Swistro Advisors

Management Effectiveness Consulting
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December 2008

This is the best day ever.

By Chris Swistro

As we reach the end of the year and take a moment to reflect on all the events of 2008, it's hard not to let the daily media coverage of economic pain and hardship become the only thing we are able to see and contemplate. As a small business owner, I, too, wonder about the future and how my business will sail through these high seas.

The answer I have found for myself and which I offer to you is: choose inspiration. I have been inspired by the many stories I'm hearing about executives making a difference for themselves and their employees in the face of economic uncertainty. Each reiterates the power of communication and positive thinking to dampen worker anxiety. All concur; leaders need to communicate their company's position, strategy and future to their employees on a continuous basis. Many are going further to divert attention away from worry and onto the positive, and these efforts don't need to be expensive. Managers are boosting morale with a hand-written thank you note for a job well-done, a worker recognition celebration, and the creation of in-office decompression zones - relaxation spaces or opportunities to laugh. The mind is a terrible thing to waste on worry. The Boston Business Journal recently featured a story about an executive who decided to take a simple step to change minds. Each day, she says to herself, "This is the best day ever." It's printed on her office door, and she and a co-worker have agreed to greet each other with this simple phrase every day. Seem artificial? Psychologists, successful entrepreneurs, and executive coaches agree: positive thinking is not trivial. In fact, it may be the single most powerful tool available to us to manifest success.

In this season of celebration and reflection, I invite you to think about how this has been the best year ever - revel in the successes you've achieved. Find inspiration - it's all around you. On a recent, rushed taxi ride to the airport, worried I would miss my flight and stressed out about an upcoming presentation, I caught sight of a stand of birches in a wooded area off the highway. The beauty of their shining white branches, gracefully reaching up in the wind, stopped my mind in its tracks as I absorbed their simple beauty.

So, rein in the personal spending, make a charitable contribution to the needy if you can, and then turn away from the anxiety - it is not your friend, and it will not grow your company, feed the poor, or put money in your bank account. The option is right in front of you - - make these the best holidays ever!

Coming up in 2009: Practical Talent Management

Talent Management is a philosophy and practice framework optimized to help organizations recruit, deploy, develop, and retain the best workforce. As budget belts tighten, effective talent management will enable managers to do more with less. I recently had the good fortune to work with thought leaders across the country to author a white paper called "Poised for a Talent Management Breakthrough: A discussion of research, practices, and programs to recruit and retain a high-productivity workforce." Stay tuned for a discussion of talent management and how you can put these techniques to work in your organization.

"With a keen instinct for assembling the right mix of people to forward change, Chris guides leadership teams through a process that helps them think strategically then galvanizes organizational support to take action."

- Senior Executive,
Financial Services Organization

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About Swistro Advisors
Specialists in organizational transformation, Swistro Advisors collaborates with executive teams to clarify organizational direction, actuate change, and support the mastery of skills and leadership behaviors to ensure enduring productivity gains.

Swistro Advisors
Management Effectiveness Consulting
Christine Swistro, President
phone: 617.285.0422
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