ARE YOU VIBINGWITHYOUR BUSINESS? Boost Your Company’s Culture With ‘Five Frequencies’
Many of you know I am a big proponent of ridding your life of clutter to improve your physical and mental health. I have seen firsthand how clutter can paralyze someone into inaction due to overwhelm or fear of losing a bit of their history. Yet they cannot function on all cylinders because the distraction and mental chaos the clutter creates to their thought processes. More studies are verifying this fact every year. So, how does clutter build up so quickly? One day it’s just a small pile of papers, and the next thing you know, you can’t see the floor in your living room anymore. The trouble with clutter isn’t just that it’s visually unappealing — research shows that excess clutter can also be harmful to your health. One study published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin found that people with cluttered homes tend to have higher levels of cortisol, the stress hormone. When left unchecked, cortisol can lead to chronic stress, disease, and a higher mortality risk. The solution is to get organized, but that’s easier said than done. Here are some simple tips to help you declutter, destress, and feel a little lighter this spring. Start small. Does the idea of decluttering your whole house overwhelm you? Then start small instead. Tackle a single room, like the bathroom or kitchen. If the task is 2 APPLETON: 920-944-6020 • ROSWELL: 678-491-9744 If you dive deep into the tactics of successful businesses and startups, a common thread among them is that culture reigns king. More and more value is placed on fostering an uplifting atmosphere for employees, which allows them to generate better business. The general consensus says great culture is built over time and can take many tries in an attempt to get it “just right.” But one book suggests that you might not need to look very far to pinpoint the biggest influence behind company culture. In “Five Frequencies: Leadership Signals That Turn Culture Into Competitive Advantage,” a team of four authors compile their years of extensive experience working with companies to execute cohesive strategies for building effective culture. Jeff Grimshaw, Tanya Mann, Lynne Viscio, and Jennifer Landis have witnessed company cultures of every type be successful and fail. They concluded that culture doesn’t cultivate from the many but, rather, is affected by the few. In this case, the few are the leaders of the business.
The authors assert that leaders are, at every moment, transmitting signals to their team, whether intentionally or not. Teams take cues from those who lead them, so if leaders aren’t dialed into the frequencies they’re giving off, they could be transmitting troublesome signals. Instead, leaders should always be dialed into their “vibes” and be particularly aware of five specific frequencies: 1. Their decisions and actions 2. What they choose to reward and recognize 3. What they do and do not tolerate 4. The way they show up informally 5. How they compose formal communications “Five Frequencies” illustrates how correctly tuning into these frequencies can give leaders the tools they need to make bad culture good and good culture great. Full of tried-and-true examples from real companies around the globe, this guide proves that culture is not something tangible you can hold, nor is it a procedural
element you can simply implement. It’s something people feel, and it’s built and explained by the behaviors that surround it. This means it can be difficult to manage, measure, and, most importantly, change. But if leaders take the time to look at themselves and the actions they exemplify, they’ll have a solid foundation to start.
SPRING-CLEAN YOUR WAY
OUT OF STRESS
still overwhelming or you don’t have the time, go smaller. Spend 10 minutes on the hall closet, your nightstand, or a single kitchen drawer. Address one area at a time to keep up the momentum. Soon, your whole house will be free of clutter. Organize first, shop second. It’s fun to buy those pretty storage bins and boxes, but if you go shopping first, you’ll end up with more stuff and be no closer to actually getting organized. Take care of your space first. Before buying that new cookware organizer or food storage containers, organize what you have in your kitchen. Then you can determine if you really need more storage bins. Ask if it ‘sparks joy.’ Do you struggle to part with your possessions? Take a page from organization expert Marie Kondo. When going through their belongings, she advises her clients to hold each item in their hands and ask if it “sparks joy.” Basically, does having it make you happy? Does the item’s use provide value to your life? If not, let it go. Don’t hold onto things because you “might” need them someday. Finish each task to completion. When you decide an item needs to go, make sure it reaches its final destination. Get trash and recycling out of your house right away and bring donation items directly to your car. If you can’t drop them off that day, make arrangements to drop them off before the end of the week.
This spring, make time to free yourself from the clutter that’s dragging you down.
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