admin | Arteel

The 50+ Generation or How to turn a Protracted Problem into a Success Story

Recently, I was triggered by watching “The Intern”, a 2015 comedy-drama film written, directed and produced by Nancy Meyers. The film tells the story of the 70-year-old widower Ben Whittaker (played by Robert De Niro), an ex-executive who finds himself stuck in a boring rut after his retirement. To give his life a little boost, he applies to a senior citizen intern program and gets hired at a fast-growing e-commerce fashion start-up, working under the assignment of founder and CEO Jules Ostin (played by Anne Hathaway). The film beautifully depicts how Ben’s engagement, efforts and experience distinguish him, in spite of Jules’ initial scepticism.

Whenever and wherever the opportunity arises, Ben takes the time it takes to listen to people, give them little tips and initiate small improvements. He slowly manages to win over co-workers with his congeniality and it doesn’t take long before his positive mind-set also lands him into Jules’ good graces, who starts involving him in important projects. As a result, recognition and appreciation abound, in turn creating a positive upward spiral of motivation, cooperation and cross-pollination.

Contrast

What I found really appealing about “The Intern” is that this story stands in beautiful contrast to the pessimistic analyses of our 50+ generation on the work floor – analyses that are flying around like leaves in autumn, with at their core the worrying viewpoint that workers over 50 tend to be troublesome and obsolete.

Our ageing Western population is a fact. That all of us will have to work until we are at least 67 years old is a fact too. And that the majority of workers over 50 tend to seriously lag behind when it comes to the most recent technological developments is – unfortunately so – just as much of a fact.

Add to this that our 50+ generation steadily keeps on growing, and the result is that more and more people of this generation nowadays find themselves struggling with both their mental and their physical health. Indeed, the numbers don’t lie: in the last decade, absenteeism is this age category has surged to a record high!

And so, many members of our 50+ generation are potentially facing a real threat, especially the ones working for companies who look upon their people as mere money-making “work instruments” that have to be as cost-effective and profitable as possible.

The Age of Selfies

Our contemporary society can be defined in terms of such outspoken individualism that we might as well refer to this day and age as the “Age of Selfies”: so many people feel lonely and alone these days! They might desperately try to shroud this sense of isolation by painting ideal – yet often fake! – pictures of their lives on all possible social media platforms, but in reality this practice creates nothing more than a mere illusion.

Yet people do it more than ever – why? Because it is part of human nature to want to feel at least a little important. And people sometimes do the strangest of things to satisfy this need to experience the feeling that they truly matter!

But what people actually really need is social connection – a sense of belonging and heart-to-heart communication. “The human touch” is what they sometimes call it – something which is hard to find these days, especially in our corporate world. And that is such a shame, because it is exactly this human touch that can help lift people out of their detrimental sense of isolation.

As a matter of fact, it goes even further than that: people who feel they are making a positive contribution to this world by dedicating their time and energy in a worthwhile way, are far less likely to fall ill or experience pain. Bart Morlion, a renowned pain doctor, recently elaborated on this in a striking article in De Tijd.

And so, we find that illness is often rooted in unfulfilled desires, in frustration and in social wrongs. Therefore, if we want to tackle this societal challenge, I feel we have to steer our society away from the dominant selfie-trend, and help it evolve into a service-based community: we have to ask ourselves the question how we can mean more to our fellow men and women, our colleagues and our families.

Turn a Challenge into an Opportunity

“Adversity can be turned to opportunity simply by adjusting our perception and our attitude” – Gail Lynne Goodwin

So, what if we, as a society as a whole, started to appreciate our 50+ generation a little more for the potential it undeniably has? What if we started to stimulate its members to share the valuable insights and experience they have been gathering for all of those years to help out our younger generations?

Provided we all approached this change of course with the necessary open-mindedness, wouldn’t it lead to a win-win for each and every one of us?

I am convinced it would!

People over 50 would benefit from a mental boost because we, as a society, would be conveying the message that we consider them to be of added value, rather than obsolete. As such, they would be stimulated to keep on investing in themselves. And this, in turn, would positively impact their physical health. On top of that, our younger generations would benefit from being given a helping hand to grow into happy, balanced and successful people more quickly.

Taking all of this potential into account, isn’t it high time we changed our perception and our attitude?

Of course, our 50+ generation benefits from higher wages – something which often turns their employment into an issue. I do not mean to overlook or disregard this indisputable fact. On the contrary, actually. Because what if we did the math and weighed these payroll expenses against how much it costs our society when our 50+ generation mentally tunes out? Not to mention the societal cost of the related physical ailments. Because mind and body are intertwined – we all know that! Which means the opposite is equally true: the healthier our minds, the healthier our bodies, the more energy we generate, the happier we are and the more we can do for others.

It is really that simple.

Moreover, the hidden costs of people mentally tuning out are on the rise, across the board – that means including our youngsters! Yet, often, all people really need to stay tuned is a little bit of heartfelt attention and appreciation – a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on.

So, what is keeping us from recruiting our 50+ generation to play this role it seems so perfectly fit to play? I, for starters, know several people well over their fifties, eager to take this task upon them – people with a great amount of joie de vivre, drive and life lessons to share, who are currently not employed simply because they are perceived as being too expensive.

I think it would be a solid policy to start stimulating the employment of our 50+ generation – all necessary financial means included! In an ideal world, the tax wedge, as far as our 50+ generation would be concerned, would become close to non-existent. And we would also benefit from reconsidering the existing rule regarding the number of allocated days off as a reflection of the number of years worked: as it stands, this often leads to undesired disproportion, making for the fact that employers in certain sectors are anything but motivated to hire employees over 50.

This kind of policy change is bound to have a positive impact, as it would entail a win-win-win-win situation: our 50+ generation would win because they would be meaningfully reintegrated, our younger generation would win because they would be supported in their professional growth process, employers would win because it would be made affordable for them to attract seasoned talent into their organization, and – last but not least – society as a whole would win because the costs stemming from burn-out, depression and long-term absenteeism would fall significantly.

A Sense of Meaningfulness above all

Humans are a profoundly social species: our need for a sense of meaningfulness and our drive to connect with others, are embedded in our biology and evolutionary history.

Or to quote William James, a well-known 19th century philosopher and psychologist:

“If any organism fails to fulfil its potentialities, it becomes sick” – William James

This is exactly what we see happening in our society today. People are not triggered enough to keep on growing and fulfilling their potentialities, definitely not after a certain age. Because once people turn 50, the process of being considered “obsolete” sets in. This shared, societal mind-set has a negative impact – be it unintentionally – on a large part of our population, and it in turn stimulates its own exponential growth.

We need to counter this trend!

Our society is in dire need of more role models such as Ben Whittaker in “The Intern” – people who do their best for others, and who are rewarded for doing so. We, as a society, urgently need to make an effort to prove that our 50+ generation is anything but troublesome and obsolete… just as it is up to our 50+ generation to do the same! It is our joint task to motivate this increasingly large segment of society to stay active by acknowledging their wisdom, appreciating them and challenging them to keep on contributing to our world.

In my company, I have 2 very special people working for me – one of them is 70 years old, the other one 72. On top of that, there are several of my other employees who are well in their 50s and older. It is so beautiful and inspiring to see in which way these people show up at work every morning: eager to start their day, engaged, ready and capable of making a difference – both within and outside of our company. And it is truly remarkable and a joy to witness how having a sense of meaningfulness in life goes hand in hand with a stable and healthy mental and physical condition, and high energy levels – regardless of age!

So, YES, there is another way… and isn’t it high time then for a paradigm shift in the right direction?

Nathalie Arteel
Leading Angel Arteel Group
Recognition Expert

On how to do it differently

“You get your wages every month, what more do you expect?“

This was – a bit jumping to conclusions – the attitude of one of my previous employers. Coming from a company where every effort was considered an obvious thing, working at Arteel is an eye-opener to me every day about how things can be done differently.

What makes Arteel such a special employer? Appreciation!

I already wrote down a first account of ‘my story’ in this blog. Now I would like to resume it.

The background

In my previous job I managed a small team. The last months in this position I was stubbornly looking for a way to really do something with the talents of these skilled people. I noticed that I was not the only one who was searching for the best way to do this. Some of my team members wanted to change course within the company, but not much was done by the top team. The functions were strictly delimited, creativity was not punished but certainly not encouraged either. Some felt clearly trapped in their function but also dared not to do anything because the corporate culture did not allow this. Some had already made an attempt to introduce ‘something new’, but if nothing was done after three attempts, this initiative also stopped. I myself was one of these.

Organizing performance interviews, a solution that seemed to me a very obvious first step and was still lacking in this company, was not an option. The management did not believe in it, and now that I look back on it, they might have been right on that. Because if I had known then what I know now, and especially what I have experienced in a short time about appreciation, then I am convinced that I would have handled it differently.

The basic principle of appreciation

Appreciation is more than to, once a year, put someone in the spotlight for an exceptional result – with lots of bells and whistles. Appreciation starts with being attentive to other people’s actions and emotions, day in and day out. You must first notice the actions before you can recognize someone for them. Show genuine interest in what someone is doing and you will be amazed at what doors will open.

How appreciation can be a lever for …

Creativity

A successful organization is one that tries to reinvent itself every day, which is always one step ahead of what the market demands or expects. You need creative employees for this. It is often thought that creativity is something you have or don’t have, but nothing is less true. You can stimulate creative ideas as a business leader by receiving and appreciating them in the right way.

To propose creative ideas, people have to dare to come out of their shell. Nothing is more frightening than giving an idea and not knowing how others will respond to it. Maybe they think you are a freak, or they laugh at you … Create an environment in which your employees feel safe to put even the most crazy ideas on the table. Always take the input of your employees seriously and do something with it. This does not mean that you have to think that every idea is great, but you should show sincere gratitude for their input and take it into consideration. Always motivate why you think it is a good idea or not.

There is nothing that will undermine the self-confidence and creativity of employees more than seeing nothing is done with their idea.

Ownership

Employees that are involved in the ins and outs of the company, will feel valued. The fact that you allow your employees to think about certain decisions and are genuinely interested in their opinion, makes that they will feel co-owner, will give the best of themselves and will continue to grow.

Compare it to a toddler who likes to do everything himself. As a parent, you know that your patience (and your china) will be put to the test if you let your little one set the table or put own his shoes himselve, but if you just grin and bear it, you will undoubtedly reap the benefits in the long run. Just think about how those eyes sparkle when they have succeeded in that great task. Your child gets a boost of self-confidence and can hardly wait to acquire another skill.

Even adults can be as proud as a small child, fortunately. And even though that first attempt was perhaps not the most efficient one, the pride that one experiences will trigger a domino effect of new and ever-improving efforts. It will create a contagious appetite for your employees to always get the best out of themselves.

In short, appreciating involves getting involved, but at the same time giving someone the opportunity to experiment within his own knowledge and expertise. Letting someone experience and discover their own successes and talents will make sure that they will dare to take the plunge and feel ownership of their responsibilities within the organization.

Successful retention management

There are a number of reasons why people decide to leave a company over time. Being insufficiently appreciated is certainly one of them, but the reasons for leaving are, of course, broader than that.

For example:

If the learning period has passed in a new position, people sometimes tire of the job if no new responsibilities are added. There is no more challenge. Either these people get into a bore-out, or they resign.
As a new employee you often have high expectations about your boss, job and responsibilities. If after a while these expectations are not met, chances are that people will look elsewhere.
Dissatisfied employees who still want to fight for the job of their dreams by attempting to discuss the issues they face, will come home empty-handed when they can’t talk with their supervisor. Frustrations will gain the upper hand, resulting in voluntary leave.

What is often not realized is that the solution for all these people leaving can be found within the basic principle of appreciation. It all starts with noticing and recognizing someone’s (mal)functioning in an organization. If you, as a manager, are attentive to how someone feels and behaves on the shop floor, boredom, expectations not met and frustrations can be detected before they pose a problem.

A vicious circle, but a positive one

The fact that on my previous job talents often remained unused, that creative ideas were not encouraged and that change ideas were not picked up were clear alarm signals. The fact that I finally made the step to leave is proof of that.

Noticing the problem – recognizing it – is a first important step. The steps you can take after that were discussed above. Employees who feel that their input is valued, who are involved in the organization and who get the necessary room for experimentation and responsibilities are happy employees. Employees who are happy in their job demonstrate this happiness and self-confidence in their interactions with customers, resulting in more satisfied customers. Satisfied customers give extra contentment and motivation to your employees.

This way, your create a positive working environment.

A work climate for which someone would even like to give money to be able to work there.

Leen Joos

On why and how true leaders truly connect

The future belongs to those who are capable of connecting with others on a deeper level. Enduring CEOs and top managers are those who know how to connect with their employees; winning politicians are those who know how to connect with the public; successful sales representatives are those who know how to connect with their prospective customers.

In short, regardless of one’s role or position, connection is key!

Slowly but surely, we are leaving the era in which technology and the purely analytical and rational way of functioning has always taken centre stage. And we are moving on to a new era: the era of “emotion”. As such, it will be the companies in which that “emotion” plays a pivotal role that will become the protagonists of the success-stories of the future. It will be those companies that promote “feel good” concepts and/or help people fulfil their dreams that will be the ones to make the cut.

At Arteel, experience has taught us that there are 3 guiding principles that lead to the path of booking results and being successful in this new era.

Here, I’ll happily share them with you!

1. Generosity

Just to be perfectly clear from the outset: “generosity” does not mean giving away or endlessly doing good by financially supporting charitable organisations.

“Generosity” does mean developing the skills and ability to give yourself. How?

By fully embracing vulnerability – it will be the leaders that summon up the courage to show their vulnerability that will be tomorrow’s successful leaders
By showing your engagement, basing it on your own personal story
By acknowledging the essential importance of recognition and giving twice as much as you receive. Once you have mastered the art of truly recognising the people that cross your path, these people will open up to what you have to say. By expressing your appreciation and giving people a good feeling after meeting you, you secure yourself a position on the winning team!

Now, how many leaders of this kind do you know? I think you will find that most leaders still position themselves to function from the “I”-perspective and from a purely rational point of view, instead of from their heart, bringing “emotion” into the equation.

2. First lead yourself

The media is swamped with theories, lectures and workshops on “leadership”.

But how many people in leadership positions, functioning on the highest level, are equally truly capable of being a good leader to their very own body and mind? How many leaders of this kind do you know? My guess is: not many.

Yet how can someone be a true top performer, or fulfil a top executive function, if he or she is not capable of performing the physical tasks of running 10 km at a nice speed or making it up the hill without the need for an electric bike? How can someone supposedly be in “top condition”, yet at the same time only be able to function on pills and energy drinks? Body and mind go hand in hand, and the expression “a healthy mind in a healthy body” is a truism.

Still, most of us are not aware enough of the fact that investing in both our physical and mental health is essential to be able to function optimally; and in order to be successful in our modern-day economy, functioning optimally is exactly what one needs to do.

And this is even more true for those in leadership positions: if you cannot manage to be a good leader to your own body and mind, how can you be a role model for others? Al Pacino once said: “I wish the stage was a tightrope where only the brave could enter”. How many leaders, consultants, top managers and role models do you think would meet that benchmark?

3. Be Passionate and love what you do

The successful companies of the future are those companies that have the know-how of aligning their own mission and values with the mission and values of their employees, so as to create a healthy company culture.

Only if employees genuinely can’t wait to walk through their office door and “breathe” the company culture, are they able to connect with customers. Yet how many people truly feel connected with the mission and values of the organisation they work for? How many people truly feel passionate to pull their weight?

Only with enough oxygen can you keep a fire going. And the same applies to a company: only when the company’s employees receive enough oxygen, can they keep the company’s fire going – come rain or come shine. That is why every person in a leadership position needs to be like a top playing captain of a sports team: well-trained, strong and with a healthy balance in both body and mind. Then, from this position of strength, he or she can create a solid mission and contribute in a positive way to the vision of the team he plays with – pushing his team all the way to the top.

And, in the light of the above, it goes unspoken that such a top playing captain is made out of far more than a mere check-list of job-related competencies.

How about you?

Are you a top playing captain?

Nathalie Arteel
Leading Angel Arteel Group
Recognition and Motivation Expert

About FIKA and the importance of coffee corners in cultural change

Obviously communication is an essential ingredient of every company culture initiative. But it is an illusion to assume people leaders are the sole players in helping people adapt to change. Coffee corner talk is more important than top down communications by management. In the coffee corner, stories are shared that greatly influence how people think about culture transformation or any change program. Exchanges between peers that trust each other often outweigh the impact of official communications.

So what can you do with coffee corner talk?

1. Get feedback from the front lines
What is said around the coffee machine is a reflection of your company culture. Culture transformations should start from the top, but company culture is defined by the behaviour of the majority of people in your organization. Use tools such as anonymous employee surveys, focus group discussions or talk to people who have a personal connection to what’s being talked about in the coffee corner. Whatever you do, make sure to find ways to take the ‘coffee corner pulse’ on how people are feeling and talking about your change initiative.

2. Change your perspective on coffee corner talk
Talk in the coffee corner is not idle chitchat or gossip. It represent the authentic thoughts of employees towards your company culture. Identify influencers: people not in a managerial position but that have an informal network and typically enjoy more trust from their peers than people leaders do. Actively involve them in shaping the culture transformation program. And ask for their verbal support. Their talk in the coffee corner will significantly speeds up your implementation. So use this powerful resource to ensure your culture program execution is effective.

You have no coffee corner? Read on about FIKA!

Fika – which roughly translates from Swedish as drinking coffee, eating sweet treats and chatting – is as much a part of the working day in Sweden as having meetings and emailing. Many Swedish firms have mandatory fika breaks and employees are given free hot drinks. At IKEA, it is described as:

More than a coffee break, fika is a time to share, connect and relax with colleagues. Some of the best ideas and decisions happen at fika.

Afraid that all these regular coffee breaks make for an inefficient workforce? No worries, according to the OECD productivity index, Sweden enjoys a very respectable seventh place, well above the G7 or EU average.

Next break, take time for a nice cup of coffee and enjoy the chatter!

Koen Schreurs
Helping HR & Management to boost company culture & engagement

This must be read by every parent

Seeing your child jump out of bed every morning when the alarm clock goes off – impatient to go back to school. It happened to me last school year when my son Tim (10) was with schoolmaster Peter in his fifth year.

In the past, it used to be a different story. When I think back to the days when my daughter was young. Every morning was a battle.

What makes master Peter so special? What does he do so that even former pupils still speak about him, thirty years later? Why do almost all children cry when they have to say goodbye to him at the end of the school year?

I would like to share with you my surprising insights and how amazingly closely his approach fits in with our business world.

1. Have a single mission

“Ensuring that every child likes to go to school.” That was the reason for schoolmaster Peter to opt for education. Everything he does or every initiative he takes contributes to this mission. He wants to create as many positive and unforgettable moments as possible together for his pupils.

What is your mission, what gives you energy? Is it clear why you are doing what you are doing now?

2. Firmly belief everyone has talents

This belief is why he wants to do everything he can to bring the talents of every child to the surface and to develop them further. This is his absolute priority and is more important to him than achieving top scores.

For example, he organises a musical every year in which all pupils are invited to show their talents by singing, dancing, acting and being creative. If there’s one thing that master Peter’s students will never forget, it’s the musical. So beautiful to see how children blossom during the musical and how talents emerge that nobody knew they had.

What are you doing to encourage your employees or colleagues to bring their talents to the fore?

3. Never punish

Schoolmaster Peter wants to bring out the best in his pupils and does this by focusing on the positive. He understands the art of giving every student the feeling that he or she is the most important person on earth. He constantly expresses his amazement at them, and encourages them to keep pushing their limits. If children do something that hurts him emotionally, he will also show this by showing himself to be vulnerable.

How many times do you give a compliment when someone from your area does something right?

4. Break the script every now and then

What makes it very difficult for master Peter is the overload of administration he is confronted with. That sucks a lot of energy away from him. The lack of trust between the government, teachers and parents also means that he will think ten times as much before taking the initiative. All of this makes a teacher’s job mentally very demanding.

He will always give priority to the wellbeing of the pupil and less to reporting on his lessons down to the smallest detail, even if this is expected of him.

Sometimes he also breaks the script and chooses to go out with his students – if he notices that they are mentally tired – instead of filling their heads even more with teaching material because this is prescribed by law. “Let a child be a child” is his slogan. At the end of the school year, for example, he went swimming with his pupils and they sailed down the Dijle river instead of teaching the last few days.

In order to achieve all this, he invests every day in his physical and mental health, so that he can give the best of himself in the classroom. He also regularly stands up at 4:30 am to prepare funny initiatives and to ensure that he can master his other tasks.

Do you sometimes break your script to create a special moment of connection in the organisation you work in instead of hiding behind your computer? Do you also consciously invest every day in your physical and mental health so that you can give the best of yourself every day?

5. Be guided by your compass

In order to accomplish his mission, master Peter works with a compass so that he continues to generate the necessary positive energy even in difficult times. Because even after 34 years in education, he occasionally doubts himself. His compass is formed by his personal values and his mission.

It is through the positive energy and love he receives from his disciples that he feels deep in his heart that he is doing a good job. Because often he only hears when something goes wrong.

Do you have a value compass to navigate your life? Do you also mention the good things about someone or do you only focus on the things that go wrong?

Happiness and sorrow

As I wrote this blog, I often felt a sense of happiness and sadness flowing through me at the same time.

Happiness because I am grateful that my son has master Peter as a teacher in his fifth and sixth year of primary school.

Happiness because in this chaotic world there are still such people as schoolmaster Peter. He is an example of someone who has followed his vocation by working every day to bring out the best in our children. Thus, when our children grow up later, they will in turn be able to promote the right values and make a positive difference in this challenging world.

Happiness because I myself have grown into a happy, healthy and enterprising woman thanks to my mathematics teacher, Miss Sys.

Sad because I realize that both in education and in our business world there is a great need for people like master Peter. People with a mission, people with the right values, people who are mainly guided by their hearts and who continue to invest in themselves. People who occasionally dare to break the script.

In our business world, we can encourage this behaviour by building a positive culture. A culture in which people feel safe, a culture of trust in which people are encouraged and challenged, a culture in which people are valued for their commitment.

Thank you master Peter and thank you to all the teachers for dedicating yourself every day and for giving the best of yourself. It is also thanks to you that our children will later grow into wise and loving people.

My appeal to you who reads this blog: I would like to invite you to express a word of thanks (orally or in writing) at the end of this school year to someone who has made a difference for you.

Nathalie Arteel
Mommy of Tim and Michaëla
Leading Angel Arteel Group
Recognition Expert

6 tips for the most amazing summer holiday

How do you organize a summer holiday that every member in your family truly enjoys? As a female entrepreneur, mother and spouse, this is one of my biggest challenges too: I have a 11-year old son who loves gaming, a 22-year old daughter who loves partying, a hard-working husband who loves playing sports and an overly energetic dog who loves running.

And in the course of making a holiday memorable for each of them, it’s an equally big challenge for me to make sure that I myself come back home fully energized too!

Does that challenge sound familiar to you? Experience has taught me there are lots of women out there trying to deal with that exact same situation…

That is why in this blog I would like to share with you six simple tips to help you create unforgettable moments with your family, while at the same time managing to free up enough time for yourself.

1. How to pick the right holiday destination?

In this day and age, we are seduced by so many offers of great holiday destinations that we tend to forget to define what we are actually looking for before we make our booking. So the perfect place to is by having every family member write down what his/her fve most import holiday values are.
These can be values:
a. Related to basic needs such as food, level of comfort, family time, friends, …
b. Related to physical needs such as sports activities, wellness, …
c. Related to other surroundings and activities such as culture, nature, shopping, …
Find common denominators and pick a holiday destination that allows you to combine most of them.

2. Good agreements make a good family

On our first vacation day, I tend to ask everyone to list three things they definitely want to do or visit during our stay there. By sharing those priorities, it is clear for everyone what everyone else loves to do, and what is important to them. So we plan out our stay based on a pick-and-mix, making sure we include something for everyone.

And there is something else we tend to do to make our holiday a success: we set some general dos and don’ts for our youngest son. To make it very clear to him which type of behaviour we, as parents, expect of him during our stay, we set up a recognition program with stars. We define 8 things for which he can earn stars on a daily basis. For example, things like eating healthy food, always being polite, displaying a positive attitude during sports activities, doing 2 pages of schoolwork, participating in activities organized by the Children’s Club, … At the end of our stay, the earned stars are converted into a gift voucher which he gets to spend to buy a gift in the gift shop of the hotel. I can guarantee you this tactic generates a lot of extra energy, not only for us parents but also for the kids themselves.

3. Plan every day

Every morning at breakfast (or sometimes even the night before, at dinner) we plan our upcoming day. Our plans take into account the weather forecast for that day and are based both on everybody’s preferences and on the activities organized by the hotel. By clearly planning out our day, we are all much more focused, we don’t lose time arguing about what to do and we all have the same mind-set.

Really, it is just like at home: if you are able to manage your time well and plan things carefully, you are able to enjoy your holiday more intensely, with the sweetest memories to cherish afterwards!

4. Discipline yourself

One of my personal challenges during my holiday usually is to control my weight as I tend to gain weight easily when I am in a more relax state of mind and being. That is why I get up at 6am almost every morning to go for a run in the mountains. I can assure you this is tough most mornings, but I can also assure you the rewards are endless! Every time I am out there in the mountains running through the forest, I get to enjoy the most beautiful sunrise, the most delightful smell of herbs and plants, the most peaceful silence of being out there all alone, … I even run into a deer sometimes! Those experiences are beautiful beyond words and I benefit from that effort of getting up for a long run during the entire day: I feel completely in balance, and my day is much longer because I get up early. As a result, I am able to do more activities with my children and spouse, while still having enough me-time. So continue with your good habits during your vacation. And even if you end up skipping a day or two – which happens to me too sometimes – don’t let that throw you off track to start again the next day!

5. Spend some time together at home after you get back

It is important to take some time to “adjust” after you get back home – the mere idea that you can come back and know that you still have some days to spend together with your family before going into work again, creates a valuable peace of mind. It gives you time to do some groceries, to organize certain things, to fix things that need fixing at home, … in short: to slowly get into the flow again. And by slowly getting into the flow, your mind will be much more open to new ideas and delight you with inspirational flashes that would not have appeared if you had immediately started work again. Indeed, it is better to have a shorter holiday stay but to leave some days to spend at home afterwards, than to extend your holiday stay to the last day of your vacation, and then start working again – this generates so much more unnecessary stress!

6. Make the transition to working life easier by planning in things to look forward to

For lots of people, the mere thought of being pulled back into the hectic business world is very tiring.

That is why I think it is very important to already schedule in some small, fun things to look forward to in the months that follow your vacation – things of which the mere thought already creates energy! This doesn’t have to be a trip to Hawaii… no, I really mean small things such as planning an evening out with your spouse or a good friend, or treating yourself to a massage, or planning to take an afternoon off to go shopping, or going to a concert, or organizing a party, or… It is all about quality time, and the mere idea that you have new inspirational events to look forward to will make it easier to step into the sometimes-crazy carousel of daily life again.

Conclusion

These six tips may all be common sense to most of us, but they are not always common practice. That is why I took the time to write them down for you, so they can prompt you to experience the greatest of holidays with your family, return fully energized and even look forward to starting work again – sharing that positive summer energy boost with all of your employees and customers!

Enjoy your summer holidays!

Nathalie Arteel
Leading Angel Arteel Group

A new look at employee motivation

Motivating employees seems easy – in theory. But while the concept of motivation may be straightforward, motivating employees in real-life situations is far more challenging. This Harvard Business Review article explains why Carrots & Sticks do not work.

As leaders, what can we do then to motivate individuals in our teams? In this respect, it is important to respond to the expectations of employees. And they change.

Employee’s expectations shifted in three ways

1. Company purpose
More and more, employees expect more from their jobs. Especially millennials find purpose important. An organization’s purpose defines how company strengths interact with societal needs.

2. Emotional connection
Employees increasingly connect via digital technologies. At the same time, opportunities for face-to-face interactions with colleagues and customers diminish. But connections are crucial for commitment, for the bond employees experience with their organisation and each other.

3. Directional clarity
Employees face never-ending transformations. VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity) has become a trendy acronym. You often hear people say “Hey, it’s crazy out here”. New technologies, competitors or market opportunities. Change has become standard. Hence the need for people to have a clear guidance, all pulling in the same direction.

Combine motivators

The shift in employee’s expectations makes it even more difficult to motivate them.

I’d like to suggest a new view motivation that speaks not only to the head, but also the heart of employees. One that keeps extrinsic motivators and focuses more on intrinsic factors.

Ideally you combine different motivators for optimal engagement. Combine extrinsic and intrinsic motivation: people work best when meaning and reward go hand in hand. Appeal to rational elements that guide behaviour but don’t forget emotional needs.

How to do it in practice?

A peer recognition program makes it easy to tick three of the four boxes above. When one’s work or effort is singled out for praise by colleagues or a boss, we feel strongly connected and affirmed. These emotional motivators are very strong. The rational, extrinsic motivators are triggered as well. When we can save for a team treat or experience for instance, we feel truly rewarded.

Do you know how to foster motivation at work?

Koen Schreurs
Helping HR & Management to boost company culture & engagement

Of Cows and Corporate Cultures

I have just returned from Austria. Land of Nature. Land of Friendly People. And I discovered a weird analogy between the behaviour of cows and employees!

Every summer, we travel there as some sort of cure for both our body and our mind. And every summer, we choose to stay in the same beautiful spot: a family-run hotel that started its business 40 years ago, when a farmer and a hairdresser shared a dream, a great amount of perseverance and a rocklike belief in their vision.

In the course of time, we developed a close relationship with the entire Pirktl family. So, while we were enjoying our stay at their resort earlier this month, Herr Pirktl Senior kindly invited us to join him for a visit to an exceptionally beautiful alpine pasture – all the way up in the mountains – where he lets his herds of cattle graze over the summer months. While we were soaking in the breath-taking beauty of the view up there, Herr Pirktl shared with us a most peculiar fact:

Year after year, more and more cows are starting to show aggressive behaviour towards the people hiking through the alpine highlands. At first sight, there seems to be no obvious or immediate cause for this change in behaviour: the cows are being given everything they could possibly need in terms of food and dietary supplements, as they have been for centuries. The only thing that has changed in the course of the last years, is the farmers’ attitude towards their cows: more and more do they treat the animals in view of their production capacity – milking them electronically, without any time or effort put into “sweet little nothings” or attentive caressing like in the old days. Strange as it may sound, the older and wiser generations of local people are convinced that this is the reason behind the peculiar fact that the cows have started to turn against anybody trespassing their meadows. Indeed, for them, the only plausible explanation for the remarkable change in the cows’ behaviour is to be found in the fact that the farmers simply have no more love or time to spare for their animals.

While this makes for an entertaining story, there is at the same time an alarming undercurrent here – all the more because I come across the exact same phenomenon in a lot of companies these days!

Management and HR departments are continuously looking for ways in which to further and further increase employees’ benefits in terms of wage-optimisation, perks and any trend-chasing initiative you could possibly imagine. Yet, ironically, at the exact same time, more and more employees seem to become more and more stressed and fall ill more and more often, for longer and longer periods of time.

Some would consider this to be a contradiction in terms, but experience has taught me differently: most companies these days make company life far too complex and, as such, miss the obvious! Constructing abstract financial schemes tends to be put at the top of their list of priorities. Yet while doing so, they overlook the fact that what people basically need most in order to flourish and be happy, is some of the management’s time, recognition for who they are and appreciation for the work they do. And one can’t accomplish fulfilment of these basic needs by relying on even the best of schemes, plans, tables or spread sheets!

Even when it comes to the tradition of end-of-year gifts, many companies nowadays choose to stick to giving an uninspiring voucher, just because this is the most convenient option. Or they simply convert the value of the end-of-year gift into a sum of money, just because this is the fiscally preferred option.

In his book “Leaders eat last”, Simon Sinek discusses this prevailing mindset of “destructive abundance”, where the fear of losing what has been achieved holds sway over all corporate management decisions. As this mindset continues to prevail, hidden costs are steadily but strongly increasing. And in its wake, the popularity of the self-help industry is reaching an all-time high…

And indeed, it hurts to have to confirm that, in this day and age, our corporate culture has become tainted by indifference – personal involvement is far to be found! What I see all too often reminds me of the song by Gilbert Bécaud, in which he sings “L’indifférence, elle te tue à petits coups”.

So how about you? Do you believe this path we are on is what will make people happier and healthier in the long run?

Luckily, once in a while, CEO’s with a different mindset cross my path, and I see companies steer a different course – a course where people take the centre stage, where a positive business culture is a conscious choice, where company values truly live in the day-to-day running of the company and where employees are treated as people instead of purely in view of their production capacity… and that observation does me a power of good!

May I invite you to step up too? To show courage and create an inspired “thank you” – moment this year, one your employees will always remember? I can guarantee you this will not only surprise your employees in a positive way, but it will equally reinforce your employer brand!

Nathalie Arteel
Recognition & Motivation Expert
Leading Angel Arteel Group

P.S. Luckily, as you can see on the photo above, there are also still a lot of friendly cows out there, just as there are also still a lot of warm-hearted people! 🙂

Securing your company’s future – major HR trend & top priority for 2018

It may sound counterintuitive, but by 2030, many of the world’s largest economies will have more jobs than adult citizens to do those jobs . We are headed for a global workforce crisis, which is why today, more than ever before, it is no longer enough to pay a decent salary and heap on some compensation & benefits. The only companies that will manage to hold on to their ticket to success for decennia to come are the ones that start securing their future right now…

How do I know this?

As Sales & Marketing Director, I have been meeting top company CEOs on a daily basis for more than fifteen years. I walk through the corridors of their headquarters, and I see what I see. I listen to the stories they tell me during our meetings, and I hear what I hear. And what I see and what I hear is crystal clear: we are facing a total make-over of our corporate landscape and the companies that will make the cut in years to come are the companies where you experience a strong and positive company culture.

No more. No less.

I’m not alone

This personal experience of mine is backed up by both numbers and statistics, and viewpoints of other experts in the field. In his striking, data-filled TedTalk – “The workforce crisis of 2030 and how to start solving it now” – HR Expert Rainer Strack, for example, presents us with some seriously intriguing numbers, statistics and insights!

A “People Strategy” as the only key to survival

While I would say the entire TedTalk is “compulsory watching” for any management and HR department, what it in essence boils down to is this: we are headed for a global workforce crisis that is approaching much faster than most of us realize, and the only way to make it out alive for any company will be to implement what Strack refers to as a “People Strategy”.

A strategy in which workforce planning becomes more important than financial planning, and companies give it their all to attract talented employees, manage and upskill their talent, and manage to retain the best ones by realizing an appreciation and relationship culture within their company.

Because YES: a global survey carried out by BCG amongst no less than 200 000 men and women from 189 countries showed that, when presented with a list of 26 topics and asked about their happiness on the job, “salary” only ranked in 8th place! The top 4 topics which people deemed most important were all related to company culture, with the top priority worldwide being “appreciation for your work” – and this not only once a year at Christmas, but every day of the week!

High time to get started!

Conclusion?

Right now, we are at a turning point, and the companies of the future will be those companies that not only cite a company mission and a set of company values on a plaque in their entrance hall or on their website, but those who equally have the know-how to create a true and lasting connection between this mission and these values on the one hand, and their employees on the other: the employees of the companies of the future are the ones that feel truly appreciated and happy at work, and as such LIVE the company’s vision, mission and values – day, after day, after day.

The essence of success lies hidden in the essence of your company culture… what then are you doing right now to secure your company’s future?

Nathalie Arteel
Recognition & Motivation Expert
Leading Angel Arteel Group

P.S. As an entrepreneur, I myself came across a lot of pitfalls in the process of developing my own People Strategy, assembling my own team of co-workers that give their professional all. And experience has taught me that most other companies come across those exact same pitfalls! Therefore, in the course of the last 15 years, I have been studying what it is that turns particular companies into lasting success stories, and how these companies go about composing their teams of dedicated and committed employees.

I first applied the knowledge and expertise I gathered to my own company; on the basis thereof, me and my team then set out to develop a set of tools and solutions which could equally be applied in other companies, and which we now export to no less than 39 different countries!

If you are interested in finding out more about our People Strategy, please don’t hesitate to contact me or one of my team members on arteel.eu. We will be delighted to help you!

Five management tips from Circus Barones

How does a circus succeed in being successful today? The challenges for most circus companies to remain financially profitable are greater than ever before.

But not only do they have to survive financially, they also face important HR challenges.
How does such a circus attract new talent without an attractive salary package and with typical working hours well beyond a 9 to 5? And what if people get sick?
How can they survive at all in a world where children quickly find everything ‘boring’ and prefer to spend time on their PlayStation? And how do they deal with people who consider circus people as being ‘strange’ with different standards and habits than those in the normal world?

This and many other thoughts went through my mind when I attended a Circus Barones show with my family last week.
Contrary to expectations, the performance was almost sold out and I never got bored for two hours. What’s more, I was so impressed by the whole thing that the next day I went back to ask for an interview with circus director Richard Barones about his ‘secret’.

I would like to share with you the five aspects that make Circus Barones the most successful circus in Flanders and how the circus world can be a source of inspiration for our personal and professional lives.

1. A circus artist does not choose a job but a way of life

Richard comes from an Austrian family that has continued the circus tradition for 180 years. In 2002 he bought a small, old circus and started his own business. Today he works with his wife, three sons and a team of twenty permanent employees. Circus Barones has grown into a successful SME and yearly gives 220 performances in Belgium or the Netherlands.
“I am a life artist”, says Richard, “the people here don’t have a job but a life mission. You don’t work in a circus for the money, you work there because you feel connected to the mission and vision. You do it because you have a dream…”.

“Therefore, every time we recruit someone new, we will check to what extent that person chooses our mission and to what extent we can help realise this artist’s dream. Only then do we see how that person and his or her ‘act’ can add value to the circus.”

To what extent do you test during an interview how connected the candidate feels with your mission? And do you test whether you can help your employee’s dream come true?

2. Jobautonomy and trust are the basis of success

“I believe that you should give every artist the freedom to do his or her own job,” says Richard. “You can’t force artists, but you have to give them the opportunity to develop themselves further within a certain framework. If not, you undermine their creativity and passion.”

“Trust is also very important in our world. Not only giving confidence in the way the job is done, but it is also important to stimulate the trust between the employees themselves. People must be able to trust each other blindly when they bring an act together. They must therefore also be able to operate perfectly as a team.”

No greater contrast than between a company and a circus, you would say, but no: in the combination of individuality and group spirit, freedom and self-discipline that is inherent to the life of a circus artist, you undoubtedly recognise a dynamic that is inspiring for us all, both in our professional and personal relationships.

To what extent do you give trust and job control to your employees?

3. We are one big family

“Because we travel 365 days a year with a caravan of fifty vehicles, it is important that people really feel connected to each other. They have to fit within the group. After all, people live together day and night, so they have to get along well. What’s more, they have to support and encourage each other.”

“What matters is that you learn to live and work together. And that is a learning process that takes time and patience. In a circus you have extremely diverse and very free-spirited figures, who have to live together. They succeed by respecting each other’s freedom very informally, and by listening to each other.”

“We always look at the attitude and values of someone in the recruitment process. Self-reliance, teamwork, mental resilience, discipline and generosity are important values for us. Diplomas are only secondary.”

Do you dare to say that you have a strong team where people really feel connected with each other and stand up for each other?

4. Applause

“The most important reason why our artists go the extra mile every day is undoubtedly because of the applause they get from the audience every day.
If that were not the case, if the public were to boo them if an act wouldn’t succeed immediately, our employees would mentally break down.”

“The fact that the audience encourages them when an act doesn’t immediately succeed and the fact that sometimes three times in a row they applaud one performance, makes that the artists continue to give the best of themselves, time after time. Even when things sometimes go a bit more difficult.”

How much applause do you give to your employees? And to what extent do you express your confidence in your employees and encourage them if they fail the first time?

5. The show must go on

“Whatever happens, we cannot let the public wait. The show must go on.
We have to be able to count on each other. Generosity is therefore very important to us. This means giving the best of yourself at as many moments as possible. When we find people don’t share this mindset and the team fit isn’t as it should, the person is replaced.”

“And everyone knows that he or she is replaceable, even I myself”, says the director.
“How can we continuously reinvent ourselves so that we keep captivating the audience every year? How can we add extra value compared to last year? This mindset comes natural to everyone, because an artist must continue to grow by continuing to invest in himself in the first place. It is his or her own responsibility to continue to have job security next year.”

“And as a family we invest in the human side of the business by showing that our people are important. By regularly encouraging them, by expressing our faith in them, by appreciating them but also by being there for them when they have a difficult day”.

To what extent are your employees motivated to always give the best of themselves and to keep reinventing themselves?

Conclusion

Participating in a circus means going back to basics. It means living and working in a demanding and honest way, with dedication and unconditional commitment, with courage and daring. It means being given the space to develop yourself personally so that you can continue to grow.
It means learning to combine great freedom with strong self-discipline and concentration. It means being generous and taking your responsibility, it means learning to be self-reliant. It means daring to be yourself, expressing your personal style, and seamlessly integrating it into the whole.
Circuses can teach us something about mobilizing strong employee engagement, installing effective teamwork and building a ‘learning organization’.
In a circus you can’t hide and you learn what it means to be vulnerable and to be yourself.

Shouldn’t we all have to go back to basics with our HR policy?

I would like to thank Richard Barones and his team for inspiring me and my family.
It is so beautiful to see such passionate people who give the best of themselves every day, train hard and go for ‘excellence’ in everything they do.
It is also interesting to see how appreciation and encouragement play a crucial role in this so that they can always give ‘the best show of their life’.

I would like to encourage all readers to share this blog so that this circus and its artists get even more visibility.

Nathalie Arteel
Recognition expert – Entrepreneur