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Letter From The Editor

Dear Friends,

We’re all familiar with the Rosa Parks and Martin Luther Kings of the world… those who have valiantly stood up for what they believed in, and, in some cases, even died standing up for what they believed in. We know their stories well, but far too often it seems that we ourselves choose not to stand up for what we believe in. We somehow don’t see ourselves as having the power of those that have gone before us. Yet, no matter how much of an uphill battle it may seem, your time is always well spent when you passionately put yourself behind the issues nearest and dearest to your heart.

Only when we stand up for what we believe in… only when we are willing to put what we believe to the test, do we, and those around us, have the opportunity to learn something new!

You’ve heard me say it a thousand times by now: If there is something you want and you don’t have it… ASK FOR IT… STAND UP FOR IT… MAKE A DIFFERENCE… MAKE PEOPLE THINK… DO WHAT YOU BELIEVE IS RIGHT… TAKE ON BEING UNSTOPPABLE!!

In the end, any criticism of a person who stands up for what they believe in is just that… criticism. It doesn’t mean anything, and ultimately it could make a difference for an entire nation, or it just may make a difference in your own family. Either way, when you stand up for what you believe you are making a difference, even if no one buys into your conviction, because you taught those around you how to stand up for what they believe in, and that my friends, is one of the greatest gifts you can give!

Warm Regards,

Clay S. Nelson

Employee Motivation – Pay raises vs. a Pat on the Back

When it comes to motivating employees, a common myth is that compensation is a motivating factor. While motivation may be instilled for a week or two, eventually the monetary incentive just becomes an expectation – the employee forgets why they have more money in their weekly paycheck or that their bonus helped pay for a Caribbean Cruise! Besides that, a paycheck can’t hug your employees… a paycheck can’t stand-up and acknowledge the phenomenal work they do. Only you can, and as human-beings with feelings and emotions, your employees need to feel your appreciation just as much as their wallets do, and sometimes even more!

If you really want to motivate someone to continue with exemplary performance, you do it by acknowledging their performance not just once but each time they are greater than their job description requires them to be!

Now, I am not saying that pay raises and bonuses shouldn’t be given when they are warranted. What I am saying is that acknowledgement in many cases is all that is necessary. And when a pay raise or bonus is warranted or promised, be sure that an acknowledgement goes along with it!

Family Meetings: Key to Great Communication

It is time to fess up. How many times have you thought: “I live with these people, and I can’t believe they don’t know what I’m thinking (or why I’m doing this… or that I don’t like this, etc.)”?

Communication within the family unit – be it parent and child, mother and father, sibling to sibling – is an area that many families struggle with. We assume that we know what our loved ones are thinking or what they want, and they assume our thoughts and desires. It is a giant vicious circle, and it simply doesn’t have to be that way.

You can take the guess work our of your family communications by providing each family member with a means of communicating that is fair and ensures that each family member feels secure in their communication…. The Family Meeting!

Family Meetings are a tool for communication and relationship building/strengthening that have helped countless families settle differences, communicate their concerns, share their joys, and to have a much greater understanding of where one another is coming from!

Family meetings are easy to implement too. Following are some general rules and guidelines from which you can operate:

1. Any member of the family can call a family meeting at any time, and if at all possible, every member of the family has to meet when requested. If for some reason every person cannot be there, the meeting should be held that evening and everyone agrees to be there no matter what.
2. During the family meeting, whoever calls the family meeting has the floor; during this time no one else can speak, and everyone has to listen – they can take notes on what is being said, but no one can say anything.
3. The person who called the family meeting has the floor until they say what they called the meeting to say and are totally complete; they can say anything to anybody for as long as they need to.
4. When the person that called the family meeting is complete, each family member then has the opportunity to speak what they see and feel about what was said.

Parents obviously get to say what they think and feel too, but remember, it is not your job to control the meeting or push it in a certain direction. Instead, parents have to learn to be the question so that the person with the issue can get to the resolve with hugs and communication instead of demand – which is especially important when dealing with “tweens” and teens who absolutely hate being told what to do!

Family meetings have helped countless numbers of families to become better people, better communicators, and more tuned into the ones they love. And, all it takes is your time, attention, and commitment to the process and your family. Now what cherished loved one isn’t worth that?!

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