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Do you want to know the one common effect of all company problems? Problems cost companies a most valuable commodity – time. When there is a misunderstanding, miscommunication or employee conflict, you lose time sorting out the issues. When a good employee leaves the company, you lose time hiring a new person and bringing them up to speed. When motivation and productivity slacks, you lose time trying to get your employees back on track.

Getting to know your employees on a personal level can prevent company problems from arising in the first place, saving you that valuable commodity of time.
So, how can you get some time back? Here are a few suggestions:

• Block out one hour each week to let your staff know that you are available to them. Use that hour to get in touch with your team, to talk to them on a personal level.

• Use team huddles. Gather your team for a set amount of time each week to share what projects they are working on and how the team can help each other achieve their goals.

• Solicit feedback from your team on a regular basis. Ask open-ended questions. Invite their inquiries and participation.

• Perform post-mortems on projects, especially those which experienced problems. Ask participants for their thoughts on how it went and develop a plan to avoid duplicating mistakes in the future.

Give these suggestions a try and you will experience more team unity and greater levels of engagement. You have to get to know your people. So, spend the time to save the time.

This time of year I experience a real mix of emotions.  On the one hand, we’ve had a great summer, spent lots of time together and are ready for school to start.  On the other hand, my stress level goes up when I think about getting back into the school routine and all of the many tasks that come along with it. 

So, I decided to share a few tips that help me and others with minimizing Back-to-School stress.  Some you may already know but perhaps, like me, you need a gentle reminder to use them. 

• Print out the school calendar:  Our school district has the school calendar available on the website all year long.  I like to print it out before school starts.  I hang a copy on the fridge and then add all of the important dates on our family calendar as well as my work calendar.  Don’t forget to check back periodically to see if the calendar changes.  Depending on how your school handles snow days, for example, this may impact the calendar.  You may also want to consider having a white board in your house where you keep track of important dates and can share messages with each other.
• Plan meals and lunches:  I have to admit that I am not as good at this as I would like to be but I know many people that are.  You can save yourself a lot of time and stress by planning meals out for the week.  My friend, Neen James, who is a productivity expert, says that you can be really productive in just 15 minutes.  I think this is a great example.  Spend 15 minutes on the weekend to plan a few meals for the week.  This doesn’t mean you have to cook a gourmet meal 7 days a week.  Maybe you start with planning 3 or 4 meals.  Consider having regular meal nights and then just mix up the recipe to keep it interesting.  For example:  Monday is Taco Night, Wednesday is Pasta Night and Thursday is Soup & Salad.  Keep it simple.  As far as lunches, pack as much as you can the night before, and then just toss in the main entrée in the morning.
• Don’t be afraid to delegate:  OK, I admit that I can be a bit of a control freak.  I’ve made a commitment to myself and my family that I am going to start delegating more (of course, they were all thrilled).  Guess what, we don’t have to do it all.  Our kids and spouses are quite capable.  They can help with laundry, feed the dog and even do the dishes.  It’s amazing what an impact it can have when everyone pitches in.
• Avoid over-committing:  I bet there are many of us who share this habit.  In today’s world there are so many opportunities for us and our children to get involved.  While these activities can provide lots of fun, they can also cause lots of stress.  Take some time at the beginning of the school year to talk about what activities you and your children will commit to.  Then, do the best you can to stick to it.  Think before you volunteer.  You only have so much time, don’t fill it up with activities that you end up regretting later.
• Make time for yourself:  This one is my personal favorite.  We’ve all heard it a million times, right?  It really is true.  To be the best you can be for your family, you have to make time for yourself.  Squeeze in some exercise and a spa treatment.  Take a course or lessons on a topic that you are passionate about.  Schedule “me” time on your calendar.  Everyone will benefit, especially you. 

Hope you find these tips helpful.  Please feel free to share more in the comments.  Enjoy the new school year and good luck!!