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A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO I talked about how gratitude yields generosity. But that’s not the end of the game by any means.
Generosity also brings results, one being loyalty. When you’re generous, people think more highly of you. They want to work with you more.
Stunning insight, right?
HAPPY LUCKY’S TEAHOUSE is a little shop in downtown Fort Collins. They have the largest tea selection in Colorado, as displayed on their ever-growing “Great Wall of Tea” alongside teapots, accessories, and silk scarves.
Silk scarves? What’s that about?
It turns out that those scarves were an important part of the genesis of this business. Read the rest of this entry »
OUR MODEL OF BALANCE tends to be quite static.
Stable. Unchanging.
Unachievable in real life.
Because, in real life, you’re constantly running. Things are changing every minute, every day, every year.
The very instant you think you’ve achieved stability, it gets destroyed by the things you’re doing and what’s happening in the world.
LIZ RYAN runs a consultancy named Human Workplace. They have a whole bunch of fresh and powerful thinking about seeking employment in the job market.
One of her primary messages is around self-respect and empowerment on the job seeker’s part, so I really love her thoughtful blog posts. And her illustrations too!
She really understands the mindset of Millennials and other fresh thinkers.
HOW HARD IS IT to find great workers?
I’m hearing this complaint a lot this year, and it’s been steadily growing over the course of 2015. With a local unemployment rate at 3.8%, the tide has definitely shifted in favor of job seekers.
Just notice all the “Now Hiring” signs as you drive around town.
But this is a challenging time for employers. It’s harder to find great people, engage them in their work, and keep them productive over the long term.
LAST WEEK I talked about marketing to your customers, versus actually delivering what you promise.
It turns out that this is even more critical for your employee base.
If you screw up with a customer, you can convince yourself that there’s plenty more where they came from.
ONE OF FORT COLLINS’ claims to fame is 
Tim Farnsworth, the M&E Painting sign dancer guy. He’s been working for the company for six years now and is an energetic asset to the community.
He cares deeply about his job. He’s an expert and puts his whole heart into what he does.
Let’s contrast this to, oh, the other twenty sign flippers around town. They stand there. Maybe they wave their sign around a little. It a fit of inspiration, they might even turn it around for ten minutes.
You get the impression that it’s just a job, a way to make a few bucks before moving onto something which will pay 50¢ more.
OUR CULTURE celebrates self reliance. 
We applaud the “self made man” as if such a thing could even exist, and we have a deep desire for independence and autonomy. The USA holds up the archetype as cowboy or business mogul as one who courageously takes on all challenges and doesn’t rely on anyone else.
It’s a wonder that society can exist at all!
The truth is that we deeply need each other throughout our lifetimes. Read the rest of this entry »
THIS IS THE CRAZY SEASON 
for consumers and the companies which serve them. We’re less than a month away from Christmas, and in the US we just had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. It’s a time for family and brotherly love.
Then, OMG, we totally obliterate that goodwill with the worst bout of consumerism this planet has ever seen. It’s getting worse every year.
YOU 
ONLY HAVE a limited amount of money to pay your employees, I understand that. As a result, you’re probably going to pay people differently, spending the most money where you think it will give you the greatest benefit. Primarily, you’ll pay your most valuable people more than the others.
There’s other factors too, yes, but the effect is the same. Most likely you have some workers who feel adequately rewarded, while others feel slighted. Even if you try to be cagey about pay levels – especially if you do – people will pick up on the fact that they’re paid less.
This is one of the biggest quandaries about running a business. Given that you only have limited resources, how on earth can you pay everyone what you’d like to?
The Values-Based Business 