Providing Purpose is the Key to Employee Morale and Productivity
Have you ever heard of The Happiness Research Institute? Situated in the city of Copenhagen, Denmark, the Institute carries out ongoing studies into tangible evidence of the happiness and well-being of countries, societies and the people therein, on both professional and personal levels. Through its extensive research, they have discovered that the #1 source of contentedness is derived from having a sense of purpose. Studies of actual job satisfaction demonstrate that purpose ranks top, and is twice as important to an employee as simply having a good boss (#2). Meik Wiking, the Institute’s CEO, puts it simply, “We need a sense of purpose.” Providing Purpose is the Key to Employee Morale and Productivity When you’re surrounded by people who share a passionate commitment around a common purpose, anything is possible. - Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks Now let’s -- metaphorically-speaking of course -- jump on a plane and head over to Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. of A., where we’ll find another organization which looks at people’s morale, motivation and satisfaction levels -- this time, specifically in the workplace: the Boston College Center for Work & Family. In 2016, they published their study, “Employee Well-Being: A Comprehensive Approach,” which concluded that the five key elements of the happy and satisfied employee, rising above culture and location, are: Purpose: The satisfaction derived from your daily activities. Social: Establishing strong relationships with those people who support and care about you. Financial: Simply having sufficient financial resources for your economic security. Community: The sense of security about where you are. Physical: Being in good health. This article will provide five ways, based on this research, to increase your employee morale (and, in doing so, their productivity) within the workplace. Enhancing your employees’ experiences, and making them more engaged in the business itself, is a vital part of business growth, and is key to its performance, regardless of whether you’re an industry giant, an established small business or a startup. 1. Professional development and internal promotions We’ve all heard about "company culture.” This simple two-word phrase should reflect exactly what your company is about to both your employees and your clients, and an integral part of that is treating your employees as you would your clients and customers. Sadly, many of today’s disengaged employees cite the issue of a profound lack of professional career development as one of the primary reasons for their insatisfaction. Yes, time and other restrictions can make regular in-house training, professional courses, and one-to-one discussions difficult to organize; however, all managers need to recognize the benefits of these, both for themselves, and their employees. And promote internally? One word - essential. 2. Credit where credit’s due William James, U.S. psychologist and philosopher, once said, “The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated.” Being acknowledged for what we do well is a basic human desire, and we expect a form of appreciation for that. This appreciation, if given in multiple ways, highlights your satisfaction with a “job well done” even more. It’s an essential part of what should be your company culture, too. Rewarding performance can be verbal, written, financial or even through an unexpected gesture, like personalized gifts for employees. These can be a great way of demonstrating their efforts have been recognized and deserve a reward. A combination of some of these only intensifies your thanks. 3. Forget feedback... listen Organized feedback sessions, on a regular basis, have been described as an important business tool for both employee development and performance improvement. However, in essence, it is simply listening. Many businesses (way too many, in fact) fall into the trap of constantly requesting feedback, and not actually listening when it’s given. Just take one moment to consider how absolutely frustrating that must feel to the employee concerned. Feedback, when the tool is used correctly and effectively, resulting in positive actions and outcomes, will also help your employee understand your particular preferences, and will help you identify their strengths and weaknesses in given areas. It should be viewed as a discussion. If it’s not, then what really is the point? 4. Empowering all Flexibility, business agility, and the immediate response are imperative in today’s digital technology-driven economic world. If your business, whatever its size, cannot provide a particular client’s required outcome, you are at risk of simply alienating them, and moving them to a rival company. It’s as easy and as quick as the click of a mouse. One of the dangers to your ability to respond effectively is the old business model of hierarchical thinking, which disrupts the free flow of communications and, thus, its operations. A prime and often-heard example of this is, "Oh, I need to run that past my boss first.” Such time delays seriously impact upon the effectiveness of a business. The answer? Empower all, if you can. Demonstrate your confidence in those you have hired. The use of empowerment creates further in-house levels of cooperation and trust, more engagement from your employees in the business, and even in your good self. 5. Building connections through working together Remember one of the elements mentioned in the brief introduction, that of community? People desire to feel a part of something. In-house collaborations (especially between employees whose paths would not normally cross) are a sure-fire way to increase the creativity, drive, and innovativeness within a particular project or idea, and thereby produce the required results quicker and more effectively. Don’t worry, just keep your staff happy! Keeping your employees fully engaged with your business brings many benefits, both personally and professionally. These five ways to increase your employee morale (and productivity) described above, if practiced devotedly as an essential part of your company culture, will drive your employees to greater things, and drive your business too. So, how would you motivate, engage and inspire a workforce that has become disengaged from the business? If you have any ideas, experiences, or just comments you’d like to add, please do so in the comments section below.
From Addiction to Entrepreneurship: My Recovery Story
If there is one thing I learned when recovering from addiction, it is that the path you have to climb is long and hard. The steps are not straight and most certainly don’t always go up. The pathway to a successful recovery is a twisted one that has no actual end. It is always ongoing, but will get better one step at a time. With this in mind, I would like to share with you my own winding path through recovery and towards sobriety and entrepreneurship. From Addiction to Entrepreneurship: My Recovery Story I avoid looking forward or backward, and try to keep looking upward. – Charlotte Brontë Becoming an alcoholic My parents moved from Latin America to California when I was 5 years old; that was back in 1993. Our origins are important, since, as Latinos, we often grow up surrounded by parties and booze -- alcohol is almost an obligation when you gather with friends or family. This of course doesn’t mean that all Latinos are alcoholics or anything of the sort, but just that such gatherings are fairly regular. I can clearly remember the first time I got drunk. I was just eight years old, and it was at a family gathering. Alcohol was being passed around to all the adults, and I, naturally curious, asked if I could have some. They said no, because I was too young. But as the party kept going and everyone got too drunk or busy to pay attention to me, I took my first drink. I didn't particularly like the taste, but it felt somewhat empowering. So I kept going. At 18, I met cocaine and meth at a college party, and my journey towards the worst chapter in my life began. A little later in my life, when I was 14, I encountered marijuana. Trying it was a bit frightening. I was young and stupid, and because all the cool older kids were doing it, I had to do it too. I started and could not stop. At 18, I met cocaine and meth at a college party, and my journey towards the worst chapter in my life began. It hit a milestone when I was 23 years old, and I was incarcerated in Colorado on drug-related charges for two and a half years. I will not go into the sordid details about the hardest and ugliest parts of my addiction story; they are very similar to anything you might have read. Even though it was difficult and it taught me many things, the important part of my story, and of my recovery, is what happened next. The Anonymous support groups I first heard about Alcoholics Anonymous when I was in jail. At first, it was something I was doing just to get out of my confinement. It was better to hear unimportant things (I thought at the time) than to be stuck in my little cell. That was the moment I realized that I had addiction and life problems, for real. About three months after I started attending, another inmate told his story about having hit rock-bottom, in which he explained how he ended up with the rest of us. He started drinking and lost control. One day, when he was very moody because he didn't have a lot of money, he had a violent argument with his ex-wife. He took his car and smashed it through the wall of an empty store. He woke up in the hospital and two days later, he was locked up. He knew that if that hadn't happened he could have ended up hurting his wife, or even taking his own life. He realized then that he had a serious problem and that, ironically, jail was giving him a second chance. It was hard to hear. I was so sure that I had everything under control, and that it was only the others there who had problems. I hadn't yet grasped just how deep my own problems were. That was the moment I realized that I had addiction and life problems, for real. The many faces of addiction: the workaholic After I got out of prison things did not get easier. I struggled to find a job, and despite attending Alcholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings on a regular basis, I was relapsing; addiction was still a big problem. Life seemed unbearable, so I decided to check into a rehab center in Colorado. When I finished my rehab process, I felt great, and thought that I was ready to face the world and get on with my new sober life. I was sadly mistaken, however, and relapsed after only a few months. I was fresh out of prison, not knowing what to do. I had no other choice but to concentrate on something else to avoid going back to alcohol or drugs. I moved to northern California and got a job selling cheap perfumes. I started at 5:00AM every day and visited flea markets, gas stations, shopping centers and even streets, also selling the cologne from my house. I learned how to speak to people on the street, and how to interest them in my product so they would buy it. It wasn’t long before I started making some money, which got me feeling positive and confident. I was sure I could become the best salesman around. Trading a drug or alcohol addiction for a work addiction was simply walking the same path with a different name. My focus helped me improve, and soon I was teaching other people to sell the perfumes successfully. I had my own office and was working overtime, but had an effective little business going. I had become obsessed with being successful. But it wasn't in a healthy way. I was still attending (although not often) my AA and NA meetings, and my sponsor at the time, Steve, seeing how much weight I’d lost and how much I was losing myself (again), gave me a book to read called ‘Psychologically Unemployable’, by Jeffery Combs. With that book, my sponsor wanted to show me that passion was not the same as obsession, and that trading a drug or alcohol addiction for a work addiction was simply walking the same path with a different name. This made me extremely sad as I realized I was still an addict by heart. I sold my business and decided to move back to my parents' house in southern California. The entrepreneur Moving back with my folks was the best decision I could have made; in them, I found help and support through my depression. Over two months later, I found an NA/AA community and started attending the meetings. I also found an amazing sponsor. I started to work at Target just to pass the time and help pay the bills. My sponsor saw potential in me, and being the amazing guy that he was, he made a compromise with me: he would keep working with me on the condition that I signed up for some classes at the local community college. They could be anything, so long as I liked it. This didn’t make sense to me, and I was really not interested at first. I just wanted to keep at staying sober, do my job, and pay the bills. Nonetheless, I forced myself to go to the nearest campus and get into the only class that caught my attention. It was called "Introduction to Website Development (HTML)." Websites and computers held my interest at one point of my sober life, so I felt it was worth it to give it a chance. In just three months, I had filled my bedroom with books about designing websites. I spent hours at the computer doing research, reading, learning, and coding. Then I thought how amazing it would be if I could create a company from the skills I was learning. I learned to be successful while enjoying life and not letting work rob me of important moments. Long story short, here I am today, almost six years later. I have worked hard while keeping my life in check, and I am the co-owner of a successful coding agency. My team feels like family, and, I was able to give my brother a job. Even though I have been sober for five years, I still attend meetings almost religiously. I got used to the amazing feeling of being sober. It became a part of my daily life and gets easier with each passing day. As to my company, I learned to be successful while enjoying life and not letting work rob me of important moments. Part of success is not losing yourself to your job; you have to love your life and enjoy it, and love your job so it is not a nuisance. I learned that my business was very similar to my sobriety: one step at a time I had to build it, and one step at a time I had to savor it. It’s about more than just myself When you are going through recovery, you are taught that the first and most important thing is yourself. Everything you do, every step you take, every task you complete, has to revolve around you and your recovery, and this is very important. However, after a few months, or perhaps years, of working through your recovery, you come to the realization that the whole process is bigger than you are. You will come to help others, you will build and educate a family, you will love your job, your family, your spouse; you may even be the next biggest entrepreneur. Believe me when I tell you, maybe now you don’t feel very inspired, but everything happens for a reason and the path you took towards sobriety will pay off, big time. Don’t give up, and thank you for taking the time to read my story.
5 Reasons to Travel When Recovering from Addiction
Your travels start the day you leave your rehab center. Your road to recovery begins as many journeys do, with friends (in this case, the rehab staff and fellow addicts) wishing you “bon voyage,” and telling you to look after yourself. Yes, it's your last day. Your next step is literally just that -- one simple step out of the rehab center's front door, and out into the world. To paraphrase U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong upon walking on the surface of the Moon, “That’s one small step for a man, but one giant leap for the new, reborn me.” If you are struggling to overcome an addiction that saw your life turned into something you couldn’t live with anymore, I suggest you travel. You don’t need to spend your whole life traveling the world to exotic destinations. Just do it enough to be able to experience new places, new faces, different cultures, and different landscapes. How do I know? I’ve been there. Through addiction and everything it brought. Until one day, I lost all hope. And I mean all hope. Rehab saved my life, as perhaps it has done yours. As addicts, we all lived a limited life, waiting on the next bottle or the next fix, focused only on ourselves and our escape from reality. Traveling, on the other hand, is a very real experience. 5 Reasons to Travel When Recovering from Addiction “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” - Lao Tzu This article, based on my own experiences of what traveling has given me, gives you 5 reasons why it could be a good experience for you too, as you make your own way down the road to recovery. 1. A Transformed Perspective One of the many benefits of traveling is finding a new perspective on what’s around you and what is over the horizon. It will certainly give you a new perception of the person you are now, post-rehab and post-therapy. My point of view was utterly changed, first in my rehab treatment, and then through the joy of travel. I went from being the only important person in my life during my days of addiction to someone who realized that I was just a tiny, virtually minuscule part of this world. Talk about taking the pressure off. 2. New Discoveries Another benefit of travelling is the countless discoveries you will make. You will learn about how other people live, and how they find happiness, even in conditions much harsher than those we knew as addicts. Sometimes the lessons about how they just survive from day-to-day will serve you well as you make your way down the long road to recovery. Wherever your travels take you, you will find new and different landscapes and environments, sights and sounds, all guaranteed to transform your perspective. My own travels even brought me to live on a completely different continent than the one where I was born. 3. A More Open Mind As an addict, your narrow, selfish life did absolutely nothing to open your mind to new experiences. The medical staff in rehab did their best to give you a healthier way of thinking, and traveling will build on this therapy. Travel literally forces you to become more open-minded about yourself and your daily experiences. It is true self-help. 4. A New Passport for Life Your passport will get many stamps from the places you visit -- I always insist on the immigration officials giving me my stamp! The good thing is that your passport will not have a stamp for the hell you visited as an addict. Your new passport for a life well-experienced will be your record of how you took life, gave it a firm handshake, even a hug or embrace, and then took it some place new. 5. A Direction When you left rehab, your direction was unclear, and there weren’t exactly signposts to guide you on your way. Travel will present you with a path, and signs in whatever language is spoken in the country you travel to. Travel itself could even become your new road to recovery. The Road Goes On... My journey to recovery continues, as will yours. Sometimes the road is hard, even treacherous. But it is your road, and you should never forget that. In time, it will take you where you need to go. Here I shared my 5 reasons to travel when going through recovery: perspective, discoveries, open-mindedness, a passport for life, and direction. If you too have stories of how travel has helped you with your own recovery, please feel free to share them with a comment below. Safe journey to you all.
4 Important Things Rehab Taught Me About Forgiveness
When I was first admitted into rehab in 2012, I quickly had to come to terms with a lot of brand new concepts that were very foreign to me. I learned about the causes of my addiction in the first place, and also how to overcome cravings and prevent relapses. While I learned a lot from all of these, one thing that really helped me to avoid relapsing (again), and to instead focus on creating a brighter future for my life, was learning to forgive. There were many people in my life who I was secretly wishing I could say "I’m sorry for everything" to, or who I wanted to forgive for doing wrong by me, but I was way too scared to think about doing that. Today, I would love to share four important things about forgiveness that I learned while I was in recovery.4 Important Things Rehab Taught Me About ForgivenessWithout freedom from the past, there is no freedom at all.- KrishnamurtiWhy is it important to forgive?During your addiction, there were likely many things that you said and did that you now regret. The feelings of remorse are huge, and they're always there at the back of your mind, eating away at you from the inside. You might have strained a relationship that had a lot of meaning for you, with your family, friends, or a special loved one. You might have lost track of who you were, or sabotaged your career and financial stability. No matter what it is, it’s unhealthy to be walking around in life holding a grudge against yourself and others. In order to successfully approach recovery, it’s essential to let go of all the baggage that’s holding you back.How can I forgive?As a recovering addict, I shared my addiction recovery treatment with many people, mainly the 12-step program. Forgiveness is deeply rooted in this program, as its aim is to bring you a lasting recovery. Learning how to ask for forgiveness, how to seek it, and how to forgive yourself is vital to each process as demonstrated with the 12-step group. Forgiving is easier said than done for people like me, and it was very hard to wrap my head around the idea. Even after I had accepted it as an important step towards my recovery, I still didn’t know how to go about it. I can’t turn back time and change the mistakes I made, and there were a lot of people from my past who I was just too scared to approach again. I can’t just show up on the doorsteps of those I hurt and ask them for forgiveness. I lost that chance years ago. This is when I discovered that I could forgive anonymously. I decided to write letters and anonymously post them to their door. Not only was it therapeutic to put all my thoughts down on paper, it also helped me to fully understand that I truly meant every word I wrote. If you don’t want to approach anonymously, you can always keep it private. It’s no one’s business but yours. You can also create a list of what you regret and how you can learn to make peace with it. The best part about forgiving is that once it’s done, it’s over. Letting go is such an amazing feeling. Your spirits will become lighter as you finally lose the weight of all the guilt and negativity you’ve been carrying with you. The intense relief that comes with it is better than any high I ever had.Let go of your mistakesWe are our best and worst critics. When I was at my worst during my addiction days, I was always keeping a record of every bad thing I did. This only made me feel worse though, so I drank or used more to numb the feeling. Keeping tabs on every mistake I made was so counter-productive, and it held me back from getting the help I needed. After I began the 12-steps program and learned the importance of forgiveness, I soon discovered that I was slowly letting go of that record-keeping habit. I swapped it with keeping a record of all the achievements and milestones that made me proud -- like when I reached ten days sober, six months sober, one year sober, and when I got a job again and patched up my damaged relationships with people I cared a lot for. Switching out of my negative mindset and to a positive attitude really did a lot for me both mentally and physically. Embrace your futureOnce you’ve forgiven yourself and others, and moved past the stage where you need to hear the words, “I forgive you,” what’s left for you to do? Well, the simple answer to that question is to embrace all the incredible opportunities that are available to you now that you are sober. Go out and approach your future goals with motivation, optimism, and excitement. The best things happen when you are least expecting them to. Everyone has a different experience when they are recovering, but everyone has the same goals: to not let your addiction control you anymore. Accept that you are human, and no one is perfect. Only you can control the bright future that you have ahead of you, and that is the true magic and power of forgiveness during your recovery.And what about you? Do you have your own tip about addiction and recovery that you have learned personally and would like to to share? Leave a comment below. We’d love to hear it!