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Mercer’s nationwide survey; employees are unhappy! Did we need a survey to know that? Detailed results interesting though. http://ping.fm/ZcPQ3

If you haven’t taken our 2 minute survey yet, we’d appreciate the help. You could win $100 Amazon gift card. http://ping.fm/ztYlL

CEO OF BLACKBOARD, INC. GIVES ADVICE TO ENTREPRENEURS

Michael Chasen is the CEO, President, and Co-Founder of Blackboard Inc., an eLearning company that began before eLearning was a common term. Today I had the privilege of hearing him speak at a meeting for entrepreneurs, hosted by Bisnow of Washington D.C. I’ve been in search of success stories lately and the topic of his speech today attracted my attention. He called it “I did it, so can you!” Michael provided five lessons he has learned while taking Blackboard Inc. from a company having one product and a couple of clients to a publicly held company, with thousands of clients, offering software and services used by millions of people around the world. Interestingly, a couple of his ideas are in opposition to many current business models. His lessons:

1. Put your money and time into the business, not your office. He believes that many young companies are putting too much money and time into having the very best looking office space and creating a successful looking outside image. He believes money is better spent on the business itself, creating better products and services. Especially in tough economic times, this is probably good advice.
2. Take the time to network. He says that networking is time-consuming but worth it. Many of his investors came from the relationships that began at networking events.
3. Share your vision to everyone who will listen. He believes that many people are afraid to talk about their new ideas for fear it will get stolen. But if you aren’t sharing your vision, and the specifics of your ideas, you cannot create the energy and enthusiasm needed to make it happen. You never know when you might be talking to the next person who can help you.
4. Seek advice but follow what you think is right. Michael believes that leaders have to be good listeners and they have to listen often. However, in the end they must go with their own gut feelings about the right thing to do. When you follow too many different people’s advice you end up zig zagging all over and accomplishing little.
5. Have a business model that generates revenue. Seems too simplistic to even mention, yet he believes that too many businesses are giving too much away in order to gain new customers in the future. Blackboard began by charging monthly and annual subscriptions while similar companies were forming and offering their software for free. Those other companies went out of business and Blackboard soared. I guess he doesn’t believe the Facebook model will work for everyone!

Michael ended by emphasizing the importance of having passion for what you do. His success did not come easy. Since he graduated from college he says that he always had a passion for education and, in particular, how to use technology in education. It took long days, little time off, and focused effort to make the business a success. Because of his passion, the work was always exciting to him and even became his hobby! Imagine what the world would be like if we ALL loved our job that much!

Networking Today

Tomorrow, very early, headed to Bisnow Entrepreneur’s Series in Falls Church, then “meet the author” luncheon at Rivers at the Watergate.

Motivating Without Money: Three Ideas That Work!

The New York Times bestselling author Daniel Pink wrote Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us and presented in-depth research regarding how to enhance employee performance.  He identified three main factors: autonomy, mastery, and purpose.  Compensation did not make the top three factors, and this is helpful information to managers and business owners struggling to keep people motivated in this difficult economy.

Autonomy refers to self-direction and freedom.  Micromanagement decreases motivation and productivity, both for the manager and the employee.  It also sends the message that the company doesn’t trust the judgment of their employees. If this is so, perhaps hiring and training systems need some help.

• Idea Number One: Meet with employees individually and review their job description. Allow them to offer suggestions. They may have ideas for better ways of doing things and they may have talents they feel are not being used.
  Allowing them to try something new can add a new spark of energy.

Mastery refers to continual improvement and the ability to become better and better at something you enjoy.  Rather than focusing on what people do poorly and need to improve, focus instead on what they do well and how the business can benefit from these talents.

• Idea Number Two: Train to employees talents.  This doesn’t have to be expensive.  When you meet with employees to reevaluate their job description, ask if there is anything they’d like to learn more about that would help the business reach defined goals.  There is plenty of free and inexpensive
  training available on the web these days. Employees can learn to master just about any software for just $25 from Lynda.com.  Universities offer free
  courses and most training companies have free webinars.  You could also start an in-house mentoring program.  Some companies have benefited from purchasing relevant books for a group of employees and holding discussion
  sessions over lunch once a week.

Purpose refers to the sense that what one is working on is part of something larger and more important than themselves.  Motivated people want to change the world, and understand how their daily tasks are helping to do this.

• Idea Number Three: Gather your employees together for a presentation, highlighting the vision for the company.  Encourage feedback and ideas with the goal of fine tuning a vision that all employees can get behind.  This will be well worth your time and effort.  Employees need to understand why
  they do what they do.

People are capable of a whole lot more than they often give.  The simple and inexpensive ideas presented here could help you tap into your team’s full potential, even when
big raises and bonuses aren’t possible.

Sign up for our newsletter at www.workforceechoes.com for additional motivational research and ideas.

Reduce Stress and Achieve More: Five Suggestions

Imagine if you could wake up one morning, snap your fingers, and make life simpler, have more energy, and feel as if you’re getting more accomplished with less stress.  I have five simple suggestions to get you started.

First, a little background information.  A while back I went on one of my “get
organized kicks” and decided to write a “to do” list.  I listed everything that I felt responsible for, that I should be finishing, handling, helping with, accomplishing, fixing
etc.  I ended up with a gigantic list of “stuff” without a motivating purpose.  I didn’t even know where to begin, and so far did not feel less stressed or more productive.

After a few days, I set aside the list and began another one.  This one was a list of my goals, both personal and professional.  My first stab at this wasn’t all that successful.
I put things like “improve financial security” and “have more fun” and “get physically stronger.”  This worked for a few days because now every time I was working on something I could tie it to a major goal.  Yet something was missing.  My goals were all
subjective and I’d never feel as if I had achieved them sufficiently to cross them off my list.  My goals had more to do with what I valued, which would never change, rather than specific measurable goals to be achieved within a defined timeframe.

I knew I wouldn’t stick to a complicated time management program, requiring lists upon lists and constant notes put into my calendar.  The system I did finally come up with is working well and I believe is a good first step to make life feel simpler, have more energy, and feel as if you’re getting more accomplished with less stress.  Here are my five suggestions.

1. Consider what you value and want to get out of life.  Make a list. It might help to think of the major categories most people care about; family, career, friends, health, faith, charity, education, etc. Once you are content with your list, make an attempt to define at least one goal for each of the values you’ve defined.  Make them specific and measurable so you’ll know when they’ve been accomplished.
2. Now consider your “to do” list. These are action items that include everything on your mind that feels unfinished or undone, that you feel should be doing, fixing, or working on. Do the action items match up with your goals? If not, do they at least match up with your values? As you’re going through your busy day, it helps if you are always aware of how your current actions match up with your
   values and are helping you achieve one of your goals. You’ll find that your “to do” list becomes much more specific and your daily activities feel more productive.
3. Do you have a goal without a clear “action item” planned? Example, perhaps you have a goal to lose 20 pounds, or finish your college degree, yet none of your current “to do” items correlate with that goal. If so, it’s probably a source of stress for you. There is something that’s important to you that is being ignored. Decide on at least one action item. It doesn’t have to be complicated.  Just come up with ONE action, the very next step you should take to achieve that goal. Then schedule time to do it.
4. Evaluate your accomplishments regularly.  If there is a goal that is being neglected, make a point to focus on it soon.  I find that tracking my daily accomplishments towards any goal is both motivating and keeps me on track.  One or two days of accomplishing nothing towards my goals gives me the determination I need to focus, say “no” to others, and get back on track.
5. Be careful about going off course to please other people.  You will undoubtedly have people around you who think their goals are more important than yours.  You’ll also be faced with the pressure to compromise.  You may also be the type who just likes helping others.  These are all normal aspects of life.  But you can end up compromising yourself so much, that yourself is hardly there anymore.  Everyone around you will be achieving their goals while you watch.

Stress is often the result of feeling out of control, having unresolved issues nagging in your brain, and feeling like you’re going nowhere.  Stress can use up your brainpower and suck your energy dry.  You aren’t powerless, you do have choices, and you absolutely can make life simpler, have more energy, and feel as if you’re getting more accomplished with less stress.  Begin with these five goal-oriented suggestions.  If you try this system,
email info@workforceechoes.com and let me know how it’s working.  I’ll be glad to share my progress as well.