December 2012

Your Source for Best Business Practices From the Trenches

review

A Generous Spirit3 ways to give to your team this holiday season

Under Pressure: A Costly Problem5 ways to reduce workplace stress

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Happy hol idays

A lt hou g h t he we at her i s not coop erat i n g here i n Na shv i l le —no snow yet—you can still feel it in the air: It ’s Christmas time at Dave R a m sey ’s he adqua r ters . T here’s lot s of de corat ion s , even more sm iles, and tons of fud ge and holiday cook ies on what seems like ever y de sk . T he reason for a l l of t he se good t id i n gs? Dave is t he hol iday ’s bi g ge st che erle ader. I n add it ion , he’s one of t he most generou s people I k now. I ca n con f ident ly s ay t hat h is g iv i n g is sincere and from his heart. And that spirit permeates our company.

What ’s awesome about this is that you can easily do the same. And it doe sn’t have to cost a lot. Ble ss you r tea m t h is hol iday season w it h you r t i me a nd creat iv ity, t hen keep it goi n g t h rou g hout t he yea r. Bei n g generou s d ra mat ica l ly energ i ze s you r tea m , a nd it ’s f u n to do! It shows t hat you r compa ny has a sou l .

Have a ble sse d C h r ist mas a nd a happy, happy new yea r f rom a l l of us on t he E nt reLeadersh ip tea m .

Da n iel Ta rdy, Vice P re sident, E nt reLeadersh ip

Review PreviewYour Source for Best Business Practices From the Trenches

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Table of Contents

Under Pressure: A Costly Problem 5 ways to reduce workplace stress

Meet Jane DeLaney Her inspiration grew out of frustration

Lessons From a Mastermind How to run your company Clark Griswold-style

A Generous Spirit 3 ways to give to your team this holiday season

Silence Is Golden How to kill the rumor mill

Meet Arif Ganghi Leaving a legacy is his main goal

Building a Great Company Culture You must be intentional. Great companies don’t just happen!

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A s a n employer, you wa nt you r team members healthy, happy and f u l l of passion for what t hey do. It ’s the best way for them to work at t hei r p e a k a nd for ever yone to w i n . Un for t u nately, for more t h a n one - qu a r te r of A me r ica n workers , bei n g s at isf ie d at work is a ny t h i n g but a rea l ity.

I n a recent poll by the A merican Psycholog ica l A s sociat ion , one -third of Americans are living with extreme stress. In 74% of respon-dents, the primary source of that a n x iet y wa s t he i r jo b s . I n fac t , work place st re ss has become so preva lent i n t h i s a ge of layof fs and long work hours that this psy-c holog ica l cond it ion h a s b e e n n ic k n a me d t he Bl ac k D e at h of t he 2 1st centu r y.

Okay, maybe the people who work in the office of official nicknames a r e b e i n g a b it ove r d r a m a t i c , but never t hele s s , st re s s ca n b e da n gerous . It ’s been l i n ke d to:

• Cardiovascular disease

• Depression

• Burnout

• Workplace injury

• Back problems

A l l o f t he a b ove co mp l ic at io n s l e a d to a b s e nte e i s m , t u r n ove r, d e c r e a s e d p r o d u c t i v i t y a n d i n c r e a s e d m e d i c a l , l e g a l a n d i n s u r a n c e e x p e n s e s . T h a t , i n t u r n , s t re s s e s you out !

T h e g o o d n e w s i s t h a t y o u c a n l o w e r t h e l e v e l o f a n x i e t y f o r y o u r t e a m m e m b e r s a n d y o u r s e l f . A s D a v e t e a c h e s i n E n t r e L e a d e r s h i p M a s t e r S e r i e s a n d i n h i s n e w b o o k , E n t r e L e a d e r s h i p , t h e r e a r e a n u m b e r o f w ay s to k e e p yo u r te a m m e m b e r s f a r aw ay f r o m f re a k- out mo de . Here a re a few to get you sta r te d .

The Right Fit

Have you ever been i n a job that just wasn’t a good fit for you , but you tried to make it work anyway? It ’s m i serable a nd ner ve -w rack-ing. The same holds true for your team members. If they’re not the per fect f it for a posit ion , t hey ’re goi n g to d re ad com i n g to work . T he end re su lt w i l l be t hat t hey won’t stick around long , whether it ’s t hei r decision or you rs .

Ji m C ol l i n s , aut hor of G o o d t o Great, says it ’s as simple as making sure you have the right person in t he r i g ht seat on t he r i g ht bus . It a llows ever yone to do t heir be st work . At Dave ’s compa ny, e ach prospe ct ive tea m memb er goe s t h rou g h at least fou r i nter v iews . T hey a re a l s o re qu i re d to t a ke a p ersona l it y te st to ma ke su re t hei r style f its t he job.

Your Team Matters

Dave’s friend, Rabbi Daniel Lapin, w rote a wonder f u l b o ok ca l le d T h o u S hall P ro s p e r. I n it , he says God is inordinately pleased when we are obsessively, compulsively

Under Pressure: A Costly Problem5 ways to reduce workplace stress

“In a recent poll by the American Psychological Association, one-third of Americans are living with extreme stress. In 74% of respondents, the primary source of that anxiety was their jobs.”

For more tools to grow your people, profits and personal development, check out our website. 5

consumed with the needs of others. That ’s an easy one to understand as far as your family, friends and cu stomers go. But do you apply t h is pr i nciple to you r ow n tea m members? A re you doi n g what ’s b e st for t hem? L ove you r te a m well . T reat them like fam ily, and t hey w i l l act l i ke fa m i ly.

Communication

You know the old saying, “No news is good news” ? It ’s awesome if you want to build a culture of distrust a nd f r u st rat ion . I n fact , accord-ing to a Deloitte’s 2010 Ethics and Workplace poll , 46% of those sur-veyed cited a lack of transparent com mu n icat ion f rom t hei r lead-ership as the main reason for dis-s at isfact ion at work .

C om mu n ic at ion i s t he l i fe blo o d of an organization and the grease t h a t k e e p s t h e g e a r s m o v i n g . Ever yone fe els b et ter when t hey k now wh at ’s h app e n i n g . M a ke a h a b it o f ove r- s h a r i n g w it h yo u r team members, whether it ’s good n e w s o r b a d . W h e n t h e y k n ow what ’s goin g on and what ’s bein g a c c o m p l i s h e d , t h e y ’ l l fe e l l i ke p a r t o f t h e te a m a n d t r u s t t h e i r l e a d e r s .

Financial Wellness

Another leading cause of stress for you r tea m members is persona l financial problems. In fact, it ’s the number-one reason workers lose fo cu s a nd b e come le s s pro duc-t ive . T hose who a re i n f i na ncia l t rouble sp end up to 2 0 hou rs a month worrying about their prob-lem s wh i le on t he job.

That’s why Dave requires each pro-spective team member to submit a p e r s on a l bud get b e fore t hey are hired. He wants to make sure they can live on what he is paying for t he posit ion . A s a leader, he bel ieve s it ’s h is job to ser ve h is te a m wel l by m a k i n g su re t hey can take care of their family and meet their obligations with what t hey a re pa id .

A n add it ion a l s u re -f i re way to decrease money worries is by offer-ing a financial wellne s s benefit . This program teaches your team member to ta ke cont rol of t hei r money and make it work for them, el i m i nat i n g f i na ncia l st re ss .

Recognize Them

People , no matter how you n g or old, yearn for recognition. Telling someone t hey a re doi n g a good job ca n i nsta nt ly put a sm i le on t he i r face . L o ok for opp or t u n i-t ie s to bra g on you r p e ople . D o it i n f ront of ot he rs , e sp e cia l ly t ho s e t hey ca re ab out , a nd it ’s t h ree t i me s as power f u l . A word

of warning , though: Your compli-ment has to be sincere. Cheap flat-tery will get you nowhere. In fact, it demotivates instead of inspires.

Making your company an awesome place to work, where stress is low and motivation is high, creates an at mosphere of w i n n i n g for you r team and the business. Then, you can kick that “ Black Death” out of you r of f ice for good!

Action Steps

1 . Implement a new hiring policy that includes several interviews a nd a meet i n g w it h spouse s .

2 . Mark a date on your calendar to recog n ize tea m members .

3 . Get everyone, from your leaders to your newest team members, together at least once a week in person or electronically for a sta f f meet i n g .

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What I Do

I ’ m fou nde r a nd p re s ide nt of E-Mealz , Inc . , a budget-minded online meal planning service that features easy-to-follow shopping lists and recipes. We’re headquar-tered in Birmingham, Ala.

How I Started

My inspiration g rew out of my frustration with the difficulty of pulling off dinner for my own family. One week would be sem i-sane with a scribbled-down meal plan on a napkin lost in the bottom of my purse and the next would be sheer chaos. But I was committed to making my family life ordered around an evening meal, where everyone could decompress and come face-to-face with each other. There had to be an easier way.

My Mentor

I have been inf luenced by many p e ople , but no one come s ne a r to m atch i n g t he level of i mp act

my p a re nt s h ad on me a nd on the core of who I am as a person . T hey a re ro c k s ol id . C h a rac te r, integrity, godliness, wisdom, stead-fa s t ne s s , love , g race , s t re n g t h a nd d i g n it y o n l y b e g i n t h e l i s t o f w h o t h e y we re to me … a nd s t i l l a re .

My Inspiration

Wit hout s ou nd i n g c l ic hé , I a m i n s p i re d by ou r g re at cou nt r y a nd t he f re e dom we e ac h h ave to c re ate , pu r s ue a nd s ucce e d . I l o o k b a c k o n t h e e i g h t-ye a r bu s i ne s s s tor y of E-Me a l z w it h p ro fo u n d g rat it u d e — k n ow i n g t h at i n m a ny o t h e r c o u nt r i e s t he re s i mply wou ld h ave b e e n no s uc h s tor y.

F re e dom h a s come to me on s o m a ny leve l s , a nd t h at i n s pi re s m e . T h e f a c t t h a t I h a v e n o t h ad to s u f fe r p e rs on a l ly for my f re e d o m i s a s a c re d g i f t— o n e t h at h a s b e e n h a nde d to me by ot hers who have su f fere d i n my place . I wa s b ou g ht w it h a pr ice when Christ gave H is life for me. T h ro u g h t h e g r i e f a n d lo s s o f every war fought and the loss of eve r y A me r ica n s old ie r, I h ave l i fe , l i b e r t y a nd t he pu r s u it of h appi ne s s to d ay. For t h at , I a m t h a n k f u l a n d i n s p i re d to l ive g rate f u l ly, f u l ly a nd f re e ly.

What I’m Reading Right Now

All Over but the Shoutin’ by Rick Bragg. It ’s a great book that was recommended as an all-time favor-ite by a very sharp young man who has freelanced his amazing talent and time for E-Mealz .

My Dream

To simply see the strong growth of E-Mealz continue so that the overflow of its success spills over in powerful and compassionate ways to “ the least of these.” We don’t have to look very far to find opportunities to give out of God’s goodness to us.

I am a firm believer in doing the “obvious.” One “obvious” that God

laid across my path has been the malnutrition and orphan epidemic that exists a short distance from our shores in Haiti .

E-Me a l z h a s p a r t ne re d w it h a nutrition project feeding “medika mamba,” which means “peanut but ter me d ici ne” i n C re ole , to severely malnourished Haitian ch i ld re n a nd or ph a n s . S e e i n g and touching one of these little one s is somet h i n g I w i l l never forget. Feeding families is core to our values as a company, and my dream is to see E-Mealz become a strong, compassionate presence in Haiti now and over time.

Meet Jane DeLaneyHer inspiration grew out of frustration

“I was committed to making my family life ordered around an evening meal.”

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Every year, starting right about now and running through the holi-days, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation will be aired on some tele-vision station. It ’s as predictable as the big-bearded, red-suited fat guy coming down your chimney on December 24 .

W h a t ’s t h e d r aw o f t h i s f i l m? D e s p i t e b e i n g p o r t r a y e d a s a bu mbl i n g o a f, C l a rk G r i s wold i s simply a genius. A nd the lessons he te ac he s—we l l , e xcept for t he rabid squ i r rel , ex plod i n g t u rkey a nd ove rlo ade d s ept ic s ys te m —apply to not on ly ou r l ive s b ut a l s o ou r bu s i ne s s e s . He ’s qu ite the EntreLeader—a man ahead of h i s t i me (a nd hop e f u l ly C ou s i n E dd ie). He re ’s why:

Never-Say-Die Attitude

W het he r t r y i n g to f i nd t he one b a d b u l b on 2 5 ,0 0 0 C h r i s t m a s l i g ht s or br i n g i n g home t he u lt i-m ate C h r i s t m a s t re e , C l a rk h a s t h e s t i c k- to - i t ive n e s s t h a t we s h o u l d a l l e m u l ate . O r l i ke h e

s ays , “ Nob o dy ’s wa l k i n g out on t h i s f u n , o l d-fa s h io n e d fa m i ly C h r i s t m a s .”

W hen t i me s a re tou g h , do you freak out or try to come up with a solution? W hat are you doing to make sure your business stays on the forefront of your custom-ers’ minds? Actions always speak louder than problems.

Generous to a Fault

There’s an old saying that if you give a man a turkey, you have fed him for today. Teach a man that he won’t get one this holiday season, and you’ve made him angry for a lifetime. Okay, maybe it ’s not quite the original adage, but you get the point. Your team plays a critical role in your success, so be gener-ous. W hether it ’s through profit sharing , holiday gifts or bonuses, or simply giving them an extra day off, you’ll be paid back in loyalty, smiles and your own satisfaction. A spirit of generosity always wins the day. Membership in the Jelly of the Month Club may result in your kidnapping.

A Great Storyteller

Never one to let his feelings be unknown, Clark is an incredible communicator, especially when it comes to telling stories. And you should be too. As part of creating a culture of communication, you need to let your team members know the story and history of your company. Share with them your struggles and victories. The result will be new respect for the past plus renewed energy and creativity when they realize they are working on something bigger than them.

So now that you’ve had a chance to bask in the genius that is Clark, there’s not much left to say except one of his favorite lines: “ Merry Christmas, merry Christmas, merry Christmas.”

Action Steps

1 . Don’t be a Grinch. If you haven’t yet, plan a Christmas party for your team.

2 . Sche du le a t i me b efore t he end of the year to share your story with your team.

3. Wa tc h C h r i s t m a s Va c a t i o n and enjoy!

Lessons From a Mastermind

“There’s an old saying that if you give a man a turkey, you have fed him for today. Teach a man that he won’t get one this holiday season, and you’ve made him angry for a lifetime.”

How to run your company Clark Griswold-style

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Do the sounds of Christmas make you giddy? Are you so full of holiday cheer that you could give Clark Griswold a run for his money? Well, there’s good reason for it. In study after study, it’s been proven that it is more blessed to give than receive. Simple acts of kindness and generosity can help your heart, relieve pain, and pump up your immune system.

They’re also good business. By having a generous spirit toward those who help you win, success will natu-rally follow. You’ll be attracting and keeping extremely passionate, tal-ented people who are willing to slay dragons right alongside you. So in the spirit of Christmas—the ultimate time of giving—we’re offering some ideas on how you can spread your blessings and help your heart too!

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With our economy still as sluggish as grandpa after a holiday dinner, companies are continuing to slash

their budgets, including the office Christmas party. While understand-able, you can still host a seasonal cel-ebration while avoiding—no offense to Santa Claus—going into the red.

When Dave first started his company, he couldn’t afford a massive shindig. Instead, his team gathered at his house for a potluck dinner. During the party, Dave called up each team member and shared what he liked most about them. It was touching and something everyone looked forward to each year. Today, the company Christmas party is legendary, with lavish gifts and five-star dining. But no matter how much time has passed, the early celebrations are still held in incred-ibly high regard and can move the longtime veterans to tears

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If you ask a super successful busi-ness leader what they like most about running their own company, you might be surprised at the answer. It’s almost never about the money. Instead, it’s their ability to serve . “Being gener-ous is the hallmark of people who live successful lives and who operate business with soul,” Dave says.

So how can you help? Make sure your team is properly taken care of, including generous pay, incentives to win and sharing your products and services. Do you make the best spaghetti sauce in the country? Then your staff should have eaten so much, they’re sick of it.

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Want to make your team members passionate about their jobs? Let them know they are doing work that matters. One of the easiest ways to do it is by getting involved in your community. Hold a fund-raiser for a local school or charity, give your team paid time off to lend a helping hand, or offer your products and services to those in need.

With the new year close at hand, it’s time to make new goals, including putting line items of “generosity” in your budget for the next holiday season and throughout the year. Although it is an investment, it will be returned ten-fold. In other words, don’t be a Scrooge—because you’ll only lose.

A Generous Spirit3 ways to give to your team this holiday season

“In study after study, it ’s been proven that it is more blessed to give than receive.”

Get Your Party On

A Spirit of Generosity

Lending a Helping Hand

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Fo r g e t t h e e c o n o my, yo u r c o m -p e t i t i o n o r e v e n c o m p l i c a t e d g ove r n m e n t re g u l at i o n s . W h at m ay b e h a r m i n g you r co mp a ny m o r e t h a n a ny o t h e r f a c to r i s s o m e t h i n g t h a t ’s s o c o m m o n -place , you’re probably not awa re o f it s d a m a g i n g i m p a c t . We ’ r e t a l k i n g a b o ut o f f i c e g o s s ip .

S o h o w p r e v a l e n t i s n e g a t i v e c h at te r i n to d ay ’s b u s i n e s s e s? T h e a n s we r m ay s u r p r i s e yo u . A c c o r d i n g to a r e c e n t s u r v e y o f c o m p a ny e xe c ut ive s b y T h e C re at ive G ro up , a s t a f f i n g f i r m , 8 4 % s a i d g o s s i p i s c o m m o n a t t h e wo rk p l a c e . I n a n o t h e r p o l l b y R a n d s t a d U S A , g o s s i p to p s t he l i st a s t he bi g ge st work place p e t p e e ve .

Gossip has the power to divide and destroy everything you’ve built. It kills morale, unity, productivity and creativity, and it causes turnover. So if gossip is so detrimental, how do you stop it? Here are a few ways you can kill the rumor mill.

Set an Example

The first step to shut down gossip is to take a look in the mirror. Are you g u i lt y of ta l k i n g negat ively about someone on you r tea m to a not her who i s not one of you r leaders? As the owner or leader of your company, your team watches everything you do and will natu-rally follow your example. Avoid impulse communication with them when you are angry or upset. Show them by your actions that gossip w i l l not be tolerate d by a nyone at you r compa ny, i nclud i n g you .

Be Transparent

One of the main causes of gossip at a compa ny is lack of com mu-n icat ion . Pe ople wa nt to k now what ’s goi n g on a nd why. I f t hey don’t k now what ’s goin g on , fea r, frustration and anger set in. That’s when the talk begins. Trust your tea m a nd avoid what Dave ca l ls

“ m u s h r o o m c o m m u n i c a t i o n ”: ke e p i n g t he m i n t he d a rk a nd fe e d i n g t hem ma nu re . C re ate a culture of communication. When i n doubt, a lways over-sha re —as lon g you’re not b et ray i n g con f i-dences or crossing the gossip line.

Just Say No

The easiest solution to stop nega-t ive ta l k is to create a no -gossip policy. Then, have a meeting and expla i n t hat i f someone gossips , they ’re r isk i n g thei r job. It ’s that ser iou s . At Dave’s compa ny, a n of fender is wa r ne d once . On t he se cond i n f ract ion , t hey ’re f i re d . T he bottom l i ne is t hat gossip is

a cancer, and sometimes the only way to ke ep it f rom spread i n g is to cut out t he sou rce .

B efore you ca n ta ke a ny act ion , t hou g h , you r tea m ha s to k now exact ly what const itute s gos sip. G o s sip, by def i n it ion , i s s ay i n g something negative about anyone or anything to someone who can’t do a ny t h i n g ab out it . To ke ep it simple, use Dave’s company rule: Negatives go up, positives go down. He wa nt s h i s te a m memb ers to tell their leaders—not each other—about t he bad stu f f.

The first step in creating a unified team is to stop the gossip. When you do, you’ll immediately see a difference as your team becomes more comfortable, a whole lot less frustrated and much happier. Before you know it, business will become fun again for everyone involved.

Action Steps

1. Schedule a 30-minute meeting with each team or department to discuss your new no-gossip policy. Your agenda should include the definition of gossip, when the no-gossip policy goes into effect, and actions that will be taken if a team member gossips.

2 . P u t yo u r n o - g o s s i p p o l i c y i nto place .

Silence Is GoldenHow to kill the rumor mill

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What I Do

I ’m pre sident a nd C EO of Ne on R a i n I nte rac t ive , wh ic h i s one of t he top 10 we b development f i r m s i n Denver, Colo.

My Inspiration

T he C reator of t he u n iverse spe -cifically created me, and I would hate to waste my creation by not pu rsu i n g my pu r p o s e i n l i fe . It i nclude s cha n g i n g t he legacy of my fa m i ly, ou r te a m me mb e r s a nd a nyone we encou nter. A s a fa m i ly, we a re i n spi re d to leave ot hers b et ter of f t ha n when we f i rst met t hem .

One obstacle people face is t hat they want to know their purpose before they get started pursuing it . I don’t think it works that way. I ’m pretty sure that your purpose becomes more clear as you start moving … so get moving and you’ll f i g u re it out.

The Secret to My Success

All you need is faith, family support, perseverance, hard work, discipline, risk-taking, leadership, more hard work, resolve, kindness, vision and t h ick sk i n . P ract ice a l l of t he se for severa l de cade s , a nd you’ l l become a n over n i g ht succe ss .

What I’m Reading Right Now

We have a reading challenge in our fa m ily, a nd my goa l is to read 24 books th is year. I th in k I bit off a lot, but I ’ ll be close to my goal. At the moment, I ’m reading The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement by E l iya hu M . G old rat t . I ke ep t r y i n g to re ad E n t re L e a d e r s h i p . Un for tu nately, ever y t i me I buy a copy, I e nd up g iv i n g it away to someone sta r t i n g a bu si ne s s . Maybe I shou ld order i n bu l k .

Favorite Dave Moment

At EntreLeadership Master Series, I realized that everything Dave was teaching was from his own expe-rience. He made a lot of mistakes in business, but he’s learned from each one and put in safeguards to keep them from happening again. I ’m now even more deter m i ne d t h at we w i l l cont i nue to move

for wa rd . A s we m a ke m i sta ke s , we’ l l f ix t hem a nd keep mov i n g . K now i n g it ’s okay to m a ke m i s-ta ke s is hu ge .

My Dream

To leave a legacy—financially, spiri-tua l ly, physica l ly, socia l ly, etc . I wa nt my g re at-g ra nd k id s to b e able to poi nt to my w i fe a nd ou r k ids as a g e n t s o f c h a n g e i n o u r f a m i ly t re e . I w a nt to s e e t h o u-sands of generations of our family goi n g for wa rd ble s se d a nd ble s s-i n g o t h e r s . P a r t o f t h a t d r e a m i nc lude s he lp i n g ot he r s pu r s ue t h e i r d re a m s . My g ra n dp a re nt s a n d m y p a r e n t s c h a n g e d o u r fa m i ly t re e . Now it ’s ou r t u r n to ke ep pu s h i n g t h i n g s for wa rd .

“It includes changing the legacy of my family, our team members and anyone we encounter.”

Meet Arif GanghiLeaving a legacy is his main goal

Silence Is Golden

“I want to see thousands of generations of our family going forward blessed and blessing others.”

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If you are searching for the biggest ROI, look no further than your sales floor. By investing in your team, you’re creating a place where people love to work, are passionate about their jobs, and make excellence a never-ending , everyday quest.

So how do you go about crafting t h i s k i nd of cu lt u re? We a ske d Dave’s Facebook fans , both busi-ness owners and team members alike, to share what makes their companies great places to work. Here are some of their answers.

1 . I work for a school d ist r ict i n M i s s ou r i . O u r cent ra l of f ice has Sonic drinks for the entire sta f f del ivere d to ou r school once a mont h .

—Ashley

2 . My company has a bucket-list prog ra m . We get to lea r n ou r team’s personal goals and help them achieve them. We allow pa id work t i me to m a ke t he l ist a nd d iscuss it . Succe sse s include home ownership, debt reduction, half marathons and

many, many more dreams. By helping our employees get their personal lives in line, we help them be more productive while t hey a re at work!

—Kristy

3 . We let our team members work from home, when possible, to help save on the costs of fuel a nd dayca re .

—John

4 . We have a RAVE (Recognizing a Va lue d E mployee) com m it-tee that organizes things like p ot luck s , f u n d re s s-up days (pajamas, sports jerseys) and other events . Compa ny w ide , w e ’ r e o f f e r e d e i g h t h o u r s pa id time to volu nteer in ou r com mu n it ie s .

—Sara

5 . My company pays for monthly running events (5K, 10K, etc.) to keep their employees healthy.

—Michael

6 . My work provides free drinks and snacks for all employees.

I t m a y s e e m c o s t l y, b u t i t increase s mora le , g ive s some o f t h e b u s i e r w o r k e r s t h e opportunity to “snack through lunch” and continue working , a n d h e lp s u s fe e l a s e n s e o f loy a lt y to o u r j o b s .

— Christy

7. D u r i n g t he su m mer, ou r sta f f only works half days on Fridays. We g e t v o u c h e r s f o r l o c a l s p o r t s te a m s a n d wo rk w it h l o c a l b u s i n e s s e s fo r p e rk s /d i s c o u n t s fo r e m p loye e s . A 2 0% d i s cou nt at a re stau ra nt do e s n’ t hu r t t he re s t au ra nt ’s bottom line, and it gives major g o o d v i b e s to a n e m p loye r !

— Chas

8 . On Fridays, my assistant prin-cipal gives every staff member a f u l l-size d ca ndy ba r w it h a note telling us we are appreci-ated, did a good job, etc. There have been many weeks when it has been t he h i g h l i g ht.

—Tony

9. We offer free fruit, soft drinks a n d p o p c o r n , l o t te r y d r aw-ings for free tickets to various s p or t i n g a nd t he at re eve nt s , and an onsite spa and lounge.

—Steven

Building a Great Company CultureYou must be intentional. Great companies don’t just happen!

“By helping our employees get their personal lives in line, we help them be more productive while they are at work!”

For more tools to grow your people, profits and personal development, check out our website. 13

10. When working for a retail store, my manager wanted to ra i se money for R i ley Hospita l for C h i l d r e n i n I n d i a n a p o l i s . O n e C h r i s t m a s s e a s o n , h e decided to h i re a k a raoke DJ to per for m during our busiest hours. The store manager, assis-tant managers, associates and customers were up there singing. It was entertaining and put the cashiers in a good mood, plus the proceeds from sales were goi n g to a very worthy cause.

—Nicole

1 1 . At my company, each employee i s a ble to s e n d a re co g n it io n award to a co-worker who went above and beyond. Depending on your level in the company, you a re able to g ive $ 4 0 –2 0 0 to t h e m , wh i c h i s a d d e d to t h e i r n e x t p ayc h e c k .

— Greta

1 2 . I r e c e n t ly l e f t my j o b to b e h o m e w i t h m y c h i l d r e n . I t w a s a j o b t h a t I l o v e d a n d hope to return to one day. The co mp a ny a l lowe d m e to u s e my work t i me to volu nte er i n

t h e c o m m u n it y. T h e y e ve n d e vo te t h e e n t i re m o n t h o f Ju n e to vo lu nte e r i n g .

—Sharon

1 3 . My husband works for a small I T s e r v ice s comp a ny. A f te r meeting an annual sales goal,

his company sent everyone and their spouses for a weekend at a resort in Jamaica. Everyone who was employe d t here by July 2011 was included, regard-less of job description . It was an awesome reward for a year of ha rd work a nd lon g hou rs .

—Becky

14 . I work for a major airline. On Va lent i ne ’s D ay, ou r stat ion ma na ger a r ra n ge d a nd pa id for a masseuse a nd a beaut i-cian. We got free haircuts and mas s a ge s . Ever y mont h , t he company gives each employee a d ay of f w it h p ay. S o once a mont h , we have t h re e - day weekends !

—Kimberly

1 5. We offer each of our employ-ees the opportunity to attend F inancial Peace University at the company’s expense, includ-i n g p ay i n g for t he i r t i me i n class, and a $600 bonus if their spouse wants to follow along at home on DV D (to re s olve a ny ch i ldca re i s sue s). A l s o,

we have rewritten our mission statement to reflect our Christ-ce nte re d b el ie fs ab out how customers shou ld be t reate d a nd made t h i s a ma ndator y p a r t of how ou r e mploye e s w i l l t reat ou r customers .

—Wayne

16. I have a friend who just started a new job. The company gives their employees an extra week off each year and either $2,000 for themselves or $5,000 for their family to go on a mission trip!

—Teresa

17. For ever y day t hat no sta f f members are absent, our prin-

cipal gives each of us a “ jeans pass.” Teachers will do anything to get to come to school in jeans! These passes are like gold!

—Patricia

18 . My compa ny of fe rs he av i ly subsidized vending machines; most of the snacks and drinks a re f re e .

—Bruce

“During the summer, our staff only works half days on Fridays.”

“The company allowed me to use my work time to volunteer in the community.”

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