Give Thanks!

30 Days of Giving Thanks!

Give Thanks! November is 30 Days of Giving Thanks at Gallman Consulting!  As the holidays approach with much hustle and bustle, we would like to encourage you to thoughtfully commit acts of kindness in your workplace, home and community.

We wish you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving!

#givethanks #30daysofgivingthanks

 

Random Acts of Kindness!

When you commit a random act of kindness, you not only touch the life of the recipient, but you inspire others to be kind, too.

Baudville has put together the list below of no and low-cost ideas to inspire kindness.

 

“NO COST ACTS OF KINDNESS

These random acts of kindness only require your presence and a smile!

 

1. Hold the door open for the person behind you.

2. Brush snow off someone else’s car in the parking lot.

3. Shovel your neighbor’s sidewalk.

4. Pick up litter.

5. Babysit for free.

6. Leave baked goods in the mailbox for your mailman.

7. Donate a used book to your local library.

8. Send an ePraise to someone.

9. Return shopping carts to the store.

10. Run an errand for a neighbor.

11. Send a card to someone serving in the military overseas.

12. Help someone pick up items they dropped.

13. Donate clothes to Goodwill or Salvation Army.

14. Bake cookies for your coworkers.

15. Volunteer at a local charity.

16. Write and mail a thank you card.

17. Donate blood.

18. Collect canned goods for a food pantry.

19. Bring in your neighbor’s garbage can.

20. Let someone cut in front of you in line.

21. Give your leftovers from dining out to someone on the street.

22. Smile at strangers!

23. Say hello to the person next to you.

24. Give a compliment.

25. Help someone who is stranded on the side of the road.

26. Organize a group of friends to do yard work for a neighbor who is unable to do it themselves.

27. Clean up after yourself and someone else.

28. Invite someone who may be alone over for dinner.

29. Give someone a hug.

30. Encourage a child.

31. Praise your boss.

32. Write an inspirational quote on a post-it and put it on the bathroom mirror in your office.

33. Help someone before they ask.

34. Hold the elevator for someone running behind.

35. Introduce yourself to someone new.

36. Mow your neighbor’s yard.

37. Visit a local nursing home. Give handmade cards to all the residents.

38. Surprise a coworker with a free Baudville Print and Post with a handwritten note on the back.

39. Donate your time and skills to a local organization.

40. Take a box of hats, gloves, and scarves to a school for kids who need something warm.

41. Share your umbrella with someone who doesn’t have one.

42. Read to a child, or let the child read to you!

 

LOW COST ACTS OF KINDNESS

These random acts of kindness require a little funding but will make big change!

 

43. Add change to random parking meters.

44. Pay past due library fees for another person.

45. Buy the coffee for the person behind you in line.

46. Put change in a vending machine or tape a quarter to the machine for the next person.

47. Buy a pack of gum or mints for the grocery store checkout clerk.

48. Tape scratch-off lottery tickets to a gas pump.

49. Pay for the car behind you at a toll booth.

50. Buy a gift card for groceries and give it to the person behind you in line.

51. Drop off handwritten thank you notes and doughnuts to the police station.

52. Give balloons to children shopping with their parents.

53. Buy movie tickets for the person behind you in line.

54. Anonymously buy new sports equipment for a local child in need.

55. Pay for someone’s layaway items.

56. Deliver a goodie basket of treats and activities to a nursing home.

57. Hand out bottles of water on a hot day.

58. Send a care package to military men and women overseas.

59. Present a trophy to someone – just because!

60. Hide dollar bills in the toy section at a dollar store.

61. Hand out packages of treats at a local college student center during exam week.

62. Buy a copy of your favorite children’s book for the local hospital.

63. Give a coffee shop gift card to a parking attendant – it can get cold in those booths!

64. Pay for someone else’s dinner in a restaurant.

65. Bring your coworker a coffee in the morning as a surprise.

66. Anonymously send a gift card to a friend or community member.

67. Tape suckers and with a positive note to ATMs.

68. Buy cookies or muffins from a local bakery and take them to your local librarians.

69. Pay for lunch for the person behind you in the lunch line.

70. Leave diapers and wipes on a public changing table.

71. Pay for someone’s bus fare.

72. Anonymously send flowers to brighten someone’s day.

73. Buy doughnuts for a different department or office.

74. Plant a tree in your neighborhood.

75. Get to work early and leave a piece of candy at each person’s desk.”

 

Now that you have Random Acts of Kindness ideas, use them!

Practice acts of kindness year round and make a difference!

The Best Bosses Follow these 7 Rules

The best bosses follow these 7 rules

July 18, 2016

There is huge pressure on you, the manager, to be a great boss, one who motivates and inspires people not only to stay in the company, but also to do their best every day. Employees place enormous value on their relationship with you. People place “a bad boss” as the No. 1 reason for leaving a job.

First, relax: know that great bosses are not born, they’re made. Most people end up in a management position because they did a good job in a subordinate role, not because they possessed some innate and undeniable leadership quality. If you practice your skills, and seek to follow these seven rules, you will be well on your way to being one of the best.

The book “How to Be a Great Boss” will help you acquire and use the seven hallmark qualities outlined below that all great bosses have.

1. Empower your people

Employees perform best when empowered and trusted to do well in their jobs. Think back to the times you felt most inspired to do your best. Chances are it was when you were trusted with real responsibility. To be set up for success, your people will need more than just a project handed to them. Make sure they can positively answer all the following questions. If not, you have more work to do.

Key questions for empowered success

  • Do I know how this work fits in the bigger picture?
  • Does my boss trust me without micromanaging?
  • Am I clear on what is expected of the project, and me?
  • Does my manager have my back?
  • Will my boss help me if I have problems, or if I fail?

2. Provide growth opportunities

Provide the kinds of opportunities that will really grow the talent on your team. Training is one thing — and often necessary — but growth is more than just learning how to do new tasks. Ask yourself how your employees can really grow their potential — should you challenge to provide creative solutions? Offer coaching? Encourage them to take the lead? Great bosses know how to develop talent, in addition to skill.

3. Train through feedback

Workplace surveys show time and again that what employees crave is continuous feedback. As a manager, you know that it’s easy to put off giving constructive criticism, but feedback is really only effective in the moment. Always follow the rule: praise in public, critique in private.

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4. Make the tough choices

Sometimes, the job of a great boss means more than just managing. Sometimes, it means letting someone go. Low-performance employees drag down the productivity of the company and undermine the morale of those around them. Hopefully, you can often turn a situation around before it comes to firing, but if, in the end, you have to let someone go, be empathetic, and treat the person firmly but kindly. Keep it brief but respectful, and know that however hard the choice is, you’re doing the right thing for your team and your company.

5. Give thanks

Great bosses make gratitude a habit. Often, it’s easy to get wrapped up in the work and forget the simple act of saying “thank you” for a nagging problem solved, a point well communicated, or a job well done. Don’t forget to make it public when appropriate (praise in public, critique in private) and make it specific. Thanks for a task done well is far more meaningful than a generic thanks for hard work. Make sure to brag about your team farther up the chain, too.

6. Create a positive workplace

Work doesn’t have to be a grind. The best workplaces do everything they can to make coming to work a positive, uplifting experience. Make yourself available and really try to engage with your employees — the simple question “How can I make your job easier?” is a powerful way to start a great conversation. Let them know you’ve got their back when they need your help or advice.

7. Show your people the future

Your job is to show your people the world. We each tend to view corporate decisions through the lens of how they will affect us and our jobs. As a manager, you likely have a larger view of the big picture. Some info will be confidential or sensitive, of course, but whenever appropriate be sure to bring that vision to your employees and help them to understand.

No one is born a naturally great manager; with dedication, you can make these skills an innate part of the way you interact with others. What habits have you already brought into your daily life? What skills do you find the hardest to practice?

Joel Garfinkle is the author of nine books, including “How To Be a Great Boss” and “Getting Ahead: Three Steps to Take Your Career to the Next Level.” He is recognized as one of the top 50 coaches in the U.S., having worked with many of the world’s leading companies, including Oracle, Google, Amazon, Deloitte, The Ritz-Carlton, Gap and Starbucks. As an executive coach, he recently worked with an SVP whose strategic responsibility increased dramatically and forced him to empower, delegate and increase the responsibility of his team. Sign up to his Fulfillment@Work newsletter (10,000+ subscribes) and you’ll receive the free e-book “41 Proven Strategies to Get Promoted Now!”

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