I picked up a book yesterday called #CORPORATE CULTURE tweet.  Seeing as we’re fascinated with corporate culture here at McNak, and I’m on Twitter every day, this seemed like a book for me.

The tag line is: 140 Bite-Sized Ideas to Help You Create a High Performing, Values-Aligned Workplace that Employees LOVE

What a way to hook me in.  This is a book I want to read, I’m thinking.

The author, S. Chris Edmonds, is a Senior Consultant at Ken Blanchard Companies and has more than 25 years of experience working with leaders on culture change, team performance and effectiveness.

I cracked open the book last night, and was delighted to see that the format was short little snippets of wisdom.  It is a very fast read, and I found myself noting down several of my favourite ‘ahas’ that I can’t wait to share with our team.

What you will find in this book is some solid advice that you can apply to your corporation immediately. Culture does take time to grow and nurture, and #CORPORATE CULTURE tweet will help you lead the way.

photo credit: http://www.happyabout.com/thinkaha/

What I really like about this particular post is the simple message of being kind. Searching for a job has got to be one of the most stressful situations in anybody’s life. For those of you in the position as a hiring manager, please keep this in mind. Whether you hire the candidate or not, please make sure that the interview experience with you and your company is a positive one.

As the Greek author and philosopher, Plato said, “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”

How did you find your last job?  Feel free to share in the comments below how much of a role social media played in your last job search.

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Infographic courtesy of  MBA Online

Sharon – I really enjoyed taking on this 30 day challenge! Working out daily made my body and soul more energetic and positive. It was also really fun and rewarding to accomplish this challenge with like minded friends…the no drinking for 30 days, however wasn’t the greatest because there were days when I would have enjoyed a glass of wine or two. I realized I wasn’t trying to break a habit of drinking as it wasn’t consuming my life so as I embark the coming month of December, I have given myself another 30 day challenge in making good habits:

-        Spend 30 minutes min each day with some kind of self development and learning ie. Reading business book, daily paper, studying for recruiter courses!
-        Drink 6 glasses of water per day

Laura – I could drink coffee all day, but water? – I don’t drink nearly enough. Water is so important to good health so for my 30 day challenge I decided to drink 1.5 litres of water a day. Most days I drank at least 1.5 litres a day, if not more, but I have to admit that some days I got pulled back into old habits and drank less than 1.5 litres. My 30 days of water drinking were mostly successful (even including the small missteps) as even on the days when I didn’t quite meet my goals I was still drinking more water than I would have was I not consciously engaging in the challenge. I will definitely challenge myself again!

Matt – I accepted the 30 day challenge on a whim. I’ve never done one before so thought “why not.” I accepted my challenge in theory – I liked the idea. And an idea is what it remained. I lasted 3 days before it was out of mind for the rest of the period. It reminded me of the ‘best practices’ of goal setting that I didn’t use – I didn’t write it down and give myself a deadline; I didn’t ask for help or someone to check in with me to see how my progress was going; I didn’t keep a physical reminder near my desk to cue me to do something. This challenge reminded me that an idea will stay an idea until I turn it into a goal. Lessons learned for my next 30 day challenge!

Alana - My 30 Day Challenge was an interesting exploration of habit-making activity. In an effort to make it stick, I made a cup of green tea each morning and brought a pre-sorted bottle of vitamins with me to work.  I was really good and didn’t miss a day for 2.5 weeks until I ran out of green tea and one of my vitamins.  I missed a couple days of green tea, then a couple vitamins on various days. The interesting part was how I wasn’t as motivated to continue my activity after a slip up.  I learned that if I try any diet, exercise or new habit, I need to be routine on not only administering the activity, but also making sure I am ready with supplies.  Starting on Dec 1, I started a new routine to try – making my lunch every weekday so I don’t buy lunch.  Both Sundays I have gone out to purchase the necessary groceries  then chopped and cooked enough for the whole week.  That way, it is easy each morning to just pack the food into a Tupperware and bring it with me.  Also, in case I accidently run low on supplies, I have a backup of a few soups in my cupboard so I stay on track. Hopefully I can use my 30 day challenge experience as a learning point instead of a failure.

Jessica – I reached for my business book every night – except for the occasional night when I didn’t read at all because my eyes were just so tired from the day, that I had to go straight to bed.
I did manage to plough through my book way more than I normally would have. Glad I did the challenge. I will continue with my reading – see, the habit already worked!
Now I want to pick up another good habit. Maybe I’ll drink green tea every day, just like Alana did. That would be a good place to start.

What I think we all learned from this challenge, is to keep yourself accountable to attain your goals, and if you miss a couple of days, pick up where you left off, and eventually, the habit could start to stick again.

A few tips to keep in mind:

Drink moderately. Granted, the party is a social function, but it is still  a professional event first and foremost. A good rule to stick by – for every alcoholic beverage, make sure you drink a tall glass of water as well.

Mingle. Now is your chance to speak with those individuals you might not normally work with and meet the larger team, so be sure to make a good impression. Use the party as a way to strengthen existing relationships or make new ones.

Have fun! Take this time to blow off some steam and have a good time with your co-workers. Laughter is an equalizer.

Don’t forget your manners. Remember to thank your boss at the end of the evening.  Hey, they’re paying the bill. Let them know how much you appreciate the party they’re throwing for the company. And if one of your co-workers organized the event, make sure you give a special thank you for the hard work they put into planning the evening.

~ Jessica Rozitis

Why 30 days? 30 days is the threshold to make or break a habit. Stephen Covey famously said that it takes 21 days to create a habit. Some of us need longer – so let’s just round it up to 30. A 30 day challenge allows you to take baby steps to achieve your goals.

This 3 minute TED video spells it out clearly. I don’t think I could give up sugar for 30 days like Matt Cutts did, or chocolate for that matter.

Think of something you’ve always wanted to try. Make those small changes, see your self confidence grow, and achieve your goals. You can even sign up at 43 Things and find others with similar goals and cheer each other on with encouragement. The #21 All-time Most Popular goal on the site is “get a job”. There are others like ‘lose weight’, ‘stop procrastinating’ and ‘drink more water’.

So, the question is, what will your 30 day challenge be?  Feel free to share in the comments below.

~ Jessica Rozitis

I read this recent post, Faking it by Chris Ferdinandi, managing editor at GoMakeThings.com and I find his thoughts on customer engagement so very true.

Sincerity is key when it comes to customer service, and clearly if you love your job, and have a thriving culture, the sincerity will come naturally. The positive byproduct of this is happy, loyal customers who believe in your product or service, and want to be a part of that experience. It’s that simple.

Foster a positive corporate culture which will keep your employees happy, and your customers will be happy too.

~ Jessica Rozitis

He shaped the way we use technology today. He made it cool. He made it beautiful. He made it fun. He made it personal.

Steve Jobs was the most innovative CEO of our time. He was a dynamic maverick who built and rebuilt Apple over the course of several decades. Apple is one of the most valuable companies in the world in terms of its market capitalization. Everybody talks about Steve Jobs’ creativity, innovation and passion. He was also a very inspiring leader, a visionary. He was known to be a micro-manager, but in a positive way.

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on.” –Steve Jobs.

And one more thing…

3 Apples changed the World. The 1st one seduced Eve, the 2nd one fell on Newton and the 3rd was offered to the World half bitten by Steve Jobs.

~ Jessica Rozitis

photo credit: Giandomenico Ricci

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~ Jessica Rozitis

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Do you have any co-workers with funny quirks? Feel free to share.

~ Jessica Rozitis