at least two positive exchanges with colleagues or clients per day
- Create a positive work environment: A beautiful workplace is not just about aesthetics, but also about the energy and culture that you create. Encourage positive behaviors, such as kindness, empathy, collaboration, and invoke a welcoming and inclusive environment. By creating an infrastructure that is rooted in respect and focused on creating a climate of joy among the team members, a positive work environment will naturally be the result.
- Celebrate milestones and achievements: Take the time to celebrate milestones and achievements whether it is a team member’s work anniversary, a successful project launch, or hitting a sales target. This shows that you appreciate and value your colleagues’ contributions and creates positive memories that they will cherish. Celebrations don’t have to be elaborate or break the activities budget, either. Taking the time to acknowledge success should be together; realignment should occur privately. Try not to single out an employee’s mistakes in front of their colleagues. This can kill spirit and deter morale.
- Practice mindfulness: Mindfulness is a practice of being present and fully engaged in the moment. By practicing mindfulness at work, you can create a beautiful moment by fully immersing yourself in your tasks, connecting with your colleagues, and savoring the small pleasures in your workday.
Practicing mindfulness at work can help you improve your focus, reduce stress, and increase your productivity. You can start your day with a short mindfulness practice, such as meditation, breathing exercises, or yoga. This can help you set the tone for the day and reduce stress and anxiety.
Take short mindfulness breaks throughout the day. This can be as simple as taking deep breaths or practicing mindful walking.
Focus on the present moment and avoid distractions from your thoughts or worries. If your mind wanders, gently bring your attention back to your work.
Practice mindful listening when you are in a meeting or having a conversation with someone. This means giving the person your full attention and really listening to what they are saying without judgment or distraction.
Take mindful pauses between tasks before you move on to your next task. Pause, reset, and refocus. You can take deep breaths, stretch, or practice a short mindfulness exercise.
Remember, practicing mindfulness takes time and effort, so be patient with yourself and keep practicing. Over time, you will notice that you are more focused, productive, and less stressed at work.
- Infuse joy and kindness into your brand: Work can be stressful and demanding, but taking the time to build an internal culture that is focused on always choosing to be kind and supportive even during times of high stress can do wonders for your team morale and this will manifest in your team’s work product as well. This is an element you should infuse into your brand identity as well. By making it clear you’ve invested in improving your team’s quality of life by constructing a habitat of support and positivity at work you make it known your brand cares about more than just the bottom line. Since today’s consumer cares deeply about patronizing brands that are about more than making a profit, this is an effort that showcases you as a modern brand with your finger on the pulse of modern consumerism.
5 Tips for Increasing Productivity and Efficiency
“Starve your distraction, and feed your focus” ~Neil Patel
Nothing puts the look of dread on an employee’s face faster than talk of a productivity and efficiency effort at the office. However, both of these are necessary for organizations to flourish and continue to become a more Destiny-Driven team. A goal toward greater efficiency is also a terrific way to encourage employees to challenge themselves and one another to growth and development both individually and as a team. Here are some helpful suggestions you may find useful and/or adaptable for your company.
- Set clear goals and priorities: Setting clear goals and priorities is the first part of any endeavor focused on productivity. It might sound obvious, but doing something as simple as making a to-do list and ordering tasks based on their importance and urgency can help boost productivity. Whether you do it “old school” and write it down everyday, keep it in your Notes app on your phone, or use a Kanban Board tool like Trello or Jira, this action will help you stay focused on the most important tasks and avoid getting distracted. It is also a great way to prevent feeling overwhelmed and fights against action paralysis.
- Use time-management techniques: There are time-management techniques you can use to increase your productivity and efficiency. Popular techniques include the Pomodoro Technique, where you work in 25-minute intervals with short breaks in between, and the Eisenhower Matrix, where you prioritize tasks based on their importance and urgency.
The Eisenhower Decision Matrix, also known as the Urgent-Important Matrix, is a tool that helps individuals prioritize tasks and make better decisions about how to allocate their time and energy. The matrix was named for President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was known for using this approach to manage his time effectively and prioritize tasks.
The “matrix” consists of four quadrants, each representing a different type of task or activity:
- Urgent and Important: These tasks are critical and require immediate attention. They are often deadline-driven and can have significant consequences if not completed on time. Examples might include emergency situations, urgent work-related tasks, or health-related issues.
- Important but Not Urgent: These tasks are important but do not require immediate attention. They may be related to long-term goals, personal development, or relationship-building. Examples might include planning for the future or investing in personal development.
- Urgent but Not Important: These tasks are urgent but do not have a significant impact on your long-term goals and priorities. They may be distractions or interruptions that prevent you from focusing on more important tasks. Examples might include responding to emails or phone calls that are not critical, attending to minor administrative tasks, or dealing with other people’s urgent requests. Essentially these are often tasks that are important to other people like client’s or team members but aren’t a part of the long-term vision or mission.
- Not Urgent and Not Important: These tasks are neither urgent nor important. They may include activities that are time-wasting or unproductive, such as browsing on social media or watching television.
To use the Eisenhower Matrix, you would list all your tasks or activities and then place them into one of four quadrants based on their urgency and importance. The goal is to prioritize tasks in quadrants 1 and 2, while minimizing or eliminating tasks in quadrants 3 and 4. This helps ensure that you are focusing your time and energy on activities that align with your goals and priorities, rather than simply reacting to urgent or unimportant tasks.
- Reduce distractions: Identify the things that distract you and try to minimize them. For example, turn off notifications on your phone, close unnecessary tabs on the computer, and find a quiet space to work if possible. This will help you stay focused on your work and avoid wasting time.
- Take breaks: Taking breaks may seem counterproductive but it actually can boost your ability to focus and push through to the other side even on a tight deadline. It is essential for maintaining productivity and avoiding burnout. Make sure to take regular breaks throughout the day to recharge your energy and clear your mind. You can take a short walk, do stretching exercises, or simply take deep breaths.
- Automate and delegate tasks: Look for ways to automate and delegate tasks that are repetitive or time-consuming. This can help you save time and focus on more important tasks. For example, you can use professional project management tools like Trello or Jira to automate certain tasks, or delegate tasks to team members or assistants.
Remember, increasing productivity and efficiency is a process that takes time and effort. By implementing these tips and staying consistent, you can gradually improve your productivity and achieve your goals more efficiently.
Tips for When You Have to Fire a Client
Neil Sedaka put it best, “Breaking up is hard to do.” And when it comes time to “breaking up” with a client, there is no uncomplicated way to say, “Let’s just be friends.” Firing a client should always be a last resort and implemented with care and consideration. The goal is to allow the client dignity in the severing of the relationship as well as leaving the door open for you, to one day re-examine the opportunity of beginning a new functional and productive relationship but under different terms and circumstances.
Here are guidelines for you to consider as you change your relationship status with any of your clients.
- Assess the reasons for terminating the relationship. Before taking any action, it is important to assess the situation and the reasons behind the decision to terminate the relationship. Consider whether there have been any violations of the contract or any unethical and/or illegal behavior. Also evaluate whether you have tried to resolve the issues with the client and have exhausted all the options.
Moreover, it is important to determine the extent of impact losing this client will have on your business. If it is going to have a significant adverse effect on your bottom line, it is imperative that you find a way to mediate and attempt to salvage the relationship.
- Communicate the issues both in writing and verbally. Objectively assess if the communication has been consistent both on your part and the part of the client. If there has been a lack of response, failure to follow through which has resulted in the ability of your company to complete contracted tasks, that is a critical component to this decision.
Schedule a meeting, virtual or in person, or call and express your concerns in a professional and respectful manner. Be clear about the issues that have led to this decision and give the client the opportunity to respond and address the issues. It is essential to follow up this conversation in writing with detail regarding all the concerns and issues discussed. Be sure to include any action items and which party has responsibility for these as well.
- Review your contract or engagement letter. Evaluate whether your company has fulfilled its contracted obligations and provided all requested products where possible. It is highly recommended that you complete any/all open projects before terminating the client. Offering a suggestion for a substitute option or competitor at this point can often be perceived by the client as both gracious and professional.
- Provide an action plan. Provide the client with a plan of action to address any fixable issues. Offer guidance and support to help the client improve the relationship and work towards resolving the issues.
- Offer a graceful exit. If the client cannot or will not address the issues, offer a graceful exit from the relationship. Be professional and courteous in your communication and provide clear details about how the process will work and what the next steps are.
- Keep records. Maintain detailed records of all communications related to the firing of the client. This should include all e-mails, meeting notes, and phone call logs. This information may be useful in the future.
Remember that firing a client is not an easy decision and should only be executed when all other options have been exhausted. It is important to approach the situation with professionalism and empathy, while also protecting yourself and your business.