Be Sure to Give Some Heartfelt Thanks to Your Employees

By Deb Boelkes

The holiday season is always a great time to infuse a little WOW into your team members’ lives and strengthen your workplace culture. As my special thanks to you for your continued support, here are some of my favorite ways to show gratitude to all those team members who have been through an especially challenging year.

As the holiday season approaches, most managers start looking for ways to show their teams they care. Yes, that’s what bonuses are for. But cash gifts aside, there are plenty of other ways—more meaningful ways— to show your team members that you really do appreciate all their hard work and dedication, especially after all they’ve been through in this crazy, upside down pandemic year.  

Demonstrating a true sense of heartfelt gratitude is a key part of creating a WOW factor workplace. One of the greatest gifts you can give your team is a culture so great that they can’t imagine working any place else. It all comes down to giving the kind of support, encouragement, guidance, and compassion each team member needs to flourish and thrive.

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The Power of a Heartfelt Loss Review

By Deb Boelkes

When competing for something you really wanted to win, have you ever lost? If you’ve been in sales, did you ever lose a really big deal, one you had poured your heart and soul into for months? Or, have you ever expected a big promotion, but someone else got the job?  Have you ever run for office and failed to win a key endorsement or were defeated at the ballot box?

Let’s face it, losing hurts, especially when the loss is highly visible. A high visibility loss can trigger extreme disappointment, embarrassment, anger, and an impulse to publicly blame a host of other people. Some might even consider suicide as the only way to save face. No one wants to be viewed as a loser.

Yet, from every loss springs new opportunity.

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Are You Ready to See Smiling Faces Again?

By Deb Boelkes

I don’t know about you, but I’ve had my fill of seeing people wearing masks.

I’ve had my fill of going to the grocery store or elsewhere, running into people who I have known for years and should recognize, but don’t. That’s embarrassing.

Most of all, I miss seeing smiling faces.

I never realized before how a smiling face can make my day. But a masked face … not so much. I miss the heartfelt feelings a smiling face conveys.

I feel truly blessed to live in Florida. It’s one of the more progressive states when it comes to allowing people who choose to, to finally return to living a somewhat normal life, with smiling faces, both indoors and out.

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The Art of Being There

by Deb Boelkes

Have you ever felt completely stuck in a situation that you can’t get out of, stuck—out of duty,  stuck—out of love, stuck—out of honor, stuck in despair—without hope? It’s not a good feeling.

When someone you care about is in such a position, what do you do?

You want to help them, but you don’t really know what to do. You can’t change their situation. Sometimes all you can do is just be there.

Sometimes just being there can make a world of difference. Sometimes just listening—just letting them know you care—can be the spark that turns a deep dark despair into a ray of hope.

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What’s a Leader to do to Create a Fantastic Work Environment?

Part 5: Mentor in the Moment

Below is an excerpt from an interview with Deb Boelkes by Tyler Gallagher, CEO and Founder of Regal Assets, featured in Authority Magazine  This is the fifth installment in a 5-part series.

What is the final thing that managers and executives should be doing to improve their company work culture?

Mentoring should happen every day, not just during annual or quarterly performance reviews. If you wait to discuss performance issues for weeks or months, until formal review time, you lose the opportunity to continuously improve performance and build close, trusting bonds.

Take time to walk the office each day—if you have direct reports nearby. Keep your office door open whenever you can and let people know you welcome drop-in visits. Smile when people come to see you. If your direct reports are located remotely, pick up the phone and call— just to say hello and see how things are going.

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What’s a Leader to do to Create a Fantastic Work Environment?

Part 4: Be a WOW Role Model

Below is an excerpt from an interview with Deb Boelkes by Tyler Gallagher, CEO and Founder of Regal Assets, featured in Arianna Huffington’s Thrive Global  This is the fourth installment in a 5-part series.

What’s another thing that managers and executives should be doing to improve their company work culture?

No matter where you are on the career ladder, never forget others are always observing you, just as young children observe and then mimic their elders. It’s up to you to set the stage.   Make the environment as welcoming and engaging as possible; set the bar for performance and behavioral standards; be the one everyone else wants to emulate. Let your WOW shine and the world will come to you.

The omelet chef at one of my favorite breakfast cafes never fails to delight customers because she goes out of her way to make everyone else feel special.

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What’s a Leader to do to Create a Fantastic Work Environment?

Part 3: Maintain High Expectations

Below is an excerpt from an interview with Deb Boelkes by Tyler Gallagher, CEO and Founder of Regal Assets, featured in Authority Magazine  This is the third installment in a 5-part series.

What is the next thing that managers and executives should be doing to improve their company work culture?

It’s crucial for managers to pay attention when individual performance is not up to par. Your best performers can quickly become demotivated when those around them are allowed to slack off or—worse yet—when underperformers are promoted merely to get them out of the department. Nothing will demoralize an otherwise highly-motivated team faster than promoting an underperformer.

I always made a point to develop close, trusting relationships with each of my team members. I made sure to put each one of them on paths that would enable them to achieve their personal visions of success and I could hold them accountable for high levels of performance.

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What’s a Leader to do to Create a Fantastic Work Environment?

Part 2: Know What Makes Each Team Member Tick

Below is an excerpt from an interview with Deb Boelkes by Tyler Gallagher, CEO and Founder of Regal Assets, featured in Arianna Huffington’s Thrive Global.  This is the second installment in a 5-part series.

What is the second thing that managers and executives should be doing to improve their company work culture?

One of the most important responsibilities a manager has, yet few seem to do, is to help each team member be the best they can be at whatever it is they love and want to do.

I can’t begin to count the number of times a senior executive has enrolled a “high potential” employee in my firm’s leadership development program, telling us the individual seems to have tremendous potential but, for whatever reason, is not living up to that potential. “I hope you can fix them,” the executive will say.

When I ask, “what is it you want us to fix?” they usually can’t quite define it. It’s up to us to figure it out.

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