As many of you know I am on the injured list at present. Unfortunately, I have two things going on at the same time. A broken femur is keeping me wheelchair bound, probably through September, and I am having problems with my one eye that works, so my eyesight is at best, variable.
However, for every misfortune there is always another side. The good fortune of discovering the true value of friends and family and the kindness of perfect strangers are two of the upsides.
Another upside I have discovered is that of celebrating the small victories in life. These first weeks of not being able to walk has been a number of small victories, at first being able to sit up in bed by myself, then getting from bed to the walker (for me the walker is more of a hopper as I can’t put any weight on my left leg) being able to dress myself and moving from walker to the wheelchair by myself.
In small and large companies, learning to celebrate the small victories in life is a wonderful way to create a stronger company culture, good feelings among employees and management. When employees are happy the customers feel it when they come into the business. They are likely to stay longer, take more interest in your company and products, experience a greater connection with the employees and buy more.
Celebrating small victories doesn’t have to be expensive:
- When an employee or a department has a good day, week or month, make sure they know that they did well.
- If an individual employee is particularly effective in handling a customer service problem, congratulate him/her on how well s/he did.
- If someone is diligent in keeping public areas clean and tidy, thank them for it (even if it is their job).
- Make the words, “thank you” or “great job” words that employees and managers regularly hear.
- If you are an employee thank your manager when they do something good or congratulate another employee on a job well done.
Create an atmosphere of celebration around small victories. If there is a downside to this I have not yet thought of it.
Give it a try and see how it works for you.
A tip of the glass from me to you
E Column
by Elizabeth “E” Slater, In Short Direct Marketing
A recognized expert in the fields of direct marketing and sales in the wine marketplace. Slater has taught more wineries and winery associations how to create and improve the effectiveness of their direct marketing programs and to make the most of each customer’s potential than anyone in the wine industry today.
Follow E on twitter @esavant and facebook.
