Joyce Weiss

I work with organizations and individuals who want to kick conflict and chaos to the curb - Queen of Conflict Resolution and Communication Coach

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Ask Four Questions to Increase Employee Engagement

Employee engagement is an ongoing challenge for most companies.

Do you need some ideas to help increase employee engagement?

Do your colleagues or employees exhibit the following behavior during your meetings?

  • Roll their eyes?
  • Look at their watches every few moments?
  • Yawn a lot?

If so, you are not alone!  Many of my clients experience the same reactions at their meetings. There is hope once you experiment with the strategies on this blog.

Employee Engagement Strategy:  Create Synergy by Involving Everyone at the Meeting employee engagement

Ask each participant to either share the questions below with a partner or go around the table.  There must be a level of trust felt by the team or this could backfire.  Hopefully, you have a level of understanding who is on your team and how you can move forward to improve employee engagement.

  • What is something about our company that you’re feeling good about?
  • What are some questions that you’d like to ask others in this room?
  • What is something most people don’t know about you?
  • What were your favorite toys, games, and candy when you were a child?

I realize that you have time restraints and important information to cover in your meetings.  I also know that my clients see great results after they engage others.  Participants relax after they discuss the questions.  People not in the meeting hear laughter oozing from the walls and ask me what I did to create such energy.  🙂

Employee Engagement Strategy:  Listen and be Open to Complaints employee engagement |Favorite quotes | Joyce Weiss | Career Coach | Corporate Communication Strategist

You may hear complaints from your colleagues that these questions are a waste of time.  I suggest that you listen to their feedback.  I also suggest that you make your case on how you want to improve the quality of your meetings and continually improve employee engagement.  You may still hear some whining BUT if you facilitate the meeting by asking these questions, you will see the majority of your colleagues see how these ideas encourage laughter and barriers begin falling down.  Teams will be more involved and engaged.

Employee Engagement Strategy:  Thoughts from Joyce

I use these techniques during serious conflict resolution sessions because laughter and employee engagement
are both time savers.  Look for more information on the importance of laughter in future blogs.  It helps when people feel listened to and are taken seriously.  The result is that the answers to the above questions show how the team is more alike than they thought they were before the meeting.

I want to hear from you

Add a comment to my blog on how you improve employee engagement.  What strategies do you use?  You will receive a response from me because I enjoy connecting with my readers! 🙂  You are always welcome to send me a private email with concerns that you are experiencing at work.

Please share this and any article that speaks to you or your company.

Loyal readers like you help us find more people who could benefit from these posts. Help us help them reduce conflict and improve leadership skills and quality of life.

Learn how I can leverage my 30+ years of leadership consulting and coaching experience to help your organization address conflict resolution in the workplace here.

 

This is Joyce Weiss
Corporate Communication Strategist and Career Coach

Until next time, Remember…”You Get What You Tolerate!”

PS Do you want more questions to ask to improve employee engagement?
Read How to Help Your Team Find Opportunities HERE

 

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Joyce Recommends a Best-Selling Book about Amazon’s Communication Strategies

Do you use Amazon to purchase items, listen to music or watch a video?
Do you wonder how Jeff Bezos started Amazon.com?
Are you curious why some people stay, and others leave Amazon’s antagonistic company?

If you want answers to these questions, I recommend reading The Everything Store:  Jeff Bezos and The Age of Amazon by Brad Stone.

Bezos named his company Amazon.com in 1994.  The Amazon is not only the largest river in the world, it’s many times larger than the next biggest river.  Bezos said, “It blows all other rivers away.”  This gives you an idea of how the company was destined to be bigger than life.

You will get an inside look at Amazon in my future articles.  I find the story of Jeff Bezos fascinating and could not put the book down.  Some of his ideas are contrarian on how I feel about teams and communication strategies; while I applaud his tenacity.  I am interested in how you react to Amazon’s communication strategies.  Please send me your opinions after you read his book or my articles.

The communication strategies below will get you started.  Strap your seat belts on and decide if you could work in the unique environment.

Communication Strategies:  4 Principles at Amazon

  • Step by step ferociously
  • Impossible goals will win the day
  • Setbacks are temporary
  • Naysayers are best ignored

I agree with these principles.  Decide if you or your company can add any of these ideas to the success of the company.

Communication Strategies:  Communication is a Sign of Dysfunction

Communication StrategiesOuch.  Bezos believes that his employees should try to figure out a way for teams to communicate less with each other, not more.  Coordination among employees wastes time and the people closest to problems are usually in the best position to solve them.

I don’t agree that teams need to communicate less – yet meetings need to be more productive.  Include the right people at your meetings.  I know that employees who work directly with customers need to be part of the decision-making process.  They hear both complaints and positive feedback daily.  The answer to resolving conflict is about productive communication strategies that dig deep and solve problems in a direct and respectful way.

Communication Strategies:  Ideas from Jeff Bezos

  • Risk taking is cool
  • Defeating bigger, unsympathetic guys is cool
  • Inventing is cool
  • Explorers are cool
  • Conquerors are not cool
  • Obsessing over competitors is not cool
  • Empowering others is cool
  • Conviction is cool
  • Straightforwardness is cool
  • Thinking big is cool
  • The unexpected is cool

Which ideas from Amazon’s list do you need to discuss at your next brainstorming session?
My favorite one is straightforwardness.  No surprises for those of you who know of my work. 😊

Communication Strategies:  Amazon’s Culture is Confrontational

Communication StrategiesThis begins with Bezos, who believes that truth appears when ideas are banged against each other.  Leaders are obligated to respectfully challenge decisions when they disagree, even when doing so is uncomfortable.

The people who do well at Amazon are often those who thrive in an adversarial atmosphere.  Managers are required to grade their employees and must dismiss the least effective performers.  Many Amazon employees live in perpetual fear.

Despite the stress, former Amazon employees often consider their time at the company the most productive of their careers.  Their colleagues were smart, the work was challenging, and Amazon offered constant opportunities for learning – while others expressed anguish about their experience.  Bezos says, “the company attracts a certain kind of person who likes to pioneer and invent.”

Joyce’s Thoughts About Amazon

I am an avid fan and purchase most of my business and professional items because the price is right, returning items is a breeze, and 2-day delivery can’t be beaten – did I mention that it saves time by not going to stores?

I’m drawn to stories about brilliant people like Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos.  Their communication skills may not be the best but their dreams and tenacity to move forward no matter what, speak to me.

Bezos told his parents that there was a 70% chance they could lose all their initial investment in their son’s company.  “I want you to know what the risks are because I still want to come home for Thanksgiving if this doesn’t work.”

Readers, is this straightforward enough for you?  It is for me!

I want to Hear From You

Add a comment to my blog on Amazon’s philosophy.  Have you ever worked in a contrarian work environment?  If so, please tell us how it worked for you and others.  You will receive a response from me because I enjoy connecting with my readers! 🙂  You are always welcome to send me a private email with concerns that you are experiencing at work.

Please share this and any article that speaks to you or your company.
Loyal readers like you help us find more people who could benefit from these posts.  Help us help them reduce conflict and improve leadership skills and quality of life.

Check out another of my book recommendations:  The Power of Why

This is Joyce Weiss
Corporate Communication Strategist and Career Coach

Have a great week.
Until next time, remember…“You Get What You Tolerate!”

 

 

 

 

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A Good Night’s Rest Can Reduce Workplace Conflict

Workplace conflict is a topic that I cover almost every week.  Clients share that the lack of sleep gets in their way at work.  In comes my guest author, Kelly N, an expert in healthy sleep.  I hope you enjoy her words of wisdom.  The 5 strategies are tested and will improve your job performance and workplace satisfaction.

If you constantly find your thoughts feeling foggy and you notice yourself yawning at your desk or throughout meetings, it can’t always be an easy blame on Monday or just a long week. It shouldn’t surprise you to hear that a lack of sufficient sleep can negatively affect your overall daily performance, including your success at work. When you’re fatigued, both your body and mind suffer, hindering peak professional performance. A lack of quality sleep is not only harmful to your physical wellbeing but also your mental performance. Creativity, reaction times, focus, motivation, information processing and retention are only a few aspects of professional success that become inherently neglected by a lack of rest.

5 Ways Better Sleep Reduces Workplace Conflict:

  1. Better quality sleep is linked to improved emotions and fewer stressors.
  2. An increased perception of positivity.
  3. Low-stress workplaces have higher rates of employees who don’t encounter sleep discomfort/challenges.
  4. Restfulness plays a key role in self-management and emotional control.
  5. A lack of sleep can make us over-reactive and conflict/negotiation adverse.

It’s no secret that ideal sleep can be a challenge to achieve. Most of the workforce reports feeling tired throughout their regular workdays. This sleepiness hinders productivity for both employees and employers resulting in sub-par work performances on a regular basis. More than 1/4 of professionals are aware that their daytime drowsiness interferes with daily activities multiple days each month. It’s important to remember that even modest amounts of sleep loss will accumulate, so a few nights of inadequate sleep can result in an overall impact on daily functioning.

Workplace Conflict #1:  Sunday Night Insomnia

The night before the long work week often feels like the most restless night of the week. Avoid your acute insomnia by establishing a regular sleep/wake schedule. Try to go to bed and wake up within an hour of the same time each day of the week (weekends included). If you’d like to see if you have developed an unhealthy pattern, consider monitoring with a sleep tracking app.

workplace conflict

Workplace Conflict #2:  Discomfort
Your bedtime necessities play a bigger impact on your ability to get effective rest than one might assume. A well-designed and supportive mattress and pillow can alleviate many physical discomforts associated with body pains and aches. Innovative foam layered mattresses are best for spinal alignment and support.

workplace conflict

Workplace Conflict #3:  Busy Mind
An anxious or wandering mind can be the one thing leaving you distracted and unable to easily doze away. It is important to establish familiar and consistent nighttime patterns to let your mind slow down and prepare itself for rest. Avoid overstimulating your mind too closely to your bedtime.

workplace conflict

Workplace Conflict #4:  Hunger
When hunger strikes after you’re tucked away under your sheets, it is hard to resist temptations. Resisting this temptation can be more of a distraction than its worth. Consider a light, carb-heavy snack. If you face hunger based distractions each night, consider adjusting your dinner time and avoid these foods that steal from your slumbers.

workplace conflict

Workplace Conflict #5:  Temperature
Temperature is often framed as a bedtime preference or opinion, like a number of blankets, pillows or nightlights. To progress into deeper sleep cycles your body temperature will naturally decrease. A toasty room or an overactive AC unit will impair your ability to get quality rest. The ideal bedroom temperature sits just around 65 degrees Fahrenheit.

workplace conflict

Kelly N. is a Sleep Enthusiast from New York. She spends her time researching sleep and the effects that it has on our daily lives. When she is not planning her next nap, she can be found sipping her favorite latte.

I want to hear from you

Please let me know how you enjoyed this article.  What topics would you want me to research?  I will be including interviews and articles from my colleagues to add more variety to you.

Add a comment to my blog on how sleep contributes to your workplace conflict.  What habits do you use to get a good night’s sleep?  You are always welcome to send me a private email with concerns that you are experiencing at work.

Please share this and any article that speaks to you or your company.

Loyal readers like you help us find more people who could benefit from these posts. Help us help them reduce conflict and improve leadership skills and quality of life.

This is Joyce Weiss
Corporate Communication Strategist and Career Coach

Until next time, have a great week.
Remember…”You Get What You Tolerate!”

 

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Controlling Stress: Go From Fear to In-Gear

This week’s blog is taken from my book-Take the Ride of Your Life:  Shift Gears for More Balance, Growth, and Joy.  Chapter 1 is called-Controlling Stress-Go From Fear to In-Gear:  I’m Afraid to Take Off the Training Wheels. The story below is one of my favorites when I work with clients who are going through hard times. controlling stress

Long ago in a faraway land, brutal warlords ravaged the countryside. They took over the villages, ruining the lives of the farmers who lived there. There was one farmer who still had some land. He also had a son and he owned a horse.

Every evening the neighbors gathered to console each other. They looked at the farmer with envy and said, “You have such good luck. Everything good happens to you.” The farmer simply shrugged his shoulders, and said, “Good luck, bad luck, who knows?”

One day the farmer’s horse ran off and disappeared. That same day, the warlords rode into the village and killed all the other farmers’ horses. The neighbors looked at the farmer and said, “You have such good luck.” The farmer replied, “Good luck, bad luck, who knows?”

A few days later the farmer’s horse returned. His son was happy to see the horse. He jumped up on the horse’s back and galloped off for a ride. Suddenly, the horse tripped over a rock. The son fell off the horse and broke his leg.

The warlords soon returned and demanded the villagers’ able-bodied sons for a battle. As the sons were marched away, the villagers looked at the farmer and said, “You have such good luck. Your son was of no use to the warriors and his broken leg. ” The farmer shrugged his shoulders and said, “Good luck, bad luck, who knows?”

Let’s Get Real About Controlling Stress

You can either be like the farmer or his neighbors. The farmer realizes that things happen in life. We can’t label them good or bad right away. We have to give life a chance. The neighbors, on the other hand, are too ready to take on the role of victim. No matter what happens, they feel they are on the losing end of any situation and that there is nothing they can do about it. They don’t know how to “look” for other perspectives, other ways of seeing and living.

We can accept the things that happen to us without labeling them good or bad, lucky or unlucky. Losing a job, for example, may seem bad at the time. New and exciting opportunities, however, can arise from this circumstance. It can turn out for the best — if you maintain a positive attitude. It’s not what happens that shapes us; it’s how we react to it.

Controlling Stress:  Do you have a PO approach to life? controlling stress

I’m not just talking about attitude or a positive outlook, but rather an action, the courage to “pedal on” when stressful things happen. In bicycle terms, it means taking off the training wheels and facing your fear. It’s
what helps you really get rolling whether you think you’re ready or not.

When I hear somebody sigh, “Life is hard,” I am always tempted to ask, “Compared to what?” Human experience would lose something very important if there were no roadblocks to overcome.

The journey would not be half so wonderful if there were no steep hills to climb or the thrill of the wind in your face as you cruise down the other side.
Still, it is tough to stay upbeat in these chaotic times. That’s why “pedaling on” is a necessary survival skill.

I want to hear from you

Add a comment to my blog on how you control stress. What stories or expressions help you get through stressful times? You will receive a response from me because I enjoy connecting with my readers! 🙂  You are always welcome to send me a private email with concerns that you are experiencing at work.

Please share this and any article that speaks to you or your company.

Loyal readers like you help us find more people who could benefit from these posts. Help us help them reduce conflict and improve leadership skills and quality of life.

Here’s a special offer to my readers Controlling Stress| Joyce Weiss | Workplace Bullying | Conflict in the Workplace | Team Building | Executive Coaching | Career Coach | Personal Life Coach | Professional Development Workshops

Buy a copy of Take the Ride of Your Life and I’ll send you a 2nd book with my compliments to give to a friend or colleague for free.  You will receive 2 autographed copies.  I will write, “A gift to you from ____” on the free copy.  Sound good?  Visit my shopping cart and send me an email with your friend’s name.  I will send both copies to you for only $19.95

You can also call me at 800.713.1926 to place your order.

This is Joyce Weiss
Corporate Communication Strategist and Career Coach

Until next time, Remember…“You Get What You Tolerate!”

 

Contact Joyce

Email: joyce@joyceweiss.com
Phone: 248-681-5831