On July 22, Barbara was featured as a guest blogger on the site, “Who’s Your Gladys?”

Read her article, “Creating Glimpses of Joy” at www.whosyourgladys.com.

For more articles by Barbara, visit www.barbaraglanz.com/articles.

Join Barbara Glanz, CSP, for a webinar presentation of “Spreading Contagious Enthusiasm(TM)-Creating Workplaces of Passion, Purpose and Productivity!”

Sign up today for Barbara’s 60-minute presentation for the introductory price of only $25 per person!

August 4, 2009
4:00 to 5:00 EST

“Spreading Contagious Enthusiasm™–Creating Workplaces of Passion, Purpose and Productivity!”

Barbara A. Glanz, CSP

Do you believe that enthusiasm is contagious? If so, ask yourself this question, “Am I contagiously enthusiastic about the importance of the work we’re doing?” Because if you, as the leaders in the organization, are not contagiously enthusiastic, how do you expect your employees to be?….That is what this session is all about.

It seems that in today’s world whether we work at home or in an organization, we are far too often caught in stressful, conflict-ridden situations. Tasks need attention, policies need fixing, morale needs boosting, and people need care. Can one person make a difference in the ocean of work and the sea of faces? Come hear Barbara Glanz address the neglected “human” element that can often get lost in the mist of deadlines, timelines, and bottom lines.

Wherever your workplace may be, please join us for an inspiring presentation. It will impact your mind and your heart, your work and your life.

Find out what a difference YOU can make!

Objectives:

-Learn several new models which will help exemplify the choices that we have in any interaction.

-Experience the elements of a spirited workplace or home through the acronym CARE.

C = Creative Communication
A = Atmosphere and Appreciation for All
R = Respect and Reason for Being
E = Empathy and Enthusiasm

-Leave with at least 6-8 immediately applicable action ideas.

-Find new hope through stories of ordinary people who are making a difference.

Special Introductory Webinar Rate of just $25 per person*!
Pre-register and purchase your webinar spot on or before July 31.
You will receive a separate email invitation several days before the webinar with complete registration and login confirmation information.

*Rates apply to customers in the US and Canada only. All other International customers are subject to specific country’s long-distance charges in addition to webinar cost of $25. UPDATE: Registration Closed

This week, Barbara purchased her VERY first new car!

Here she is with her beautiful, red Lexus IS250C…

“A Businessman Who Cared More About People Than About Selling”

Bob Kramer shared this story about his Father who focused more on loving people than selling sewing machines. It demonstrates how many times a simple kindness done years before can be remembered and repaid.

“Carl Kramer was a kind gentleman who made his living selling a funny looking green sewing machine from Sweden. No matter how busy he was, he always had time for courtesy. When he attended Home Shows at various hotels and convention centers, he would rent a booth and entertain people of all ages demonstrating the Viking Husqvarna sewing machine.

It did not matter if you were rich or poor, young or old, Carl took the time to show you the sewing machine. He would always ask people their name and speak to them as a friend. He would end his demonstration by embroidering the person’s name on a piece of fabric presenting it as a gift.

One day a young lady came into his shop expressing interest in buying a sewing machine. She bought a Viking, which, by the way, is a very expensive machine. Just before she left, she pulled a tattered piece of fabric from her purse with her name sewn on it. She said, ‘Mr. Kramer, you made this for me when I was only twelve years old. You were really nice to me even though I was only a child. Fifteen years ago I made a promise to myself that if I ever bought a sewing machine, I was going to buy it from this kind man. So, here I am today!’

Kindness really does pay! What kindness can you do for someone this very day?

For more inspiring stories, read Barbara’s books, “The Simple Truths of Appreciation” and “The Simple Truths of Service” available at www.barbaraglanz.com/products/books/.

How can I help keep the emotional bank accounts of my co-workers filled up?

Click on the link above to see Barbara answer this question.

For more questions and answers with Barbara, visit www.barbaraglanz.com/iquestions.

Susan Hart of Hart Public Relations and Communications, Inc. is featuring Barbara’s easy-to-implement morale boosters on her website.

You may learn more about Susan, and read the article, “Free Ways to Value Employees,” by visiting www.everydaypr.net.

Read more articles about and by Barbara by visiting her website at www.barbaraglanz.com/articles.

Creating Glimpses of Joy!

Barbara A. Glanz, CSP

My belief is that our workplaces should be places of joy. After all, we spend half our lives there, so working in an environment that encourages us to be our best selves, that challenges us to constantly stretch and grow, and that nurtures our souls is a precious gift. The best news of all is that we can each contribute to helping that to happen in our own workplace.

The best way we can do this is to recognize and celebrate the uniqueness of each person we encounter in a day. Everyone has something to contribute, and it can be a delightful experience to help discover what special contributions each person on your team can make. Often these contributions have little to do with the person¹s actual job, and yet they can add so much to the project, the team or the overall environment. Do you know the passion of each person on your team? Do you know what they REALLY love, what they do in their free time, what they spend their extra money on? This will tell you lots about their uniqueness.

GLIMPSE OF JOY #1: Search for the special gift each person brings to your workplace.

Another way we can create an environment of joy is by being grateful people. Often we get so busy that we forget to say “thank you” to those around us. The more creative we are in appreciating people, the more meaningful that affirmation will be. When we remember something that is very important to them and thank them with a small gift that relates to that passion, we are telling them that we care about what they care about. Also, any time we affirm what someone has done, we not only validate their existence on this earth, but we are also recognizing that they are making a positive difference in the world.

GLIMPSE OF JOY #2: Thank people every chance you get.

It is easy in our workplaces to focus on what is going wrong. The world today is filled with whiners and blamers. However, each of us can counter these negative persons by always looking for what is going right. I often suggest to my audiences, for example, that they begin every meeting with three minutes of “good news.” That not only starts the meeting on a positive note, but it also celebrates good things that are happening in people¹s lives, homes, communities, and work teams. So many meetings are focused on what is going wrong that this becomes a way to spread goodness and cheer. I also keep a “Blessings Journal,” and each night before I go to bed, I jot down all the little things that happened in the day that blessed me. Even on the worst days, I can always find little glimpses of joy!

GLIMPSE OF JOY #3: Focus on what is going right.

My personal motto is “Spreading Contagious EnthusiasmTM.” Do you believe enthusiasm is contagious? Francis Likert, a well-known management expert, writes: If a high level of performance is to be achieved, it appears to be necessary for a supervisor to have high performance goals and a contagious enthusiasm as to the importance of these goals. As you think about your job, are you contagiously enthusiastic about the importance of the work you do? Have you ever thought about how what you do every day makes someone¹s life better? That gives a whole new mission and purpose to your work‹it is no longer just a job but it is important work which enhances someone¹s life. This spirit of meaningful work creates a whole new enthusiasm in your workplace.

GLIMPSE OF JOY #4: Be contagiously enthusiastic about the importance of your work.

Sometimes it is difficult in our workplaces to believe that we have choices to make a difference, especially when layoffs are occurring, stress levels are high, and people are being asked to do more and more for less and less. However, there is a difference between being happy in our jobs and finding joy in our lives at work. “Happiness” has the root word “happen” and depends on circumstances while “joy” is an attitude. We can CHOOSE to find little glimpses of joy even in the midst of the most difficult of circumstances. When our little boy died, I was given a book called “Glimpses of Joy in the Cesspools of Life,” and I have thought often about the appropriateness of that title.

GLIMPSE OF JOY #5: Even if you are not happy in your job, you can still find glimpses of joy.

I have been deeply impacted by this thought from William Winter: “As much of Heaven is visible as we have eyes to see.” If we choose to look for glimpses of joy in our workplaces and in our lives, we will surely find them. “All the darkness of the world cannot put out the light of one small candle.” And if we choose to help create those glimpses of joy for others, joy will return to us in like measure. According to Ben Sweetland, “We cannot hold a torch to light another’s path without brightening our own.” A joyful atmosphere will not only impact morale, retention, and productivity, but it will also provide a place where each person can find value, purpose, and a deep sense of pride in the contribution he or she is making.

For more ways to create enthusiasm in your workplace, read 180 Ways to Spread Contagious Enthusiasm(TM) by Barbara Glanz, available at www.barbaraglanz.com/products/books/.

With recent celebrations for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, and with summertime upon us, many families are looking for ways to enjoy the long, hot days together without spending a fortune. We are living in turbulent times, torn between work, family, and an economy that offers no promise of financial security.

To honor mothers, fathers, and families during this summer season, we are offering a book special on Balancing Acts—More Than 250 Guiltfree, Creative Ideas to Blend your Work and your Life and CARE Packages for the Home—Dozens of Ways To Regenerate Spirit Where You Live.

Balancing Acts is a quick-read, “how-to” book, in which Barbara suggests dozens of easy, effective, healthy ways to BLEND other areas of your life – Family, Friends, Health, Spirit, and Service – into your Work life.

In CARE Packages for the Home, Barbara offers countless ways to help families forge more caring, creative and joyful places to live. Through ideas and stories from real-life families, schools, and neighborhoods, Glanz encourages readers to take action by adapting the ideas to their own families.

Both books contain many low-cost and NO-COST ideas to help bring your family even closer.

These books make great gifts for all your employees or team this summer to boost their spirits and give them many new ideas of things to find more balance in their lives (Balancing Acts) and/or fun, FREE things to do with their friends, children, and grandchildren (CARE Packages for the Home).

Order either book for more than 30% off the retail price. Both books are just $10 each, for a limited time.

To order, visit www.barbaraglanz.com/products/books/.

Here are the answers to the Candy Quiz:

1. A famous swashbuckling trip of old:
Three Musketeers
2. Indian burial ground:
Mounds
3. Galaxy:
Milky Way
4. Red planet:
Mars Bar
5. Home of the movie stars:
Hollywood
6. Not laughing out loud:
Snickers
7. Someone who drops things:
Butter Fingers
8. Famous author:
O. Henry
9. Famous baseball player:
Baby Ruth
10. Famous New York street:
Fifth Avenue
11. Twin letters:
M&M’s
12. Superman’s other identity:
Clark Bar
13. A sweet sign of affection:
Hershey Kisses
14. Favorite day for working people:
Payday
15. What bees make:
Bit O’ Honey
16. Nut happiness:
Almond Joy
17. Pleasingly plump:
Chunky
18. Two female pronouns:
Hershey Bar
19. A feline:
Kit Kat
20. Single women look out for him:
Sugar Daddy
21. Round flotation device:
Lifesavers
22. Sun explosion:
Starburst
23. Bite with crackling noise:
Nestle’s Crunch
24. Dry cow:
Milk Duds
25. Children of the cane:
Sugar Babies
26. Two minus two equals:
Zero

Learn more about Barbara by visiting www.barbaraglanz.com.

Here is something fun to spark up your day. Every answer is a kind of candy. Come back tomorrow for the answers! (You have to have been around awhile to remember some of these…. 😉

Let me know how many you got.

1. A famous swashbuckling trip of old:

2. Indian burial ground:

3. Galaxy:

4. Red planet:

5. Home of the movie stars:

6. Not laughing out loud:

7. Someone who drops things:

8. Famous author:

9. Famous baseball player:

10. Famous New York street:

11. Twin letters:

12. Superman’s other identity:

13. A sweet sign of affection:

14. Favorite day for working people:

15. What bees make:

16. Nut happiness:

17. Pleasingly plump:

18. Two female pronouns:

19. A feline:

20. Single women look out for him:

21. Round flotation device:

22. Sun explosion:

23. Bite with crackling noise:

24. Dry cow:

25. Children of the cane:

26. Two minus two equals: