Category: Uncategorized

By Guest Blogger Rebecca Korsen

With current surges in the global pandemic and the fact that recently or soon-to-be- approved vaccines are not yet ready for widespread distribution, working remotely remains the norm. Most physical offices are still closed, and research points to the lack of social interaction negatively affecting employee drive. How can employers identify what good work looks like  in this remote workforce era? The answer may be as simple as prioritizing and measuring employee motivation. Why employee motivation? It’s a direct correlation to employee engagement. Engaged employees are happier and more productive, which limits company turnover and increases workplace satisfaction. And so, to reveal this “motivation magic ,” employers need to understand and utilize motivators. Below are a few motivators that employers can leverage within their organizations.

Recognition. Employees find satisfaction in being recognized for their accomplishments; a simple “thank you” or “you’re doing a great job” can positively change employees’ outlook, motivating them to forge ahead. For this reason, creating a recognition framework can boost employee work ethic. For example, employers can use a virtual platform to identify and recognize employee accomplishments. There is also power in peer-nominated recognition. Even remotely, peers often see things that managers and leaders do not. By encouraging employees to recognize their co-worker’s accomplishments, employers can also create a stronger team comradery.

20% Project. The 20% project carves out 20% of an employee’s work week which is dedicated to brainstorming projects that are beneficial to the organization. Research shows that innovative entities like Google adopted this strategy and validated that employees can be creative and still meet standards and deliverables. The results show employees are more engaged when they can tap into this type of creative outlet, leading to increased productivity and work ethic.

Growth. One of the biggest drivers of employee engagement is the potential to become better and excel within an organization. Employers can encourage personal growth by assigning new and challenging tasks to employees. In addition, dedicating time to discuss employee growth and career objectives motivates employees to continue to strive within their current position. Working with your employee to identify a career path shows that you care about their success, which will energize your workforce.

Feedback Matters – now more than ever. Preserving or setting aside time to discuss individual employee performance shows that you care. Providing positive and constructive feedback to employees not only helps them better perform, but it also lets them know you see and appreciate their strengths and accomplishments. Perhaps employees have developed a new skill during the pandemic? Perhaps they have demonstrated resilience or leadership? These are notable examples of employees staying engaged and adapting to the circumstances. By dedicating time to give feedback to your workforce, employees will become more productive and value the extra time you invest in their personal development.

Compensation. Financial compensation has always been a top motivator. However, employers don’t have to spend top dollar to show gratitude. Creating friendly competition, such as contests to encourage collaboration, can motivate employees to exceed expectations. Even handing out snacks, gift cards, or greeting cards to recognize accomplishments is a small gesture that can make all the difference.

In addition to leveraging the motivators identified above, employers can tap into employee feedback to identify other things that drive motivation. Consider some of the many ways to collect their insights:

• create employee surveys
• put an employee engagement platform in place to acquire feedback electronically
• conduct one-on-one chat sessions to discuss and ask questions about their level of motivation.

Once perspectives have been collected, employers can determine which ideas to implement to improve employee engagement.

After diving-in and better understanding employee motivation, the motivation magic has been revealed. Employees will be satisfied, happier, and much more fulfilled when it comes to their careers and their future. We have learned that when employers promote and understand these motivators, their workforce can change for the better!

By Rachel Robinson

In this post, we say goodbye and good luck to our fabulous Social Media Coordinator, Rachel Robinson. Even as she takes on a new job, she’s still teeing up great content for us here at KDH Consulting. Read on about her experience starting her new role remotely. Hiring managers and companies take note: the experience you create with new remote hires can be an opportunity!

You may not know me personally, but you have read my blog posts, seen my Instagram photos, and had my newsletters hit your inbox over the last 2 years as I served as the social media manager for the KDH Consulting Team. I have always worked remote jobs because the digital space does not always require a physical meeting room. But what happens when the job is supposed to be in a physical space and you’re in the middle of a pandemic? Then what? Learn how I made sure to stay excited, not isolated, despite being completely remote.

Pivot has become the word of 2020, and recently I did exactly that as I transitioned into a new full-time job role in finance. But unlike most new hires, who show up to their first day often with a new outfit, new haircut, and a whole group of other new hires, this time, I was in my PJs and  my training took place on my kitchen counter. Navigating a completely new role, new team, and  new challenges while alone in my tiny city apartment has come with its challenges. But I have learned a few tricks to pivot into success through the world of remote onboarding, training, & working. 

Take Walks

This tip isn’t just for new hires–it’s good for every remote worker to keep in mind. Schedule yourself 10-15 minute breaks in your day to leave your workspace, head outside, & take a walk. This will not only reset your mind but moving your body will wake up your brain to keep you productive and help to avoid the midday slump.

Find a Mentor 

This is critical for new hires: you want to find a mentor quickly.  We do not have coworkers working next to us anymore to just ask a question in passing. So it’s important to identify someone you can turn to. Pick someone you trust to go to when you have questions or are unsure about processes in your new role.  If you haven’t been able to find someone, ask your hiring manager or supervisor to set you up. This “phone-a-friend” is your go-to for questions, concerns, and everything in between. My mentor and I slack all day long, and I would not have climbed the learning curve as fast as I have without his wisdom! 

Write it Down

Circling back to the reality that questions can no longer be asked on the fly, you will find yourself having to go out of your way to ask them.  When you do find answers, write them down so you never have to repeat it. This will save you time, effort, and stress in the long run. Not to mention earns the respect of the people you’re asking.  Personally, the sticky notes app on my computer is where I save all SOPs, random questions, phone numbers, and anything I feel I may need to reference again.

Make The Extra Effort

Working remotely means you will not meet your work best friend in the break room or find a group of coworkers to chat with at lunch, but it does not mean you should be isolated during the workday. If you are starting a new job with a group of new hires, go out of your way to get to know them. Make the extra effort on calls to ask how their day is going or ask about their pets or kids if they mentioned it in an icebreaker. Creating these relationships will create a connection in the workplace despite not physically being with one another, making the day a bit more enjoyable from the comfort of your own home. 

With anything, go in with confidence and enjoy this new opportunity! There are so many exciting benefits of working from home and with a few pointers along the way, you are guaranteed success!

By Guest Blogger Rebecca Korsen

Life as we know it is constantly changing, and with COVID-19, these changes have become downright disruptive. In this new “normal,” many employees are confined to working at home, alongside other members of their household. And while remote work has been underway for almost 6 months, workers now have to juggle the back to school season. Whether school is virtual, hybrid or fully in person, parents are devoting more time to helping their kids navigate schoolwork. Just when employees may have felt like they were figuring out the pandemic lay of the land, restrictions change (either loosening or getting tighter) or they have to manage a confusing and stressful new set of challenges.  Bottom line: within months, life has reached new levels of chaos. 

Picture the impact for your employees (and you): the usual quiet spaces are full of background noise, making something as simple as a conference call a tall order. If Zoom calls had a stress meter for participants, there would be off-the-charts readings. So, what  can your employees do to bring some order to the chaos? Is there anything you can suggest to help strike a better (if not healthy) work-life balance during this pandemic? Check out 3 tips that might just help: 

 1: Take a true break

Encourage employees to take work breaks throughout the day.  Maybe it’s as easy as going for a short walk around the neighborhood, exercising, or simply getting a breath of fresh air. During this time, remind them to avoid answering work emails and just take time for themselves, no matter how short. If it’s a lunch break, remember the benefit of eating healthy.  It’s easy to load up on caffeine and processed snacks, but fruits and vegetables are a better option for long days sitting at a desk or juggling kids’ classes.  With a true break, employees will assuredly step back into their makeshift home office cool, calm and collected.

2: Cross the finish line

The workday must end at some point, so help employees cross the finish line.  Keep in mind that once the workday is finished, for some, it might be just beginning. Employees might move from work to the “second shift” if they have kids or parents to care for.  To address this, employers might consider instituting some policies around no meetings before 8AM, no meetings during lunch time, or no meetings after 5PM. There may need to be exceptions to these policies, especially if different time zones drive meeting times. But putting some limitations on how long the official workday lasts can ease the burden employees feel. And it may promote another good tip: getting at least 7-8 hours of restful sleep. Leaders can model the way by not sending off-hours messages, enabling employees to turn off their technology at least one hour before bed. By drawing the finish line, you’ll be helping your team wake up the next day ready to tackle the day’s challenges.

3: Preserve time with family and/or friends

These days, work hours blend into non-work hours—and finding or taking time to enjoy family or friends is more difficult.  Allotting dedicated time to family and/or friends is important to create some boundaries.  Encourage employees to plan weekend events, activities, or day trips. – Time away from work with those who matter most—even without traveling—can give employees much needed rest and relaxation. 

By offering these 3 tips, leaders will demonstrate that they recognize the chaos employees are facing—and they may just yield positive results for their teams. Life and work-life as we know it for employees and employers will become less stressful and much more pleasant. Employees will be happier, productive, and will be better equipped to manage work and stress during these chaotic times.  

If your company needs helping striking the right balance to keep employees engaged and productive, give us a call. We can help you send the right message (at the right time and format!) to let employees know you care about their well being as they strive to function in this chaotic work environment.

Many companies have adapted impressively in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.  The pivot to and nearly sole reliance on digital platforms like Zoom and WebEx have helped many organizations to barely skip a beat since the first shelter-in-place restrictions were imposed.   A recent study we conducted on engaging employees in a post-COVID environment confirms this observation.  Ninety percent of our respondents stated that they could do at least half of their work remotely and a full 40% said that all of their work could be done remotely.  This is certainly not true of all jobs in all industries—but a surprising number of roles “converted” to digital platforms practically overnight.  Up popped virtual team meetings, remote team dinners, and the standard live in-person meetings and conferences transformed into online experiences.  So is that it? Is remote work a sustainable solution and will it be the new normal? More importantly, can employees feel as engaged in this new work environment?

The ability to work remotely because we can doesn’t mean that doing so will yield the same level of employee engagement or a highly satisfying employee experience. I’ve heard many employees say they’ve traded their “shower, dress, and drive” routine for longer days filled with endless Zoom, WebEx or fill-in-the-blank platform meetings. Refitting dining rooms, spare bedrooms, attics, and basements into quasi offices/classrooms has produced new challenges in boundary setting. Where many of us now work is where we live, sleep, eat, and relax. And when these worlds intersect, it’s hard to tell where one ends and one begins. 

This new environment begs a lot of questions about how to engage employees.  While these digital tools and technology enable a constant flow of communications that support day-to-day operations, there needs to be more and different ways to connect with and engage your teams. What kinds of things might employers consider?  We propose that there are a number of tried and true drivers of employee engagement that—regardless of the current state of the world—can deliver the results you’re after. 

1. Ability to do meaningful work: One of the biggest drivers of engaged employees is the sense that their work means something. Consider your organization’s mission and values. How can you remind employees of the reasons their work is important and is making an impact? What can you do to remind employees that now (more than ever?) the work they do is vital to keep the organization strong. 

• One client chose to send a postcard to all its employees. On it was the company’s mission statement and a brief thank you for continuing to deliver on the mission statement despite the current challenging conditions. The result? A small, low-cost example that reiterated what the company stands for and how employees help to realize its vision.
• Another client chose to end the weekly team call with a slide that showed the company’s tag line—and spoke about how the work employees did that week helped advance that cause. A small gesture like that can focus on employees on the reason they do their work.

2. Relationship with your manager: Many studies have shown that employees feel engaged at work based on how strong their connection is to their managers. No surprise there.  This is particularly true for employees who are based out of their homes and do not go into a brick and mortar office; a manager often is the company for those employees. How can managers keep those relationships strong? Our survey points to two solutions:
   • “Micro connections matter” –In addition to the typical meetings you may hold every day, be sure to reach out with individual “micro” connections to your employees.  Short personal check-ins to let your employees know you’re thinking of them, you’re available if they need you, and that you value their contributions. These aren’t the blanket group messages that go to an entire team—instead, it’s a brief email, text, phone, or instant message that conveys your care for each team member individually.
   • “Understand their unique situations.” Demonstrate to your employees that you get their situation. Maybe one employee has young children who need supervision with virtual school. Maybe another employee is a single parent trying to juggle the demands of family and work. Yet another may have sick or ailing parents who need care. And any employee may be impacted by knowing someone who has been affected by COVID-19.  Managers don’t have to solve these unique situations, but showing empathy for what employees are going through will go a long way in helping them feel understood.

3. Compensation and benefits: Our survey suggests that about a quarter of respondents have experienced a change in their compensation—ranging from reduced bonus opportunities to fewer hours up to and including being furloughed.  Most managers don’t have the latitude to make decisions about employees’ compensation. But they can communicate company decisions clearly and be prepared to answer questions.  Many organizations also have employee assistance programs as part of their benefits package—and this offering can be valuable to employees during the pandemic. Communicating what is available to assist employees can positively impact employee engagement.

4. Ability to advance and develop: Engaged employees seek opportunities to develop and advance their professional growth.  Although many companies may have suspended hiring or promotions, that doesn’t mean that you cannot provide learning and growth opportunities for your employees.  Is there training that employees can take to build or expand their skills? Can you give out “special assignments” to employees during the pandemic? If team members have additional capacity because they cannot fully perform their day-to-day responsibilities, can they use their skills and capabilities to do other work for you or the organization? 

There are no clear-cut proven strategies for engaging employees during COVID-19—yet. Starting with the traditional engagement levers is the first step.  And the most valuable resource for understanding how to engage employees is—of course—your employees. Don’t be afraid to ask them what they want and need.  You may not be able to accommodate all of the suggestions, but you may find that some ideas are completely doable and will strike the right chord with your employees to boost their engagement.

As we continue to manage working through COVID-19, we’ve seen a sharp increase in use of digital platforms that include video.  The trend in this type of remote connectivity is not new; video provides tremendous opportunities for brands and businesses. It’s a simple and easy way to reach and connect with customers and employees. Although there will always be value and a need for in person interactions, using video, especially in our current situation, can be a powerful alternative to lengthy presentations or emails. But it takes some effort to make video work for you.  We put together a short list of tips to capture your audience’s attention and deliver messages that stick.

DO. Make your video message as clear and compelling as possible. 

Ask yourself the important questions:

1. Who is your audience? 
2. Have I connected with them previously?
3. Is the information I’m sharing relevant? Engaging?

Like any type of presentation, a video needs to be well planned and executed.Will it be a headshot only of you talking? Will there be other “scenes”? Creating a “shot list” of the clips that need to be filmed to create a finished product will keep your video on a clear path. You don’t have to over engineer a video. You can use clear visuals with voiceover to add some dimension to the video.

DO. Make Your Videos Phone Friendly.

You can almost guarantee that a majority of your viewers will be watching from a mobile device. If you are filming a video via iPhone (this is great quality for a low cost) make sure it is being filmed horizontally at all times to ensure a full-screen video. When editing the video, ensuring all text, charts, & photos added in the overlay are large scale to allow viewers on small devices to appropriately see all information. 

DO. Invest in a few low-cost tools to enhance the quality. 

You’ll want to look good in front of the camera, but audio quality is just as important.  You can order some affordable tools online to enhance your video.  For example, a tripod to hold your camera or smartphone steady—or a small microphone to pick up your voice clearly can greatly improve your video. If you’ve written a script, you can even download a teleprompter for your iPad to deliver your message evenly and on message.

DO. Add a thumbnail.

Think of your thumbnail as your video’s packaging, it needs to be click-worthy to engage your viewers. The thumbnail of your video should include a clear photo or image that illustrates your topic and invites views to listen and watch. Using free websites such as Canva.com can allow you to edit your image while adding text over the photo to get your videos point across.

If you want to reach employees and you cannot be face to face, consider adding video to your communication channels. What tips can you share about videos in your communication plan?

As we all slide into yet another week of our new COVID-19 working from home  reality, lots of us are finding—or needing—a break. One way to take a break that isn’t a total time suck is to catch up on business reading or listening. If you’re a podcast fan, you know that you can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours hours to learn something new about your industry, an industry you don’t know very much about, employee engagement and culture or just business in general—the good, the bad and the ugly. 

There are almost 30,000 APPLE business podcasts per the chart, so there’s certainly something for everyone. Here are 5 of our faves. 

1. The Tim Ferris Show: Cited as the top business podcast on Apple Podcasts for the past three years, host Tim Ferriss interviews world-class performers across industries (investing, sports, business, art, etc.) to extract the tactics and routines listeners can use in their daily lives. “Each episode, I deconstruct world-class performers from eclectic areas (investing, sports, business, art, etc.) to extract the tactics, tools, and routines you can use. This includes favorite books, morning routines, exercise habits, time-management tricks, and much more.”
2. How I Built This: NPR’s Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world’s best-known companies by weaving a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists. Check out the story behind Ben & Jerry’s, Stacy’s Pita Chips, Birchbox, EventBrite, JetBlue, Panera Bread and many more.
3. GirlBoss: Nasty Gal founder Sophia Amoruso interviews boundary-pushing women who’ve made their mark. Listen to solid advice from the lessons these trailblazers have learned along the way, including Tulsi Gabbard, Alyssa Milano, Valerie Jarrett and Tina Brown.
4. HBR Ideacast: Sarah Green Carmichael, an executive editor at Harvard Business Review, hosts the HBR IdeaCast podcast, featuring leading thinkers in business and management. Sample topics include Adjusting to Remote work, Real Leaders: Abraham Lincoln and the Power of Emotional Discipline, and Rules for Effective Hiring and Firing.
5. My Wakeup Call.  Everyone has wakeup calls but not everyone wakes up. In this podcast, Dr. Mark Goulston speaks to people who woke up and were inspired to change their lives.

Don’t have the time or energy to decide what to listen to today? Say “Alexa, play me a top podcast.” When I did this, I got to hear one of Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations. Easy.

What are YOUR favorite podcasts? Share in the Comments!

As many of us make the first time transition to working from home, it can become a bit of a challenge to adjust to this new lifestyle. Our team has been working remotely for years as we are based all over the Philadelphia area and our clients are from around the country. We all face unique challenges during this transition, but we wanted to share our experience to help make your transition a bit smoother into the world of remote work.

Most who work from home start with the challenge of deciding when to work, where to work, and how to create strong boundaries between your work and personal life. Remember, everything in life comes with time and practice so do not stress about not having it all figured out day one, we are human!

Maintain A Normal Work Routine

If you typically work an 8-5 day with a lunch break in between, try to stick to a similar schedule. Set clear guidelines for yourself and let others you live with that these are the hours that you will be working. A regular work routine means a regular morning routine, get up at the same time as you would for work (minus that commute time, enjoy the extra time to sleep!). Follow the regular practice of getting up, making your coffee, and getting ready for work, including getting dressed.  This will give you time to get into the correct mindset that you are heading into work (even if it just means going downstairs into your home office).

Set Up Your Space

Have you truly ever been productive from working in your bed? Set up a makeshift home office if you do not have one, even if that home office is going to be your kitchen table. Give yourself a designated space that you know when you enter it, it is time to work. Make sure those around you are aware of this work area so they can give you the respective space needed to maintain productivity. 

Schedule Breaks

All of us are entitled to a break in our workday; in fact, research shows we are more productive when we take breaks versus working nonstop. Do not deprive yourself of time to recharge several breaks throughout the day to boost your productivity. Schedule yourself flexible breaks within your workday to maintain focus levels. And when you take a break, stand up, and stretch your legs. Avoid just switching gears by looking at personal email or websites or apps of interest. Stretch and physically move so you are not too sedentary. 

Channel Surf to Stay Connected

Reach out to your coworkers through all available channels: Slack, IMessage, Skype, Zoom, etc. when you need something, have a question, or just want to check-in. Remember to maintain the community with your coworkers in this time of separation. This will allow your team to hold each other accountable, create a stronger unity, and create a clear message about the projects that need to be handled within the current moment. 

Whether this is your first week or fifth year of working from home, stay positive, stay motivated, and stay communicative. Have any specific questions about working from home? Send us a message on our Instagram page @KDH_Consulting or comment below, we would love to help!

As the new reality of COVID-19 unfolds, bringing more changes every day (sometimes every hour), it’s challenging to stay positive, motivated and engaged. In fact, the company water cooler—one of the places where employees share news, fears and concerns—is most likely closed. Almost every entertainment venue, at least in my area, has been shut down. Even the local library is in darkness. Geesh! No school, no gym, no St. Paddy’s Day Parades, no dinners out, no movies, even a friend’s upcoming wedding…all on hold or cancelled. 

If you’re managing a team at work, you know that you’re going to have to think and act differently in the weeks ahead. And by weeks, I mean maybe months. Looks like we’re all going to need a lot more than the Luck of the Irish to see us through.

Working From Home: Yay! For the first week.

For those of us who work from home, we’re well aware of the pros and cons of this setup. Yes, employees will be grateful to have the option to stay away from the office during times of a health crisis. And from a practical standpoint, it’s good riddance to the commute and work-appropriate dress. But there are other considerations this time around. For instance, lots of folks also have kids at home during the COVID-19 crisis. Finding times to connect remotely without interruptions or distractions may be difficult. As you connect online, make sure to send out invites and get a feel for the times that work best for most people. While it’s good to shoulder on, we need to be a bit more flexible than usual. 

Hello? Hi? Did someone join the call?

Of course, this isn’t the first time your team has worked remotely or spent the entire day in teleconferences. But day after day (after day after day) of it may be something new. Even with the very best technology and perfect webcam connections, it’s not the same as at least sometimes meeting face to face. Do your best to NOT schedule 8 hours of TCs a day. If you do, you’ll burn people out quickly and they’ll be multi-tasking (more than usual) and not listening. Try to keep calls short.  If it’s a touch-base, it’s a quick and relevant update. If it’s something more, send an agenda so everyone can be prepared to engage. And be realistic: you are probably not going to accomplish the same amount of work that you do when things are functioning normally. So really prioritize the work that needs to get done. (Unless your team normally doesn’t get very much done. But that’s another conversation.)

Gray, gray, the world is gray.

It’s very possible that you and your team are starting to feel a little blue. This isn’t a snow day shutdown. Not even close. It’s a pandemic and it’s incredibly anxiety producing and stressful for even the most unflappable of us. We worry about our kids and our parents and our neighbors and our friends. We worry about our businesses and our 401k’s and our healthcare coverage and all of it. It’s incredibly difficult to keep the old nose to the grindstone when panic is circling every conversation and every newscast. 

While there’s much you can’t control, try to remember the things that you can. Be kind. Listen. Smile (even if you’re not on video, you can hear a smile). It’s OK to tell a joke or attempt to lighten the mood. Really. Tap into any employee assistance resources your company may have. And give people space to process these serious times.  Build “How are you coping” time into your calls. Let folks share how they’re doing and how they’re finding new ways to get by in this new world. For instance, I’m teaching one of my neighbors all about Zoom and she’s teaching me to play Chess. (What? I never learned.) Challenge your team to come up with “If anything like this ever happens again” lists. What would you have done differently? Do you need to upgrade your remote technology? 

Take a trip to Tomorrowland.

If your business if going to take a hit, and many will, this may be the ideal time to think about how you can reinvent or reimagine your product or service. My favorite yarn store owner quickly realized that her little business would quickly wither once our county shuttered retailers for 2 weeks. What if people couldn’t wander into her shop and browse through the materials? She sent out an email offering to videoconference with customers, virtually walk them through her store, help them choose a pattern, needles, etc., and then she’d pack up their purchases and deliver them to their homes. Extra work for her? Heck yes. But if she wants to survive this trying time, this will help her to do it.

How your company reacts matters.

Some businesses may have little choice other than to temporarily close.  But there can be alternatives, that positively boost your business when things eventually return to normal.  My local YMCA, for example, notified all members that for the next two weeks they are offering live stream of their classes for free—everything from yoga to circuit training to Pilates—so people can stay healthy while at home.

Other businesses will find themselves in high demand. Streaming services and videoconferencing come to mind. How can they grow quickly? Attract new customers? Ensure that they have the infrastructure and technology to take on many more customers? These are great problems to have but if they are not tackled, these businesses also will not survive for long because their competitors will beat them to the punch. If you and your employees temporarily find that you have empty hours to fill, what could be better than to imagine an exciting, prosperous and steady future? Spend your unbusy hours wisely, for as the saying goes, This too shall pass. When it does, make sure you’re better off, not worse.

How’s your company coping with the ramifications of COVID-19? Leave your comments here!

I often wonder where the last decade has gone but running a small business will do that to you. Keep your head down, deliver for current clients, work to add new clients, add staff and other resources…before you know it 10 years have come and gone! If you’re a small business owner too, major milestones are a good time to pause and assess what you’ve learned. It’s a way to remember how far you’ve come and what you need to ensure your organization’s future success. During a recent look back at KDH Consulting, here’s where we netted out.

1. Walk a mile in their shoes.  The more we can internalize what’s truly important to our clients, the better we’re able to serve them. Sometimes that means going beyond our scope of work. We learn as much about the company as we can—how they’re doing, how competitors are doing, the overall health of the company. If it’s possible for us to experience the buying process or the online customer experience, you can bet that we do it. In fact, that’s how we come up with our best ideas. Call it CE, Consultant Empathy– the more you have, the more your client will view you as someone who gets it.
2. Lead or follow but don’t get in the way. We never forget that we serve at the pleasure of our clients. Knowing and adhering to that dictate makes our work much easier to deliver.  At the same time, we must be ready to lead if needed. I’ve worked with clients who wanted and needed to turn a project over to us completely—and when given that authority, we were ready to do so.  If we don’t agree with a client’s strategy or path forward, we’ll tell them why. Then we move forward to help them achieve their goals; continuing to churn is not productive.
3. Never stop learning. Employee Engagement, Corporate Culture, and Change Management are three of our sweet spots. These fields are evolving—and it’s our job to find out as much as we can about these topics. We read everything we can get our hands on, attend conferences and seminars and engage with subject matter experts whenever possible. We have to be aware of what works and doesn’t, and continually build our expertise. After all, if we don’t stay on top of trends, how can we can help our clients stay on top?  
4. Fit to be tied, together.   We collaborate with a wide number of partners—vendors and subcontractors—to help deliver our services.  Some collaborations have been exceptional, others less so. The difference? Not skillset but mindset. I might need an exceptional graphic designer or videographer to help with a big project. Regardless of how “good” they may be, our collaboration will be a success only if they are also responsive, proactive and flexible. They need to be enthusiastic and pleasant to work with, too. No matter what skills I’m paying for, these behaviors make a big difference in how well partners fit with our company and whether or not we’ll hire them again.
5. Step away from the laptop.  About a year ago, my best friend shared that she was worried about my health. I knew that I wasn’t sleeping enough and had abandoned the idea of taking time to hit the gym. I honestly thought that if I just worked a few more hours each week I could get it “all” done. Who was I kidding? Owning your own business by definition means it’s never all done.  I decided then and there to make a concerted effort to step back more often, to enjoy dinner out with my husband on a weeknight or do something impromptu with my kids when the opportunity arose.  Guess what? The work was waiting for me when I got back, and I felt better about tackling it. 
6. Expand and grow, naturally. No shock here: new business rarely comes to you; you have to go to it. What I’ve learned, however, is that the big expansion plan or growth strategy wasn’t something I ever had the time to pursue as a discrete and separate activity. I realized that it didn’t have to be; it’s more organic than that. Rather than the dreaded networking or prospecting activities, I prefer to connect in a more natural way, when and where the opportunity presents itself.  I feel fortunate that people genuinely want to know how things are going with my business and I happily share, making the point that I’m looking forward to growing. If there is a need for a deeper discussion about a business opportunity, then I’m always prepared to share my often-refreshed and always up-to-date website, social media, and capabilities deck.    

I can’t wait to see what Lessons my team and I will learn in the decade ahead! What about you? Do you own your own business? What lessons have you learned? How will you carry these lessons into your future success? Leave your comments here!

Every morning when I was growing up, I would hear my Dad getting ready for work as I got ready for school.  He would have the news playing on the radio as he showered, got dressed and came down to the kitchen for breakfast. As he would wield his electric razor, he would mutter the same phrase over and over under his breath: “There aren’t enough hours in the day.” I never understood what he meant.  Everyone had 24 hours. Wasn’t that enough?

Now that I’m older, and have a small business and a family, I get it.  There are many days when I feel like the 16 waking hours I have aren’t nearly enough to accomplish my work goals and spend the infamous “quality time” with my husband and teenage daughters. (I’ve tried sleeping less and believe me, that isn’t the answer!) 

But none of us get more than 24 hours. And unless we are protective of those precious hours, we run the risk of feeling that all parts of our lives are suffering. What are we to do? The answer is to ruthlessly prioritize. There’s no other way to get the most out of our days.  Do we have to be ruthless? Absolutely. There are so many demands that come at us every day. Unless we are vigilant in aligning our time to our most important priorities, we’ll be subject to distractions, busywork and other time sucks that do not help us achieve our goals and desires.  Here are my top 5 ways to make it happen.

1. Remind yourself you cannot do everything.  One of my favorite managers used to say: We can do anything, but we can’t do everything. He used this phrase during the budget planning cycle to remind people of resource and financial constraints. The same is true with our time. No matter how well you manage your time (see below), you will not be able to do everything. Embracing this immutable law will make it easier to top line the things you want to focus on.
2. Consider the idea of “harmony” versus “balance”.  I’ve been working for nearly 30 years, and I can’t point to a time—or even a day– when I experienced perfect “balance”. Sometimes work got my primary attention; other times, family came first.  It’s simply not possible to give equal attention across the board. The key to ruthlessly prioritizing is knowing what’s most important to you in each of your priority areas and sticking to it. I drive my girls to school most mornings. My husband makes dinner for us at least 3 nights a week. You decide what works for you and then don’t cave! 
3. Become hyperaware of how you manage time.  When I started using a tool that helped me record my activities over 168 hours every week, I was surprised to learn that my coffee and social media browsing on weekend mornings totaled over 3 hours each week. And that didn’t include my “checking in” on FB or LinkedIn or IG several times during each work day.  On a monthly basis, that’s roughly 12-15 hours. And I wondered why I was struggling to find more time with my family or friends. BINGO! If you liken that to financial spending, you may find that you’re making some big investments that don’t deliver big returns. This reflection may also confirm that you want to spend those hours on social media or whatever activities you’re doing. But at a minimum, you’ll have a better handle of how your day goes and that makes it easier to earmark time for your most important tasks. 
4. Be honest with yourself. If you’ve written them down, pull out your priorities list monthly or quarterly to assess how you’re progressing.  Rather than allow a big chunk of time to go by, a regular check in with your priorities will allow you to course correct. Let’s say you are doing all the steps listed above to ruthlessly prioritize, but somehow you realize that you’re not finding or making time for one of your priorities. Time to take stock and ask yourself why. Let’s say you decided to make self-care a priority: You planned to exercise more, devote more time to meditation or journaling, eat a more plant-based diet. But the time study shows you’re not doing any of these things.  Step back and ask yourself why. It might be you feel guilty taking time for yourself. It might be that you need to change your habits to book the time to focus on this priority. Often, when we hit challenges, we have consciously or unconsciously put up our own barriers. If you reflect honestly, you will be able to pinpoint what’s holding you back from focusing on those priorities. 
5. Find a “Priorities Buddy”.  Few things can match being accountable to another person you trust—especially around priorities. Think about the friends, colleagues, or family members you know and value. Find one you are willing to share your priorities with on a regular basis.  Agree to encourage each other and keep you honest and focused. My best friend and I talk several times a week. Our conversations range from everyday life stuff to the important goals we have in our businesses and with our family. When one of us gets stuck, the other gently asks about priorities. Having this trusted partner helps anchor us on our priorities.

AT KDH Consulting, our priority is to help our clients find the right message and the right platform to communicate to their employees.  It’s an ongoing goal to deliver communications that keep employees engaged and informed.  Staying laser-focused on what we do best isn’t easy, but prioritizing our activities every hour of every day helps us to do our best work. Happy prioritizing—and don’t be afraid to be ruthless.