January 2009
by Mary Gersema
Is it really 2009? When did the years start flying by at this incredible pace? Well, no matter… here we are. I find it hard to begin looking ahead to the New Year without first taking another look back at what was accomplished in the past year. Want to stroll backwards with me for a moment as we look at a partial list?
We were dedicated to training this past year. We put together a new styled company training package called “The Process” we conducted 5 trainings. We had 65 people receive their certificate and a song from George. They also learned a lot about the company and industry and they can all do the Macarena and be a little teapot. It was so awesome to get to know each of them (you) a little better.
We have an office in Raleigh, NC which is a mere 3½ hours to my Mama’s back door. The operations team had a wonderful retreat. It literally knocked me off my chair into the arms of my very nervous peeps! It’s a long story. We are using BAT for our benefits administration and had a smooth (it’s all relative) annual enrollment. We rented more office space at corporate. Yeah! Except I still have to walk up the stairs. Thank you Lord for strong legs. We became active in the new PayPlus Power Users Group. That will be at the top of the list for 2009 and it was great to be in Dallas with Doc and Pam to get the ball rolling. Jim Grimm accepted the challenge of moving into National Sales Management and I am so happy to have him in that position. And I hired Barb Howard to be our new Director of Payroll Operations.
And now dust off that crystal ball cause it’s time to turn around and look forward. What’s in store for us? I think 2009 will be a year of improvement. Now that we have (almost) all been through “The Process” it’s time to begin looking at all of our work through the eyes of our clients and begin making the process (pun intended) smoother. This will allow us to be more flexible, more approachable, more efficient, and very importantly, more profitable. We will need to really get tight for the upcoming year of uncertain economy. I am excited to begin working on how we can begin to measure each job in the company on the basis of “how does what I do affect a person in a real way.” I think that will help cut out the unnecessary and focus in on the urgent. I am also most excited to have Barb taking a big part of my daily job so I can focus on the company as a whole.
For 2009 I am committed to spending time in each corporate department as well as working with the Power Users Group and continued training for the company. And I have a new stack of books to read and report on. And you know you love that! Well, I’ve taken more than my allotted space so I have to run now. It truly has nothing to do with the Fiesta Bowl and watching Texas! It’s gonna be fine in 2009!
From a different “Heart of the Matter”
The HEART of the Matter – by Susan Hastings
Relationships make a difference
What relationships in your personal and professional life make the greatest difference to you? Who is the first person who comes to mind? The relationships that nurture my life usually come down to HEARTS.
What do I mean by HEARTS?
Honesty:
Relationships that that grow and make a positive difference are based on honesty. Relationships are a matter of give and receive, and that includes knowing we can give and receive honest feedback, knowing it is coming from a caring heart.
Energy:
Energy is contagious. There are people you are simply drawn to because of the energy they give out, their positive attitudes. There are others you avoid because of their negativity.
Alignment:
This suggests that we “walk our talk” and “Be what we say we are by acting in accordance with our words.” Are your spoken priorities the same as your behavior?
Risk:
Relationships that make a difference may mean taking risks. What do you really want? What are you doing now? Is what you’re doing now working? If not, plan for change. Change often entails risk but without taking risks, you can get stagnant.
Trust:
Nothing is more important in any relationship than trust. In the relationships that matter the most to me, I know I can trust and am trusted. Can we trust ourselves to act with integrity, to speak words and take actions that are congruent, to listen to our inner wisdom? And can we trust ourselves to make good decisions?
Spirit:
Spirit implies a connection to something higher than ourselves.
I can give more in relationships that make a difference to me when I feel a connection to a power higher than myself, when I will take the time to be quiet, to listen, to give gratitude, to ask for healing.