Book Summary: "Thank God It's Monday" by Roxanne Emmerich

The author's subtitle to her book is "How to Create a Workplace You and Your Customers Love", and she addresses topics such as visioning, driving change, upping enthusiasm, and eliminating gossip. Emmerich's premise is that there are actually places where people wake up after a weekend and say "Thank God it's Monday", but that before these work places were great, most were quite awful.

The author contends that it all starts with people (doesn't it always!?). For a workplace to become great, the people have to want it to be great. I love her thought that "Most people spend their entire lives in unquestioned routines, never hearing the calling of how great they could be if only they refocused on making a profound difference through their work." While you go about your day, observe businesses with which you come in contact. Can you sense the teamwork and enthusiasm, or lack thereof? Usually it's noticeable...good or bad. What about your environment? What changes can you make that can have a positive impact? Imagine your workplace as one to which everyone is eager to come. List out three things that, if you were in charge, you would change. Then set about doing all you can to change those things. The author writes that "Leadership is not a position - it is a way of being. It's about being determined to make big things happen regardless of your position."

Many businesses have a vision, however, "the turning point for a vision is when everyone sees it, gets it, and buys into participating to make it happen." Vision statements are meant to provide a compelling picture of future success. Does every employee "get" your company's vision, live it, and strive toward it everyday? Your vision is your commitment to your employees, your customers, your investors, your community. Has every employee internalized the vision in this manner and do they know exactly how their efforts align with the vision and the key objectives of the business? The author challenges us to always ask ourselves, "Am I making the highest and best use of my time?" She suggests identifying the bottom 80% of your activities and replacing them with new activities. What a change that would be!

Emmerich offers that each employee should "lavish" praise on others at least five times a day, because gratitude and appreciation are the drivers of productivity. One way she recommends to promote these celebrations and to foster this type of culture is to create a Hoopla Team comprised of one executive and 6 to 9 high performers from around the organization. Their objective is to sustain and accelerate breakthroughs in performance and to get the culture change to generate from a grassroots level. Enthusiasm is a hard thing to fake, so get people on the Hoopla Team who really want to participate and make a difference. The ideas that a team like this can help identify are endless.

Companies thrive when employees appreciate one another's contributions and treat each other with respect. To help achieve this, the author suggests this code for how to treat one another: "No gossip. No excuses. No stories. No blaming." Fully adhering to this requires a culture of positive attitudes, openness, and willingness to change. As an example of how to enact this, the author takes a hard stance on gossip (rightfully so) and recommends the following steps to stop it: 1) Tell the people around you that you have zero tolerance for gossip. 2) If anyone starts to gossip, politely interrupt them and say, "Sounds like you need to have a conversation with..." 3) If you begin to gossip you need to stop yourself, go to the other person and say, "I apologize for hurting you by sharing something that was inappropriate. It won't happen again." Success is typically the culmination of thousands of acts such as this.

Although a fair amount of the author's ideas have been addressed in other books, she writes in an easy-to-read manner and includes suggestions and tips that are practical and well-supported by her first-hand experience. A key takeaway is that regardless of your current work environment and situation, there is hope. You can help turn a lousy situation into one where employees are truly glad to be at work and produce at a high level. TGIM!

JFD Performance Solutions (http://www.jfdperfsolutions.com/)

As a business coaching and consulting firm, we specialize in helping individuals to reach more of their potential, companies to achieve greater results, and teams to work better together. We help our clients implement sustainable change and be more successful.

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The Thank You Economy (TYE) by Gary Vaynerchuk Business Book Review - 6 Beginning TYE Company Ways

Entrepreneur extraordinaire, Internet rock star and Crush It! author, Gary Vaynerchuk, returns with his second book, entitled The Thank You Economy.

The Thank You Economy heralds an era when companies, big and small, are developing authentic, meaningful interactions with customers. Those bonds are nurtured by Web 2.0 technology, known as social media. Consumers are now empowered to make or break a brand or business via these web applications.

Success in the Thank You Economy depends on obsessively caring about the customer, Vaynerchuk says. That concern must originate with a company's top brass and filtrate throughout the organization. To ensure that the correct message is being shared; concentrate first on your employees instead of the competition or customer service. Vaynerchuk describes six strategies on how to incorporate the Thank You Economy in your establishment:

1. Begin With Yourself. Strong self-awareness makes a strong culture possible. Remember who you are, whether you're a CEO, an executive, or a mid-level manager, and the qualities that have produced your current success. It's extremely important as you work towards developing, sustaining and spreading the company culture. Once the Thank You Economy is ingrained in your overall vision and strategy, you can successfully incorporate it throughout your business or department.

2. Commit Whole Hog. Commit mentally first to embrace the Thank You Economy, which includes investing in social media initiatives. Unwavering company leadership determined to create a culture of supersized caring, will persevere during inevitable setbacks.

3. Set The Tone. Leaders committed to building a caring culture; need to send a strong, clear message about their intent. Employees should be able to feel the difference immediately. They should be able to view their leaders as examples of the care, concern and one-on-one customer interactions expected of them.

4. Invest In Employees. Too many leaders insufficiently invest in their employees. They fear losing out when employees leave. Any employee investment you make will be safe if they believe you really care about them and their future. Prove that you value your employees above all else. Give them the freedom to ask for what they want, to experiment and be themselves. Employees who choose to leave for bigger and better positions at other companies are ambitious people. Ideally, you want driven people on staff because they preserveyour company's reputation as a place where people can advance their career. You'll attract the best and brightest talent. When people are happy they want to make other people happy. To make your customers happy in the Thank You Economy; begin with your employees.

5. Trust Your People. Creating a Thank You Economy culture becomes easier as you begin hiring people who share your commitment to caring. Create a culture of openness. Let your employees' blog and tweet as much as they like. Let them be themselves. Authenticity is a vital part of what makes social media initiatives work. If an unhappy employee uses social media to malign your company, question their intent. Today, there is very little an employee can say to hurt your company that you can't fix if you act with speed and good intent.

6. Be Authentic. Legacy trumps everything. People can sense insincerity. Social media often decides how a brand or company survives a false story in the Thank You Economy. It has the power to spread articles, images, video and audio recordings worldwide within minutes.

If you're new to the Thank You Economy experience, or interested in it's latest information, Gary Vaynerchuk, a quintessential entrepreneur and visionary, leads the way.

To read more about The Thank You Economy, visit, http://thankyoueconomybook.com/

Timothy Zaun is a blogger, speaker and freelance writer. Visit him online at http://timzaun.com/.

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The Thank You Economy by Gary Vaynerchuk - Business Book Review - An Authentic, Caring Business Era

Entrepreneur extraordinaire, Internet rock star and Crush It! author, Gary Vaynerchuk, returns with his second book, entitled The Thank You Economy.

The Thank You Economy heralds an era when companies, big and small, are developing authentic, meaningful interactions with customers. Those bonds are nurtured by Web 2.0 technology, known as social media. Consumers are now empowered to make or break a brand or business via these web applications.

Social media makes the Internet an open, level playing field, where any limits to how far you want to spread your message and brand is self-imposed.

If you've unsuccessfully tried using social media, Vaynerchuk says it's because of one of two reasons:

Your product or service isn't any good.You're doing it wrong. Intent matters, instead of just going through the motions.

He assumes it's due to the second reason; and offers solutions to redirect your approach.

"Social media is a marathon, not a sprint," says Vaynerchuk. Unfortunately, corporate America and Wall Street are slow to change, choosing to focus on short-term goals (often tied to bonuses), rather than the long-term gains social media can generate.

Many business leaders still fail to see that the game has changed. "Those changes are going to be insane in five years!" he says.

The Thank You Economy features eleven excuses companies use to justify their social media avoidance, and Vaynerchuk's rebuttals. They include:

There's no return on investment (ROI).Social media is just another trend that will pass.

Vaynerchuk acknowledges that many people still aren't "there" yet in regards to social media. While traditional marketing remains vital, ideally, in the Thank You Economy, it's creatively combined with social media for best results, allowing you to extend your story, continue the conversation and connect with your audience. It's an easy strategy to sell to your team or clients.

The Thank You Economy requires that companies take every customer seriously. You can never know who is potentially a big customer. It's important to listen to and engage with consumers. Give them what they want when you can, and when you can't, give an honest reason why.

Big and small companies and online businesses too should allow employees at every level to express their personalities, heart and soul.

Burgeoning mobile technology ("Please tell me you have a mobile strategy," he says) facilitates real time search results. Vaynerchuk predicts the decline of search engine optimization (SEO) applications. Consumers can now use Facebook and Twitter to solicit immediate recommendations and contextual social search while shopping.

The Thank You Economy is much bigger than social media; and promotes "shock and awe." Increasingly, businesses will need to transcend offering discounts and free shipping to entice customers, which are now considered perfunctory practices.

RCV is the relationship context value of a business initiative. Brand or business allegiance can result from a few, one-time expenses incurred by a company's generosity. Examples include tourist attractions engaged with Facebook or Twitter followers that randomly select winners for an all-expense paid trip. The consumer's positive word of mouth via social media is priceless. Handwritten notes sent along with a rose or small gift to customers also displays memorable appreciation.

Vaynerchuk concludes that marketing has gotten harder. It now competes against infinite information overload and consumers' short attention span. The only way brands or businesses can endear customers' hearts and minds is via a virtual door-to-door campaign.

He believes it's an exciting time to be in business; and those who embrace the Thank You Economy will reap the most benefits.

"More Thoughts On..." is Vaynerchuk's chapter allowing him to comment on a variety of topics. Regarding getting started with social media, he says, "You don't have to be Michael Phelps, but for God's sake, put on a bathing suit!"

Vaynerchuk held a jacket design contest for The Thank You Economy. While there could only be one winner, he honors many of the submissions by showcasing their talents on 16, vibrantly colored pages at book's end.

For those readers who want the digest form of the book, Vaynerchuk provides a Thank You Economy checklist. While helpful, much of his message is lost in such short statements.

The Thank You Economy trumps Crush It! Why Now Is The Time To Cash In On Your Passion, Vaynerchuk's first book. Vaynerchuk himself acknowledges that his follow up is a more in-depth, stronger read.

If you're new to the Thank You Economy experience, or interested in it's latest information, Gary Vaynerchuk, a quintessential entrepreneur and visionary, leads the way.

To read more about The Thank You Economy, visit, http://thankyoueconomybook.com/.

Timothy Zaun is a blogger, speaker and freelance writer. Visit him online at http://timzaun.com/.

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