Stress Facts:

52% of employees report that they have considered or made a career decision -- such as looking for a new job, declining a promotion, or leaving a job -- based on workplace stress. Leading sources of stress at work are:

• Low salaries - 44 percent
• Heavy workload -- 41 percent
• Lack of advancement opportunities -- 40 percent
• Uncertain job expectations -- 40 percent
• Long hours -- 39 percent

55%

of employees report being less productive at work as a result of stress.

24%

of workers with household incomes under $50,000 report that they manage their stress poorly, versus 15% with incomes of $50,000 or more.

Lower income adults are more likely than those with higher incomes to experience symptoms of stress

• Physical -- 80% versus 74%
• Psychological -- 77% versus 68%
• Including:
• Irritability or anger -- 54% versus 46%
• Feeling nervous or sad -- 50% versus 42%
• Lack of motivation or energy -- 51% versus 40%

Barr Corporate Success can help you design a plan that will not only reduce your work stress, but take your business to the next level. Call Krissi today to find out how! 513-470-8980.

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You May Need a Consultant If...

Unless you've been on a deserted island for the past 10 or so years, you're likely familiar with Jeff Foxworthy's "... you might be a redneck" stand-up routine. Granted: The one sure way to make humor unfunny is to overanalyze it, so I'll keep my academic musing to a minimum! The key to Foxworthy's successful and universal humor is we have all known, seen, or been what he describes. You may not identify yourself as a redneck, but at some time or another, you may have done some of what he describes, to some degree, and those are the jokes that get the biggest laughs out of us.

Now, switch gears with me, and consider the performance of your company, your team, yourself.

We all face business challenges, both personally and as an organization. Sometimes a business is just not growing as fast as it could and should, is in a rut, or worse -- is shrinking. Sometimes the most difficult part of running a company, division or team is leading the it in the right direction and ultimately putting it on the right path to grow and prosper.

"But we don't need any help, certainly not a consultant!"

That would mean something is badly wrong, right? Not necessarily. Your car runs fine, but might not if you skip regular maintenance and tune-ups. You change the weight of oil in your car for cold/hot weather. Put on snow tires for different road conditions. It's no weakness of your car that you consult a mechanic. Using a consultant to take your business to the next level is no different. Want a Maserati, or a beater?

Go in for a tune-up!

Listen to the watercooler conversation. Look at the numbers. Consider the morale of your teams. Listen to your own thoughts.

If any of the following rings true… you need a consultant!

(May we suggest Barr Corporate Success?)

• “We could seriously use a new $1 million.”
• “Our organization feels stuck.”
• “Revenues and growth are flat or falling.”
• “Sales are sluggish and costs are rising.”
• “Our competitors are gaining market share.”
• “Oh, it’s a bad economy, everyone’s off.”
• “The business just isn’t profitable.”
• “Customer demands are changing constantly – how do we know what they want?”
• “How can we find new customers and markets?”
• “Vendors demand more and more from us all the time.”
• “I'm not sure the right people are in the right positions.”
• “People are burned out, unmotivated, and turnover's on the rise.”
• “No one around here makes decisions.”
• “Does our compensation plan reward good performance?”
• “There goes the rumor mill again. These office politics are wasting time.”
• “Most of my team is -- at best -- 'C' players.”
• “How do we get more out of our partner relationships?”
• “We'd love to be more efficient, but how?”
• “What advantages could we get out of new technology?”
• “Sales are giving away the store!”
• “Our product quality and service is weak.”
• “Product development is taking longer than expected. The market’s not waiting.”
• “We’re considering a merger or an acquisition.”
• “New industry regulations are seriously hindering growth.”
• “Industry rules are changing. Our operations aren't aligned to those changes.”
• “No one seems focused on the bottom line.”
• “We spend more time putting our fires than planning for the future.”
• “Well, this is the way we’ve always done it.”
• “We need some solid strategic alliances.”
• “Succession plan? There is no succession plan.”
• “Strategic vision just isn't there. We need some new ideas to grow the business.”
• “We need more innovative leadership.”
• “We need a business, sales and marketing plan with teeth.”
• “How do I develop leaders from within my company?”
• “How can I get my teammates to be as passionate about the business as I am?”

Sound familiar? We can help.

Call 513-470-8980 or e-mail krissi@barrcorporatesuccess.com

Appreciate...Communicate... Accelerate!

You know your business better than anyone, so here are some useful questions you might want to consider. Would it surprise you to learn that "high wages" ranks halfway down employees' list of factors that most influence their performance? For some it's counterintuitive, but "Show me the money" is only a small part of the equation.

Managers predicted employees would rank wages highest, but the most important factor listed by employees as influencing their productivity was "Full appreciation of work done."

Stop and think about that for a moment. What is appreciation? Sure, a raise is a good indication that you value an employee's work, but does it communicate "full appreciation"? What about the second most important factor, "a feeling of being in on things?"

• Does everyone on your team feel that they know what's going on, when, and why?
• Can employees make a clear connection between their work and the company's vision?
• Have they had the company's vision explained to them in real-world terms?

A second study asked, "What aspect is important when your employer communicates with you?" The top answers:

Giving insights on how to be more effective (52%)

Showing how to fit into the company's vision (47%)

Explaining the company's vision (45%)

Engaging on a personal level (41%)

When you drag out the company checkbook, or better yet, before, share the company vision with employees, offer them concrete examples and guiding principles for decision-making and improvement in their performance, demonstrate sincere appreciation for the work they do, and show you care how work fits into their lives as a whole.

It's relatively easy to do on an individual basis, but increasingly hard to build into an entire company's culture.

Barr Corporate Success has improved teamwork, profits, retention, productivity and profits throughout organizations from family businesses all the way up to Fortune 500 companies.

Call Krissi or Jodi today to find out how we can help you hardwire amazing performance into your company!

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