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By Kristin Baird
As we approach Thanksgiving during the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s important to recognize the healing power of gratitude, both for ourselves, and for those we lead. Gratitude is both something we feel, and something we express. Leaders intent on building an engaged, high-performing workforce AND having high personal satisfaction will benefit from both. FEELING GRATITUDE – THE “INSIDE” GAME Let’s start with feeling gratitude. That’s the inside game. Robert A. Emmons, PhD, a psychologist from the University of California – Davis, is a leading expert on gratitude and its effect on the body and mind. In his article, Why Gratitude is Good, Emmons identifies how gratitude improves physical, psychological, and social wellbeing. I have included Emmons’ summary below. As you read the lists citing the physical, psychological, and social benefits, I encourage you to put the information in context of the COVID-19 pandemic. We all need these benefits to nourish our weary minds and bodies, especially as we face another surge. PHYSICAL BENEFITS
SHOWING GRATITUDE THROUGH RECOGNITION Feeling gratitude has the potential for making YOU feel better. Showing gratitude to others will give both you and the recipient a boost. One of the best ways to show gratitude to your employees is through personal recognition. It is a low-cost, no-cost, yet effective method of generating employee engagement, but sadly underutilized. According to Gallup’s analysis, only one in three workers in the U.S. strongly agree that they received recognition or praise for doing good work in the past seven days. At any given company, it’s not uncommon for employees to feel that their best efforts are routinely ignored. Further, employees who do not feel adequately recognized are twice as likely to say they’ll quit in the next year. Recognition should be prompt, personal, and plentiful in order to be most meaningful. Gallup conducted a workplace survey where employees were asked to recall who gave them their most meaningful and memorable recognition. The data revealed the most memorable recognition comes most often from an employee’s manager (28%), followed by a high-level leader or CEO (24%), the manager’s manager (12%), a customer (10%) and finally, peers (9%). Worth mentioning, 17% cited “other” as the source of their most memorable recognition. The pandemic has placed additional stress your employees who are likely dealing with stress about physical safety, finances, and parenting, making it all the more vital that they feel valued for their contributions. Gratitude is good medicine. Take a large dose and pass it on. Planning your virtual event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to book your healthcare speaker and make your next event a success!
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By Ron Culberson. With a master’s degree in social work, Ron Culberson spent the first part of his career working in a large hospice organization as a clinical social worker, middle manager, and senior leader. As a speaker, humorist, and author of "Do it Well. Make it Fun.The Key to Success in Life, Death, and Almost Everything in Between", he has delivered more than 1,000 presentations to associations, government agencies, non-profit organizations, and corporations. His mission is to change the workplace culture so that organizations are more productive and staff are more content. He was also the 2012-2013 president of the National Speakers Association and is a recognized expert on the benefits of humor and laughter.
Have you ever considered how much we take for granted every day? Most of us don’t have to worry about basic necessities such as food, clothing, and shelter. When we do, we become acutely aware of their value. However, if we look beyond these basics, there are many important conveniences that we may not even realize we’re overlooking. Take the fork, for example. This is an amazing device. It’s a spear, a scoop, and a knife—all in one. I don’t know if the fork was ever nominated for a Nobel Prize in the category of Culinary Engineering but I surely would have voted for it. As utensils go, knives have been around for as long as people have needed to stab something. And throughout early history, our hands were the most common tool to accompany the knife. Then, along came the fork and everything changed. We now have a reasonably safe alternative to the knife and a more convenient way to combine mashed potatoes and peas. And yet, when was the last time you paused to appreciate all of the forks in your life? Typically, we only realize their value when we’ve run out of clean forks and are forced to use a leftover set of chopsticks we got from the Chinese takeout. Yes, the everyday fork silently serves us without needing accolades or remuneration. And what about shoes? Now, there’s something we usually overlook (literally). As far back as 7000 BC, shoes have been a necessity. Back then, they were actually made of sagebrush bark because people needed protection for their feet. Today, our shoes are made of rubber, leather, canvas, or nylon and they feel a lot more comfortable than sagebrush bark (although I have no firsthand experience to make this claim). For me, shoes are critical. I live in the woods. I would never leave my house without a sturdy pair of shoes on. If I walked around my property barefooted, I’d spend my nights treating snake bites and pulling thorns from my toes. My shoes are very useful and now that I think about it, I even have different shoes for different activities such as walking, mowing, hiking, and flip flopping. But do I consider these benefits as I’m walking around the house or through the woods? Not really. Just like many routine conveniences, my shoes are too common to be noticed. And they’re not alone. The other day, I went looking for a light switch to replace one that no longer worked. I pulled out a box of household supplies from under the workbench in my garage and there, neatly organized, were my spare switches. I then proceeded to install the wrong switch thus having to uninstall it and reinstall the correct one because, when it comes to home repair, that’s how I roll. In hindsight, while I was frustrated with my installation incompetence, I realized that instead of having my stuff strewn all over the house and throughout the garage, I have supplies, mementos, and old documents stored neatly in boxes. What a marvel the box is. It organizes our hoarding needs, it fits neatly on a shelf, and we can stack them up to the ceiling if we wish. But how often do we stop to think about the magnificence of a simple, nondescript box? Rarely. Lastly, I’d like for you to take a look out the nearest window. What do you see? I see hundreds of trees. But I also see birds, blue sky, clouds, and butterflies. When I lived in the suburbs, I didn’t really notice the beauty of nature because my desk faced my neighbor’s fence. But now that I live in the country, I see extraordinary scenery every day. Yet, I haven’t really appreciated the utility of the window which allows me to bring that beauty of the outside world into my inside world. It’s quite an amazing development. I mean, can you imagine how hard it would be to drive a car without windows? There would be no need to “look both ways.” So, next time you want to see through a wall, consider that it’s a window that allows you to do so. I think we should remind ourselves that we are very accustomed to ordinariness and because of that, we take a lot for granted. We are lucky to have forks, shoes, boxes, and windows in our lives and even luckier that they are so readily available to us. But we should also strive to recognize and appreciate the wonderful value these and other common items provide for us. Being truly aware in life means being attentive to details. If you’re like me, you may need a nudge now and again to remind you to pay better attention. Otherwise, we will all be guilty of taking our lives for granted. So, the next time you’re eating a meal using your trusty and loyal fork, take a look though the nearest window to get a view of the world around you. If you are able, explore this world in your comfortable shoes and try to notice everything. If you find something interesting, and worth keeping, take it with you and place it in a box for safekeeping. This will always be your reminder to not take things for granted. Planning your virtual event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today book your healthcare speaker and make your next event a success! By Vicki Hess
Did you ever do something and then wish you had made a different choice? Recently, a friend invited me to join her for lunch at a nice restaurant near my home. I was excited to see her and have a nice meal. It turned out that we could order from the menu or have the buffet brunch. Everyone in our group was having the buffet, so against my better judgment, I chose that too. It went downhill from there. You probably already know the end of this story. It involves an upset stomach from over-eating and a “food coma." Now you might be thinking this sounds like a “first-world problem” and indeed it is. But afterward, I was asking myself… “Why didn’t I make a different choice?” It was a great reminder that I have the power to influence a lot of what happens in my life. And the good news is that you do too! When things happen around us at work, it’s easy to feel like a victim of circumstances. It’s easy to blame others and forget that we can choose the actions we take in response to those things. For example, have you ever said, “She made me so mad” or “He ruined my day”? Maybe you hung onto the anger or frustration and took it out on others throughout the course of your day. This is the equivalent of me making bad choices at the buffet and then complaining about it afterward (metaphorically speaking of course). Feeling angry or frustrated is going to happen. The choice comes in what you decide to do next. Once you are more aware that you can select your response to the emotions you experience, you are back in the driver’s seat. You’ve got the power to make a different – more beneficial – choice. Since it’s November, the month we celebrate Thanksgiving here in the U.S., this is a great time to swap the negative actions that can occur with gratitude. Yes, you read that right. Next time you feel an emotion that you don’t find helpful driving stressful actions, stop and think about what you are grateful for. This isn’t just a soft and squishy idea. It’s research-based. According to The Neuroscience of Gratitude and How It Affects Anxiety & Grief, “commitment to daily gratitude practice reduces an array of negative emotions and is a natural stress detox for the mind and body.” Next time something happens that you don’t like – before you take unproductive actions – remember to take a deep breath and think of one thing that you are thankful for…and then think of another and so on. The knee-jerk choice isn’t always the best one. In the future, I’ll order off the menu or exhibit a little more self-control at the buffet and then I will feel better in the long run. Planning your virtual event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today book your healthcare speaker and make your next event a success! By Courtney Clark
Tidings of comfort and joy may be what the popular song calls for, but they can be pretty hard to find during the stress-filled holiday season. Here are a few resilience exercises to calm the storm and get through the end of the year in peace. (Did you miss Part 1? Read it here.) Step 3 – Make Time For the Truly Important Things, And Ditch the Should-Be-Important Things Along with setting realistic expectations, the holidays can also cause us to think we have to celebrate in a certain way. Maybe because family tradition dictates it. Maybe because we saw a beautiful layout in a magazine. Maybe because we used to work somewhere that had an awesome Christmas party and wicked Secret Santa exchange, and we wish our new boss did that. In your home life, sit down and make a list of the things that are the most important to you and your loved ones, and prioritize those things. By making space for them, instead of cramming the holidays full, you will actually be able to enjoy them more and stress less. At work, think through the most important, big picture pieces of what needs to be accomplished before year-end in order to start the next year strong. When I’m thinking of my to-dos, I like to picture a target. The outer rings aren’t worth nothing, but I get the most points for aiming toward the middle. What’s the middle of the target? What’s the highest value activity that will set you up for success moving into the new year? There are only so many hours in the holiday season. Trying to incorporate every single possible activity, tradition, and to-do into a few short weeks isn’t enjoyable, it’s stressful. Step 4 – Seek Moderation For years we’ve been hearing health professionals tell us that the holidays shouldn’t be an excuse to indulge. Whether it’s food, wine, shopping, or anything else, the end of the year doesn’t need to be a free-for-all, because having a “feast or famine” type attitude to indulgences means you’ll only rebound harder when the celebratory season is over. That same attitude holds true at work. Don’t get distracted and let off the gas, or spend work time online shopping. But on the other hand, December isn’t the time to panic and try to get everything finished. You may be trying to show off before a December review or a January bonus, but the odds are good that the impression you made the other 11 months of the year is what really matters. Just like your pumpkin pie intake, try to balance the last month of the year with work and play. Think “consistency” instead of “get it all done.” – By the end of the year, most of us are running on an empty gas tank. But these four techniques for powering through December will have you avoiding stress and burnout, and feeling like celebrating by the time you ring in the New Year. Planning your virtual event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today book your healthcare speaker and make your next event a success! By Courtney Clark
The final few weeks before the winter holidays can be full of stress. That makes it peak time for burnout. If burnout is creeping in for you or your team, practicing a few resilience techniques can mean the difference between losing your cool and feeling peace on Earth. Step 1 – Breathe and Break The end of the year brings with it stressors that no other time of year seems to. At work there is often budgeting, fitting in last-minute meetings, and strategic planning for the next year. At home there is frantic shopping, too much baking, and a whirlwind of parties you are expected to make room for in the busy calendar. When we’re stressed, our brains produce the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol. When we add these stress hormones into the mix, our brains become worse at higher-order processing, the very skill we need to perform most jobs. So when we’re frantically crossing things off our to-do list, we probably aren’t completing those tasks at a very high level. To be at our best, we have to stop and breathe. We have to take a moment to let the adrenaline and cortisol clear out of our systems. School teachers have known for years that the weeks leading up to the holidays are the exact wrong time to try to cram in last-minute work. So take a cue from their playbook and schedule your day with fewer tasks and more breaks, getting done the very most important things and letting the others slide. Find time to stop and take deep breaths in the middle of the chaos. The pile in your inbox will still be there the first week in January. Step 2 – Set Realistic Expectations We have a rosy picture of how the holiday season is supposed to go. When it doesn’t meet our expectations, we’re filled with frustration. But that frustration is of our own making, so being realistic on the front end can curb that freak-out feeling on the back end. A large chunk of holiday stress comes from the mistaken belief that this time of year is going to be magically perfect and everyone should be happy. But people can’t be happy when they’re held to unrealistic standards – including you! No, your toddler twins might not sit still for a greeting card picture, so don’t expect them to. Your grandmother’s holiday roast recipe might not turn out as juicy as you remember it. And your extended family might squabble from the stress of sharing one bathroom. If you prepare for reality to be… well… real in advance, and leave room for humans to be humans, and traffic to be traffic, and work to be work, and life to be life, you may find that some of the holiday screwups lead to the best stories that you’ll laugh at for years to come. Planning your next virtual event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to book your healthcare speaker! By John O'Leary. This was originally posted on JohnOLearyInspires.com. When John O'Leary was 9 years old, he suffered burns over 100% of his body and was expected to die. He is now an inspirational speaker and bestselling author, teaching more than 50,000 people around the world each year how to live inspired. John's first book, ON FIRE: The 7 Choices to Ignite a Radically Inspired Life was published March 15, 2016. John is a contributing writer for Huff Post and Parade.com. John is a proud husband and father of four and resides in St. Louis, MO. Order John’s book today anywhere books are sold.
They don’t get medals, don’t march in parades. As we commemorate Veterans Day, let’s pause to give thanks to a seldom recognized group who demonstrate true sacrifice, genuine courage and selfless love. For the United States military, the tip of the spear responsible for the ultimate success and safety of the entire armed forces is the Joint Special Operations Command. The JSOC consists of the most elite Special Forces from every branch of the military. It is charged with carrying out the most dangerous, classified and sensitive missions. Several years ago – at the JSOC compound – I had the immense honor of speaking to this group and afterwards was fortunate to meet many of these remarkable leaders. I met with the analysts and contractors, security personnel and cooks, janitors and translators, chaplains and of course, the ‘Operators.’ The ‘Operators’ are the Special Forces team members so often glorified in books and movies. They heroically accept the most dangerous, classified and crucial work. And yet, the most emotional conversations weren’t the ones with the folks with the highest security clearance or who had participated in the most extraordinary raids. The sacrifice at home No. The most emotional conversations were with the spouses of those currently serving. These are the unnamed and rarely celebrated champions who don’t wear uniforms, don’t get medals and don’t march in parades. These are the individuals who fall in love, marry their sweethearts, start families, and recognize the reality that they married someone who is frequently gone, always in danger and never able to discuss it. These are the partners who pick the kids up from school, do the cooking, laundry, shopping, dinner, dishes, homework checks, bedtime routines, assuring little ones that mom or dad will return home soon… and then go to sleep by themselves questioning the assurance they just provided. English writer and poet, G.K. Chesterton, wrote it best when he said, “Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of a readiness to die.” A strong desire to live. Taking the form of a readiness to die. That’s powerful. That’s love in action. And that sums up the truth lived out by the JSOC. Perhaps no group embodies it more perfectly, though, than the remarkable spouses. On this Veterans Day My friends, as you step into your week, let’s pause and remember why we celebrate Veterans Day. Let’s give thanks for all the veterans who have served and actively serve our country. And let’s be mindful of the sacrifices being made, not just by our armed forces, but also by the unnamed army of spouses racing after children and leading households for months at a time while their partners serve our country. This is your day. Live Inspired. Planning your virtual event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to book your healthcare speaker! By Karyn Buxman. This was originally published on Karyn's blog.
Employee Engagement and Corporate Culture: these are two buzzwords that have been trending over the past few years. But there’s a reason they’re trending – these circumstances can make or break an organization! I’ve worked with a lot of executives and high performers who have been passionate about improving employee engagement and their corporate culture, and it’s incredible that leaders are recognizing the impact these two factors have on today’s workplace. But let’s back up for a moment. Why are employee engagement and corporate culture so important? New Workforce A recent study reports that 35% of working Americans are aged 21 to 36 (Pew Research and MarketWatch). That’s a huge percentage. The workforce is getting younger, and in addition to this, people are moving in and out of organizations with increasing speed. Your organization needs to put effort into attracting and retaining this large new talent pool. A “firings will continue until morale improves” culture won’t cut it, especially in today’s corporate world. There are plenty of online tools (like Glassdoor) available to give candidates a sense of your corporate culture before they even walk in the door—not just after they are hired. Humor Your Hires If you want to get the best candidate in the door, and keep them there, you need to have an attractive corporate culture. People (especially leaders) and organizations that use humor in a fun and engaging way are at an advantage in this instance. A corporate culture that appreciates the value of a good laugh sees much more success, both in the short-term and long-term, than those that are more rigid. If you can engage your workforce with appropriate humor, you’ll see amazing results from your employees and your bottom line, and what organization doesn’t want that!? When you’re using strategic humor, you’ll see:
Pushback I’ve gotten some pushback from leaders in the past. It usually goes a little something like this: “If we allow humor in the office, nothing will get done!” That’s simply not true! Correctly-implemented humor in your corporate culture lends itself to higher employee engagement. Here’s the Secret If you set high expectations but don't allow humor, people will feel a sense of drudgery, which can negatively affect productivity. If you set a humorous tone that isn’t tempered with high expectations, a scene similar to Animal House may ensue. A good leader is going to set high expectations AND a humorous tone! You need both in order for people to:
Planning your virtual event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to book your healthcare speaker! By Roger Crawford. This was originally published on Roger's blog.
Several years ago, I authored a book titled How High Can You Bounce. The book was well received, except when I spoke for a local skydiving association! Apparently, the thought of bouncing made them a bit uneasy. Here is the condensed message of the book: Our ability to bounce back from life’s challenges determines our level of achievement and contentment. Writing this book convinced me that resilience can be learned and is primarily a matter of attitude and self-belief. How we choose to think about ourselves and the world around us forms the foundation on which our resilience is built. A pessimistic, hypercritical view of potential opportunities makes it extremely difficult to navigate life’s inevitable bumps in the road. On the other hand, an optimistic, inspiring attitude can create a launching pad for possibilities and supply the fortitude necessary to overcome adversity. Some folks’ positive thinking habits enable them to function with efficiency and effectiveness, regardless of their circumstances. I believe that perseverance and optimism are what separates successful individuals from ones who fail to reach their full potential. If we want to learn how to become more resilient this year, we need to understand what makes some people more optimistic than others. Here are three things that resilient people do well: #1 Maintain a positive self-regard. Resilient people see themselves as valuable human beings who have the ability to accomplish their dreams. When faced with adversity, they believe in their ability to bounce back and realize that every storm eventually passes. Dr. Robert Schuller once said, “Tough times don’t last, but tough people do.” #2 Control the controllable. Resilient individuals differentiate between what can be changed and what must be accepted. They discipline themselves not to spend valuable time and energy trying to change the unchangeable. Resiliency is often less about actual circumstances and more about how people choose to respond. #3 Stay hopeful about the future. Resilient people find what it takes to succeed today by seeing a hopeful tomorrow. They develop the capacity to remain hopeful, even during times of uncertainty. A remarkable study from the University of California, Berkeley, has shown that it is possible to predict the risk of illness by looking at a patient’s answers to two simple questions: Question 1: Do you feel it is impossible for you to achieve the goals you’ve set for yourself? Question 2: Do you get the feeling your future is hopeless and is it difficult to believe that things will get better for you? How we answer these questions not only influences our health but will also be a strong predictor of our future success. Regardless of whatever challenges you are facing, you can choose your mindset which provides the courage to bounce forward and achieve your goals in the upcoming months! Looking for your next virtual healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! |
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