How can I find some meaning in my work?

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

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

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/.

SEND A CARE PACKAGE — HOW TO REGENERATE THE SPIRIT IN YOUR ORGANIZATION
By Barbara A. Glanz, copyright 2004.

Are you and your clients experiencing downsizing, overwhelming changes in technology, low employee morale, and a “dog eat dog” atmosphere? If so, you join many other organizations in our world today. A recent Roper poll found employee morale and job satisfaction at the lowest point since Roper began the poll decades ago. Many organizations have concentrated so much on improving systems and processes that they have forgotten about the Human element in their places of work, and the result is employees who are burdened by fear, distrust, stress, feelings of powerlessness, and a lack of hope.

In order for our organizations to survive, we must regenerate in our workplaces a spirit of commitment, self-worth, and a new sense of meaning which will, in turn, impact productivity and profit. In today’s competitive marketplace, the truly successful organizations are those where employees work hard, smart, and, above all, enthusiastically.

In working with organizations all over the world in a variety of industries, I have found several elements which exist in a spirited organization:

C = CREATIVE COMMUNICATION
A recent study reported by the Chicago Tribune shows that the average worker spends over 50 hours a week communicating in some way. Since most of us are bombarded by piles of paper, hundreds of E-mail messages, and even full voice mail boxes, the only way to get our messages heard is to SURPRISE people. The more creatively a message is sent, the greater the chance that the message will be noticed and heeded.

It is important to remember that in any interaction there are two levels — the Business Level which is meeting the external objectives for the interaction (the purpose of the interaction or the business to be transacted) and the Human Level which is all about how the receiver feels about the interaction, whether it is face to face, electronic, or written.

Three questions to consider as you send any message are:

1. Will it get the information across clearly and accurately? (Business Level)

2. Will it make the receiver feel good about you and your organization? (Human Level)

3. Will it surprise the receiver? (Creative Communication)

When employees realize the importance of creative communication and the Human Level, a new dimension of innovation and fun is added to the workplace.

A = ATMOSPHERE AND APPRECIATION FOR ALL
Charles Garfield says, “In environments in which human needs are acknowledged and talent and creativity are allowed to flourish, employees give their all.” What kind of an atmosphere exists in your organization? What does your reception area look like? Your halls? Is spontaneity encouraged? Do people have fun at work?

In an annual study on what people want from their jobs, the number two answer since 1948 is “Full appreciation for work done.” Interestingly, “Good wages” is number five! Do you encourage daily affirmations in your organization, both through formal programs and individual personalized actions?

R = RESPECT AND REASON FOR BEING
Robert Greenleaf, Hyler Bracey, Peter Block, and John Scherer all talk about servant leadership and the importance of managing from the heart. James Autry says, “Good management is largely a matter of love. Or if you’re uncomfortable with that word, call it caring, because proper managment involves caring for people, not manipulating them.” What kind of leaders are you encouraging in your organization?

In each interaction we have with anyone, we have the CHOICE to create either a minus, a zero, or a plus experience for that person, depending on the way we treat them. (Minus = discounting the person, making him feel less important than us or our organization; Zero = just taking care of the Business Level only; Plus = making the person feel special on the Human Level, often surprising her). Creating a “plus” in every interaction we have can become a personal sense of mission for each employee. Peter Block says, “The choice we offer people is what creates accountability.”

E = EMPATHY AND ENTHUSIASM
As employees begin to understand the importance of the Human Level in all their interactions, they will begin to listen not only with their heads but also with their hearts. Stephen Covey says, “Seek first to understand and then to be understood.”

Francis Likert said many years ago: “If a high level of performance is to be achieved, it appears to be necessary for a manager to have high performance goals and a contagious enthusiasm as to the importance of those goals.” Do your managers and employees have a contagious enthusiasm about the importance of their work and the difference they can make in their interactions?

Before any cultural change can take place in an organization, you must capture people’s hearts and spirits so that they feel a personal sense of responsibility and power to make a difference in every one-on-one interaction they have in their jobs. When they truly understand this awesome commitment, they can let go of the “victim mentality” as well as many of the other negative feelings which often overwhelm them. Instead they can concentrate in a spirited, creative way on what they CAN do. This new spirit of sending C.A.R.E. packages will impact productivity and profit throughout your organization and will give employees the hope for which they have been longing!

For more about employee motivation, read Handle with CARE — Motivating and Retaining Employees Creative, Low-Cost Ways To Raise Morale, Increase Commitment, And Reduce Turnover available at www.barbaraglanz.com/products/books/.

What are some simple ways I can create a healthy work environment?

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

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

These interesting stats come from “Human Resource Executive” magazine and will make you think:

* According to the 2008-2009 Global Leadership Forecast, only 35 % of 13,700 leaders and HR professionals surveyed express high confidence in their companies’ leaders, the lowest numbers recorded since 1999.

* Employee absence costs U.S. organizations the equivalent of 36% of their base payroll, according to a Mercer survey of 455 employers.

* In 2008 22% of 3,169 hiring managers say they use social networking sites to research job candidates, up from 11% in 2006.

* The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration reports that 13.1 million illegal drug users held full-time jobs in 2007.

* 108 — Number of different occupations that Barbie has held during her 50-year run. Tickets to July’s National Barbie Doll Collector’s Convention sold out in two days!

* $17.94 — Average hourly wage for rank-and-file workers in the US in May 2008.

* 1 in 5 — Chance that an illness or accident will keep an employee out of work for at least one year. The length of the average long-term disability absence is 2.5 years.

* $6.8 Million — Valuation of a human life as determined by the EPA’s 2008 Value of a Statistical Life calculation!

* 10.6% — Unemployment rate in Michigan, the state with the highest level of unemployment. At the other end of the scale is Wyoming, with a 3.4% unemployment rate.

* 25 — of the 30 companies in the Dow Jones Average, the number announcing job cuts since Oct. 25, 2008. Only two of the 30 companies saw their share prices go up in 2008: McDonald’s and Wal-Mart.

Now, after all that rather depressing news, go to www.barbaraglanz.com for some spirit lifting. Remember if you need help creating a workplace of great service, joy, and caring, Barbara Glanz, Certified Speaking Professional, is the one to help you!

How can I change the current culture of my company?

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

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

This Thursday, June 4, 12noon-1pm Central time, Barbara’s interview with David Warren of Oasis Radio Network’s Roadshow will be re-aired.

Barbara will speak on her books “The Simple Truths of Service” and “The Simple Truths of Appreciation.”

The interview will air on the Oasis network of stations and translators, website, and Sky Angel channel 214.

Find out more by visiting the Oasis Network’s website at www.oasisnetwork.org/roadshow.asp.

For videotaped interview questions with Barbara, visit the iQuestions section on her website at www.barbaraglanz.com/iquestions/.

If you are looking for a speaker for your upcoming conference or meeting, please contact us about Barbara Glanz, Certified Speaking Professional (CSP).

In an unforgiving economy, budgets have been lowered and spending has become closely scrutinized. We may be able to work within your budget and come up with a solution for your speaker needs.

Visit http://www.barbaraglanz.com/hiring to read more about Barbara’s services and for more information on contacting Barbara.

View Barbara’s new speaker demo video at www.barbaraglanz.com/action/video.html.

Barbara will be speaking at the Society for Human Resources Management’s (SHRM) 61st Annual Conference & Exposition on June 29 and 30 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The conference will be held at the Morial Convention Center from June 28 through July 1.

Topics presented are as follows:

Monday, June 29:

Spreading Contagious Enthusiasm™—Creating an Environment Where Employees Want To Do Their Best

Workplace Application: You will learn how to create an environment where people want to come to work; instill a sense of mission and purpose in each employee; and focus on the positive and celebrate small wins, plus much more!

This session will stretch your thinking, give you a personal sense of mission of your importance as service leaders, and share many no-cost or low-cost ideas for how to create a service culture using the elements of a spirited workplace:
C = Creative Communication
A = Atmosphere and Appreciation for All
R = Respect and Reason for Being
E = Empathy and Enthusiasm

Tuesday, June 30:

The Simple Truths of Appreciation and Recognition—Low Cost or No-cost Ideas to Keep Employees Engaged

Workplace Application: In this inspiring session Barbara will share nine simple truths of appreciation and recognition as well as dozens of creative ways, at little or no cost, to keep employees happy and productive.

In these tough economic times of having to do more with less, it is critical to find other ways besides money to keep employees engaged. Sixty-five percent of American workers said they received NO appreciation all last year for the good work they had done, yet the second most important thing people want from their jobs is full appreciation. The beauty of appreciation is that we can each give it to anyone we choose for no cost except our awareness and a few moments of our time.

To read more about SHRM and Barbara’s presentations, visit the SHRM blog at http://blogs.shrm.org/annual-conference-2009/?p=478.

To find out more about places Barbara will be speaking, visit www.barbaraglanz.com/calendar.

Barbara is currently featured on the blog for the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) 61st Annual Conference & Exposition.

Barbara will be speaking on June 29 and 30 at the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. To read more on SHRM’s blog, visit blogs.shrm.org/annual-conference-2009/?p=478.

For information about hiring Barbara to speak to your organization, visit barbaraglanz.com/hiring/.