Leadership is desired but rarely acquired.

Our first post in this two-part series shared 10 actionable tips from experts about how you can augment your leadership skills at work. While corresponding with nearly two dozen experts, we discovered that there isn’t a single system for becoming a leader.

Rather, building your reputation as someone who should be followed is a dynamic mixture of many different factors that suit personalities of all types.

Our series continues in this post with 10 more tips you can use to transform yourself from a follower to a leader.

Be a master at your job

Shefali Raina, Leadership and high-performance coach, Alpha Lane Partners

“To be seen as a leader and to inspire trust and respect in others, you first have to be seen as good at your job. Whatever your core job is, focus on being great at it — build subject matter expertise, learn to collaborate and deliver results in your job and build a brand of credibility and competence at what you do.”

Don’t live in a silo

Ilene Marcus, MSW, MPA; Founder, Aligned Workplace

“Leaders don’t only make their department or unit successful, they add to overall company success. As you work on projects or teams and go about your daily business, think about how to include others and make that part of your standard operating procedure.

“Not only will you build a cadre of supporters, you will produce a better outcome for the entire company. Your ability to align work and address multifaceted issues will be noticed.”

Ask to lead meetings

Desiré Greene, Managing partner, Luckett & Liles

“Meetings are essentially mini-projects and a great way to showcase leadership skills. By keeping attendees focused, ensuring all voices are heard, and synthesizing big ideas, you can demonstrate that you’re ready for other leadership roles.

“I’ll never forget the nod of approval from a company exec after leading my first conference call. My facilitation skills instilled confidence and opened the door for future opportunities.”

Write strategically

Genna Ziino, Content coordinator, Ariel

“So much of business today is conducted via email—it’s easy to feel like blasting out emails at the speed of light is the best way to go, but it’s important to remember that someone is reading that email and relying on your answers and expertise.

“Instead of firing away, take some time to strategically plan your writing to be reader-centered, giving your audience exactly what they need as clearly and concisely as possible.

“Work on having specific, clear subject lines; organizing longer emails into sections that make sense and using headlines for ease of skimming; and drawing attention to any action requests or deadlines instead of burying them.

“Crystal clear writing and knowing you’ve put thought into your responses makes people respect you—and also drives productivity.”

Be a morale builder

Dr. Froswa’ Booker-Drew, Founder, Soulstice Consultancy

“Build a network of colleagues from various departments and within your team. Listen to their stories to build trust.

“It isn’t always about being upfront and visible, but when people see that you are committed to step up in the behind-the-scenes work, willing to support them, your leadership shines. Be a morale builder even in the tough times.”

Be curious

Kathy Taberner, Certified executive coach & co-founder of Institute of Curiosity

“When we are curious, we better understand each other and with this clarity comes fewer errors thus increased accurate productivity, engagement and accountability.

“When one person becomes curious, it can lead to collaboration where everyone becomes more open and non-judging which leads to collaboration and innovation, even decreases conflict.

“So, we suggest, employees get curious if you want to be seen as a possible leader.”

Build relationships

Sarah Finch, SarahFinch.com

“Leaders can’t lead if they don’t have followers. Talk to the people in your organization, even if you don’t work with them often. Learn their names and say hello when you see them. Help them out when you can.

In this world of technology as a primary mode of work communication, the value of a face-to-face relationship is high and those seen as leaders are often simply the people others can identify and remember moments and conversations.”

Plan ahead

Jenny Hester, Director of Marketing, LIVE Design

“From calendars to task lists, look ahead to what needs to be addressed and accomplished. Set calendar reminders for both new tasks & recurring events.

“Give yourself deadlines of 3 days or more prior to all official deadlines. When out of the office, anything due in your absence or within a few days of your return should be handled before you leave.”

Stop whining and complaining

Laura Handrick, Career and workplace analyst, Fitsmallbusiness.com

“The fastest way to be seen as a leader in your workplace is to find problems, identify what’s broken, and then develop a plan or recommendations to fix it. In other words, don’t be a complainer about what’s not working. No one likes a complainer.

“Instead, be a solution provider. Most employees will gripe about issues. Leaders take those issues on as challenges and come up with ideas, recommendations and solutions to those problems as if it were their own company/business. They look for ways to improve the business, teamwork, processes and overall profits.”

Manage your emotions

Nancy Cramer, Founder, Correct Course Consulting

“One of the most important steps to becoming a leader is to learn to manage emotions. This does not mean to always be stoic. It means to respond authentically and appropriately to situations as they occur.

“When people are in tough leadership situations, they often let their emotions get the best of them. They let how they feel overwhelm them and cloud their thinking. Mistakes are made. Collateral damage is left.”

Wrapping it up: Take action, Focus on people

Much of what we learned from our experts’ input is that leadership is a matter of initiative and relationships.

Advancement is not for the passive and those who find great success are most satisfied when they achieve their success with people, not against them.

 Link to Part 1

Most of us want to be leaders but few of us have created a path to meet that goal.

According to a 2017 article from Infopro Learning, 83% of organizations believe it’s important for them to develop leaders at all levels in the workplace, but only 5% actually have a plan to accomplish it.

With leadership development so absent from the workplace, employees are left to their own devices as they try to rise through the ranks. Those with strong personalities have an easier time navigating competition and success.

However, all of us can apply at least one or two habits or mindsets to our daily work life that can help us become leaders.

We reached out to workplace professionals across the country to find 20 tips for becoming a leader at work. In this post, we’ve included the first 10.

Run toward the fire

Chris Ebmeyer, Managing director, Crossmedia

“Many times, when a problem arises in the office with a client, account, project, etc.; people have a tendency to run the other way.

“True leaders ‘run towards the fire’ and jump in to help solve the problem, not the other way around. When employees put themselves in uncomfortable, tough positions, many times not of their own making, they show true leadership characteristics.”

Make your colleagues’ successes known

Erin Halper, Founder, The Upside

“To become a leader in an organization, it’s important to highlight others’ achievements, even more than your own. True leaders recognize that milestones and wins are a group effort, and never the result of one person’s work, especially their own.”

Don’t be afraid to be competitive

Greg Spillane, CEO, Reachify

“Having people on your team who are competitive, who can work within a team environment, and who understand the importance of hard work can give you a heads up in business. To succeed in a competitive world, you have to be relentless in your desire to win.”

Document your wins and your goals

Arlena Jackson, Founder, Elevation Ally

“Your manager is your biggest supporter. When you win, your manager wins. Make certain he or she always knows your top three accomplishments for the week and your top three priorities for the upcoming week. This can be delivered by way of email each Friday morning.”

Develop your presence

Genna Ziino, Content coordinator, Ariel

“Presence is the ability to connect authentically with others in order to motivate and inspire them. This skill can be used for large audiences or one-on-one, and it’s something you can work on daily through small things like listening sincerely and showing up fully in the things you do.

“Having these skills helps people to trust you, builds relationships and makes your audience tune in to your message above others.”

Become an office thought leader

Desiré Greene, Managing partner, Luckett & Liles

“Sharing industry knowledge and having a point of view will strengthen your professional brand. It also helps you think strategically.

“By understanding the larger picture, you can make better suggestions and contribute to executive-level discussions. So, while everyone else is checking Instagram, read an industry article. You’ll be surprised by the results.”

Know your department and company key performance indicators

Ilene Marcus, MSW, MPA; Founder, Aligned Workplace

“As a boss, I always follow the data.  Usually, all roads lead to one person over and over again.  Be that person.  Know the reports, the data, the numbers (how they are created and what impacts them); this makes you indispensable.

“Believe me; as the boss, you are keenly aware of your KPIs, so if you want to be a leader, be keenly aware of your KPIs (metrics).”

Be the first to volunteer

Thomas Harris, Co-owner, The Exceptional Skills

“You’ve probably seen it a hundred times. Someone asks a question for a response or asks for a volunteer, and no one raises their hand. Then eventually one person does, then everyone else starts to follow.

“Everyone is afraid to be first. They are followers. Don’t be that person. Be the person who stands up first, volunteers, answers questions, shares input, and get things done.”

Be clear on the end game

Shefali Raina, Leadership and high-performance coach, Alpha Lane Partners

“In any situation or context, or for any project at work, get clear on what the end game is, what the goals are and what matters most. People are seen as leaders when they have clarity on vision and goals and are able to communicate that clarity to others.

“When you are clear on what matters most, you will be able to help the team focus their energy and attention to the most important aspects and avoid unproductive and ineffective distractions and people will look to you to resonate with the big picture vision.”

Self-start your professional development

Jenny Hester, Director of marketing, LIVE Design

“Attend free seminars, lunch & learns, etc. These usually end up being extremely useful, full of info and provide great networking opportunities. Show your boss you care about your career, want to learn more, at little or no cost to them.”

Link to Part 2

The Health Information Portability and Accountability Act, more commonly known as “HIPAA”, went into effect in 1996.

More than 20 years later, medical offices across the country have gotten used to the idea that building an office is more than having enough exam rooms and an ample waiting area. Spaces where information is provided or transferred should be organized in ways that do compromise patient information.

Spatial privacy, however, isn’t usually at the top of the to-do list for a new practice. Getting clients, tidying up the new space and getting record keeping in order usually takes precedence.

We often find medical practices that move into a new space are left with a layout designed for the previous business, which usually means the former tenants weren’t concerned about HIPAA.

Transitioning your office to be HIPAA compliant isn’t as complex as you might think. In this post, we’ll explain the different ways you can modify tables and counters to protect your patient’s privacy and comply with HIPAA guidelines.

Privacy Screens Can Turn a Long Table Into a HIPAA-Compliant Patient Area

Imagine you’ve just bought a new office space for your medical practice, whether it’s a family care center, a dental practice or a lab.

You don’t want to buy new furniture to have a HIPAA-compliant office. You want an easy solution that won’t take much time to install. Efficiency and privacy are the keys.

You’ve got a long table in the reception area that would be an excellent space for patients to fill out paperwork. You’re aiming to have a bustling place of business, so there could be four or five people handling sensitive medical information at any given time at that table.

OBEX privacy screens are the solution because they meet both of your objectives: quick installation and sufficient privacy to meet the required guidelines.

Depending on the type of table you have, our privacy panels can attach to the lip of the tables in your patient area or the can sit on top of the table.

The panels we provide have eight different lengths ranging from 24 inches to 72 inches, a span of lengths that can fit practically any situation your office requires.

These panels have three different heights: 12 inches, 18 inches and 24 inches. We ensure that the panels we send you are tall enough to provide a sight barrier that protects your patients’ privacy. These opaque panels eliminate the possibility of wandering eyes catching personal information.

We also provide multiple color options to ensure that your panels blend in with the color palette of your office.

If, during our consultation, you decide that the standard options we provide don’t fit the requirements of your patient areas, we are happy to work with you to create a custom solution.

Should the standard options we provide be sufficient for what you need, we can ship the panels directly to you for an easy, DIY installation that will take minutes.

Warranties Protect Your Screens for 10 Years

In addition to being veterans of the panel extender industry, we stand behind our panels with a 10-year warranty to protect your investment in HIPAA compliance.

Our warranty covers defects in the material and craftsmanship that occur during normal use of your screens. Send the panels to us and, upon verification of a defect, we’ll repair or replace the screens and send them back to you.

Additional Information About HIPAA and Doctor’s Offices

Knowing all the nuances of how to protect patient privacy can be overwhelming. There are resources, however, that can help you understand the basic principles to the point where you and your staff can create a safe, secure environment for anyone who walks through the doors.

The American Association of Orthodontists has an excellent post detailing the various aspects of HIPAA and how they relate not just to a dental office’s reception area desks but the office as a whole, including operatories and other rooms.

24 By 7 Security, a Coral Springs-based security firm, has a great guide to doctor’s-office privacy that covers all the various aspects of protecting your patients’ information.

If you’ve got plans to read this summer, we’ve got some great suggestions for you.

Whether you’re relaxing in a lakeside Airbnb rental or headed to the beach for a few hours of relaxation, spending some time reading through the six books we’ve recommended in our two-part series will strengthen your resolve as an employee and expand the dreams you have of moving up in your own company, making a lateral move or starting your own business.

In our first post, we highlighted books that provided specific steps you can take and traits you can adopt to achieve your short- and long-term goals.

In this post, we’re focusing on three unique but powerful books that address customer service, resilience and a case study in a wildly successful product.

“Hug Your Haters: How to Embrace Complaints and Keep Your Customers” by Jay Baer

We live in a world where one ill-timed mistake can turn into a viral sensation that creates hordes of haters. Businesses need to be experts in turning their most critical customers into their happiest using popular social media channels, personal interaction and genuine interest in individuals.

Baer’s book provides businesses with the tools they need to leverage public interactions in a way that turns the tide of public opinions and wins faithful followers one by one.

Need more convincing? According to Baer, 80 percent of companies say they have good customer service while only 8 percent of their customers say they do.

The book provides advice on multiple customer- and press-related matters, Entrepreneur contributor John Rampton pointed out.

“The book also covers how to embrace complaints, turn bad news into great news, and transform haters into ambassadors for a brand,” Rampton wrote.

“Hug Your Haters” is available on Amazon for $16.72 and has an average rating of 4.4 stars from more than 125 reviews.

“Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy,” by Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant

Hardship is a given inside and outside of the business world; it’s an axiom that Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg knows well.

Her husband passed away unexpectedly during a vacation in 2015. The loss was gut-wrenching for Sandberg and her children.

In an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, Sandberg talked about the loss:

“Going through this … it’s the unimaginable. Those early days … months, weeks, I felt like there was this void closing in on me. The grief. I couldn’t breathe. And I didn’t know what to do. I turned to my friend Adam and I said, ‘How do I get my kids through this?’ Because I was so worried their childhoods were going to be wiped away.”

In “Option B”, Sandberg talks about the power of resiliency and how it can be used in business to overcome disaster and find success. The book is a poignant and invaluable resource for those who’ve been met with unexpected loss and need a sympathetic and influential voice to help them bounce back.

The book gets an average rating of 4.5 stars on Amazon and is $14.68 in its hardcover version.

“The One Device: The Secret History of the iPhone,” by Brian Merchant

Merchant dives into the history of the iPhone, taking you from planning meetings for multi-touch screens before the phone was even developed to the marketing and launch of Apple’s most profitable device in its history.

The book touches on various vignettes from the phone’s history, walking you through the stages of development and providing insight into the ideas and strategies that made the phone an international icon.

Serving as a case study for idea development and implementation, the book is a fascinating read for a variety of situations:

• You’re in the middle of a project and need some inspiration to get to the next stage.
• You have an idea, but you aren’t sure how to make it a reality.
• You’re in on the planning stages of a new initiative at work and you want insight into how to adapt and succeed.

Merchant’s book gets an average of four stars from nearly 100 reviews on Amazon and is available in hardback for $17.67.

Wrapping It Up: Plenty of Material for Personal and Business Growth

Succeeding in business is just as much about what you learn after school as what you learn in school.

The six books we’ve recommended are among the best that have been released over the past two years. They provide real-life examples of individuals who relied on their determination and focus to overcome difficulty and achieve the dream or standard of excellence to which they aspired.

Part 1 Link

Summer is nearly upon us.

And with summer comes vacation plans that include a few hours here and there for reading. Even if you aren’t heading out of town between June and September, a few hours on the beach every so often is the perfect time to read through some excellent business books.

Over the course of the next two posts, we’ll provide you with a list of the year’s newest and most popular business books, titles which can inspire you and provide insight into how you can strengthen your business acumen.

“Your Best Year Ever: A Five-Step Plan for Achieving Your Most Important Goals” by Michael Hyatt

Hyatt is a business vet and a productivity guru whose new book is a great way to renew your vigor for the goals you set at the beginning of the year.

Here’s how the book’s website describes the type of person who could benefit from Hyatt’s newest tome:

“We all want to live a life that matters. We all want to reach our full potential. But too often we find ourselves overwhelmed by the day-to-day. Our big goals get pushed to the back burner—and then, more often than not, they get forgotten.”

What’s interesting about this particular tome is that Hyatt offers packages for individuals and businesses that serve as a multi-week course focused on the principles the book lays out.

The hardcover version of the book goers for $15.13 on Amazon.com and has an average rating of 4.8 stars from more than 250 Amazon customer reviews.

“Rise and Grind: Outperform, Outwork and Outhustle Your Way to a More Successful and Rewarding Life” by Daymond John

Daymond John, he of Shark Tank fame, was part of the founding team of FUBU, the international clothing brand made famous in the ‘90s. John took out a $100,000 mortgage on his home to launch the business. He split his home in half and used one part of it to live and the other part of it to produce clothing.

If there’s anyone who knows how to grind his way to success, it’s John. His book focuses on how you can draw on the methods he used in his own life to implement and accomplish the business goals you’ve set for yourself. Here’s how Business Insider’s Richard Feloni and Shana Lebowitz describe the book:

“He’s drawing from his own career and those of fellow entrepreneurs to compile the rituals, habits, and best practices for sustained success, whether you’re leading your own company or not.”

John’s book is available on Amazon for $15.04 in hardcover. It gets an average of 4.5 stars from more than 400 reviews.

“The CEO Next Door: The 4 Behaviors that Transform People into World-Class Leaders” by Elena Botelho and Kim Powell

Botelho and Powell gathered up data from thousands of CEOs and those aspiring to executive positions to compile a list of four common behaviors that make people succeed.

Both women have the credentials and expertise to back up their observations, too. Botelho is a Wharton grad and Powell received her MBA from the Kellogg School of Management.

Their book has drawn high praise from thought leaders. Here’s what author Daniel H. Pink said in his recommendation about the sources used for the book:

“They may not all come from fancy schools, but they do know how to make smart decisions, adapt to changed circumstances, and work honestly and directly with customers and employees. Whether you’re running a large organization, or simply have your eye on the corner office, this book should be your guide.”

This book is an excellent choice if you’re working from the bottom up or you’re in mid-management and want to find the edge you need to ascend.

“The CEO Next Door” hardcover is available on Amazon for $16.30. It gets an average rating of 4.7 stars from 27 reviews at the time of publishing.

Part 2: Three More Business Books for the Summer

In our second post on the best business reads for the summer, we review three books that delve into personal experience or product development and mine some of the important principles that worked well for the authors or the products they researched.

It’s important to keep in mind that these success narratives aren’t hard and fast rules from which you can’t waver; contextualize the principles into your own workplace situation.

Building a strong HR department is crucial to the long-term success of a company.

Hire the right people and life will be easier. That starts with human resources, including who you hire to fill key HR positions and who those integral HR people bring onto the team.

In our first post about strengthening your approach to HR, we pointed out some crucial action steps: Focus on the employee experience, hire a consultant when building a new HR team and recruit certified human resources professionals.

In this post, we’re going to expand on our earlier advice via the expertise of HR professionals.

Win the HR Battle by Going Mobile

The race for talent is as tight as it’s ever been as the economy grows and qualified candidates flood the job market. One candidate could be the target of multiple companies and, in order to stand out from the competition, says SocialChorus exec Sonia Fiorenza, you have to focus on a culture-relevant HR strategy: mobile outreach.

“The growing gig economy means individuals also now juggle multiple types of jobs, vastly changing the ways and tools they use to engage with their employer,” Fiorenza said. “And, tied to this, the shift to an increasingly mobile workforce is forcing HR departments to do away with legacy systems and processes, and implement mobile-centric strategies to identify new ways of reaching remote workers.”

Part of that mobile-centric strategy includes:

• Developing new methods for ongoing access to feedback and company news.
• Designed curated, target content through apps.

These two tips are only part of an overall strategy that will keep an HR department performing well. Sometimes, a complete overhaul of the HR process is necessary, Fiorenza said.

Use Trade Organizations to Lay the Foundation

Startups that are focused on scaling, subscriptions and rounding up capital may not place much importance on HR. So, when someone is tasked with launching human resources, they’re most likely going to feel like they’re on a very isolated, overwhelming island.

In our first post, one of our experts recommended hiring a consultant who can get a feel for company culture and then recommend action steps for building a solid department. However, if you or your team are DIYing human resources, Cheer Partners’ Cat Graham says you need to tap the trade organizations to get all the information you can.

“You can join SHRM and download annually updated and state specific employee manuals to ensure you capture all the important policies and employee rights pertaining to compensation, benefits, IT, sick policies, FMLA grievance procedures, jury and military leave,” Graham said.

SHRM is the Society for Human Resource Management, a national organization that includes many of the nation’s top HR professionals in its membership. Their resources are extensive as is their network of HR pros.

 

Once you’ve solidified the basics, you can add the nuances that will make your department more reflective of your company’s goals and mission.

“Add personal flavor by inputting employee referral bonus program, merit review and increase policies and, most importantly, required harassment and sensitivity policies with zero tolerance for drug use, abuse of employees and clients and alcohol use,” Graham said.

 Don’t Shut HR Out of Big Decisions

There’s a perception of HR out there that treats the department as more of an apparatus that an integral part of implementing a company’s vision.

Mark LaScola, CEO of consulting firm On The Mark, says that firms who provide HR with a seat at the most important meeting are the ones who tend to have the strongest HR departments.

“HR needs be a strategic partner in the annual planning process to understand what the future holds. HR’s role in this planning process is to consider people plans and talent management needs in accordance with the company’s strategic review,” LaScola said.

Short- or long-term strategies require manpower and, as the branch of the company most acquainted with the process, HR is essential to the big picture.

“The outcome is ensuring better anticipation of the need of talent in advance,” LaScola said. “In return, leadership can plan development investments and talent acquisition requests into the annual budgeting process.”

The human resources department has become an interesting litmus test for progress.

There’s a perception in the professional world that HR departments at newer companies focus more on their employees than they ever have before, whereas older companies run their HR as if it did two things: hire and fire people.

Whichever the case is, these two examples don’t do much for helping startups decide how they should build a strong HR department.

We spoke with HR experts across the country to get their insight and expertise on how to build a strong HR department from the ground up.

#1 Become Obsessed with the Employee Experience

Most companies can give you a data-driven breakdown of who their customers are, what they want and how to most effectively reach them.

Unfortunately, companies rarely apply the same principles to learn about their employees, said Sonia Fiorenza, senior vice president of communications and engagement strategies at SocialChorus.

“It’s common for companies to focus heavily on the customer experience and journey, mapping every touchpoint and analyzing how this impacts the organization. However, they haven’t put the same focus on their employee experience. More companies must realize the benefit of taking a similar approach with employees.”

The HR department is a crucial part of this process, Fiorenza said. They are the lynchpin in identifying opportunities for engagement and creating a methodology for finding the right people and keeping them.

“Led by HR, they should bring together multiple disciplines, including communications, IT and others to optimize every touch point in the employee journey so that employees feel more informed, valued and engaged to help the company succeed,” Fiorenza said.

#2 Bring in a Consultant to Lay the Groundwork

Employee engagement is great, you might be thinking, but how do we actually create an HR department from scratch?

Jill Santopietro Panall, owner of 21Oak HR Consulting, says hiring a consultant is an effective way to understand who a company is and how the human resources department should play a role in hiring, firing, compliance and employee engagement.

“For a company without any HR department at all or a company that is too small to sustain or afford a full-time HR person, the first step is often to bring in an experienced HR consultant to examine their practices and compliance and help build a strong foundation of appropriate HR practices and processes,” she said. “Those are often executing in conjunction with finance or office administration folks.”

Once the consultant has built up sufficient knowledge of how the company functions and what its needs are, he or she should then go about making the first HR hires.

Laura Handrick, an HR analyst at Fit Small Business, says a good consultant will help you understand how to avoid big missteps early on.

“An HR consultant can educate the business owners about basic HR labor law and payroll best practices, so that they prevent common HR issues, like discrimination or payroll mistakes from happening in the first place,” Handrick said.

#3 Look for HR Candidates With SPHR/SHRM-SCP Certification

As your company decides who it will bring into its HR department, Panall advised looking for HR leadership candidates with professional certifications. It’s not just about credentials, either; those who get their SPHR or SHRM-SCP show they’re serious about their expertise.

“I am personally biased towards seeing both a strong HR experience as well as some evidence of commitment to the profession, such as an HR designation like PHR/SPHR, SHRM-CP/SCP, or a benefits or payroll certification like CBS, CEBS or CPP,” she said.

An SPHR (Senior Professional of Human Resources) certification, for example, requires that the recipient take a 175-question test to be completed in three hours.

As your department evolves and matures, you may want to think about hiring a senior exec with a doctorate in a related area of study, Panall said.

“For the larger companies, seeking an experienced HR leader with a PhD in Industrial Organizational Psychology may be desirable, as it indicates a very deep knowledge of the people process, an understanding of data analytics and trends in the workplace and an ability to help set organization-wide strategy,” she said.

More HR Advice to Come: Looking Ahead to Part 2

Building a strong human resources department takes time, research and an acute desire to make sure your employees are just as happy as your customers.

Our next post in this two-part series about HR departments will dig into other interesting topic areas including why it’s important for HR to be a part of big company decisions, why HR leaders should be big-picture thinkers and the necessity of being responsive.

You’ve always got the time to be kind.

That’s the opinion of various experts and business leaders we talked with as we pondered what seems to be the lost art of acting generously toward coworkers. The idea may be counterintuitive for A-type personalities whose daily objective is to press hard for goals, benchmarks and bonuses.

However, says workplace leadership expert Dianne Crampton, we often forget that kindness can be a catalyst for better performance through empathy, putting oneself in the place of your coworkers in order to identify with their situation.

“The bottom line is that improving empathy and kindness is tied to increased productivity and ultimately improved business revenue,” Crampton said. “So, as a principle required for high-performance work groups, empathy and kindness improvements are both measurable and then trackable in the business bottom line. No fluff.  Not touchy-feely.  Just solid psychological, good business sense.”

Organization development consultant Lisa Sansom, a coach and consultant at LVS Consulting, echoed Crampton’s sentiment, noting that kindness in the workplace also boosts employee retention and participation.

“Kindness in the workplace is important for building positive workplace relationships, setting a strong corporate culture and increasing employee retention and engagement,” Sansom said.

But how exactly do businesses go about achieving those lofty goals of increased performance, retention and engagement?

We reached out to business owners and HR reps to find out. We received some intriguing responses offering ideas for practicing kindness as well as examples of kindness at work in the office.

The Experts Offer Up Easy Ways to Express Kindness

To be kind, you must be intentional about it. Very few employees are willing to bring their schedule to a halt to take a few minutes to ponder what they can do to enliven their colleagues’ spirits.

The time spent on kindness, though, is well worth it.

Say Thank You

Dana Case, director of operations at online legal filing service MyCorporation, says kind workplaces have one common thread: consistent expressions of gratitude.

“One of the most appropriate ways to practice kindness in the workplace is to say, ‘Thank you,’ to fellow employees and make it a regular practice,” she said. “It’s a simple sentiment that goes a long way in making everyone feel valued.”

Be careful, though, says Sansom; if you try to formalize a system of thank-you’s or kindness in general, these transformational moments could become forced and lose their punch.

“It’s possible to institutionalize kindness but, in my opinion, this takes a discretionary fun effort and turns it into a corporate obligation,” she said. “Be kind just because – not because someone else told you to or because everyone else is doing it.”

Send a Note

Alexis Monson, co-founder of Punkpost, a service that lets users send custom thank-you notes via their app, says acts of kindness don’t have to be grandiose, either.

“To spread happiness, gestures don’t have to huge and elaborate,” she noted. “Simple and thoughtful is all you need.”

A note written to a co-worker expressing heartfelt gratitude for a job done well or their willingness to cover for you in a jam can go a long way.

Using a service like Punkpost – or even a handwritten note — is something that can make a difference in a co-worker’s life, she said.

Listen

Another excellent bit of advice came from  Fit Small Business HR Analyst Lauren Hedrick, who emphasized the importance of listening.

We’ve all been the person who tunes out our colleagues because we’re focused on an upcoming deadline or issue. Taking the time to set aside the momentum of your work life to genuinely fix your attention on the person in the cubicle next to you is powerful.

“We warm up our cars and we allow our computers time to load their apps,” Hedrick said. “Should we not give a moment to our human peers to let them know we seem them, care about them and enjoy working with them?”

A Few Reminders About Kindness

As we mentioned early on in this post, you have to avoid formalizing kindness. Employees will sniff out the corporate nature of enforced generosity and they’ll most likely lose interest.

Sansom said another important aspect of kindness is to remember that you need to be discerning about what you say and to whom you say it. Don’t bare your soul to someone you barely know.

“Kindness can be different for different people. What you may see as kind might not come across well with someone else,” she said. “So, unless you know someone well, it may be wise to stay away from anything too personal at the start.”

As you get to know your colleagues, managers and/or employees, you’ll recognize the best way to be kind.

Another benefit of building empathy and kindness in the workplace? Conflicts are more likely to be less severe.

“In work cultures that measure high in empathy, conflict rarely escalates but is quickly rolled back to the root cause,” Crampton said. “There is a recognition that problems usually arise over confusion on how to do something or the way a system works rather than problems that employees have willfully caused to antagonize one another.”

The Consumer Electronics Show concluded this past January with tons of fanfare surrounding the consumer products showcased in what is the premier tech show of the year.

Lost in all this techie talk was the fact there were some innovative products focused on improving the office.

We did some research and discovered some very interesting products that could provide your office with cutting-edge tech that will make your workplace a little more interesting.

In our conversations with exhibitors who hawked their creations to the country’s top investors and businesses, we found everything from the Google of video footage to innovative community phone chargers to ultra-durable power strips that can withstand power surges and the every-day abuse of the workplace.

Stepping Up Your Security with IC Realtime’s Ella

Let’s say you drive to work one day, put in a solid eight of hours of work and, when you head to the parking lot to drive home, you notice somebody sideswiped your car at some point in the day.

Normally, you’d have to connect with your building’s security department and ask them to pore over hours of footage to figure out who hit your car.

With IC Realtime‘s Ella, you can search your footage by using keyword searches just like you would when looking for something on Google.

For example, if you see black paint at the impact point, you can search “black car” and Ella will search through all the footage and isolate clips that include a black car.

The service also recognizes letters and numbers. So, if FedEx is late on a delivery or you never receive a shipment that was supposedly delivered, you can search “FedEx truck” and Ella will pull up all footage of FedEx trucks that pulled up to your delivery dock during the hours you specify.

“There was a lot of interesting buzz, for sure,” a company rep told us. “The Wall Street Journal included Ella in their list of the best tech to see at CES.”

Design Meets Device Charging: Humavox NEST

We’re not saying that charging your phone at your work desk is archaic but using a cord to charge your phone can be annoying for those who work in small spaces.

Humavox NEST has solved this problem by creating technology that can turn virtually anything into a charging station by incorporating near-field radio frequencies to charge phones and tablets.

Here’s how they explain the problem they say they’re solving:

“With the growing number of devices, charging has become a daily hassle that must be resolved with a simple, natural charging solution. But when thinking of what would be the most natural charging experience for users, we realized that it’s not unanimous, (it) changes with different products and between different users.”

Current NEST designs available on the Humavox website reveal personal-sized charging pods as well as community bowls where multiple phones and IoT devices can charge.

This novel idea for charging stations would be a great fit in communal areas where employees take breaks, brainstorm or meet, all without the need for charging cords.

Power to the People: Juice Mobile Power

Imagine the following scenario. You’ve got an event going on at the office — new employee orientation, for example — and dozens of people are crammed into a meeting room. The combination of phones, tablets and laptops needed to take notes means that some people are left without an outlet.

That’s the type of scenario some office managers had to be thinking about when they stopped by Bretford’s booth at CES and saw the company’s newest power solution: Juice Mobile Power.

Juice provides DC power for up to 20 mobile devices. One main power source plugs into the wall, and, from there, you can connect multiple power lines that roll out like a red carpet. The power strips are low-profile, durable and, as the company’s website says, they provide simple power solution without any retrofitting.

Here’s how a company representative explained the problem that Juice Mobile Power solves:

“Juice Mobile Power is the solution to this problem – the cost of rewiring a given room, whether that is an office conference room, an event space, or a classroom, is thousands of dollars and lots of time and energy. Juice Mobile Power takes the existing power available in the room and spreads it in a mobile, safe, adaptable way so people can stay charged and productive.”

There’s not much difference in the way that Bretford approaches power and the way we approach existing cubicles. We provide a simple solution that doesn’t require any work stoppages or costly disassembly of existing cubicles or desks.

Our panel and privacy extenders can be added to existing desks and walls in a matter of minutes. In many cases, we can add our panel extenders without interrupting your team’s workflow.

To learn more about our office solutions, call us at or head to our website.

In our first post about standing out in the workplace, we talked with a series of experts about what it takes to boost your value in a genuine, legitimate way.

The advice we received was on point. Self-evaluation is a key component to increasing your value; know where you’re weak and hone those areas until they become assets.

Offer to take on a few extra responsibilities and, at the same time, offer your help in situations where a colleague may be too afraid to ask for it. Another tip for private contractors – build your brand through a systematic leveraging of your expertise.

However, helping yourself stand out isn’t limited to these four tips. We received an overwhelming response from HR reps, career coaches and other professionals who had plenty to say about how you can increase your profile the right way.

Be Confident, Even When You’re Not

Confidence issues plague most employees at one time or another, whether they’re starting a new job or their first career.

There tends to be a mindset in which you think everyone around you knows you’re a fraud and is waiting for you to fail.

Matthew Kerr, a career adviser and hiring manager at Resume Genius, says sometimes you have to employ the time-tested “fake-it-’til-you-make-it” mentality.

“This old adage can be surprisingly effective when properly utilized. Rather than stressing yourself out wondering how you can become confident at work, pretend that you are,” Kerr said. “Adopt a mantle of confidence and exude it in everything you do. Confidence in the workplace is by far and wide the easiest and most effective way to stand out.”

Offer Your Input at the Right Time

Your ideas will only speak for themselves if you tell other people about them. Utilize planning and strategizing sessions to share your ideas, Kerr said.

Confidence plays a key role here; without it, you’ll be too timid to pitch your idea. Are you an expert in an area in which your managers are seeking input? Then pitch with confidence. There’s no shame in standing by your experience, even if it means offering up a divergent opinion.

“Sometimes it can be difficult to voice your opinions or ideas when they go against the grain – but that’s one of the best ways to stand out,” Kerr said. “Even if your idea isn’t used, you will create a new discussion and perhaps be the source of solutions that otherwise might have been overlooked.”

If you can’t muster up the fortitude to present in front of a group, do a one-on-one with a supervisor behind closed doors, Kerr said.

Know Why You’re Doing Something Instead of Just Doing It

It’s easier to listen to instructions and do them without putting thought to the reason behind the ask.

While this certainly makes life easy in the short-term, it can lead to disillusionment if you aren’t careful. Three or four years down the road you’ll get tired of robotic obedience and you’ll be left with frustration instead of satisfaction.

Jennifer Braganza, founder of training and leadership firm Exponential Success, said you can impress your bosses if you show you’re just as interested in the “why” as you are in the “how”.

“It will allow you to produce a better product if you understand what is trying to be achieved,” Braganza said. “Sometimes people don’t know what they really want.  If you ask the right questions, you can actually help them figure it out and avoid the rework of doing things over and over again.”

The key here is that you’re asking “why” because you want to see and grasp the bigger picture, not because you want to challenge whether you should do the task or project.

Don’t Like Your Job? Exercise Situational Awareness

Career coach Sara Young Wang says the ideal way to stand out at your place of employment is to do what you love.

However, we all know many of us are not in the positions we’ve dreamed of being in. So, Wang said, take a moment to think about how your dissatisfaction is reflected in the way you act throughout the day. These moment-by-moment micro-cues could be holding you back and deterring your ability to stand out.

“Developing more mindfulness of how you respond to requests, how you take feedback/criticism, how you interact with colleagues/bosses in times of stress, etc., allows you to perform your job from a calmer, clearer and more grounded place,” Wang said. “You can stand out as someone who is mature, thoughtful, receptive to feedback/learning and an employee who can be trusted to represent the company. This can contribute to a high potential for promotion.”

 

Part 1