One of the best things about technology is how easy it is for people to get in touch.

If your daughter is studying abroad in Spain, you’re going to love the instant communication options technology allows. You’ll be able to hear her voice, see her face, and check out her awesome food pics.

But what if you’re off visiting your daughter in Spain and your phone is blowing up with texts and emails about work? You’re probably going to be pretty darn frustrated about the easy accessibility that modern technology provides.

Being constantly accessible is definitely a double-edged sword.

The importance of powering down

Sure, you could leave your lights on 24 hours a day. But you don’t.

Because you know what’s going to happen. They’ll run hot and burn out fast. It will cost you time and money to replace them more frequently. And, deep down inside, you know it’s not really necessary to have them burning all day and night. It’s a waste of perfectly good energy.

But light bulbs are pretty cheap and easy to come by. So maybe you get a little lazy about leaving them on more than you should.

Now imagine you just bought yourself a new car. You did a lot of research until you found one with all of the right features. The process was time-consuming and the cost was significant, but it’s just what you need, so you feel good about the investment. It runs great, it’s reliable, and you’re confident it will get you where you want to go.

So now that you have this awesome new piece of machinery at your disposal, you’re going to leave it running 24/7, right?

Of course not! That would be ridiculous. It’s bad for the engine, it’s a waste of fuel, and it will shorten your vehicle’s lifespan. Plus, leaving your car running makes it much easier for someone to steal it out from under you.

Let’s be real. You don’t leave things running all the time because it just doesn’t make any sense.

And yet we’ve bought into the myth

Somehow, we’ve convinced ourselves that, unlike our lights and vehicles, we need to be on (and available!) all the time. That our company does. That our employees do.

But this doesn’t make sense either.

Let’s say you get a package delivered to your door at 10:00 pm. Did you really expect it to arrive that late or are you feeling a little perplexed? Are you wondering how long that delivery person been working? How tired are they? If this is really the best use of resources? It’s late. And dark. And potentially unsafe. What if the driver falls asleep at the wheel? When it comes right down to it, would you be just as happy receiving your stuff in the morning?

Companies, please take note: Many customers will actually choose to do business with a corporation that’s known for being good to their employees over one that isn’t. Research also shows that customer service, retention, and overall profitably numbers are higher in organizations that take care of their people.

Taking care of your people means encouraging them to take breaks. And we’re not just talking about mandated shift breaks here. We’re talking about time away from work, and without 24-hour accessibility.  

Does your team need a vacation? Do you?

PTO shouldn’t stand for Paid Time On. You and your employees need a break.

Just like that sweet Tesla in the driveway, people can only go so long before they need to re-charge. If you don’t allow them to do it, you’re not going to get the performance you want.

And yes, this includes you. Even if you’re the all-knowing top dog, you need time off in order to be your best. And you shouldn’t be racked with guilt for taking it.

So, turn off the lights, park your car, and give up the idea that you and your employees need to be available at all times.

Or just keep on working… until all your lights burn out.

 

At Sonus Benefits, we build cost-effective, long-lasting benefits strategies to keep your business and your employees in optimum health. Located in Sunset Hills, MO, we help clients throughout the Missouri and Illinois area to identify and manage complex employee benefits challenges. If you would like help managing your employee programs, we may be the insurance consultant and business partner you need.

 

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It’s been estimated that 15% of an organization’s collective time is spent in meetings. Worse yet, it’s also been estimated that over 37 BILLION dollars per year are spent on unproductive meetings.

That’s enough to make any business person’s head hurt.

If you’re frustrated with the lack of preparation, organization, progress, and productivity happening in your meetings, you’re not alone. And yet you probably find yourself suffering through these sessions on a regular basis.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Not all meetings are a waste of time

Some of them are necessary. And productive. But far too many of them aren’t. This is unfortunate because it really doesn’t take that much to make your meetings less painful and more productive.

In fact, you can vastly improve your meetings by following these three principles:

1. Stop meeting just because

Just because a meeting is on the schedule doesn’t mean it needs to happen.

Don’t waste everyone’s time by holding meetings out of obligation or without a defined purpose. Having a meeting simply because it’s the second Friday of the month is ridiculous. Even if there are snacks involved.

Reasons to have a meeting:

• Your team is working collectively to achieve a specific, defined objective
• There are important updates to communicate, and it can’t easily be done via email
• The meeting content is educational and will better prepare each attendee to be more successful in his/her role

Reasons not to have a meeting:

• It’s Monday, and you always meet on Mondays
• You like getting everyone together just to “touch base”
• Someone brought doughnuts

If you are going to take your people away from their work, you’ve got to make it count.

• Define the specific objectives to be achieved in the meeting
• Communicate those objectives when the meeting is scheduled and remind everyone of the objective when (or before) the meeting starts
• Once you’ve achieved your objectives, end your meeting. No need to hang around just because you have the time blocked out.

Scheduling tip: Meetings don’t automatically need default to an hour. If you’ve got 20 minutes of material to cover, schedule 20 minutes.

2. Commit to an agenda

Never ask people to come to a meeting without explaining in reasonable detail why they need to be there and what will happen when they arrive.

Having a clear agenda not only assures there is an objective for the meeting, it forces the facilitator to prepare and lets each attendee know what they need to do in order to contribute and benefit from the meeting.

Planning tip: The agenda doesn’t have to be complicated. It can be as simple as a few bullet points. However, those bullet points must be specific, relevant, and distinct. Going around the room and letting everyone talk for 5 or 10 minutes is NOT an agenda. And if you’re using the same agenda every week, you’re not accomplishing anything significant.

3. Confirm attendance and outcomes

First things first. Get confirmation of who will be attending the meeting before it happens.

Unless you’re still meeting for the sake of meeting, everyone on the invite list should be critical to the defined objectives. If one key person is missing, your meeting could easily turn unproductive. If you know ahead of time that critical participants, facilitators, and/or decision-makers can’t be there, don’t waste everyone else’s time. Cancel and reschedule.

At the end of your meeting, you’ll also want to confirm tasks and takeaways. Before everyone gets up and walks out the door, make sure everyone understands and commits to doing whatever is required of them to further the objectives of the meeting.

Productivity tip: Your meeting attendees aren’t there to be entertained. They are there to participate and contribute. Ask them if they got what they expected out of the meeting, and confirm what they will do as a result.

Make your meetings count

Adhering to these three meeting principles will significantly improve meeting attitudes and outcomes.

Once you start consistently having efficient and productive meetings, your colleagues, prospects, and clients will be more much more willing to attend. And they’ll be better prepared afterward.

Great meetings aren’t about quantity, they’re about quality. Get rid of unproductive meetings and you’ll be a workplace hero! Bring coffee and you just might reach sainthood.

Is your benefits broker also a compliance consultant? How about a trusted business partner? Are you confident your policies and processes are doing what they need to ensure that your company—and your employees— are healthy and productive?

 

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When you look around a company and see a common set of behaviors, you can usually tie it back to the behaviors of the leaders.

Positive, focused, driven behaviors by leaders set an example for the team, and it’s very common for the team to generally behave in the same way and have similar attitudes. It’s contagious. And people tend to rise to the level of expectation or standard.

The same holds true for the negative behaviors displayed by leaders. When the team regularly sees poor behavior, they begin to see it as acceptable and respond accordingly. People also tend to lower their output to the level of expectation or standard.

Poor behaviors that are demonstrated and tolerated are morale busters. Lack of effort, inspiration, courage, and follow-through by a leader can deflate even the most positive of people. Here are some poor leadership behaviors that can be detrimental to your team:

• Not making decisions, avoiding commitments, not implementing scheduled changes
• Lack of responsiveness to communications
• Putting in minimum effort to achieve minimum expectations
• Not meeting deadlines and goals
• Not following through on commitments
• Canceling and not showing up for meetings or appointments
• Playing favorites based on relationships and not results
• Making excuses for these behaviors rather than owning up to the real Why

If this sounds all too familiar, then it’s time to do some evaluation to understand the real cause for these behaviors. Is it just an individual or two in the company behaving like this (performance issue)? Or is it pervasive throughout (cultural & leadership issue)?

Either way, you’ll need to do some work to make sure these bad behaviors don’t spread throughout the rest of the organization.

Turning the ship

If your leadership is displaying bad behaviors, the only way to turn the organization around is to acknowledge the problem and address it.

If you’re part of the leadership team, ask for an honest assessment from your staff and colleagues. Once you’ve identified the issues, you ask for the help and accountability you need to get yourself and everyone else back on track. If you’re not the leader but you’ve spotted a leadership problem, it’s going to require a potentially difficult conversation on your part. It may not be enough to point out the behaviors themselves. You might also need to detail the impacts they are having on individuals and the organization.

If you’re in a position where you can’t be the person directly influencing leadership behavior, you have a few choices, depending on your role.

• You can do nothing.
• You can talk to a person who has the power to influence company leaders, help them see the situation, and encourage them to take on that conversation.
• You can work to create your own set of values and an alternate sub-culture within your group or department.
• You can choose to leave.

None of these things are easy for anyone, but if an environment isn’t healthy and doesn’t provide a beneficial situation for you, your team, and your organization, someone should try to change it. Whether that person is you, your CEO, your HR Department, your Board of Directors, or other key influencers, it needs to be done. Breaking poor behavior patterns is the best course of action to get your leadership and your company moving in the right direction.

If this isn’t happening, you should be prepared for continued problems and an exodus of your best talent. You should also consider that your best career decision may be to follow them out the door.

We help clients all throughout the Midwest identify organizational challenges and put customized solutions in place. From tailored benefit programs to human resource management services, we’ve got you covered. If you’re looking for a corporate employee benefits consultant who is a true business partner, Sonus is here for you.

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If you’re introducing a new initiative in your company, you understand the significance of getting your team onboard. After all, the success of the initiative is largely dependent on the levels of team motivation and support.

Unfortunately, when we introduce something new, we often focus only on why it’s important for the business that the initiative is successful. And we leave out other possible motivational factors.

Sure, your team has a tangible stake in the success of your organization. But the company is only one of several areas of motivation for the various individuals on your team. The other four areas include society, customer, team and, of course, self.

Breaking it down

If you were to divide everyone on your team up by their primary motivating forces, you’d likely end up with a pretty even number of people in each category. If you want your entire team to get behind your cause, you’ll need to communicate the potential impacts that new initiative will have based on each key area of motivation.

For example, let’s say you’re going to invest in a new sales technology. To make sure you’re hitting for the cycle, you’ll need to address each of the five motivational factors as you approach and communicate the change.

1.) You may start with the fact that increased sales are necessary due to poor organizational growth over the past X number of months or years. To get the company back on a positive track, there is a need to invest in, and commit to, this new technology. This will speak to your company motivated individuals.

2.) Having made that point, you might go on to explain how, because of low (or no) growth, company profitability has suffered, and you will no longer able to contribute generously to the community and/or causes your employees care about. This will resonate with those motivated by society.

3.) You could also talk about how the new technology platform will provide a much more customer-focused process, ensuring your ability to acquire great customers and keep them happy with enhanced customer service and experience. Your customer motivated people will relate to this.

4.) Of course you’ll want to explain how departments and teams will benefit from the new technology, which will allow everyone to work more efficiently and build more effective team processes and structures. Those motivated by team will see the beauty in this.

5.) Finally, you could appeal to individuals in your organization by clarifying how the results of this new technology will lead to increased financial incentives and/or career growth opportunities for everyone involved. And now you’ve got your self-motivated folks on board.

Rounding it out

For any organizational initiative to be successful, you have to ensure the broadest level of support possible. If you aren’t taking the time to tap into the various motivational forces as they appeal to everyone in your company, you’re missing opportunities to get everyone on board.

Increase motivations and you will increase buy-in, enthusiasm, and ultimately – success.

Need a better ROI on your corporate employee benefits? At Sonus Benefits, we’re not interested in just finding you a policy for this year. We provide strategic employee benefits and human resource management services to help you build a better future.

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Don’t sweat the small stuff is great advice. As long as you’re not running a business.

Because if there’s one thing most business owners can agree on, it’s that details matter. You’d never ignore a tiny little accounting error. Or a tiny little hiring error. Or a tiny little compliance error. Because really, there’s no such thing.

Take apostrophes, for example. A lot of people have trouble using them correctly, which is understandable. Honestly, they’re a little confusing. But what’s not okay is thinking that a tiny little punctuation mark couldn’t possibly affect your business.

The truth is, when it comes to your brand, everything matters.

Everything?

Yes. Everything.

And while poor punctuation may not literally cause your business to shut down, it can definitely cause you to lose some credibility.

In reality, plenty of people may be more than willing to head on over to Bob’s Best Burger’s, despite the extraneous apostrophe. I mean, really. What’s the worst that could happen? If they’re prone to throwing in things that don’t belong, maybe you’ll get a few extra fries in your basket!

But if you’re a serious customer looking for a serious professional you can trust, you’re not going to be as easy going. Far fewer people will risk handing their legal issues over to Brain & Brain Expert Lawyer’s. Or engage a high-end consulting company marketing to Fortune 500 CEO’s.

Why? Because customer satisfaction lies in the details. If they can’t trust you to get your signage, your marketing, or your even your own name right, why on earth would they trust you to handle the things that matter most to them?

It’s really quite simple

It’s not necessarily about potential customers being overly-judgmental. Sure, there may be an occasional grammar snob who enjoys sneering at your business card with disdain. But for most of us, it’s much less complicated.

It’s all about trust. Or lack of it.

The fact that virtually all punctuation fixes (not fix’s) are a quick Google search away isn’t helping you build credibility. There’s an easy solution available, but you’ve obviously chosen not to invest the 30 seconds it would take to find it. So why should your potential client think for even one second that you’ll go the extra mile for them?

Detail’s matter

See what just happened there? You’re losing confidence right this very second, aren’t you?

The main point here is that details really do matter. Something you think shouldn’t make a difference might just be a deal breaker for one of your clients. As a business, it’s important for you to pay attention to the little things. Ignoring “tiny” mistakes will eventually reflect poorly on both you and your business.

Invest in your processes and put your best foot forward. Your team, your team’s teams, and your team’s teams’ teams are all depending on you.

Tired of working with insurance salespeople who only think one year at a time? Wonder what it would be like to have a broker who looks beyond your annual policy? At Sonus Benefits, we’ll provide a corporate employee benefits strategy to help you achieve your long-term your vision. Get in touch to find out how.

 

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Even the most noble and well-planned strategy won’t be carried out with enthusiasm and care if people don’t like working in your organization. At best, you’ll end up with a mediocre version of the ideas you envisioned. At worst you’ll end up with a toxic culture that drives employees, clients and supporters away.

Culture happens. Whether you’re paying attention or not.

If you ignore it, the culture of your organization will develop randomly. But if you’re paying close attention, you can be very intentional about building and shaping the kind of company culture you want to live, breathe and work in.

• When you carefully manage and protect your environment, you will attract people who fit into your culture and who are excited to contribute to your mission.
• But if you just let whatever happens happen, you will allow people who are in your company to determine your culture.

Culture is more than a fancy mission statement. It’s more than onsite espresso machines, or a dress code that includes flip flops.

Yes, those things can be manifestations of your culture, and good ones at that. But true culture is about your values. It’s about living and breathing your beliefs, and making sure everyone else knows them too. It’s about the care and development you pour into your people. It’s about making sure everyone feels worthwhile and sees themselves as a valuable part of the team. And, it’s about showing your employees the roles they play in making your vision a reality.

Organizations that don’t pay attention to culture:

• Hire for skill and not for personality fit
• Have little (or poorly executed) communication
• Lack performance management, mentoring, and personal/career development
• Don’t have defined or well-communicated company vision and values
• Breed employees who don’t trust their leaders and don’t feel connected to their work

Organizations that are intentional about shaping the right culture:

• Hire for personality and cultural fit, recognizing that skills can be taught
• Communicate clearly and often
• Request feedback, ideas, and participation from all team members
• Integrate regular performance coaching and personal development opportunities
• Have defined company values that are woven into the fabric of the organization
• Share the vision of the organization and work collaboratively to make it a reality
• Foster trust in leadership and commitment to something bigger

Which kind of organization are you?

Regardless of how your culture has developed, chances are it is fairly strong and engrained.

A culture will always rise up to defend itself, be it good or bad. If you’ve got a great culture, this strong defense should be very welcome. But if you’re trying to make cultural change, this defense can be very frustrating and tough to overcome. It takes a leader with a strong will to turn the tide, and some tough decisions and actions along the way.

But great challenges offer great rewards.

Don’t let a happenstance culture drag your organization down. Commit to building the kind of culture that makes your team excited to be part of your vision and you excited to go to work each day.

Recruiting and retaining employees is easier when you can proudly offer a comprehensive benefits plan that makes your team members feel as valuable as they are. At Sonus Benefits, we build cost effective, long-lasting employee benefits strategies to keep your business and your employees in optimum health.

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They say the only constant is change. And like most clever sayings, this one is also very true.

Today’s pace of change is faster than it’s ever been before. But here’s the kicker. It’s also the slowest it will ever be again. Just think about that for a second.

When it comes to change, you have three basic choices

1. Bury your head (and the rest of your body) in the sand
2. Wait for change to find you and then react
3. Get out in front change and take control

We all know people and companies who have gone with option one— and how well that went.

And yet many individuals and organizations are all too willing to ignore impending change, or to embrace a strategy that is purely reactionary.

If you run a business, this isn’t going to help you achieve your goals. Or even survive.

Taking control

If you want to make change work for you, you’ll not only need to tune in to what’s happening around you, you’ll need to adjust your thinking, processes and vision to match. Ultimately, you’ll have to decide what your new future looks like and commit to making it a reality.

Based on what’s happening now, what critical elements will need to be in place to set you up for success? Ultimately, you want to be able to ride the waves of change instead of helplessly watching them roll in and hoping they will spare you.

To make effective changes in your business, you’ll need to evaluate the following:

• Company profitability
• Organizational growth
• Your core value proposition
• Your marketing and sales process
• The skills and behaviors on the team
• What resources you need to be successful
• And perhaps many other elements of your organization

The key is here is that you and your entire team will need to understand how you must evolve in order to remain relevant and viable.

The vision is just the beginning

Simply defining your future isn’t going to cut it. In addition to coming up with your vision, you will need to follow up by:

• Communicating – Take the time to explain to the team and why change is necessary.
• Planning – Establish and share a formal strategy for how you will move from where you are today to where you want to be tomorrow
• Making it happen – Make sure everyone understands not just how they will be impacted, but also how they will be expected to contribute to the execution of the plan.
• Evaluating and adjusting – Report back to the team on all of the above. Track your progress and results on a regular basis and make corrections as needed.

Way too often when a change initiative is introduced, the team simply grins, rolls their eyes, knowing nothing ever really changes.

And while it’s tempting to blame it on bad attitudes, the truth is that often it’s their leaders who have trained them to react this way. By not committing to past initiatives, and by sidestepping the difficult work and decisions, and follow through that should have happened as a result.

Get committed

Take the time to make sure both your leadership and team understand where the organization is going, why you’re going there, how you will get there, and how they will be impacted and expected to contribute.

Taking this critical step will allow people to feel excited instead of scared, empowered instead of frustrated, and knowledgeable instead of in the dark. When your team understands how they fit into the bigger picture, they will be much more willing to stop fighting your change initiatives and start fighting with you to put them in place.

Yes, it may be difficult. But that’s what makes it so rewarding when you succeed.

Need a better ROI on your corporate employee benefits? At Sonus, we’re not interested in just finding you a policy for this year. We provide strategic employee benefits and human resource management services to help you build a better future. If you’re looking for a corporate employee benefits consultant who is a true business partner, and not just a once a year policy peddler, Sonus Benefits is here for you.

 

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