Empire State Of Mind

Do you look at the glass half empty or half full? It’s a powerful idiom that could explain a lot in terms of your current lifestyle and how the world is working for you.

It’s hard to have the “I’m going to go out there and change the world” attitude. Before you can change the world, a country, a town, a group, a person, it has to start within. Once you change the way you think, everything else on the outside will reflect to complement it.

Success isn’t something you simply fall into, success comes with patience, dedication and consistency. Ultimately however, we are directly responsible for what happens in our lives. There are ways which we can be proactive, starting with our changing perspective. Successful people go against the grain and often combat pessimism with optimism and instead of embracing excuses, embrace solutions. The trick is to take action.

There are tough scenarios that we’ve all faced, but the way we respond is the test of our greatness or a glowing example of our capabilities. It’s very easy to fall into a negative rut. If the negatives outweigh the positives, you find yourself blaming others, you haven’t seen self-growth in long time, you tend to set low expectations to avoid disappointment; then it’s time to step back and reevaluate your perspective and transform that negative energy to a positive, thriving force.

The goal is to have an empire state of mind, and no, I’m not just talking about the Jay-Z song. It’s about creating a mentality of taking control of your own life. Here are some steps you can take to develop a healthy mindset and successful you:

Be open-minded

Being open to different perspectives, suggestions, and scenarios make for a more enriching life experience. Take a leap into the unknown, others have already jumped and will catch you when you do.

Look at the glass half-full

Life is really about perception. The cup is the same, just as your life. Are you embracing the positives or harboring the negatives? If you choose to look at it with an optimism’s mindset, you are choosing the route of self-growth. It’s difficult, and life always challenges us, but like billionaire shark, investor, entrepreneur and business leader Robert Herjavec said: “Tough times never last; tough people always do.”

Learn something new

This should be a goal you set for yourself whether it be big or small achievements. Pick up a new hobby, learn about someone else’s culture. Knowledge builds your arsenal of self-worth and expands your skillset.

Strengthen your circle

You are as strong as those around you. Don’t hinder yourself by playing the blame game, it doesn’t benefit you or help the situation. Instead, take responsibility and learn from your mistakes. Strengthening your circle also means sharing news and tips and tricks, spreading positivity and support. You will find that when you invest time and sincerity into others, it is a lifelong investment that will pay off.

Stop wishing

How many times have you caught yourself saying “I wish I could do that” or “I want this, but I don’t have time.” Wishing doesn’t change anything, it’s only delaying your process to greatness. Make goals and take appropriate actions to get there. It’s even better if they are equal parts heart and head. Be logical without a defined line for the future.

Don’t fall back into the same patterns

Once you’re into the swing of things, keep going! Every now and then won’t change lives, consistency will.

Today could be the day that you head in a new direction. Tomorrow could be whatever you choose for it to be, but it’s up to you to unlock its unlimited potential.

What lies before us and what lies behind us are small matters compared to what lies within us, and when you bring what is within out into the world, miracles happen. -Henry David Thoreau

The Formula to Company Culture

How tragic is it to have a job that you commute to every single day with the sole purpose of getting to the next paycheck? At some point or another, we’ve all been there. We let our priorities become unbalanced and have somehow after months found ourselves just running through the motions. Your happiness and self-fulfillment is the top priority. No one can live off of coffee and energy drinks forever. Believe it or not, there is a formula to happiness that if practiced by a company will lead to ultimate success in all avenues. That formula is (WC=Team > Individual) otherwise known as company culture. 

At Worx we've come to the conclusion that we have to do things differently. Company culture is the direct influence on how smoothly the ship is sailing. Effects derived from poor company culture are often missed deadlines, negative employee body language, tension, lack of ambition and static routine. If a company is not happy, it will reflect in many aspects of the workplace, unfortunately and most crucially the clients. Your company culture IS your brand. 

Now, culture is not something that just happens overnight. Culture is something that happens naturally. Every person is born and raised with a set of unique beliefs, taboos and values. It governs the ways in which a person thinks and acts. For a company to be successful, there has to be a blending, an assimilation of individual into team. Embrace the differences and utilize multiple perspectives into one positive driving force.
Our company culture is kept alive and breathing because we make a conscious effort to keep it at the forefront. Here are some things that we practice day-to-day: 

The Worx Family Manifesto

Share Core Values:
When the members in a company shares core values everything runs in complete cohesiveness. The objective remains constant and everyone strives to achieve the same mission. Productivity is greater and value is placed on the end goal.  

Knowing Your Purpose:
Don't just work for the paycheck; do something that you genuinely love. Everyone should feel a sense of purpose to the team and to each other. Our mission is our client’s success.

Make Time For Quality Time:
It is so important to take your working relationships beyond the desk. Do things that will give your employees the opportunity to interact and let their personalities free. Team building exercises such as 5Ks, mud runs, adventure parks and volunteer events within your field or community are a great way of giving everyone the chance to let down a few walls and learn about each other.

Celebrate Achievements:
People want to be part of an organization that they can be proud of. No one wants to feel like what they are doing isn't enough or is insignificant. Take a moment to celebrate each other's as well as the team's accomplishments even if they are small steps. Go out to dinner for meeting your monthly goals and congratulate someone on their new home. Celebrate team accomplishments and acknowledge the personal ones as well. Positivity is fuel. 

Understand Each Other's Strengths and Weaknesses:
At Worx we have taken multiple strength and weakness tests as well as have noted them in work situations. We know what each other excel in and where we struggle. We know each other's pet peeves and what makes us uncomfortable. By diving deeper into each other's personalities, we can create a work culture in which everyone produces their best work. 

Meet Often:
Communication is key to a good work environment. It is imperative to not just hear, but also listen to each other. This is a great practice to get comfortable with everyone on the team as well as to learn a wealth of information about how a member works, their stress level threshold, their brilliant ideas, and how they can best be utilized to showcase their skills while elevating the company. 

Eliminate Hierarchical BS:
Of course, there is a chain of command, but this is never used as a weapon to designate where the power is. It is crucial to recognize that each person has a significance and reason for being there. When a member feels that they have worth in a company, the positivity is almost contagious and the level of respect soars astronomically. A team should be one congruent moving gear that if one cog is missing, the operation fails. At Worx, everyone is an essential part of what makes Worx, work. There is a level of mutual respect, trust and appreciation that is displayed to one another. When a company works together through controversy and success, the outcome is powerful.

Throw Peanuts:
Not every day is a good day no matter how hard we try. Don't let someone harvest frustration. Take time to grab coffee, have a lunch meeting out of the office or throw stress peanuts at each other if necessary (adorable plushy stress relievers in the shape of peanuts, courtesy of our wonderful client, Food Safety Training Solutions, INC.) Whatever method works best. 

Cultivate The Future:
A strong company culture helps to cultivate your future team. The vibes you put out attract folks with the same positivity and values who are seeking such an atmosphere. Your work culture is also a marketing tool and can be used to bring together like-minded individuals to help grow your company's future. 

Once a company keeps in mind the balance between team and individual, a different atmosphere will noticeably take shape. Daily practices become integrated and fluid with the motions of everyday life. We are not a Utopian society that is in perfect harmony with perfect results and perfect lives. But we have created a culture that fits– a defined destination of who we are now, and who we aspire to be.

BAE Branding

At Worx, there are many components to ensure that the immune system of our Brand stays healthy. However, if you’ve seen, heard, read or been around us for a substantial amount of time, you known that every experience between seeing, hearing, reading and being a successful company is contingent on consistency. Doing it over and over again - everywhere – so everyone becomes involved and does the same.

Every year, nationwide, we as people brand words through consistency. By seeing, hearing, reading and being around people who do it over and over again - everywhere – so everyone becomes involved and does the same.

What it is that we are branding? Slogans. This year our lips have caught ahold of adjectives such as:

“Thirsty.” (Nothing a beverage can quench.)

“On fleek.”

And

“Basic.” (Basically what you think it means.)

We’ve taken these words by storm and made them household staples.

They are truly our BAE vocabulary preference.

Ah! The noun that encompasses our heart’s rawest emotions. 

It took me approximately half of 2015 to decode the acronym that is BAE, and until now the correct pronunciation. However, dialects that they are – that is subjective.

Although I have decoded it, in theory, intellectually, I did not emotionally grasp its true intentions until I tried to implement it. So rather than apply it in a romantic or platonic relationship, I’ve created a scenario where I could enhance our brand through a BEA checklist.

It takes much hard work to make a brand approachable and keep it alive. While it may seem beautiful, there’s much work that needs to happen in the background.

To ensure you can see, hear, read and experience the same in every encounter, we have to check through Before Anyone Else, or in this case, Before Anything Else immune system nourishment.

BAE Branding:

• Make sure your social media is not stagnant: No news is good news? That may apply to your doctor, but not around here. Our clients want to know what’s going on. We cannot depend on other avenues to keep everyone up to date.

• Answer your emails: No matter how quick the question, we’ve found sending someone a brief response acknowledging their presence, even if you can’t give their question full attention in the moment, adds value to the relationship because they feel like they have been heard.

• Have internal focus groups: If we do not know what’s going on, who will? Every Monday morning we kick-off the week with status updates. Where we currently are with projects; the creative direction and deadline; the good news the bad news – by openly sharing this, we not only can help each other, but our work culture is more focused.

• Front and center reminders: Whether it is goal oriented, calendars, mini client rundowns or timelines, having a system in front of us as a team is a constant reminder of what BAE represents.

• Attend networking events: We do not know it all, and there’s always someone smarter than you in the room. The great thing about life is that we can learn from people outside of our industry, be inspired by their story and use it to help us succeed. 

• Talk about what we do: We love what we do. So it’s easy to talk about our collective works. Remember how when school was out of session, summer tended to overpower our senses and everything we learned was forgotten? Around here we keep things fresh and top of mind. So from blogs to press releases, it is important to keep the general audience informed.

• Clean the clutter: Not only do we respect each other’s workspaces, but the material with which we work. Our client’s files do not deserve to get disorganized – neither virtual nor physical.

Whatever your company, you have a brand. And where there is a brand you have a BAE relationship to nurture. What are your priorities when it comes to ensuring your brand’s immune system remains in its prime?

Banning The B Word

I can’t today.

I don’t have time.

I won’t make it…

I recently heard a wise man challenge me and my associates to ensure that we do not mistake busyness for productivity. In our Worx culture, we live to live less busy. To ensure that our answer for, “how are you?” is not busy. It’s a passive way of replying “I don’t have time for you; everything else is a priority before you.”

That’s when I realized words that once held the power of positive action, we’ve turned into negative connotations via one tiny stroke in the air. With this mark, we create contractions. I call them four-letter words.

As I was recently browsing on one of the greatest time wasters (and I say I’m too busy?) a post across the great Atlantic Ocean caught my attention:

“Time is a created thing. To say ‘I don’t have time,’ is like saying, ‘I don’t want to.'”  

-Lao Tzu

When I was younger, my brothers tried to convince me “they” [the government] were going to change time. Either they would add a day or elongate the days by hours. How would it affect us as humans? It would change our school schedule. In the negative. I almost believed them.

However, looking back I think how many times I hear myself and adults wish for more hours in a day. Because we don’t have time. Because we are too stressed. Because we are too busy.

So we can’t, we don’t and we won’t.

However, since working at Worx, I learned two invaluable practices:

Make the moments count: We must learn time isn’t about us; it’s about others. Everyone is allotted 24 hours a day no matter where his or her hour hand is. It’s not about borrowing, giving, taking, wishing away, looking back or speeding up time. It’s about sharing time.

Make the conversations intentional: Ban the apathetic four-letter words. Including the “B” word, busy. Be presumptuous. Someone at some point will be asking you, "how are you?" Prepare your answer. Assume that someone will ask for a favor or invite you to be part of his or her inner circle. Be imaginative and find a way to abstain from those pesky go-to contraction words.

Because you do have time. You just have to decide if you want to or don’t want to.

Are you going to let that tiny stroke in the air steal your action? Are you going to do or don’t?