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Have you ever made a giant mess of a situation at work? I have. I remember the first time I started working for Gordian Project, my boss asked me to complete a task by the end of the day, and I completely forgot. I felt so bad and didn’t even know what to say; I didn’t want my error to ruin the trust in our work relationship. I could have given an excuse, gotten offended because of how he reacted to my mistake, or apologized, but I took the coward way out, and provided an excuse. Come to think of it, our relationship as boss and employee could have been nurtured if only I had apologized and moved on. We often want to be forgiven without having to ask for it. The fact of the matter is that we did screw up and in order to make everything right an apology is necessary. But no ordinary apology will do, as I see it a good apology has three parts – “I’m sorry; it was my fault; and how do I make it right?”

Saying I’m sorry has more to do with attitude than with words. William James, and American philosopher, once said “Whenever you’re in conflict with someone, there is one factor that can make the difference between damaging your relationship and deepening it. That factor is attitude.” The attitude you have when saying I’m sorry will display your sincerity.  Sincerity is the first step to rebuilding the trust that may have been lost.

Taking full responsibility for your mistakes is the hardest part of apologizing, especially in the business environment. However, putting yourself in the other party’s shoes will help you say the words: “It was my fault.” When we are wronged we expect someone to fess up and or need to know who to blame.  Though not taking responsibility can seem more appealing, doing so gives up your power to change. In order to learn from your mistakes, you must first acknowledge your mistakes.  Note, there is a big difference between admitting your mistake and beating yourself up about it. Once you have taken responsibility for your mistake, remember that you are doing the right thing by providing a good apology, no self pity will make your apology any better.

Fixing your mistakes is a step that many of us subconsciously chose to skip. Some mistakes are easy to fix while others have bad consequences. Saying sorry and even accepting fault are easy words to say, but as we all know, actions speak louder than words. Ask the person you have let down what they would like you to do in order to rebuild trust and be worthy of their forgiveness. In the business environment, making sure you complete this step will also help others to be lenient the next time you make a mistake, as they know you are not one to simply sweep it under the rug.

A good apology goes along way - Do it right and do it fast. Remember that a good apology is essential in any relationships. When you make a mistake at work and you apply the three parts of a good apology, your boss and coworkers will respect you for how you handle your mistakes.

We all can use a little help with dealing with apologies and mistakes, if you have any recommendations make sure you leave them in the comments.

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In a continuing effort to make the office both a fun and productive place to work, yesterday was the second annual Gordian Project salsa contest. The contest had 13 different salsas enter with a range of ingredients such as a grape based sweet salsa, one that featured baby shrimp and many with traditional spices. Everyone brought their salsas in the morning and they were left out all day for the office to enjoy and critique to their hearts content. Many, including myself, elected to skip lunch in order to save room for continued judging of which salsa would get our vote. In the afternoon the votes were emailed in, and today the winner was announced and received a gift card. Here are some great pictures from the event.

Now I say all of this to prove the point that their are many great and cheap ways to promote workplace comradery. The business supplied the gift cards for the winners, but the contest was run by the employees and they individually provided the salsas and chips for the competition. Throughout the office during the day you could hear, "I love salsa day, one of the best days of the year", to which I fully agree. There is just something about hanging out with your co workers and arguing over the range of flavors making up a good salsa, that adds another level to the normal work day. Sure a little extra time is spent visiting the salsa room to continue sampling, but in the grand scheme of things your employees can now boast on their Facebooks and to their friends that their workplace had a salsa contest with real prizes. This alone makes your work environment stand out, while at the same time building up a rapport with your employees that you want them to enjoy coming to work. Think about it, what is something you can do with your employees in the next month that would have the same effect?

There are hundreds of ways to do this, but I would encourage you to try out something as simple as a salsa contest today, your employees with thank you for it.

What about you, what does your office do for comradery?

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Feeling overwhelmed is inevitable in today’s workplace. With technology we not only work faster, but are constantly berated with incoming issues. It often seems like it is coming at you too fast or that you will never get your head above water. Just opening your computer in the morning to see your email inbox is sometimes enough to make you disheartened. Take heart, you are not alone; but how do we look past the avalanche of work and accomplish the tasks at hand? These are a few things I think about when I feel like I’m overwhelmed at work.

Don’t Get Stuck on the Big Picture
We all want to help with the main goals the comapny is trying to accomplish, but once you know what the general direction of the company is, use that information to help direct you to the projects that best assist the big picture. It’s easy to dwell on the big picture and forget where you are actually headed, so instead of letting that drive what you do, make that knowledge work for you in order to accomplish your smaller goals. These, in turn, will help drive the overall goals of the company.

Know When to Say “No”
In a technology driven society we all have the ability to multitask in a way our parents never dreamed of; but just because you can juggle ten flaming pins doesn’t mean you should. Know how you work and know where your max is. If you continue to take on responsibility there will inevitably come a time when all your tasks begin to hinder how well you work. In work, quality is always better than quantity, as a sustainable business grows on quality work. Say no to the projects that will push you over your limit and work hard to create the best quality work on the ones you are currently undertaking.

Stuck? Ask for Help
If you do end up with too much on your plate, don’t be afraid to ask for help or delegate a task to someone else. It’s for this reason that it is important to know who you work with and how you can help each other succeed. For me, when I am stuck on a task, I ask for help from someone who may know what I’m doing better than I do. Not only does this help get the task done faster, but I learn how to trouble shoot that problem in the future. We all love being the best at what we do, but there comes a time when a problem can be solved in 5 minutes by asking for help and that 5 minutes can save 45 minutes of frustration trying to think of what to do.

These three tips are what help me the most when I am feeling overwhelemed. How about you, how do you deal with your workload?

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According to Jonathan Strickland of Howstuffworks.com, “Offering on-site benefits, have the added bonus of keeping the employee workforce in the office more often.  Give employees enough reasons to stick around and you’ll likely see productivity go up.  Why head home when everything you need is at work?”

Have you ever had a job that made you miserable, where just getting out of bed seemed like such a hassle?  If so, do you remember how the lack of enthusiasm for your job made your loose your jobs ‘focus factor’?  Many studies have shown the advantages of a happy work environment.  Some of these advantages include increased productivity, quality of work, lower absenteeism, stress and burnout, higher sales and customer satisfaction, among many others. 

Melissa Dahl of MSNBC, reporting on a study done by Harvard University, writes: “New research shows that happiness isn’t just an individual phenomenon; we can catch happiness from friends and family members like an emotional virus. When just one person in a group becomes happy, researchers were able to measure a three-degree spread of that person’s cheer.  On average, every happy person in your social network increases your own chance of cheer by 9 percent — and the effects of catching someone else’s happiness lasts up to one year.”

So then, if happiness is a key contributor to employee productivity, what have we done as a company to boost our employees?  The answer we developed was Free Food Friday.  It may not be free food everyday like a mammoth company such as Google, but it’s still valuable.  Lunch is provided every non-payday week along with some ‘getting to know you and getting to know the company’ conversation.  Having all the employees in one place every other week for some fellowship has proven to create happiness and grow friendships.  In addition great management has also been a key contributor to our office happiness.  Each manager is given the unique opportunity to create a cohesive and happy environment for their staff.  Some bring coffee or snacks on occasion, give encouragement when needed, and laughter and music request days to lighten the mood.  It’s the small boosters that keep employees happy on a day-to-day basis.

This is what we do, what has your company done to create employee happiness?

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My partner recently sent out a neat article:

11 Business Lessons From The Battlefield

As I read through the lessons I naturally began asking myself “Do I do that?”, “How am I on that one?”, and “I wonder how my managers would rate me on that one.”  So to make things a bit easier, I went ahead and turned the 11 lessons into 44 more specific questions.  Here you go:

Eleven Lessons Become Forty Four Questions

1. Do I genuinely respect the people who work for me?
2. Do I help my employees reach their career goals in tangible ways?
3. Am I more interested in what is best for my employees or what is best for me or the company?
4. Do I conduct myself in a sober, professional way?
5. Do I make employees feel degraded or humiliated?
6. Do I provide relevant, positive reinforcement?
7. Do I criticize more than I compliment?
8. Do my employees know who I believe the star performers are?
9. Do I actively listen to people?
10. Do I allow employees to choose their own path much of the time?
11. Do I overrule my employees plan too frequently or without giving them a chance?
12. Do I bend or give in on nonessential issues or questions?
13. Do my employees believe I can distinguish between essential and nonessential?
14. Do I seek clarity on an issue before correcting or reprimanding?
15. Do I know when and how to give an order?
16. Am I timid about giving orders?
17. Am I condescending when giving orders?
18. Am I direct about what needs to happen when giving orders?
19. Do I make eye contact when giving orders?
20. Do I remain cool and firm, without yelling, when giving orders?
21. Am I passive aggressive when giving orders?
22. Do I validate grievances when giving orders?
23. Do I explain why an order is being given?
24. Am I afraid to insist on a standard?
25. Am I afraid to tell people what to do?
26. Am I afraid to demand quality?
27. Am I a “yeller” or “nice guy freakout yeller”?
28. Am I meek?  In the “poor leader” way or the “inherit the earth” way?
29. Do I do an appropriate level of inspection of work?
30. Do I care about output and results?
31. Do I allow employees to become lazy and complacent?
32. Do I care about the unglamorous tasks?
33. Do I see myself as above the unglamorous tasks?
34. Am I clear about expectations?
35. When giving a task, am I clear about what the task is, who has to do it, and by when or clear that my employee needs to identify the task, assign it, and establish a due date with his/her team?
36. Do I believe everyone gives a crap about my credentials, or should?
37. Do I give a crap about my credentials?
38. Have I established a reputation for competence, common sense, and listening?
39. Once a path is established, do I balance small, firm corrections with steady, disciplined execution?
40. Do I have a tendency to waffle on initiatives or change direction frequently?
41. Do my employees have a clear understanding of the paths/initiatives I believe are important?
42. Do I address problems in a clear, timely manner?
43. Do I have a tendency to side step problems and let them fester?
44. And lastly, if I sent these questions to my managers as a survey, would I do anything tangible with the responses?

If you’re interested in more leadership insight from a military perspective, here is a link to the widely distributed 18 Lessons in Leadership by General Colin Powell.

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You just never know how or when, or in what capacity you may strike up a relationship that positively impacts your business.

I purchased a home in the not so distant past and subsequently found myself tied up in Code Enforcement red tape.  Code Enforcement responds to concerns, complaints, and nuisances within a city to make sure that properties are in compliance with city codes.  These complaints are often associated to issues that can impact the quality of life in a city such as zoning, maintenance of structures, inoperative vehicles, overgrown yards, and illegal signs.  Receiving a violation from Code Enforcement can be costly and time consuming regardless of the reasoning behind the violation or where the fault lies.  One thing I do know is that finding your family’s financial well being placed in the hands of bureaucracy places an emotional strain on the soul that I can’t put into words.  I responded in a way I’d never before, kicking off a letter to every bit of political representation I could think of.

Despite not expecting a single response I somehow felt better and was reinvigorated to continue the good fight. Interestingly enough I did receive a response from Council Member Rusty Bailey and although I’m confident no strings were pulled, I appreciated the handful of phone conversations that were had by the Councilmen and myself throughout the process. Ultimately, our (my family) plight was brought to resolution with the closing of our “file” and fines returned. I believe Councilmen Bailey summarized the situation best when he explained, “cooler heads prevailed.”

Having mentioned along the way my involvement with Gordian Project I had the honor of introducing Councilmen Bailey to Gordian Project Managing Partners Timothy Jackson and Brian Chelette over lunch.  A casual meeting for sure, sharing the life of Gordian Project along with hearing Councilmen Bailey’s heart for Riverside.  My thanks to the Councilman for the time and opportunity to continue in that relationship as I, we, Gordian Project seeks to partner with that heart.

Councilmen Bailey’s email signature concludes with, “Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try." (Author unknown)  I believe I’ve accomplished navigating Code Enforcement’s red tape successfully but perhaps more importantly struck a relationship that can assist in Gordian Project’s desire to philanthropically impact "Riverside".

For those that are curious about my big code violation, here are a few pictures:

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Being happy at work makes the difference between having the case of the Monday blues and having a “Thank God it’s Monday” attitude. According to this article, people fear Monday mornings, and experience anxiety on Sunday nights. Many of us can relate to having Monday blues. Ask anyone what their favorite day of the week is vs. their worst day of the week, you may find that Friday and Monday would be the most common answers. Well, I did my own research and among all my our co-workers at Gordian Project the most common answer for worst day of the week was Monday, and the favorite was actually Saturday. Monday was seen as the worst and most boring day of the week.  Just because the Monday blues is so common does not mean that we have to accept them with open arms. How many of us want our Sundays to be relaxing, looking forward to Monday morning because work can be fun? Here are some tips on how to not only get rid of the Monday blues, but also how to be happy at work on Monday and as many other days as possible too.

1. Show up on time. There is nothing worse to start your day than showing up late.  Once you’re at work give it 100 percent of your attention. Fortunately, many of us have breaks which can help relieve our distractions. If you find yourself zoning out or focusing on other things which are not work related then take your break, but once your break is over it's back to work.


2. Have a positive attitude. With a positive attitude you will always beat the Monday blues. Being positive not only helps you deal with the day ahead, but will also affect those around you, creating a trickle effect of happiness.


3. Make Mondays a fun night. Plan a family game night or go to dinner with your spouse. Planning a fun evening will most definitely have you looking forward to Mondays. Just a warning, don’t stay up too late on Monday nights, because then we’ll be faced with having to attack the Tuesday blues!


4. Take each day as it comes. Focus only on today; don’t worry about tomorrow because you can honestly say you don’t know what tomorrow holds. Every day consists of completing tasks which can also bring little victories that make our days brighter. Don’t forget to celebrate those small accomplishments because celebrating accomplishments will foster a positive attitude.

With this new mind set, positive attitude, and the belief that you can be happy at work, you will notice that come Monday morning when your alarm goes off you will wake up with a smile. It truly doesn’t take much to change the way you start your week; you can be happy at work, and look forward to the beginning of your week without the Monday blues.

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I came a cross an article in The Wholesaler about time management and thought that I would share some thoughts on a few of the points that Peter Schor listed in his article. First, here’s a link to the online version: The Wholesaler, page 32. Most of his points are pretty obvious, but some of them really stuck out to me.

The Never-ending Inbox

In the article he states “E-mailing — Block off times to process your e-mail. Twice per day should be sufficient. Avoid the temptation to check e-mail frequently.” In an eCommerce company I know the first thing I thought about this suggestion was “Pft, yeah right…twice a day my eye.” My email is ALWAYS open. Heck, I dedicate a screen to my email..., but I do see the value in this idea, especially if it is “fused” together with this suggestion: “Quickly process the paperwork that hits your in-box.” This works perfectly for me.  Schor recommends using “R.A.F.T” to help you file through you inbox in a timely fashion wherever it may be.  “R.A.F.T” is an acronym the author uses to file and process paperwork. R=Refer to another person.  A=Take Action. F=File it. T=Trash it. My “hybrid” suggestion, for eCommercers in a predominantly paperless environment is to quickly process emails that hit your inbox, and restrain yourself from checking your personal email to no more than twice a day.

Breaking Bad Habits

Another Point he makes, “Identify bad habits" — Make a list of bad habits that are stealing your time, and sabotaging and blocking your success. Then work on them one at a time to systematically eliminate them from your life. Remember, the way to eliminate a bad habit is to replace it with a better one.” My bad habit and worst enemy: Procrastination. It’s followed me all though college and still sometimes effects my daily work, though not on the same level as it affected my schoolwork. I’m sure there are other bad habits that I have, but I’m also 99% sure they stem from my ability to procrastinate like no other. Some ways that I have tried to overcome my procrastination in the past is to make a list of things that must get done in that given day, which Schor mentions earlier in his article.  It really does help to see everything that has to get done and it gives you a goal to work toward. I will also be using “RAFT” to further combat the never ending battle with my nemesis.

Just say No

And my personal favorite: “Say No” — We say “yes” to others because we want to please others. But when eventually we can’t continue, we let them down and feel guilty. Both parties suffer. Recognize that a genuine desire to please often prevents us from saying “no.” FINALLY! Someone said it.  I know that there are not enough fingers and toes in the world, ok that might be drastic… but there are definitely not enough in Gordian Project to count how many times I have said “yes” when I’m screaming “no”.  I don’t have a good solution on how to say no without the other person being upset, but I do have a reasonable recommendation (provided the person you are dealing with is "reasonable"). If you are confronted with this situation and a co-worker is asking you to do something that is in line with the company’s goals, add it to your list of priorities where it makes the most sense. If the request is out of line with the company’s goals, tell them no and explain your reasons.

Don’t forget: We will never get caught up, but understanding that alone can help reduce your stress and increase your productivity. It’s a weird thought, I know, but there is always tomorrow, and we all know that if it doesn’t get done today it will be there tomorrow. So why stress?

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You have to love a day of the year when it is pretty much a requirement to dress up. However, that day becomes so much better when your place of work cuts back the dress code and lets all of the employees dress up to their hearts content (work appropriate of course). Wearing your Halloween costume to work has become a staple of life at the Gordian Project, this year being no exception. Over half of the office dressed up to celebrate, Zach barbecued, all the Michael Jacksons danced, Vanessa roller skated, and there was no shortage of hot dog jokes. Needless to say some hilarity ensued, pictures below.

The managers meeting hit an all time high for creativity.

The data team all participated. From left: Edward from Twilight, Batman, Spock, and a biker.

Tribute to Michael Jackson featuring different years of his life.

The marketing team in full swing.

The whole team.

Until next year... Happy Halloween!

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Vanessa wrote a great blog recently entitled "Ask Not What Your Company can do for You – Ask What You can do for Your Company" I thought this was a great blog and it prompted me to put together some similar thoughts I had recently while dealing with some employee issues. As a department head I constantly get bombarded for every request and issue imaginable, everything from why a certain food item is not in the kitchen, to schedules and work quality, interdepartmental communication, even the dreaded last roll of toilet paper panic attack. To top that all off, it also comes from employees that aren’t even in my department. Honestly I don't really mind dealing with most of these issues because I enjoy helping people and want to see both them and the business succeed. The terms "the business" or "the company" can be real stumbling blocks for people depending on the size of the company and the organization structure, because I don’t think that some understand that they are a part of what makes “the company”. I think sayings like "Is this Good for the Company?" from the movie Office Space are both funny, cliché and, for small businesses, oh so true.

At the Gordian Project we only have a handful of departments and just enough employees to support each department, except for the 3 managing partners, no one else has ownership of the company; but, because of our company's small size, relationship and organization everyone is "the company". Let me explain, we are not some gigantic company, with hundreds of offices, thousands of employees and an endless management structure. If that were the case "the company" would mean something entirely different (depending on your position I suppose) and that's something that personally I did not want in a career. At the Gordian Project I can honestly say that I am part of and have ownership in "the company". I and every other employee play a huge role, regardless of title, in how the company operates and or how successful or unsuccessful it is. As much as I believe in our managing partners, they can't do everything and the success of the company is not hinged upon their every decision. Success will only come with all of us working together, following our goals and objectives and caring about "the company". I know that my decisions, success and compensation as an individual are closely tied to that of the company. While I may not technically own part of the company, because of how the owners have set things up and decided to run their business I feel as though I do.  I know that they fairly and realistically divvy out compensation, and their overall goals are for both all of their employees and the company to succeed. What this also means is that most of my decisions also effect more than just me or my department, they affect "the company" which at this point is everyone. Like I mentioned above, I think this is a hard concept for some people to grasp. They continue their attitude from past jobs of not liking to work for "the man", or that we are some huge faceless corporation which does not care, and should meet some unrealistic expectations. Having employees with those attitudes in a small business can be both unproductive and destructive.

This is where I have to side with Vanessa wholeheartedly (and be excited that she is part of my department).  At some point depending on what "the company" means to you, many of those entitlements could melt away and or have another level of meaningfulness so that, hopefully, the larger company objectives and goals can be focused on. If you truly care, at least about your own well being and/or that of your coworkers, then perhaps it's time to understand what "the company" means to you, and act accordingly.