Going HOG Wild

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Going HOG Wild

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Going HOG Wild
Wednesday, November 8, 2006 - By Rik and Janel Villegas - Special to the Saipan Tribune - saipantribune.com



With the big “five-0” birthday coming up, Rik decided it was time to do something outrageous. So he grew a beard, recorded some old favorites from Boston, Doobie Brothers, Bachman Turner Overdrive, and the like; and then another baby boomer friend and he rented some Harley-Davidson motorcycles to cruise the island. With Janel playing the role of “biker babe,” life was good listening to some tunes with the throaty resonance of a 1450cc Harley-Davidson “Fat Boy” motorcycle in the background. If things got too routine while cruising the streets, a simple twist of the throttle provided the necessary jolt to keep things exciting.

Was this simply a mid-life crisis reaction to recapture Rik's youth? Probably, but it also provided much needed relief from the daily stresses of life. With all the challenges and changes we are experiencing on the islands, it's important to have a safety valve to release some of your pressure buildup.

If you are a businessperson, you might be stressed because of slow business and higher costs. If you are an employee, you may wonder how you're going to make ends meet with reduced hours and higher expenses. Increasing your quantity of work hours may improve your wealth, but it can take a toll on your health and your quality of life. Every now and then, it is important to break away from the hectic, 9-to-5 routine and do something different to recharge your battery.

The saying “All work and no play make Jack a dull boy” can become a reality when you no longer feel up to the challenges of work or life. It's easy to slip into an endless-loop routine where work becomes the dreaded rut that drains life from your existence. Unfortunately, even your most creative and energetic employees can fall into the “rut”, disengage from the job, and set their performance on cruise control.

So, what can you do to twist the “throttle” at work and keep things exciting? Renting Harley's for everyone would definitely spice things up, but more realistically, here are some things you can do to keep work challenging and exciting, and to simply keep your best people.

Don't fall into the “fix it” role and try to be the person with all the solutions. First, you don't have all the answers; second, the things you try to do without your employees' input may not meet their needs; and third, you will get much better “buy in” from your employees, if they feel you listened to their ideas and acted on them.

So the first thing you should do is simply ask yourself and your employees what would make your business a better, more exciting place to work. Besides the expected “pay us more” response, you will hear some interesting ideas. Don't rule out paying them more; however, ask them what they could do so the company can make the extra money to increase their hours or give them a raise.

Energizing your employees may be as easy as changing what your employees do, or how they do it. Have them do different tasks and take on different responsibilities. Ask: What areas would you like increased responsibility for? In what way would you like your job changed? What would you like to be doing in the company in the next one to three years?

Setting organizational goals can also energize the workplace. People like to feel like they are winning, and realizing a challenging goal puts your staff on the winning team. It allows them to see their contribution toward the goal, it can motivate them to develop their knowledge and capabilities, and it gives employees an opportunity to initiate, create, and implement new ideas.

Have each employee set personal goals that will contribute to the team or organization goals. This allows them to make a personal contribution and have control over tasks that need to be accomplished. You can test the motivating potential of their goals by asking your employees any of these questions: Why do you want to achieve this goal; what's in it for you? What's in it for your work team? What's in it for the organization? How will achieving this goal increase or enhance your contribution and competence?

The lack of money may seem like the cause of your problems, but the quality of your ideas will be the source of your solutions. The number of solutions you and your staff can come up with are only limited by your imagination.

If you feel like you are stuck in the rut, try a few of the listed suggestions. If all else fails, then you just might want to consider going HOG wild and spend the day driving around the island on a Harley listening to some favorite tunes-but you'll have to find your own biker babe.
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