Category: Self-Improvement

No one likes to think about the worst that could happen – especially given how many events fill our day even without the unexpected happening. Nonetheless, the daily news is filled with stories that should remind us of the importance of emergency preparedness.  This article provides a systematic way to consider the events that could occur, and to assess our readiness.

Life is busy!  Just keeping up with everyday activities and tasks is a challenge for most people.  While we may think about what might go wrong on any given day, we are often not thinking about out-of-the-ordinary emergencies.  How ready are you for when things go significantly haywire?  This article talks about basic emergency preparedness in everyday life.

For many people, the “work” side of work-life balance is somewhat more defined than life. While it may be hard to manage a myriad of tasks and shifting priorities, work is generally time-bound and there are some boundaries, if one is disciplined about it and communicates expectations with others. Back-up coverage may be possible, shifts or work hours can be managed and many jobs come with leave or sick leave. 

There are lots of strategies and tips out there for finding work-life balance:  Set Boundaries!  Just Say No!  Set Priorities!  Take Breaks!  These tips are grounded in good intentions and hold some gold on their own but may also sidestep the deeper questions that cause the best work-life balance action plans to fail.  Here are some different ways of reframing the work-life balance equation to create change from within.

Are you or members of your team drowning in paperwork or having trouble finding things? A messy workspace or filing system can affect productivity and increase stress. This exercise makes a great team activity and will walk you through getting organized in less than an hour a week over eight weeks. 

Organizational goal planning is a common activity that can happen any time of the year – but the New Year is a particularly good time for teams to regroup and reassess.  In this article, we provide a quick reminder of the general process involved in organizational planning, and then focus on the content of the goals themselves.

We often think of New Year’s resolutions in personal terms – thinking about and writing down goals or activities we would like to achieve and do in the coming months and year.  It is also a good time for organizations to engage in developing or refining organizational goals, either to mark the start of the new year or a new quarter.

Good leaders and managers know you can’t lead others until you know and can effectively lead yourself.  Understanding your own strengths and development needs helps you both respect yourself, and lead others.  This article focuses both on leadership and developing a culture of respect as we close out the year and look towards new beginnings.

Employees want to feel like their organization is focused on a clear mission with compelling goals that they are personally aligned with.  Engagement with the organization does not just come from eating ice cream – it comes from being fully bought in to the concept of the store itself.

  In the United States, July marks the heat of summer, with camps and vacations – a perfect time for a cold treat.  Ice cream can be a unifying and shared event at work too.  For team members working their way through the summer, an ice cream focused event offers a nice employee engagement break!