First you pick me up. Then you put me down.
Suddenly aloft. Like a puppet clown…
You’re makin’ a yo-yo outta me.

I know it’s meant to be a love song, but to me, it also describes the holidays quite perfectly. We prepare, forecast, purchase, sometimes even hire and train for the holidays. Then the big sales days arrive and everyone is fired up and ready to go. Everything sparkles and vibrates with energy! Then, quite suddenly, it’s time to shift your focus and energy on family, friends, home, bright lights and big dinners, and then, quite suddenly again, it’s January and everything has slowed down and every one is on a budget or a diet and it feels like winter has really truly arrived. The fun and energy of the holidays becomes a distant memory in a few quick, gray days.

Where does all the energy go?

Well, according to the Law of Conservation of Energy, it hasn’t gone anywhere. It may have transformed into a different (and less, well, energizing) kind of energy. Or it could have moved from one place in the organization to another (hopefully not from the inside to the outside!). But it ain’t gone. If you’re not cognizant of it, though, and not intentionally managing it, it sure can feel like it snuck out of the back door and upped and left when you weren’t looking. Kind of like you wish some of your cousins had during Christmas dinner!

Ari started talking to us about intentionally managing our energy a couple of years ago. He wrote a good bit about it and it made so much sense to all of us, that we re-structured the Zingerman’s Experience Seminar to include the idea of energy, particularly in relation to 12 Natural Laws of Business which he talks about in his book: Guide to Good Leading – Part 1 : A Lapsed Anarchist’s Approach to Building a Great Business.

When I first started thinking of Energy as a business attribute, a bunch of seemingly random but commonly occurring phenomenon started making sense to me. Businesses have an energy, right? People have an energy. Ever had a boss, or co-worker or employee that made you wonder – why do I feel so exhausted after a meeting with him/her? When I was the manager of the Retail department at Zingerman’s Deli – January was always the mystery month to me. There you are on the floor – almost-bored, looking-for-anything-to-do and instead of eagerly serving that customer who finally walks through the door on a blustery, snowy day, you can barely put on a smile. Or you think you’re going to be excited about finally having the time to do all those projects you’d put on the back burner but here you are, staring at your computer screen, hoping that another cup of coffee is going to get those juices flowing.

Yes, it is natural. But it doesn’t have to be this way. With a little mindfulness, and barely any extra effort, you can bring all that great energy back from those dark corners it’s hiding in. And when you try it, and see how incredibly easy and rewarding it is, you’ll get addicted to the idea. You’ll know the energy hasn’t gone anywhere. It was just in places where it couldn’t be accessed and it couldn’t get anyone else energized and excited.

Sounds great, you’re saying to me with a wry smile and a mental eye roll. Sure.

It can be. It really can. There are not one, not two but three essays on it in Ari’s new book (coming this spring!). There is even a recipe for managing your own and your business’ energy.

In the meanwhile, here’s a useful little exercise you can try. Better yet, try it with three people in your office. Or ten. Or start your next meeting with it. Or go crazy, and make it an office field trip! It’ll be energizing.

Step 1 : Imagine a business you love going in to. They’ve got mojo. The place has a happy buzz. It makes you happy to be in there. Describe, in a sentence or two, what was happening around you and what it felt like to be there.

Step 2 : Now imagine a business or organization that is as blah as it gets. We’ve all been to those places. You can’t wait to leave, right? Describe, in a sentence or two, what was happening around you and what it felt like to be there.

Step 3 : Now for each business, write a sentence or two to describe what you think: the leadership is like in that business? A new staff member feels like when they come to work?

Step 4 : Now imagine this – if you were a new manager in Business Blah, what three things could you do to make it feel more like Business Buzz?
(Click here for a list of brainstorm ideas from front line staff, managers and partners here at Zingerman’s)

Step 5 : Can you pick one of those three things to do in your business within the next hour? Bet you can!

I hope you try this exercise. I was a bit of a skeptic but it really can be a revelation. Some of the things we come up with are big – Buzz businesses are selling products they believe in. Buzz businesses are on a mission. They have a Vision. A great organizational culture. Mojo, as Bo Burlingham calls it in his book, Small Giants.

But sometimes the ideas we come up with are small. Funky music. Or someone wearing a silly hat. Someone else put a personalized and quirky sign on one of the products. Someone is telling a funny story. It can be that easy.

I’d love it if you shared what you came up with when you did the exercise. In fact, I would really, really appreciate it. You can email me and I’ll compile everyones ideas and share them with you.

Happy New Year. I hope your 2012 is filled with good, infectious energy.

In the January 2012 edition of OnTrack, our e-newsletter, we asked you to try this exercise :

Step 1 : Imagine a business you love going in to. They’ve got mojo. The place has a happy buzz. It makes you happy to be in there. Describe, in a sentence or two, what was happening around you and what it felt like to be there.

Step 2 : Now imagine a business or organization that is as blah as it gets. We’ve all been to those places. You can’t wait to leave, right? Describe, in a sentence or two, what was happening around you and what it felt like to be there.

Step 3 :  Now for each business, write a sentence or two to describe what you think :

• The leadership is like in that business
• A new staff member feels like when they come to work?

Step 4 : Now imagine this – if you were a new manager in Business Blah, what three things could you do to make it feel more like Business Buzz?

Step 5 : Can you pick one of those three things to do in your business within the next hour? Bet you can!

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We asked folks all over Zingerman’s, in various businesses and at various levels of the organization to send us their answers to Step 4. Listed below is the outpouring of responses we got :

Kerry Sheldon, ZingTrain, Seminar Logistics

• Get up, go find the nearest person, and tell them a hilarious story about something embarrassing you’ve done; ask them to reciprocate.  Loosening up and getting out of the moment gets the energy flowing. Laughter attracts co-workers like nothing else, and soon you have a critical mass.
• Dash to the lobby and pull your best Ari Gold impression, yelling, “I’m leaving and setting up my own firm – who’s comin’ with me?!”  When the boss arrives and looks at you quizzically, say, “just kidding.  But just for the sake of argument, what would it look like if we did?”  And then figure out how to do that, because the firm you’d go set up would undoubtedly be better than your current firm – otherwise, what’s the point?  (Kind of mini-visioning, if you will.  With a twist.)
• Get up and move.  Stretch and breathe and do deep bends at the waist and knees.  Swing your arms around and move your jaw widely, grotesquely. Get outside, no matter the weather.  Go for a run.  Take a buddy.  Get a coffee or tea on the way back.  Write left-handed on a pad of paper until you can do your name legibly.  (In other words, recruit different muscles – and synapses – and then dose yourself with a bolus of oxygen and a little caffeine. Works every. Single. Time.)

Jenny Tubbs, DSE and Zingerman’s Press

• help out 3 people
• compliment the work of 3 people
• sing loud for all to hear
• smile and make eye contact with everyone on the floor who’s within 10 feet of you. greet all those within 4.
• model the energy you’d like to see for the shift
• ask folks on shift how you can help make their shift better. don’t laugh at their requests
• smoothies for everyone

Josh Horwitz, Zingerman’s Deli, Sandwich Sales and Service

• Engage a game using all employees interacting with each other
• Ask everyone what they would rate their current energy at (in my experience, mindfulness immediately raises energy)
• Bring around a drink or snack and thank people for working hard

Allen Leibowitz, Zingerman’s Coffee Company, Managing Partner

• Read 101 Ideas to Kick Your Ass Into Gear by Ann Arbor authors Ian Gray and Nicklaus Suino
• Stir some stuff [sic!] up – if it was retail – redo the display or music.  If it was an office, redo some furniture or seating, or lighting.
• Since the energy often stems from the people, ask the people that are working there what would help them have more positive energy.
• Dogs-at-work.

 Abigail Van Bremen, Zingerman’s Deli, Retail

• If someone had a noticeable blah I would request that they sing a few lines of their favorite song audibly. Understandably there may be some shy people so they could also elect to excuse themselves for about a minute to privately sing in a restroom with better acoustics.
• Give a specific complement to an employee about an aspect of one’s work performance. I’ve seen this in action before and it can work wonders.

Stas’ Kazmierski, ZingTrain, Managing Partner

• Really and truly i would channel my wife Kathleen and I’d tell each staff person that I wanted them to go out in the street and bring in three people (hell, make it ten) to taste our food, have a desert, free coffee tasting and find out one thing about them.
• I’d ask the staff to tell each other, in a group, the most energizing secret they know.
• I’d give each person a bottle of energy drink.

 Anya Pomykala, Zingerman’s Coffee Company, Manager

• Join the work and offer to help with the icky tasks
• Buy lunch for the staff.
• Encourage open forum idea time
• Spend time with your staff
• Switch up the norm with different music

Pat McGraw, Zingerman’s Department For People (HR), Manager

• Walk around the whole building saying good morning to each person.
• Work in a regular job – staff loves to teach leaders what they do.
• Appreciate a few staff in the moment.

Joanie Hales, Zingerman’s Roadhouse, Manager

• Change my own energy to be what I wanted the company’s energy to be.
• Ask my employees in the moment what we could do to increase energy.
• Post a vision on what the company looks like with positive energy.

Maggie Bayless, ZingTrain, Managing Partner

• Put on some upbeat music.
• Engage the staff in some sort of group project  – like a 3 minute brainstorm or rebuilding a display.

Josh Miner, Zingerman’s Creamery, Gelato Maker Extraordinaire

• Buy everyone an americano.  Nothing like buzzing about high on espresso.
• Inquire about the collective mental health.  I always like a good game of group-depricating humor.
• Act out.
• Skip through singing the Smurf song.
• But seriously, don’t underestimate the power of espresso.

Valerie Neff-Rasmussen, Zingerman’s Mail Order

• Thank/appreciate someone.
• Ask someone who seems low if there’s anything I can do to help improve their day.

Dana Laidlaw, Zingerman’s Bakehouse, Bakeshop

• Positive encouragement and random hi-fives help.
• Positive, upbeat music that everyone likes helps.
• Impromptu ‘dance parties’ help.
• Having a nice, clean, pleasant place to work helps.
• Smile. Use the 10/4 rule.
• Use the 3 steps to great service.
• Great smells from great food always helps

Tabitha Mason, Zingerman’s Roadhouse, Manager

• Acknowledge there is a problem!  Tell staff, “Hey, the vibe on the floor is pretty low right now.  What’s going on?”
• Check my own energy level.  Many times, the energy staff puts out is a reflection of the energy they take in.  I would honestly evaluate my performance and my attitude to see what role I may be playing in the “blah”.
• Commit to improvement.  Brainstorm for ideas with staff.  Read a good book or two (heck, even an article or two).  Make a change, big or small, and stick to it.  Building an environment of greatness will energize people who want to be great and naturally force out those who prefer to keep their problems.

Rick Strutz, Zingerman’s Deli, Managing Partner

• Ask everyone what would make their shift better. Then do it.
• Sit down with staff and ask them, sincerely and with intention, what their challenges are with their workplace. Make and communicate plans to fix things.
• Focus on fun and laughter!
• Huddle!

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Heard an idea that was in Zing-speak? Email me at gauri at zingermans.com with questions!

Thanks for reading!

It seems to us that a perfect way to prepare for all that the season brings is to remember for ourselves and help those around us remember the power of appreciation*. Genuine appreciations can create an organizational culture in which appreciation and positive energy are the norms rather than the exceptions, a culture in which people feel valued for their work and help those around them to do the same. Leading with appreciation creates a positive culture!

Here are some of our favorite ways of “living” our belief in a positive, appreciative culture. Some of them will seem challenging as you imagine going into the busiest season of year, so perhaps establishing the systems that support them can become goals for the New Year. Others take no more than a few minutes to do and can still have an immediate positive impact that spreads like wildfire.

Try one today!

Appreciate yourself
An appreciative environment must be driven from within us. When you can appreciate yourself authentically, you know how to sincerely appreciate others.

Appreciate people around you who are being appreciative
As a leader or manager, when you see one of your staff being appreciative and spreading positive energy, appreciate them for doing so. It’s an opportunity to lead by example and reinforce positive behaviors all at once!

Appreciations
At Zingermans, every meeting always ends with a few minutes of Appreciations. We put appreciations on our meeting agendas. And every issue of our staff newsletter devotes several pages to sharing appreciations and thank-yous from peers and managers to each other.

Code Greens
This is the name for the form we use to capture and communicate compliments we hear from customers. Be it big, or small, any positive comment we hear is written up on a Code Green. We also use the Code Green to recognize co-workers we see giving great service or going the extra mile. Code Greens are then shared with as many people as possible, spreading positive energy and appreciation.

Going the extra mile
All of us at Zingerman’s learn the 3 Steps to Great Service and are taught to use them with everyone we come in contact with at work – whether it is our customers or our peers. Here are the 3 steps :
Step 1. Find out what the customer wants
Step 2. Get it for them – Accurately, Politely and Enthusiastically
Step 3. Go the Extra Mile!**

While all three steps are great ones to refresh and reinforce as we go into the holidays, that last step is also a great way to show appreciation. Just a simple little something extra – a flower, a post-it note with a silly drawing, a poem – it doesn’t even have to rhyme!

Appreciate, appreciate, appreciate—when in doubt, three and out.
The best thing about appreciations is that they work both ways. If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, anxious or just having a rough day, positive appreciation is the easiest way to turn things around. Find three people to appreciate, watch them smile in response, and at the end of those three, you’ll be feeling upbeat too.

Specificity
One simple trick we’ve learned that helps make appreciations that are sincere and stick – is to be specific! While a simple thank you always counts, a specific thank you counts and sticks! We might end this newsletter to you with Thanks! Or we could end it with – “Thanks for reading our newsletter. We love sharing and teaching our ideas and it means a lot to us that folks want to listen to what we have to say.”

Performance reviews
These are a good tool to keep us focused on positive achievements. Every session starts with a listing or review of achievements of the individual involved.

Benefits are Appreciations Too!
The amount of energy and resources that an organization contributes to staff benefits sends a message of appreciation. It tells staff that the organization cares about them as people, not just as assets. Zingerman’s, for example, offers 25% reimbursements on therapeutic massages.

Thanks for reading our newsletter. We love sharing and teaching our ideas and it means a lot to us that folks want to listen to what we have to say.

Happy Holidays from all of us!

As readers of OnTrack, you are an important part of our ZingTrain community, and your opinions are especially important. I hope you are willing to fill out a brief survey that will help us figure out how best to keep in touch with you, and other clients, in the coming year. Of course, we’ll share what we learn in a future OnTrack. Thank you so much!

-Gauri