Lousy moods or productivity - which would you prefer?

[mjstrand]

We all know someone who has bad days once in a while. Do you ever hear about those of your staff? In most companies I've seen, their staff do not let upper management know what is truly going on with them any particular day. Everyone gets into lousy moods once in a while, but do you know whether your staff's environment allows them to "feel" that they can be productive? You may think that you've given them the authority to get things done, but they may not know it. That was always my way - figuring that they could read my mind.

With the holiday season here, it is a perfect time for you to wander the halls just to observe how your staff interacts with each other. This time of year always has people spending more time visiting to enjoy each other's company. If you overhear friendly conversation, then your business is probably a good environment. If you hear of problems and "lousy moods", then you probably have room for productivity improvement and have some exciting work ahead of you. View the other items in this post for ideas on how to change your culture to be more productive. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!