In my last newsletter I mentioned some aspects of what teams need in order to succeed (see archives gloating…). We were an informal group, brought together around a unifying personal goal of offering independent consulting services, but there was nothing ‘independent’ about the outcome. In a challenging economy, entrepreneurs fill a void in a way large companies can not. With a group of independent consultants you are guaranteed an innovative and creative approach, instead of a system-wide standard approach. External consultants provide an objective analysis and a fresh look. We’re all entrepreneurs, all motivated, and all eager to connect with one another and value each others different backgrounds and ideas.

In the recent Business Week article Want to Boost the Economy?, James Turley of Ernst & Young says “better ideas come from groups that tackle problems and challenges from diverse points of view.”

If you’re thinking of bringing together a great team, that will really make things happen for your company, consider diversity of talent, ideas, backgrounds, and personality. Be sure you’re asking the right questions and making the right choices. When you’re fighting the ‘war on talent,’ you want to be certain that you’re fighting for the right reasons. And of course, the common goal and mission should be the linchpin in a team that offers value and true business results.

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We’ve all seen these types of solutions before, and we’ve all experienced the limited results of short-term thinking, which leads me to my main theme here – it’s time to think long-term, seriously long-term. I know, I’m watching the same news programs daily and scouring the paper for the next report on unemployment rates along with you… and also feel that it’s so hard to focus on the future when the present is so overwhelmingly profound. However, it’s times like these that demand for us to look at the bigger picture and imagine the forest through the trees. It’s times like these that demand us to look on the bright side and see the value in the changes we are experiencing, both nationally and on the global scale.

Here’s a few ideas to help you get going on restructuring your thinking:

• Cutting back on dining out means preparing some of your favorite home-cooked meals… call your mom for ideas! She’ll be flattered & you’ll have made one of the calls you’ve been meaning to make over the past week.
• Reducing the days of the week you go out means reducing your gas costs, getting more sleep (we all need more sleep!), and finally following through on your never-ending vows to read more fiction (okay, that’s my vow).
• Reduced 401K matching programs at work do not mean you cannot continue to save for your future. Instead, it’s an opportunity to look into a different type of retirement investment strategy, which could be more effective in our current economy.
• Staying home more often means having the time to play a long game of monopoly with the kids, or having friends over for a pot-luck & game of scrabble.
• Cutbacks at work offer an opportunity to re-vision things differently than you’ve done them before.
• Budget revisions and lack of bonuses and/or raises means a few more of your fellow employees will not need to lose their job (or their home, or their health insurance, or their dignity).

If you’re having a hard time managing a change in thinking and your evaluation of our current times, drop me an email I’m happy to help you work through a few more.

Until next time – stay hopeful, it’s the one thing we have ultimate control over.

Back in June, I read an article in The New York Times that inspired me:“Vacations Are Good for You, Medically Speaking,” (June 7, 2008). The article discusses much of what we unfortunately know. Americans are working longer hours, vacationing less, and bringing their work along with them on vacation. Despite being physically on vacation, employees answer email, call in to the office and voice mail, more often than not. And the result? In essence, all work and no play makes us tired, overworked, under-productive and plain old burnt out. Read Today’s Tip below to find out how you can change this unhealthy trend…

Guilty as Charged

Unfortunately, we just do not take enough time off – and I think those guilty as charged – feel it more in the Fall than perhaps any other time throughout the year. Why? Seasonal changes occur for a reason. Summer nights are warmer and longer, feeding our bodies more vitamin D well into the post-work hour time of day. We’re meant to be out more, socializing more, and more physically active. Fall brings that astute awareness of summer time gone. And wham! – some experience that as lost opportunity. Lost opportunity for family time, projects around the house, and whatever else is on your To-Do list.

Here’s what you can do to keep a bit of vacation throughout the year (get this, I’m telling you to add more things to your To Do List :

Get out that To Do list and schedule in the following:

• Your exercise
• Schedule in your monthly social activity with a close friend(s)
• Schedule in family movie night
• Schedule in your massage & book it NOW
• Cut out 5-15 minutes per day to reflect, set the alarm on your PDA to make sure it happens
• Schedule a day off for in between Thanksgiving and the winter holidays
• Fill in the blank ________________________________
• Sign up for a seminar or workshop to benefit YOU & the efforts you make to improve your performance & health