ME-time

Herken je het gevoel dat je soms tijd te kort komt. Het beklemmende gevoel dat je krijgt als je to-do lijstje een to-do-lijst-zonder-einde blijkt te zijn. Herman Van Veen zong decennia geleden reeds "We moeten rennen springen duiken vallen opstaan en weer doorgaan ...". En ondanks de wijze boodschap die hij in dit lied dat in ons collectief geheugen gegrift staat vervatte, zijn we toch steeds sneller en sneller gaan leven. We hebben talloze verplichtingen, we moeten dit, we moeten dat, ... en op het einde van de rit schieten de dingen die we eigenlijk heel graag eens zouden doen vaak over. Die stellen we dan uit tot later. Later als ik op pensioen ben... maar ook gepensioneerden hebben al lang geen tijd meer.

Als vader van 2 kinderen en zelfstandig ondernemer heb ik ook altijd heel veel op m'n agenda staan. Nieuwe zaken ontwikkelen, klanten bellen, helpen bij het huiswerk, koken, kinderen naar de tennis brengen, boekhouding, ... Het lijkt vaak een eindeloze rij van activiteiten die elkaar tegen razend tempo volgen.

Om een goede balans te houden voor mezelf bouw ik daarom regelmatig ME-time in. Dan ben ik baas van m'n tijd en niemand anders. Ik bepaal wat ik doe en deze tijdsblokken zijn voor mij heilig.

Zo ben ik een vroege vogel. Ik geniet intens van de start van de dag. Het moment dat er nog niemand in huis wakker is en dat ik even gewoon "m'n ding" kan doen. Ik kan dan een doelgericht of net heel doelloos surfen op het net, rond 7u fiets ik naar de stad om inkopen te doen bij de vroege bakker, slager en fruitwinkel, ik drink m'n koffietje en lees de krant, ... en tegen 8.30 komt de rest van het gezin op gang in het weekend (tijdens de week moet iedereen uiteraard vroeg op). Deze ME-time geeft me rust. Het geeft me ruimte om energie op te bouwen die ik de rest van de dag nodig heb. Het maakt me gelukkig.

Ik zeg niet dat jullie nu allemaal vroeg uit de veren moeten en doelloos moeten beginnen te surfen. Maar ik vraag je wel : "Wat is jouw ME-time". Voorzie jij nog ruimte in je agenda om dat ene ding te doen dat je gewoon wilt doen omdat het je gelukkig maakt en energie geeft ? De ruimte die je voor jezelf creëert om even uit de rat-race te stappen en te investeren in jezelf.

En geloof me als ik zeg : "Een investering in jezelf is een investering die altijd rendeert".

Ga op zoek naar wat je graag doet en maak ruimte voor deze ME-time in je agenda.

Elke klant verdient "I CARE"

Ken Blanchard is definitely one of the most inspiring speakers to me. Today I saw him at the ASTD 2014 convention in Washington where he spoke about giving I Care feeling to customers.

But what does it mean ?

First of all we should give customers Ideal service. Ideal service strives on beliefs. Beliefs that the customer no matter what comes first. Everything we do should deliver a better service to our customer. Whether we work for an inside or an outside customer, the should receive an ideal service.

Second : Culture of service. Every organization should deliver a culture of service. You never get the opportunity to make a first impression again to someone. Therefore the people who work at a customer service desk should be the directors of first impressions. They welcome a customer, they make sure customers can ask their questions and they pass through the correct information to other people within your organization. Therefore their most important competence should be listening.

Third : Attentiveness People should pay really attention to what others say or feel. And I don't mean just listening and meanwhile think about what you'll do tonight. No, I mean real sincere attention. Listening with both ears, your brain and your heart. 100% attention. By doing so, you'll really understand what your customer complains about and you'll receive qualitative information to improve your organization.

Forth : Responsiveness Give people a budget (this can vary on the organization and can be any amount - even € 10 can be fine). THis money can be used by employees to solve certain issues. Not for themselves, but to help customers. They don't need approval from their boss and the boss of you boss and his boss and … No, give people the opportunity to decide upon theirselves what they should do and give them a budget to solve issues.

Last but not least Empowerment Great leaders are not on top of their organization or org chart. They put themselves all the way down and ask their staff "how can I help you?" They support and help their people, but give all employees the opportunity to go for their self-management. Empowerment is about giving employees the responsibility to decide themselves.

All of this philosophy will work as long as you believe in what you say and you act upon it. Don't put it in a frame against the wall in the hall, but live it every day. This will lead to higher customer satisfaction and growth of any organization.

Complaining about "them"

Do you also notice people like to complain about just anything ? Too often I hear people complain about "them", "the management", "the IT system", …
It is easy to complain about something as vague as "them", but by constantly complaining about vague things like "them", you won't solve the situation. If you want the situation to improve, then you should do something about it.

I'm sure there are good people in your management team as well. And I'm sure the IT system has certain benefits (or do you want to write on a typewriter)… Start looking at the positive things about "them" and if you have complaints, investigate what the problem is and do something about it !

By doing so, you'll feel more positive energy and more opportunities instead of pulling yourself down.

Live the day and enjoy the positive things happening around you !

From knowledge to action

Cartoon of the week 

About shoes and change management

Everybody has somewhere this pair of old shoes they still wear every once in a while. They are old, perhaps a little bit (or very) damaged, but they feel sooo comfy, because they fit your feet perfectly. Over time they got shaped around your feet and they feel like you could walk miles with them.
This is like our old habits. We are used to these habits, they feel comfy and safe, so we keep on doing things like we used to do them before.

But after even more time, those shoes will really get damaged and the shoe repair guy gives you this look saying 'game over my friend'. This is the moment you realize it's time for a change. You will have to look for a new pair.

You go to the shop and none of the shoes in the window look like your old ones (what a disappointment). But hey, you need shoes so you buy some new ones. And in the beginning those new shoes might hurt some and then you have 2 possibilities : or your new shoes end up at the bottom of the closet or you say let's walk a few miles with them and in the end, they will fit my feet. And yes, if you persist, they will become more comfortable. You realize they feel good as well. And if you keep on wearing them, in the end they feel like the most comfy shoes you ever had.
With change it goes exactly the same way. It might scare you to move into new situations. You might have some resistance towards the new change, but once you give it a try, you'll realize you can cope with it, and you might even enjoy the new situation.

But stay sharp, because at a certain moment, your new shoes will get old and you'll need a new pair.

Leren = Leven en Leven = Leren

Ontdek hier m'n nieuwe presentatie over levenslang leren.

Indien de link niet werkt : http://www.slideshare.net/PimVandijck/leren-leven-en-leven-leren

It is one of those Fridays

IT'S FRIDAY.

You and your team have worked throughout the week on a project. You have been looking forward to the weekend (how I feel) because you want to spend some time with your family. You arrive at work earlier than usual (what I do) because this is the best way to get a head start on your day (how I think). You find out that there is an unanticipated need to work over the weekend and your plans will have to change.
As you mentally reorganize your day and your weekend, you meet several of your peers in the hallway. They talk about how miserable they are because they have to ask their employees to work over the weekend (how I feel). They also tell you that they are going to ask their employees to work over the weekend by email to avoid personal contact (what I do). They further share that they think that it was unfair of the company to make such a last minute request (how I think).

The possible outcomes of this situation shed light on the cascade effect that individuals’ attitudes can have on others. You could adopt the attitudes of your peers and behave as they are or you could continue to work with your employees as you always have, even though you have to change your plans. As a manager, your employees will learn about how you feel, what you do, and how you think, and very likely, they will align themselves to you. Your attitudes will influence their attitudes, and eventually, their level of engagement. If something is important for you, it should be important for them and vice versa.

-Excerpt taken from ASTD Links, "What Is Organizational Culture?"
Thursday, October 31, 2013 - by Norma Dávila and Wanda Piña-Ramírez

Attitudes play a critical role on engagement, as they do in this hypothetical situation.

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