On a recent trip to my local Rescue Mission thrift shop, I visited the book section in search of some golden goodies! My son, who is very... adventurous, wandered ahead of me trailing behind his Nana and picked up a book with a fish on the cover. He had to show it to me and to Nana. He thought that it was a book for him, but God used my little adventurer to lead me to this book! The idea behind the book is quite simple: If people love what they do, they will do it well & this is how. I decided that at $1, this book couldn't be a bad investment. Today, I was able to make my $1 investment count. I read the book in about an hour and a half with several interruptions.
There are four main principles to understand to make the workplace work.
- Choose a positive attitude
- Play
- Be present
- Make their day
The first principle can seem the most difficult for some people; however, when we choose our attitude, we create our own success. When we don't choose our attitude or we are reactive to what happens around us, we choose not to be in control of our success. Joyce Meyer calls this the "Battlefield of the Mind" and she has extensive teachings o the subject as well.
The second principle is something that is somewhat difficult for mos adults. We are taught to grow up and act like mature adults. This implies walking around in gray suits and driving gray cars and living a gray life fr most people. This takes a lot of the fun out of our lives. Since we can spend 40 hours or more working in this environment it can cause us to have a deficit in energy and enthusiasm for the work that we do. In the book Fish!, they discussed the importance of play at the Pike Place Fish Market. The workers there created a fun and playful environment where they sold fish and made memories by playing lively interactive fish games with the crowd (you gotta read the book). These games not only made the work fun, but more enjoyable for the employees.
Be present is the third principle. This is a tough one as well. Being present means being unavailable for certain things in order to make the most of other things, such as family. Set a time and place for working. At the close of business, close the business side of your life and choose to be present with your family and loved ones. Don't be too pressed to work all the time. Providing for your family is not more important than the time you spend with them. The last thing that we want is for our careers to provide more for our families than we do. DO NOT WORK AT THE RISK OF RELATIONSHIPS! Family time is more important than anything else. Nurture these relationships first.
Finally is the principle of making their day. This principle is simply the act of making yourself memorable to your customers, making memories with your family, and creating experiences that create a longing for another interaction with you or your company.
For me, the first and third principles are difficult. I have the attitude battle within myself everyday! I choose to stunt my growth every time I choose not to think positively and plan positively. Being present is also difficult for me as a single working mother. I have the full responsibility of providing for, teaching, nurturing, grooming, and the overall development of myself, my child, and my business. There is no one else to do it for me the way that I want it done.
I can ask my family and friends (a blog of a different title), but I seldom do. In fact, I take on all of these responsibilities myself. This lack of delegation makes me a little bit absentminded, exhausted, and ultimately busy all the time! I do not like it. I genuinely need to do a better job of sticking to my business hours and spend more time being present in my home and in my son's life and developing our relationship. He'll only be my baby boy for a few more years, and I want to maximize this time!
If you have read this blog and you are an entrepreneur, let me tell you simply why this book and these principles apply to us. We are the workplace. We are the energy. We are the problem and the solution. When you take on the responsibility of business ownership, your business takes on the tone that you set for it and the personality that you give it. You are the only entity that can create a change in your company. For a more in depth view of these four topics and to see how they were implemented to turn a "toxic energy dump" into the most coveted department of "First Guarantee Financial", pick up the book and read it!
