Over the years as a productivity consultant, I’ve witnessed dozens of toxic workplace environments and had conversations with hundreds of employees about their negative office situations. In most cases, the business owner or CEO didn’t even know there was a problem, or had grown so accustomed to the ‘setting’ – that they were now immune and disconnected to the negativity inside their own office.

Negativity can suck the air out of a work environment, and leave behind a place of low energy, ineffective employees, distrust, disinterest and unproductive work.

As a business owner or executive, it is your job to make sure your staff has a positive work environment. (Yes, YOUR job!) If the employees dread having to come to work because of a negative manager, constant negativity in the office, ongoing insubordination or other damaging activities – you’re going to have unhappy employees who can easily translate that attitude and emotion to your clients, patients and/or vendors.

There’s nothing better for your company than to be a well-oiled machine where the employees are happy, the communication is open, the energy is high and toxic people are removed from the equation. How do you know if you might have a toxic environment brewing? Here are a few questions to explore:

• Are your employees happy?
• Are they doing what they are passionate about?
• Are they passionate about what they are doing?
• Are they giving you their best work?
• What is their reality on a daily basis?
• How would you rate the communication in your office?
• What is the energy like in your office?
• Is there anyone that is ‘toxic’ in your environment?

As you know, it’s critical to the success and profitability of your company to keep good people. You don’t want to lose your best people to a competing business, and many times – your best people will JUMP SHIP to escape an unhealthy, negative and otherwise nasty workplace. Your goal should be for every member of your staff to be able to lay their head down at night and ‘shut off’ their mind without anxiety of coming into the office the next morning – every morning. You can’t grow a strong, flourishing business when you have a constant negative environment or toxic manager (or employees) suffocating the health and energy of the office.

What can you do differently as a leader to improve the energy in your office? What can you ask of your staff to do differently to improve the energy in the office?

Move with momentum, and take action today to a healthier and happier workplace!

As I continue to grow my Productivity Consulting Business, I am more than ever convinced that productivity looks different and is measured in many ways.  It’s not just about how much you get done in any given day, or how your environment functions in your work place.  Productivity is also the positive outcome of happy, empowered employees.  Because whether we agree with our staff or not, what they are experiencing on a daily basis is their reality – and the quicker we know what that looks like to them, the quicker we can take the steps necessary to promote an enthusiastic, even passionate workplace.  This positive and focused process not only makes the staff more productive, it encourages clients to feel better about the services given to them.  We all know that when we are doing something we don’t particularly enjoy, we tend not to do it very well.

Passion is a combination of doing what you love, loving what you do and always looking for ways to do it better.  In South Carolina, after interviewing a staff of 14 and finding out what they think is “working” and “not working” in the office – the first time they had ever been asked to consider that question – we proceeded to turn things around very quickly.  In 48 hours we, as a team, obliterated the negative energy in the office and immediately started climbing up the emotional ladder to gratitude and hopefulness.  Then we actually went from hopefulness right to enthusiasm without blinking an eye!   I guided them through an exercise that was not only emotional, but invited everyone to speak from the heart – what I refer to as my POSITIVE SENTIMENT PROCESS.  And that is exactly what this is…a process of finding out what the overall energy looks and feels like in your business and starting to turn it around for the sake of not only your employees, but your clients as well. 

Most businesses don’t start out with negative energy.  It takes a while for people and problems to set it before it affects the entire organization.  And therefore, you can’t expect them to recover any faster than they broke down.  Remember it’s a process – one that is worth looking at and resolving so that you get what you and everyone wants and deserves out of their business and their life. 

The job of a problem is to “Get Your Attention”.  So when it does get yours – what do you plan to do about it?  Make sure that someone in your organization is doing everything they can to hear what your staff is thinking and sharing amongst each other – chances are there are some important things being shared between them that if you knew about, you could do something about.  And make sure you invite your staff to be part of the solution  – that’s when their investment in positive movement forward (momentum) empowers them to step up their productivity and their passion.

Thanks to an incredible experience in South Carolina – one that will resonate with me for a very long time.  I have been shown, once again, what I am here on this earth to do.  No doubt, I am guaranteed satisfaction every time I do what lifts my heart and drives me to help others.  It’s a toss-up as to who is more satisfied after a trip like that (the client or me).  Let’s just settle on a win/win – because it actually doesn’t get better than that!

This Wednesday, February 29th is actually that day we have all been wishing for, waiting for, hoping and praying for!  Yes, that’s right – it’s the extra day in our life that we only get every 4 years.  So why not use that day as the FREE day we only dream of having – and make it SO OFF THE CHARTS SPECTACULAR you’ll be talking about it for years on end, until the next one rolls along.

So I ask you this…

What will you do that day that sets it apart from every other day? 

• Maybe take the day to pay tribute to the universe in ways you never have before?
• Perhaps bask in the glory of nature and study every little flowering bud that has popped out in our beautiful southern city due to the mildness of our quickly passing winter?
• Share your gratitude for your life with everyone you know and love – and maybe even to those who are strangers?
• Walk the streets of the city or even your neighborhood just noticing the little things you have never paid attention to before?
• Make it a day for planning how the remainder of 2012 (and that’s a lot still remaining) will play out for you? Because as you all know, I am a firm believer that if you can visualize what you want your year to look like, it has a far greater chance of looking that way than if you didn’t.

Or, what about this idea…why not use this day to get organized – de-clutter your office, de-clutter your E-clutter, organize your garage, clean out your closet – all those projects that get put on the back burner for the extra time you may have one day – WELL, HERE IT IS AGAIN!  That “extra” day we all keep talking about.  GO FOR IT!!

Whatever you decide to do that day, and maybe you don’t even want to plan it – but just “wing” it once it’s here – I wish for all of us to be conscious of the fact that yes, it is our “extra” day this year.  And even if we don’t shout it out loud from the rooftops, a silent gratitude for all that we have in our lives is the best start to actually experiencing even more of what we can have in the years to come.

Make it a fabulous “EXTRA” day!

In March, Marty and I celebrated 15 years of marriage – how incredibly lucky and honored I am to have him as my life partner.  In the spring, Blair and Matt got engaged, and will be married this fall – something we look forward to with immense excitement.

In June, Marty and I, Leah, Blair and Matt spent 4 days in Vermont to celebrate Marty’s 60th birthday.  Also to celebrate that milestone, we surprised him with one of the all time greatest parties to not only honor him, but to raise $ for AVLF, the Foundation that is near and dear to his heart.  The legal community as well as family and friends all came together as a true testament to who he is and how much he shares of himself.

The summer not only brought a visit from 3 boys from Beijing, but also graced us with the newest, (and cutest) member of our family, Ruby!  She has been such a joy to raise and love and continues to teach me about unconditional love. 

In August, I am sorry to share that we lost one of our all time best friends, Joel Rachelson, to liver cancer.  The only blessing out of that experience was that he didn’t suffer – he just sort of slipped away quietly – which was who he was right to the end.  He is missed and remembered every day and is a constant reminder of how fragile life is and to live it to the fullest.

For Thanksgiving, Marty and I spent a fabulous 10 days in San Francisco unwinding with best friends and exploring parts of California that were new to us.  Then upon returning, I got to celebrate my 55th birthday by honoring the women in my life who are, and have always been the strength from which I have pulled from my entire life.  What a true joy it was to be in a room filled with such love and friendship – I am still so full with the memories.

And then just when you think there are no celebrations left…in December, our nephew Aaron Kaufman graduated from the Univ. of MD with not only the highest GPA in the School of American Studies, but was also bestowed the Community Service Award.  How proud we all are of his accomplishments.  

Through all that this year has brought me, what continues to delight and reward me more than anything are the new people I have been able to  help by changing the way they live to experience more joy and less stress in their lives.   Every day I am more convinced that I am doing in this world what I am truly meant to do, and what I am most passionate about.

So for 2012, I wish for everyone the happiest, healthiest and most productive year ever – here’s to doing what you love and loving what you do – with passion, enthusiasm and a sense of peace of mind.

With gratitude and thanks,

Holes in Productivity

I work with a lot of busy professionals across many different industries, and one of the key issues that constantly come up is gaping holes in productivity.

Most times the owner or executive team misses it, because of the challenging and super-hectic workload that’s burdening them on a daily basis. Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to STOP the world, and uncover where there are leaks and gaps in efficiency and productivity in your operation.

So, what about you?  Are you working in an environment that could function so much better if your colleagues were invited to share their ideas about how the office could be better organized?

Culture of Productivity

It is rarely the case that the culture of your business makes it easy for employees, customers, vendors and others to offer ideas and suggestions for ways to increase productivity.  Especially when it comes to getting organized, which by the way ultimately brings the job satisfaction level up several notches!

Here’s a good opportunity to be honest with yourself and determine if this is a starting point to really increase the work-flow and efficiency of your staff and your entire organization!

You may want to start by doing a diagnosis of the operation of your business. That self-assessment must invite honest input from your staff about how their work promotes the mission of the business: give your employees a safe way to share feedback about the business process. Take steps to make sure the staff feels included in your diagnosis, and then honored for sharing their opinion about how to make the office a more productive, more efficient, more profitable and/or more enjoyable place for the clients and for the staff.  Invite your clients to share honest feedback about the level of care they are receiving from you, and be open to hearing criticism and to making changes when appropriate and necessary.

And don’t be shy about asking for help. Your expertise involves the delivery of a detailed and specific service- so does mine. When I am beyond my comfort or expertise, I call on you: when you are uncertain about the best way to turn your practice into a productive and effective business, please consider calling me!

When I’m consulting with a new client, I’ll sit with the staff individually and ask: “In your eyes, please tell me what’s working and what’s not working in this organization. Please share your thoughts about how to improve on the areas where there are problems.”  That exchange yields two important benefits: 1) great information is conveyed from the people on whom you must depend to do things as well as possible, and 2) the staff feels invited to be part of the solution, and their sense of pride in the organization increases with their sense of ownership of the result.

Usually you are left with 3 or 4 common threads from the staff regarding things that could work better and this creates a starting point for making positive changes that can yield those happy, productive employees.

As a business owner or company executive – you don’t have a company or a practice if your team of employees isn’t happy and invested in doing their jobs well.

Take Action

Make today the day. Create a safe place and start to build a culture of open communication about ways to increase productivity. Capture the data and the ideas to fill the gaping productivity holes.   Implement an organized system that works for the employees, and creates a better environment for your customers.

And in the end, when you turn the light out at night, your head will turn “off” because the worry and stress of what didn’t get done, what you have to do tomorrow, who you may have forgotten to call back – that will all be gone and you will peacefully ease into a restful, well-deserved slumber.  Exactly as it should be.

What is clearer than ever in both training Ruby how to behave as she matures from a puppy into an adult dog and teaching humans how to change their existing behavior – being consistent on a regular basis and creating routines, whether old or new, is the key to long term success.  For Ruby, it’s making sure that she goes in and out the same door every day to “relieve” herself.  It means using the same words over and over again for each command to ensure she gets it and associates with it.  “Leave it” and “drop it” are two very different things to her which I didn’t get in the beginning and was using both of those intermittently for the same action.  I learned quickly enough that when you want her to not touch something, it’s “leave it” and when you want her to let go of something that she already has, it’s “drop it.”  What did I know…there is a reason why I do what I do and Cesar Milan does what he does!  And… boy is he good! 

So here are some quick tips we can all learn from no matter how many legs we have…

• Try to create routines, stick to them every day and when they are eventually linked with “feeling right,” you have developed a new, positive habit.
• Be intentional and consistent in the actions that you take to maintain any new system you set up for yourself to change your existing behavior.
• Don’t punish yourself if you don’t get it right every single time – after all, change takes time, and the easier you can be on yourself, the more likely you are to keep going.  Don’t let discouragement turn you back in the direction you just came from.      

And finally, the most important gift that Ruby, Routines and Reinforcing good habits all have in common is… THE REWARD!  I know that what is not only rewarding for us but also for Ruby is… we are all one little happy, well-adjusted, disciplined, “chill” family right out of the gate! We are putting the time in now to have the next 15 years with a well-behaved dog who only wants to please and love us unconditionally. 

Now just think about how much better your life will be once you have ditched those old habits for new, simple, productive ones – that is truly a reward in itself.  And if you are really up for a more challenging one… go get yourself a puppy!

As managers, you’re always told to communicate. But for many of us the problem isn’t not enough information, it’s too much. Handling all the email, messages, memos and stuff coming at us is like trying to drink from a fire hose. Here are some tips for getting a grip.

In his new book “Overload-How Too Much Information is Hazardous to Your Organization”, author Jonathan Spira says it’s not just personal productivity that suffers. Too much information to handle effectively costs the US economy $900 Billion a year in bad decisions, delays and wasted time.

The biggest challenges to productivity are also the easiest to abuse: Email and interruptions. Here are 10 tips he offers in the book for gaining some measure of control in your worklife.

1. Don’t email someone, then immediately follow up with an Instant Message, a phone call and a tweet. it wastes your time and interrupts them, maybe while they’re trying to get you an answer.
2. Don’t combine multiple themes or requests in a single email. It’s too hard to pick out exactly what you want and if they store the information somewhere they may not find it again.
3. Make sure the subject of your email actually says what your request or information is about.
   
4. Read your email over for tone and clarity before sending it out. One badly written email starts a whole thread of explanation. Get it right the first time.
5. Don’t overburden people with unnecessary replies like “Great!” and “Thanks”. And for heavens sake don’t reply to everyone unless everyone needs to know.
6. Don’t get impatient if people don’t respond right away. They may be, you know, busy.
7. Keep your status up to date on IM and email. If you’re out of the office and won’t be around, tell people so they don’t try to hunt you down.
8. Recognize that the intended recipient of your email or message isn’t a mind reader. Take the time to give them necessary information about who you are, what you want and what they need to know. This will prevent multiple inquiries.
9. Recognize that typed words can be misleading in both tone and intent. Strive for simplicity and clarity in your communication. This means we can even forgive an emoticon or two if it helps set the right tone
10. Understand that as overwhelming as information overload is for you, it’s no easier for anyone else. Do your part to make your team’s life easier.

Marty received a letter about 6 weeks ago inviting us to host exchange students coming to the USA from Beijing.  A total of 24 kids were on this Adventures Abroad trip – half in middle school and half in high school.  We thought even though we don’t have any children living in our home to “exchange”, what a great experience it would be to have some boys (we raised 2 girls) stay with us.  We requested 2, got 3 and it wound up being the perfect number.  So last Wednesday, Yunkun (Robert), Chong (Terry) and Yuyang (Mike) settled in for what was an educational, humorous and delightful experience.

They were all incredibly respectful, considerate, interesting…and yet typical teenage boys!  Goofy, playful, not all that interested in girls quite yet and totally open to exploring the American life.  Their day-time itinerary with their group included Centennial Olympic Park, The Georgia Aquarium, CNN, Coca-Cola Museum, Six Flags/White Water, Martin Luther King Center and Stone Mountain.  So we filled in the week with  the Carter Center rose garden, The International Farmers Market, Lenox Mall, The Sundial Restaurant at the top of the Peachtree Plaza, our community pool, the movie “Transformers” at Atlantic Station, badminton in our backyard, and a stroll into the Virginia-Highlands neighborhood we live in including the Wednesday night Food Trucks for dinner.  (I told Marty…”All these host families are most likely taking their guests home for a lovely home-cooked meal and we take our boys to eat out of trucks in a parking lot”!)  Great way to break them in!  During their stay, they had Thai Food, Mexican, Italian, Burgers & Fries, lots of Coke and Fanta and even cooked us some traditional Chinese dishes.  Apparently sugar is not quite as popular in China as it is in the US – Marty tried desperately to turn them onto a different style of ice cream every night and NO GO!  TOO SWEET!  He had hoped to have a partner in crime with his favorite indulgence but no such luck.

The boys did an amazing job with their English – and our communication sort of reminded me of the TV show Family Fued.  We would ask a question, they would get in a huddle to try to figure out what we said, then come back with an answer or a comment either expressing they understood, or had no clue.  We are so glad they had each other – or it would have been way harder to get through a conversation.

The week flew by and before we knew it, we said our goodbyes, thanked them for their generosity in sharing some of their culture with us and they were off to Boston, then NYC and back to Beijing.

Just one of the many adventures we are having this summer.  Stay tuned for another one right around the corner…our puppy Ruby moves in on Sunday!  Never a dull moment in our household… talk about MOMENTUM!

I get bored pretty easily, especially with cars. Last week I entered my new Infiniti EX35 into the Ellin Automotive Hall of Fame! Yes that’s right, I am now on my 14th car in my lifetime and folks, I’m really not that old!

I just get bored easily with cars and so I trade them in every 3 years or so for something new and different. I started leasing cars back when I was in sales because I put so much mileage on them – my car was truly considered my “second home”.

I needed something different after years of “living” in that car. However, I’ve now been out of that career for 10 years and still continue to lease due to the change factor involved – I love the newness of the ride, the interior features, and the challenge of re-training my brain to find the new one in a parking lot!

So here are the cars I have driven over the years… and here’s to Pearl, my new Infiniti EX35 which I just love zipping around in – because when you gotta sit in Atlanta traffic, you may as well be happy with what you are sitting in!

1968 Pontiac Lemans (First Car)
Toyota Corolla Hatchback
VW Jetta
Honda Civic
BMW 325i
Jeep Cherokee Laredo – White
Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo – Black
Jaguar XJ6
Lexus 300 SUV
Nissan Murano
Toyota 4 Runner
BMW X3
Volvo XC70
Infiniti EX53

Please feel free to share your automobile history with me if you are as crazy as I am about vehicle change!

Procrastination. Your teachers and parents told you it wasn’t good to put things off, your bosses set deadlines to keep you from doing it (but that probably caused you to procrastinate even more). So, where do you go for REAL help? Perhaps you found books on the topic, or maybe even went to hyped up seminars that gave you no real system or solution to help with your situation.

Yet here you are. You know too well the dreaded feeling in the pit of your stomach, the sinking sensation as you see a deadline approaching. You’re a master at all the little delay tactics -  washing the dishes when you’re supposed to be writing a proposal, staring blankly into space when you’re supposed to be returning a phone call… darn it, if there was any profit in procrastinating, you’d have a VERY full bank account!

Below, I’ve compiled 8 very common ways people tend to procrastinate, and how much that procrastination has COST them (and what that money could have been used for instead)!!!

1. Not keeping tabs on your checking account and suffering overdraft fees 3 times: $90.00

You could buy: a new swimsuit, sunglasses and beach towel in preparation for summer!

2. Forgetting to send in your paperwork for dental insurance: $200.00 per cavity

You could buy: 15 packages of floss, 10 tubes of toothpaste, 7 bottles of mouthwash and 2 packages of Crest “White Strips”

3. Not packing your lunch and having to buy food every day for a month: $140.00

You could buy: groceries for 2 weeks

4. Waiting 6 months to pay off $2,000 in debt on your credit card: $175.00 in interest

You could buy: Two new pairs of boots or slacks and two dress shirts

5. Insufficient packing before a move, causing movers to charge you extra: $100.00

You could buy: Three gallons of paint and supplies to spruce up your new home

6. Running out of time to repaint and make repairs on your apartment and getting charged by the landlord: $1,000.00

You could buy: A couch and coffee table for your new home or apartment

7. Neglecting to renew your car’s license plate and registration on time: 200.00 per ticket

You could buy: An iPod Touch to keep you rocking on the highway

8. Not checking your credit card statement regularly to safeguard against identity theft: $370.00 per incident

You could buy: A day spa visit for you and your spouse

Procrastination isn’t just a “bad habit”, it’s also a “bank account drain” – and you probably know exactly what I’m talking about here. Before I go on, let me make one very important point…

Don’t disregard the information here because you’ve heard it before, or you “know” this stuff.

Most of my clients and the people I’ve spoken to from the stage “knew” this too, but were perpetually procrastinating – even if they didn’t consider themselves a procrastinator! The good news is anyone can break the cycle, and become better organized and create better systems to stop “putting off” and begin taking pro-active action!

The 8 ways I listed above are just the tip of the iceberg. Because of the work I’ve been privileged to do over the years, and seen the “the worst of the worst” – there are SO MANY more examples of how this nasty little habit called procrastination has cost people money as well as wasted time!

If you’re honest with yourself, what are some ways being late or delaying an important activity has cost you time and money? Our readers would be curious, and may even help prevent them from doing the same thing! Post your Comments in the area below, and let’s discuss some other ways procrastination has stolen money from your wallet or bank account!

Please contact me directly at wendy@wendyellin.com or 404.874.5179 to discuss ways my techniques can save you Time and Money for you or your office, or to talk about having this topic (or others) as a live or virtual event for your group, office or organization.