People Management
The Balancing Act: Work, Friends, Family…Holidays
“Tis the season to be … overwhelmed.”???
It’s tough for anyone to juggle the holidays with all of the other balls in the air, but when it comes to the drastically overwhelmed there is one group that sets the bar. The Work-At-Home-Entrepreneur with kids, in-laws and an active social life can typically be found begging for the holidays to be over by about Mid-December. Why? Because we’ve been to busy to put a sanity plan together.
Here are my top 5 tips for making it through the holidays with minimal scratches and no casualties…
1. Make a schedule and stick to it: This is always my very first tip no matter the season. Good scheduling is key to getting through a busy time. Let’s face it, you have a business to run, kids to corral, dinner to cook, and friends to fa la la. Give yourself plenty of time so that you can get through it all without dreading the holidays or dealing with the guilt of not getting it all done.
Set reasonable expectations for what you can accomplish in a regular day. Make time for Santa, Self and Sanity. Put it all on the calendar.
2. Buy online…don’t fight the crowds: Prices are just as low online as they are in the store, most of the time. AND who can beat the free shipping deals all over the place. Pair that with not standing in lines, not fighting with parking lots, and not carrying packages and you have yourself a winner. Don’t forget to include time for shipping when planning your online shopping extravaganza. Otherwise, you’ll get stuck with nasty RUSH fees.
3. Batch your errands / to-do-lists: Another favorite of mine. Plan your errands well in advance, if you can. Choose stores that are closest to one another when shopping so that one trip does it all. Even if you can’t get it done all in one day, you’ll save time and aggravation when you can batch your to-do’s together.
4. Assign tasks to others: I used to assume that my husband had no holiday spirit. I’ve recently come to realize that the “deer in the headlights” look when I asked him to “go buy a gift” was pure fear…not the Grinch. Now, I know that I can send him off with a very specific list and he loses the dazed and confused look…and usually shows back up with exactly what I asked for. Amazing! Take the time to give your “someone” a very specific to do list and you’ll get the results you are looking for.
5. Take time to enjoy and remember what this season is all about: When all is said and done there is a reason for this season. No matter your religious views, we all have our reasons for celebrating the end of a year and beginning of a new. Remember to enjoy that reason…especially when the day is crazy and long…and exhausting.
Stick with these tips and enjoy a rich and semi-stress free holiday season.
Try Before You Buy
In the current economy, it is so easy to look for the quickest and cheapest way to get things done. Hey, sometimes you catch a break but most of the time, you do only get what you pay for! Anything you can buy over the internet has pretty wrapping, a list of great features and benefits, and testimonials galore. But one size never fits all. Before you purchase anything for your business, you have to take the time to do your homework. Otherwise, you will end up wasting time and money. Read the rest of this entry »
Team Building creates Trust, Comradery
When it comes to team building, what can look like a series of simple games and activities can actually do wonders for creating temporary and even lasting relationships. These tasks teach the benefits of working as a team and discourage too much self-centered thinking. However, regardless of the age group involved, some ice breakers team building are a good way to start.
What are ice breakers team building?
Essentially, these are fun ways to get to know the group around you, whether it’s a physical game or a verbal one. These are incredibly useful, whether you’re about to meeting new colleagues or you’re at a motivational seminar and you’re getting to know the fellow audience members around you. These activities are great for establishing bonds and creating epiphanies about those around you.
What are some popular ice breakers team building?
These can include memory games to help everyone learn one another’s name to simple storytelling exercises in which everyone describes a favorite food or childhood memory. Others may consist of fun physical games that involve thinking as a group to solve the problem. A simple and fun example of this is playing with parachutes or tug of war.
The biggest point of ice breakers team building is to discourage individual thinking. Avoid games that pit the group against a single person. Rather, encourage games in which everyone works together and everyone shares the same triumph. This in itself is enormously helpful for teaching the value of working as a team.
Ice breakers team building are also useful for encouraging conversation, closeness, empathy, and community. This is why your verbal games should focus on questions that encourage everyone to feel comfortable with sharing thoughts with the group. Avoid questions that inspire secretiveness or shyness. Instead, choose ideas that the group as a whole can identify with.
These are only a few suggestions when it comes to ice breakers team building. These tips should help significantly in helping your group to bond. These activities will also put your group in a good mood and leave them feeling comfortable with one another. As you move on to other activities, they will be able to use the things they learned during these exercises. Learn more today about how team building can establish lifelong lessons about working as a team at home and in the workplace!
Here are a few of the most popular ice breaker games:
The Pairs Game
Write the name of a famous couple on note cards (one name per notecard)…i.e. Brad & Angelina. No one can see their own notecard as it is taped to their back. Each person gets 5 questions that they can ask to anyone in the group to help them determine who they are. They can only ask Yes/No questions.
After they determine who they are, they must find their “mate” and stand beside them until everyone has done so.
The “I Never Have” Game
In this ice breaker, everyone stands in a circle and is given 5 Popsicle sticks. One by one, each person says “I Never ______, but I would like to”. Then quickly going around the circle any one who HAS done that particular activity throws their stick in to the middle of the circle. This goes on until everyone is out of sticks. You can limit the number of sticks or increase them depending on the size of the group.
Are we do different?
In this icebreaker, the moderator asks multiple choice questions with 4 possible answers. There are 4 designated areas of the room that are labeled A, B, C, D. When the question is asked each person runs to their corner of the room.
For example:
If I had to see a movie, I would rather see: (A) Avatar (B) Lethal Weapon (C) The Hangover (D) Shrek.
If I could go out to eat, I would eat at: (A) The Local Oyster Bar (B) Magianno’s (C) McDonalds (D) Chili’s
My favorite thing about myself is: (A) My personality (B) My hair (C) My car (D) My brain.
If I had to give up one thing at home, it would be: (A) Warm Water (B) Television (C) Heat/Air (D) Computer.
If I could hold one of the four jobs listed, I would be: (A) Pilot (B) Politician (C) Teacher (D) Doctor.
Sing A Song
This is a great way to divide up a group into many smaller groups to start an icebreaker activity.
Decide on the number of groups that you need, for example if you want to divide the room into 4 groups…write down 4 songs on separate pieces of paper (enough for everyone to have one). Have each person draw a piece of paper. Then they must hum the song until each person finds their group.
Looking for more cool icebreakers? Check out some of these team building / icebreaker resources
Hiring The Right Team Member
It is not easy to hire the right person for the job, and hiring the wrong person can cause a big setback to your business. Learning about how to hire the right person for the job can help you to find a candidate who will be an asset to your business.
Hiring employees can be an expensive and time consuming process, and it is not easy to find expert help. Recruiters charge a lot of money and they may not always have your best interests in mind.
You need to be absolutely clear about the duties you want the new hire to perform, and about the type of person who will be able to perform the tasks effectively.
It is not easy to hire the right person for the job, and hiring the wrong person can cause a big setback to your business. Learning about how to hire the right person for the job can help you to find a candidate who will be an asset to your business.
* Hiring employees can be an expensive and time consuming process, and it is not easy to find expert help. Recruiters charge a lot of money and they may not always have your best interests in mind.
* You need to be absolutely clear about the duties you want the new hire to perform, and about the type of person who will be able to perform the tasks effectively.
* Consider these tips when selecting a new member of your team:
* Job title – Choose a title that accurately describes the level of responsibility, knowledge, and experience required for the job. This will narrow the field down and make it easier for you to hire the right person. Applicants go through advertisements to try to find job titles that match their qualifications and experience. Recruiters also use standard titles to look for candidates.
* Consider the standard titles in your industry, for the type of person you want to hire. Think about the hierarchy of your company and the level at which the person will fit in. Use standard titles and add on ‘senior,’ ‘associate’ or ‘junior’ to differentiate the level of the person from that of your other employees.
* Think about the work you want done and about whether your business can support another employee. Check to see if you are utilizing your present employees effectively.
* Analyze the most important functions that the new employee will be required to perform, and determine the main performance criteria.
* Write a detailed job description that lists the requirements of the job, based on the analysis of the main functions you want the employee to perform.
* Find out about how much you will have to pay to attract talented candidates. To decide about this, you can compare the employee compensation offered to other employees in your business, as well as in other companies in the industry.
* Think about how you will reach the right type of candidates. Advertising is not the only way of informing people about vacancies and getting them to apply.
* Collect as many applications as you can and screen them on the basis of your job description. Select the best applications and invite the applicants for interviews. If you are not able to get enough applications, you may have to use a different method or medium to reach more applicants.
* Be professional and courteous during the interview and ask each applicant a standard set of questions based on your job description. Aggressive listening and non-verbal cues can help you to identify behavior patterns. Take notes to record information relating to your requirements.
* Analyze all the information gathered during the interviews as soon as possible, so you will not forget the important details. Verify key information provided in the resumes submitted by the applicants and check references, before you finally hire the person you have selected.
It is essential to go through all the steps to find the right candidate. The preparation before the interview will help to help you to ask the right questions, and make it easier to hire the right person. Look for a candidate who will fit in well with the culture of your company and get along with your other employees.
