Author Archive for Jennifer

I know several of my posts this year have focused on running and surprise… this one will be no different! I mentioned earlier how I signed up for my first 5k but I didn’t mention that my husband signed up for the 10k that will take place before the 5k. The last 10k he ran was in 1987 in the Bolder Boulder, he was 15 at the time.

Watching him train has honestly been inspirational. He has not really done a lot of running since he was a teenager, so to see him start in January not being able to run 1 mile straight, to now being able to run over 6 miles straight is amazing! To manage such a feat it takes consistency, dedication, and a lot of patience. Since it was winter when he started to train he used the track at our local YMCA. The track is small and you have to run around it 17 times to complete one mile. I know from experience that it can become a little boring and tedious at times. I can’t even imagine running around it over 105 times in a row, but that is what my husband has done now several times. Of course it took many hours and days to work up to it, but it has all been worth it.

Consistency, dedication, and patience are great attributes and I would say most successful people have these skills. The good thing is we don’t have to necessarily be born with them. They are skills we can acquire, but funnily enough it requires, consistency, dedication, and patience. Just like in running there will be good days and bad days, but even on the bad days you tried, so it is still a victory and you were consistent in your effort.

My last piece of advice to obtain your goals would be to use help where you can get it. There is no shame in using the tools available to you. In my husband’s case he used a running app and he went through lots of books on audio. The first helped guide him and the second staved off the boredom that was bound to happen after several weeks.

So remember…. Consistency, Dedication, and Patience.

I know you can do it!

Last time I wrote I mentioned that I had signed up to run my very first 5K in May. Since that time, I have found that you absolutely need the right pair and type of shoes. I own several pairs of tennis shoes and thought that at least one of those pairs would be adequate to complete the task at hand. They were all well broken in shoes and I had never had any issues when wearing them for regular use. Unfortunately when I began to use them for running, they each caused blisters. I went through three pairs until I finally got wise and decided that maybe I should get some real running shoes. Yes, it was a little bit of a hassle and I had to spend money that I really wasn’t planning on, but it was so very worth it. Not only are my feet happy, but they have helped my overall performance.

I think sometimes in business we take this approach. We get used doing and using what’s familiar to us even if it causes us some “blisters”. Because let’s be honest, sometimes change and spending money can be very painful and time consuming. But that should definitely not discourage us when a change needs to be made; especially if those blisters are becoming visible to your customers and partners.

Thankfully change doesn’t need to happen all at once. Just like in running we need to pace ourselves, the same can be said for implementing change at work. Setting up a good schedule for making changes is a good idea and will prevent the feeling of being overwhelmed. The great thing is that even small changes can make a big difference. Maybe you can’t change everything all at once, but don’t let that stop you from changing what you can now.

So here’s to fewer blisters and more productivity!

I love interesting lists of facts. If you read our monthly newsletter, you know I always include a few little fun facts about that particular month. The following facts are not only interesting, but insightful. I think this list is particularly useful for employers and managers. Note how many of the following items deal with stress. Of course stress is a fact of life and stress can be good, but too much causes high turnover, reduced productivity, increased absenteeism.

We know the holidays can be especially stressful, so this may be a good time to think of some great office stress reducers. You can start by sharing this list!

1. One percent of U.S. employers allow employees to take naps during working      hours.
2. People in the U.S. spend at least 1896 hours per year at work.
3. Women business owners employ 35% more people than all the Fortune 500 companies combined.
4. No piece of normal-size paper can be folded in half more than seven times.
5. During thinking, we only use about 35% of our brains.
6. A typist’s fingers travel 12.6 miles during an average workday.
7. More American workers (18%) call in sick on Friday than any other day of the week.
8. Tuesday has the lowest percent of absenteeism for American workers—11%.
9. Difficult focusing on the computer screen, short-term memory problems and trouble with basic math can be caused by a mere 2% drop in body water. Remember to stay hydrated during work hours.
10. Americans now spend more than 100 hours a year commuting to work.
11. More  than 50% of lost work days are stress related, keeping approximately 1 million people home from work every day.
12. The  average office worker spends 50 minutes a day looking for lost files and other items.
13. The United States has the fourth largest workforce in the world, at 154.2 million (does not include those who are unemployed).
14. Forty  percent of worker turnover is due to job stress.
15. Remember to always take notes during meetings, as the brain retains less than 5% of what is said.
16. Each person owns at least eight distinctive intelligences (Musical, Bodily-Kinesthetic,  Naturalistic, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, Verbal-Linguistic , Logical-Mathematical, Spatial), and these are further developed whenever used at work.
17. “Stewardesses” is the longest word typed with only the left hand.
18. Refrigerating rubber bands makes them last longer.
19. Eighty percent of jobs are gained through networking.
20. People spend one in every four and a half minutes online on social networks and blogs.

And those are the (office) facts of life!

Currently we are in the middle of moving to a new location. This will be a great move and opportunity for our company, but getting there is not so fun. I’m not sure I have ever met anyone that enjoys the physical part of moving. The packing, the cleaning, the unpacking, etc… Not to mention all of the address change forms, setting up your new internet. The list can go on and on…

As we all know the things that are worthwhile usually require lots of hard work and sometimes a little (or a lot) of pain. I’m trying to keep this in mind as I prepare for this move. I’m also trying to focus on junk removal (you know the boxes that never got opened the last time we moved several years ago).

I’m not sure what it is about human nature that makes us want to hang on to stuff that isn’t needed or that is really outdated. I’m not just talking about boxes or the pair of jeans you wore your senior year in high school that still hang in your closet. This goes for outdated marketing plans, processes, software, etc…

Marketing plans that worked 10-15 years ago are just plain outdated. If you aren’t segmenting, targeting and switching to digital channels, it is time you move on. Yes, it will be painful, but the rewards far outweigh any heavy lifting that will need to be done on the front end.

Sending your customers marketing communications about items they aren’t interested in or they just bought and now you are offering a bigger discount than what they received is like wearing those acid wash jeans from 1985 - it is not a good idea!

So throw away those jeans and get with the times!

I’m now in the phase of life where we are adding new drivers to our family every couple of years. As terrifying as that is, it is nothing compared to the horrifying visits we have to make to the DMV to make our children’s driving dreams a reality.

I’m beginning to think that the motor vehicle department actually trains their employees to be rude and sarcastic. I get that the lines are never ending, no one ever has all the correct forms and identifications, and the uniforms you have to wear are downright atrocious. But seriously, is life really that bad?

Unfortunately, the DMV is not the only place I have seen rudeness and indifference when it comes to customer service. So how do we prevent this from happening in our own places of business?

Here are a few suggestions:

• Brighten up your work space. The DMV is horribly drab and it makes me feel like I’m in a B rated horror film. Colors really can affect our moods. Even if you don’t have total control over what your office space looks like, keep it neat and clean and try and add a few personal effects, for a welcoming touch. At the very least have a picture of your family or your pets.
• Keep a good attitude. Remember no one can make your feel inferior without your permission. Also, no one can make you angry or mad. These are all choices we make ourselves. But, we can have a positive effect on those around us when we ourselves are positive.
• Perspective is also an important attribute. We all spend so much time at work, isn’t worth trying to make it as pleasant as possible.
• Last but not least is to remember the golden rule- Do unto others as you would have done to you.

Life is never perfect and no one can always be happy, but we can all try and be pleasant to one another.

Even if you work at the DMV!