Give Yourself Credit for the Small Victories!

Give Yourself Credit for the Small Victories. by Meredith Bell.  GREAT READING IN THIS ARTICLE! Visit Meredith’s site “Your Voice of Encouragement”.

Read this article about “encouraging yourself” . Here are some quoted sections:

“The way to build your confidence is to be on the look-out for things you’ve done well in the course of your day, no matter how small, and recognize the accomplishments.”

“So at least twice a day, take time to reflect on what you’ve done so far in that day that you are proud of.”

I struggle often with running through my day with confidence. After all, reaching out and speaking to “strangers” uninvited, is scary for me. This is MY STRUGGLE. So why do I do it, you ask? One of MY SUCCESSFUL traits, as well, to improve myself! I am VERY goal oriented too! I just happened to fall into great business opportunities that require me to do prospecting for customers/business. I can accept meeting new people IF they come up to me, but for me to “butt” in and say “hello, I’m Cheryl Gnad with …” causes me a lot of anxiety! In other words FEAR! So, I have to have a reason to overcome. My reason is to have control of my own destiny in business, create my own income/rewards, and to be able to find ways to help other people get what they want.

I have a strong desire to create opportunities for others to improve their lives. Too many people feel stuck in their situation and struggle needlessly, and sadly. Marriages are stressed, finances are dwindling, kids are struggling in school, and families are torn apart, because people can’t get answers to their own “fears” and can’t lift themselves up! You can recognize them with “I can’t”, “I will somehow”, “I just don’t know what to do”, “I’ll try”, “its impossible”, or “maybe I will win the lottery”. Another big sign of someone who is stuck in their downcast mental state is when you hear the excuses or blame game. Words like “they did it”, “they have it out for me”, “its unfair”, and anything implying that it is the others fault that they can’t do something. This is one of the hardest mindsets to help change because change is up to the one needing to make the decision to change. No one can make the decision for them.

It is a funny thing for me. Because of my own struggles meeting people, asking for their business, and desiring to be “liked”, I have worked all the more harder to overcome. Am I successful? Personally, I am not giving myself a good grade. I set high standards for myself and I “measure” my success. I speak all too often in terms of “I must”,  “I have to”, or “I should”. All of which leads me to not be able to measure myself successfully in.  I have a mentor/coach that says that I’ve greatly improved and can do all that it requires of me to be successful, that I have what it takes! Others see this and attest to it, but I don’t recognize it. So my friends and personal  mentor are invaluable to being my mirror of my self and letting me see my successes.

Read the above article, comment on your struggles that you are overcoming or have overcome. How did you find the way to your successful goals? Take this advice. Treat yourself with even the smallest victories, recall them, FEEL them again mentally, and do this daily! Find a good friend/mentor to be your mirror, hopefully someone that is in the game of self-improvement too, and has traveled where you’ve been. Find an activity or business opportunity to practice your self-improvements in and GROW!

My business models are all about helping others – personal business ownership, social media marketing. If you need a venue to practice and get the leg up to improve your life or business, give me a call or send me an email. I love working with individuals driven to make a change! It is just a decision.

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Cheryl Gnad with Social Focus by CG, eComm Strategies and Out of the Box Gifts and Incentives

Recognizing and Empowering – Keys to Keeping Qualified Employess

In today’s economy and job market, finding and keeping the best employees is a company’s main challenge. Hundreds of resume’s come across HR’s desks and there are lots of choices about who to bring on  for that position that was budgeted less money than it was before (because the company had to “tighten their belts”, so to speak). There are many unemployed candidates waiting for your reply and you have to decide who. How to start? You may not wish to hire someone who appears “over-qualified” for fear that they may up and leave at a moment’s notice of a job that pays better. Right? This may not necessarily be so.  Maribeth Kuzmeski, founder of Red Zone Marketing, LLC, and author of “The Connectors: How the World’s Most Successful Business People Build Relationships and Win Clients for Life” (Wiley, www.TheConnectorsBook.com), says you may not want to ignore these candidate. She offers great suggestions. Most are related to connecting to a candidate’s “why”, or “passion/attitude”, know that they need less training, and once they are hired, empower them.

Empowering the highly skilled or qualified new hire becomes another related topic! Keeping them.  An employer needs to connect to the employee’s “feelings,” which are an essential part of the equation to giving people authentic and “real” recognition. (Roy Saudnerson, GIVING the Real Recognition Way) By developing programs that have a clearly defined framework of “IF” you do this, “THEN” you get that, you influence the employee’s beliefs of achievement within his work environment and he produces the desired results.

Employees tell us one of the problems they have with rewards is they only receive them when the goal finally is accomplished. Their complaint is generally that no one ever says anything along the way to getting the results. What a lost opportunity for acknowledging people for the many actions and behaviors leading up to the final outcome.  (Saunderson, 2011)

All too often, recognition is noticed and flagged only when it shows up as a low score on an employee evaluation or engagement survey. This is not reinforcing.  It is often seen that employees who lack “positive” recognition are more likely to leave the organization. People are more inclined to stay with a company where they are appreciated and who feeds their desire to achieve with training, workshops, professional development or mentoring.  “As recognition is included on performance reviews or 360’degree feedback tools as a key competency, managers can be measured and receive appropriate bonuses or pay changes [or gift incentives!] — the rewards.” (Saunderson, 2011)

“Suddenly, changing one’s mind and beliefs looks very rewarding,” then manager need not fear losing the “over-qualified” employee. That employee will become loyal.

Bibliography

Saunderson, R. (2011, March/April). Changing Minds. Training Magazine , p. 42.

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Cheryl Gnad – Incentive Specialist with Out of the Box Incentives, www.shopOutoftheBox.biz, www.shopOutoftheBox.snappages.com, Twitter: @shopOutoftheBox

See Me Dance? Hmmm, Maybe Not. (Just inside I am!)

Well folks, today seemed like a great day to bring you up to date. I am feeling inspired and motivated to create my path for success! Yea! Ok, see me dance? Maybe not. It isn’t my style actually, but I am just hopping inside! I should be out meeting new faces and making friends and maybe meeting someone who would like to expand their horizons like I want to do! I so enjoy finding a similarly motivate person – one that is wanting to grow, make more income, and help others because of what they learned. It is so fantastic, that when you lead another to greater things, you find yourself lifted higher than you were aware of happening! So, I begin with blogging about the possibilities and the insights I have received.

I’ve read The Progress Challenge by Dean Lindsay, and in it he writes the quote “Winning isn’t getting ahead of others. It’s getting ahead of yourself.” Holy Cow! That is me! I have since I was a child always wanted to better myself. It seemed easy, ha!, looking back. But I succeeded and reached my goals at the time! I did a journal about how one should always keep growing, planting new dreams in your future and finding ways to get there. Today, after MANY years of pursuing my dream, I found that it is harder now to do. Life throws new curves at you. Family, children, aging parents, distant siblings, loss of friends, jobs that didn’t work out, new jobs to learn, economy that takes and rarely gives, and so on and so on. No wonder many people just give up! They just “settle for”.

The author quotes Viktor Frankl “Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answers to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual.” Frankly, it means that the only things we can control are our responses, our decisions, our actions. Our actions are our responsibility! WE CHOOSE! Not life or others. It isn’t pressed upon us, we just choose to accept it. BUT what if you wanted something loftier than what you have? What do you do?

I will comment more on what does one do here in my blog later. Here is a peek…create your dream, set out a plan, decide to follow, and go. Have I done that? Yes, and still working it out. Have I achieved my goal? No, and yes. The end goal, no. But I hope I don’t get to my “END” goal because in truth, it is in the getting there, the journey, that makes me feel fulfilled! Does this excite you? I hope so. Part of my journey is in helping others find a way to travel that path – like or similar to mine. I have things in the planning that I hope to share with everyone soon. It is in addition to what I have now, but it makes sense to build where not all of your eggs are in one basket.

So, when you see my blog post announcement, come back and read. Better yet, let’s share stories about our journey to our goals! Want to know how you can get started? Contact me….

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Cheryl Gnad – Business Development, owner of Out of the Box Gifts and Incentives, and soon to be – Social Focus by CG!

Find me on Twitter @cggnad @shopoutofthebox @SocialFocusbyCG

Find me on Facebook – facebook.com/cheryl.gnad

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Employee Awards, W-2s, and taxes!

“My tax department says we need to report the cost of an award on the employee’s W-2 and then withhold taxes.”

Some balk at recognition because of the tax bogeyman. it’s a simple fix: if the award is of a high enough value to warrant taxing, then gross up the employee’s wages to cover the additional amount. Under no circumstances should you require your people to pay taxes on awards you’ve given them. Keep this additional amount in mind as you budget for recognition, but don’t let it stop you from rewarding great behavior. Trust us: the benefits far outweigh th slight bump in costs.   ~ The Carrot Principle, Adrian Gostick, p.130.

I remember the one award that I had received when working at a major aircraft manufacturing company. I had been able to keep a perfect attendance record and they recognized those who did with a $100 cash bonus! Wow! I thought. I sure would appreciate an extra $100! The day arrived and I was handed the check with a pat on the back and “no one has done this before!” comment by my boss. I was thinking “why not? Shouldn’t we all try to be at work everyday, except when sick?” When I opened the check … all I saw was a big chunk of  money gone! The taxes had been removed! And bonus money is taxed higher than ordinary pay money. Now I was upset! All of that sacrifice of coming to work even when not feeling good and scheduling personal stuff outside of the 8-5 work day was hard! And all for 1/3 less of my bonus AWARD! What I got definitely didn’t motivate me to try for that award again! The end result? Anger, feeling defeated, like no one really cared, and “so what” ! I don’t even remember what I spend the check money on, so it had zero residual effect on me. It wasn’t worth it to do it all over again!

Employee incentives should be tangible and emotional. How can that be done? If giving a large enough bonus as a reward, DO pay the taxes yourself. Usually a cash gift of $100 or more will be appreciated, anything less won’t. A better choice is a gift item that can be used over and over, thus providing repeat recollection of the reason of the gift – doing a great job! This reinforces the motivation to do that kind of performance again. This article from Incentive Intelligence talks about the cash vs. non-cash awards and the effects it they have on individuals.

Choosing the right gift is the next thing to consider. The gift shouldn’t be offensive to the recipient. A box of chocolates or batch of premium cookies if the person is on a diet – is flat out torture! A set of golf balls for a non-golfer, becomes the next garage sale item! Providing gifts from a gift collection and ordered for the recipient is generally very successful, because the award recipient gets to pick exactly what they would not have ever bought for themselves and this selection would be a memorable treat!

Get the results that you intended with the right awards!

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Cheryl Gnad, Incentive Specialist with Out of the Box Gifts and Incentives, www.shopOutoftheBox.biz. Blog at The Dangling Carrot at www.OutoftheBox.snappages.com

I’m Stressing Out! I Have An Interview!

Do you get nervous before an interview for a job? I remember what that was like. My stomach was in knots and I wouldn’t eat prior to the interview.  I remember wondering,  “what are they going to ask me? Will I know how to answer? Do I look ok? Why does this feel like a Game Show and I will lose if I don’t know the answer?” AAAaaaghhh! I was miserable and, of course, tense at the interview.

I found a way to feel far more confident. I realized it isn’t a game or a Game Show! It isn’t whether I or someone else has all of the answers that wins at the end. It is about being me and my being personable. What can be done? Don’t be fake, be real at the interview. They want to know if you will “fit in”. The skills and experience you already have are somewhat of a fit, otherwise they wouldn’t have called you in for an interview. So what can make a difference in getting you the best chance at getting this job? Be interested IN THEM! Know HOW you can help THEM with your know how and skills. Be able to prove it from what you have already done. Know about the company for which you are being interviewed for. It isn’t a game that you must win – you have no control of the result – you can only give it the best you. Your best may be great, but not right for the company or it may be perfect! Stressing isn’t doing any good unless you know zero about the company. Match up your best skills and experience to THEIR needs and you will look great. YOU CAN control that.

Make it all about THEM and find out how you can make THEM better with your skills and knowledge. When you give YOUR best for THEM – you can go to the interview and leave feeling good, even if you didn’t get the job. Because of this interview you will be better prepared for the next great opportunity.

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Cheryl Gnad, Incentive Specialist with Out of the Box Gifts and Incentives, and Consultant in Business Development, eComm Strategies www.shopOutoftheBox.biz, www.OutoftheBox.snappages.com, cheryl@shopoutofthebox.biz

Choose Your Corporate Incentive Gifts Well!

Corporate gifts aren’t just "give-aways", they need to fit the   customer/employee/client and need to reflect you (or your brand) well. Every time they look at the gift they will remember you!

Choose the Right Kind of  Corporate Gift Incentives
"As your gift incentives can increase your clientele and improve relationships, these are also reminders of your company or business. Because people tend to remember you by these gifts, you will need to choose these items well and buy from providers who can give you high-quality merchandise and great customer service. You need to realize that these gifts are representations of your brand, so low-cost and cut-rate supplies have to be avoided." The following article gives some great points to consider:
http://www.marketingreview.biz/marketing/promotional-gifts-and-your-customer-incentive-programs/>

Out of the Box Gift Incentives will provide you such a great option, that has a great impact on the client/customer/employee. The gift of choice that you give will be with them for a long time, reminding them of the reason why they received it! Gifts are from name brands, and is a service backed by a premier supplier with over 30 years of experience. Satisfaction guaranteed, and no minimum purchase required.
www.outofthebox.snappages.com, www.shopOutoftheBox.biz

Cheryl Gnad – Incentive Specialist with Out of the Box Gifts and Incentives

The Right Building Blocks for Employee Recognition

There are four common forms of recognition – these will make any recognition healthy!
1. Day-to-day employee recognition:
Consider teaching your managers to look for the times to offer the pats on the back, the handwritten note, the team lunch, the gift of thanks and any other way they can regularly praise and express gratitude to employees! Very high-touch but very low cost! But a very effective form of recognition.
2. Above-and-beyond recognition:
There will be time where a more formal response for the above and beyond performance from an employee. Usually this is in compliance or within a structure that is closely related to the company’s goals, mission, or core values. It could be for achievement of a sales goal, the implementation of an innovative idea or providing exceptional customer service. Something that is qualified by some form of measurement or ROI.
3. Career recognition:
Many organizations see the “hiring date anniversary” or Service Awards as an important date, and this a great opportunity to share words of appreciation, especially good for advertising that person’s accomplishments or contributions. In most organizations, this is the most underused vehicle for rewarding and engaging employees.
4. Celebration events:
These celebrations are good for accomplishments met by the team, division or entire organization. Recognition in this form generally help reinforce your brand and thank large groups. Typical events to celebrate include the successful completion of a key project, achievement of record results, company anniversaries, or a new product launch.

Come back for the next blog – HR Department Gets A Head Start – on “their own” performance reviews through their own Recognition Program.

This article is a part of an on-going series of articles/blogs found in The Dangling Carrot, devoted to helping companies develop their organization through appreciation and motivation. The Dangling Carrot can be found at www.OutoftheBox.snappages.com, found on website menu or right sidebar for the blog.

Cheryl Gnad, Owner, Out of the Box Gifts and Incentives, http://www.shopoutofthebox.biz, www.OutoftheBox.snappages.com

Health Wellness Programs -Impactful Rewards Boosts Participation

Boost Participation – the ROI is worth it!

There is a growing trend that is appearing in corporations – especially with the high costs of the possible new governmental implementation of their health programs. Companies are looking for ways to keep their employees healthy with wellness programs that promote proactive health practices. These programs help reduce symptoms of stress and offers stress management ideas, and the ever popular weight management programs. These programs will improve “presenteeism” – because of better stress management, and diminished depression, injury and illness.

A Good Corporate Health and Wellness Program will:

• Create healthy lifestyles – exercise, running, outdoor activities, family oriented, social
• Reduce sick leave
• Improve work performance – because of clarity of thought, energy, physical comfort
• Decrease health insurance costs – 80% of preventable illness costs 90% of the health care costs for companies
• Improve morale and retention – employee turnover is very expensive
• Reduce overall costs – Wellness Programs ROI = $3.48 back on health care costs, and $5.82 back on absenteeism on every $1 spent.

–From Wellness Proposals

Building relationships IS NOT A SKILL!

I just got off the phone with a good friend of mine. He spends is time networking with people at all levels of our community, trying to suggest ways to create job search strategies for the unemployed, underemployed, and for those who are “badly” employed, too. Our concern was for these people that don’t have their best life career going on for them, and how to teach them to take employment by the reins and make things happen for them. One of the most obvious activity that is missing, in what we agreed to be 95% of our unemployed community unemployed, was relationship building activity. Note that I say, “activity”, and not “skill”. Many descriptions came into our conversation and I wanted to share with you how we saw it. Why isn’t relationship building a “skill”? We refrained from calling it that because most feel that “they do that already”. But do they really? I’ve often asked the job seekers at job fairs, “Do your neighbors know that you are unemployed?” They respond, “oh, my next door neighbor knows”. I ask them, “so…. you say you have only a next door neighbor, no other people in your neighborhood?” The job seeker usually looks at me as if saying “Why should I tell the young mother down the street, or the grandpa who walks his dog by my house, or the 40 something 3 houses down who is mowing his yard, about my needing a job?” I ask them then, “why not?”  My friend on the phone says he has actually known neighbors that grab their garage door clicker, open the garage door, drive in — to avoid saying Hi to their neighbor in the yard next to them!” We have become a secluded population. Our lives happen indoors and not with folks we bump into everyday. The term I would rather use is “ACTIVITY” and not “SKILL” because “skill” means if it isn’t needed for my job, why waste my time doing it. BUT making relationships with PEOPLE is the activity, the HOW we make those relationships is the “SKILL”. Many times we assume we have the SKILL and don’t ACT assuming it will happen, uh, …when it happens. No so.

Why is it that we consider sales as the best occupation? Because sales is the “action” of making relationships and filling their needs. If you can’t do that, you won’t be in sales for long. If you can’t make relationships, you can’t influence the person that has the job you are wanting, you won’t have the job! There is an ongoing “disease” going on. That is “existing until things get better” or better known as “settle for” – doing without – not having cable, not going out to eat, not buying Christmas presents this year, not eating fresh fruit and vegetables, not having 2 cars, not going to school, not having a new winter coat, etc. By not having relationships we merely exist and not thrive! Does anyone desire to create that for their lifestyle? No, but who is willing to do the WORK of doing the relationship building to create the better lifestyle? This is the question.(One I ask myself to consider everyday!)

Several years ago, I became unemployed because of 911. I knew I didn’t have the skills, yes, skills, to promote myself well to others to get that “next” job opportunity. I knew I needed training. I came across a business idea, that promised me training in the VERY SKILLS THAT HELPED ME BE A RELATIONSHIP BUILDER! Yes, it was in sales and I knew sales would help me grow. It has done just that. Today, I am unemployed but not sad, depressed, or frustrated. Why? Because my new business plan from shortly after 911, has given me the skills to go out and do the activity that will either bring me a new job, OR create additional income that sustains me and lifts my spirit of hope for a better lifestyle! I am still growing and by far RICHER than I have ever been BECAUSE OF THE RELATIONSHIPS THAT I HAVE CULTIVATED since I began my business. I would even venture to say that I have a better chance of finding a job than those who don’t build relationship or who won’t create a business of their own. Being a business owner, creating my financial freedom, sharing my knowledge and skills to others, lifting people to become all that they can be, is by far more rewarding, than had I just cried over another lost interview or turned down resume.

In all earnest, I invite you to ask yourself,  “Am I able to meet people and find those people of influence that will offer me that job, or help me make the kind of (self created)  income of a business owner?” If you don’t think you know how, but would like to know. Give me a call. This is what I do, with a team of  like-minded people who are passionate about helping those who want another option instead of “settling for”, or “waiting for” the job market to give them a job.  Through my business, I have great mentors that have shown me how it is done.

I desire from my heart the chance to show you.

Contact me via email, Linkedin, or Facebook.

cgnad@yahoo.com

http://www.linkedin.com/in/cherylgnad

http://www.facebook.com/cherylgnad

How about making your own job at a company! Would you?….

CBS News just spoke about how the State of Georgia is doing something “out of the box” in hiring people from the huge pool of their 500,000 unemployed! Sounded a lot like what I have done (tried to do with surprising interest, in fact!). They have a program called Georgia Works. This program lets people who have the willingness to do work for a company/business for 6 weeks for free where they pay for their own expenses. This allows the person to stay on their unemployment benefits, and allows the employer to get 6 weeks of free labor, with the possibility of hiring the employee. The statistics are showing that 36% were hired in 6 weeks and 63% within an additional 90 days. If this program would be offered to you, would you take it? And what would you do? Tell us.