by Fred Brewer | Jan 30, 2017 | Best Reads
If you read a lot of articles on entrepreneurship and leadership, you likely see this question all the time. The question that’s designed to make YOU question whether or not:
- You have what it takes
- You’re in the right business
- You’re worthy of chasing down this dream of yours
- Your dream is even worth chasing down.
Here’s the question: Do you wake up excited about your business?
If this question triggers your inner critic and self-doubt, you’re not alone. But I’d like to challenge all the “experts” who sit behind their laptops all day (when they’re not working on a new Medium post, biking local trails, or drinking craft beer); those who encourage the rest of us to mistakenly believe that if we aren’t 100% excited, 100% of the time, we’re doing the wrong thing or we’re the wrong ones to do it.
Full disclosure: I’m not a traditional optimist.
The Reality Is…You’re Normal
Any realistic, transparent business owner will tell you that some days are the bees knees and they couldn’t imagine doing anything else. But they’ll also tell you that some days feel like nightmares that end with them lying in bed at night, eyes wide open, stomach in knots, with thoughts of calling it quits.
That’s normal. No matter what you’re doing – whether you’re living your dream and doing exactly what you were made to do or not – you’re going to have good days and bad days. When a day, week, or month kicks your a**, it’s normal to wake up feeling less than thrilled about getting to work. This doesn’t mean you lack passion, talent, or grit (the hottest word in business) – It just means you’re human and you’re in a rough patch.
Ask a Better Question
When you find yourself in the middle of a rough patch and read an article that asks “Do you wake up excited about your business?” it can be anything but inspiring and motivating.
What we really need in these tough times is a different question.
Carter (one of our co-founders) is famous for saying it’s all about the questions we’re asking. Our questions frame our answers. When you’re feeling discouraged, don’t ask yourself the question, “Do I wake up excited about my business?” You already know the answer is, “Not today.” And that’s ok.
Instead, ask yourself, “What can I learn from where I sit right now? What is this part of my journey showing me?” Push it further. Ask yourself, “What needs to change and how can I change it?” And if you don’t know the answer to this, ask yourself, “Why aren’t I excited about my business when I wake up?”
When we ask different questions, we get different answers. And the biggest difference between the question we see plastered across entrepreneurship blogs and the questions above is that the latter encourage learning, growth, and change, while the former encourage stagnation, discouragement, and complacency – the killers of many businesses and business dreams.
So next time you feel like you’re ready to call it quits, don’t buy into the delusion that you’re somehow cut from a different cloth and not qualified or justified in your pursuit – instead, ask better questions and see what you can learn from the bad days and how you can turn it around.
by Fred Brewer | Feb 4, 2016 | Best Reads
We’ve all see them: the employees on total auto-pilot. They may be physically present, but mentally, they’re dead to the world. For the guys out in the field, there may be no shortage of variety, but it’s a different story where the concrete meets the carpet.
What can you do to make sure your team is engaged and not going through the motions like a team of zombies? Here are 4 tips…
#1 Offer A Little Variety
Working in the same place and same position for 8 hours straight can leave you in a stupor, especially if you’re performing a familiar task. One way to combat the autopilot mindset is to offer your employees a little variety. Maybe that means getting everyone Veridesks (you’d be amazed at what a little shift in posture and a little boost in blood flow can do for your mental and physical well-being) or letting them bring the pups to work.
A little change in scenery can go a long way, too. Some of your employees may need a desk setting to get work done, while others may think of a desk as a creativity-paralyzing prison. Not everyone on your team will work best in the same environment, so why not offer options? Sometimes just getting up or moving to a different space can help you shake off the zombies and give you a fresh mind and a fresh approach to your workday.
#2 Take Time To Meet & Engage Every Day
Are you stimulating and engaging your employees every day? Are you reminding them of how important they are and how impactful their hard work is? Daily meetings are great for this! Simply meeting as a team each day for a few short minutes can help keep your employees from turning into zombies from 9-5, by bringing everyone together and directing everyone’s focus. You can also utilize these meetings to clear up any misunderstandings, patch up any communication breakdowns, and bring problems to light so they can be addressed.
With all our staff working remotely full-time now, everyone checks in on Slack by 10 AM. During these check-ins, we each go over what’s on our plate for the day, with the goal of keeping us focused on our daily tasks and aware of other goings on within the company. Verbalizing these things helps keep us realistic about our daily to-do list and our productivity, and reminds us that each of us plays an important role in serving our customers and keeping our company going. Having a clear focus and a sense of purpose as you start your day will definitely help keep you out of the zombie-zone.
#3 Change Up Tasks
One major reason for zombies in the workplace is that we oftentimes end up doing the same repetitive or familiar tasks, day in and day out. Mindfully structuring your day can help break up the monotony and give you the change you need to keep your mind fresh.
Even if your employees each have one major task, there are ways to switch things up. For example, as the primary content creator, I primarily write. But when I feel the zombie brain coming on while I’m working on one writing assignment, I can always switch over to another writing or editing task. If that’s not working, there’s always reading to do, podcasts to listen to, or other “input” things I can work on. Taking a little breather allows me to go back to the previous project with a fresh perspective. How can you and your employees switch up or plan your days to prevent burnout and monotony?
#4 Ask Your Employees What They’re Passionate About
It’s hard to be an apathetic zombie when you’re working on something you’re passionate about. Are your employees in roles that allow them to use their passions and strengths? When your employees are in roles that engage them mentally, they’ll be switched on at work instead of shutting down. And that means you’ll have a zombie-free workplace.
How do you know if your employees are in the right roles for their passions and strengths? Sometimes simply asking your employees what they enjoy about their jobs and tasks can give you an idea as to whether or not they are in the right positions or should be moved to another.
Is your workplace filled with zombies? Zombies quickly make more zombies, so act quickly! Use these 4 tips to breathe some fresh air into your team and watch the productivity and morale skyrocket!
by Fred Brewer | Nov 23, 2015 | Best Reads
Everyone’s favorite question to ask business owners seems to be: If you left the room, what would your employees say about you? And although it’s a very thought-provoking question, we’d like to take it further. Our challenge is to ask yourself, “What would my employees say about me…if they were drunk?”
It’s easy to keep mum and skirt around honesty when you’re in a professional work setting. But when you’ve thrown back a few shots of truth serum and have liquid courage, the real sentiment is bound to come out. After a couple of drinks, would your employees rave about you or rant about you?
What Could You Learn From A Drunken Employee?
Although we’re sure there are some major legal reasons why you can’t use this exercise for your bi-annual employee reviews, have you given much thought to what you could learn from a drunken employee’s rants or raves?
Your Strengths
If there’s one thing drunk people love to do, it’s tell you what they love about you. Wondering what you’re doing right as a business owner? Whether it’s the flexibility and freedom you allow your employees or the way you handle conflict, a drunken employee will let you know what he or she loves, admires, respects, and approves of in your company and your management style. And the more you identify your strengths, the more you can highlight, develop, and protect them.
Your Weaknesses
If there’s anything drunk people love more than telling you what they love about you, it’s telling you what you suck at. Are you driving your employees crazy with your micromanaging? Do you use passive aggressive management techniques or bully your employees into doing what you want them to do? Do your company processes and procedures waste massive amounts of time? Whatever it is that could use improvement in your business, you can bet you’ll hear about it a couple of drinks in.
What Makes Your Employees Tick
All of these things are great and can ultimately help you become a better business owner and manager, and run a better company. But perhaps the most important thing you could learn from a drunken employee is what your employees value and what they’re passionate about.
Listening to what your buzzed employees bring up in their slurred rants or raves would shed some light on what they consider to be important. Not only will this help you identify ways to motivate and reward your employees, but it’ll also let you know what not to skimp on when money’s tight or you decide to do some organizational shifting.
You Shouldn’t Have To Get Your Staff Buzzed!
We’re not suggesting you do a power hour during your next weekly meeting or don a fake mustache and hide out in the corner of your staff’s favorite pub — we just want you to give some thought to your management style, company culture, and company policies, and really consider whether or not they’re benefitting your business and your staff.
If you are a good leader and take the time to really listen to and observe your employees, making effort to get to know them and what their average workday is like, you won’t have to wait until an employee gets out of hand at a holiday party to know what your staff cares about and what you and your business do well or could improve upon. If you care about the success of your company and the happiness of your employees, take the time to inquire, and really hear them out!
Remember, happy employees make productive and loyal employees. And we’ll drink a root beer to that!
Psst…we’re hiring!
