How to Create Fun at Work

How to Create Fun at Work

December 6th, 2011 by Skywalk Group Categories: business, Employee Development, Skywalk Group, Team Building

Like most workplaces, life at Skywalk Group isn’t always as exciting as it may seem. I know, I know; you would think a human resources consulting company located in the heart of downtown Cedar Rapids would be one big Mardi Gras day in and day out. Especially in the riveting world of organization development and training!

As fun as we are (or like to think that we are), even we are subject to being lulled into that familiar ho-hum state from time to time. We are a resourceful bunch though, and willing to take control of our own destinies. So, for our own amusement, we’ve decided to play a little game. One in which all of our loyal (Cedar Rapids-based) subscribers will enthusiastically participate (fingers crossed) with a selfless dedication to rescuing us from the concert of humming fluorescent lights and whirring servers that is our 3^rd floor office. (Actually, it’s not totally selfless, because there’s a prize, but more on that later.)

You’re all on the edge of your seats, I can tell. So, with out further adieu, we proudly present the first ever Skywalk Group Name That Person Blog Contest. It works like this.

Starting with this post, we’ll feature a blog article with some “not fit for a professional biography” facts about one of the members of our team.
You’ll take that information and try to match it to one of our professional bio’s found throughout the website. (Hint: Look for pages called Meet the Team under Recruiting, HR Consulting & Outsourcing, and Organizational Development.)
When you think you’ve got it figured out, email us your answer.
We’ll draw a winner from all of the correct answers submitted on the last Friday of each month. The winner will be treated to lunch at a local, downtown Cedar Rapids restaurant, accompanied by the correctly identified team member.
THE FINE PRINT: Limited to one entry per person, per month. Must be willing and able to pay for transportation costs to and from the selected restaurant. Open to anybody that isn’t a current Skywalk Group employee, because that just wouldn’t be fair now would it?

Ready. Set. Go!

This team member is affectionately known around the office as Honey Badger for their uncanny resemblance to the subject of a wildly popular, albeit slightly inappropriate, viral video of the same name. Like the furry version, this person transforms from an adorable cuddly creature to a laser focused hungry predator if forced to go more than 2 hours without food. It takes regular fuel ups to maintain this persons jam packed schedule, perpetual smile and infectious laugh. Thankfully, it only takes a handful or almonds or a fresh, juicy apple to satiate our officemate, making it much easier keep the necessary staples on hand than their carnivorous counterpart.

Are your fears holding you back?

October 4th, 2011 by Skywalk Group Categories: Business Coaching, Employee Development, Human Resources Management, Management Development, Skywalk Group, Supervisory Training, Team Building

Today I had lunch on the ped mall in Iowa City. This is normally something that I thoroughly enjoy and look forward to. However, today was a totally different experience. One that still has me feeling shaky and uneasy. I am sure you are wondering what horrible thing happened today.

Here it is!

Yep. This little snake caused me more anxiety and uneasiness than any work or personal challenge I have faced in recent history. After keeping an eye on him (in reality, that means being frozen in place) for about 45 minutes while I was perched on top of my park bench, I was finally able to get up and escape to The Java House. Unfortunately, as I sit here now, I still find myself scanning the perimeter for snakes and having weird sensations on my skin that make me feel like things are crawling on me.

I pride myself on being an incredibly rational person in nearly every situation that life throws at me. But I will admit, I have an irrational fear of snakes. I have absolutely no idea where this fear has come from. I have never been bitten by a snake. I have seen relatively few snakes outside of contained situations (zoos). But none of that matters. That tiny snake had me completely frozen and under its control.

The Impact of Fears

My situation today reminded me that we all have fears. Some are extreme and keep us from doing certain things or going certain places. Other fears might be less extreme but they still create challenges or stress for us.

In the workplace, fear of failure may keep us from trying new things, taking on a new project, or applying for a promotion.

Outside of work, fear of the unknown may keep us in an unhappy or unhealthy situation.

Imagine how productive and happy people we all could be if those fears were eliminated. Unfortunately, I don’t know how to do that. I wish, for my own sake, that I did. However, there are some practical tips and suggestions that may be helpful in working through some of your own fears, especially as it pertains to the workplace. Stay tuned for that article next week. In the meantime, please take a moment and subscribe to the Skywalk Group E-Newsletter to receive industry tips, trends, and entertaining tidbits like this blog article from the blog writing team at Skywalk Group.

How to Accept Feedback (From Anyone)

September 12th, 2011 by Skywalk Group Categories: business, Business Coaching, Company Training, Employee Development, Employee Retention, Human Resources Management, Management Development, Skywalk Group, Supervisory Training, Team Building

In our last article, we talked about how managers can improve the way they provide performance feedback to their employees or anyone else in their lives. This week, we are going to talk about how everyone can get better at accepting feedback.

Is it SARA or SARAH?

There are some normal responses that people have to receiving feedback.

S: Surprise.

Generally, people aren’t use to receiving feedback. Therefore, it comes as a surprise when it is provided. If you remember from last week’s article, that is why we suggest that people ask permission to give feedback. It helps reduce or eliminate the element of surprise.

A: Annoyance.

Depending on who is providing the feedback and whether or not they are seen as credible, the receiver may be annoyed by the feedback. A friend just told me a story about offering golfing tips and advice to a beginner when she was struggling to hit the ball. I asked the obvious question, “Did she ask for help?” The answer was no. Then I asked the next question, “Did you ask her if she wanted help?” Again, the answer was no. In that situation, it is very likely that the receiver was annoyed by the feedback that she received and she probably went straight to the rejection phase.

R: Rejection.

It is human nature to want to reject the feedback that you receive, especially when you may feel that it is a personal attack. How long people stay in the rejection phase is variable. For some, it may just require a few hours or days to process the feedback and move to the acceptance phase. For others, it may require receiving the same feedback from multiple sources or multiple occasions before they decide to accept it.

A: Acceptance.

Finally, after having some time to process the feedback, most people are able to accept the feedback and choose how to modify or enhance their behavior accordingly. The only exception to this rule is a fatal flaw. Fatal flaws are either innate personality related issues or values/behaviors that we are personally unwilling to modify or change regardless of the feedback that we hear from others. For example, if you are an introverted individual and you receive feedback that you need to be more extroverted, it is unlikely that you will be able to successfully make that change.

H: Help.

And sometimes, Sarah spells her name with an “H”. Once you have accepted the feedback and made the decision to change, there may be times when you need to ask for help. This could be the case in the workplace or in your personal life. If you are committed to making a change, asking for help can go a long ways towards accomplishing your goal. Not only does it help hold yourself accountable for the change, but it demonstrates to others around you that you are committed to the change.

In an upcoming blog article, we will discuss how not to accept feedback as well.

If you find this information valuable, you may also enjoy Skywalk Group’s Leadership & Development Public Workshops. In addition to learning how to provide performance feedback, participants learn how to be an effective leader, improve their communication skills, and set goals and hold team members accountable for their performance.

Did you miss last week’s article? Read How to Provide Feedback to Employees (Or Anyone Else) now.

How to Provide Feedback to Employees (Or Anyone Else)

September 8th, 2011 by Skywalk Group Categories: business, Company Training, Customer Service, Customer Service Training, Employee Development, Employee Retention, Human Resources Management, Management Development, News, Skywalk Group, Supervisory Training, Team Building

Let’s just be frank about this. Most managers stink at giving feedback to their employees. And we aren’t just talking about developmental feedback either. Generally, even though there is a lot of positive feedback to share, it goes unspoken.

There are a lot of reasons for this. Time. Schedules. Fear. Inability.

Using this feedback model can dramatically improve the feedback process. It will improve workplace productivity and the morale of your team. It will even help build your credibility as an organizational leader. But don’t stop at the office. This same model can be used at home and with friends too!

The Feedback Model

Ask for permission.

This is meant literally. Ex. “Susan, can I give you some feedback right now?” Asking this allows Susan to opt out of receiving the feedback at that particular time. She may be having a bad day, in a hurry to a next appointment, or focused on something else at the time. This doesn’t mean that she can avoid getting the feedback indefinitely. If her answer is no, then you just say that you will be sending her a meeting invitation for some time that week to discuss the feedback with her.

Ask for the team member’s evaluation. Then give your evaluation of performance.

The important part here is to ask for their evaluation first. This is important for two reasons:

It allows you to gain insights into how the employee thinks they are doing.
Generally, people tend to be harder on themselves so getting them to think about the topic of discussion may be all you have to do.

Identify what will help maintain or improve performance.

Again, the strategy here is to ask the team member for their suggestions first. And then agree or add your suggestions to that. What you want to avoid is the perception that you are forcing your ideas on them. Let them own their own problems and solutions.

Agree on a plan.

Communication is good. Action is better. A game plan is a must if you are truly seeking a change in behavior.

Get commitment and set up a time to review progress.

This is an important piece of the puzzle. Both parties have to know and understand that they are committed to the change. Setting up a time to review progress keeps people focused and is a positive way to demonstrate commitment to the process.

Stay tuned! The next blog article will focus on how you can get better at accepting feedback, regardless of what your role is in the organization.

The Power of Collaboration

September 4th, 2011 by Skywalk Group Categories: Business Coaching, Company Training, Employee Development, Employee Retention, Human Resources Management, Management Development, News, Skywalk Group, Supervisory Training, Team Building, Time Management

There is no “I” in team.

Two heads are better than one.

You know all the sayings and probably even believe them. But another reminder is a good thing, right?

This blog article is just that. A reminder to everyone about the power of collaboration (aka team work).

Collaboration Story #1: Goal Setting and Team Work

This summer, the Organizational Effectiveness team at Skywalk Group had a blog writing contest. The contest included individual and group goals. By effectively working together to assist each other in promoting blog articles, the team quickly reached their group goal. In fact, the group did such a great job that they have more than doubled their original group goal over the course of the summer.

This story shows how beneficial goal setting can be for organizations. Not only did working as a team toward an established goal bring the group closer together as a team, but it also has proved to be extremely valuable in increasing blog readership. It’s a win-win!

Collaboration Story #2: It Takes a Village to Raise a Child

Until having children of my own, I never realized how true this statement is. This semester, I started teaching a class at the University of Iowa called Individuals, Teams, and Organizations. So far, I love the opportunity but it has created some new challenges in my personal life. Luckily, I have fantastic friends and neighbors who are willing to help out. Without them, I am pretty sure my children would be sitting at home watching TV and playing video games instead of getting to and from school and having Nerf gun wars.

The point of this story is that most people are willing to help you out when you need it. You just have to ask. For many of us, that is the biggest hurdle: admitting when we need help. This is one example where without the help of friends, I would have had to pass on an opportunity. And for that (THEM), I am grateful!

Collaboration Story #3: Sometimes it Takes a Village to Work with a Client

Skywalk Group is a professional services organization that focuses on human resources, recruiting, and organizational development & training. In each of the focus areas, there are functional experts that work with our clients. On many occasions, we may start working with a company in one service area and soon end up having an expert from each area working with that one client.

It could be argued that it would be more cost-effective and productive to have just one employee work with that client. However, at Skywalk Group, we see our team as specialists who have a significant amount of experience in one area. It may challenge us from time to time on our collaboration and communication skills but in the end, we are confident that our customers benefit more by bringing in the village.

Conclusions

Collaboration and team work opportunities exist every day. You just have to take advantage of them.
We can all accomplish more in our lives through collaboration, in whatever form that takes.
You can foster team work and collaboration in your organization. Contact the Organizational Development & Training experts at Skywalk Group to learn more.

Working at Work

June 3rd, 2011 by Skywalk Group Categories: business, Business Coaching, Employee Development, Employee Retention, Human Resources Management, Management Development, Skywalk Group, Supervisory Training, Team Building

Jason Fried made a presentation at TEDxMidwest in 2010 about why work doesn’t happen at work. His top reasons are what he calls the M&Ms: meetings and managers. In return he proposes three ideas to allow employees to get work done at work:

No talk Thursdays
Passive communication tools
Get rid of meetings

While his solutions are great ideas, I couldn’t help but ask myself why in our technology driven society why we continue to strive so hard to force employees to work “at work.” This is especially relevant for creative and technical positions where the results are based on the individual output versus the events that happen in the office during normal work hours. As Jason points out, when asked where we go to get work done our answer is rarely in our work building during work hours.

Therefore, I propose my own solutions to resolve the problems of work not being done at work as a result of the M&Ms.

Managers

Stop expecting everyone to be “at work” during the hours of 9-5pm. If your creative professional produces his best work at home in his basement in the middle of night, let him. In return, rather than scold him when he comes in at 10am the next morning, consider offering a flexible schedule that allows him to be productive when it fits his work style, not our cultural norms. (And yes, I know that also means managers might have to learn to trust their employees to be responsible adults.)

Meetings

While I’d like to believe meetings could suddenly disappear from our existence, meetings serve as a useful communication tool when well planned. So, rather than just stop all meetings, identify a few hours a week where important meetings can be scheduled. Meetings scheduled outside those hours can be declined by invitees without fear of punishment. You’d be amazed how much can be accomplished in a meeting when your window of opportunity to have them is limited.

According to a Brigham Young University study of IBM employees, employees working a flexible schedule with the option to telecommute were able to work 19 additional hours a week before reaching a breaking point when compared to their “at work” counterparts. The world in which work is no longer defined by the building we park near everyday. Its time to enable employees to be more productive in the places they get work done and stop forcing them to work at work.

Enjoy the presentation and let us know what you think.

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