LEADERSHIPSpring 2013

Solid Tips for Contract Success

Stop Office Gossip

Getting the Most From

Your Day

Empowering Your TeamGet the Best From Your Emplyees. pg. 9

Get The Most Out of Your Day at The OfficeFind out how to be at your most productive. pg. 11

LEADERSHIPSPRING 2013

MINES & ASSOCIATES10367 West Centennial Road

Littleton, Colorado 80127800.873.7138

www.MINESandAssociates.com

. . . . . . . . CREDITS . . . . . . .

Nolo Legal Press ©2013

10 Tips: Making Solid Business Agreements and Contracts pp. 4-5

Life Advantages - Author Delvina Mirtemadi ©2013

Alternative Workplace Solutions pg. 6

How and Why Supervisors Should Talk to Employees about Pay pg. 8

How to Empower Your Team pg. 9

Business.usa.gov ©2013

Quiz: Small Business Success pg. 7

Wellness Library Health Ink and Vitality Communications ©2013

Have you heard? How to Stop Office Gossip pg. 10

Author Krames Staywell ©2013

Get the Most Out of Your Day at The Office pg. 11

A word from your Account Management Team...

In this spring issue of Leadership, we focus on the tools you need to make your organization successful; from ways to empower your team for optimal success, to how and why you should be discussing compensation openly with your employees.

If, after reading any of these articles, you have questions about ways in which you can be a better leader to your crew, give the EAP a call anytime. Our Management Consultations can be of great help to you when problematic issues arise.

– The MINES Team

Perspectives on Organizational Wellness

From Wellness to Wellbeing

Our 2013 webinar series is focused on how you can create a wellness-driven workforce. This year, our BizPsych team will be hosting four panel-discussion webinars regarding different aspects of wellness. We are inviting our clients, partners, and key stake-holders to share their experiences, perspectives, and highlight how their program sets them apart from other wellness programs.

To receive updates visit: MINESandAssociates.com/webinar

ChooseWell 2

Eating Right

Occupational Wellness

Team Building

Physical Wellness

Fitness and You

StressReduction?

Emotional Wellness

www.MINESandAssociates.com | 800.873.7138

Broadcast 1: Physical WellnessApril 17th 10am - 11am MSTThis discussion encompasses nutrition, physical fitness, stress, and how to avoid unhealthy habits like smoking, excessive drinking, and drugs.

Broadcast 2: Occupational WellnessJuly 17th 10am - 11am MSTExplore the importance and impact of having a culture that promotes having a positive attitude in the workplace. Discover strategies to build a culture that embraces meaningful recognition, practices the art of appreciation and offers ways to support and enrich career development.

Broadcast 3: Emotional WellnessSeptember 18th 10am - 11am MSTHow good are you at being aware of your emotions, accepting your feelings or managing your emotions? Relationships, stress, self-esteem, and life outlook are all factors that play a role in managing our relationship with ourselves and with others in our personal and professional lives. In this session, we will explore ways to enhance your emotional well being.

Broadcast 4: From Wellness to WellbeingNovember 20th 10am - 11am MSTHow does wellbeing differ from wellness? We’ll explore a few new trends in wellness. You may even be able to create a huge shift in the overall health of your organization after this! Come learn how to take a pulse on your organization’s current level of wellness and develop a plan to move it to optimal levels of wellbeing.

Think you have something to contribute to one of these webinars? We’d love to hear from you. Shoot us an email at communications@minesandassociates.com and let us know what you’d like to share.

Tune in to discuss what other organizations are doing to improve their members’ health.

10 Tips: Making Solid Business Agreements and Contracts

Get it in writing. Although oral agreements are legal and binding in many situations, they’re often difficult to enforce in court (and in some situations, they aren’t enforceable at all). In the business world, most agreements should be in writing even if the law doesn’t require it. A written agreement is less risky than an oral agreement, because you have a document that clearly spells out each party’s rights and obligations in

case of confusion or disagreement.

Keep it simple. Contrary to what most lawyers think, you don’t need a lot of “heretofores” and “party of the first part” legalese to make a contract enforceable. Instead, create short, clear sentences with simple, numbered paragraph headings that alert the reader to what’s in

the paragraph.

Deal with the right person. Don’t waste time negotiating a business agreement with a junior person who has to okay everything with the boss. If you sense that this is happening, politely but firmly request to be put in touch with the person in charge. Make sure the person you negotiate with has the authority to bind the business and has a vested interest in making sure the business performs its obligations under the agreement. If you’re not sure who that is, ask. In a smaller business, it might be one of the owners; in a larger organization it might be a chief executive officer or chief operating officer.

Identify each party correctly. You’d be surprised how often businesspeople get this wrong and how important it is. You need to include the correct legal names of the parties to the contract so it’s clear who is responsible for performing the obligations under the agreement (and who you have legal rights against if things go wrong). For instance, if a business is organized as an LLC or a corporation, identify it by its correct legal name --including the Inc. or LLC suffix -- not by the names of the people who are signing the

agreement for the business.Spell out all of the details. The body of the agreement should spell out the rights and obligations of each party in detail. Don’t leave anything out; if you discuss something verbally and shake on it but it’s not in the contract, it will be next to impossible to enforce. In the world of contract law, judges (with a few exceptions) may only interpret a contract from its “four corners,” not from what the parties said to each other. If you forget to include something, you can always create a short written amendment. Or, if you haven’t signed the agreement, you can handwrite the change into the contract. If parties initial

the change, it becomes part of the contract.

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Specify payment obligations. Specify who pays whom, when the payments must be made, and the conditions for making payments. As you might guess, money is often a contentious issue, so this part should be very detailed. If you’re going to pay in installments or only when work is completed to your satisfaction, say so and list dates,

times, and requirements.

Consider including the method of payment as well. While some people might be okay with a business check or business charge card, others might want a cashier’s check or even cash. Agree on circumstances that terminate the contract. It makes sense to set out the circumstances under which the parties can terminate the contract. For instance, if one party misses too many important deadlines, the other party should have the right to terminate the contract without being on the hook legally for breaching (violating) the agreement.

Agree on a way to resolve disputes. Write into your agreement what you and the other party will do if something goes wrong. You can decide that you will handle your dispute through arbitration or mediation instead of going to court,

which takes up a lot of time and money.

Pick a state law to govern the contract. If you and the other party are located in different states, you should choose only one of your state’s laws to apply to the contract to avoid sticky legal wrangling later. In addition, you may want to specify where you will mediate, arbitrate, or bring legal actions under the contract. This will simplify your life if a dispute does

crop up.

Keep it confidential. Often, when one business hires another to perform a service, the other business will become privy to sensitive business information. Your agreement should contain mutual promises that each party will keep strictly confidential any business information it

learns of while performing the contract.

Create a Contract YourselfThere are lots of resources that can help you put together a solid business contract without recreating the wheel. For more specialized contracts, you can head to your local law library and consult form books that contain sample clauses for almost every type of business situation (your local law librarian is a helpful resource who can point you in the right direction).

Don’t be afraid to ask a lawyer to review an agreement you’ve drafted yourself. If there’s a tricky issue you don’t feel comfortable handling yourself or an idea you’re not sure about, a good small business lawyer can give you drafting advice and get your agreement back on track. M

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Alternative Workplace SolutionsThe workplaces of the 21st Century are not like they used to be. Advancements in telecommunications, the changing family model, and the demands of the modern workforce all play a role in reshaping how people live and work today.

Given your individual responsibilities, your life probably has special needs and considerations that need to be met in order for you to be able to focus on your job. It might be that you’re a single parent trying to keep up with your children. Or maybe you’re providing elder care support for an aging parent. Many organizations have begun to implement plans to help their workforce balance their workload as well as handle their responsibilities away from work. If you have special needs, it’s important that you speak up. Talking with your supervisor or a Human Resources representative to try and negotiate a plan that is reasonable for everyone can open the door for changes that support you and your employer.

If your company hasn’t implemented flexible work schedules or other alternatives, it might be a good idea to develop a plan that your organization can use. Here’s some information that can help you begin the process:

• Look at what other companies are doing and see what programs they offer that your company can benefit from.

• Ask around to see what alternative options employees of other companies like and dislike.• Survey the needs of your organization and what programs other employees support.• Test the program with a few candidates.• Involve supervisors to help them understand how to manage an alternative workforce.• Bring in consultants to help shape a program that’s best for everyone involved.

FLEXTIME – a work schedule that varies starting and quitting times within management limits

COMPRESSED WORK WEEK – a standard 40-hour workweek completed in less than 5 days

TELECOMMUTING – working at a remote location through electronic connections

ALTERNATIVE STAFFING – taking on short-term assignments while employed through a 3rd party or directly through the employer

REGULAR PART-TIME – a part-time job that includes all of the benefits, rights, and securities granted full-time employees

JOB SHARING – a full-time job shared between two part-time employees

PHASED RETIREMENT – the gradual stepping back of full-time responsibilities over a set period of time prior to retirement

V-TIME PROGRAMS – scaling back time and pay for full-time employees during a set period of time

LEAVE OF ABSENCE – authorized absence from work without pay and without the loss of benefits

WORK SHARING – a temporary reduction in work hours and salary to avoid layoffs and maintain a full workforce M

6 LEADERSHIP Spring 2013

Create a Plan of Action:

Kinds of Alternatives Workplace Solutions:

Business Success Magazine conducted a survey of more than 100 California business owners. Their comments about small business success guided us in creating the following quiz. Choose the answer you think is best for each question. Use the sheet at the end to determine your total point score and then see where you stand in the Success Quotient Ratings. There are no “wrong” answers. Each answer listed represents a segment of the responses we had to questions in our survey--and the final rankings correspond with the importance successful owners gave to different answers.

1. What is the key to business success: a. business knowledge b. market awareness c. hands on management d. sufficient capital e. hard work

2. If a relative ever asks me for advice about starting a business I will tell them to: a. work for someone else in the field first b. write a business plan c. study marketing d. give up the idea e. learn about budgeting

3. Which is the largest potential trouble spot: a. too much growth b. too little growth c. too fast growth d. too slow growth e. sporadic growth

4. I trust: (select as many as apply) a. nobody b. myself c. my partner d. a few key employees e. my customers 5. I am unhappy when my employees are: a. late b. unhappy c. abrupt with customers d. resigning e. less dedicated than me

6. My customers are: (select as many as apply) a. always right b. too fussy c. demanding d. worth listening to e. dumb

7. Rank these in order of importance for small- business marketing success: a. word-of-mouth b. advertising c. signs d. location e. community events

8. When it comes to money I am: a. careful b. too carefree c. emotional d. shrewd e. hardnosed 9. Financially my firm: a. has trouble with cash-flow b. has a good line of credit c. is financed totally by receipt--no credit d. is making better profits this year than last e. knows exactly where it is all the time

10. In hiring people: a. I take far too long b. I look for the cheapest person c. personality is more important than experience d. I look for the best person, and am will- ing to pay e. I only hire at the trainee level

11. With my employees: a. I treat everybody the same b. I try to talk privately to everybody once a week c. To whatever extent possible I tailor as signments to personalities d. I encourage them to talk to me about the business e. I try to work alongside them whenever possible

12. The real key to business success is: a. hard work and perseverance b. fine products and service c. advertising d. knowing the fundamentals of business e. employees

15. I keep: a. careful financial records b. in touch with my customers c. in touch with my employees d. trying new techniques e. wanting to retire

16. My dream is: a. to grow the business until someone else can run it b. to work until I drop c. to give up these headaches and have more fun at work d. to try another business e. to take a vacation

17. I think business plans are: a. for the birds b. nice but not necessary c. something I can do with my ac countant d. useful and informative e. essential--wouldn’t do business without them

18. What makes a terrific entrepreneur? a. creativity b. discipline c. consumer orientation d. technical proficiency e. flexibility 19. What does a business need most? a. money b. market research c. help d. time e. a solid business plan

20. What is essential to marketing? a. “a sixth sense” b. market research c. customer awareness d. experience e. testing

13. Competition is: a. dumb b. smart c. cunning d. everywhere e. a constant threat

14. The best competitive advantage is: a. experience b. understanding what the market wants c. confidence d. conducting a business ethically e. a detailed plan

* See how you scored on the bottom of the next page. M

Spring 2013 LEADERSHIP 7

Quiz for Small Business Success

How and wHy SuperviSorS SHould Talk To employeeS abouT pay

It’s important to talk to your employees about pay. Communicating about this issue gets a potentially uncomfortable topic out in the open, and supervisors will find that employees are happier when they feel informed about their rates of pay.

To keep an employee content with his or her rate of pay, you will need to discuss a few key topics. Employees like to know:

• That the pay is within the salary range of their position• How pay scales are established and adjusted• How the pay rate was determined• That all other employees’ wages are determined by the same structure• Whether a merit-based or seniority-based system is used to determine their pay• How job performance can determine their paycheck• How they can increase their salary

In some instances, employees may question or resent their salaries. This can happen when:

• Employees feel that they are not being paid equally in comparison to fellow colleagues• Employees feel that supervisors aren’t being upfront about compensation

The best way to keep your employees happy about pay is to talk about it. Make sure that employees are kept informed about the important issues regarding their paycheck. M

8 LEADERSHIP Spring 2013

Quiz Results Find each question in the scoring box. Write the score for the answer you selected in the margin next to every question, (If you didn’t select the highest scoring choice, take a look at that one and try and figure out why it scored so well.) When you’ve worked through the entire quiz, go back and add up your points. Then compare your total with the Success Quotient table to see how you compare with some of California’s most successful

SCOREBOX

Question Points 1. a = 5, b = 4, c = 3, d = 2, e = 1 2. a = 5, e = 4, b = 3, c = 2, d = 1 3. c = 5, a = 4, b = 3, d = 2, e = 1 4. b = 5, e = 4, d = 3, c = 2, a = 1 5. b = 5, d = 4, c = 3, a = 2, e = 1 6. d = 5, c = 4, a = 3, b = 2, e = 1 7. a = 5, d = 4, c = 3, b = 2, e = 1 8. a = 5, d = 4, e = 3, b = 2, c = 1 9. e = 5, d = 4, b = 3, a = 2, c = 1 10. d = 5, a = 4, c = 3, b = 2, e = 1 11. c = 5, d = 4, e = 3, b = 2, a = 1 12. e = 5, d = 4, a = 3, b = 2, c = 1 13. e = 5, d = 4, c = 3, b = 2, a = 1 14. a = 5, b = 4, c = 3, e = 2, d = 1 15. b = 5, a = 4, c = 3, d = 2, e = 1 16. e = 5, a = 4, b = 3, c = 2, d = 1 17. e = 5, d = 4, c = 3, b = 2, a = 1 18. c = 5, a = 4, b = 3, e = 2, d = 1 19. b = 5, e = 4, a = 3, d = 2, c = 1 20. c = 5, b = 4, e = 3, d = 2, a = 1

Score Your Business Success Quotient 75-100 You are a successful entrepreneur whose operations reflect tried and true business practices.

50-74 Your business is probably headed for long-term success. But success will come sooner if you sharpen your awareness of solid management skills and marketing techniques.

25-49 While you may be enjoying customer loyalty and repeat business, never forget that savvy competition is always looking for ways to take the lead. Don’t let comfort lull you into false security. Be creatively assertive!

0-24 You may well have the right product. But to sell it successfully, you need to increase your market awareness and improve your operating philosophy. Reach out for practical classes, seminars and advice from people who have good business track records. And - keep persevering. It’s the key ingredient to winning! M

How to Empower Your TeamWhen employees don’t feel empowered, they tend to isolate themselves and work alone, rather than as a team. They can be less motivated, and not be as creative or as inspired to achieve. In turn, this lack of empowerment leaves employees and teams unable to perform to their highest ability and productivity. Empowering your team brings success to employees, groups, and companies.

Read the advice below to see how supervisors can build empowered teams.:

Allow the Team to Plan

Allow the team to plan for a whole project, rather than small pieces of a project at a time. This way, employees will have to plan their work schedule accordingly and assign goals for themselves. This will generate team-wide responsibility to get the project done.

Allow the Team to Schedule Projects

Daily meetings on scheduling can take up precious time rather than fill individuals with a productive spirit. Allow employees to schedule for their tasks, giving them enough work to fill up a week or more. Letting team members schedule projects on their own will help create better planning skills.

Allow the Team to Make Decisions

When an employee is involved with decision-making, he or she will feel like an essential part of the team. Bring the team together for brainstorming or impromptu meetings so individuals can share in the decision-making process. Encouraging decision-making will make sure the team moves forward quickly toward its goals.

Allow the Team to Assign Work to Its Individuals

Individuals of a team have insight into their strengths and skills, so allow the team to divide up a large project on their own. Also, this will allow individuals to build up strengths and skill sets that they may not have developed, as a person may have to complete a task he or she may have not done before. As a result, you will have better trained and more well-rounded employees.

Look at Results Rather Than the Process

When a team does the work to plan, schedule, make decisions, and assign duties, the supervisor will be able to see if the team was effective or not. By looking at the end result, rather than the process, you’ll be able to empower your employees with the ability to govern themselves yet still provide feedback on whether their results were acceptable. This will inspire the team to find new ways to work on other projects, and adjust their process if necessary. M

Spring 2013 LEADERSHIP 9

Have You Heard? How to Stop Office Gossip

If you’ve been the victim of office gossip, you know it can be both cruel and destructive. Such malicious gossip has shattered many people’s lives and careers.

Gossip is a type of verbal terrorism. “To destroy somebody’s good name is to commit a kind of murder,” says Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, author of “Words That Hurt, Words That Heal.”

What is gossip?Gossip is anything negative you say about someone to someone else - whether the information is true or false. Some people, however, believe it’s OK to talk about others if what they say is true. While it’s legal to spread truthful information about someone, it is gossip,

Gossip ruins lives

Obviously, gossip causes damage because it can ruin a person’s reputation. Spreading rumors about someone else’s personal life can lead to the breakup of a marriage and family. Talking negatively about someone’s job performance can be devastating to that employee’s career.

Why people gossip

Spreading secret information, especially something negative, makes people feel important. It also adds a bit of intrigue to the same old boring workday.

“For most of us, exchanging critical evaluations about others is far more interesting and enjoyable than exchanging good news,” explains Rabbi Telushkin.

Another type of gossip - complainingThis type of gossip happens all the time at work. One employee gets mad at another employee, so the disgruntled person complains to a third party to vent his or her feelings.

This type of office triangle damages companies. Nothing gets resolved between the two angry employees. A third person becomes involved and must take sides. Pretty soon the entire office gets caught up in an undercurrent of damaging gossip, with everyone choosing sides. The resulting tension lowers office morale and affects employee productivity.

What you can do about office gossip

If you’re the target of gossip, or if office gossip is a general problem, ask your supervisor to create an office policy on it. Management should announce the policy at a staff meeting or in a written directive all employees must sign.

What if you’ve done it:Notice how often your talk unintentionally drifts toward discussion of other people. Next, notice how often you’re a willing recipient of gossip. If you listen to gossip, you’re guilty, as well. A listener must complete the gossip connection.

“If you have publicly said something cruel and regret it, call the victim of your remarks immediately and apologize,” advises Rabbi Telushkin. “Gossip spreads like wildfire, and you have no control over which direction it heads or how much damage it leaves in its path.” M

10 LEADERSHIP Spring 2013

The policy should spell out that:• Gossip about anyone’s personal life or work life is unacceptable

• If two employees can’t resolve a problem between themselves, they should each write down the problem and possible solutions and submit it to their supervisor. The supervisor can then meet with the two employees and help resolve the problem

• An employee upset with a supervisor should talk directly with the supervisor and not with anyone else

• Employees who violate the rules will suffer consequences, which should be clearly noted

Spring 2013 LEADERSHIP 11

Start the day before

“A great day at work really starts at the end of the day by clearing off your desk, figuring out what you need to do the next day, then prioritizing those things the best you can, realizing you’re probably going to be interrupted,” says Ms. Alexander.

Focus on your work

“People who have great days are the ones who are able to focus on their work a little better than others. Some people use work time to take care of their personal stuff,” explains Ms. Alexander. “They’re caught up with making personal phone calls or chatting with people about their problems; then they get stressed when they don’t get everything done.”

To help you set aside your personal distractions, write them on a piece of paper or in a journal. When you write out personal problems that are bothering you, it keeps them from swirling around in your head and distracting you from your work.

Give 100 percent

“People who have great days at work are the ones who give 100 percent,” says Ms. Alexander. “Many people do just enough to get by or stay out of trouble. People who give their best tend to get caught up in their work and, therefore, enjoy more of what they’re doing.”

Reward yourself

Your supervisor may not notice your extra efforts all the time, so it’s your responsibility to reward yourself for giving extra effort to your job.

Make a list of 10-minute rewards - things that are fun for you: taking a walk outside, reading a joke book, or listening to music. Then take a short reward break, in the middle of the morning and in the middle of the afternoon. Taking a couple of short breaks during the day also will help lower your stress so you can accomplish more when you get back to work.

Get along

“People who have great days at work are good at getting along with others,” says Ms. Alexander. “They make a sincere effort to get along with their coworkers, supervisors, and clients or customers.”

While you may not like all the people you work with, you can show everyone respect and consideration.

“All through the day you’re making choices,” says Ms. Alexander. “The ways in which you do your work, get along with

Julie Alexander, president of Great Days Presentations in Garland, Texas, and author of “Make Life Count! 50 Ways to Great Days,” asks people in her seminars to complete this sentence: “I have a great day at work when…”

“Most people complete this sentence by adding, ‘I have a great day at work when I get things done,’” says Ms. Alexander. “I’ll never forget one woman’s comment. This was a woman who worked for a large hospital as an administrative assistant and had to take directions from three bosses. Instead of complaining, this woman said, ‘I have a great day at work when I choose to have one’.’”

If you’ve been feeling like a victim at your job, you may be able to change your approach to work. Even if your situation is difficult, you can make choices to create better days at work. Here are a few.

Get the Most Out of Your Day at the OfficeWhat would your life be like if you could make every day at work a great day?

Questions? Reach us at 800.873.7138 | www.MINESandAssociates.com

From time to time, situations arise when a supervisor is not sure how to respond to a particular behavior. The Employee Assistance Program is available on a 24/7 basis for consultation on issues such as: referring an employee to the EAP, how best to respond to and manage difficult behavior in the workplace, and whether training or some other form of group intervention (such as an organizational intervention or a conflict resolution) may be helpful for a particular situation. The EAP can serve as an ally to anyone who is working

with a troubled employee.

• 24/7supervisorconsultationregardingproblemsintheworkplace

• Assessmentofbehavioralriskonthejob• Return-to-Dutyconferences• Advisoryservicesinwriting,revising,and

implementingpolicies• SupervisorandManagertraining• UnlimitedformalWorkPerformanceReferrals• Coachingformanagementandleadershipskills• Conflictresolutionforsupervisor-employeeproblems

MINES believes that employees are an organization’s most valuable resource. Your EAP is always available to provide you and your employees with support.

The MINES Team

A note to Supervisors...