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I would like to announce a new collaboration with Patricia Raskin of Patricia Raskin Positive Living Network. Starting April 25th, I will have a guest spot on Patricia’s show once a month. I will be talking about how to maintain your self and your soul while working in corporate America. This is a very exciting collaboration, and you can listen to Patricia’s show any time online through the link above.

If you listen live, there’s a chance you could win a free set of my new “Find Your Peace at Work” Inspirational Cards!

Here is a show that I was featured on with Patricia and one of her other hosts, Brian Benson. Please enjoy!

Paula Marshall on the G. Brian Benson Show

NOTE: You must be a fan on Facebook or a Follower on Twitter to be considered for the Award!

Call for Entries: Paula Marshall’s People Centered Organization 2010

Who Is Paula Marshall?

Paula has been the CEO of the Bama Companies, Inc for 25 years. She has been a trailblazer in the areas of quality, employee retention and employee satisfaction. The Bama Companies won the Malcolm Baldridge Award from the United States Department of Commerce in 2004. Paula’s new book “Finding the Soul of Big Business” is focused on bringing a more trusting and compassionate workplace to America. With this award, Paula would like to recognize forward thinking organizations that understand the value of their team members.

Background Information

What is a people-centered organization?  Well, it’s one that:

-Structures its policies and culture around its employees.

-Sees fairness and balance as a priority.

-Makes cuts elsewhere instead of doing layoffs.

-Values its employees as much as its customers.

-Understands that when we all work together, success is inevitable.

Sadly, people-centered organizations are in the minority in today’s business climate, which is why we would like to recognize a business that has this business philosophy.

Rules and Eligibility

Do you work for a company that exemplifies the philosophies of a people-centered organization? If so, please fill out the form below to nominate your small to medium (up to 5,000 employees) sized organization for the Paula Marshall People-Centered Organization Award. Please have all nominations in by May 15^th, 2010.  All nomination forms should be sent to Colleen McCarty:

Colleen McCarty

Email: colleen.mccarty@yorkshirepublishing.com

Fax: (918) 622-8871

Prize

The employee who nominates the winning organization will receive the new Apple iPad, which is released April 3^rd. The organization will receive an engraved award, and a copy of Paula Marshall’s Finding the Soul of Big Business.

Nomination Form

Please provide your contact information below:

Please respond to the following questions (keeping each response no longer than 1 page):

1.  What type of business is your organization engaged in?

2.  How has your organization dealt with the present economic downturn?

3.  Please give a detailed account of a policy, action or anecdote that you feel illustrates why your company should be considered “People-Centered.”

Find a downloadable PDF and word document of the Nomination Form here.

PDF: Award Nomination Form

Word: Award Nomination Form

At Bama, here are the ways that we keep the Marketplace of Ideas open to everyone in the organization:

1. No ideas are wrong. All innovations were once novel ideas that seemed impossible. The worst case is that an idea is not usable now.

2. There are multiple ways to look at challenges and changes. Most often there is not a single “right way” to do things.

3. Solutions require uniqueness and creativity. An individual’s unique perspective may lead to an answer that may have been missed; diversity must be embraced.

4. The value of an idea is not based upon who suggested it but on its ability to work and provide benefit to the community.

5. Sharing all ideas is beneficial. Some ideas have value to particular situations while others have merit because they generate additional ideas.

6. There is no bad time for a good idea. As long as employees are willing to share their ideas without fear of judgment, innovations and continuous improvement will prevail.

This video embodies why ideas are important, and how they keep us motivated to do a great job. Enjoy!

IQ is to EQ what your Brain is to your Heart.

Although in theory we know the different between IQ and EQ, it is still hard to put it into practice during our daily lives. From birth we are programmed to rely on our IQs to pass tests, conquer challenges and move ahead in the world. We are never tested at our EQ. No wonder so many of us have underdeveloped or non-existent emotional lives.

When EQ is left out of the equation, we become robotic. We compartmentalize our lives into work, leisure and sleep. When we incorporate our Emotional Quotient into our daily relations, we are able to unify our lives. Work becomes fun, enriching and exciting. We discover our coworkers and know them deeply, we are not just rats in a maze together anymore. Nor do you see your coworkers as competition for promotions and raises. You begin to see them as human beings with rich layers, just as you are. When we celebrate our similarities, we begin to truly work together. IQ is necessary for any job task, of course. But also, any social situation (work, home, or out and about) requires a level of EQ. If the EQ remains undeveloped, we can continue to expect low productivity, workplace drama and gossip as well as high turnover.

Think about ways to incorporate your EQ into every social interaction. What is it like to be in someone else’s shoes? What is motivating your coworkers to behave in certain ways? Are you contributing to workplace discord? These are the questions to ask yourself to begin a road to a more balanced IQ/EQ world.

1. Laying Down the Hammer

The general idea of being a boss and being an owner is that you are the one to blow your top when things go wrong. Screaming, yelling, firing, and throwing papers around seems like the way to get things done. Being a woman, I thought I had to be extra tough to be taken seriously. I learned later that being a woman gave me the great advantage to be able to listen, hold back my assumptions and anger, and make rational decisions. I now know that laying down the hammer is not something that should be done on a regular basis, if at all. It stifles people’s productivity and makes them scared for their jobs.

2. Throwing Spaghetti at the Wall, to See What Sticks

Like most CEOs I am an idea person. I surround myself with a team that can execute my ideas at a moments notice. But, I also expect them to be able to tell me when an idea isn’t plausible. I don’t like to hear ‘NO,’ but I also need to know my limitations. When the economy began to turn for the worse, I began to realize that throwing our resources at some of my random projects was causing unnecessary waste and slowing down some of our more lucrative projects. I had to learn to limit myself , instead of running with every idea that enters my head.

3.  Slurp Your Soup

When dealing with international customers, in my case the Chinese, it is important to respect and honor local customs and ways of life. Not following suit can cost you a huge account. In Hong Kong it is customary to bring your soup bowl to your mouth, and slurp. This shows you appreciate the cooking, and are enjoying your food. You could offend someone by not researching the customs of a foreign customer.

4. Photograph the Roses

Work-life balance is important, but having a very stressful job can cause you to lose yourself. You feel as though your identity is wrapped up in your job rather than who you are, or what you enjoy. A few years ago I found  I wasn’t sleeping, I just worked and emailed through the night, and continued to work the next morning. I decided something had to change. I began drawing and taking photographs, because I was in search of some beauty in the world. I realized that through interacting with the world around me in a creative way, I began to find myself again. It was a wonderful feeling. I am still drawing and taking photographs, and I have also begun writing short stories.

5. You’re so Vain

When put in a position of power, the mind begins to play tricks on you. You begin to think you are the center of the world. Since your company revolves around you, everything else must too. When you say something, people scurry to make sure it gets done. This is a very dangerous place for a CEO’s mind to be. Every person has a unique contribution, and a unique set of experiences to add to an organization. Not one of them is more valuable than another. A CEO must keep their feet firmly planted on the ground in order to make realistic business decisions and forecasts. Find your center, and realize that you are the best leader when you are grounded and confident in your own experiences.

“Hi I have read alot of your materials, but have you written any thing I can use for my staff? Especially in regards to eliminating poor customer service and building employee morale. I would like to use it as a tool for my first meeting with new staff. Thanks”

–Racquel G.

Racquel–

First, I want to thank you for thinking of me to answer your questions. I am going to try to address Customer Service and Employee Morale as best as I can here, but remember this is a blog. I could write another book on just these subjects alone, but this will get you started.

Improving Customer Service

9 times out of 10 bad customer service is  linked to a lack of training. Especially in small businesses, when all the essential functions are handled in one office. In big corporations, bad customer service has to do with outsourcing, language barriers and a lack of valuing employees. However, in a small office, we often don’t have the resources  or the time to train new employees as much as they should be trained. Much of the time, we just throw them in for OTJ (On The Job) training and assume they will pick it up. This is a grave mistake. If you expect all your employees to create a unified effort to ensure your customers are happy, you must train them on what that unified effort is. If you don’t have any idea what you want that to look like, study some cases of companies that have great customer service. It can be a local small business with whom you had a great experience, or a large corporation. Apple is one company who sets the bar in customer service. Even if you just go into the Apple Store, and study how the employees relate to the customers. Take notes. From your notes you should have some idea what you want your Customer Service plan to look like. Even if its as simple as “The customer is always right,” or “Always smile, be cheerful, and be as helpful as possible.” The next step is enacting it. Train your employees from the moment they walk in the door, let them know what is expected of them. This way, when an expectation is met, there can be a reward and when an expectation is not met, there can be punishment or grounds for termination. I can’t stress enough how important training is. Training will help you showcase your brand and what type of company you are.

Employee Morale

Raising employee morale, or increasing Employee Engagement, is one of the topics I get asked about the most. Happy, dedicated employees are the holy grail, some would tell you. Well I don’t think it’s that hard to develop better morale, but it does take some time. People thrive on relationships. Feeling as though we belong and that people care about us is the center of our core being. If your employees don’t feel cared for, or valued then they will start to detach. They will begin working as robots, without really investing themselves. This is when errors and bad customer service start to become a problem. Building trust and relationships takes time, and understanding. Your employees have to understand that you wont just fire them at the drop of a hat, that you want them to succeed. This means having the courage to confront people when there’s a problem, but doing so because you are concerned about the person as well as your business. If you don’t know where to begin, I have some suggested reading material that will help you find your way into a more caring and soulful business environment.

The Seven Acts of Courage: Bold Leadership for a Wholehearted Life by Dusty Staub

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

I hope this has helped and good luck with your business!