Want A Morning Boost? Remember This Time Last Year.

Skip back 365 days on your calendar… Where were you? How were you running your work life and your whole life? How was your team? Your customers? Your family? I’d just finished giving a virtual keynote to 600 global attendees and preparing for a strategy session with a leadership team on Zoom. All this with my three kids trying their best at online school and five of us sharing wifi.  Today I am grateful to be planning a real life strategy session at the end of this month and a speaking event each month for the rest of this year.  …most importantly our kids are walking to school, in real life. No more on screen teaching. For which I am incredibly grateful.  It’s easy to move so fast you forget where you were even last week, but take a minute this morning to remember where you were a year ago and be grateful for today’s realities.

Dedicated to growing your business,

Val

P.S. I hope you enjoyed this week's VAL-uable Insights, sign up here to get them in your inbox each Monday morning: http://valwrightconsulting.com/newsletter-sign-up/

Why Today Is The Right Day To Share Your Appreciation

Have you ever wondered if your boss or company truly appreciates all of your effort?

Perhaps felt a little annoyed at the results you are delivering compared to what you are being paid?

Ever been tempted to explore the headhunter calls to see if other opportunities better give you what you need?

Chances are your team may be feeling varying degrees of this right now. I’ve never seen a stronger job market weighing in the candidate's favor so today consider how you can share just what it is that you appreciate about your team.

Here are a few ideas:

• Write it down: Send a hand written note explaining what you value about them

• Say it live: Explain in your next 1-1 what you have noticed recently about their work

• Upwardly Brag: share with your boss or your board just what you value in one of your team

One of my favorite teachers Gigi Bazar last year would sporadically send home notes about what my daughter had done brilliantly in class. It wasn’t anything official and it was noticing unique and unconventional things. But it meant a lot. Don’t be like too many other teachers who only share news when it’s a failed test or unsatisfactory work….share the little moments of brilliance too.

Your teams will appreciate you for it.

Dedicated to growing your business,

Val

P.S. I hope you enjoyed this week's VAL-uable Insights, sign up here to get them in your inbox each Monday morning: http://valwrightconsulting.com/newsletter-sign-up/

Why Escaping Your Usual View Helps You See In New Ways

I have never had more incoming requests for working with companies who want to bring their executive teams together than in the past few months. 

Cautiously and optimistically companies are telling me that they are ready and the face to face escape is desperately needed.  It isn’t just executives and companies. Kids need it too. One of my 11 year olds has just started a new school, they are all leaving this morning with their class on a three day camping trip. Every year every grade has a beginning of the year camping trip to allow everyone to form new relationships, escape the classroom, and get outside in the fresh Californian air and explore. I love this ritual and this year I know many kids and teachers will appreciate it being (safely) brought back.  I’m no fan of futile team building with no purpose, but the outdoors offers a safer way to gather, change your view, and recharge your batteries.  Many of the executives I work with we have “walk and talk” meetings. Where we have audio only and each go on a walk individually around our own neighborhoods. I encourage them to replicate it with their teams.  Change where your desk is today.  Get outside.  Enjoy the fresh air.  It will fire up your brain in new ways.

Dedicated to growing your business,

Val

P.S. I hope you enjoyed this week's VAL-uable Insights, sign up here to get them in your inbox each Monday morning: http://valwrightconsulting.com/newsletter-sign-up/