Today’s employees are looking for more than just a job.
To attract top talent, employers are offering more extensive benefits packages, employee rewards, and other activities that add to the enjoyment of their work environment. But that only takes care of half of your employee.
In recent years, productivity experts have realized that companies must embrace the employee as a whole. They have realized that when employees are healthy, the company benefits. In A well-designed wellness program can reduce stress, improve morale and increase productivity.
What is wellness?
By definition, wellness is the “state of being in good health.” It includes an active process where the individual becomes aware of healthy choices and learns to make better choices.
It is more than simply not being ill, more than eating properly and more than exercising. it is proactive towards keeping your mind and body running more efficiently and staying well longer.
True wellness is comprehensive. It encompasses the physical well-being of an individual, as well as the emotional, social and intellectual needs that a person may have.
What should a workplace wellness program include?
A wellness program that has been implemented by an employer is often focused on improving and maintaining the health of its workforce. Effective wellness programs help employees overcome specific health-related issues that may be hindering their personal and professional life.
As a result, many include programs such as weight management, smoking cessation programs, bereavement support, and even sleep-nooks. A majority of these programs are funded through the employer, who realizes that healthier people make happier employees.
How can you implement wellness programs in your workplace?
Implementing wellness programs can take many forms. Offering employee seminars, mandatory staff training, company-wide health campaigns and other programs are excellent ways to promote wellness and wholeness for your staff.
Some companies choose to bring in third-party experts to offer programs and services to their employees. Some programs may be temporary; counselling after a local tragedy, job skill training in preparation for corporate expansion or other similar programs may end after their usefulness has passed.
The specifics of each company’s wellness program will be unique to the individual needs of your employees. Regardless of the individual components of your wellness program, it is imperative that they are relevant to the employees in your company.
How does improving one’s mindset fit into a wellness program?
A comprehensive wellness program helps employees learn to be their healthiest: physically, emotionally, and socially. Deciding on goals and putting the effort in to achieve them is an excellent tool that employees can use to reach their wellness targets.
Many employers are hosting goal-setting workshops as part of their wellness programs, teaching their employees how to systematically set and reach their goals.
Implementing a goal-setting program can help individuals set realistic goals that can positively affect their physical health, as well as other areas of their life.
Because goal-setting can be used in a variety of settings, the fundamentals of goal-setting can be used to get the employee used to having success with achieving personal goals and understanding how to bring their skills, success and positive mindset into the workplace to help the company achieve its goals. This adds even more value to the corporate wellness program.
Creating a varied set of programs for your wellness program to include will lead to better results for your employees. By adding goal-setting to your workplace wellness program, you are giving your employees a tool that can empower them to help achieve your company’s goals as well as their own goals in their personal life.
Michele Bailey is president and CEO of Blazing Agencyand My Big Idea™. These two lines of business work congruently to support her clients’ success.
Before an athlete begins a training session, they spend a considerable amount of time warming up. Most elite coaches expect that when the athlete shows up to practice, they have already gone through warming up, so that when practice starts they are able to jump right into the drills and skills for the day.
Without this warm up period, athletes are more likely to get hurt, are unable to participate in the drills and miss out on working to improve the key skills they will need for their sport.
Successful business leaders understand that to stay competitive, they must offer frequent training opportunities for their staff. They may be initiating a new process, offering a new product or improved customer service, or want to problem solve with new methodologies. Regardless of the reason for the training, companies are spending (in total) millions of dollars per year to provide continuing education to their staff.
Remarkably, a recent study by McKinsey revealed that nearly 75% of corporate training failed to accomplish its goal. The reason? A failure to prepare.
Similar to the athlete who fails to adequately warm up before a training session, companies that fail to prepare their employees ahead of corporate training will find their efforts and money have been wasted. How can you ensure that your training efforts are a success?
Help Your Employees “Warm Up” to Learn
One of the biggest factors in educational success is the desire to learn. Regardless of how engaging and motivational a training is, if the employee does not want to learn, the training is not effective.
Educate Your Employees About their Purpose
Employees should know the purpose of the training and how their unique personality, skills, attitude and interests can contribute to the goals of the company. Without allowing your employees to get clear on their individual contributions, your corporate training won't be as effective and your employees won’t be as engaged.
Provide Action Plans
Engage your employees in the training by having them prepare beforehand. Even prior to the training, consider having them participate in a program that is meant to get their mindset right about contributing to your organization BEFORE the corporate training starts. It is possible to encourage the great in the individual and have them contribute to the company’s goals.
Keep Engaged
One of the biggest hurdles business leaders face is helping employees understand how to implement what they’ve learned. Instead of providing them with volumes of information and then expecting them to apply it, teach the employee how to set gradual goals and targets. This effective means of training can be applied in any area of learning and can be used to measure progress. A weekly or monthly milestone is an effective way to start.
Prepare to Train
Goal setting is an essential tool that can be used in any field. Offering your employees a goal-setting workshop can greatly impact the success of your next training program, and provide lasting results for your workplace. Before you schedule your next training, speak to the experts at My Big Idea and find out how we can help you set your employees up for success.
Michele Bailey is president and CEO of Blazing THE Agency and My Big Idea™. These two lines of business work congruently to support her clients’ success.
While it is past the start of the new year, stay with me here on this point. It can be used at any time of the year. Why not start your own “new year” today?
If you’re like most people, the beginning of the year is prime time to set New Year’s Resolutions. Your resolutions, or goals, may include losing weight, spending more time with your kids, reading more or making changes in your professional career.
You’re in good company, millions of people set new goals for themselves every January 1st. Within the first few weeks of the year, however, those resolutions are forgotten and abandoned.
Let’ bring in the data, less than 60% of people manage to keep their goal for the new year past the end of January. In fact, less than 10% of people who make resolutions successfully complete them. What determines the success (or failure) of an individual’s resolution? How can you become a member of the 10%?
Boost Your Potential for Success with One Simple Thing
It turns out, most individuals in the 10% category have one thing in common: they wrote down their goals. This isn’t a coincidence. In fact, people who write their goals down are 50% more likely to complete their goals.
What Does Writing Down Your Goals Accomplish?
Why write your goals down on a goal-setting worksheet? Writing down your goals is important for several reasons.
It Signifies a Commitment
Putting your goals in writing sends a message to your brain: this is important. More than just an idea that you may ponder for a brief time, a goal that is written down becomes inherently more important to your subconscious.
It Provides Concrete Motivation
Written goals can be posted in a conspicuous place as a reminder of your intention. Seeing your goal, written in your own handwriting, in a ‘can’t miss’ location can be all the reminder you need to continue pushing toward success.
It Alters Your Brain Pattern
Most people are aware that the brain is divided into two hemispheres. The right side of the brain focuses on the creative aspects of your thinking, while the left side of your brain deals with the more concrete, or literal, issues. When you only think about your goal, you are engaging the right side of your brain. It remains a dream; a pleasant idea that may fade away over time.
When you define your goal, and commit it to paper, your brain transmits a signal from the right side of your brain to the left. This new synapse path within your brain allows your subconscious to continue working on achieving your goal, even if you are not directly thinking about it.
It Provides Clarity
A written goal forces you to be precise in the specifics of your plan. Rather than vague declarations of “lose weight”, a written goal provides you with goals that are SMART based (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely). These additional pieces of information about your goal will help you increase the likelihood of attaining your goal by giving you the specific steps you need to take.
It Disconnects You from Technology
Many individuals argue that using technology to record your goals is just as effective as a handwritten set of goals. In a society that is increasingly more dependent on the internet, it may seem counterproductive to disconnect and use an “archaic” method such as handwriting. However, when you give your brain a break from the constant feed of the internet and the use of technology, you allow your brain to think on its own. This allows your brain to problem solve new ways to reach your goal and utilizes portions of your brain that aren’t engaged while you’re using technology.
Are you ready to take your goal setting to the next level? Don’t simply spend the next year thinking about making changes in your life, give yourself an edge to make them happen by writing them down. Interested in finding out how a goal-setting worksheet can get you closer to success? Contact the experts at My Big Idea™ to find out how we can help you achieve your dreams.
Michele Bailey is president and CEO of Blazing THE Agency and My Big Idea™. These two lines of business work congruently to support her clients’ success.
The powerful concept of growth mindset that drives high performance continues to gain traction within the corporate world. Introduced by world-renowned psychologist Carol Dweck, following decades of research on achievement and success, growth mindset is what drives people to achieve goals.
In her book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, Dr. Dweck distinguishes between people with a growth mindset, who recognize that abilities and talents can be developed, from people with a fixed mindset, who believe that abilities are set.
In the introduction to her book, Dr. Dweck writes: “In this book, you’ll learn how a simple belief about yourself – a belief we discovered in our research guides a large part of your life. In fact, it permeates every part of your life. Much of what you think of as your personality actually grows out of your ‘mindset.’ Much of what may be preventing you from fulfilling your potential grows out of it.”
Numerous publications, including Forbes and HBR continue to follow Dr. Dweck’s research. One of her greatest advocates is Dr. David Rock, founder of the Neuroleadership Institute*, the global initiative that brings neuroscientists and leadership experts together to build a new science for leadership.
Dr. Rock explains that very few people have a growth mindset about everything and gives the example of an engineer who unconsciously is very confident about learning new code and new software programs. This same person may have a fixed mindset and not even realize it, about giving presentations, for example.
With his growth mindset, the engineer assumes he can learn anything related to technology. The fixed mindset, on the other hand, convinces him that, “I am the way I am, and I can’t get any better.” He has closed his mind to the possibility of improving his presentations. He may even believe that some people are just naturally good at things – reinforced by his supreme ease with technology – while others are not, which justifies his inept presentations.
According to Dr. Dweck’s research, people with a growth mindset perform better. They put forth a greater effort, ask for feedback more often, process feedback differently in the brain, take more risks and experiment more. They even set better goals and more stretch goals.
When organizations enable managers to develop a growth mindset, through dedicated, professional development, they are helping them to encourage this same concept in their direct reports. Dr. Rock maintains that rigid employee assessment processes foster a fixed mindset by forcing people to “prove” their worthiness, rather than “improve.” When people have a fixed mindset, they believe they are not in control of their abilities that skills are born, not built.
Exactly one year ago, an article in HBR explained how Dr. Dweck’s research impacts organizations:
“When entire companies embrace a growth mindset, their employees report feeling far more empowered and committed; they also receive far greater organizational support for collaboration and innovation. In contrast, people at primarily fixed-mindset companies report more of only one thing: cheating and deception among employees, presumably to gain an advantage in the talent race.”
*Corporate Class Inc. provides professional development training that explores Neuroleadership and how the prefrontal cortex (the so-called executive brain) is responsible for primary Executive functions.
This is a guest post from Corporate Class, a My Big Idea™ strategic partner and originally was published in January of 2018
It takes more effort to land a new client than it does to retain an existing one. Instinctively, most business leaders know this, but the nature of client retention is changing.
Faced with the difficult task of engaging and retaining your clients who are bombarded with information, shiny object syndrome and sales pitches from every angle, you must find new ways to maintain your edge.
What compels a client to remain loyal, rather than signing on with the ‘newest, noisiest, supplier of the week’?
Added Value to Your Clients
Fundamentally, business owners understand that to retain clients, their services must provide value. Many businesses, however, think that value is tied strictly to pricing, and try to provide their services at the lowest cost.
While pricing is important, trying to compete on pricing alone is a losing battle. To inspire client loyalty, your business needs to add value to the services you offer. What does that look like?
At a basic level, for an automotive repair shop, it could mean every car in for service gets washed and vacuumed. For the accounting firm, it could be an online portal for client documentation uploads or the offer to deal directly with the CRA, saving the client time and hassle.
Whatever your industry, look for ways to offer an added value to your existing clients. Easier said than done, isn’t it?
Successful client retention strategies also include proactive services. Rather than waiting until the client needs something, businesses who are proactive in their approach will surprise, delight and help their customers grow their own business.
Shared Values Between You and Your Clients
A primary means of building a relationship with clients is through the development of shared values. By demonstrating that you are invested in the success of their business, you begin to strengthen your relationship with them.
When you invest in the success of your clients, you become a trusted adviser, and can develop a relationship that will last for a long time.
Instead of ‘showing your appreciation’ of your clients with tickets to a sporting event or with engraved dust collectors, offer them a chance to attend a workshop, seminar or gain access to training they likely couldn’t attend on their own.
Hosting a professional development program that has a proven track record of success and provides long term benefits to your clients is an excellent way of cultivating a shared value and vision for how to work together for the long term.
Offering a My Big Idea™program as an exclusive, invitation-only event for your best clients allows you to position yourself as a valuable resource, and instills loyalty within those clients.
Hosting a workshop for selected clients not only demonstrates your commitment to their future success, it shows your recognition of their importance to your company.
Our goalsetting workshops provide your clients with additional tools they can use to build their business, which will in turn help you build your own. Wouldn’t you agree that is better than any ticket to a sporting event?
Michele Bailey is president and CEO of Blazing THE Agency and My Big Idea™. These two lines of business work congruently to support her clients’ success.
One of the most frequently asked questions a business owner has about our goal setting training programs is predictable: “How much does it cost?”
The question is valid; most business owners are keenly aware of the budget, and want to ensure that their money is spent wisely.
Unlike software programs, equipment or inventory, however, training is intangible and can seem difficult to quantify.
Instead of focusing on the cost, a better question for business owners to ask would be, “What is the value of this training?”
Why Price Comparisons Don’t Work
The range of pricing for training programs is as variable as a length of string. Programs can cost anywhere from $500 to $25,000+, depending on several factors. These include the size of your company, the length of the training and the specific skills that the training covers. Other factors include the availability of follow-up sessions, training materials, and extra resources provided.
As the costs of professional training programs continues to grow, CEOs are concerned with the results. A survey of 96 Fortune 500 CEOs revealed that 92 of them were concerned with finding out the business impact that the training had on their staff. Only 8 of the 96 (8 %) actually tracked their investment to find out what benefit, if any, the training actually brought.
The Return on Investment Issue
In most cases, a business leader is concerned with the Return on Investment (ROI) that they should expect to see after investing in a training program. While it is not always possible to quantify the direct actions taught in a training program, it is possible to track the Return on Expectations (ROE).
Business owners can identify expected behaviours their staff should exhibit after attending the program. Are your employees demonstrating proficiency in using these new skills? Further, has there been an increase in productivity, a positive change in or revenue after the training? By analyzing the new behaviors, you will be able to determine the return on investment.
Price Matters But…
Pricing is important. However, pricing should not be the sole determination for selecting a training program. There are plenty of free, do-it-yourself programs on the internet if you absolutely have no budget.
You must evaluate the content: is the training offering something that your team needs to take them to the next level of success?
You need to evaluate the availability of the program: is it offered in a manner that meets your organizations specific needs? Does the program offer verifiable results with a similar business? Are follow-ups included to ensure that your company will maximize the new information taught during the training?
Let’s do the math. If a training program is $3000 for a one-day session per employee, and the program includes weekly follow-up to encourage the use of the new information taught, then that $3000 “one-day” session is actually a $58 per week. Exceptional value.
Further, it isn’t really $58 a week, as the training doesn’t start new each week, it builds upon what was previously taught and re-enforces and encourages a deepening of the skills learned.
Employees who are skilled in setting (and achieving) goals for sales, customer service, client success, and for themselves, will begin striving for improvement in a measurable, attainable way. These are the kinds of employees you need to build your business. Let us help you get there.
Michele Bailey is president and CEO of Blazing THE Agency and My Big Idea™. These two lines of business work congruently to support her clients’ success.
