Monthly Archives: January 2015

Employee Morale, Engagement, Leadership, Morale, Organizational Culture, Team Building

What Do Employees Really Want?

 

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“Employees who believe that management is concerned about them as a whole person – not just an employee – are more productive, more satisfied, more fulfilled. Satisfied employees mean satisfied customers, which leads to profitability.” —Anne M. Mulcahy

By Elizabeth Stincelli, DM

 

Why You Should Care

Why should you care about what your employees really want? As Anne M. Mulcahy stated, employees are more productive, satisfied, and fulfilled   when they know you care. Studies show that 70% of employees do not feel engaged in their work. Research has shown that employees are more likely to leave their positions because of their boss than any other reason. Yet, employers tend to think that a much higher percentage of employees leave for more money than any other factor. Less than 25% of leaders have a strategy for engagement. Only 40% of employees feel they even know the goals and strategy of their organization. Engaged employees are 87% less likely to leave their positions. Organizations with happy, engaged employees have two-and-a-half times the revenue and two times the net income of organizations with unhappy, disengaged employees.

The happiness and engagement of your employees affect your success and your bottom line. This should be reason enough for you to care. So, what do employees really want? I.C.E. is a good place to start.

Inclusion

Brian Eno suggested, “You either believe that people respond to authority, or that they respond to kindness and inclusion. I’m obviously in the latter camp. I think people respond better to reward than punishment.” Your employees want to be involved in something bigger than themselves. They want to know their company mission; they want to be able to tell the world what their company is up to; to be proud of where they work. Include employees in progress and strategy meetings. Encourage them to share the great things that are happening in the organization. Let them tell the story and be ambassadors for your brand.

Concern

Chris Hemsworth explained, “People who put themselves on the line and sacrifice their own safety for the greater good and for others, and anyone in any profession whose concern is the welfare for other people instead of the individual are inspiring and important.” It doesn’t matter your position or industry, you can always put your people before yourself. Let them know that you care. Your employees want a leader who provides them with concern for the greater good, empowerment, honesty, accountability, respect, and authenticity. Show them that you have concern for their growth and capability; recognize what they’re capable of and empower them to reach their full potential. Care for them as a person, not just an employee.

Engagement

Gary Hamel believed, “The real damper on employee engagement is the soggy, cold blanket of centralized authority. In most companies, power cascades downwards from the CEO. Not only are employees disenfranchised from most policy decisions, they lack even the power to rebel against egocentric and tyrannical supervisors.” Employees want opportunities, responsibilities, and tasks that are directly related to achieving the goals and mission of the organization they work for. When employees are engaged they are more satisfied and create more value for the company. They want to be challenged and empowered to design their own tasks. When you engage your employees they will be more committed to accomplishing something valuable not only for the company, but for themselves, and their community.

Make it Happen

Ian Smith said, “I think happiness is a combination of pleasure, engagement, and meaningfulness.” Include your employees by sharing where the organization is, where it is going, and allow them to help design how to get there. Demonstrate genuine interest and concern for your employees as individuals. Show them that you care about them on a personal level, not just as an employee. Make sure they can see that you are looking out for their best interests before your own. Engage them in meaningful work that they find interesting and rewarding. Giving employees what they really want using I.C.E. is a simple step that will provide lasting reward.

 

 

 

 

© 2015 Elizabeth Stincelli

 

Elizabeth Stincelli is passionate about recognizing and inspiring the leader in each of us. She is the CEO of Stincelli Advisors where she focuses on helping organizations engage employees and improve organizational culture. Elizabeth holds a Doctor of Management degree with an emphasis on organizational leadership.

Learn more about Elizabeth by visiting her website, stincelliadvisors.com and connect with her on Twitter @infinitestin, Google+, and LinkedIn. You can contact her by email at stincelliadvisors@gmail.com.

 

Challenge, Comfort Zone, Fear, Leadership, Opportunity, Success

Breaking Out of Your Comfort Zone

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“A dream is your creative vision for your life in the future. You must break out of your current comfort zone and become comfortable with the unfamiliar and the unknown.” —Denis Waitley

By Elizabeth Stincelli, DM

 

Your Comfort Zone

Why break out of your comfort zone? You will never create anything new if you don’t stretch your boundaries and break out of the status quo. Getting out of your comfort zone allows you to see new possibilities and forge a new path to achieve your goals. Your life experiences are fuller and your horizons are broader on outside. You get to define who you are and how you view opportunity. Are you going to play is safe? Or, are you going to risk it all outside of your comfort zone?

Overcome fear

Dan Stevens believed, “The comfort zone is the great enemy to creativity; moving beyond it necessitates intuition, which in turn configures new perspectives and conquers fear.”  Don’t let fear prevent you from thinking in new ways and trying new things. You’ll be amazed at how resilient, capable, confident, and courageous you can become. Learn to let go of the need to be in total control. Step outside your comfort zone, set aside your fear, and try something totally different.

Welcome challenge

J.R. Martinez said, “I’ve learned in my life that it’s important to be able to step outside your comfort zone and be challenged with something you’re not familiar or accustomed to. That challenge will allow you to see what you can do.” You possess a wealth of knowledge and experience. Trust this knowledge and experience to help you confront and overcome the challenges you will face outside your comfort zone. The satisfaction you receive from successfully prevailing in light of challenge allows you to create rewarding work. If you never feel uncomfortable you are limiting your possibilities and your growth. Embrace challenge; reframe your goals so they include learning new things and exploring new experiences.

Take risks

Edward Whitacre, Jr. told us, “Be willing to step outside your comfort zone once in a while; take the risks in life that seem worth taking. The ride might not be as predictable as if you’d just planted your feet and stayed put, but it will be a heck of a lot more interesting.” Let go of the idea of perfection; it is a concept that is unattainable and causes you to avoid risk. With risk, you face the chance of failure but, also the opportunity for great success. Visualize obstacles, see yourself overcoming them, and then take the risk. You may not always win, but you will always grow.

A New Normal

Robin S. Sharma explained, “As you move outside of your comfort zone, what was once the unknown and frightening becomes your new normal.” That which is scary will eventually become comfortable. You will open yourself up to amazing new experiences. You may even meet new people and develop new relationships. You are a work in progress.  Break out of your comfort zone, face your fear, overcome the challenges, and take the risk; you’ll be glad you did.

 

 

 

© 2015 Elizabeth Stincelli

 

Elizabeth Stincelli is passionate about recognizing and inspiring the leader in each of us. She is the CEO of Stincelli Advisors where she focuses on helping organizations engage employees and improve organizational culture. Elizabeth holds a Doctor of Management degree with an emphasis on organizational leadership.

Learn more about Elizabeth by visiting her website, stincelliadvisors.com and connect with her on Twitter @infinitestin, Google+, and LinkedIn. You can contact her by email at stincelliadvisors@gmail.com.

 

Challenge, Fear, Leadership, Perseverance, Strength, Success

Stand Strong and Persevere

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“Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other.” —Walter Elliot

By Elizabeth Stincelli, DM

 

Perseverance

We do not succeed in a day, a week, or even a year. Success takes dedication and perseverance; and it takes it on a daily basis; day after day, week after week, and year after year. No one can do it for you; you have to do it for yourself. Stop dwelling on the negative; stand strong and persevere.

Overcome your fear

So where do you start? First, you must learn not to let fear stand in your way, causing you to give up. Charles Stanley wrote, “Fear stifles out thinking and actions. It creates indecisiveness that results in stagnation. I have known talented people who procrastinate indefinitely rather than risk failure. Lost opportunities cause erosion of confidence, and the downward spiral begins.” If you want to succeed, you must be willing to fail. Recognize that failure is not something to fear, it is only temporary; grow from it and move forward. Become courageous enough to do what you’re afraid doing. Only then will you build the resilience necessary to bounce back from defeat.

 Welcome a new challenge

Summer Sanders said, “To be a champion, I think you have to see the big picture. It’s not about winning and losing; it’s about every day hard work and about thriving on a challenge.” When you learn to thrive on challenge you no longer perceive it as an obstacle to success. Take the initiative and accept the challenge to act on your biggest ideas. Develop the tenacity necessary to fight for your dreams. Every new challenge is an opportunity to get closer to achieving your goals. Step out of you comfort zone and stand strong in the face of adversity. Use challenge as an opportunity to experience, learn, and grow.

Keep moving forward

Conrad Hall explained, “You are always a student, never a master. You have to keep moving forward.” You keep moving forward when to choose to take responsibility, learn from your mistakes, and make corrections. You will never regret putting forth the effort necessary to keep moving when things get tough. When you feel stuck, try looking at things from a different point of view. You never know when all the hard work and perseverance is going to pay off so, never give up. Take stock of both your accomplishments and the lessons learned from your failures and then keep moving forward.

You Can Do It

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow told us, “Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody.” Accept that the only person you can control is yourself. Acceptance of this fact places the responsibility for your success squarely on your shoulders. Develop courage by overcoming fear, build resiliency by welcoming a new challenge, and use the lessons you learn to keep moving you forward. Stand strong and persevere; you can do it.

 

 

© 2015 Elizabeth Stincelli

 

Elizabeth Stincelli is passionate about recognizing and inspiring the leader in each of us. She is the CEO of Stincelli Advisors where she focuses on helping organizations engage employees and improve organizational culture. Elizabeth holds a Doctor of Management degree with an emphasis on organizational leadership.

Learn more about Elizabeth by visiting her website, stincelliadvisors.com and connect with her on Twitter @infinitestin, Google+, and LinkedIn. You can contact her by email at stincelliadvisors@gmail.com.

 

Challenge, Leadership, Positive Energy, Success

Where’s Your Positive Energy?

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“When you are enthusiastic about what you do, you feel this positive energy. It’s very simple.” —Paulo Coelho

By Elizabeth Stincelli, DM

 

Positive Energy

Life can be long and tedious when you get caught up in negative thinking. Negative thinking leads to negative energy and negative energy NEVER leads to success. So, how can you cultivate positive energy?

Self-Talk

Denis Waitley tells us, “Relentless, repetitive self-talk is what changes our self-image.” Words have power, especially self-talk. Start by getting rid of all the “have to”, “must”, and “should” talk. Stop telling yourself that everything has to be perfect. Tell yourself that you are equipped to overcome the obstacles you are likely to encounter. Decide that you will maintain a positive attitude despite what comes your way. Recognize and then eliminate even the slightest appearance of negative self-talk.

Reframe

Marianne Williamson explained, “Our key to transforming anything lies in our ability to reframe it.” Recognize that in life very few things in life black or white. Learn to look at situations from other perspectives and reframe the way you define your circumstances. Find the positive in people and situations. Focus on the things that make you healthy and happy and reframe to develop a positive, yet realistic view of the world.

Growth

Bo Bennett said, “Those who improve with age embrace the power of personal growth and personal achievement and begin to replace youth with wisdom, innocence with understanding, and lack of purpose with self-actualization.”  What better way to foster positive energy than to know you are growing every day. Focus on what you can do instead of what you can’t do. Connect a positive meaning to the goals you are pursuing. Emphasize continual learning, growth, and real engagement in your life. Develop positive relationships that offer support in your constructive endeavors. Figure out who you are when you are at your best and then strive to be that person 100% of the time.

You Have It

Hayley Hasselhoff believed, “People dwell so much on the little things, but why should they hold you back when you have the big things to look forward to? By exuding positive energy when dealing with your problems, you will exude it in your being in general.” Focus on positive self-talk, reframe situations to view the positive, and concentrate on your personal growth. Practice small, positive steps every day. Express gratitude for who you are, your opportunities, and your experiences. Where’s your positive energy? I know you have it so let’s see it.

 

 

 

© 2015 Elizabeth Stincelli

 

Elizabeth Stincelli is passionate about recognizing and inspiring the leader in each of us. She is the CEO of Stincelli Advisors where she focuses on helping organizations engage employees and improve organizational culture. Elizabeth holds a Doctor of Management degree with an emphasis on organizational leadership.

Learn more about Elizabeth by visiting her website, stincelliadvisors.com and connect with her on Twitter @infinitestin, Google+, and LinkedIn. You can contact her by email at stincelliadvisors@gmail.com.

 

Leadership, Strength

Differentiate Yourself: Focus on Your Strengths

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“It does not take much strength to do things, but it requires great strength to decide on what to do.” —Elbert Hubbard

By Elizabeth Stincelli, DM

 

Your Strengths

How can you differentiate yourself? Is it more constructive to focus on your areas of weakness, or should you focus on your strengths? Your strengths are what allow you to perform well. I am not talking about technical strengths because talent will only get you so far. I’m talking about the strengths that span across tasks, situations, and settings. These strengths are more motivating than your weaknesses and they give you the confidence that differentiates you from the crowd. So, how do you know where to focus?

What provides satisfaction?

Zig Ziglar explained, “Being productive gives people a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment that loafing never can.” Think about what you find fulfilling. What activities provide you with satisfaction and happiness? This is where you will find your strengths.

Is it consistent?

Arsene Wenger said, “When you look at people who are successful, you will find that they aren’t the people who are motivated, but have consistency in their motivation.” Your strengths can be seen across different situations and are consistent over time. You may find your strength lies in your resilience, integrity, honesty, agility, or perseverance. Look for the traits that you exhibit consistently regardless of circumstance, task, or setting.

How can you use it?

Denis Waitley tells us, “Don’t dwell on what went wrong. Instead, focus on what to do next. Spend your energies on moving forward toward finding the answer.” Knowing your strengths can help you to understand how you fit into the big picture. In turn, when you can see the big picture you can better determine how to leverage strength. Recognizing and focusing on your strengths will impact the relationships you build, the way you work with your team, and the self-development you pursue. Your strengths will keep you motivated and help you think strategically and creatively.

Differentiate Yourself

Eleanor Roosevelt believed, “We gain strength, courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face…we must do that which we think we cannot.” The most effective tool you have for differentiating yourself is a focus on your strengths. These strengths are your assets. Does your strength lie in your ability to be a visionary? Do find satisfaction in being able to ask the right questions and solve problems? Does your strength consistently lie in planning or in rolling up your sleeves and getting the job done? Your strengths differentiate you by influencing your effectiveness at being a leader, solving problems, and working with your team. Use your strengths to overcome your fears and keep moving yourself forward. Focus on building your strengths rather than overcoming your weaknesses; it is your strengths that will set you apart from the crowd.
 

 

 

© 2015 Elizabeth Stincelli

 

Elizabeth Stincelli is passionate about recognizing and inspiring the leader in each of us. She is the CEO of Stincelli Advisors where she focuses on helping organizations engage employees and improve organizational culture. Elizabeth holds a Doctor of Management degree with an emphasis on organizational leadership.

Learn more about Elizabeth by visiting her website, stincelliadvisors.com and connect with her on Twitter @infinitestin, Google+, and LinkedIn. You can contact her by email at stincelliadvisors@gmail.com.