Our circle of Influence

We all have circles of people with whom we interact.  All of those people can be influenced…influenced for good or influenced for bad by our actions, words and attitudes.  We teach our children to watch out for peer influence but then we may forget we are influential to others our whole life.  We all have someone in our life we can look up to and people who look up to us.  We have our family – our innermost circle. We have a circle of those we see every day at work.  Those are the ones in our inner circle.  We have a circle of people we see less frequently. Those are on our outer loop.  Some of those we choose but many in our circles are not chosen but just landed in our circle because they are related or happen to work with us or our children play ball together. 

Your words, actions and attitudes do make a difference.  Have you ever noticed how experienced professionals can lower the heat in a volatile situation with a few words?  Learn the art of Exemplary Leadership is an article I wrote that talks about how to positively influence naysayers. 

Download this article for free at www.interaction-training.com

Still learning,

Honey Shelton

http://www.interaction-training.com/

CHECK out our website, sign-up for our free newsletter and follow our blog and shop in the store, FREE training tools!

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Respect Boundaries, Stay Real

 

Time wasting is an ongoing abuse in the workplace.  As a manager, you have the power to call the plays of the game.

You'll be the one who most often tips the first domino that sends many others falling down.

When you schedule meetings give thought to the impact your request has on others.  Employees have their own plan for the day in full swing and are often thrown into a frenzy to accommodate a meeting request at the last minute.

Start and stop meetings on time.  Let people know you expect them to be on time and they can count on you to be as well.  If the agenda isn’t finished by the time the meeting is scheduled to end then brainstorm with all attendees the best way to address unfinished business rather than assume it works to run the meeting later than planned.

Think it through when you schedule early in the morning and late in the day meetings.  Working parents have to contend with day care hours, football practices and school start and stop times.

Likewise, stay real about the flexibility that will be needed for employees with home and family obligations.  Concerns that come with aging parents, an emergency or life changing events like a wedding or a funeral are going to require consideration and accommodation in the workplace.  The demands of successful parenting will be complimented by a flexible schedule when employees want to make it to their kids’ school plays or sporting events. 

Managers who are considerate and caring about real world events and issues for employees can also be taken advantage of so it’s more than fair you expect mutual respect when it comes to special requests.  Teach the staff not to overdraw their privilege account and show that you are always willing to work with employees that take pride in not taking advantage.

Make Success Your Goal

To find success in this life, help others find success.  In our selfish hearts we often think we need to push others out of the way and claw ourselves to the top to find success.  But true, meaningful, sleep at night kind of success is found in helping others along the way.

That's how you treat your customers. You have to find a way to give more than you take.

To succeed, learn all you can about your job, your company and your co-workers (not gossip, who they truly are).   When you ask, most people are anxious to share a bit about what makes them tick.  We can get so busy that we view people as obstacles to our to do list.  So we don’t take time to hear from them.  Make a point today to find a little bit more about someone you know but don’t know well. 

Still learning,

Honey Shelton

http://www.interaction-training.com

CHECK out our website, sign-up for our free newsletter and follow our blog and shop in the store, FREE training tools!

Thank a Veteran

www1.va.gov/opa/vetsday/

Today, November 11, is the day set aside to honor our veterans. In my church our pastor recognized our veterans and they received standing ovations. That is how it should be. I’m humbled to think of the scores of men and women who have put their lives on hold to defend freedom in far parts of the world. I googled Veterans day and found a site full of information on this day and other American traditions. Below find a few of the things the site explains. Learn about what has been done throughout our nation’s history to uphold our freedoms and help other countries enjoy those freedoms as well.

The Origins of Veterans Day -- World War I ended on November 11, 1918. On the same date three years later an unknown soldier from that war was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. November 11 eventually became the date when America honors all who have served the United States in war.

* The History of the Purple Heart Award -- It is one of the most recognized and respected medals awarded to members of the U.S. armed forces. Introduced as the “Badge of Military Merit” by General George Washington in 1782, the Purple Heart is also the nation's oldest military award.

* The Flower of Remembrance -- Learn how a simple red flower came to symbolize a perpetual tribute to those who have given their lives for the nation's freedom.

* The Story of Taps -- Based on a French signal to end the soldier's day, the melancholy bugle call now is also heard at military burials and memorial services.

* Arlington National Cemetery -- America's best known national cemetery still buries service members and some veterans.

* The United States Flag -- How "The Stars and Stripes" design has changed since 1776.

* The Pledge of Allegiance -- The words, and how they are delivered, have changed several times since 1892.

* "The Star-Spangled Banner" -- Francis Scott Key's poem and a British tune became the national anthem.

* "Old Glory" -- The story behind the affectionate name for the U.S. flag.

* The Origins of Flag Day -- The Continental Congress established the basic design of the U.S. flag on June 14, 1777, but many years passed before America officially observed National Flag Day.

* Guidelines for Display of the Flag -- Do's and Don'ts to correctly show respect for the national banner.

Don’t let this day end without thanking a vet for their sacrifice.

Still learning,

Honey Shelton

http://www.interaction-training.com

CHECK out our website, sign-up for our free newsletter and follow our blog and shop in the store, FREE training tools!

Continual Improvement

I never have understood those who want to go to work and do as little as possible. Or those who want to stay home and do nothing. I’d go crazy. I need to be busy. I travel an insane amount of time training in many states. The busyness helps me appreciate my downtime all the more.

When you work with some one who aims for middle of the road or worse yet has total apathy towards work, it can be quite easy to catch the lazy bug…or feel bitter that you are carrying their load. Just as their laziness can be contagious, so can your enthusiastic approach to work. Resist the urge to get bitter… instead keep getting better. The only person we can change is our self. When we work towards improving our self, others will notice. Hopefully they will recognize the contentment you find in putting in a good, productive, positive day of work.

Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” Theodore Roosevelt 1903

Still learning,
Honey Shelton

http://www.interaction-training.com

CHECK out our website, sign-up for our free newsletter and follow our blog and shop in the store, FREE training tools!

Free Stuff

I offer free training materials through my web store. I enjoy training and am always looking for ways to pay it forward. You can’t know how to improve something unless you know what is not working. I have developed many surveys that will help a bank or credit union supervisor find weak spots in their customer service.

Here’s a list of free stuff up at my web store right now: The Teller Observation Form, The Drive Thru Teller Form, Customer Management Form, Training Diagnosis Survey, Supervisor Self Evaluation Survey and the Team Effectiveness Survey.

Take a moment and download some or all of these free surveys. Use them and encourage your co-workers towards excellence. They will enjoy their work more thoroughly when they do their job with excellence. Customers will recognize the improvement. Everyone comes out ahead.

Still learning,
Honey Shelton

http://www.interaction-training.com

CHECK out our website, sign-up for our free newsletter and follow our blog and shop in the store, FREE training tools!

Training Adjectives

I am honored and humbled when one of my client’s writes to tell me their experience in one of our training courses. I have been training for a long time and sometimes wonder if I am as effective as I used to be. One of my “non-financial” clients wrote this about us:

“Versatile, customized, powerful, humorous, effective, thought-provoking - those would be the adjectives I would use to describe the training services and coaching we’ve engaged InterAction to provide for almost 20 years.”

Cindy Marion,CEO

Marion, Montgomery, Inc.

Is the training you are getting in your workplace impactful? I know humor is very powerful and thankfully God gifted me with an ability to be light-hearted as I present messages that impact the workplace.

Next time you decide to set up some training for your employees, co-workers and associates give me a call or shoot me an email. If I don’t think Interaction Training is the right solution I will give you tips on how to decide on who/what would be most effective for you.

Still learning,

Honey Shelton

http://www.interaction-training.com

CHECK out our website, sign-up for our free newsletter and follow our blog and shop in the store, FREE training tools!