Why don’t you stop by some time?

I’ve noticed a disturbing trend. When I ask supervisors and managers to tell me what concerns them the most, “low employee morale” usually ranks in the top three. While there are many causes of chronic employee dissatisfaction, the best cure for low morale is to stop by to check in with each employee once a day.

Bob, a seasoned HR manager responsible for hiring service reps for two large contact centers in Georgia, had an interesting theory. He believed that there are two kinds of supervisors: the “Stop Bys” and the “Drive Bys.”  The supervisors in the Stop By category managed to find the time every day, no matter how busy they were, to circulate among their reps and connect with each one. The Drive Bys did just that – they drove by their reps on their way to something “more important” like a meeting or a conference call. Rarely were these supervisors around when a rep needed their help. You can guess which of the two types of supervisors had teams with higher morale — and productivity.

If you aren’t already in the habit of checking in with each person on your team once during the day, try doing it this week. 

The Stop By to Say “Hi!” 5-Step

1. Greet each person with a smile.
2. Establish eye contact.
3. Ask him or her how they are. (Or, ask how their weekend was, how they liked their new car, the score of their son’s ball game, how their dog is….)
4. Listen closely to their response. (The most important step of all.)
5. Now, share something about your self that is NOT work related

I think you will be amazed by the reaction. (OK, if you’ve not done this a lot, some of your peeps will be a little wierded out at first and wonder what you are up to….) Just so you know…if you start greeting each person every day, they will look forward to it. So much so, that if you get too busy and skip a day, many will wonder why. Some may conclude that you are angry at them. Consider yourself warned!
Be happy,

Barbara Burke

2010 © Barbara Burke. All rights reserved.

Count your blessings. It’s good for you.

If you think that counting your blessings isn’t that important, consider the study that found that people who kept a journal in which they wrote down the things they were grateful for were happier, more optimistic about the future, had more energy and fewer physical ailments than the group that did not keep a weekly journal.
This study also found that people who take time to deliberately acknowledge their gratitude were more likely to feel loved, and that other people reciprocated with their own kindness.

5 Tips for Cultivating an Attitude of Gratitude

1. Count to 10.
Write down 10 things you are grateful for this year. Keep a small notebook handy (on your bedside table, at your desk at work, in your purse or backpack) and make it a practice to write down specific things in your life that you are thankful for.

2. Keep a talisman.
Find a smooth rock or stone that feels good in your hand and carry it with you. Put it in your backpack or your purse and when you touch the rock pause for a moment to say “Thank you” for something in your life (a person, a situation, a possession, an insight, a feeling) for which you are grateful.

3. Start a thank-filled tradition.
Before you dig in to Thanksgiving dinner go around the table and invite each person to share one thing they are particularly grateful for this year.

4. Acknowledge your gratitude.
Chances are there are people who have done something nice for you that you never got around to thanking. Take a minute to write them a thank you note.

5. Have a special place.
My personal reminder to be grateful is a beautiful old oak tree in the Carleton College Arboretum close to where I live. Every day when I am out for my run I stop at my “abundance tree” to express my gratitude for all the wonderful things in my life. As I touch the bark (in the same place every time), I feel my connection to the Earth and am reminded of my connection to all living things.

And finally, I’d like to express my appreciation to the many readers who took the time to complete the Monday Aha! Reader Survey. Wow. I had no idea that my Monday missives meant so much to so many people.
Thanks too, to the 35 people who volunteered to advise me on the creation of a “customer service” version of the Aha!s for people who deal directly with customers every day. I’ll be in touch soon.

This week cultivate your own attitude of gratitude.

Be happy,

Barbara

2010 © Barbara Burke. All rights reserved.
www.barbaraburke.com

Dearest Readers,

If you are one of the 2000 or so subscribers to my Monday Aha! I’d like to thank you for your loyalty. It’s hard to believe that what started out 2 years ago as a way to introduce the 22 Aha!s from my customer service fable, The Napkin, The Melon & The Monkey, to a wider audience, has become a labor of love.

For the last 100 Mondays I have sat in front of my mac in my jammies with my cat on my lap and a cup of strong coffee to write a few hundred words of wisdom that I hoped would make your job as a customer service professional less difficult, your relationships a little better, and your life slightly easier.

I rarely hear from my readers. But, when I do I’m gratified to learn that a particular Monday Aha! rung true.  A few have accused me of being psychic. They wonder how I could have known that the topic I discussed that week was exactly the thing they were grappling with at the moment.

I wish I had psychic powers! It’s my lack of an ability to read minds that prompted me, on the anniversary of my 100th Monday Aha!, to ask you to do me a favor.

If you find these Monday Aha!s valuable, and would like them to continue, please take a minute right now to help me help you. I promise it won’t take more than 3 minutes to complete what are mostly multiple choice questions.

Monday Aha! Reader Survey.

Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts!

With gratitude,

Barbara
2010 © Barbara Burke. All rights reserved.