A new school year marks a new beginning where there exists a certain kinetic energy that as corporate leaders, we wish could be bottled and sprayed like a fresh motivating scent all over our teams. While it can’t be found in an easy to grab bottle (and if it could I’d like to be the one marketing it), it can be found in the classroom where basic rules and regulations and core beliefs exist to guide students to a successful year and life ahead.
What if once we graduated, these same guidelines were applied to the workplace? How would your work environment evolve and improve? Given this notion, I’ve put together a Back-To-School Checklist for the Workplace. Seemingly simple, it could transform an impotent work environment into a dynamic one.
Be on Time
At the elementary school around the corner and the business on every corner, there is a morning bell and it rings either literally or figuratively. This is the moment that the doors fly open and the workday begins. In school, when you are late, you get a tardy. If you get enough tardy slips then the next stop is detention. It’s common sense that if your business opens at 9:00 AM then employees should arrive at this time. But how many of you actually do? And what is the real cost when team members are 10, 15, 30 minutes late multiplied by the total days in a work year? Lesson: Start each day on time and invigorated!
Review and Follow the Rules
Most every business has an Employee Handbook. Once a year (at least) you and your team should blow the dust off and review it together. What are the rules about use of company technology? Paid leave? Personal conduct? Drugs? Termination? Lesson: Study the rules and follow them.
Be an A
No one sets out to earn an F or in the business world to fail. It is human nature to want to succeed. If there is a roadblock to your knowledge that will impede your success then figure out a way to climb over it, bore through it or knock it down. Doing this takes initiative. It takes guts. It takes believing in you despite that voice in your head telling you otherwise. Lesson: Tell yourself everyday “I am an A.” And you will rise to your perception.
Class Participation Counts
To achieve greatness, you must do more than just show up. It’s incumbent upon you to Speak Up. Don’t attend another team meeting where you sit in silence. You’ve been given a place at the table now get out there and participate 100% by sharing your knowledge and ideas with the team. Lesson: Your voice can have a lasting and compelling impact.
Do Your Homework
When new concepts are presented that exceed your knowledge base, don’t shrug your shoulders and give up, instead attack it by studying it. Read a book or a blog. Engage in a conversation with a thought leader on the subject. Search the Web. There isn’t a subject out there outside of your reach. Lesson: Solve equations by going above and beyond. Do the work and get results!
School Spirit
Hopefully, you are lucky enough to work for a company whose mission, vision and values match your own. Hopefully, you are greeted each morning with a smile and the combined energy of your teammates. And hopefully, if none of these things are true, you are smart enough to realize that YOU have the power to alter your environment and the people around you. You can create a groundswell of spirit and enthusiasm in your workplace by simply changing your attitude and your approach. Be positive. Be kind. Smile—wide. Lesson: Choose to be a positive spirit every day. When you lead, others will naturally follow.
These are just a few ideas for a Back-To-School Checklist for the Workplace. What ideas do you have? Please share your insights with us. Wishing all of you great success as you kick off a new work year!