visual: eryuktiaggarwal.blog.com
Did you ever consider your success only pertains to what you’ve done, not to what you are doing? I mean at some point your skills take over and whatever it is you are doing becomes second nature. Like a reflex. Is that success or the benefit of repetition?
If you’re no longer learning about what you strive to be successful at, isn’t that falling short of true success? Surely, innovation and adaptation occur, but if you do not innovate or adapt to innovation, are you successful or simply existing in a window between must change game and game over?
When you’re learning, discovering, and changing, you are actively affecting your success. Success needs to be nurtured. If not, success becomes merely a talking point.
visual: gazetteandherald.co.uk
Your company’s culture. Do you ever think about it? Do others in your organization ever discuss it? I don’t mean when you have to attend a mandatory meeting about sexual harassment featuring 1970′s pseudo porn stars. Nor am I referring to the impromptu Wednesday Doughnut Day for everyone to be vaguely thanked for doing a swell job.
I’m referring to discussions about how individuals can best connect to and deliver successful objectives. Email exchanges about problem solving. Meetings, called by anyone for anyone, to pitch innovative approaches to help the business and each other. One on one conversations on a regular basis to ensure people are well-informed, well-resourced, and are feeling empowered.
Culture happens as a result of the people in the company. You can choose to ignore the importance of culture, and yet culture will still evolve – broken, disconnected, and full of animosity. Or you can proactively get involved to influence the culture to be supportive, empowering, and successful.
The culture is yours.
visual: blog.bobbyrettew.com
Not too long ago, I vlogged (is that a rea word yet?) about how a company’s culture can affect the interest of it’s employees to be social on behalf of the company. Checking in ala Foursquare, sharing company Facebook posts, or Tweeting it up about the latest cool happening at the workplace.
So, if you find yourself having to ask or coax your employees to like your page or tweet at ya…ummm…yea…culture problem.
Lots of businesses still don’t get it. They try to use social media as an arm of their old-school marketing strategy or limit the resources so much, their networks resemble outdated e-billboards. And it all comes down to caring. The more you care about your customers, your message, your authenticity, the better the experience will be…for everyone. 
I’m no expert, but I do have oodles of respect for people like Gary Vaynerchuk, Brian Solis, Seth Godin, and Hugh MacLeod – just to name a few. Oh, and if you haven’t heard of them…yea…that’s a HUGE part of your problem.
Stop ruining social media. Start caring about it.
If you were given the freedom to set up your work routine so it best suited you for success, what would you change? Would you change anything?
I ask those questions a lot. The most common answers include: “That would never happen.” and “I just want to punch in and punch out without anyone bothering me.” and “More money.” and “More time off.” It is rare someone will ponder for a moment and then respond with creative ideas, non-traditional approaches, result-focused plans, or even hint at a more balanced life.
visual: hwaw.com
In my experience, employers have been fearful and even voiced their strong reservations about the concepts I suggest about how people work. That is expected. When people confuse freedom with chaos, it takes some time to understand the true culture shift – from control to support. However, when it is the employees who show a lack of interest in creating change, that is when it is most challenging. Without employees belief in the possibility of change, the culture will stagnate.
So, though your manager may be uber strict and your company culture stuck in the 1950′s, if given the opportunity to make changes….would you?
For those who believe owning a business is the accomplishment, I’ve got a question to ask you. Why are you in business?
visual: inspiredbytrust.blogspot.com
If you’re in business to simply be in business, the days must seem empty and feel draining. I say that respectfully. If, at the end of the day, your only concern is that you have survived to “do business” another day, how fulfilling is that? How motivating is that?
Your business needs to be about something greater than a transaction. It needs to be about making a difference. Connecting people to something greater (product, service, experience). Having a sense of purpose is far more valuable than having business plan. In essence, it’s more about the why than the what.
If you and the employees of your business can’t attach to the why, the what will suffer.
Work should be the driver, the motivation, the inspiration, and yes, the reward. Between employees who take jobs for every reason but the work and employers who focus on everything but the work, realizing this can be difficult. Hell, it can be soul crushing.
visual: theinspirationroom.com
This is why I believe education must be the first step in the hiring process. During one’s education, students should be challenged to think about the world. They should be encouraged to discover what their talents and gifts are and how such things can affect the world. Students need to be given time, resources, and inspiration to realize their authenticity rather than be conformed to fit some hiring standard.
How organizations establish its culture (rules, policies, processes, structure, etc) needs to become more fluid and adaptable. To continue believing one-size-fits-all is not only inaccurate, but also may be limiting the potential of hiring some truly special people. Orgs should be recruiting people to “do great work” not “work at a great place.” Giving people freedom to discover how their talents can deliver organizational objectives can be transformative.
Check out this great article about “hiring for attitude and training for skills.”
Organizations invest so much time, effort, and money into trying to make the workplace fun and happy. Please stop. It’s usually quite embarrassing. Adult sing-a-longs, funny shirt Tuesdays, and bring your pet to work Fridays are lame and often times, awkward.
I mean really, who doesn’t enjoy a dog crapping under their desk while the owner is cluelessly singing a horrible rendition of Celebration in a hideous Hawaiian shirt?
visual: jblpro.com
What organizations need to focus on is making work fun and happy. Give employees the freedom to get creative with customer service. Ask them to make fun, informative videos for customers. Ask them to create blog content about the company or industry and allow their personalities to shine through.
The workplace is the stage. The employees are the players. The work is the play. Have fun. Be awesome.
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