• How to Minimize Politics in Your Company http://bit.ly/bB66qD #leadership #
• New blog post – Are You Daring to Go For Your Dream? guest post by @SusanMazza http://bit.ly/bnFNWg #goals #
• 3 Steps to Make Your Vision Work for You http://bit.ly/adWFkF #entrepreneurship #
• RT @GwynT: If you want to learn about business from a guy with smarts and heart follow @TanveerNaseer. He has a great blog too! *TY Gwyn! #
• Dealing With Offensive Remarks At Work http://bit.ly/9zdxhH #communication #ethics #
• How to tell when your boss is lying http://bit.ly/c42Ako #leadership #psychology #
• RT @rickross10: @TanveerNaseer You’re welcome. Keep up the great work. *Thanks Rick; appreciate your support. Hope you had a great weekend. #
• How to Manage Managers http://bit.ly/boCQQ0 #leaderrship #entrepreneurship #
• You Are What You Think http://bit.ly/9KemGj #innovation #neuroscience #
• Pragmatic Brainstorming for Productivity http://bit.ly/dw4n1R #productivity #creativity #
• What’s Really Holding You Back From Getting Things Done http://bit.ly/b5W77S #productivity #
• RT @hinda_incentive: From @TanveerNaseer: Making Recognition More Common in the Workplace http://ht.ly/2viaS *Thanks Drew! #
• A look at how the best people are underpaid – The 80/20 Principle by @Geoff_Snyder #management #
• Your Perception of Business Growth Is Wrong http://bit.ly/b47m1Z #strategy #innovation #
• RT @LeadToday: Asking for help is NOT a sign of weakness. It IS a sign of confidence and intelligence. #
• A look at the downsides of Employee of the Month programs by @hinda_incentive http://bit.ly/bRnG7Y #management #feedback #
• 8 Ways to Reclaim Your Focus at Work http://bit.ly/c4RpIx #productivity #
• RT @rickross10: How to Make Procrastination Beneficial For Your Business http://bit.ly/ccUCjY by @TanveerNaseer *Thanks Rick! #
• Assumptions About Innovation And Greatness http://bit.ly/bLGGpN #innovation #
• Why Apple Keeps Winning (No, It’s Not the Products) http://bit.ly/aI7gOh #leadership #

Some other posts you may enjoy:

1. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-07-09
2. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-04-09
3. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-03-12
4. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-02-05
5. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-07-23
6. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-05-28

Around our house, nothing signals the end of summer more than helping our kids prepare for their return to the daily school routine. The arrival of the end of summer also means that companies are now returning to full strength with most of their employees having finished their vacation time away from work.

While taking a vacation break can provide us with the benefit of recharging ourselves and allowing us to clear our focus, there can be some feelings of ambivalence surrounding those first few days back on the job over what we may find awaiting us upon our return. This is especially true for employees who return to work after a prolonged absence from taking a maternity, paternity or sick leave.

Of course, returning to work after a prolonged absence can provide its own share of challenges to employees, issues which may not be obvious to the organization’s leadership or their fellow team members. Indeed, unlike employees returning from a holiday break, these employees have to contend with concerns over unexpected additions to their workloads or changes made to their role within the organization while they were away. Such issues can have a dramatic impact not only on their productivity, but also on their ability to ease back into their role as a member of your team.

With this in mind, here are three steps leaders can take to help their employees with the transition of returning back to work after a prolonged break.

1. Be interested in learning more about their time away from work
A few days ago, I was told the story of an employee who returned to work six months after going on sick leave. During his first week back, not one of his co-workers or his boss asked anything about how he was doing or if his time away from work had done him good. Instead, the only thing people at his company were interested in was how soon he could get a certain task or report done. Needless to say, in talking about his experience, it was clear that this person was definitely feeling disengaged, if not wondering about his future as an employee of this organization.

Granted, it can be uncomfortable for some leaders, as well as employees, to delve into the personal lives of their co-workers, especially if their absence was physically or psychologically-related. However, by not showing a willingness to acknowledge the reason for their time away – as well as showing an interest in how they are managing with their return back – leaders will only make it more challenging for these employees to re-connect with their work and their team mates.

As the example mentioned above shows, while you might be grateful to have your employees back on the job, choosing to ignore the reason behind their departure from work can have a deleterious effect on their ability to resume their role within your team.

2. Remind employees of specific contributions they can make to the organization
In returning to work after a long break, employees can feel apprehensive about potential changes in the organization, as well as the reason why they needed to take time off from work in the first place. Both of these factors can end up having a significant impact on their perception and subsequent ability to contribute in a meaningful fashion. To help offset these feelings of self-doubt, leaders need to show employees why you value their return by reminding them of what special knowledge or skills they bring to the team.

For example, leaders could welcome these employees back by telling them about a new product line they’re about to start work on and how the organization will benefit from their involvement given their knack for coming up with creative workarounds to unexpected obstacles. By pointing out specific examples of what these employees can contribute to your organization, leaders can demonstrate to employees the value and importance they play in reaching your organization’s goals, giving them a big boost toward getting back on track and fully participating in your team’s efforts.

3. Provide a sincere gesture to employees to welcome them back into the fold
Undoubtedly, one of the biggest concerns returning employees face is how will their return be treated by others in the team. And as is the case in most situations, the actions a leader takes will play a big role in defining both the team’s perception and subsequent treatment of their returning co-worker. This is why it’s important that leaders don’t simply gloss over the return of these employees, but instead ensure that their re-integration back into the team is accomplished with as little difficulty as possible.

One of the easiest ways to start this process is by offering these employees a sincere and genuine gesture welcoming them back into your organization. Now, this doesn’t need to be elaborate and it certainly doesn’t need to be very public as the last thing anyone wants is to have too much attention drawn to their return to work. Instead, leaders can simply leave them a short ‘Welcome back’ note or take a few minutes to stop by their desk to personally offer their support to help ease their employees back into their role.

Although these are not complex or difficult gestures to perform, the fact that leaders make the effort to do them will send a clear message to the rest of the team of how to view this employee’s return. Additionally, it will also give returning employees some much needed reassurance that the organization’s leadership is willing to offer support and empathy regarding the needs of their employees.

Returning back to work can be a challenging and worrisome process for employees coming back from a prolonged absence. Recognizing these issues and helping to ease their concerns will not only ensure a smoother transition back into their position within your team, it will also encourage a speedier resumption of their active participation and productivity within your organization, something all leaders should aspire to foster as part of their mandate to lead those around them.

Some other posts you may enjoy:

1. 3 Tactics To Improve How You Give Feedback To Your Employees
2. Thinking Of Skipping Your Vacation This Summer? Think Again
3. 3 Steps To Help Ensure You’re Consistent With Your Message
4. Preparing For Tomorrow’s Leaders Today
5. Do You Know How Your Leadership Is Perceived?
6. How to Help Struggling Employees Find Their Space

Today’s piece is a guest post by Susan Mazza.  Susan is a motivational speaker, leadership coach, trainer and business consultant. With her unique understanding of people as well as human systems – and an unquenchable thirst to unlock potential of individuals and organizations – she has worked successfully with thousands of people and with many types and sizes of organizations around the world. She lives in Vero Beach, Florida with her husband, daughter and 2 dogs. You can learn more about Susan by visiting her blog, Random Acts of Leadership.

My husband and I were talking the other day about our choice to move to Florida 6 years ago. Things certainly have not gone according to plan. We have faced challenges we never imagined. And for a few moments we found ourselves talking about how things might have been had we just stayed where we were. Well that pretty much sucked the air out of the room! Of course that conversation came from that nagging little voice in our minds that tends to focus on what we did not accomplish that we had planned for and anticipated as well as laments our mistakes.

Fortunately that conversation lasted for only about 5 minutes. We noticed what we were doing and reminded each other that we have no idea what life would look like right now had we stayed or what it would have been like along the way. In an instant our conversation shifted, and so did our mood. We started talking about all the wonderful unexpected things we have accomplished, how much more time we have both had with our daughter, how much we have learned and grown, how much we love where we live and how well our life works here.

Have there been disappointments and unfulfilled expectations? Absolutely. Yet if we could turn back the clock would we want to choose to do it differently? Or would we choose to move back now? The answer to both is a resounding NO!

Why? Because we are at work on fulfilling our dreams and we are truly enjoying our journey.

Because despite the fact that we are not where we expected or hoped to be at this point, in so many ways we are that much closer to the future we want. We experience great satisfaction from living life on our terms and are grateful for all that we have now. It is not always easy, but there is incredible joy and freedom in choosing to live the life you want to live.

One of the best parts of our choice is this: we will never say “what if?”.

We will never regret not going for it or wonder what might have been. In the words of Lucille Ball: “I would rather regret the things that I have done than the things that I have not.”

Since I am passionate about supporting people in living lives they love and doing work they love, I want to challenge you to consider this question:

Are you daring to go for your dream?

Every moment we get to choose whether we will take action to create the future we want or to continue on with the life we already have. We can perpetuate the story in our minds and with the people in our lives of how we got to where we are, why things are the way they are and why they can’t be the way we really want them to be. Or we can choose this moment as the fork in the road and start living the story of how we are at work on manifesting our dreams.

One last thought…”A man is not old until his regrets take the place of his dreams.” Yiddish Proverb

It is NEVER to late to go for your dreams. I met a 73 year old woman who was in medical school. She was one of the happiest, most youthful people I have ever encountered.

So what about you? Are you living a life you love? If so, what wisdom can you share? If not, what is getting in the way of you living your dream?

Some other posts you may enjoy:

1. Finding The Courage To Take That First Step
2. Of Fathers and Daughters
3. Telling The Story Of Ourselves
4. Is Social Media Making Us Uncaring?
5. Helping Others Embrace Change
6. The Challenge We Face In Moving On

• The Memories You’ll Leave by @mjasmus http://bit.ly/cH7xhY #leadership #
• Nice introspective piece – Asking for Help by @GwynT http://bit.ly/bFgcrX #leadership #
• RT @shawmu: RT @TanveerNaseer Real Leaders are Other Focused http://bit.ly/a87lvd *Thanks Shawn for blog RT for @smaxbrown’s guest piece. #
• Effective Communication Begins with a First Impression http://bit.ly/9AgLp2 #presentation #communication #
• A look at the risks that come with #leadership by @LeaderTalk http://bit.ly/9Nf1bN #
• RT @KetelboeterPR: Real Leaders are Other Focused http://bit.ly/a87lvd (via @tanveernaseer) featuring @smaxbrown #leadership *Thanks Kelly! #
• Interesting read – The End of Management http://bit.ly/9CZZbv #management #innovation #
• RT @DorothyDalton: Gen Y women, please take my mini survey on what Gen Y women want! Only 7 questions! http://bit.ly/bhTL39 #
• RT @MarkOOakes: RT @kwoodpartners: Persistence of action comes from persistence of vision.-Steve Pavlina #
• The Four Truths of Self Discovery by @FrankDickinson http://bit.ly/dvKSo5 #
• Forgive and Remember: How a Good Boss Responds to Mistakes http://bit.ly/cxS9lF #leadership #
• RT @SmartBrief: 11 ways to avoid micromanaging, by @artpetty: http://ow.ly/2uBO2 #leadership #
• Thoughtful piece about the relationships we foster online – Out here, on my own by @Sally_G http://bit.ly/9PSyEf #connections #
• Are You Trying to Make Your Employees’ Lives Miserable? by @RealEvilHRLady http://bit.ly/dmtEeT #management #
• RT @smaxbrown: My post today on @TanveerNaseer ’s Blog: http://bit.ly/d6Meki #leadchange #leadership #
• How Facebook and Twitter Are Changing the Business World. And How They Aren’t http://bit.ly/ajTs1U #socmed #business #
• RT @drbret Remarkably Unprofessional Behavior http://bit.ly/anmfDm *Interesting look at personality dynamics #
• RT @mikemyatt: Valuable Read: RT @JohnBaldoni Why Leaders need to be in touch with their inner selves: http://bit.ly/cDTaAz #Leadership #
• RT @MeghanMBiro: *Congratulations* to one of my favorite thinkers (also has a huge heart) @TanveerNaseer http://bit.ly/daZWTo *Thx Meghan! #
• Are You in Cahoots with Complexity? http://bit.ly/cIuFRv #management #communication #
• Survival Strategies the New Normal http://bit.ly/bvVyBw #entrepreneurship #
• RT @mjasmus: A Thank You Note for My Readers – http://bit.ly/daZWTo by @TanveerNaseer ~Well deserved, my friend! *Thanks MJ! #
• An interesting weekend read: The Power Trip – How Power Affects Us http://bit.ly/bMQdlv #leadership #
• RT @KateNasser: How to Deal W/Toxic People http://bit.ly/b6uZSS #PeopleSkills #SoftSkills #Teamwork #
• The Many Forms of Too Little Recognition by @Globoforce http://ow.ly/2sPTQ (via @LeaderChat) #
• RT @AMAnet: Can Leadership Failures be Predicted? (Harvard Biz) #Management | http://ht.ly/2suh7 #
• RT @GwynT: Hey! @TanveerNaseer has been nominated for 3, count ‘em THREE weblog awards. http://bit.ly/cIJqdC (Congrats Tanveer!) *Tx Gwyn! #

Some other posts you may enjoy:

1. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-06-25
2. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-04-30
3. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-06-11
4. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-05-14
5. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-07-02
6. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-07-16

Recognition.

It’s something we all seek in our workplaces and yet, it’s the kind of feedback so many of us find noticeably absent in our interactions with those who lead our organizations.

There’s been numerous studies that show how making time to recognize the contributions of others helps to create both a positive environment and a more productive workforce. So why then are there so many employees who feel under-appreciated or under-valued by their organization’s leadership? To answer this question, we need to examine two aspects which are behind this quandary.

The first part of the problem is the misguided notion among leaders that their employees already know how good a job they’re doing and as such, there’s no need to point out the obvious to them. However, the problem with such thinking is that it’s self-centric, in that the leader’s focus is only on their own perceptions, as opposed to taking into consideration how their team members perceive the situation.

This leads to the second part of the problem over why there’s this lack of genuine recognition in the workplace. In cases where recognition efforts are made, leaders tend to concentrate on how offering such feedback benefits the company’s image, rather than as a gesture of appreciation or acknowledgement for the contributions of their team members. Indeed, for many leaders, providing recognition to their team is something that is addressed only in annual performance reviews or through formalized processes like ‘employee of the month’ programs. As most employees can attest, it’s a rare if unheard of practice to have leaders providing spur of the moment recognition for their efforts.

So how then can leaders address these two problems which are responsible for this lack of recognition in the workplace?

To find out my answer to this question, click on this link to read this guest post over at ReadyToFeedback.com.

Some other posts you may enjoy:

1. Creating A Better Workplace – My Interview on Real Recognition Radio
2. 3 Tactics To Improve How You Give Feedback To Your Employees
3. Employee Engagement Is Not Just For Leaders
4. Upcoming Interview on VoiceAmerica’s Real Recognition Radio
5. Helping Employees Regain Their Productivity After A Prolonged Absence
6. Learning to Appreciate the Gifts That Come With Leadership

Today’s piece is a guest post by S Max Brown.  Max is the VP of Organizational Learning at the Recognition Management Institute and in the last ten years, he has made nearly one thousand presentations in locations all around the world. He’s taken clients rappelling on the Great Wall of China, facilitated at the Parliament of World Religions Conference in Spain, spoken to a cheering crowd in the Netherlands, and even survived a severe winter presentation in Regina, Saskatchewan.

Recently, Max and I co-wrote the guest piece, “Is Your Leadership Serving Others… or Just Yourself?” for the “Wake Up and Shake it Up” leadership series organized by Shawn Murphy at Achieved Strategies.

Executives that secure big pay packages for themselves and then lay off thousands of employees don’t inspire much loyalty or confidence. Yet examples of such corporate excess and greed are plentiful. Why are we surprised when employees don’t feel like doing their best for the organization? Why are we surprised when our organizations suffer accordingly?

Recent research finds that we become more egocentric and self-centered as we gain more power. Sometimes, we believe that we can hide our insecurities by attacking, blaming, or otherwise tearing others down. Moreover, according to Harvard Professor Clayton Christensen, we often focus on activities that yield the most tangible accomplishments while neglecting relationships because we are driven by instant gratification.

Albert Einstein made a similar observation regarding human behavior when he said:

A human being is a part of the whole, called by us the ‘universe’, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separate from the rest – a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. Nobody is able to achieve this completely, but the striving for such achievement is in itself a part of the liberation and a foundation for inner security.”

The irony is that while we desperately search for happiness in our egocentric world, we only find it once we truly value and appreciate others. While spending time creating relationships and building others up doesn’t always have an immediate payoff that can be reported on a balance sheet, it is, to use Professor Christensen’s words, “the most enduring source of happiness.”

As Einstein pointed out, “nobody is able to achieve this completely.” We will not be perfect in our quest to become more other focused. However, the benefits of “freeing ourselves” from this self-centered prison are huge. Not only will we create “a foundation for own inner security,” but we will also find the happiness we were seeking all along and help others feel good about themselves in the process.

Real Leaders are other focused. They build others up and value their contributions. The result? Goodwill is given and patience extended as people realize that their work is appreciated. As this happens, self-worth increases, confidence is built, and people start to look forward instead of constantly worrying about personal attacks. Trust is nurtured and the culture encourages high performance rather than creating fear and disengagement.

Why would any organization tear their people down when we all know that a confident and engaged workforce delivers better results? It is time to change the way we measure success. It is time to believe that building others up will ultimately make all of us more successful.

Professor Christensen sums it up perfectly by saying: “Don’t worry about the level of individual prominence you have achieved; worry about the individuals you have helped become better people.” Let us heed Einstein’s invitation to “free ourselves from this delusional prison by widening our circle of compassion” and becoming Other Focused!

Some other posts you may enjoy:

1. What Twitter Can Teach Leaders About Effective Communication
2. Preparing For Tomorrow’s Leaders Today
3. Confidence – A Habit Worth Building
4. Is Social Media Making Us Uncaring?
5. Mothers – Our First Example of Real Leadership
6. Helping Employees Regain Their Productivity After A Prolonged Absence

• How Do Apple, Ford, and Microsoft Survive In The New Economy While Others Crash? http://bit.ly/aqp8tF #innovation #
• RT @KetelboeterPR: What’s your edge? – Bold Leadership (via @mikemyatt) http://bit.ly/cjBdoD #leadership #ceo #
• RT @tnvora: A Tale of Two Businesses – Some Lessons on Improving How You Manage Your Company http://bit.ly/9AHsWI *Thanks for blog RT Tanmay #
• The Power of Ignorance http://bit.ly/96cmi6 #entrepreneurship #
• New post: A Tale of Two Businesses – Some Lessons on Improving How You Manage Your Company http://bit.ly/9AHsWI #leadership #
• RT @KateNasser: Do You Want Something New/Different but Are Afraid? http://bit.ly/cPoKlI by @LeadershipFreak #LeadChange #
• Managing Problems You Can’t Fix http://bit.ly/ceYOJr #innovation #
• Use Stories to Make Your Business Planning Real by @Timberry http://bit.ly/cebgLS #bizplanning #
• RT @shawmu: From Ken Blanchard: 4 Keys to Better Leadership. I like #4: http://bit.ly/9uPUJN *Good points #leadership #
• It’s Up to You to Start a Good Fight http://bit.ly/dzvAHn #leadership #
• Stop Killing Your Business – guest post by @DannyBrown on @FrankDickinson ’s blog http://bit.ly/cKF4pF #entrepreneurship #
• RT @shawmu: Not only does @TanveerNaseer’s blog look great, he fills it with relevant topics to help us be better. #BigFan #FollowNow *Thx! #
• The People on the Bus by @LeaderTalk http://bit.ly/dbHve2 #teamwork #
• RT @LearnSolMary: #FF Men who help us to be better leaders @mikehenrysr @LeadToday @dave_carpenter @BobBurg @TanveerNaseer @LDGuyMN *Tx Mary #
• RT @ramartijr: Tanveer Naseer, Business Coach and Writer – http://goo.gl/TwIb (@TanveerNaseer is a great guy to follow. ) > Thanks Richard! #
• Leadership and The Attitude Contagion by @GwynT http://bit.ly/9pGWuF #leadership #
• Is There Hope for Leaders? by @mjasmus http://bit.ly/d9GE9d #leadership #
• RT @cirklasimplebiz: @TanveerNaseer – love your blog! < Thanks Amy! Glad to hear it. #
• Take It To Twitter by @KetelboeterPR http://bit.ly/9QkvCR #custserv #
• Back online after a two-week break. Grateful for all the kind words sent my way during that time; lovely way to come back online #gratitude #

Some other posts you may enjoy:

1. TanveerNaseer.com Nominated For 2010 Canadian Weblog Awards!
2. A Thank You Note for My Readers
3. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-08-27
4. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-07-09
5. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-07-02
6. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-09-03

Yesterday, I shared the wonderful news that my site is the recipient of 3 nominations for the 2010 Canadian Weblog Awards. While I had expected a few congratulatory remarks, the actual response I received to this news was both astonishing and inspiring. Indeed, I’ve received so many warm wishes and congratulatory notes that I can’t help but feel both grateful and humbled to see so many as excited about these nominations as I am.

Of course, the reality is that this accomplishment couldn’t have happened without you, the readers of my blog. When I sit down to write about the ideas or insights I want to share here, there’s always that consideration in my mind of how this can benefit you. With so many wonderful resources and bloggers out there sharing great content and ideas, I want to make sure that readers are happy with their decision to spend some of their time here on my blog.

In this light, these nominations are as much your accomplishment as they are mine as I credit you, the readers of my blog, for pushing me to deliver content that inspires and motivates; that helps to address some problems you may be facing or simply getting you to consider a concept from another perspective. In many ways, writing a blog is much like the teamwork issues I write about in that for this effort to be a success, we must all work together to help each other become successful.

As such, I want to use this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for helping me as much as I hope I’m helping you. Thanks to the support and well-wishes you’ve sent me since I made this announcement about my site’s award nominations, I can honestly say that I feel as though I’ve already won.

Some other posts you may enjoy:

1. The One Hundred Post Milestone
2. TanveerNaseer.com Nominated For 2010 Canadian Weblog Awards!
3. Celebrating A Year of Blogging . . . And Some Exciting News
4. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-08-20
5. And now for something completely different
6. Welcome To My New Digs

I am delighted to announce that my website is the recipient of three nominations for the 2010 Canadian Weblog Awards!  The Canadian Weblog Awards (CWA) is a juried competition that looks for the best Canadian bloggers in a diverse range of categories and styles. I’ve been informed by this organization that my site has received CWA nominations for the following categories:

• Business and Career
• Best Written
• Best Designed

You may have also noticed on the sidebar of my site a blue banner image pointing out that I’m also in a competition being run by Online MBA Rankings to win as a top business blog in leadership for 2011. If you’ve been enjoying the ideas and insights I’ve been writing about here on my blog, I’d like to ask you to show your support in voting for my site by clicking on this link or on the image found in the sidebar.

As you can imagine, it’s a big honour to be one of the Canadian Weblog Award Nominees, not to mention being a multiple nominee for this year’s edition. I’d like to thank the CWA organizers for this honour; here’s hoping it’s a sign of things to come. Finalists for the award will be announced on January 1, 2011.

Some other posts you may enjoy:

1. A Thank You Note for My Readers
2. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-08-20
3. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-08-27
4. Olympics Lessons On Improving Our Approach To Business
5. Celebrating A Year of Blogging . . . And Some Exciting News
6. Something Wicked To Come This Way . . .

Recently my wife and I took advantage of the school summer break to take our kids on vacation at one of our country’s most popular tourist destinations. As it was the first time we’d taken our kids there, it was only natural that we wanted to check out the various sites and attractions found throughout the area. Going from one tourist activity to another, it was interesting to note the subtle, as well as not so subtle, differences in how these different attractions were managed and the resulting lasting impressions each one made.

Granted, the issues facing companies in the tourism/entertainment business can differ greatly from those experienced in other industries. However, like all businesses, these companies also have to grapple with the challenge of not only encouraging repeat business, but fostering good word of mouth in order to attract new customers as well.

With this in mind, I want to share with you two stories from our family vacation and through it, the lessons businesses can apply today to better manage their companies, both in terms of their employees and their customers.

Story #1 – A lesson in leading others from a theme-restaurant manager
During our vacation away from home, we ate at several restaurants, including one that our kids were eager to visit – a theme-restaurant that was designed to look like a rainforest/jungle, featuring various animatronic animals, a live shark/tropical fish aquarium, and a light and sound show that added to the jungle-environment feel of the place.

A few minutes after we were seated, a woman stopped by our table and introduced herself as the restaurant’s manager. She pointed out how my wife, sitting at one of the table’s outer chairs, had put her purse in a place that might not be very secure and that perhaps it would be better to leave it next to our children sitting along the wall of the restaurant. After we thanked her for her attention and help, she invited us to contact her if we needed anything during our stay and then went off to check on other areas of her restaurant.

As we didn’t see the restaurant manager again, it wouldn’t be surprising that such a brief encounter would be soon forgotten. And yet while the interaction itself was nothing significant, it still illustrates a key point about how leaders should manage their teams and along with it, their business.

Having the manager of the restaurant stopping by our table to address this minor, though potentially costly issue if my wife’s purse was stolen, demonstrated to us that the management of this business cared about their customers’ experience while visiting their establishment. More importantly, her conduct showed her employees that looking out for their customers was not only important, but critical to their success. By choosing to get out from behind her desk and walk around and engage with the customers at her restaurant, she demonstrated to her employees that taking care of their customers was as important as any of the other tasks or responsibilities that she had to deal with from within her office.

Of course, this didn’t mean that this manager stepped in whenever there was a hint of trouble or concern. Indeed, the fact that she faded back into the background demonstrated that she trusted the ability of those on the front lines to manage the needs of their guests. In true leadership fashion, she stuck around long enough to serve as an example to her team before she took a few steps back in order to let her staff take over the reins.

While our visit to this jungle theme restaurant turned out to be one of the more expensive meals we had during our vacation, the care and attention exhibited by the restaurant’s staff – no doubt in large part a result of the example their manager was presenting – made our time and experience well worth the price. Witnessing this lesson on effective leadership was an added bonus, if not also a welcome surprise.

Story #2 – A lesson on the importance of taking your customer’s perspective into account
Like most kids, our children love seeing animals either by visiting local farms or nearby zoos. As such, one of the other attractions we visited during our vacation was a marine zoo which my wife and I hadn’t been to since we were kids ourselves. Naturally, we both assumed that this marine park must have grown since then, both in terms of the number of activities it now offers, as well as the overall size of the park.

What we hadn’t expected, though, is that the park owners would choose to spread out these new activities over such long distances – especially when one considers that it’s a main attraction for younger kids – with few signs offering directions or even some side activities for families to pit-stop at along the way.

The other issue my wife and I noted was the complete lack of information being provided about the animals in their facility, information like the animals names, what they ate and and how old they were. It wasn’t too surprising to see several families stopping to take a few photos and after a bit wandering off to find something else to do given the lack of information or staff being present to answer any questions visitors might have about the animals.

Of course, if one looks at the attendance numbers for this park, it would appear that this business is doing very well. And yet, herein lies the problem with relying solely on certain metrics to determine your company’s health, as it doesn’t necessarily offer you insights on how your product or service is viewed or regarded by those who use it.

I’m sure if the park owners were to visit their facility as a guest and not as the proprietor, they would notice very quickly themselves the lack of signs offering directions or displays providing information about their animals, not to mention to large amount of dead space found between activities. They’re simple measures to be sure, but sometimes it’s those little details that business owners tend to overlook which end up having a significant impact on the overall health of their business.

As in the case with the first story, it’s understandable that many leaders find themselves stuck behind their desks, getting lost behind all the paperwork and calls for their attention. But making the time to check out how your products/services are being used and perceived by those who use it can not only help you build loyal customers, it can also provide you with insights on how you can improve your products or services to better meet the needs of those you’re trying to serve.

There’s a lot of discussion these days about the need for dramatic change. After seeing the differences in how various businesses manage their offerings and their team, I think perhaps what’s needed more is the understanding that sometimes little changes are all that’s needed to see those dramatic differences we all strive to make.

Some other posts you may enjoy:

1. Thinking Of Skipping Your Vacation This Summer? Think Again
2. Savouring The Bounty of Our Lives
3. Leaders, Are You Asking the Right Questions?
4. Father’s Day – Best Day of The Year
5. Will Businesses See The Elephant In The Bigger Picture?
6. Olympics Lessons On Improving Our Approach To Business

As I’ve been off Twitter for the last two weeks, instead of a weekly list of highlights, I’d like to draw your attention to this month’s edition of the Leadership Development Carnival.

The Leadership Development Carnival is a monthly event organized by Dan McCarthy over at Great Leadership where it’s normally hosted, along with a few guest hosts selected by Dan. In fact, this month’s leadership carnival edition is being hosted by Jason Seiden on his site at JasonSeiden.com.

Some of my favourites included in this month’s edition of the leadership carnival include:

• “Leadership is A Journey” by Bret L. Simmons
• “The Triple Treat to Good Decisions: Data, Time and Emotion” by Art Petty
• “5 Ways To Build Trust (Lessons from a Conversation)” by Tanmay Vora
• “Defensive Driving For Leaders: Watch Out for Your Blind Spots” by Dan McCarthy
• “Leading Change: Lessons from the Sandbox” by Anne Pershel

I’d also like to point out that my piece “4 Questions To Help Your Team Keep Their Focus” has been included in this month’s edition, marking my first appearance in the Leadership Development Carnival.

I’d like to thank both Jason and Dan for including me in this month’s leadership carnival and I invite all of you to check this month’s edition as there’s a lot of great articles on leadership to read.

Some other posts you may enjoy:

1. Upcoming Interview on VoiceAmerica’s Real Recognition Radio
2. Learning to Appreciate the Gifts That Come With Leadership
3. The Power of Reflection in Leadership
4. Using The Summer Downtime To Assess Your Organization’s Direction
5. Mothers – Our First Example of Real Leadership
6. Migrating Geese – A Lesson in Leadership and Collaboration

Every now and then when I sit down to write a post for my blog, I find my mind drifting off to other tasks; things that I could be doing at that moment instead of writing. In these cases, it’s not an issue of struggling with writer’s block, as I know exactly what it is I wish to write about. Instead, the problem has to do with something we all face at one point or another in our daily lives – getting stuck in the procrastination rut.

It’s a common situation that we can all relate to – finding ourselves procrastinating when there’s this pile of work that requires our current attention and focus. Of course, thanks to today’s hyper-accelerated sense of immediacy and drive to increase productivity, procrastinating not only draws our frustration and annoyance, but it’s also become something we feel guilty about doing.

Ironically, part of the problem with procrastination is that we’ve created a negative perception around it, instead of recognizing it as being a normal behaviour. After all, even the most efficient workers among us procrastinate at times. In dealing with procrastination, we need to understand that the real issue here is not so much the behaviour as how we choose to respond to it when it happens.

With this in mind, here are some things you can do that will not only help with maintaining some level of productivity, but which will also change how you look at procrastination:

1. Time for a break from that pressing task
Let’s face it; in these moments, we know intuitively that this work has to be done and yet we just can’t get our minds out of neutral. Trying to rationalize yourself back into drive is not going to happen. What’s more likely to happen is that you’re just going to increase your level of stress and frustration, which obviously won’t help you in getting back into that work groove.

So if you find yourself procrastinating over a task that needs to get done, simply accept the fact that your mind is not ready to tackle it and put it on the back burner, with the understanding that you’re simply taking a short break before resuming your work on it.

2. Focus on some of those less-critical tasks
Invariably we when start procrastinating, we tend to let ourselves get distracted with all sorts of mundane activities – getting caught up in a round of cards on the computer, hanging out on our favourite social network site, or maybe even just aimlessly moving around the office supplies.

As we all know, performing these activities doesn’t help to alleviate our procrastination or the subsequent feelings of frustration that we’re not being as productive as we should be. And yet, we still find ourselves being drawn into these time-draining activities that end up offering us no solutions or breaks to the work pile on our desks.

What we can do here instead is use this time we now have to work on some of the other tasks on our list – perhaps there’s an industry report you’ve been meaning to read, or maybe you have some paperwork that’s been sitting on your desk waiting for you to file it away. While these activities might not help push your main project forward, shifting your attention to working on these lesser tasks will at least give you the satisfaction of knowing that you were able to get some work done and off your list.

3. Even adult brains require playtime to stay in shape
Of course, sometimes you might find yourself incapable of getting your mind out of this rut, and even the most menial tasks look insurmountable. At these moments, you just have to recognize that this is your mind’s way of saying you’ve been neglecting something key to healthy living – making time for some purposeless play.

Now, to be clear, this isn’t the same thing as people playing solitaire on their computer and then complaining about how they should be working on this particular assignment. In those cases, the act of playing is a diversion from performing a task, as opposed to intentionally taking up an activity of play simply for the fun of it.

Given how for so many of us, the goal behind working so hard is to free ourselves to be able to pursue activities purely for the sake of enjoying our lives, using these moments of procrastination to at least grant yourself a brief moment to enjoy the act of playing will certain go a long way to improving your sense of inner balance.

Granted, none of these exercises will help you get more work done on that project you’re dragging your heels to work on, nor will they cause a decline in how often or how long you find yourself procrastinating in the future. What they will do, though, is remind you that it’s quite natural to procrastinate every now and then and that you no longer need to have this negative perception of it because while you may not be productive in tackling the problem in question, you can still be constructive in managing that time to do something else.

Some other posts you may enjoy:

1. How to Deal with Procrastination
2. 6 Tips You Can Use Today To Help Boost Your Productivity
3. 4 Questions To Help You Figure Out If It’s Time To Move On
4. Need A Boost? Strategies For Recharging Your Productivity
5. Defining the Limits of Our Abilities
6. 4 Questions To Help Your Team Keep Their Focus

Like most people, I look forward to that time when we can unplug from our computers and mobile devices in order to unwind, spend time with the family, and recharge my mind and body before we need to prepare ourselves to dive back into the hustle and flow of our workplace.

There are times, though, where that continual push to maintain our productivity through the week takes its toll and we can find ourselves struggling to get out of neutral. This is something that happens to me at times and I know only too well how frustrating these moments can feel, especially when we see that large heap waiting for us in our “To-Do” basket. As such, I want to share some of the strategies I use to recharge my productivity batteries so I could complete my tasks for the week:

1. Review what you’ve completed so far
In the drive to maintain our level of productivity, it’s a good idea to take some time to review what we’ve completed up to that point. This will help in evaluating whether it’s really necessary to keep pushing to the max or whether we can afford to throttle down our efforts to give ourselves time to catch our breath. As marathon runners know, it’s not about running as fast as you can, it’s about managing a steady, brisk pace that will win the race.

2. Surround yourself with a support network
Let’s face it – we’re not robots and we’re not superheros either, so it’s only natural that there’ll be times where we’ll find ourselves staring out into a big hole of nothing, unable to get our mind or body moving again. And yet, it’s rare that we cut ourselves some slack for not being ‘always on’. That’s why it’s good to have a support group of people who can offer reassurance that we all have those moments of wading through the proverbial vat of molasses, if not reminding us how we’ll get through it and back on track.

3. Change your scenery
Sometimes all that’s needed to help kick-start things again is simply changing your setting – stopping by your colleague’s desk for a quick chat, going out for a walk, basically anything that will get you away from your work space and thinking about something else. On the surface, it might sound counter-intuitive to avoid the tasks you need to get done in an effort to be more productive. Then again, one can hardly say that staring at your computer screen for an hour trying to figure out what to do next can lead to better productivity. In these situations, you really have little to lose – and much to gain – by seeking out a change in your scenery to in order to get going again.

4. Give yourself a break
Remember, you’re only human and there will be moments where you just need to unplug and go off and play. Of course, there’s nothing wrong in doing that, especially if one considers how going off to play will not only boost energy levels, but it will also create a renewed vigour to take on the tasks you took a break from doing earlier.

5. Get enough rest
Yes, I know – we hear all too often how we need to get a good night’s rest, and yet, it’s still the one thing we all willingly sacrifice. Think of it this way – if machinery requires scheduled periods for “repair and maintenance”, it’s not hard to appreciate how vital it is for us to do the same as well.

6. Listen to your mind
When we face those times where we just can’t get that internal push to keep going, we need to recognize that it’s our brain and body basically telling us that it’s time to hit the “Pause” button and go do something else. I’m always impressed at how the act of simply listening to my brain telling me it’s time to stop and walk away to focus on something else inevitably leads to a flurry of solutions or ideas surfacing from which I can pick the best option.

In the end, we need to remember that we have two finite resources at our disposal – time and energy. And while there’s no way for us to replace the time we lose or waste, we can replenish our energy to keep moving forward. All that’s needed is for us to give ourselves the chance to simply recharge those batteries so we can dive back in to take on the challenges lying up ahead.

Coming up next – having issues with procrastination? In the last part of this series, I’m going to show you how to transform procrastination from something you dread into something that will improve your productivity in the long run.

Some other posts you may enjoy:

1. Need A Boost? Strategies For Recharging Your Productivity
2. How to Deal with Procrastination
3. How to Make Procrastination Beneficial For Your Business
4. Vacation Break and Start of 4-Part Confidence/Productivity Series
5. Got A Few Minutes? Why It’s Important to Take That Daily Break
6. 5 Steps To Help Build and Strengthen Your Confidence

Some other posts you may enjoy:

1. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-07-30
2. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-07-23
3. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-06-11
4. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-05-21
5. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-04-09
6. Twitter Weekly Highlights for 2010-06-04

When we look at the various examples of effective and successful leaders, one of the traits we see that they share in common is exhibiting a strong sense of confidence. Now by confidence, I’m not referring to pushy, aggressive, or self-serving behaviour. Rather, I’m pointing to those leaders who create this air of calm reassurance about them, who are clearly happy with their lives and are comfortable with who they are; those who we often refer to as being “natural born leaders”.

Ironically, confidence is not something you’re born with, it’s something you develop from inside. And confidence is certainly not linked exclusively to positions of authority, but is something that everyone can nurture and develop in themselves. But how exactly do we foster this feeling of confidence, especially in those moments where we feel it starting to wane? To answer this, let’s look at the common traits found among those who exude a sense of confidence:

1. Believe in yourself
One thing that’s obvious when you see or hear a confident person is that they have a keen awareness of what they are capable of. When they walk onto a stage to give a speech, stand at the top of a ski hill at the beginning of a race, or when they face their team to offer some guidance on what to do next, there’s no mistaking that sense of assuredness about what they can deliver in that moment.

Confident people also demonstrate a firm understanding of what they believe to be right and wrong and this understanding comes from within them, as opposed to being determined by what they feel those around them would want.

2. Know and appreciate your limitations
This is probably the least evident part of the puzzle in being more confident and that is accepting your limitations. Too often, we tend to obsess over what we can’t do well. But if we look at someone who we’d consider to be a confident person, it’s clear that they are not plagued by any feelings of inadequacy as a result of their personal limitations.

In fact, being aware of one’s limitations allows confident people to cut themselves some slack over being unable to succeed at these tasks, in addition to not having any issues with asking others for help.

3. Challenge yourself
Of course, knowing your limits and perceiving them are two separate things. And this is where challenging yourself comes into play. By challenging yourself, you’re not only getting a more accurate assessment of your true limits, but you’re also giving yourself the opportunity to increase your comfort zone. With more space to grow in, it will be easier to feel confident of your abilities going forward.

4. Recognize your accomplishments and the praise you receive
Another obvious aspect of confident people is that they don’t shy away from recognizing their accomplishments. More importantly, though is the fact that they are aware of what others have said about their efforts and how they’ve benefited from them.

Although most of us acknowledge what we’ve achieved, over time we tend to forget these past accomplishments, and especially how those efforts benefited others. That’s why it’s a good idea to keep track of your achievements, along with what others have said about them. After reviewing this list and seeing the positive impact you’ve had on those around you, it’s hard not to feel confident in your abilities and how they are perceived and valued.

5. Visualize a confident version of yourself
When we think about presenting a confident side of ourselves, we often use others as the example that we should emulate. However, what we should be doing instead is imagining how we’d behave if we were the model of confidence. For example, what would your body language look like? When you speak to others, how would your delivery sound? What kind of information would you share about yourself, and how you would describe your accomplishments?

By visualizing ourselves as the example of confidence, it becomes easier for us to project this out for others to see as we’d be reflecting our inner selves in the process and not simply mimicking the behaviours of others.

In the end, we need to remember that confidence does not come from attaining a title or position, nor is it something that can be given to us by others. Instead, confidence arises from an understanding and appreciation of our own abilities and how our contributions can be of benefit to those around us.

Coming up in the third part of this series – six strategies that can help you kick-start your productivity when you start feeling like you’re running out of steam.

Some other posts you may enjoy:

1. Confidence – A Habit Worth Building
2. How To Put A Stop To Negative Self-Talk
3. Leaders, Are You Developing Your Employee’s Super Powers?
4. Learning To Master Your Inner Voice
5. How To Build Your Team For Success
6. Real Leaders are Other Focused