Wouldn’t it be great to finish your workday with a sense of accomplishment instead of feeling run down? It’s easy to look back on a day filled with meetings and a growing To Do list and consider it wasted time, and that, fellow entrepreneurs, is a good way to hate your job. You’re the owner/operator – you should LOVE your job! Of everyone involved in your company, you have the power to make work something to look forward to every morning. Here’s what you can do to make that Monday morning feeling one of joy.
- Celebrate the To Do list. We know that a regular paycheque is a fine way to say thank you, but we can all do with a little extra praise. The thing is, you’ve got to be your own cheerleader. Perception is 9/10ths of the law or something, (uh, don’t quote us on that), and it’s up to you to make the best out of the situation. Give yourself recognition for getting through your emails, for making it to your meetings on time, for scheduling – and keeping – that staff performance review. SMBs have a tendency to get buried in the details, but every item you check off on your To Do list is an accomplishment, and you’re allowed to feel good about that. Bonus: Keeping a checklist may let you see what items you should delegate.
Restructuring. Although often a dirty word, you don’t have to terrorize your staff with restructuring. It may even save your business. Take the time to go through your processes with a fine-toothed comb and investigate ways to make healthy changes to your business. It’s easy with SMBs to get stuck doing something one way just because you always have, and you’re putting total emphasis on making money. You may discover that you’re underusing staff resources and that certain tasks could be combined to free up some time for your team to expand your operation. Close down for a day here and there if you need to in order to find the time. Fine, how about half days, then?- Try new things. To remain a relevant and worthy competitor, you’ve got try new things whether those things be production technology, administrative apps, marketing strategies, or networking opportunities. Start using the Stories feature on Facebook even if you don’t think anyone will care. Give that automated answering service a 3-month trial. Update your website so that customers can find you online easier. Invest in new production technology before yours becomes obsolete. Take classes to remain on top of your game, and offer the same experiences to your staff to strengthen your team.
- Foster a healthy work environment. Make sure your people are happy while you’re making sure you’re happy. Give them the freedom to get their work done in a timely manner (a.k.a. don’t micromanage). Let them put up photos of their family and favourite comic book characters on the desk. Be more than reasonable with more than reasonable time off requests. Mediate, meditate, have lunch potlucks, keep a bowl of fruit beside the candy jar (you have an office candy jar, right?!). Coffee. Endless coffee (and tea!). Make yourself available to discuss big ideas and small details. You all spend a huge chunk of your life in the workplace, make everyone want to go to work and you may just find the quality of your products and services increases.
And let us know how it goes! We look forward to reading about it in your shiny new blog. Speaking of blogs, Team Jelly Triangle includes some of the finest blog writers in the land! Call us at 519-624-8888 to find out how our marketing specialists can help your blog get noticed and increase your online visibility.
