Welcome to the August 2007 issue of Rise & Shine
Your Leadership Solutions and Resource Newsletter!
Bright Lights (Tips/Solutions)
Over the next several months, the Bright Lights section of Rise & Shine will present a discussion of various tips and suggestions from the Rising Sun model known as the ProductivityZone™:
It seems that no matter what business you go to, you hear the same story: The leadership appears to be on a path to success, assuming that the employees are following along. They think that the employees are moving their business forward with great excitement and enthusiasm. On the other hand, employees are showing up to work every day wondering where their leaders are taking them and wondering if leadership has any idea what is really happening.
Research is clear that employee engagement is a significant issue and that leadership is the most critical part of the problem. Employees want to be engaged in their organizations and it is the leader's responsibility to help create an environment where their employees feel cared for and valued. However, when such an environment is not achieved, the cost to the organization is significant.
Traditional thought around employee productivity has included approaches that address employee knowledge, skills and attitude (KSA). More recently, a few authors have also begun to talk about the importance of morals and values to employee productivity. The Rising Sun Model of Positive Productivity™ has taken the study of productivity one step further by examining the relationship (i.e., integration) of these components: knowledge and skills (Competency), attitude (Commitment), and morals and values (Character).
The "Productivity Zone" represents that point in an employee's development when all three components (Competency, Character and Commitment) come together in a state of "Positive Productivity."
Shining Stars (Best Practices)
This month's Organization of Excellence is The Phillips Group. Although the business itself was started in 1940, the Phillips family purchased it in 1984 and immediately began the process of redefining the organization. The vision of the company's culture is a partnership between employees and managers with relationships that are close and trusting. The connection between The Phillips Group culture and its success is quite simply employee happiness. In essence, if employees enjoy what they do and know that the company is treating them right, productivity increases.
This office furniture, document management and supplies company has won the Best Places to Work in PA award in the large company category five times in the last seven years. To achieve this kind of consistent recognition, they must be doing something right. The following are a few strategies that this organization has in place in order to fulfill its vision of a positive corporate culture:
- An open book management approach that informs employees about company finances and the detailed reasons behind decisions made by the leadership. (Open book management is unique in the office products industry.)
- Delegating authority to each separate division (supplies, furniture and document management solutions), even to the point that each separate business unit are called companies, run by presidents who report to Peter Phillips. This approach helps to maintain the entrepreneurial spirit as the organization grows.
- Offering flexible work schedule opportunities such as the ability to work from home and the option of 4-day work weeks for many positions (longer days / extended weekend).
- Several internal and external surveys to improve their customer service and internal communication.
- An emphasis on safety for all employees, and especially for those sales and service staff who work on the road in the 70 company cars. A safety committee meets once a month to continually improve safety protocols and the President of the company attends.
Humble leadership by people who demonstrate integrity encourages loyalty from employees, and The Phillips Group is fortunate to have such leaders. We thank Peter Phillips, President, for meeting with us to discuss his organization. More information about The Phillips Group is available at www.buyphillips.com.
World Views (In the News)
Airport Survival Tips
My all-time longest-shortest trip had to be my stay in Boston last week. I flew in to meet with a few companies but ended up spending 15 hours at Logan Airport. Everything seemed good to go until, over the period of a few hours, fog completely enveloped the airport. One by one, flights were cancelled including both flights back to Raleigh. To make matters worse, all the hotels in the area were completely booked and there wasn’t a rental car to be found. Armed with my laptop and suitcase, I had to hunker down for my first ever all-nighter at an airport.
Always pack long pants. Because it was a quick trip, I only packed a suit and some shorts. They had the air conditioning on full tilt (and I mean full tilt) and that made for a pretty uncomfortable night. At one point it got so cold, I thought I saw the Abominable Snowmonster and Yukon
Dunkin Donuts is good. One of the benefits of being stranded at Logan was having a Dunkin Donuts in the terminal that was open 24 hours. I must say I was pretty excited at first as I don’t get a chance to eat donuts all that often, but by morning I never wanted to see another glazed donut again.
Handy hint: Pace yourself when eating glazed donuts and drinking coffee.
Power outlets are a traveler’s best friend. When I knew I was going to be stuck there a while, I went on a scouting mission to find an outlet. It always amazes me how hard they are to come by at most airports. Once I found electricity, I set up camp for the night.
Handy hint: look high and low as some airports have outlets in the ceiling.
YouTube is the greatest invention ever!!!! I usually bring DVDs with me in case my flight is delayed but this trip I didn’t. So I had a ton of time on my hands with nothing to do. Thanks to YouTube, I was able to pass the overnight hours watching clips from some of my favorite movies. I also played “stump YouTube” by trying to search for clips from obscure movie and tv shows. Try it some time.
Sleep is overrated. Maybe it was the uncomfortable airport benches with 75 armrests that made it impossible to lie flat, or the comfortable cement floor, or people talking with their “outdoor voices” at 3:00 am when I was trying to sleep, but at some point I decided sleep was overrated. Later I realized that could have been the sleep depravation talking.
There’s a ban on liquids, gels, and aerosols. You might have heard something about this once if you have electricity, but that wasn’t the case for the woman behind me going through security. She had a 46 ounce jar of Heinz ketchup in her carryon. I don’t even know what to say about this one. The TSA screener threw it away (I hate to see good ketchup go to waste) but I had to wonder if there was another traveler with a hamburger in his or her carryon that is without ketchup as we speak.
Handy hint: If you love ketchup, bring a few of those packets you get from McDonald’s.
Always try standby. I was booked on the 10:40 am flight the next day. That flight was also cancelled. Because I slept at the airport, I was able to speak to the gate agent to get on standby for the 6:45 am flight and to get a confirmed seat on the 8:00 am flight. And that was good seeing the 10:40 flight had also been cancelled. Had I been at a hotel on the outskirts of town, there’s a good chance I would have missed the two earlier flights.
Watch what you say. Standing in line waiting to rebook my flight, I started chatting with the woman next to me. At the time, I had no idea she was a senior administrator for a major university. Good person to know and, because it’s a small world, also good that I didn’t say anything goofy.
(Adapted from Shawn Graham. Fast Company, August 13, 2007)
New Horizons
Question of the Month
"We have a generational gap in our office between the old timers and the young tech kids. They don’t seem to communicate well. Any advise?" (K, Carlisle. PA.)
K, excellent question …
Research shows that for the first time in American history we now have four distinct generations working side-by-side in the workplace. Learning how to communicate with these different generations can eliminate many major confrontations and misunderstandings between workers and management. The most successful leaders today find a way to let every generation be heard. They recognize that no one has all the answers. This appreciation of diversity allows each group to contribute and be a part of the growth of the organization.
In terms of your question, the two extremes have very different needs and desires for supervisors. The younger generation is looking for unconditional acceptance, respect for their personal space, shared values, immediate recognition and rewards, high levels of responsiveness, and more of a mentoring or coaching relationship. However, on the other hand, the older generation is look for a sense of independence, respect for their knowledge and skills, to be trusted, and a sense of security regarding their future. Communication within and between these groups must always keep these different needs in mind.
Guest Columnists
Dr. Keith Gillaspy
Our mobility is a growing cause of neck and shoulder problems
Some of the most common complaints I see in my chiropractic practice are neck, shoulder and back pain caused by or aggravated by purses, backpacks and over-the-shoulder satchels. These problems range from minor muscle fatigue and imbalance due to consistently carrying a bag or backpack on the same shoulder, to more serious nerve compression syndromes that are much more difficult to treat.
A recent article by Martin Roberts of Reuters Limited focused on the "fashion vs. practicality" aspect of women's handbags as the bags grow larger. Many manufacturers are combining handbags with briefcases, and it's not unusual to see those combo carriers weighing 7-10 pounds. Men can suffer from this, too; they are often guilty of carrying laptops or heavy portfolios over one shoulder.
One of the first things I address with a patient who is having neck, shoulder or back pain is what they are carrying. With women and students, I focus on the purse or backpack first.
With a purse/handbag, several scenarios are possible:
Carrying the bag on the same shoulder day after day can lead to muscular fatigue and imbalance. Often, the patient is actually hiking the shoulder to maintain the carrying position. This is probably the easiest to fix — through relaxing and stretching the involved side of the neck and shoulder musculature and coaching to frequently switch the load from one shoulder to another.
The other scenario involves nerve compression, in which the strap of the bag compresses the clavicle, or collar bone, against the structures beneath it. This pressure affects a bundle of nerves called the brachial plexus, which feeds the entire arm. Pain, loss of strength, and altered sensation (numbness or tingling) can be consequences of this type of condition. Indeed, many times, carpal tunnel syndrome is the initial diagnosis, and if it's not fully investigated, the patient may endure the condition for a prolonged period.
Recommendations for care include specific modifications to the bag and to the manner in which it is carried, along with treatment and stretching/strengthening exercises.
The student backpack — and the increasing number of books crammed into it — has attracted much attention in the past few years. Again, one sided carrying habits are usually responsible for the painful conditions. Using both straps of a backpack more evenly distributes the weight, but the teenage segment of the population is difficult to convince when the modification is going against fashion or cultural norms.
The weight of the backpack can be a factor as well. If the pack weighs more than 15% of the student's body weight, distributing the weight evenly is helpful but may still overload the student's ability to safely accommodate the load . I regularly suggest that students photocopy chapters of books they need for classes on a day to day basis to lighten the load.
All the above scenarios can be avoided through planning and by modifying the offending activity or habit. Parents need to be mindful of their children's habits as well as their own to avoid the painful consequences of such an innocent activity.
Dr. Gillaspy is a Chiropractor in private practice in Harrisburg, PA and can be contacted at:
Gillaspy Chiropractic Center
6230 Jonestown Rd
Harrisburg, PA 17112-2632
(717) 671-4455
drgillaspy@verizon.net
http://drkeithonline.chiroweb.com/index.php
Rays of Hope (Stories/Parables)
There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.
The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer and the youngest son in the fall.
When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.
The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted.
The second son said no, it was covered with green buds and full of promise.
The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.
The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.
The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but only one season in the tree's life. He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.
Author Unkown
Moral lessons:
Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest. Persevere through the difficult patches and better times are sure to come some time later.
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Thank You
On behalf of all of us at Rising Sun Consultants, we want to thank you for reviewing the August edition of our Rise & Shine Newsletter. As always, we invite you to visit our website (www.risingsunconsultants.com) and encourage you to submit a question for a future addition of Rise & Shine.
Until next month: Always Keep Your Eyes on the New Horizon! |
