Quantum Newsprint hosted by Bill Sjoblom

Creating Sustainable Performance

A few days ago I shared an article from HBR about happiness.  In the same issue there is an article about what companies can to to Create Sustainable Performance.  Guess what?  Happy employees are more productive than unhappy ones over the long term!  Not surprising at all. 

But what does it mean to be happy in your job?

These researchers boil it down into four things that sustain a thriving workforce:

• PROVIDE DECISION-MAKING DISCRETION.  Employees at every level are energized by the ability to make decisions that affect their work.  It gives them a greater sense of control, more say in how things get done, and more opportunities for learning. Southwest is a good example of this.  By not requiring the flight attendants to read or memorize a specific safety announcement, they often put their own personality and creativity into it which makes it more fun for everyone.
• SHARING INFORMATION.  Doing your job in an information vacuum is tedious and uninspiring.  Systems that make information widely available build trust and give employees the knowledge they need to make good decisions and take initiative with confidence.
• MINIMIZING INCIVILITY.  What is incivility?  In a word, "rudeness".  Most people have experienced rude behavior from a boss.  Here are a few examples: "My boss said 'If I wanted to know what you thought, I'd ask you.'"  Or 'On speakerphone in front of my peers, my boss told me I had done kindergarten work.'" 
• OFFER PERFORMANCE FEEDBACK.  Feedback creates opportunities for learning and the energy so critical for a culture of thriving.  The quicker and more direct the feedback, the more useful it is. 

What do you think?  How is QS doing in these three areas?  What should we be working to improve? 

What Makes Us Happy?

I want to share a recent article from The Harvard Business Review with you.  The title is The Science Behind the Smile.  Of course the article affirms many of our ideas about happiness such as in general people in good romantic relationships are happier than those that aren't and healthy people are happier than sick people.  People who participate in their churches are happier and rich people are happier than poor people. 

But that said, there are also some surprises.

People are not very good at predicting what will make them happy and for how long.  We tend to expect positive events to make us happier than they actually do and negative events have less impact than we think as well.  Why?  Because we are good at finding silver linings. 

So what makes us happy?

The most important correlation to happiness is the strength of our social network.  Humans are by far the most social species on earth.  If you want to be happier invest in your relationships.  Other things that are important include meditating, exercising, getting enough sleep and practicing altruism.  Yes, one of the most selfish things you can do is to help others!  If you volunteer at a homeless shelter you may not really help the homeless much, but you will almost certainly help yourself! 

What do you think?  What makes you happy?  Do you agree or disagree with this article?

Khan Academy on 60 Minutes

Did you catch the piece on Khan Academy on 60 minutes a couple of weeks ago?  If so, you can catch it here.  Fascinating.  If you are not familiar with Khan Academy, their mission statement is "A free world-class education for everyone everywhere."

In 2004 the founder, Salman Khan (with three degrees from MIT) started tutoring his cousin Nadia in math.  When other friends and relatives sought his help, he decided it would be better to post his work on You Tube.  Soon he strangers found his tutorials and were so appreciative he decided to quit his job as a hedge fund manager in 2009.  Bill Gates was so impressed he have a significant grant.

There are now more than 3,000 short tutorials at Khan Academy and they are literally trying to change the way education is delivered in the US.  One of my favorite quotes from the 60 Minutes piece was that industries are usually revolutionized by someone outside the industry.  Sal Khan fits this description.

Has anyone used Khan Academy?  What did you think?  If not, check it out and write back to me!

Joe Schmo to Lambo...The Rest of the Story

Maverik Convenience Stores based in Salt Lake City, UT has built a chain of about 200 locations around an adventure theme.  They are well known for innovative and edgy advertising and marketing.  Last year they held a contest "Joe Schmo to Lambo" that raised money for charity by giving away a Lamborghini Murcielago.  It's a $300,000 sports car! 

Well a small town truck driver from Santaquin, UT won the contest and while giving joy rides to friends he wrecked it six hours later!  Ahh, well...at least he was required to have insurance on the vehicle when he picked it up.

Where Did You Buy That Beverage?

This month's CSP Magazine includes an article with some interesting data about the beverage category in convenience stores titled A Six-Pack of Insights.  It is generally accepted that beverages are the biggest draw for getting customers into a c-store but did you know that 58% of c-store shoppers report buying a non-alcoholic beverage the last time they visited?

Women tend to visit a c-store to buy bottled water, iced tea and juice.  Men purchase beer, energy drinks and sports drinks.  And the vast majority of shoppers decide what beverage type, brand, flavor and size they will buy before they enter the store.  So much for all those marketing and promo displays!

The cities that favor Coke are Los Angeles, Atlanta, Houston, Washington DC and Miami.  More people prefer Pepsi in El Paso, Bakersfield, Baton Rouge, Memphis and Fresno.  Based on the size of the cities mentioned it is no surprise that Coke is winning the cola war!

More energy drinks are sold through c-stores than any other retail channel.  And energy drink consumers are very brand loyal.  If you don't stock their brand they generally don't buy an alternative.  Maybe that's why c-stores carry so many different brands.

And finally, 19% of shoppers think of c-stores as a place to buy wine...thats the same percentage who think of c-stores as a place to buy milk.  Surprising?

Feeding a Family of Four on $300 a Month

I just saw an article in Kiplinger's Magazine by Carol Scudere about how to feed a family of four on $300 a month.  Interestingly, she lives in Powell, OH just a few miles from our office in Columbus. 

Her advice? 

Plan Ahead.  Always plan at least a weeks worth of meals including snacks. 

Use Sales and Coupons.  Check out local grocery sales before you plan your meals so that you can maximize your savings.

Get Everyone Involved.  It's much easier to stick to your plan if you get everyone in the household in planning, shopping, cooking and saving.

For more information, visit her website Budget-Meals.org.  She also has a book that gives lots of tips and recipes.  The book is available for a $30 donation but I will order one for the first three people who email me back.  The only requirement is that after you get the book and have a chance to read it, send me your top 5 tips that you were able to use and I will share them with others on this blog.

Set Yourself Up for Success

The latest edition of Harvard Business Review has some fascinating articles on Happiness.  In particular I was interested in Positive Intelligence by Shawn Achor.  His offers three ways that we can cultivate our own sense of well-being and set ourselves up to succeed.  In other words, you want to be happier and more successful?  Do this:

DEVELOP NEW HABITS.  You can actually train your brain to be more positive just as you train your muscles at the gym.  Engaging in one brief positive exercise each day for as little as three weeks can have a lasting impact.  Here are five to try:

• Jot down three things you are grateful for.
• Write a positive message to someone in your social network.
• Meditate for two minutes.
• Exercise for 10 minutes.
• Take two minutes to describe in a journal the most meaningful experience of the past 24 hours.

HELP YOUR COWORKERS.  There is a direct correlation between your success (and happiness) and the amount of support you get from your network of friends and co-workers.  But there is an even stronger correlation between happiness and the amount of help you give others!  People who initiate social and business interaction are more successful and more satisfied with their work.

CHANGE YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH STRESS.  The problem is that people get to stressed-out about being stressed-out.  It is important to remember that stress has an upside as well.  Stress is not an obstacle to growth, it can be the fuel for growth.  Stress is an inevitable part of work.  The next time you are feeling overwhelmed, make a list of all the stresses you are under.  Put them in two groups - the ones you can control and those that you can't.  Choose one stress you can control and some up with a small concrete step you can take to reduce that stress. 

What do you think?  Some of you have probably been doing one or more of these things for a long time.  How does it work for you?

The ABC's of Leading in Tough Times

Someone put an article in my box last week "The ABC's of Leading in Tough Times" by Louise Thaxton.  Although it was written in September of 2008, it still applies today.  The first point the author makes is that you don't have to have a title for you to be a leader.  Anyone who is in a place of influence whether at work or home is a leader.

When tough times come, leaders are those people that intentionally look for ways to encourage, inspire and model excellence to others.  That's my job...but here at QS it's your job too! 

Ms. Thaxton goes on to give an example of leadership behavior for each letter of the alphabet.  Here are some of my favorites:

• (A) Attitude...is everything.  It's not what is happening at work or home that determines your destiny; it is how you handle what's happening that counts.
• (C) Courage is not the absence of fear.  Courage is a mindset that enables you to face hard times and press on by doing brave acts. 
• (G) Gratitude.  Are you truly thankful for your job, your co-workers, your family and friends?  A good way to begin each day is write down three things for which you are thankful.
• (L) Listen up!  One of the greatest character traits you can develop as a leader is your listening abilities.  Too many times, we don't listen when others speak.
• (R) Resourceful.  Not only should you be the one to whom others turn to with their problems and questions, you should have new and creative ideas.
• (Z) Zero in on your top goals and priorities.  It is called the power of focus and it is incredible. 

I want to be a better leader.  These ABC's are a pretty good road map for me.

Save On Gas

A recent article in Kiplingers identified some good gas saving tips: 

1. Never fill up on a Sunday - or a Friday or Saturday.  Gas prices typically go up over the weekend.  To find the lowest price in your neighborhood, use the free Gas Buddy ap on your smart phone or log on to gasbuddy.com before you leave the house.
2. Inflate your tires to the maximum pressure recommended by the tire manufacturer. 
3. Baby your brakes - coast whenever possible and conserve momentum in stop and go traffic.
4. If you are sitting in traffic turn off your engine. 
5. Ditch the junk in your trunk - every 100 pounds reduces your mileage by 2%.
6. Keep your windows and sunroofs closed and get rid of the roof rack if you have one.

And some things that won't help:

1. A dirty air filter does not really reduce your gas mileage in today's modern engines.
2. Filling up the tank at a cooler time of day.
3. Using premium gas if unless your manual says it is "required"

These are some good reminders!  Do you have any tips to share?

Which C-Store Chain Has the Best Coffee?

 
I was reading the July issue of NACS Magazine about Food Service and Coffee offerings.  Overall coffee sales in c-stores have been declining in recent years so many chains are fighting back by upgrading their coffee offerings.  To make matters worse, coffee beans have increased in cost by 13.8% over the past year. 

Pantry and other chains have stepped up customer service by employing a coffee host or hostess.  They typically ensure that there is enough coffee available and that it is fresh and they make sure that everything is clean and stocked.  Pantry also had success with a coffee promotion during the 2010-2011 college basketball season.  They featured logo cups from North Carolina, Duke and NC State and encouraged customers to vote with their cup.  The winning university received a $20,000 donation.  Store traffic and sales increased 8% as a result of the promotion.

In your experience, which one of our clients has the best coffee?