Hiccups, Hemmorages, and Hemmorhoids

Hiccups
Sudden, involuntary contractions.
We have all endured professional (and personal) 'hiccups.' For example, saying or wearing the wrong thing, sending an inappropriate email, etc. The key is to honestly evaluate yourself, take a moment, that sip of water and a couple of deep breaths. Tomorrow is a new day.

Hemorrhages
Loss of blood from circulatory system. Can occur internally or externally.

You can leave your job long before you resign.

Hemorrhoids
Excessive pressure on the veins in the pelvic and rectal area.

While hemorrhoids in the literal health sense, rarely cause death, I can say with total confidence, that PITA's (my acronym for Pains in the ...)can cause health problems through chronic stress, fatigue, anger and interpersonal factors that can manifest if we do not effectively 'treat' the illness through effective and appropriate communication in the workplace.

For more information, contact me at dmw@donnamariawalker.com

Servant Leadership

Servant Leadership.
A great New Year's Resolution for every manager in 2008.

After reading more about servant leadership, a few questions remained. Specifically,..."How can a leader who is focused on meeting the individual needs of employees also focus on moving an entire organization forward?"

So, I asked one of my favorite 'servant leaders' and professors, Dr. Steve Cox, Chairman of the Department of Organizational Communication in the College of Business and Public Affairs at Murray State University. Here's what he had to say:

"I see the servant leader as someone who truly sees themselves as the "human resource developer"...much like the farmer who "serves" the crops and livestock so they grow, the servant leader is specifically devoted to recognizing the ever changing needs of individuals and finds ways to align those needs with the evolving vision of the organization.

They want people to grow-up with the organization or to outgrow the organization and become transplanted elsewhere so they can bloom. Both must evolve...the organization cannot stay the same and have people develop. The people cannot stay the same and the organization survive...it must be a symbiotic relationship and the servant leader serves to accelerate this dynamic process.

Challenging organizational ideologies to facilitate individual growth and open up organizational opportunity is how servant leaders serve others. It is not to challenge ideology to create chaos or to be culturally and socially "whatever makes you feel good, do it"...it's not about anarchy. Rather, they fight the good fight to achieve liberation and democratization freeing the individual to do the good work of advancing mutually beneficial individual and collective goals...to contribute to something far bigger and more significant than ourselves.

The contributions that make us most satisfied and self-actualized are those that contribute to the common good and welfare of others. Those who pursue selfish goals for selfish gain to only hoard their gains become painfully isolated...every selfish person from Ebenezer Scrooge to Britney Spears proves this.

The conflict that arises through selfish leadership is due to actions that communicate "it is all about the organization"...that is "shut up and go along"..."conformity to orders is loyalty to the organization"..."shape-up or ship-out." This is where we make people feel like cogs...like they don't really mater. However, the servant leader says change is necessary because of you...not in spite of you. The servant leader seeks to put others first...they care enough to assist, support, and discipline/train those around them and question structures/ideologies that undermine freedom for the good of others.

They are both brave and humble servants. People know the servant leader "cares"...that is why they are pushing individual growth, addressing individual needs, and leading organizational development. These servant leaders serve others by encouraging constant growth and development; their actions set others up for success by recognizing and responding to the needs of others. Overall, the most vital acts of servanthood is to challenge the ideologies that privilege the organization's need for coordination and control at the expense of individual development.

The servant leader challenges and persuades individuals to see their place in contributing to the future of the organization....but says, "It won't be easy, but it will help you meet your goals. I know you can do it...and I'm here to help" and then lives it out. Therefore, change is exciting and engaging because the members understand the "why" behind the "what" (content) of the change...and the "why" for the servant leader is because "it is all about the people."

Thanks Dr. Cox! For more information about classes in the Dept. of Organizational Communication, contact steve.cox@murraystate.edu. MSU offers evening/weekend courses in Paducah!

Holiday Survey Results

When employers were asked how they plan to reward employees this holiday season, here's what they had to say:

Office Party-39%
Cash Bonus-42%
Food-5%
Gift/Gift Certificate-10%
Time Off-4%
Other-0%

(49 individuals from various employers in the western Kentucky, southern Illinois, and southeast Missouri region participated in this study. Employers ranged from manufacturing facilities employing 100+ employees to small business owners with less than 25 employees).

Christmas Bonuses Should Be A Pleasant Surprise!

Thanksgiving officially kicks off the holiday season that's for sure, but so does a glass of wine, friends, family and dusting off your copy of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation!

If you've always given employees Christmas bonuses in the past, but difficult financial circumstances have substantiated changes for this year, be open and honest with employees about those changes.

To maintain morale, perhaps you could offer the gift of time during the 2008 fiscal year in lieu of a lump sum check. Allow employees an extra week of paid vacation or agree to more personal days.


Regardless of what you decide, unless you want someone's "Cousin Eddie" at your door this Christmas Eve, you may want to reconsider that "Jelly of the Month Club" membership.

If you are a Paducah employer, I want to hear from you. Let me know your plans for rewarding employees this holiday season:
1. Cash
2. Food
3. Party
4. Retail Gift Certificate/Gift
5. Time Off
6. Other (please specify)


Email me at:
dmw@donnamariawalker.com

Brown Water Blues

One of the best parts about my job, has to be the candid office questions and comments I receive via email from folks from all over the country...and world!

One seemingly trivial topic that has come up FIVE times this month has been 'terrible office coffee,' of all things! Now, I am a brown water junkie, a sympathizer, and I want to help. So, let's address this once and for all because life is too short.

Print it, Drink it, Love it.

Here is a fool proof recipe to brew the perfect pot of coffee:

Begin with a quality coffee
(but you don't have to get snooty about it...even Maxwell House and Folgers now offer acceptable choices...however, my favorite is Starbucks Breakfast Blend--it's mild).

One level Tablespoon of coffee per one cup of of cool, clean, filtered water(or, another neat trick, if you always make 8 cups of coffee, use 1/2 measuring cup each time).

Company's spend so much money putting their logos outside the mug, so why not spend a little extra on what goes on the inside? After all, that's what counts and your staff and clients are worth it.

If you would like your logo on the perfect coffee mug (which make GREAT corporate holiday gifts, so order now!), I've always had great experiences with Rene Advertising Specialties, Inc. For more information contact Robyn Shapiro at www.reneadvertising.com

Happy Brewing!
www.donnamariawalker.com

Save Face On Facebook

People of all ages and occupations use social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn. Corporations are utilizing these resources to recruit talent, sell products, and conduct background checks on potential employees.

With that in mind, remember:
If you are looking for a job, don't put something online that may keep you from getting an interview. If you've got a job, don't put something online that may get you fired.

This is a particularly important information for parents to share with their teens who may be applying for that competitive summer internship or for students preparing to graduate from college.

For more information, visit my website at www.donnamariawalker.com

Prioritizing...it's as easy as A-B-C!

I have noticed certain attributes among highly effective (and also highly productive)leaders whom I admire. Here's just one example:

1. Leaders can easily distinguish "issues" from "non-issues"
2. "Non-issues" (or petty matters) are generally ignored
3. Substantive "issues" are prioritized according to their level of importance. These "issues" are aggressively and systematically attacked beginning with the issue of greatest relative importance.

So, how can we be more effective managers of our time?
It's as easy as A-B-C!

Create manageable lists of 10-20 tasks you have to accomplish at work (separate lists can be made for home/personal).

Next, letter those tasks according to level of importance (A= URGENT), (B=Important to complete within a specific time frame), and (C=Priority to complete but without a timeframe).

Let me know how it goes. I hope this is helpful information. To schedule a free 1-hour appointment, contact me today!
dmw@donnamariawalker.com

Know better. Do better.