What Not To Bring To Work "Ladies and gentlemen please place the following items in the bin provided as they are no longer allowed to be carried onto the airplane. You must discard shampoo, shaving cream, lotions, toothpaste, sunscreen, aerosols, cologne, and bottles of liquor, water, and soft drinks. And please, no Starbucks." In light of the new airline restrictions imposed the other day, these workplace restrictions were also put into place. EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY: THE FOLLOWING WILL NOT BE ALLOWED INTO THE WORKPLACE. THEY LEAD TO DISRUPTION, LOW MORALE, AND LOSS OF PRODUCTIVITY.   BAD ATTITUDE - Leave your negative attitudes at the door. Bad attitudes are contagious; hang around these anchors long enough and the whole office acquires a bad attitude. This leads to increased conflict and less bonding between team members, not to mention the impact it has on your clients and customers. In a recent study by Nancy Rothbard, a Wharton management professor, and Steffanie Wilk of Ohio State U. it was found that "start-of-day positive mood spills over and affects positive employee mood during the day ...and likewise start-of-day negative mood spills over and affects negative employee mood during the day, even accounting for work-related contextual influences like customer interactions." If you come to work every day with the attitude that "this job stinks", then it is time for you to find a new job.   EGO. Check your ego at the door. Have you ever been around people who flaunt themselves every opportunity they get? They have an exaggerated sense of their own importance and believe that they are superior to everyone in the workplace. This spells trouble and does not lend itself well to teamwork. Everyone is a valued member of the team and each brings their distinct qualities to the workplace.   BAGGAGE. Yes, no baggage allowed, not even carry-ons. Do not bring your baggage from the past, the night before, or the baggage you're worrying about in the future. There is no room for it in the workplace and no one wants to hear about it anyway. You can check it at the door, but better yet, put your baggage in the garbage.   MASK. Leave the gels, cream, lotion, and your mask for Halloween. Come to work and be your authentic self. People want to know the "real" you, not some fake boss or employee who is putting on airs to impress others or to feel better about themselves. Shakespeare said it well: "To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man."   DESTRUCTIVE HABITS. There is no seat in the workplace for people who complain, whine, gossip, worry, cheat and lie, talk behind others' backs, tattle tale, are chronically late, and are mean. You fill in the habit.   STOPWATCH. Check your clock-watching at the door. Take the time to know your customers and your clients. What are their needs, what are their fears, what do they want from you? How can you serve them? Building trust and rapport with others doesn't happen in 5 minutes. Give them the time they deserve and you will see your profits increase. You can take your workplace for granted, be blind to the entire "goings on", and be miserable OR you can heed the new guidelines published above and have your workplace listed in the Top 10 places to work. The choice is yours.

"Every job is a self-portrait of the person who does it. Autograph your work with excellence."      Unknown "The closest to perfection a person ever comes is when he fills out a job application form."      Stanley J. Randall "Whether you stay six weeks, six months, or six years, always leave it better than you found it."      Jim Rohn "Don't just let your business or your job make something for you; let it make something of you."      Jim Rohn

Sometimes you can't even open the door to the office with all the "stuff" you and your employees want to bring in. This leads to a lot of clutter and decreased productivity at work. I would rather spend my days in a workplace where everyone is upbeat, glad to be there and working toward a common goal. How about you? I'm taking a break from the workplace this week (that means no newsletter next week). We are off to Florida to take Valerie back to school. We are leaving behind our favorite Indian Shores Beach and trying a new place. Harrington House Bed and Breakfast complex is situated on Anna Maria Island near Bradenton. It caught my eye when our local newspaper ran a story about it a few months back. I'll give you a review upon my return. Have a fantastic week and heed the new restrictions. Stephanie P.S. This is the first newsletter with my new service, Aweber. If you had any problems with this ezine please let me know. I want to thank Sandra De Freitas of www.techcoachforcoaches.com for helping me with the switch of service providers. P.P.S. Stay tuned for the upcoming announcement of the 7 week teleclass beginning Monday September 11, 8-9 pm CST - "7 Weeks to Living the Life You Want". Details and registration to follow.

We grow by "word-of-email" so please feel free to forward this newsletter to anyone whom you think might benefit from and enjoy it. Thanks so much! Contact Us: stephanie@7steps2abalancedlife.com