I hope you had a great weekend and are keeping well.
Last week’s Thought for the Week was “D for Determination” and if you are Business Owner or a Business Leader, you will have thought about this a lot!
So, this week is about “E is for Environment” and this something many of us don’t consider.
Think of it this way. When you have a really important deadline, where are you more likely to be productive? In your office, a meeting room, or a quiet room at your local library, or sitting on your sofa with the TV on?
The answer is going to depend on how you work best—in silence or with background noise.
Where we are affects the way we behave, but of course, it is all dependent on our personality and preferences.
If you want to use this secret of success, put yourself in environments that are likely to create the behaviours that work best for you.
For example, if you want to improve your physical stamina, a gym is probably better than your bedroom. If you want to improve your spirituality, a yoga/meditation studio may be a good choice.
Some follow the principles of Feng Shui – others will not be into that kind of thing at all.
Create your own success formula through the environment you create for yourself …
And this is not just about how aesthetically pleasing your office is (we will look at this later) …
Have you ever started on a big goal or path and been really motivated, but somewhere along the line you fell off track?
I have been there, believe me! It is only through learning from these moments that we master them and propel ourselves forward.
One big mistake many business owners and leaders make that leads to falling off track is not having a good system to measure their progress, and celebrate their success along the way.
I used to do this a lot with my health regime … I’d spend hours and hours each week making the effort to get to the gym and work out. But I wasn’t really feeling all that good about it!
Every time I stepped on the scales I’d dread seeing the result. My progress was up and down, and I didn’t understand why. The fact was, I was leaving too many variables on the table and didn’t appreciate the importance of tracking and coming up with a regime that would actually work for me.
I was not tracking my business either as well as I could have and let’s face it, sometimes we “can’t see the wood for the trees”, when we are in it, right?
After working with a coach, I realised that I needed to pay closer attention to my systems and I started tracking each one carefully and quickly noticed when I was less productive.
Essentially, what we measure, we manage.
How to apply it …
As a business leader, you will have KPI’s and these give goals to aim for.
As a business owner, you will have a business plan.
Many of you are already successful and doing great.
Whatever it is you’re working towards, ask yourself; how can I track and measure my progress even more successfully along the way?
If you are not feeling successful, then what milestones can you put in place? And how will you celebrate your success along the way?
For example, if you want to increase the number of clients you work with, set yourself milestones each month that are realistic and yet still stretch you to go that bit further than you may believe you can.
And then put your strategies and systems in place and diarise your projects and tasks.
Just say that you want to learn an instrument, you might record a video each week of you playing the same song then watch it back to see how you have progressed and you may also track how many hours you practice in a log.
As a business leader, 6 ways to foster a positive work environment are:
- Prioritise team onboarding and training.
- Create a comfortable work environment for everyone and recognise the importance of having fun as well as working hard.
- Let your employees know they matter – have regular check-ins with your people and make it easy for them to be open and honest.
- Encourage collaboration and communication.
- Develop a strong workplace culture of positivity and growth with a strong “Why” you do what you are doing. For instance; research has shown that millennials are driven less by profits than purpose. It found that those workers were likely to stay in their jobs longer if they were satisfied with a workplace’s sense of purpose. Now that millennials dominate the workplace, connecting employees with purpose has become more crucial than ever.
- Facilitate opportunities for learning and development. Leaders need to encourage employees to follow a path of personal and professional development.
And as for our physical environment …
Whether we work from our desk in an office, or from home, I thought I’d share 9 ways to create a happier and more inspiring workspace …
- Declutter for a clean workspace. Clutter can be a significant source of stress. Create more space through a good filing system where you can easily find things again and using containers on your desk.
- Make comfort a priority. Ensure you have a good seat that supports your back, your desk is the right height for you and your monitor(s) are adjusted properly to prevent strain.
- Drink enough water! When we are busy, it’s easy to forget. If it helps, make your water more appealing by infusing it with fruits and herbs and keep it where you can see it.
- Think about getting a laptop desk so you can move and change your environment for different tasks if you chose to without having to put your laptop on your lap.
- Ensure you have good lighting to brighten your work space. Ideally next to a window if you can. If not, then choose lighting that supports your vitality and wellbeing.
- Add seasonal touches to your work space and bring the outdoors in. Use colours to create a cheerful and inspiring ambiance and mix something natural with elements you already have.
- Think about having an energising aroma in your work space, such as aromatic oil or a candle.
- Create a ‘Snack Nook’ away from your desk and take a break!
- Create an inspiring ambience. Last but not least, use your work space to inspire you and bring you joy. As well as photos, this could be your favourite quotes, your plans for the year ahead.
If you have found even just one golden nugget from this Thought for the Week, then great!
As always, if you haven’t already, I invite you to book your free clarity session with me HERE.
Have a great week!
With very best best wishes for your success.
Korinne