The Most Important People You Need In The Workplace

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“You’re only as good as your team.” A quote given by the nine time NBA All-Star Dominique Wilkins. A quote that may sound pretty straightforward and to the point on the surface is actually a lot more complex than you could imagine. Ask yourself, “How well am I performing?” Whether that question may be aimed towards your personal life in regards to your happiness, health, and family; or in your professional life in relation to your financial success or the overall strength of your company–it all comes down to whom is behind you. So, who are the most important people you need in the workplace?

People you need in the workplace

Who are the people in your life that are raising you up to become and maintain the happy, in shape, mother, father, or partner that you are? It’s important to not only understand the good standing you’re in; but who to thank for turning the often overlooked gears that made you this way.

Maybe you’re not the best you can be. Maybe your company is struggling with sales, keeping client relations strong, or forgetting its overall core values. Are you to blame? Partially, yes. It’s crucial to also realize that who you are made up of as a team often determines the success of the current moment you’re in now. So let’s dive right in and break down the most important qualities that you need in your workplace. We can uncover whether or not these qualities and skills are present, or need to be brought to your team immediately.

Commitment

Believe it or not, your team’s commitment to the overall goal of your company is crucial. An employee committed to achieving his goals and objectives is something magical in and of itself. These team players should be especially valued when times are tough, and when they continue to strive for solutions and refrain from blaming others. A person who is committed to your bigger picture is, in this case, probably the most important person in your office no matter what other skills and strengths they may have.

The Extra Mile

In order to gain your confidence, employees must be willing to go above and beyond what is typically required of them on the job. Employees who take on projects that fall outside their normal responsibilities can expand their skill set and explore new avenues for professional growth. While someone may not always have the time to volunteer for an extra assignment, passing on every opportunity will prevent any particular person in your team from being viewed as a go-to person in the department, as well as a critical cog in your business’ well-oiled success machine.

Communication/Interpersonal

In today’s workplace, communication is the skill of utmost importance. Your employees must have communication skills that allow them to proactively and effectively contribute their thoughts toward the overall proliferation of greatness within your company. An effective communicator leaves no room for error and can exhibit thoughts in a direct manner to make up the solid framework of your team.

Leadership and Creativity

Employees often work together on projects, so some employees must take on the leadership role to ensure deadlines are met, problems are addressed and all ideas are being considered. Meaning that leadership and creativity are also two very strongly needed qualities to have in your workplace. You as the employer often seek employees who have natural leadership skills. In addition, these employees must also have creativity skills so they can find and use solutions for potential problems on tasks, projects, or assignments.

Wear Multiple Hats

Who is the person in your office that shows an eager willingness to get done…well…whatever needs done? Having a person that doesn’t pump the brakes with what’s outside his job description is a huge asset. A person who wears multiple hats in the office is the reason you know if there are any loose ends; if there are, they will be covered.

Passion

When someone believes strongly in you, it makes a difference. You feel his support and you become more confident in yourself and your endeavors. When an employee believes strongly in your company’s mission, his job is no longer a job. It’s a calling. People work harder when they feel connected to and believe in your mission as a leader and the mission of the company. So why wouldn’t you include passionate people in your team?

Who are Your All-Stars?

Hopefully by taking a closer look within your company’s various teams you will find who shines the most and who could use some work. Maybe you’re missing an important quality/person all together who could bring that edge you’re looking for! Whichever the case, you now have a better understanding of the players on your team who are making your business the champion it is today.

What Employees Want: Ways to Keep Your Workforce Engaged and Motivated

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Adulting is hard…How many times has the alarm gone off, and all you wanted to do was roll over and go back to sleep? Pretty much every morning, right? Somehow though we all get up, get ready, and go to work. Besides the obvious; what is it that keeps us all heading in day in and day out? How can employers learn what employees want and how to keep their workforce happy and motivated, and not dreading the next wake up?

One of the major issues facing employers today is how to keep and retain their employees, as well as keeping them motivated and fulfilled. With millennials embarking on their career journey, and with many baby boomers delaying retirement, employers must find ways to entice a multi-generational workplace.

What Do Millennials Want?

Let’s first take a look at the newest members of the workforce; the millennials. As this group (myself included) spreads their wings in the workplace, it is common for them to hop from job to job post-grad. Businessnewsdaily.com explains further:

“Research suggests that today’s college graduates will have a dozen or more jobs by the time they hit their 30s. In an uncertain job environment, it has become societally and culturally okay that they explore. The expectations have changed. Your 20s are used as the time where you actually figure out what you want to do, so the constant job hopping to explore multiple industries is expected.”

Their older, Gen.Y counterparts are out to change the world; but millennials have a different way of doing the changing. They want to feel like they are part of the big picture and are making a difference; if they don’t mesh with the big picture of their employer or feel things are stagnant, millennials will likely move on.

What Makes Baby Boomers Stay?

As millennials enter their careers, baby boomers are continuing at the helms of many businesses; and are extending their time in the work force before retirement. A recent study by AARP finds that 41% of baby boomers have no plans to leave their posts in the near future. There are two major factors that are keeping this group working; the economy and their health. Due to the recession and slow economic growth in the past few years, this generation is staying employed longer to make up for their losses. Though they may have lost in the stock market in the past, for the most part, this group is still healthy and still has much to contribute.

How Do You Make Them All Happy?

The quick and dirty answer is…you don’t. Each person, regardless of their education or generational background, has different needs and wants, and like how mom always says,“you can’t please ’em all.” But, there are several things an employer can do to help improve employee moral, drive, and retention rates.

Recognition

Everyone likes to know that they are doing a good job. That pat on the back lets you know the the work you do is appreciated and can go a long way. For me, this is probably what motivates me most; I aim to please, and want to continue to impress. Letting employees know that they are valued can help increase motivation and decrease the desire to look elsewhere for validation and fulfillment; especially where millennials are concerned. Here are some ideas employers can use to recognize and encourage their workforce:

  • Tell Them! – Sometimes it’s as easy as that, a few words about the good work they did on a project or the passion they show for their work can do wonders.
  • Special Treats – Has an employee been working diligently to complete a big proposal? Recognize their diligence with a special treat like a gift card to their favorite lunch spot, or if your company can swing it, maybe tickets to a special event coming to town.
  • Additional Responsibilities – This may sound counterintuitive, but if you recognize an employee has the skill and drive it takes to complete a certain task, give it to them. Trusting them to leave their “comfort zone,” take on a new challenge, and recognizing their ability to learn and advance can really motivate employees who express the want to grow.

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Interesting Work

I’ve worked a lot of menial repetitive jobs in my day, (in my defense these were high school/college era jobs) and can tell you there is nothing that makes me dread working more, and want to look for an alternative to the monotony, than work that doesn’t interest me. Believe me I know that these “boring” jobs are necessary; but sometimes you need to break up these “uninteresting” tasks and do something more challenging or different. There are many ways to prevent boredom and burn out; here are a few suggestions:

  • Unrelated Work – Is your company big on giving back? Pull one of your employees and have them organize a company fundraiser. Give interested employees the ability to work on a project outside of their daily tasks. It will give them a break from the funk they may be in.
  • Outside Learning – Employees do have interests outside the work they do daily; try sponsoring an “activity night” and get your employees using their brain cells as they work on non-work related projects.

 Keep Them in the Loop

Millennials want to feel like they are part of the bigger picture. Baby boomers need to be reassured that they aren’t being pushed to the wayside as the younger crowd moves in. Keeping employees “in the know” and active in company culture can help avoid employees feeling alienated and detached. Involving employees in activities would be a good way to reinforce company culture and keep them in the loop; these ideas would be a great place to start:

  • Company Activities – Like suggested above, organize an activity in which all employees are invited to take part in; maybe a 5k run/walk. Or, again, if your company can accommodate it, plan an outing and get the team together outside of work.
  • Newsletter/blog – Keep employees updated with key happening in the company by creating an internal newsletter or blog; make it ever more inclusive by letting the employees submit their own content.

Getting Your Core Values Off The Wall and Into The Office

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If you were to walk into your company today, where would you find your corporate values? In the employee handbook? Hanging on a plaque in each room? Is your HR department protecting them? Regardless of where your core values may be found; they’re all empty promises if you as the business owner aren’t modeling them through daily office behaviors.

As a business owner, you’ll find yourself flip flopping in and out of other operating roles. Especially when pulling together your team to find out what your company stands for, besides the products/services it sells. In today’s post we’ll be taking a look at your core values, from the position of one question; Why? Why do we stand for these purposes and HOW do we make sure these purposes are off the wall and walking around the halls?

“Are our core values off the wall?” We all know what core values are. I discovered, in my college internship that core values aren’t as “ugly” or monotonous as my business planning classes made them out to be. Core values should be thought of with emotion. They should be a result of the cerebral planning process that is left out of the business plan. They should be looked at from within. It sounds a little silly, but really, look at your business as a whole in the mirror and tear yourself apart. What’s good about you, what isn’t? Core values are how your customers and the people you hire are connected. They’re why they buy from you instead of your competitors.

The process of developing a set of core values isn’t as intimidating as one may think. In fact, the building blocks for great core values can be broken down into three easy steps:

  1. Name the value: “Integrity is the essence of our success.”
  2. Describe the demonstrated behavior: “Our walk matches our talk. We make and keep commitments.”
  3. Measure how the leader demonstrates the value: Needs improvement–Delivery of commitments are inconsistent.

It’s unfortunate that part of the reason why businesses fail is because of their poorly executed core values. Internally and externally, if your partners in business don’t share the same purpose–and if they don’t share the same values–it will be difficult to make any progress.

The same goes towards your employees. These core values you have so proudly displayed on almost every wall need to keep your employees unified. If your employees don’t understand your values and purpose as a company; chaos could be the result.

Ask yourself why?  Why are you doing what you do in the first place? How are you doing what you are doing? Keeping that WHY at the center keeps the focus on those core values you set in place for your business.

Where are your core values being carried out?

Where are your core values being carried out?

Assembling a team of like-minded partners and employees that understand your WHY keeps those words you have plastered all over your office walls in the discussions where critical decision making takes place. As well as in the break room during lunch.

Make your core values a navigational practice for your business. Bringing in your WHY when hiring will assemble a team of like-minded employees. Hold your core values as a high priority during the interview process and watch reactions.

What about your preexisting employees? Employees can be looked at in two ways: Those who have high values and those who have low values. Those who have high values might need to be trained to have better performance. Those employees who have low values, even if they have high-performance, should be relieved from the company. They become toxic. This is where most companies go wrong–they base everything on performance and not the culture.

Without letting your employees know where you stand through your meetings and team-work events, your employees won’t know where you stand. So be straight with your values first and then measure performance.

So next time you walk into the office take a look around. Each day keep an eye on where your core values have bounced to next. You may be surprised, but you’ll certainly feel satisfied.

The Importance of a Morning Routine

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Do you have a morning routine? I never gave much thought to it, but someone recently asked me about this subject and upon reflection, I definitely have one. I remember a time, not so long ago, when I decidedly did not have one and when I look back and compare those two phases of my life I started to realize just how much a simple routine has vastly improved the morning situation in my house. So today, I want to share with you a few things that I do every single morning that sets the tone for my day.

I’m not going to tell you that my tips are going to solve all of your daily struggles or make your mornings completely stress and hassle free for the entirety of your days on earth, but I guarantee that instituting only a few of the steps will make a big difference in getting your day going in the right direction.

Let me share with you what a morning without a routine probably looks like for most of those who don’t have one: At 6:00 a.m. your alarm goes off for the first time. Several snooze alarms later, it’s now 7:00 a.m. so you finally drag yourself into the shower. There’s no time to shave (dudes) or blow dry your hair (ladies), so it’s a ponytail and facial hair day for you.

By 7:30 a.m. you’re dressed, but there’s no time for breakfast so you run out the door and hit the drive-through for an overpriced bagel and coffee. You slide into your cube a couple minutes early and begin your day. Sure, you were a little rushed and your ponytail or facial hair situation would have been nice to remedy, but you’re not late for work, so it was a good morning, right? Well, not so fast.

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Let’s take a look at where things started to go wrong. Hitting the snooze button can actually tank your productivity for the day. When you go back to sleep after your alarm goes off, you’re setting yourself up to feel less alert. The sleep you’re getting in between snooze alarms isn’t long enough to enter into a full sleep cycle. Plus it’s broken up and fragmented, so it’s very poor quality rest. That’s no way to start your day.

Next, you didn’t leave yourself enough time to get fully ready in the morning (we’re talking about the scruff and wet ponytail here). Showing up for work like this might seem like an inconsequential thing especially if your workplace doesn’t have a facial hair policy, but here’s the thing: What if the president of the board makes a surprise visit? Or your manager calls you into an emergency meeting? Or a potential client shows up for a meet & greet? Your lack of a put-together appearance makes you look like you might have some time-management issues and that’s never an impression you want to leave with any of the aforementioned folks.

Now let’s talk about your breakfast. An unnamed popular donut shop’s plain bagel with plain cream cheese has almost 500 calories and 9.5 grams of saturated fat. Most bagels are very low in fiber which means those starches quickly convert to sugar which is not a sustainable energy source. I think we can do better! Let’s talk about how.

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Successful people have one thing in common. They love their mornings! Famous athletes, CEOs and leaders of nations all put a big focus on their morning routines. The main purpose of your morning routine is to set the tone of your day before anything else can happen that might derail you. Avoid your phone, the internet, and television first thing in the morning. Get up with your first alarm and follow this short checklist of things to include in your morning routine:

  • Hydrate – as soon as you sit up, reach for a nice, room temperature glass of water and hydrate your body which lost more than a pound of moisture during sleep.
  • Meditate – take 5 to 20 minutes to sit in a quiet spot that is not your bed and relax your mind. Focus on your breath and nothing else. Thoughts will pop up and challenge your quietness, but picture them floating away like clouds in the wind.
  • Exercise – 15 to 30 minutes of anything you like to do in the morning that will get your blood pumping. Turn on some music and dance, go for a run, put on a workout DVD or just take your dog for a walk.
  • Eat – A healthy breakfast with protein and whole grains is one of the most effective ways to leave your body energized until lunch and help maintain a healthy weight. Can you say “veggie omelet and whole grain toast”?
  • Set some goals – This is as easy as writing down what you want out of life. They can be material objects or things you want to learn or anything else that you want in your life for yourself or for others. Keep in mind these important tips when goal setting.
  • Personal Hygiene – Leave yourself enough time to take care of the basics. When you look your best, you feel your best. Taken as face value, you might assume this means if you have on a nice dress or if your hair looks great, this will help you act more confidently. I challenge you to ask yourself this question: “Which one comes first: feeling good or looking good?”

Pick two or three items from this list and try to implement them into your wake up routine. Design your mornings so that you’ll love them. If you already have a morning routine, tell us about your favorite healthy food, exercise or activity and why you find your morning routine helpful. Help us inspire others to get out of bed and hit the ground running!

Why You Should Carefully Plan Your Paid Time Off

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PTOdaysMany companies offer their employees PTO (Paid Time Off) instead of a set number of vacation days and sick days. It simplifies things for employers because when you lump sick days, vacation days and personal days all into one bank, it makes it less likely that staff members will take a day off for a case of the sniffles.

It also makes it easier for employees because putting all of your time off into one category keeps you from wondering how to count time off for religious holidays, your kid’s out-of-town hockey tournament or your annual family vacation to the beach. Also, if the Fourth of July falls on a Thursday, it makes taking off on the 5th suddenly much simpler!

Let’s face it, your employer WANTS you to take your PTO. Smart companies know that if you are really sick, you need to stay home instead of coming in to the office and spreading your germs. They also know that the occasional day off and that yearly beach vacation are much-needed refreshers if they want a staff of happy and relaxed individuals.

With a little planning, rationing out your bank of PTO days should leave plenty of time to take care of your needs. But we ALL know That Guy who just can’t resist the temptation to stay home and get paid for it. He burns all of his PTO in January and February then suffers through the rest of the year with no time off. Or worse, he is forced to take unpaid days when actual emergencies arise.

Burning through your PTO? It’s time to reconsider.

We turned to our Facebook friends for some real life scenarios that might help you avoid being That Guy this year.

Michelle: “My dad used up all of his PTO last February. Then he had to unexpectedly move which required him to pack up all of his belongings, house hunt, and move in to his new home, all without any time off. He also ended up in the hospital and had to go without pay during that time.”

Nicole: “My crazy grandmother decided to book a family vacation on her dime at the last minute and I couldn’t go because I had used up all of my time off. Everyone else was lounging in the Caribbean in an all-inclusive and I was stuck at home.”

Allison: “My healthy coworker, who just graduated college, had a collapsed lung last year and ended up in the hospital not once, but twice.”

Cara: “I save my days in case my kids have unexpected illnesses, doctor appointments and random viruses that pop up. We take a yearly family vacation, but I always make sure to save a few days in case I just need a break, like if I’m feeling burned out and need a long weekend to disconnect.”

Mike: “Think about it from the company’s point of view. Spreading out your time off helps them out, too, so they don’t have to function without you while you’re burning up your PTO January and February. Plus, it will lower the morale of your coworkers who have to pick up the slack while you’re gone.”

Anna: “You know, if you take all of your time off at once, it could reflect poorly on you when review time rolls around. Taking it all at once makes it difficult on your coworkers and can affect project deadlines. Plus, if you end up leaving your job halfway through the year, you could end up having to pay back those days that you used but haven’t accrued yet.”

Chelsea: “My husband is using all of his PTO in April when I have the baby and I’m worried he’s going to regret that later on in case he needs it for something else.”

Brianne: “Burning through it would be a lot like not having health insurance or a rainy day emergency fund!”

Just some food for thought if you’ve been a little free with your PTO spending in the last couple of months. Don’t forget that nice weather is coming and you might want to take a day here or there to enjoy it!

If you have a story about time off that you’d like to share, please leave a comment!

Dealing with a Long Morning Commute

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Imagine the worst morning you’ve ever experienced. You wake up late, rush to get dressed, can’t find clean underwear, spill coffee all over your un-ironed shirt, and to top it all off, you hit bumper-to-bumper traffic on your half-hour morning commute.

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Long commutes and ungodly traffic are enough to test the temper in even Ghandi himself. If you’ve ever had to experience the morning traffic before the Fort Pitt tunnel in Pittsburgh, I’m sure you can agree that it would be no exaggeration that it’s enough for the Muhatma to climb down the back of his elephant and kick in the side door of a texting teenager during a fit of blind rage. Why an elephant? What else would Ghandi be driving to work? Maybe a Prius… You get the point.

Bad commutes are frustrating, fist clenching, vein popping, obscenity shrieking experiences from which we could all use relief. In an attempt to calm ourselves and bring us back to a Nirvanic state, let’s go over some ways to deal with long morning commutes.

Listen to Your Favorite Music

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Music is a way to express your feelings through melodies and lyrics. In halted traffic, those feelings can probably be represented through the most Swedish of heavy metal as you imagine the horrific acts you would do to the mini-van with the marathon and vegan bumper stickers in front of you.

Let’s try to stay away from that type of music and lower those stress levels (unless you’re into that sort of thing) with your favorite songs. Create a playlist that can relax you and keep your mind off of the unbearable traffic.

Crank up that song knob to eleven, sing away, and dance, dance, dance in your seat! You might even come up with a fun dance to do with your steering wheel. Just don’t be too careless or you could be doing the tango with a Toyota in a head-on collision.

Find Time to Pump It Out

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Once you finally make it to work, you might still be feeling a bit tense. Make (or sneak if you’re running late) your way to the office kitchen and brew up some of your favorite coffee. When you make it back to your desk, sip and be comfy while continuing to listen to your commute playlist. As time goes on, you’ll find yourself calm and at peace.

But what if the caffeine gets you amped? What if you forgot to remove DMX from the last track of your playlist. Now you’re pumped and feeling as anxious as ever. Release the inner beast that has been fueled by terrible drivers and caffeine with a quick workout during lunch.

Pump iron, run a mile, spin kick a coat rack, and bring those stress levels back down again. Whatever you decide to do for your workout, add in this little exercise known as “car drivers”. To perform this exercise, hold a heavy object (normally a weighted plate) and twist it as you would with a steering wheel. Imagining yourself running the old geezers off the road who refuse to seize the gap can be just what you need to give yourself peace of mind.

Meditate on It

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The work day is over, you got a nice workout in at lunch, and now it’s time to get home and relax. The only thing in your way: more traffic.

After inching your way down the interstate, exchanging glares with mutually miserable drivers, and cutting off a school bus in a desperate attempt to make it home before the end of Maury, you’re going to need another stress reliever.

Give yourself the time to unwind through meditation. It’s a well known fact that meditation can reduce anxiety, depression, anger, and confusion. Just take 20 minutes out of your day to meditate and feel your troubles melting away. Be sure to pour yourself a glass of the most premium of boxed wine as well. Now you should be experiencing a feeling of bliss, so get some sleep and get ready for the next day.

These tips might not do the trick right away, but keep at it and you could find yourself a little bit happier. If all else fails, find a closer place to work. We hope this helps your traffic-laden pilgrimage to work! Be safe out there, and we hope you find relief from your long commute struggles.

ABG Capital Strikes Up Another Company Outing

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As you might have gathered by now, we love ourselves a company outing here at ABG Capital! Our first quarter tradition for the past several years has been to reserve a few lanes at Latitude 360 Pittsburgh and have a bowling party.

Before I tell you all about how much fun we had, check out our new company shirts that the fine folks at Commonwealth Press made for us!

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5 Tips to Keep Your Resolution on Track

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My friends, January 1st has come and gone. Some of us sat down, took a good, hard look at our lives and decided that the New Year was a great time for a new start. So, we made ourselves a New Year’s Resolution and we said that this year was the year we would actually see it through. We would not fail. We would reach our goals!

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Keep Your New Year’s Resolution, Think SMART!

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People! 2015 is almost a wrap. The New Year is in sight and brings with it a fresh start, a new beginning, a chance to start a new adventure, and plenty of opportunities to set some goals. Typically, people say that they are going to get healthy, get organized, save money, read more books, etc. Some of these might even be things that you want to accomplish in 2016. Resolutions, we call them! You’ve probably made them in years past and kept them with varying degrees of success. Continue reading →

Best Places to Work in PA and Celebrations

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Before we talk about the festivities we enjoyed last weekend, we have a some very exciting news! We are proud to announce that ABG Capital ranked on the Best Companies Group’s 2015 Best Places to Work in PA list for the fifth year in a row! We are so excited and proud to be number 16 on the list of small to medium sized Pennsylvania companies! The Best Companies Group compiles the rankings by sending out a survey to employers and employees in hundreds of companies in the commonwealth. Using a formula, they score the surveys based on the answers to the questions. Employers fill out their survey listing the perks, benefits and offerings that they feel showcase the best parts about their company and employees fill out a separate survey with satisfaction-based questions. We are honored to be ranked so high on this list of innovative workplaces. Now that we got to toot our own horn for a second, let’s get into what really matters: helping during the holidays and, of course, partying.

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