In the last week and a half I've been overwhelmed at the kindness, generosity, and love that has poured through my mailbox. My best friend orchestrated a "card shower" for my upcoming wedding. At first I thought it was just circumstance that a few friends were sharing these wonderful memories with me by mail. But on the third receipt I knew there was a planner behind it!
I can't begin to tell you how I felt knowing that people took to time to share so much with me. My best friend went well above and beyond any expectation I could fathom. In fact, I had no expectation. There was no shower planned. She created one! (How did I get so lucky to get her in this life?)
Do something unplanned for someone you care about today. They'll never forget that you did so. And, it may bring more than one tear to their eye, as it did mine.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
That was a Bad Decision!
This week I was reminded of bad decisions. We all make them, sometimes. And, for the most part, we also recognize that they are likely bad decisions. Still, we do them.
I encourage you to identify a bad decision and then chose more wisely. Ask yourself what the true benefits are to the bad choice over the one you know is better for you.
Here are some bad choices:
1. Choosing to get a new puppy when you have a baby (thinking they’ll grow up together and it will be beautiful)
2. Choosing to have someone in your life that is detrimental to your health (physical, mental and emotional)
3. Choosing to open your body or mind to addiction (usually people do this for the short-term benefits)
4. Choosing to let one comment or one experience ruin your day (this can be expanded to week, month and year/s)
5. Choosing to deny yourself joy because you don’t think you deserve it
6. Choosing to let your anger get the best of you by acting out or drowning in a substance rather than accept conflict and work through it openly, honestly, carefully and without further offense to anyone
7. Choosing things that are beyond your means (because you deserve them)
…. The list goes on but I’ll let you create your own.
Today is the day to rid yourself of bad choices. It’s like food choices- you get a lot of chances to practice. If you make a mistake, don’t beat yourself up. Just, strive to better with the next opportunity.
Monday, April 20, 2009
172.4 and feeling great
OK, last week the scale said 171.0. GREAT! This week 172.4. Well, there is a good reason for that- and I'll spare all of our male readers but you can guess what it is. We, women, have a few pound fluctuation each month during a particular week.
I had a killer shin splint on Friday from my fast-paced walking (for an hour) on Thursday. Funny, my body prefers to run vs. walk fast as measured by how I get shin splints from walking and not running! Weird but true. But, I worked through the pain- working out for a full 1 hour on Friday, Sunday and Monday. I took Saturday off. (I am allotted one day per week to not work out.) This morning I went back to running for a minute in between walking. My body has really adjusted nicely to that. I find that I can run for more minutes than before. GREAT!
The marathon is just a few weeks away. The wedding a few more than that. I feel wonderful. I know the numbers haven't budged much but my confidence and strength sure have! My trainers tell me not to worry about the weight as much because I'm really putting on great muscle in my legs from the workouts. And, my nutritionist is mostly happy with my eating plan. Yes, I can do better!
So, its off to another great week. I've got a few exciting events this week but plan to remain vigilant to my health plan (with Friday being my exception!).
If you are in Pittsburgh, and female, join me and my fitness team for a workshop on Thursday. See my website for details. RSVP today if you want to attend.
Health, happiness and prosperity to each of you. Keep up the good fight to gain your health back!
I had a killer shin splint on Friday from my fast-paced walking (for an hour) on Thursday. Funny, my body prefers to run vs. walk fast as measured by how I get shin splints from walking and not running! Weird but true. But, I worked through the pain- working out for a full 1 hour on Friday, Sunday and Monday. I took Saturday off. (I am allotted one day per week to not work out.) This morning I went back to running for a minute in between walking. My body has really adjusted nicely to that. I find that I can run for more minutes than before. GREAT!
The marathon is just a few weeks away. The wedding a few more than that. I feel wonderful. I know the numbers haven't budged much but my confidence and strength sure have! My trainers tell me not to worry about the weight as much because I'm really putting on great muscle in my legs from the workouts. And, my nutritionist is mostly happy with my eating plan. Yes, I can do better!
So, its off to another great week. I've got a few exciting events this week but plan to remain vigilant to my health plan (with Friday being my exception!).
If you are in Pittsburgh, and female, join me and my fitness team for a workshop on Thursday. See my website for details. RSVP today if you want to attend.
Health, happiness and prosperity to each of you. Keep up the good fight to gain your health back!
Friday, April 17, 2009
I'm Quitting! You're Fired! Well, let's be rational.....
Today’s blog is for both employees and employers. The bottom line is that it’s better to work it out and stay than it is to find someone new or a new job.
Employers:
What is your cost for hiring and training a new employee? You will want to do this for each type of employee you have as the costs may be different depending upon training and recruiting. How long do you have an employee before they “paid for themselves”? This could be that their service paid for the cost of hiring, training, and retaining or it could be that they are self-sufficient, bringing in funds to match their own salaries 1:1 or better 5:1. As your employees stay with you over the years, do they become more or less valuable? Evaluate this too.
Make sure you know how much employees actually cost you before you haphazardly get rid of them. Make sure you know how long employee retention benefits you. When is it the easiest time to replace an employee for an equally qualified candidate? How do you put a price on institutional knowledge?
There are all kinds of questions to consider before knowing when to “let go” of employees.
I often see employees released over an improper fit with the workplace climate, or over a lack of communication and mutual understanding. I can tell you this, I’d rather have worked it out to save my company the thousands (perhaps hundreds of thousands) that it will cost to have a “poor fire”. (I call a “poor fire” a situation where someone was let go when they could have been saved.)
Take this decision very seriously, more so than you have. And, have the numbers to back it up. Know what the cost is to you, your company and the team the employee worked on. It’s usually easier to let them go- but it’s very costly. With a little work, you could have a satisfied employee, team and company. Try it.
Employees:
If you are dissatisfied at work, I encourage you to work hard to work it out rather than leave. Leaving is the easiest of the remedies but it’s also the most costly to you. How much did you spend on landing and holding this job? Add your hours, your actual costs (mailings, travel, meetings, literature, etc…) and your time spent in the position to understand your investment. Don’t just throw that away- especially if this is a pattern of what you normally do. It will show on your resume and a wise HR person will recognize it right away.
Rather, I suggest you make sure you’ve talked with your supervisor about your professional frustrations. Talk with a nonbiased party to have them look at the situation and offer suggestions. Remain professional at all times and confront the conflict in an open and “solution-driven” way. Don’t just look to fuel conflict. Look to resolve it with the other party/ies. Focus on other things for a few weeks (personal hobbies or throw yourself into a work project) to take your mind off of it. Have coffee with a friendly and open colleague in another company to see that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. Every position comes with pros and cons. S/he may have suggestions for you too.
Whether you are the employee or the employer, don’t throw in the towel too soon (as >70% do). Recognize your investment and work on it, like any other relationship. Give it the respect, professionalism and resources it deserves to be wildly successful. Remember, most things can be turned around.
Employers:
What is your cost for hiring and training a new employee? You will want to do this for each type of employee you have as the costs may be different depending upon training and recruiting. How long do you have an employee before they “paid for themselves”? This could be that their service paid for the cost of hiring, training, and retaining or it could be that they are self-sufficient, bringing in funds to match their own salaries 1:1 or better 5:1. As your employees stay with you over the years, do they become more or less valuable? Evaluate this too.
Make sure you know how much employees actually cost you before you haphazardly get rid of them. Make sure you know how long employee retention benefits you. When is it the easiest time to replace an employee for an equally qualified candidate? How do you put a price on institutional knowledge?
There are all kinds of questions to consider before knowing when to “let go” of employees.
I often see employees released over an improper fit with the workplace climate, or over a lack of communication and mutual understanding. I can tell you this, I’d rather have worked it out to save my company the thousands (perhaps hundreds of thousands) that it will cost to have a “poor fire”. (I call a “poor fire” a situation where someone was let go when they could have been saved.)
Take this decision very seriously, more so than you have. And, have the numbers to back it up. Know what the cost is to you, your company and the team the employee worked on. It’s usually easier to let them go- but it’s very costly. With a little work, you could have a satisfied employee, team and company. Try it.
Employees:
If you are dissatisfied at work, I encourage you to work hard to work it out rather than leave. Leaving is the easiest of the remedies but it’s also the most costly to you. How much did you spend on landing and holding this job? Add your hours, your actual costs (mailings, travel, meetings, literature, etc…) and your time spent in the position to understand your investment. Don’t just throw that away- especially if this is a pattern of what you normally do. It will show on your resume and a wise HR person will recognize it right away.
Rather, I suggest you make sure you’ve talked with your supervisor about your professional frustrations. Talk with a nonbiased party to have them look at the situation and offer suggestions. Remain professional at all times and confront the conflict in an open and “solution-driven” way. Don’t just look to fuel conflict. Look to resolve it with the other party/ies. Focus on other things for a few weeks (personal hobbies or throw yourself into a work project) to take your mind off of it. Have coffee with a friendly and open colleague in another company to see that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. Every position comes with pros and cons. S/he may have suggestions for you too.
Whether you are the employee or the employer, don’t throw in the towel too soon (as >70% do). Recognize your investment and work on it, like any other relationship. Give it the respect, professionalism and resources it deserves to be wildly successful. Remember, most things can be turned around.
Monday, April 13, 2009
I Love HOT Sneakers!
I'm not talking about attractive sneakers.
I'm talking about the warmth of my sneaker tread when I'm stretching after an hour of walking and running. As you know I've recently challenged myself to walk/run a relay in the Pittsburgh Marathon. My leg is 7.1 miles or maybe 7.6. Truthfully, I haven't obsessed over the length. I'm most concerned with how much of it I can run versus walk. As of now 75% will be walked with intermittent running. I've never been a runner. But, that is changing.
Its so exciting to challenge myself for a task I've always wanted to to but was never prepared for. Or, I was simply too afraid to try.
I hope you are challenging yourself to do something this year. It could be a difficult emotional task or exploration or it could be something else. Just do it. Know that you are more powerful by just trying.
I'm talking about the warmth of my sneaker tread when I'm stretching after an hour of walking and running. As you know I've recently challenged myself to walk/run a relay in the Pittsburgh Marathon. My leg is 7.1 miles or maybe 7.6. Truthfully, I haven't obsessed over the length. I'm most concerned with how much of it I can run versus walk. As of now 75% will be walked with intermittent running. I've never been a runner. But, that is changing.
Its so exciting to challenge myself for a task I've always wanted to to but was never prepared for. Or, I was simply too afraid to try.
I hope you are challenging yourself to do something this year. It could be a difficult emotional task or exploration or it could be something else. Just do it. Know that you are more powerful by just trying.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Don't be a balled up curtain!
I was flying last week from Pennsylvania to Texas to meet my future in-laws. With a wedding less than 45 days out, that seemed to be the thing to do. Not a perfect scenario by any means but better than not meeting them at all before the wedding.
It’s the flight that I want to draw from for my blog entry today. Coupled with a short discussion of ineffective systems or policies.
You’ve all seen the curtain they pull between business class (first class has fallen off the earth it seems) and economy or coach. I’m usually sitting behind it in economy. I’ve always found it a bit absurd but on this flight I found it comical. The space it should cover is about 3 feet wide. The curtain itself covered about 12 inches, or 1 foot, of that space. Yet, the attendant pulled it across several times throughout the flight as she went through it- as though it was habit.
I want you to imagine taking a sheet and balling it up to put it away in a box for 10 years. Pull it out upon its 10th year and than hang it up. That is what this 1 foot balled up curtain looked like- yet it was supposed to provide some privacy. Ridiculous.
It prompted me to think about ineffective systems/policies/procedures. We all have them in our lives. They are things we do by habit but have little “effectiveness” at all. They serve little or no purpose. But, we feel good being able to check them off our list as though we’ve done a good chore. Companies are wrought with ineffective systems/policies. They may have served a good purpose at one time but they do so no longer.
I encourage you to evaluate your systems/policies/procedures for the next 30 days. What are you doing that is no longer serving its intended purpose? What are you doing that is ineffective? Revamp it to be purposeful, effective or worth your time in some respect. Encourage your company to do the same.
Don’t be the balled up, 10 year old, curtain with no life and providing no service to anyone. Be better than that.
And, visit your future in-laws well before the wedding count down. These relationships should be a priority for you. You’ll thank me for it.
It’s the flight that I want to draw from for my blog entry today. Coupled with a short discussion of ineffective systems or policies.
You’ve all seen the curtain they pull between business class (first class has fallen off the earth it seems) and economy or coach. I’m usually sitting behind it in economy. I’ve always found it a bit absurd but on this flight I found it comical. The space it should cover is about 3 feet wide. The curtain itself covered about 12 inches, or 1 foot, of that space. Yet, the attendant pulled it across several times throughout the flight as she went through it- as though it was habit.
I want you to imagine taking a sheet and balling it up to put it away in a box for 10 years. Pull it out upon its 10th year and than hang it up. That is what this 1 foot balled up curtain looked like- yet it was supposed to provide some privacy. Ridiculous.
It prompted me to think about ineffective systems/policies/procedures. We all have them in our lives. They are things we do by habit but have little “effectiveness” at all. They serve little or no purpose. But, we feel good being able to check them off our list as though we’ve done a good chore. Companies are wrought with ineffective systems/policies. They may have served a good purpose at one time but they do so no longer.
I encourage you to evaluate your systems/policies/procedures for the next 30 days. What are you doing that is no longer serving its intended purpose? What are you doing that is ineffective? Revamp it to be purposeful, effective or worth your time in some respect. Encourage your company to do the same.
Don’t be the balled up, 10 year old, curtain with no life and providing no service to anyone. Be better than that.
And, visit your future in-laws well before the wedding count down. These relationships should be a priority for you. You’ll thank me for it.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Leave on a High Note... Not High!
Those who know me will get my sense of humor in the subject line of this week's blog. Those who don't, forgive me. I love to infuse a little humor in my work.
I tried to remember the last job I left on a bad note. Then it came to me. It was 1988. I was 15. It was my second or third job and I worked as the cotton candy girl at the local amusement park. I made sticky sugary treats all day long. The trouble was that it was the era of big hair too. Sweet, sticky, sugar and big hair attract one thing- bees. I asked to get out of the candy booth several times as I was stung (and threatened) by bees- but no one came. Finally, a group of us decided it was time to hit the big fair, 20 miles away. We tossed our name tags in the stream and hit the road. (forgive me environment) I'm sure my boss was pretty ticked at how we all left. She had a right to be.
Since that time I've always left on a high note. I've almost always been asked to stay- and once told to sign my own paycheck with any amount I'd like. (That was incredible! I still left. You have to know me to understand how that made sense.) I can call up 90% of my old supervisors today and have an hour chat- about anything. I'm very proud of that. Its come in handy several times. Heck, I even found one of my old supervisors a better job!
I encourage you to always land and leave on a high note. In work and in relationships. No one wins when you leave with a sour taste in your mouth- or leave a mess to clean up. You'll be forever remembered by the way you left- far more so than the way you were when you were there. Conflict and disagreement are OKAY and in fact often encouraged for creativity and ingenuity. But, strive to do it professionally. Allow for a cool down period and go back to the person and have a calm discussion. Work hard to find resolution and common ground. You'll be glad you did. Above all things, be honest. Politely honest.
Wishing you high note departures and great relationships.
(This post is a bit early for my normal Friday posting. And, I won't be posting on Monday as usual either. I have a date with the future in-laws. I'll be back online next week.)
Oh, and I expect one of your to request a photo of "big hair Lisa"- I'll try to hunt one down. I'm sure my Mom has one. :)
I tried to remember the last job I left on a bad note. Then it came to me. It was 1988. I was 15. It was my second or third job and I worked as the cotton candy girl at the local amusement park. I made sticky sugary treats all day long. The trouble was that it was the era of big hair too. Sweet, sticky, sugar and big hair attract one thing- bees. I asked to get out of the candy booth several times as I was stung (and threatened) by bees- but no one came. Finally, a group of us decided it was time to hit the big fair, 20 miles away. We tossed our name tags in the stream and hit the road. (forgive me environment) I'm sure my boss was pretty ticked at how we all left. She had a right to be.
Since that time I've always left on a high note. I've almost always been asked to stay- and once told to sign my own paycheck with any amount I'd like. (That was incredible! I still left. You have to know me to understand how that made sense.) I can call up 90% of my old supervisors today and have an hour chat- about anything. I'm very proud of that. Its come in handy several times. Heck, I even found one of my old supervisors a better job!
I encourage you to always land and leave on a high note. In work and in relationships. No one wins when you leave with a sour taste in your mouth- or leave a mess to clean up. You'll be forever remembered by the way you left- far more so than the way you were when you were there. Conflict and disagreement are OKAY and in fact often encouraged for creativity and ingenuity. But, strive to do it professionally. Allow for a cool down period and go back to the person and have a calm discussion. Work hard to find resolution and common ground. You'll be glad you did. Above all things, be honest. Politely honest.
Wishing you high note departures and great relationships.
(This post is a bit early for my normal Friday posting. And, I won't be posting on Monday as usual either. I have a date with the future in-laws. I'll be back online next week.)
Oh, and I expect one of your to request a photo of "big hair Lisa"- I'll try to hunt one down. I'm sure my Mom has one. :)
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