Category Archives: Appointment

I recently grabbed lunch with a long-time friend. We haven’t been able to catch-up lately because we’ve both been swamped. However, while I’ve been working non-stop on growing my business, he’s been filling his schedule with other people’s priorities.

For example, his boss has asked him to work a ton of overtime as of late, which he always accepts. He also told me that he’s had to help a friend move recently as well. There were some other minor examples, but I think you get the point. Whenever someone asks for his time, he doesn’t say “no.”

I don’t think anyone enjoys saying “no” to others. I know that I was guilty of this for years. In facgt, I would delay my own work or interests if someone asked me to help them out on a project or join them for a meal. Eventually, I felt that some people were taking advantage of this. And, more importantly, I was addressing my needs, like staying on top of work or pursuing hobbies.

What changed was coming across this quote from Derek Sivers, “If you’re not saying “HELL YEAH!” about something, say ‘no.’” Sivers goes on to say, “When deciding whether to do something if you feel anything less than ‘Wow! That would be amazing! Absolutely! Hell yeah!’ — then say ‘no.’”

Since then, I’ve been more selective on saying “yes.” It’s taken some time. But, I now feel confident enough to turn down requests for my time if it’s something that isn’t interesting, helping me grow, or that I have the time for.

If this is an area that you need to improve upon, then let’s explain why you should say “no” more often. And, more importantly, how you can do so without ticking anyone off.

Why You Need to Say “No” More Often

The method of saying no can vary from person to person. But, saying “no” will actually make you more successful and productive. Warren Buffett has famously said, “The difference between successful people and successful people, is that successful people say “no” to almost everything.” And it’s easy to see why.

When you accept time requests, you’re getting taken away from more important things. For example, you would love to help a friend launch their new business or attend their party on Friday night. But, if you haven’t tackled all of your priorities, then we’re putting them ahead of yourself.

I know that sounds selfish. But it’s not. If you’re now filling-up your calendar with other people’s priorities, then you’re aren’t able to say “yes” to the essential things, such as spending time with your family, learning a new skill, or improving a business idea. What’s more, this adds more stress to your life. And, it prevents you from getting the proper amount of rest and recovery you need.

Still not convinced? Here’s another reason, saying “yes” to everything can make you unreliable. You may begin to disappoint others. The reason is pretty apparent. When you stretch yourself too thin, you’ll end-up missing deadlines or not being able to follow through with your promises. Some have said that saying “no” is the new “yes” for entrepreneurs.

Finally, when say “no” more often we have more focus. That’s because we’re not getting distracted or interrupted by other people’s priorities or requests for your time.

How to Say No to Others Without Offending Them

Even though saying “no” is beneficial, it can still be awkward to decline a request from someone else. After all, you don’t want to upset a friend, family member, or business partner. But, as explained in The New York Times, research from Columbia University found that our perceptions of our own assertiveness are often unreliable. In mock negotiations, people who thought they were adequately assertive or even over-assertive were seen by others as under-assertive.”

What does that mean? Even “if you feel confrontational, there’s a good chance the other party doesn’t see you that way,” explains Wong.

Of course, that doesn’t make it any easier. But, you can use the following techniques to finally decline any request without feeling guilty and making others angry.

Start small.

As Kristen Wong writes in The New York Times article cited above, you can start by practicing “being more aggressive when the stakes are low. For example, when a cashier asks you to sign up for a store credit card you don’t want,” say “‘I don’t use store credit cards’ instead of a passive ‘Not today, but thank you,’ which implies your decision is up for debate.”

“It’s a lot easier to be assertive with a stranger selling you something than it is when, say, your pleading co-worker asks for a ride to the airport,” adds Wong. “Get comfortable with your assertiveness when it’s easy so you’ll be prepared when there’s more pressure.”

Just say it.

Merely being straightforward may take some getting used to. But, there’s no need to beat around the bush. Remember, if you weren’t saying, “Hell yeah,” then just say “no.” It doesn’t have to be any more complicated than that. Here are seven more ways to say “no” without sounding like a jerk. 

Explain why– briefly.

“Depending on the nature of your relationship, you may want to explain why you’re saying no,” writes Alexandra Franzen on The Muse. “But don’t over-explain or give your entire life story. That’s not necessary.”

Let’s say that a client or friend asks you to meet for dinner on Thursday night, but you already have plans. Just be honest and tell them that.

“In some instances, no explanation is required,” continues Franzen. “But for close friends, it can often be a nice touch. If you’re concise and honest, friends will (almost) always understand.”

Offer an alternative.

Sometimes turning down a request isn’t finite. For example, an employee would like your assistance on a task that they can’t wrap their heads around. You’re swamped today. But, you’re free on Friday afternoon. Can they wait until then? If so, the problem is resolved.

Another example would be recommending that they turn to another source. For instance, could your business partner or another employee help out the team member with the problem? If they can, then that person is still getting help without you directly getting involved.

Have a “policy.”

Take a moment and establish boundaries by implementing a “policy.” Clearly understanding your limits makes your decision to reject a request much more straightforward.

Standing by what you know to be your limits is a tactic suggested by Patti Breitman in How to Say No Without Feeling Guilty. For example, “suppose a friend asks for a loan you don’t want to extend. Utter the phrase ‘Sorry, I have a policy about not lending money,’ and your refusal immediately sounds less personal.”

According to Breitman, by “invoking a policy adds weight and seriousness when you need to say no. It implies that you’ve given the matter considerable thought on a previous occasion and learned from experience that what the person is requesting is unwise.”

“It can also convey that you’ve got a prior commitment you can’t break,” says Breitman. “When you turn down an invitation by saying, ‘Sorry, I can’t come—it’s our policy to have dinner together as a family every Friday night,’ it lets the other person know that your family ritual is carved in stone.”

“Let me think about it.”

“This is a polite and professional way of asking for more time to consider the request, writes Stephanie Gonzaga on Team Gantt. “As a busy leader, you often need to think things through before making any decisions.”

Make it clear you’re saying “no” to the request, not to the person.

Here’s a script from Karen Young over on Hey Sigmund, “I’d really love to help you but I can’t. I’m strapped this week. Let me know next time you need a hand though, and I’ll help out if I can.”

Another option could be “I’d love to help you out, but I’ve already committed to … Let me know next time you need a hand.” Again, be transparent, but don’t overexplain it. “You don’t owe anybody an explanation but for the person asking, hearing something after ‘no’ tends to feel less jarring than a straight-out ‘no’”

Begin to understand the power of saying, “no.” You are made by the people you say, “no” to.

Improve your self-esteem.

“If you don’t value yourself, then you won’t value your time very much either,” explains Henrik Edberg in The Positivity Blog.

“The most powerful thing I have found – besides keeping my attention consistently on what truly matters to me – to make it easier to say no was to improve my own self-esteem,” adds Edberg. “With better self-esteem, the time and the energy I have has become a lot more valuable to me, and I do not want to waste it.”

You’ve done your due diligence and hired an amazing team. But, are there days when you think that they’re not living up to their full potential? You’re not alone. According to Gallup Research, organizations make use of less than 20 percent of their employee’s potential.

Thankfully, there are plenty of ways for you to change that around. And, here are 10 of the best ways for you to unleash your employees’ full potential.

1. Work on yourself so that you won’t make mistakes.

If you want to get the most out of your team, then you need first to improve your leadership game. After all, your employees are relying on you for guidance and support. And, if you spend a majority of your barking out orders, and not listening, then how can you indeed find out what your team is made of?

The first place to start would be to strengthen your soft skills and emotional intelligence. This way, you can effectively communicate with your employees and become empathetic. As a result, this builds trust since you’re listening to what your people are saying — it also allows you to pick up on nonverbal cues. Work on building an unstoppable team with your leadership skills.

Another area to focus on would be avoiding common leadership mistakes. Frequently this includes:

• Publicly criticizing or bullying people.
• Micromanaging and not delegating tasks.
• Failing to provide and receive feedback.
• Discouraging creativity and innovation.
• Constantly redoing your employee’s work.
• Putting a band-aid on pressing problems.
• Resisting change.
• Failing to set goals.

2. Schedule frequent one-on-ones.

I understand that you’re calendar is already packed. But, meeting with your team individually needs to become a priority. It’s hands down the best way for you to learn more about your employees, such as what motivates them and if they possess any hidden talents. It also allows you to provide constructive feedback or exchange ideas in a less formal setting.

Most importantly, one-on-ones allow you to assign the right goals, incentives, and tasks to specific people. This way, you can properly motivate them and handoff the specific responsibilities to the right individuals.

3. Encourage a supportive work culture.

In other words, foster a culture where flexibility and vocalizing ideas aren’t just the norm. They’re encouraged. Additionally, they provide opportunities for employees to show off their strengths or unique talents. You can do this either by having them take the lead on a project that suits them or doing something more lighthearted like hosting a talent show.

4. Stretch their boundaries.

Perhaps one of the most effective ways to get more of your employees is to push them outside of their comfort zones. Pushing someone outside of their comfort zone doesn’t mean setting them up for failure by asking them to work on a task that they can’t accomplish.

Instead, it’s challenging them to work on something where they’re experts, but still have some of the skills to get the job done. It may even by helping them get over a fear. For example, if someone dreads public speaking, suggest that they join an organization like Toastmasters and then have them lead a future meeting.

5. Make it easier to turn ideas into action.

“It’s no good to get lots of maybe-great ideas, and then just have them sit there,” writes Meghan M. Biro, founder, and CEO of TalentCulture, in Forbes. “It’s all about action. You must have a mechanism in place (and this means allocating resources) that allows your intrapreneurs to model, prototype and test their ideas.” Remember that sometimes the best ideas will make the least sense.

If not, “your credibility is damaged and, more importantly, you’ll never know if the idea is good, great, or not viable,” adds Biro. “Never ever belittle or dismiss an idea out of hand.” And, always grant it “a respectful hearing even if you feel it’s not viable.”

6. Help them improve their time management.

Because the rules of time management are different between leaders and employees, you may not realize that this is a daily struggle for your team. But, what does time management have to do with helping them unleash their full potential?

If they’re overestimating how long a task takes to complete or wasting time on unproductive activities, then when will they be able to be coached? When will they receive training or learn new skills? And, when can they work on a side project that they’re passionate about?

While you can’t control exactly how your team spends their time, there a couple of ways that you can guide them in improving their time management. For example, suggest that they track their time for a couple of weeks so that they can see where their time goes. It may even help them find out when they’re most productive so that that’s when they’ll schedule their most important tasks.

On your end, you may want to ask what their capacity is before loading them up with more work. And, resist the temptation to interrupt a person when they’re engaged in deep work or during off-hours.

7. Allow employees to be themselves.

When you encourage your employees to be themselves, they’re aware of their strengths and weaknesses. And, they have autonomy so that they can work however they like.

Not only does that make them happier. It also makes employees’ goals clear. And, it encourages them to learn more so that they can improve their weaknesses and enhance their strengths. In turn, this will push their limitations.

8. Let them know how they fit into the bigger picture.

Do your employees know how important they are to your business? If not, take the time to let them know this. Show them exactly how they’re affecting your business.

Showing graphs, analytics, and explaining in detail how an employees work builds the business will keep them more engaged, which will boost productivity. The team may not see the big picture if you don’t show them. But, as an added perk, because they have a purpose, they’ll push themselves so that they’ll give 110 percent.

9. Connect them with the right people.

According to Liz Wiseman, author of Rookie Smarts: Why Learning Beats Knowing in the New Game of Work, leaders who bring out the best in others are called “multipliers.” Multipliers, as she writes in an article for Harvard Business Review, “pull people into their orbit with the explicit understanding that accelerated development is part of the deal.”

They also “look for talent everywhere” and “recognize that deep smarts are manifested in many different ways in a company, and so they pay little attention to org charts.” And, they “take the time to understand the capabilities of each individual so that they can connect employees with the right people and the right opportunities—thereby building a virtuous cycle of attraction, growth, and opportunity,” adds Wiseman.

10. Reward and incentive.

When you notice a team member who has exceeded expectations, then definitely recognize and acknowledge their hard work. Identifying a great job doesn’t have to be extensive — it can be as something as simple as saying “thank you” or promoting them to a higher position.

Other ways to reward your employees for going above and beyond could also be by offering free food, sabbaticals, presents, or unique options like debt repayment or VIP access to concerts or sporting events. The key is to match the reward or incentive with the employee. For example, rewarding a team member with NFL tickets sounds excellent on paper. But, what if they have zero interest in the sport? That’s not going to encourage them to continue to unleash their full potential.

The alarm clock goes off. You groan and wish you had 15 more minutes…or two hours. We all have days when we’d rather lay in bed. But the earlier you get up and face the day, the better odds you’ll have to be productive and successful.

Being an entrepreneur does come with the freedom of setting your own schedule, so take advantage of that. Who said you have to wake up and start working immediately? If the thought of doing this makes you feel overwhelmed, switch your schedule up and create a morning routine that motivates you to get out of bed in the morning.

Here are 7 productive things you may want to do before you start work each day.

Make Your Bed

Believe it or not, making your bed can eliminate stress and help you have a better day. It’s the easiest way to get your day started off right and also encourages you to keep the rest of your space tidy.

It’s interesting to believe that just a simple action can lighten your mood and make you feel more optimistic but studies show that it’s true.

Select Your Outfit For the Day

Most people who work from home have the luxury of working in their pajamas. Whether you go into an office or not, it’s important to get dressed and ready for the day. The most successful people actually simplify their wardrobe and plan out their outfits to eliminate the time and energy spent on the decision making process.

Choosing an outfit that makes you feel confident and getting ready will help you get prepared for whatever the day throws your way.

Exercise

Exercising in the morning to release endorphins that can make you feel better and more energized. For me, it just feels great to get exercise out of the way and feel motivated afterward.

If you sit at a desk all day, starting your day with exercise can give you something to look forward to. You can do a 30-minute workout routine, attend a class, walk your dog around the block, or ride your bike.

Listen to a Podcast or Read

Consider spending about 10-15 minute reading a book when you wake up. This can help clear your mind and give you something else to focus on instead of the challenges you may have to face during the day.

Plus, it helps get your creative wheels spinning. If you’re reading a self-help book that can enhance your life, this will give you plenty of ideas and knowledge that you can expand on.

Another option you may want to consider is listening to a podcast. This is something you can do while you exercise or get ready for the day.

Review Your Bank Account Transactions

It’s important to be on top of your personal and business finances. The best way to do this is by checking in daily. It may sound tedious upfront, but a daily check can take less than 5 minutes and put your mind at ease.

Some people don’t check their bank statements until the end of the month and by that time, it’s too late to check any errors or fix serious problems. You can give yourself plenty of peace of mind and stay organized by doing a quick check in the morning before work.

Pack Your Lunch and Prep Dinner

It’s easy to get caught up in the day’s events and forget to eat properly. The trick is, you need to start prepping your meals. It only takes a few minutes to prep your lunch and you can even do this for the whole week. I usually shop on Sundays then head straight home and fill out my meal plan for 2 weeks.

I also spend about an hour or two prepping meals. This makes it super simple to just grab food during the week and even take some time to sit down and eat a healthy breakfast.

Go Over Your Schedule For the Day

Before you jump right in with the first project, be sure to go over your schedule for the day so you have a plan of action. Narrow down your tasks and select 3 things that you want to accomplish no matter what.

You may even want to take some time to outline tasks, set up or move meetings, and get a clear picture of what your calendar looks like for the day.

Going over your schedule in the morning is one of the most productive things to do before you start work.

Summary

Realize that you may not be productive from the time you wake up to the time you go to bed. It’s better to ease into productivity by implementing an effective morning routine that motivates you to crush your goals for the day.

If you find that you’re not really motivated to work in the morning or you’re just wasting time, start adding some of these things to your schedule and track any noticeable changes.

What are some of your favorite productive things to do before work?

It shouldn’t come as a surprise, but the workplace can directly impact your productivity. Check to see if the layout is inefficient in your office or if it encourages distracting and unhealthy habits. You’ll want to improve productivity at your office, and business productivity takes a leap when the design of your office is taken seriously. Here are ten office design tips that will boost employee productivity.

1. Consider your layout.

Before setting up your office, you first need to take into consideration the needs and challenges of you, your team, and your startup. You also need to factor in your company’s culture, personalities, various working styles, and your budget. These considerations may sound like a lot of work upfront, but it’s the most effective way of determining how you’ll want to design your office.

For example, open plans have been all the rage for years. But, some studies have found that private offices make employees more productive and happy. At the same time, that may not click with your startup. There may not be enough money to give everyone their own space — it also may not align with your culture flexibility and free-thinking. In this case, you may want to invest in standing desks or allow your team to work wherever they want.

If you’re stuck, the folks over at SnackNation have 15 creative office designs you could use for inspiration. You can also ask your employees for their feedback on what type of office layout they prefer. If you are a remote worker — please set up your home office with the same care that you would if you had an entire office full of employees.

2. Create opportunities for movement.

“The best way that I stay focused during a long day of work is to acknowledge when I’ve hit a productivity wall and to take lots of short, quick breaks to gain a new perspective on what I’m working on,” Jamie Fertsch, director and co-founder of XDesk, told Business News Daily.

There’s so much truth to that statement. For starters, there has been this gives everyone a chance to take a break and recharge mentally. As a result, these “mental” breaks keep us focused. Additionally, this can counter a sedentary lifestyle. As a result, you’re improving your overall health, reducing stress, and increasing your energy levels.

One way to encourage your time to get up and move is to provide them with stand-to-sit-desks. You could also place specific equipment, like a copy machine, on the other side of the office. You could also have multi-purpose areas where people can exercise. And you could hold more walking meetings instead of relying on a conference room.

3. The psychology of color.

Different colors have various effects on us psychologically, such as emotion and behavior. You likely have heard this before if you’ve been in business long. When picking the colors for your brand, colors are critical and applied to your office design can be a great bonus.

With that in mind, here are how the following primary colors impact the psyche:

• White. It’s associated with cleanliness, but can be uninspiring. Use this color for the kitchen or open space.
• Black. Conveys authority, as well as sinister undertones. However, when used as a complementary accent, it can create a luxurious workspace.
• Purple. Purple is considered an unnatural color. But, it also represents the color of royalty and ambition.
• Green. Affiliated with balance, growth, and nature. Research also shows that it can improve your creative performance.
• Blue. Usually seen as one of the most productive colors. Of course, this depends on the type of work you’re doing. However, it often boosts relaxation and intellectual thought. With that in mind, a blue design can help to boost employee productivity.
• Red. An emotionally intense color that can raise mental energy flow — And, I don’t care because it’s my favorite color. It can be overpowering, however. It’s better suited for furnishings or social areas.
• Yellow. A popular color for teams since it promotes happiness and positivity.
• Orange. This color can promote mental stimulation and happiness. It’s used best when highlighting your most important design elements.

4. Soak up natural light.

Lighting can affect everything from workplace safety to productivity to mental health. More specifically, natural light is essential for circadian rhythms and can boost happiness and Vitamin D intake.

In a study entitled “Impact of Workplace Daylight Exposure on Sleep, Physical Activity, and Quality of Life,” researchers compared workers in offices with and without windows:

“The extent to which daylight exposure impacts office workers is remarkable,” said study co-author Ivy Cheung, a neuroscience doctoral candidate at Northwestern University. “Day-shift office workers’ quality of life and sleep may be improved via emphasis on light exposure and lighting levels in current offices as well as in the design of future offices.”

If you haven’t been able to install more windows in your workplace, you can use mirrors or reflective furniture. But, find a way to amplify the natural light you do have. Or, you can purchase full-spectrum lightbulbs that can mimic the appearance of natural light.

5. Incorporate plants.

Plants can reduce stress, sickness, and noise levels. They can also boost creativity, productivity, and clean the air. So, if you haven’t done so yet, it’s time to place low-maintenance office plants throughout your office.

6. Art and personal items.

Besides incorporating plants, add some artwork in there as well. According to a Business Committee for the Arts and the International Association of Professional Art Advisors survey, 94% believed art enhanced the work environment. Also, 64% experienced an increase in creativity and productivity. As an added perk, art makes a statement about your company’s values.

Also, allow your employees to personalize their workspaces. It’s been found that this can lower stress, and it makes them feel more comfortable.

7. Designate office zones.

Create various spaces in the office that are used for specific tasks. Examples include:

• Collaboration zones, like a break room that encourage your team to mingle and exchange ideas.
• Fun zones, such as a game room, where everyone can decompress and come together.
• Quiet zones where people can nap or think without being disturbed.
• Private zones where employees can work on their most essential tasks in peace and quiet.

8. Rethink meeting and conference rooms.

We spend a lot of time in meetings. Middle managers can spend around 35% of their workday in meetings. So, it just makes sense that you make them as productive as possible — including its design.

Like the rest of your office, let in as much natural light as possible and make sure that all the equipment and furniture are comfortable and functional. Make sure that you use the right colors, go back, and review the psychology of colors. And, eliminate distractions like flickering lights, outside noise, or tables that wobble.

Also, if the room isn’t large enough to accommodate the size of your audience, then move it somewhere else. You need attendees to be comfortable enough so that they can focus. Learn how to invigorate your meetings.

9. Install community boards.

“Pin-up boards a great way to broadcast messages about what’s going on in the office or can act as a central location to share corporate culture, big accomplishments or office humor,” writes Shelcy V. Joseph on Forbes. “Get creative with the display!” adds Joseph. “Make sure to refresh the images, flyers, or photos for a new dose of inspiration.”

You may also want to have whiteboards or chalk wall in the office. This way if anyone has an idea, they can quickly jot it down.

10. Change up amenities.

“Sometimes it’s as simple as amenities that make life easier,” writes Jeff Pochepan on Inc.com. “While having that game room, or the soundproof music room can be a great place for employees to recharge their batteries, collaborate with colleagues, or just relax for a few minutes — these are not the only things companies can do.” Remember, “not all amenities are luxuries.”

Replace the unhealthy snacks in vending machines with better options. Or, sign-up for a delivery service like SnackNation that will dropoff nutritious snacks for the office. Also, you can offer on-site services like on-site childcare.

In a perfect world, your workplace and business operations wouldn’t just be effective. They would also run smoothly and drama free. Unfortunately, in the real world, this doesn’t happen. There are always hurdles to overcome, such as unavoidable conflicts.

To be fair, conflict isn’t always the worst thing that could happen at work. For example, having different opinions on where your business should pivot could spark innovation and inspire change. However, these disagreements often don’t boil over into heated conflicts since they can be resolved. But, what about those lingering and unresolved issues?

When ignored, workplace conflicts can be disastrous. For starters, they can decrease productivity and morale. In turn, this creates a toxic environment full of stressed, unhappy, and disengaged employees. Eventually, they may have no choice but to leave your company.

As if that weren’t enough, there could be physical confrontations. And, while not as severe, these squabbles can also pull you away from your priorities. In fact, it’s been found that the typical manager spends around 25-40 percent of their time addressing workplace conflicts.

If you don’t want workplace conflicts to interfere with your business operations, then you first need to know what the most common clashes are. From there, you can handle them before they do any serious harm.

Toxic leadership.

As a leader, everything starts and ends with you. That means if you possess toxic leadership traits, you and your team will butt-heads. Now, this doesn’t mean having a different leadership style that doesn’t always gel with your team. For example, if you’re more laid back, and an employee is someone who needs more structure, then this could be a little problematic.

While you should work on improving these differences, that’s minor compared to the following traits:

• Micromanagement
• Absenteeism
• Inflexibility
• Rivalry
• Perfectionism
• Self-interest
• Working 24/7

These need to be avoided at all costs in order to cultivate a positive and productive work environment. You may not realize that you possess these traits. If that’s the case, then solicit feedback from your partners or employees so that you can improve these unhealthy characteristics.

Interdependency.

Rarely do we work 100% alone. Even if you are an independent freelancer you still have to wait for your clients to give you information like the scope of the job, deadlines, and expectations. In most companies, we have to cooperate with others to complete our own work. For example, let’s say that you want to start a company blog. You can’t publish content until your in-house developer or designer has the site up and running.

Of course, when that individual is procrastinating it’s easy to get frustrated with them. Sometimes that’s not completely their fault — maybe they had to deal with another emergency. But, if they have a reputation for holding other people up, then that can blow up into a full-fledged battle. Everyone should have deadlines and meet them so that they’re not holding anyone back. You may want to use project management software and real-time collaboration tools like Dropbox and Slack so that everyone can track each other’s progress.

Disregard for company policies and procedures.

No matter how talented someone is, there are not above the company policies and procedures. Examples include dress codes, attendance, and behaviors like bullying or harassment. Just imagine if an employee doesn’t adhere to these. That’s definitely going to ruffle some feathers among the rest of the team.

Everyone must place the same rules. No expectations. It’s the easiest way to squash this conflict.

Personality clashes.

This could be the most common type of workplace conflict. After all, each organization contains a diverse and unique set of individuals who have various personalities. Often times, this isn’t too concerning. But, there are situations when this could lead to misunderstandings and bickering.

For example, if an employee is an introvert, they may come across cold, impolite, or high and mighty. Even if they have no problems with the rest of the team, this person prefers to work alone. However, the rest of the team may have a problem with this — which could hinder collaboration and teamwork.

If colleagues don’t get along personally, then don’t force them to work together. They may even have to work different schedules or locations to avoid any disagreements.

Poor communication.

Communication skills are a must-have for everyone within the workplace from the top down. It’s the only way to prevent misunderstandings and potential conflicts. Just think how ticked off you would be if arrived at work and your boss told you that you have to redo your work because it didn’t meet their expectations. If they were clear from the get-go, then this wouldn’t be anything major.

Everyone should be encouraged to improve their communication skills. And, here are a couple of places to start:

• Practicing active listening.
• Truly understanding your audience.
• Learning more about nonverbal cues like body language.
• Not relying too heavily on visual aids.
• Asking for feedback.
• Recording and listening to how you speak and present.
• Try team-building activities.

Availability of resources.

Let’s say that you have a small business. Because of its size, you probably only have one printer and copy machine. Normally, this wouldn’t be a problem. But, you and your team are wrapping up a project and everyone needs to print their reports.

Obviously, there’s a logjam at the printer and copier because of this. And, guess what? Jim is printing something else that has nothing to do with the report. You can bet there’s going to be some friction over this.

While you can’t anticipate each and every problem, you need to do your best to make sure that the available resources are there when needed. In this case, you may want to have a sign-in sheet and limit the amount of printing for each employee so that there aren’t any fisticuffs.

Diversity.

Diversity in the workplace is highly recommended. It’s a great way to inject fresh ideas and perspectives into the business. But, sometimes, when there is a group made-up of various ages, backgrounds, ethnicities, and experiences it’s natural for disagreements to arise.

It wouldn’t be a bad idea to install team building activities and let everyone be transparent about their differences. Also, make sure that you nip any insensitive comments in the bud immediately. And, most importantly, set the right example by treating everyone the same.

Blame shifting.

Everyone within a business needs to be held accountable for their actions. But, there’s always that one person who never owns up to their mistakes. Instead, they point fingers at everyone else.

Clearly, this is easy to understand why this could result in larger problems. No one wants to be blamed for the shortcomings of others.

Work styles.

Everyone has their own way of working. The problem is that when collaborating, these different work styles may not fight well together. As a consequence, there will be some bad blood among your team — especially when some people are more competitive or seen as lazy.

Kathi Elster, an executive coach and the co-author of Mean Girls at Work, Working with You Is Killing Me, and Working for You Isn’t Working for Me, tells Monster.com that it’s normal to have competition at work. In fact, it’s actually an opportunity to learn others.

On the other hand, working with a lazy coworker isn’t as beneficial. “The graceful way of dealing with this is to not overcompensate for the lazy co-worker,” Elster says. “In other words do not do their job or let it be seen that he/she did not do their work,” she says. “If you do choose to do the other person’s work, no one else will know, and you will grow resentful.”

What’s more, get to know your team so that you can pair people up based on their personality and work styles.

Perceptions.

It’s also normal for people to feel as if they are being treated unfairly. For instance, they may believe that a colleague receives too much recognition or unearned promotions. Sometimes this isn’t 100% in your hands. But, you can reduce these feelings by treating each and every team member exactly the same.

Mistrust.

Regardless of the differences between people, if everyone respects and trusts each other, it can help lessen possible conflicts. For example, when working together on a project, you and your partner may have completely different work styles. You may even work faster than they do. But, you trust them enough to know that they will deliver quality work before the deadline.

Conflicting goals and deadlines.

It’s not unusual for individual and department goals and deadlines to clash with each other. However, you don’t want that to spoil over into something much bigger. The easiest solution is to align everyone’s goals towards the big picture — also make sure that they are achievable and SMART. And, if possible, set realistic deadlines. It may take some work up front on your end, but it will keep the rest of the team on the same page.

Being disrespectful of others time.

One final common workplace conflict is when people aren’t respectful of each other’s time. Examples include:

• Chatty coworkers when you’re trying to work.
• Arriving late to work or a meeting.
• Scheduling unnecessary meetings for the entire.

Possible solutions could be:

• Closing your office door or politely asking the talkative person to come back during your break.
• Always making sure that you arrive early to meetings so that your team will your example.
• Only scheduling productive meetings where only key stakeholders are invited.

Handling Workplace Conflicts

If you’re still concerned about possible workplace conflicts, then are some preventive measures that you should take:

• Create clearly defined job descriptions so that potential employees are aware of their responsibilities. When they’re a part of your company, this will also let them know what’s expected of them.
• Have guidelines on what is and isn’t acceptable behavior. Make sure that you’re consistent and that you never tolerate unacceptable behavior. Employees should also know the consequences of their actions.
• Treat everyone fairly and do not play favorites.
• Before making a final decision, always listen to both sides of the story to get to the root of the problem.
• Create and maintain a healthy and positive work environment where everyone feels safe.
• Know which battles are worth fighting for and when it’s time to move on. For instance, you may have to let a talented employee go because they continue to bully their colleagues.

The final piece of advice would be to take a conflict management class or work with a mentor who has past experience in this area. It may take time out of your schedule. But, it will be time well spent.

We spend a good chunk of time worrying about how we’ll be the most productive at work. But, we rarely think about how we’ll get the most out of our time-off — whether if it’s a vacation when you’re home for the night, or during a break at work.

However, the most successful people aren’t just diligent about their work schedules. They’re only as serious about their downtime as well. This way, they’re not wasting any valuable time and are still able to squeeze the most out of every day will still growing, learning, and getting that much-needed break from work.

If you need some inspiration on where to start, then are 12 productive ways to spend your free time.

1. Volunteer and serve.

Spending your free time helping others or improving your community isn’t just noble. It’s also beneficial for others and yourself. For instance, improving the environment, giving a voice to the less fortunate, and makes you feel like a member of a team. What’s more, volunteering can give you a self-esteem boost, develop new skills, and expand your network.

There are about five ways that volunteering helps you to do well — while you’re doing good. In other words, volunteering can bolster your portfolio, reputation, and get you a little good publicity. And, it’s one of the best ways to get your mind off of work since you’re focusing on others and not your business.

2. Learn something new.

Whether if it’s taking a class, learning a new skill on your own, or exploring your neck of the woods, there are plenty of excellent reasons why you should learn something new every day, such as:

• Enhancing your quality of life.
• Reducing stress and improving your mental health.
• Socializing with others.
• Gaining confidence.
• Discovering, or rediscovering, something that we’re passionate about it.
• Having fun or unwinding.
• Gaining new perspectives and knowledge that you can apply at home or work.

3. Cultivate social connections.

“Time spent connecting with others tends to be the happiest part of most people’s day, and experiences that are shared produce greater happiness than those experienced alone,” writes Ashley Whillans, Michael I. Norton, and Cassie Mogilner Holmes for Quartz. “High-quality social relationships are essential for mental and physical health.” Meta-Analyses even “suggest that the health benefits of social connection are comparable to those of exercising regularly and not smoking.”

While you can’t go wrong with spending quality time with friends, family, and business connections, don’t rule out fleeting social interaction. For example, having a chat “with one’s Starbucks barista or a fellow commuter on a bus can make people feel connected and therefore bolster happiness.”

4. Take care of your health and wellbeing.

At this point, I don’t think you need to be reminded of the benefits of exercising. You’ve heard it all a million times before. However, physical activity does more than prevent health concerns like obesity and heart disease. It can also alleviate stress, ward off depression, and even increases your productivity — mainly because it improves alertness and energy.

The thing is, you don’t need to hit the gym for a couple of hours each day to reap these benefits. After all, any type of activity that gets you moving is better than nothing. So, maybe every afternoon during a break or after dinner, you go outside for a walk. Do some yoga or have more walking meetings.

And don’t forget to take care of your mental health as well. Doing things like meditating, talking to a friend on the phone, or treating yourself to a spa day fights back against stress and ensures that you’re addressing your needs.

5. Read — a lot.

I always carry a book with me. In this way — when I have some free time, like waiting for an appointment, I can read. In case you weren’t aware, reading is perhaps one of the most productive ways to spend your time. That’s because reading can:

• Boost your brainpower.
• Increase your vocabulary.
• Improve your memory, concentration, and imagination.
• Reduces stress.
• It helps you become a better writer.
• Makes your more empathetic.

Would you like to know how you can read about 300 books a year? How many books have you read this year? You don’t get down on yourself if you haven’t been reading. Just start now and see how many you can read before the end of the year.

6. Journal.

According to the University of Texas at Austin psychologist and researcher James Pennebaker, regular journaling has been found to strengthen immune cells. Other research shows that it can also be used as an effective stress management tool and decrease the symptoms of asthma and rheumatoid arthritis.

Moreover, journaling also allows you to clarify your thoughts and feelings. It also helps you get to know yourself better, solve problems more effectively, and help you resolve conflicts. And, through journaling, you’re able to track patterns, trends and improvement, and growth.

7. Have a hobby.

Every successful person spends their downtime on something that they enjoy that’s outside of work. For example, Bill Gates loves to play bridge, Warren Buffett plays a mean ukulele, and Steve Wozniak plays Segway polo.

Whatever leisure activity you choose, it’s often associated with many benefits like a stress reliever, encouraging you to take a break and enrich your perspective. They can also promote mindfulness, strengthen relationships, and can even provide an additional revenue stream. Not enough? Depending on the exact hobby, they can also assist you in developing skills like leadership, innovation, communication, and can improve the executive function on the brain.

8. Find an additional stream of income.

Cash flow is a serious concern for entrepreneurs — especially when attempting to get your startup up and running. As such, it wouldn’t hurt to use a little bit of your free time to bring in a little extra cash. Ideally, this should be a passive income so that you’re pretty much-making money while you sleep. But, getting a part-time gig gives you the chance to sharpen your skills, make new connections, or gain feedback from potential customers.

9. Reflect on your accomplishments.

Benjamin Franklin had an impressive daily routine. Every morning he asked, “What good shall I do today?” At night, he would ask, “What good have I done today?” Answering these ensured that Franklin had a productive schedule, it also allowed him to end the day reflecting on his accomplishments.

Celebrating your accomplishments releases endorphins. As a result, you feel excellent, both mentally and physically. It also tightens the relationships you have with your team, business partner, family, or friends. And, it makes you feel like a winner, which in turn, attracts even more success.

10. Get your house and office in order.

To get your house and office in order — sounds ominous. What I mean is that you should spend your free time keeping your home and workspace clean and organized. Take the time now to set up your office properly. You don’t necessarily have to be a neat freak. But, besides the sanitary advantages, you’ll eventually get more things done. You won’t waste time looking for misplaced items, and your mind won’t get distracted by the clutter.

On top of cleaning and organizing, you could also get your home or office in order by doing all those little tasks you’ve been putting off. I’m talking about getting your inbox in-check, returning phone calls, updating contact or finance information, or making doctor’s appointments.

11. Recharge your brain.

Your brain needs to rest. I know some successful individuals like Elon Musk boast about the number of hours they put into their business. But, the fact is that taking a breather can lower your risk of diseases, increase your happiness, boost your energy, and help prevent burn out.

Whether if it’s meditating daily, going camping for the weekend, or closing your eyes and listening to some relaxing music, you need to make this a priority. You’ll thank me later.

12. Focus on your goals.

“Take 10 minutes to think about your goals, personal and professional,” suggests Leo Babauta, founder of Zen Habits. “If you don’t have a list of goals, start on one. If you’ve got a list of goals, review them,” he adds.

Additionally, jot down “a list of action steps you can take over the next couple of weeks to make these goals a reality.” And, determine the “action step can you do today,” continues Babauta. “The more you focus on these goals, and review them, the more likely they will come true.”

Small business entrepreneurs always have a hard time getting started. It is not easy to make a place for yourself on the market, and often many entrepreneurs don’t even make it there. Ecommerce makes things a bit easier for merchants since it is easier to set up an online store, and it is cheaper to take care of it.

That being said, there are a few tips that can help small businesses grow bigger and stronger so that they can compete even with big brands. Here are some of the tips you should follow to better market yourself online.

Content Marketing

In the digital age, content marketing is one of the best marketing tools. The best thing is that there are many free ways to realize this. First of all, it is essential to have a blog. Use the blog to talk about your products and services and show that you are a credible brand that can be trusted by customers.

Your blog doesn’t have to use only words, and it can also come with some beautiful visual items. You can use infographics to explain the most critical points.

Make sure that your viewers remain interested in your blog. Don’t merely use your blog to promote yourself. Instead, you must think about your readers and create valuable content that answers key questions that your viewers may have.

You should also take advantage of social media. It is free, and it attracts a lot of attention if used properly. Social media usually requires a lot of pictures, so that is what you need to focus on. Create a Facebook account and an Instagram page and make sure that you keep them regularly updated.

Content marketing may sound like a big task, but you can always outsource your efforts by hiring blog writers and social media experts, so you have a consistent flow of content and promotion.

Produce Videos For Your Products

While pictures are beneficial, you can’t see all the details in a picture. Try to take things to the next level and include videos for your products. Customers will understand better how the product looks and works, and it will be more likely that they will buy that product. 73% more visitors who watch the video will buy.

To increase the chances that your videos will convert, make sure they are well shot and clear enough, and if you can, use proper lighting.

You may find it easier to record a 30-60-second video than to write content surrounding your products and services. Make sure your lighting is good, and the picture is clear. You can even bulk record several videos on one day to save time.

Use Ecommerce Platforms

Small business entrepreneurs can receive a lot of help from e-commerce platforms such as Shopify. Shopify helps merchants sell online, and they take care of most of the technical details. For example, Shopify will let you choose a theme for your store, and it will help you set up your payment options.

If you are interested in acquiring a store that is already set up, Shopify has an app called Exchange by Shopify that you can use for this purpose. If you find it hard to get started with your business, you can always buy a store that is already created. With Exchange, you can see the exact traffic and the revenue data since Shopify provides them.

User-Generated Content

It is crucial to receive feedback from your customers since it can also influence other possible buyers. Reviews can help your business, but they can be quite hard to obtain sometimes.

You can try offering a discount for any person who writes a review or leaves feedback for use in testimonials. Some customers only buy if they have seen authentic reviews and testimonials. Odds are, you have pleased some people in the past and should have collected a review from them. 

It takes hardly any time to reach out and ask that they give feedback or set up an automatic email with a survey link for them to use.

Build a Sales Funnel

If you don’t have a sales funnel, you could be missing out on a ton of opportunities to reel in new customers. Setting up a sales funnel is easy, and it’s one of the most efficient ways to grow your business.

Let’s break down why. To grow your business, you need more customers. For customers to buy, they often need to know like and trust your business.

You can easily do this with an email funnel. Create an offer for people to receive when they opt into your email list. Then, once they sign up, you can automatically add them to a sequence of emails that are helpful but also allow you to market your business.

Focus on offering helpful tips, information, and resources as part of your email-funnel. Becoming a resource for your customers and clients pain points can help people get more familiar with your business and how it can help them. When it’s time to present your offer, it will be a much easier sell for the people who have gone through your email funnel.

Summary

To grow your business efficiently, focus on automation and outsourcing once you nail down the best strategy. You can put a lot of tasks on autopilot once you have a clear plan and know how to execute it.

Using the strategy mentioned in this article, you can continue forward and get familiar with the right tools and resources to help you succeed.

Even if you enjoy going to work, it can take a toll on your overall health. For example, working in an office, your entire career can literally kill you. Between sitting all-day, unhealthy eating habits, and stress, it’s easy to see why this isn’t an exaggeration. Throw in financial insecurity, work-life conflicts, and problems that exist outside of work, and you also have a team who may be struggling with their mental health as well. Leaders can improve mental health in the workplace.

Your first instinct may be, well, that’s not my problem. But, consider the fact that according to a report from the Mental Health in the Workplace Summit found for that for U.S. adults between the ages of 15 to 44 that mental illness is the leading cause of disability. Additionally, mental health is the leading cause of absenteeism — even ahead of sickness or injury. As a consequence, that negatively impacts your bottom line.

Why you should care about your employee’s well-being.

When employees are absent, that means they could miss deadlines because they’re playing catch-up with their work. Or, it could mean asking other team members to pick up the slack. Pulling these individuals puts additional stress on them because now they have a heavier workload and are busting their tails to get everything completed on time.

Even when employees are at work, they’re not always 100% present. Their minds are not focused on what work needs to get done. But, it’s somewhere else — like worrying about how they’re going to pay for a bill or manage conflict at home.

As if that weren’t enough, when not addressed mental can also affect a person’s physical health, or change their behavior. More problematic is that they may turn to unhealthy habits like drinking, smoking, or drug use to cope.

Ultimately, mental health brings productivity to a screeching halt. Employees with depression report their productivity at 70% of their peak performance. Furthermore, the World Health Organization states that depression and anxiety have cost the global economy a staggering $1 trillion annually because of lost productivity.

So, yeah. The mental health of your employees should be a priority. It’s not just because it impacts your business. But, also because you’re an emotionally intelligent leader who genuinely cares for his or her peeps.

And you also can improve their mental health. Want to know how? Start by using the following five tactics to improve mental health within your organization.

1. Frequently check-in with your team members.

The most comfortable place to start is to get to know your staff and check-in with them. When they’re taking a break, stop by their desk and ask how everything’s going. For your remote team, you can shoot them an email asking the same question. It’s a proven way to show them that you actually care about them as people and value them as employees.

More importantly, it builds trust. When you work with the same people every day, you can begin to notice when something’s off. Don’t just brush this aside. Take this as an opportunity to be supportive. You don’t want to pry. But, if they trust you, they may open up and let you know what’s wrong. From there, you could share suggestions or inquire about how you can help. Sometimes, however, they need someone to listen to them.

I’ve also found that it’s useful to be transparent about your own mental health. I know entrepreneurs think that they’re flawless. But, we’ve all been through our own struggles. Opening up about your own mental health illustrates to others that this is a safe environment where one’s well-being isn’t swept under the carpet.

2. Foster a positive work environment.

Positive work environments are more productive. They can also reduce turnover and improve employee happiness and satisfaction. Best of all? They’re not too difficult to construct if you do the following:

• Develop a core set of values and priorities, so everyone is aligned towards a common goal and has meaning to their work.
• Establish appropriate organizational policies, such as strict policies again, bullying and sexual harassment.
• Greet your team every morning when they arrive to work.
• Enhance your own emotional intelligence so that you can be empathetic and aware of how others are feeling.
• Show gratitude and appreciation for all the hard work your team does.
• Create a more comfortable and productive workplace, such as providing your team with ergonomic furniture. Also, let your employees personalize their own workspaces and place lots of plants throughout the office.
• Never use fear as a tactic to motivate your team.
• Have some fun by celebrating milestones and playing games like team building activities.

3. Have clarity, while granting autonomy.

I used to get so frustrated when working with my dad either around the house or at his business. He wasn’t always the best at giving directions. There were definitely times when he said, “Pick that up and put it over there,” as he pointed to several different areas.

Just imagine how your team would feel if you weren’t clearly explaining what their responsibilities are and what you expect from them. I’m sure they would be stressed and just as irked as I was with my dad.

At the same time, you don’t want to micromanage employees. Once they know what needs to be done, let them take the ball and run with it. Granting them ownership shows that you trust them to work however and wherever they see fit. In turn, this motivates them to be more productive.

Additionally, those battling mental health often feel powerless. So, when a struggling individual more control over their work, they feel empowered and free to make their own decisions.

And, if you allow your employees to have more flexible schedules, then they won’t be afraid to take a mental health day when they need it. The reason is that if need a break today, it’s not the end of the world. They’ll take the day off and get back to work tomorrow feeling refreshed.

4. Promote work/life balance.

We all want our team members to put in a good day’s work. But, that doesn’t mean we expect them to arrive early, stay late, and answer your emails as soon as it’s sent. Doing so will only make them more stressed and anxious. And, eventually, they’ll get burned out.

Encourage everyone, even yourself, to take frequent breaks throughout the day. Suggest that employees take a vacation. And, do not bother your team when they’re off-the-work. That means no midnight texts or emails during the weekend. They need this time to disconnect and attend to their own lives outside of work.

5. Invest in your employee’s well-being.

Finally, make your team’s well-being a top priority. You can start by offering EAP benefits. You can also provide gym memberships, mental health screenings, healthy snacks, and meditation rooms. And, you could host in-service events that focus on areas like stress management or have more meetings outside.

And, as I already mentioned, don’t punish your employees if they need to take a mental health day or leave work early to speak with a counselor. I mean you wouldn’t give them any grief if they had a dentist appointment, right?

Legendary film critic Roger Ebert once said, “I believe empathy is the most essential quality of civilization.” And, from my own personal experiences, I couldn’t agree more. The first example that comes to mind was a former boss. I learned a lot from him on how to be an effective leader, and I greatly respected him. That’s why I was taken aback on one specific occasion. This boss taught me why empathy is the most critical leadership skill as a result of “doing it wrong.”

An acquaintance of mine had been in a car accident. Unfortunately, he passed away. The next day while at work, I was lost in thought and not really myself. I overheard my boss ask a co-worker what my problem was.

While I was upset, I was still at work and able to do my job. I was surprised that the boss didn’t ask me what was going on directly. And why say this to someone right next to me where I would overhear? This particular individual boss must have had lower-emotional-intelligence to act in this manner. I obviously wasn’t broadcasting this news to my co-workers. Maybe this boss was busy — but in my grieving self — I took his actions as a sign that he lacked empathy, and that bothered me. I didn’t necessarily want to explain what was going on. I just wanted him to understand that emotionally, I wasn’t at 100 percent.

Since then, I’ve made it a point to be an empathetic person — at work and home. It’s actually something that I continue to work on since I feel it’s helped me become a better person. On top of that, I would say that empathy is also arguably the most important skill one can possess –especially when you’re in a leadership role.

What is empathy, and why is it important?

In simplest terms, empathy is putting yourself in someone else’s shoes. However, Psychology Today has a more detailed definition; “Empathy is the experience of understanding another person’s thoughts, feelings, and condition from his or her point of view, rather than from one’s own. Empathy facilitates prosocial or helping behaviors that come from within, rather than being forced, so that people behave in a more compassionate manner.”

There are three types of empathy:

• Affective empathy is being able to understand someone else’s emotions and respond appropriately.
• Somatic empathy is where physically experience what someone else is experiencing. For example, you may blush when you see someone who has just been embarrassed.
• Cognitive empathy is when you’re able to understand another person’s mental state, like thinking about what is going through their mind.

When you’re able to experience empathy, you’re more likely to build and fortify social connections. It also encourages you to regulate your own emotions. And it promotes helping behaviors.

Those aren’t just amazing traits as a person; they’re also ones that will make you a better leader. Empathy is always important in life, but here are the reasons empathy is so meaningful for leadership, as well.

It’s in our DNA.

“Evolutionary biology and neuroscience have taught us that humans are hard-wired for empathy from birth,” wrote Maria Ross in a previous Entrepreneur article. While writing her book, The Empathy Edge: Harnessing the Value of Compassion as an Engine for Success, Ross found that the idea of empathy being is “an innate part of our humanness spawned the concept of Homo Empathicus. This Latin phrase, Homo Empathicus, is the concept that we as humans survive and thrive on collaboration and belonging, not on self-interest or isolation.”

Simon Sinek also found that we find comfort in being a part of a group. “Our confidence that we can face the dangers around us depends on feeling safe in a group,” Sinek says. “Being on the periphery is dangerous. The loner on the edge of the group is far more susceptible to predators than someone who is safely surrounded and valued by others.”

Because of this, this explains why empathy is so vital. When we help others and feel valued, it releases serotonin and oxytocin — or as Sinek says, “all the warm and fuzzies.”

“This carries over in the business world, as more and more studies reveal that employees do their best work when supported by empathetic cultures and leaders,” adds Ross.

Empathy creates a more loyal, engaged, and productive team.

Empathy creates bonds. It also shows that you care, value, and understand others. For example, an employee’s performance may be suffering because they’re going through a personal matter. As a consequence, they’re battling insomnia or not able to give 100% at work.

Instead of questioning their work ethic or talent, getting to the root of the problem lets them know that you have a personal interest and concern for them. In other words, they’re not an employee. But an individual that you have affection for.

When your team feels like they’re valued, appreciated, and cared for, they become more loyal, engaged, and productive. Studies show that as leadership demonstrates empathy, employees are willing to put in more effort. And, as a bonus, you’re more likely to retain them. Creating loyal teams includes your virtual teams too.

Teaches presence.

“Empathy means listening attentively, putting your complete focus on the person in front of you without becoming distracted,” writes Lolly Daskal. “As a leader, you are present to listen, understand, assist, and support, not to advise or fix or reply but simply to be.”

“Being present means allowing others to have their moment, and it teaches us as leaders to be patient. It means putting others ahead of yourself,” adds Daskal. That may be challenging in such a competitive world, But, it’s vital if you want to get the most out of your team.

Increases happiness.

When your staff is happy, everyone reaps the benefits. Not only are they more productive, but that positive energy can also be spread to others like your other employees and customers. Imagine if an employee wasn’t in the best of spirits and took that out on colleague or customer. Besides breeding a more toxic work environment, that customer may vow not to support your business again.

Furthermore, it’s another way to keep your top talent. One study found that 66% of employees would quit if they felt underappreciated.

Fosters innovation collaboration.

When people feel like their voices are being heard because you have an interest in what they have to say, they’re more willing to share their ideas. Those innovative solutions could improve not only their performance but the output from everyone within the entire organization.

Additionally, empathy leads to a more collaborative workplace. The main reason is that they feel safe expressing their thoughts and ideas. But, because you know what’s going on behind the scenes, you can also identify the best way for them to work. For example, if a colleague recently lost a loved one, you could allow them to work from home for the next couple of weeks. If you are forcing an employee to come into work, this is not going to create a pleasant environment. Starting a new project with another department head would be even worse.

How to practice empathy.

If you believe that you’re in short supply of empathy, you can easily enhance this skill by:

• Getting to know people better, such as their interests and background.
• Stop rushing to judgments and critiques.
• Listening more and talking less.
• Becoming more aware of other’s needs.
• Ask someone how they are doing if you notice they may not be feeling well, or when you think that something’s wrong.
• Being genuine and even a little vulnerable.

In turn, this will make you a better person, as well as a more focused and inspiring leader. And, this will eventually breed a more creative, dedicated, and productive team.

A secretary or administrative assistant does much more than just schedule or reschedule meetings. You’re responsible for organizing and maintaining your boss’s calendar so that they’ll always meet deadlines and never miss an important event. Because of this added responsibility — you’re probably the most crucial person in your exec’s life. Here are twenty-five calendar tips for secretaries.

You will want to be continually improving your calendar skills. These additional ideas for higher productivity.

1. Know your boss’s preferences and priorities.

You’re responsible for your client’s and superior’s calendars. You’ll want to continue upgrading any needed calendar tools and helps.

First, you need to get better at “doing” the calendar process.      

• For example, when are they most productive? How long does it take them to complete specific tasks?
• When do they prefer to schedule meetings?
• Do they have a particular time when they like to return emails and phone calls?

You can answer these questions by simply asking them what their levels are or what prioritizing do they want? You can also shadow them for a week or two to witness their routine first-hand. Go through their back schedules and calendars to note how their schedules have appeared before.

2. Commit to lists and planners.

As a secretary or assistant, you must be organized — for both your boss and yourself. If not, you won’t be able to prioritize tasks. And, even worse, you may make common scheduling mistakes like double-booking appointments.

The most natural solution is to create lists and use planners and calendars. While you can use a paper planner or calendar, going digital allows you to access this information anywhere, anytime. It’s also more convenient to share with others. You can also use these tools to set reminders and notifications so that important dates and tasks will not be forgotten.

If you do use several apps, such as an online calendar and a task management app, make sure that they’re synced and updated in real-time.

3. Get familiar with your chosen calendar.

If you do use an online calendar, set aside time to understand the essentials and how to use the Calendar thoroughly, for example, with what other tools does this Calendar integrate? How can it be shared with others? And, what shortcuts are there so that you can quickly add and edit information?

To get you started, here are some helpful guides you can refer to:

• Apple Calendar
• Microsoft Calendar
• Google Calendar

4. Create a calendar template.

After you’ve gotten to know your boss’s preferences, and how to use your calendar, you can create a calendar template. It makes managing a calendar easier since you can input essential dates and data instead of creating a calendar from scratch for every day, week, or month.

For example, does your manager prefers to have all meetings take place on Tuesday? Block out that day in the calendar for meetings so that nothing else is scheduled in the same timeframe. If they want to check their emails daily from 1 pm to 1:30 pm, then in the template would block-out that time for that specific task.

5. Use a shared calendar.

If you’re using a digital calendar, then one of the most important features it should have is the ability for the calendar to be shared with others. Most calendars allow you to share it via email or an URL code. As you’re creating and managing someone else’s schedule, they should have access to their calendar so that they know exactly what’s going on.

Additionally, shared calendars ensure that everyone remains on the same page. It also prevents surprises, conflicts, boosts productivity, and helps manages tasks, deadlines, and milestone.

6. Address possible scheduling conflicts before they occur.

Let’s say that you’re reviewing the calendar for either yourself or your superior and spot a possible scheduling conflict. For instance, there is a meeting that ends at 4:30 pm on Tuesday, but your boss has a dinner commitment at five pm. You may want to see if you can conclude the meeting earlier or push-back the dinner ASAP. Paying attention to the details that cause frustrations in scheduling will prevent your boss from rushing from one appointment to the next or even running late.

7. Create and stick to your routine.

Everyone needs a routine. Without one, you’re aimlessly wandering from task-to-task. What’s more, a set routine will keep you on track. You’ll know precisely what you’re working on and when.

An effective routine should be based on energy and not time. If you are most productive in the morning, then that’s when you would want to focus on your most demanding or essential work for the day. After you’ve determined your ideal routine, add blocks of time to your calendar that is set aside for a specific activity. Remember, your routine should remain the same every day.

8. Batch similar tasks together.

Batching is where you group similar tasks to accomplish at the same time. This way, your brain isn’t switching gears. For example, you could arrange all meetings on the same day of the week. Now you and your superiors aren’t interrupting your day to attend a meeting. The other days of the week would then be dedicated to your other priorities.

9. Never book back-to-back or standing meetings.

These suggestions may feel like you are going back to scheduling 101. Back-to-back meetings are disastrous since this doesn’t provide an opportunity to prepare and decompress from the previous appointment. If there’s travel involved, your manager could run late. It’s unprofessional to be late for any event or meeting and results in wasting someone else’s valuable time. Always add a buffer between meetings to prevent these mistakes from occurring.

Additionally, scrap any standing meetings. If the other party isn’t committed or the event doesn’t serve a purpose — it’s not worth adding to the calendar.

10. Optimize time for different types of meetings.

Speaking of meetings, they’re not all created equal. As such, they shouldn’t require the same amount of time. For example, a discovery call with a potential client should only take 10-15 minutes. A face-to-face appointment with a high profile customer should last around 45-minutes.

Knowing how to optimize time for various types of meetings means that you aren’t committing additional time to your boss’s calendar.

11. Always bring your calendar into meetings.

Whether you’re using a paper or electronic calendar, always make sure that you have that calendar with you — by your side whenever you attend a meeting. Having this calendar with you allows you to jot down how long the meeting lasted, who attended, and what was discussed. Having this information will make planning future meetings a breeze.

Rely on a tool such as Calendar as it will tap into the power of machine learning and make smart suggestions on how to schedule meetings to more significant advantage. Although voice-intelligent calendars are right around the corner, they’ll be able to make meetings even more productive. For example, smart calendars can analyze past events to see how everyone participated. You will also want to suggest to your higher-up that they find ways to make meetings more engaging and time-effective.

12. Plan for breaks and interruptions.

No matter how organized and prepared you are, emergencies happen. While it’s impossible to always plan for the unexpected, you can make it less of a problem by having some flexibility in your manager’s schedule. Now if there’s a fire to put out, it won’t completely throw their entire schedule into chaos. They can move a task back to an empty block of time.

Also, you need to build in breaks into everyone’s calendar. We all need time to unplug, rest, and refocus throughout the day. For some of us, if it’s not in our calendar, we may keep on working until we hit a wall.

13. Don’t offer open-ended scheduling options.

Let’s say that you leave Friday mornings open for your boss. They receive a request for a meeting, and you say, “Friday morning is open. What time works best for you?”

A high number of appointment requests and your boss’s Friday morning is now jam-packed with meetings. Now you have left them with little time to handle priorities like administrative tasks. Instead, only offer one or two options to reduce this from happening. However, I would reply by sharing your exec’s calendar so that they can see their availability for themselves.

14. Use a variety of tools.

If you want everyone’s life to run smoothly, you need to have an arsenal of tools. An online calendar should be the first tool that you embrace. Consider solutions such as:

• Calendar to automate any meetings or events that need to be added to a calendar.
• Trello for project management.
• Dropbox for sharing files.
• Todoist to manage all of your lists.
• Slack to communicate and collaborate with others.
• SaneBox to keep your inbox in check.
• Hootsuite for managing social accounts.

15. Color-code everything.

A color-coding system is where you assign a color to a particular activity. For example, you could use blue to represent all meetings and red for concentrated and undisturbed work. It’s a quick and effective way for you, and your boss, to view a calendar with just a glance.

16. Double-check synching.

Always make sure that all of your boss’s devices are synched with her calendar. The last thing you want is for them to miss an important deadline or appointment because their calendar on their phone wasn’t updated. To make matters worse, Google Calendar is known for having syncing issues even though it’s one of the best calendar tools available.

17. Check the weather and traffic throughout the day.

Your executive is always on the go. One of your responsibilities is to keep up with the weather conditions and traffic patterns. If there was implement weather or an accident, it could result in them arriving late to a meeting or appointment.

In your calendar, you should set reminders to periodically check the weather or traffic so that your exec can plan accordingly. Some calendar apps provide real-time weather and traffic information and will notify you on when you should leave.

18. Keep others on-track.

Whenever there’s a meeting scheduled, it’s your job to confirm the event with everyone attending. You also need to make sure that you’ve sent participants an agenda and directions to the location of the meeting. Thankfully, most calendar tools will send event reminders. But, you still want to make sure that everyone will attend and be there on-time.

19. Become a timekeeper.

When your manager is in a meeting, they probably aren’t focused on keeping a sharp eye on the clock. As such, you could be the one keeping track of the time. When there are only ten minutes left, give them a cue so that they know it’s time to wrap up. You may also be expected to keep everyone on the team in line with the boss’s calendar.

20. Simplify your inbox.

As an assistant, you not only have to tame your inbox but also your supervisor’s email. Suffice to say, if not tamed, email can become an overwhelming and time-consuming task. That’s why you need to set aside times throughout the day to go through emails. Since you may not have time to go through every message, you’ll establish a priority matrix. Determine which messages are urgent and need immediate action and those that can be responded to later. The priority matrix will also help you identify messages, in email, text, or calls that require a follow-up. Those items require monitoring you’ll add to a to-do list.

21. Set an out of office message in your calendar.

Both you and your boss need time away from the office. But, what if someone asks when your superior is free or not? Instead of viewing their calendar and rattling off a series of dates and times, you can share the calendar with the other party. But, by adding an out-of-office message to the calendar, no one will be permitted to book an appointment whenever you and your boss aren’t in the office.

• How To Set an Out of Office Message in Outlook
• How To Set An Out Of Office Message In Google Calendar

22. Prepare, prepare, and prepare again.

Preparation is vital when you’re an assistant. There’s no right or wrong way to prepare. However, the best place to start is reviewing you and your manager’s schedule in the evening to make sure that everything is for tomorrow. You don’t want to wake-up to any surprises first thing in the AM.

Personally, I also like to prep my meals and clothing the night. The decision the evening make that decision in the morning. Generally, you can’t pick your boss’s clothing without assistant-access permission to their items. However, some executive bosses do get desperate enough to allow you to have access to accomplish this task for them. But you can have their favorite snacks or list of their favorite restaurants readily available.

23. Set aside time to discuss your boss’s calendar.

No matter how well you know, your manager, schedules, and priorities will change. To address this, you should block out a time to discuss the schedule with them. Some secretaries like to do this weekly, while others feel that once a month is satisfactory.

24. Review this (and next’s) week’s calendar.

Once a week, preferably on Fridays, review your calendar so that you can see how the last week priority activities were spent. You can then use that data to make the next week even more productive and effective. For example, if you notice that your exec spends an hour per week hosting a team meeting that only takes 30-minutes, cut-back the meeting length going forward.

25. Follow the fundamental rule of scheduling.

Finally, make sure that you always follow the fundamental rule of scheduling; all scheduling goes through you. No exceptions.

Having a steel-control on the schedule may sound like a bit much. But, if too many people are involved in creating and managing a calendar, it can become extremely cluttered. And, it can lead to scheduling conflicts or errors. The fewer cooks in the kitchen, the better.