Ear to the Ground, Fly on the Wall and A Crystal Ball

Contest, right off the bat!

Yes, the Greatest of Days newsletter tries to be fun and why not?  We are about events, marketing and networking so it has to lean to the fun side for events of any kind to be enjoyed, taught well, de-stressifying (if that's even a word), remembered or even comforting.  You will be in the know for everything events, marketing and networking for your business or job.  We're really going to pay attention to marketing to Millennials and zero in on the people who don't think they want to market to them.   Their bad...temporarily!

Even part of our wedding planning era stuck with us, so we still officiate weddings.  Did I say, we alleviate stress or comfort people?  Heck, yeah!  We carry tissues for our clients on these occasions, sometimes from laughing so hard.  They say laughing and crying are the same thing, right?

Haven't forgotten about the contest....just scroll on down.

Creativity is pretty much our middle name even if the logo shows that our middle name is "of".  You're in for some fun contests, brainstorming, and a boat load of information you probably never had thought of before.  In our humble opinion, the latter would be an "Aha!" moment or a "Hey!  Let's do thaaaat! Yeah."

The first contest is what shall we name this serious and crazy, 4-1-1 packed newsletter?  If you don't leave a comment, I might have to sic the dogs onto you!

We might even be splitting our business into two parts; one part for social events and the second part for business events...so be prepared for another contest.


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Brainstorming Does Not Happen in a Box!

I count myself lucky to be in the events industry where we are constantly challenged to think outside the box!  There's nothing I love more than brainstorming with a team or an individual to work through a maze of ideas to reach a fabulous solution or creation.

This made me think about the qualities people need to be a great brainstormer.

1.  Be good listeners.

2.  Have the belief that there is no such thing as a stupid idea.

3.  Use "stupid" ideas as launching points for continued conversation.

4.  Aren't afraid to say any idea that comes to their mind.

5.  Avoid putting down other people's ideas...lets them be.  Accepts them as ideas that are growing!

6.  Realizes that some people don't always jump on board to change easily.

7.  Is willing to abandon "We've always done it this or that way".

8.  Lets things slide off their back when someone doesn't understand or like their idea.  They just haven't seen the end result yet!

9.  Knows that in real life that brainstorming skills will help them when they have to turn on a dime.

10.  Invests some time beyond the first meeting to discuss and propel the process forward.

11.  Never forgets the purpose of their discussion but doesn't discount being able kill two birds with one stone as a result of brainstorming.

12.  Invites uncreative types to participate but doesn't let the uncreative types outnumber the creative types.  

13.  Last but not least, realizes that the uncreative need to be gently pulled out of their comfort zone to shed their belief that they aren't creative.  Once they warm up,  everyone will be surprised at their contributions.

Have fun brainstorming whether it be to find a solution to a problem, to make something beautiful, work better, be repurposed or launch a new product.

We All Need to Talk!

The phrase, "We need to talk" can mean so many things.  If you have just met someone at a networking event and you both think you could expand on a great idea or introduce them to people that are in their target market, the phrase "We need to talk" is exciting, filled with hope and wonder.  On the other hand, this same phrase between two or more people at work or in a family scenario, it can bring a pit to your stomach.  If you're on the receiving end of that phrase, you're probably having to keep your imagination from going wild.  In a split second after a boss says that, you could begin thinking, layoff, fired, performance review, merger or downsizing. Bad news no matter what!

I want to concentrate on this phrase in relation to a boss/supervisor/manager/owner or anyone in authority to those who are their employees.  I hate the word subordinates so I won't call them that.  Not as often, but that phrase can come from an employee who is responsible for other employees and is giving the four-word suggestion to a supervisor.

I remember working at one place where the morale was so bad that everything came to a head.  Everything shut down for a day and the whole operation went on a retreat.  You could cut the air with a knife.  When I look back on it, I can see that the management waited too long to communicate with the employees about their concerns over huge workloads, inadequate workspace and insisting on us us taking comp time instead of overtime.  When we were working such long hours, how in the world did they think we were going to find the time to use up the comp time when we could seldom squeeze any time off?  The supervisors took even longer to pretend to care about doing anything regarding their employees' concerns.  It was a development office (fundraising department) and their goal was to keep operating costs to 1-2% of donations received.  That's honorable until you reach the reputation of being a sweatshop! 

It's time for a retreat, detente, summit  or meeting in a DMZ!

I would suggest that there be a mediator for really bad situations and that there would be more than one method for each side to communicate such as speaking but also writing things down.  I would also suggest hiring a person who specializes in planning retreats to recommend the structure for this type of event.  You have to utilize methods that will make everyone involved in a way that they understand the various angles or concerns of all levels of employees and management.  

To keep things from getting to the point of mutiny, it would be preferable if there was a regularly scheduled event to encourage an open and consistent dialogue and a constantly present suggestion box in such a way that no be feels threatened.  The corporate world has become a swamp as far as loyalty in either direction.  There's a huge gap in work ethics (perceived or real) that comes from everyone's individual experience and perspective.  Many people do not feel valued, management feels pressure from all directions, CEO's to stockholders and all the way up and down the line.  Somethings never change over decades or even centuries, and you can only aim towards improvement over time.

What can be helpful is to design an event that make everyone on par with each other to the point that people feel like they are on the same team.  It makes me think of "E Pluribus Unum", of many become one.  No one said it would be easy, but if the effort isn't made, the consequences can be very detrimental to a business.

As always...

Wishing you the greatest of days!

An Employee Saved is an Employee Earned

What does "an employee saved is an employee earned" mean?  Actually several things.  

Even the best employers will experience some turnover, but we know that it is more expensive to recruit and train a new employee than creating a good working environment to retain good employees. Every business is different, but we know that keeping the morale boosted is crucial.  It can be difficult for a business owner to see this beyond theory because there are a multitude of things bombarding the owner that perhaps the employees never see.  If a business owner stays on top of the mood, climate or whatever you might call it, a crisis is more likely to be averted.

What boss hasn't trembled after hearing that the most productive, amenable, and insightful employee is going off to greener pastures.  Haven't we been or heard about that employee that ended up having to be replaced with five employees?  When a person grows with a position at a company or agency over an extended period of time, this can become a reality.  What might have helped to retain an employee?

                   

What does all of this have to do with events to boost your business?  In one sentence, I would say it is appreciation and good management.  How do you go about showing your employees that you appreciate them when each employee is so different?  I'd liken it to a parent of a teenager or even an adult when they say, "We raised all our kids the same, but we just don't know what happened to ____!"  Therein lies the problem.  If you assume that everyone is going to respond to your appreciation efforts the same, you'll be in for the disappointing surprise.  

It doesn't have to be an elaborate event to show appreciation.  It can be very individualistic.  If you had to narrow it down to just one thing that any kind of employee gives to you, it would be time.  What do most employees wish they had more of?  It's time!  To different employees, time can mean money, or a day off, a special spa day, a weekend away, going to movies, admission to an anticipated sporting event or letting a parent know that you will always let them have an afternoon off for parent-teacher conferences.  It might be as simple as free parking or a bus pass for a month or others might love that you make a contribution to their favorite charity or a few hours off to volunteer at a charity.  You have to use your imagination and keep your ears to the ground.  If everyone knows their turn is coming to receive their appreciation award, there won't be any friction.  It should be something that each employee would be excited about not just for themselves but be shared and anticipated by everyone.  They will hopefully brag about what a great boss they have!  Does this sound like "an employee saved is an employee earned?"  I hope so.

If you have an event that is for everyone, you will reap the benefits of your employees getting a glimpse of each other as human beings which will hopefully show up in the form of gaining respect.  This type of an event should probably be off-site so that everyone is on a level playing field...sometimes, literally.  You can plan any variety of events for team building, birthdays, summer outings, fine dining or family-friendly events.  You could even offer to pay for childcare if that is what keeps a person from attending an event that takes place after business hours.  Your event is a gift to your employees as a special thank-you and that thankfulness should be emphasized throughout the entire event.  You will receive the rewards especially if you have put a lot of thought into it and not required your employees to do all of the work!

You know the saying, "You can catch more bees with sugar than vinegar!"  Consider events as an investment in keeping your employees humming, not just as busy bees but humming with contentment!

Watch out for blog posts here in the future about events that are to deal with low morale in the workplace and so much more.

You can contact Greatest of Days so we can keep you informed about upcoming seminars on "How to Rock Your Business with Successful Events".