Valuable over Value

Rich Gee posted a blog that you can read here:
http://richgee.com/2011/12/its-time-we-value-people-over-profits/

Gee's blog is about valuing people (your workers) otherwise known as the "little people" in your business or organization that build your products and put out your company's work. These people, in the past, have been abused, over used, and spat on in one way or another. It is time for business owners to get the hint, if you are having to down size every year, fire loyal workers, cut things from your workers, and still maintain your (personal) way of life something is wrong.
I believe 2012 will be the year when the "little people" rise. It is time for business owners to realize that if you want a product that the public loves, then you must get the people who produce this product to love it too.
So, how do you do this????
The answer is so simple: love your workers. Get to know the people that you sign a check for. Learn what they like, what makes them happy, what their interests are.
The organization I work for have been implementing this way of going about business, and because of this our TEAM is THRIVING!
Once you determine how to make the people that work below you happy, your consumers will be happy also.
Now you may ask, Why?
Why will it matter if the people making the product are happy, how will that affect the consumers?
This answer is simple also: If you strive to work for your workers, your workers will strive to work for your consumers.
When your worker moral is up, and everyone is working for an organization that they trust in and enjoy, then they will strive to put off that image to your public. Your workers will begin to strive to make every single consumer happy, because they want the company they work for to succeed.
Look at it from a personal perspective, when do you work your best? When you are having persona issues, feeling low, bored, or burnt out? NO! You work the best when you are engaged, thinking, producing ideas, and when you feel VALUABLE!
When your workers feel valuable they will value their work, thus raising the value of your team and organization as a whole.

Happy Workers=Happy Customers

Saving The Princess and Slaying The Dragon

http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=52d5c7778a3adfda535c3b349&id=8eb2dd1ad2&e=a9465016f2

I am in no way, shape, or form capable or writing a blog this morning...or so I thought.
I had a rough night, a late start this morning, and I've had a lot on my mind lately. As my mother has re-assured me, this is a human thing, it only means that I am normal. I am also a new mother, a natural red head, I thrive off of emotions (not always my strong suit), and I am a woman (we are in-fact highly emotional creatures). So, while I am stressed, emotional, and (because of my curse/blessing of a hair color) quick to anger, I am in a pickle; but I am also profoundly normal.
I started out this day with all intentions of getting to my desk, going about my day, keeping my emotions at bay, and getting through the day in one piece.
However, thanks to a blog that I came across this morning, I was put into my place (and I needed that).

I know I have hoisted Michael Hyatt onto a blogging pedestal before, but he really shined this morning. And it must be said, I keep an army of blogs in my repertoire. From Manna for Moms (about faith for busy mommies), to Passive Panda (about making money), to Rich Gee (business and team building), to other personal growth, business, personality, faith, organizational, and couponing blogs. So, I read a lot of things on a daily basis to keep myself on track, and keep the creative side of my brain fed (lets just say that part of my brain can be obese on any given day). So, when I say this blog shined on a day when I was not feeling up to par, I mean it meant something to me.
And I share it because I hope it means something to you.

Anyhow, in this blog Hyatt talks about his 'Dragon' that he wakes up to every morning, and how he goes about defeating that dragon before he begins his day. This dragon has three heads, that Hyatt has found he needs to tackle in a particular order; Spiritual, Physical, and Intellectual. Now, because my husband works very early in the morning, unlike in the middle of the night when I have a nightmare or hear a bump, my husband is not there to help me take on my personal dragon.
I wake up everyone morning, and sometimes I have to rescue the Princess before taking on the dragon. The Princess is my 3 month old daughter, Seraphim, who can wake up at any given time during the morning needing mommy to change or feed her (sometimes both) and I must keep my dragon at bay.
However, when my Princess is rescued she usually falls right back to sleep, and I am able to take on my Dragon. I start off by getting ready for the day/work; this means finding something to wear (which can be a dragon all on its own), fixing my hair and make up, and preparing myself for my job. I usually take on the Dragon once I have the Princess loaded into the car and we are heading to the Castle known as Daycare.
I will say a prayer for the Princess and her day, without mommy there; which leads to the prayer about the Daycare provider and her ability to keep track of my Princess and all of the other kiddos; which leads to the prayer about me and my courage; which leads to the prayer about everything else.
This fight with the Spiritual part of the dragon goes on after I drop Seraphim off at the Daycare, and throughout the rest of my drive to work. But on most days I prevail and defeat this part with ease.
After the Spiritual part of my dragon is slayed, where Hyatt moves on to the Physical part, I move on to the Intellectual part. When I get to work and I sit at my desk, most days I am able to read my daily blogs (I only read the blogs that pertain to my work life while at my desk; personal growth, business and team building, etc.) and this usually sparks an idea for a blog of my own, or an idea for one of my many tasks. I am on a few committees that keep my creativity fed, and keep me working, thinking, and brainstorming constantly. I also take on all of the other tasks that I am responsible for in my office. I adore my job, the flexibility (on most days when we are not swamped) to be creative, to brainstorm, and to stretch myself in ways I would otherwise grow out of shape in if I were not at my beautiful cubicle.

Which makes me think of this magnet I have on my monitor stand that I received as a Christmas present from my fabulous co-worker! The magnet says "My Cubicle is my Secret Land of Make-Believe" and in reality, on most days, it is. I get away from my personal life and I am able to think and reflect behind my monitor.

So, throughout the day I take on the Intellectual part of my dragon, and when my day goes by smoothly without me getting too frazzled at rude customers, or too overwhelmed by daily trials I can say that I defeat that part of the dragon!

After having Seraphim in September of this previous year it became clear to me that I am not like other 20 year old women that I know. I needed to get in shape, gain more energy, and start eating right if I want to be a young, hip mother, who can also keep up with her young'n. So I started researching, I started studying, and I joined my local gym. I found a love of yoga, and a drive to find new recipes and try new things.

I can say I have loads of more energy (which helps with the previous part of my dragon), and I feel better about myself in general. I feel like I don't look like a 40 year old woman worn out from sitting behind a desk and snacking on little debby cakes all day long. I am doing more things, and I feel great.

However, there are days when I leave the office and drive right by my gym on the way home, or I pick a trashy snack over a balanced meal. I can say this is the part when the dragon usually slips its fire laced tongue around my leg and swallows me whole. But I am working on it, and I am finding ways to enjoy this battle, and ways to achieve it.

I feel great about myself, and I can say that on most days I can defeat my dragon. I still have those days when my dragon eats me up, but I always go to bed, and wake up the next morning ready to take him on again. What are some of your daily dragons? and how do you go about defeating them?