A sharp mind!

As we get older our memory starts to decline, beginning in our thirties. Also, stress can affect our ability to store new memories. When we exercise we counter the natural effects of aging by increasing blood flow to the brain and reduce stress - so encourage it!

Did you know that women are better at creating the buzz? According to Rick Segal, retail marketing guru, women are more likely to recommend a product or service they like than men - and do so 57% more frequently.

We all know things are tough all over and can be seen by the increase in home foreclosures and bankruptcies. Your employees may be facing some exceptional financial stresses at home, which can result in low morale, tension between coworkers, and reduced productivity.

How can an employer help without being taken advantage of?

• Offer financial & emotional counseling opportunities
• Allow the use of flex time to sort out problems
• Be flexible, yet fair
• Treat employees equally

Everyone takes part in social media sites for different reasons. Some are there for information,  news, marketing, entertainment, or as a means to fill a void and ease loneliness. One thing is clear, the potential to increase your sphere of influence and grow exponentially is very real, indeed.

Over the last year, I have joined several social media sites, but have only truly taken an interest and become active as of late.  These are the ones I belong to, listed in order of favorites and where I focus my energy:

Central Coast Today Profile name Elise

What I like best about CCT, is the fact that the membership is predominantly local and there are constant opportunities to grow relationships face-to-face. These meet-ups run the gammet, from pure social entertainment, outdoor adventures, social awareness & fundraising, to business networking and masterminding. There really is something for everyone, if you just take the time to look through the 150+ communities and 1000s of discussions. I feel as though my world has been enhanced by the new friends I’ve made on CCT.

Twitter @EnWrapture

This is very new for me, and I’m still caught up in trying to learn the lingo, the etiquette, knowing how often, etc. One of the biggest challenges is deciding which kind of tweets offer value to my followers. I’m greatly impressed with my mentor, @MarthaVan (creator of Action Wipes), and her abiltiy to create brand awareness as she ’stalks’ Lance Armstrong and other celebrity athletes. In a short time, she has garnered over 1600 followers and won the Twitter Shorty Awards for Branding. As @MarthaVan’s fan base has grown, so, too, has her roster of friends. As she is out and about on the road, she is always looking to meet local tweeps face-to-face (or f2f as they tweet it), and has both given and received the warmest of hospitality. Not only are her escapades entertaining to follow, she also often posts great pictures, contests and giveaways, so she’s well worth following.

Linkedin & Facebook

I haven’t put much effort into these two sites, and I’m not sure why these have so much less appeal to me than CCT and Twitter. Linkedin is definitely lacking the seasoning that personal comments provide, which serve to add warmth and humanize the profiles. I have had a few old friends reconnect with me via both Linkedin and Facebook.

Should I give them a little more effort? What value have you gained from using social media?

According to human resources, finance executives, and marketing professionals, here’s what business and organizations can expect:

• Monday: most common day to call in sick (heard of the “Monday Blues?”), and for those that do show up, many don’t want to be there; yet as the “catch up” day after the weekend with e-mail and meetings, Monday is considered the 2nd most productive day of the week
• Tuesday: full of momentum, this is the busiest and most productive day of the week
• Wednesday: known as “hump day,” this mid-way point has employees looking forward to the weekend and has greater incidences of errors
• Thursday: can go either way
• Fridays: 2nd most common day for absenteeism and generally less productive as people are feeling TGIF and are anxious to begin the weekend, often leaving work early

Tip: Reduce absenteeism by making Mondays or Fridays a part of your employee incentive program, perhaps offering free lunch, hosting employee bbqs, allowing a casual dress day, or having a weekly zany shirt competition

It’s not just about salary and benefits, but about recognizing employees as human beings, with needs and expectations, rather than as human capital. While needs are individualistic and complex, the basis is simple. It’s about recognition and reward.

In Bob Nelson’s article, “Ten Ironies of Motivation”, he explains, “More than anything else, employees want to be valued for a job well done by those they hold in high esteem.” As a result, you can expect high morale and motivated employees who feel inspired and loyal. When you create an environment in which an employee feels valued for their contribution they are more likely to want to stay.

How does your company recognize employee performance?

F-E-A-R

With a fairly new entrepreneurial endeavor, I’m finding that the time frame in which goals are being met is quite different than what I had planned…not an uncommon scenario. As I meet with other local business owners & entrepreneurs for brainstorming, masterminding, networking, and support, I find that this is a common topic and one that is surrounded with fear…”Will my business last long enough for me to get the ‘big break’?” “Will my customer base grow fast enough?” “Am I positioned appropriately for my target market?”

I just received this instruction in an email from Martha, a fellow entrepreneur and mentor:

We have to stop beating ourselves up…read this article: http://www.skininc.com/articles/14986171.html

In the article titled, There’s a Fortune in Failure, by Gary Bradt, PhD, he stresses the importance of altering our perception of failure from a negative to a positive and gives 5 ways to do so. I recommend you read the article for yourself, but until then, here’s a summary of them:

1. Realize that each failure is an opportunity to learn from our mistakes
2. Have realistic expectations (both you and your client)
3. Understand that while success doesn’t require perfection, it does require action
4. Don’t be dominated and crippled by fear (heard of Susan Jeffers’ book, Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway?)
5. Concentrate more on the ‘here and now’ and worry less about the ‘what if’ scenarios

How have you enjoyed success by overcoming a fear?

It’s important for employers to be observant when it comes to the office climate.
Here are signs that the thermostat needs adjusting:

*There is a degree of irritability, defensiveness, anger, depression, and sluggishness

*Staff are making more mistakes and are having trouble concentrating

*Absenteeism and requests for sick leave are up, complaints of headaches

Simple ways to tweak the temp:

1. Be generous with praise – FYI: the number one complaint is lack of recognition
2. Treat your employees like they are your customer; you can be sure that if they feel treated well they will do likewise with your customers
3. Bring in a special treat such as pizza, coffee, or smoothies weekly or monthly
4. Recognize employees on birthdays, have a monthly staff celebration
5. Create an employee of the month program
6. Each month, let employees nominate a peer that they felt supported them

Remember, little changes can go a long way.

I have to agree with BuzzBop, MacWorld was disappointing. Other than the extremely thin notebook, there wasn’t much that caught my attention. And about the MacBook Air, sure it’s tiny and light, but as BuzzBop points out, how much durability has been sacrificed? I would expect, given its conveniently transportable size, I would want to take it everywhere…that’d make for an awful lot of abuse, don’t you think? Could it withstand it all?

I tried to question Quickbooks about whether or not they will be introducing a Mac version of Quickbooks Premier…they were unable to tell me much except that they aren’t able to talk about new products being worked on…or not being worked on…thanks for nothing.

What did catch my eye:

1. Vertus Fluid Mask 3, photo imaging software, makes cutting and blending images quick and easy; can be used as a plug-in or stand alone (this would make En Wrapture’s graphic design guru’s work much easier)
2. DataPilot software that allows you to backup and sync contacts, calender, music, photos, etc. between your computer, cell phone (not just for the iPhone), and iPod
3. iVolta Wireless Charging System which allows you to charge multiple devices at the same time on a charger plate without the usual tangled mess of wires
4. Hybrid Solar Charger - soon to be featured on the En Wrapture website as an option for an eco-friendly gift, this is the perfect gadget for travelers and the environmentally conscious and is able to power a GPS, mobile phone, mp3 player, PDA, digital camera, game console, etc. with the adapter tip system cable and USB tip
5. EcoSmart computer gear by Targus - line is priced from $50-130 and includes laptop slipcase, computer bag, messenger bag, and backpack, and are made of 100% recycled polyester, contains no PVC, metal hardware is nickel-free, plastic hardware is recyclable, and a portion of every sale is donated to the Conservation Fund to replant trees in Southern California in areas that have been destroyed by fires

Tip: If you aren’t going to hear the Keynote speaker, skip the first day and avoid the lines and crowds because you can get the skinny online and the following days are much more pleasant and more productive.

Last year was the first time I attended, in search of the newest techno gadgets for En Wrapture’s corporate clients.

And no, I’m not a Mac user, much to my significant other’s chagrin, as it is he who handles the many malfunctions of my PC. My frustrations quickly become his. As we surf side by side, he loves nothing more than to throw the inadequacies of my PC in my face, which occurs often and easily since I am usually bemoaning that I can’t connect to the internet or my wireless printer, have been knocked off, or am crawling at a snail’s pace, all the while he happily surfs uninterruptedly.

So, why am I not a Mac user? I have long been sold on the advantages to owning a Mac by S.O., how I can easily do everything I currently do in Microsoft Office etc. That’s not the problem. The problem is that we use Quickbooks Premier for our bookkeeping. Although Quickbooks has Mac versions of several of their programs such as Pro, Premier is not one of them…otherwise, after the year I’ve had with HP and Microsoft and how the time lost due to problems has wreaked havoc on inputting our financial data and keeping inventory current - we are way behind (and here it is the end of the year – Yikes!) so, I’d be there.

Back to MacWorld…rumors abound regarding what’s in store: MacBook Tablet, next generation iphone…if you want to follow what’s up with Apple check out www.mac-sage.com for a wealth of information.