Teamwork – Hayseeds Creative

Teachers Deserve Better Pay

by hayseedscreativeApril 26, 2019April 14, 2019Leave a comment

Did you know that 60% of teachers cannot survive on their salary! This video highlights several teachers who have had to take 2nd jobs just to survive. And this is true of many respectable careers that just cannot provide for a family these days without the help of a 2nd or 3rd income.

Have you considered seeking that additional job? Rather than have to add many more hours to your already stretched day, or change careers, there is an answer to helping supplement your family/personal income by helping others to be healthier from the comfort of your own home. One that I and many others are enjoying every day! Sometimes it is just a matter of educating the educator!

Meet Some of Our Members Who Have Developed a Reliable Income From Home

Teachers deserve better pay

by hayseedscreativeApril 26, 2019April 21, 2019Leave a comment

Did you know that 60% of teachers cannot survive on their salary!

It’s not that U.S. teachers are underpaid; the median income for the country’s 1 million high-school teachers, for example, is more than 50 percent higher than that of the general population. But relative to peers with similar levels of education, teachers are falling behind. In 1994, public-school teachers made only 2 percent less than college graduates in other fields; by 2015, the gap was 17 percent.

In more than half of the country, after adjusting for inflation, average teacher salaries have declined since the start of the century. In West Virginia, where pay has dropped by 8.9 percent since 2000, teachers went on strike in late February, forcing lawmakers to pass a 5 percent pay increase for the next school year. Teachers’ unions in Arizona, Oklahoma and Kentucky plan similar walkouts if their demands aren’t met.

Many have had to take 2nd jobs just to survive—this is true of many respectable careers that just cannot provide for a family these days without the help of a 2nd or 3rd income. Teachers shouldn’t have to work second and third jobs to make ends meet, as many say they do, even in states with low costs of living.

Creating A Team Culture

by hayseedscreativeJanuary 20, 2019January 1, 2019Leave a comment

Constructing a team is a good thing. Creating a “culture” of teamwork is much better. The attached post from “The Balance” can give you important input about creating a culture for your team. These can make a difference in your team’s success.

Teams with a team culture are aware that every success of every individual is the success of the entire team, not just that individual. Share this philosophy with new team members right up front. Knowing that this is a team and collaboration is expected of them will speed their individual accomplishments.

Don’t be shy about reminding them of the value of the culture that drives their successes. Reward and celebrate teamwork and recognize it often. Emphasize that the amounts of their bonuses will depend on how effectively they operate within the team culture.

This post also offers some great tips for team building, itself. Team building is something you do every day. Together you can solve each other’s “real” work issues and problems. Build celebrations around successes and make team collaborations fun and make FUN part of every agenda.

The team concept has quickly become a popular tool for businesses everywhere. That suggests that more and more companies understand that “none of us is as good as all of us”. Make that your belief system and create an environment that has a “system” and allows that system to duplicate. Duplication provides a fast track to success.

https://www.thebalancecareers.com/how-to-build-a-teamwork-culture-1918509

Creating A Team Culture

by hayseedscreativeSeptember 10, 2018Leave a comment

Constructing a team is a good thing. Creating a “culture” of teamwork is much better. The post below from “The Balance” can give you important input about creating a culture for your team. These can make a difference in your team’s success.

https://www.thebalancecareers.com/how-to-build-a-teamwork-culture-1918509

Inspiration vs. Motivation

by hayseedscreativeJuly 30, 2018July 24, 2018Leave a comment

Many of us use the words inspiration and motivation interchangeably as though they are the same word. In fact, the two words, their meanings and the emotions they evoke are distinctly different.

Inspiration is an external, driving force—usually associated with some newly discovered information. Motivation, on the other hand, is an internal, pulling force that only comes from within.

In many ways, these two concepts seem to conflict because we “feel” inspired, which comes from within and motivation has some elements of external factors, which cause us to take action.

A great convention speaker informational presentation can inspire us, but the call to action comes from within. We are responsible for taking that action.

Motivation is when you get an idea and take it to its conclusion.

Inspiration is when an idea gets a hold on you and drives you where you intend to go.

Create your motives (and your motivation). Inspiration will come from your spirit. Keep exposing yourself to new information and you will continue to “fill your tank” with inspiration. Your motivations for initiating your actions are YOUR responsibility. Don’t shirk it; embrace it and it will soon become a very good and successful habit. Habits are activities that duplicate themselves.

Giving & Receiving Leadership

by hayseedscreativeJuly 5, 2018July 3, 2018Leave a comment

Good leadership is complex. At the same time, it is simple. The “flow” of effective leadership is both up AND down. Mentoring your team is, of course, your responsibility as a leader. You are the leader because you have unique knowledge and skills, so you must share them.

In addition, there is another dimension to leadership, accepting feedback gratefully and willingly. That is the most difficult part for most leaders. Those whom you lead have valuable experiences as well. A good leader recognizes that and respects that feedback from his/her team.

Saying you are open to that and really BEING open to that are two different things. Employees and team members can sense when you are genuinely listening and absorbing their input. This article below from Forbes will give you some valuable perspective. The best leaders don’t just listen to feedback; they solicit it.

To get the feedback you want, you must build trust amongst your team. They must feel safe in giving it to you. There are no negative consequences. If you act defensively you will get less and less constructive feedback. Remember, you and they are sharing wisdom and you will both benefit from it. Balance your leadership with positive (when it is deserved; no fake stuff) and with constructive interaction.

This dialogue will enrich the culture of your business and it will gain momentum, so it will occur more and more often. After your interchange has concluded, be sure and thank the person for taking the time to provide this information. Sometimes it is an advantage to repeat what it was that you have counseled about so both parties are on the same page. Good leadership will pay considerable dividends to your business. The best news is that it becomes easier and easier as you practice it.

www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2018/01/16/being-a-great-leader-means-giving-and-receiving-feedback/#6a42c223ebc9

Benefits Of Mentoring

by hayseedscreativeJune 25, 2018June 7, 2018Leave a comment

Mentoring is a practice that is touted by many contemporary companies. You have probably also heard it referred to as “coaching”. No matter what it is called, it is a practice that, obviously, is an asset to those being mentored (mentees).

But, have you stopped to think that there are also significant benefits to those doing the mentoring? The article below from “The Chronicle” helps point out some ways where the benefits of mentoring not only flow down to the mentee, but up to the mentor. You see it is not a one-way street.

The lessons you teach can serve as a relearning experience for the mentor. As you increase the confidence and the posture, it improves your own and reinforces the skills that got you to where you are. So as you remind your mentees to have confidence in themselves and their personal resources, take an inventory of your own realizations.

Mentorship forces you to step back to when you were being mentored. As they ask questions you will be faced with your own past experiences that will put their questions in the context of your experiences. How did I learn that? What helped me when I was in their position?

Just because you are now the mentor does NOT mean you are all-knowing. Keep perspective on the perceived hierarchy and remember you can learn from those that you mentor, as well. So keep an open mind and be willing to learn from them. They are usually younger than you are and have a much more contemporary perspective than yours.

Let your mentoring experience make you a better leader. Bear in mind that, as you help them, you should be helping yourself increase your leadership skills. And always be aware that the mentoring journey is all about them. What you get back is collateral knowledge. They are happy to share with you because of what they have gleaned from your relationship.

The company, with which I have associated myself, has established the mentoring (coaching) process as the cornerstone of owning and growing a healthy business that will pay “lifetime” dividends. It is so integral to their culture; it has been incorporated into the Mission Statement. I keep it on my desk so that I am able to review it every day.

chronicle.umbmentoring.org/four-ways-mentoring-benefits-mentor/

Five Critical Roles In Your Business

by hayseedscreativeJune 8, 2018June 7, 2018Leave a comment

As you begin to establish your new business, there are critical roles that must be fulfilled in order to assure or at least give you a bigger chance of success. If you have the luxury of a large, quality pool of team members from which to choose, you may have these resources on your existing team.

Most new businesses do not have the advantage of having existing team members that can accomplish these tasks, so the alternative is that you must fill these roles yourself with an eye to recruit with these necessary roles in mind. The below article from Forbes tells us that these roles must be filled and identifies what they are and why they are indispensable.

You are the “de-facto” leader as a founder of your business. As its primary coach, you must lead in a way that creates love and respect for the way that you lead. Your first task is to find an “expert” who knows the industry, the market, and the products and is able to communicate those to the rest of the team.

The financial guru who keeps track of the income matrices and expenses that the team deems worthy of taking on. This person may be domestic to the team or be an external resource. Most entrepreneurs are busy with the everyday tasks of being leaders, so there is a need for a strategist who is skilled at navigating the future and guiding the enterprise into a profitable and fulfilling enterprise.

Finally, there is a need for the executer that takes ownership of the company’s plans and monitors their progress in the day-to-day operation. The executer understands, fully, the company’s expectations and how they are performing from one day, one week, one month and one year to the next. The executer knows what needs to be done, when and how.

As we have said, earlier, sometimes in start-up and new business endeavors these roles must be filled by the founder with an eye to the future as you recruit for your team. A lot of work in the beginning and the use of some outside resources that are available to you can fill those roles in the short or even the long-term and can lead to great things in your business.

www.forbes.com/sites/alanhall/2013/03/30/five-critical-team-members-for-business-success/#1f775e42ad90

Facing Fear

by hayseedscreativeApril 9, 2018March 18, 2018Leave a comment

Fear (and not facing it) can degenerate your ability to succeed, in life, in business, and in your personal relationships. Fear is not the enemy, your inability to face it and challenge it is.

This article from “Help Scout” helps explain how fear can actually be your friend and how facing it often can be one of the greatest tools to achieving all the things that you consider success.

You have heard the term “comfort zone” numerous times and it is understandable that we all tend to cuddle in its’ warm embrace. IT IS COMFORTABLE. At the same time, that feeling of “being OK” is not that at all.

Fear is actually your friend. We all feel fear. It is NOT unique to you. Conquering it is the gateway to business success and life’s quality achievements. The fearful are punished as often as the bold. The difference is the bold gave themselves a chance.

Fear actually makes us do the opposite of what is best for us. The pain that facing fear causes is nothing compared to the gratification that facing and conquering it generates. Facing that needle, so that I may be immune to an illness or making that phone call for the appointment that can convert a new customer are better for me in the long-run and the long-term benefits far outweigh the prick of the needle or the anxiety that your finger dialing that number cause.

www.helpscout.net/blog/do-things-that-scare-you/

Lessons to learn from water

by hayseedscreativeApril 2, 2018March 18, 2018Leave a comment

Water a most important resource. Important because it is needed for life to exist. Yet only 2.5% of water on the Earth is fresh water, and more than two-thirds of this is frozen in glaciers and polar ice caps. That means almost all of the water on Earth, more than 97 percent of it, is seawater in the oceans.

Water is also quite powerful. Longtime coastal community residents know the danger of water and storm surge all too well. If you ask coastal residents, ones who’ve experienced dozens of ocean storms, what their memories are of the most destructive storm surge or water events, you likely won’t hear them rattle off any hurricane names. It’s the large winter ocean storms that release a flood of bad memories.

Water can be a deadly enemy, yet it still serve as an essential component in our lives because over 70% of our body is made of it and we can’t survive a week without it.

Since it is a vital part of life, we can learn a few lessons from water to apply to our everyday lives. Here are six of the best:

1. Boiling water softens potatoes and hardens eggs.
  Its about what you’re made of; not your circumstances.
2. Don’t water the concrete. Nothing grows there.
  Stay focused on doing what matters most.
3. Don’t water yourself down, because you’ll be less palatable to yourself and cheating those who matter. Don’t water yourself down, simply because someone can’t handle you pure, undiluted and 100% proof.
4. At 211 degrees fahrenheit, water doesn’t do very much, but at 212 degrees its boils and produces steam which can power trains weighing over 500 tons. That’s a change in temperature of less than half a percent. Small differences in behavior can create huge changes in results.
5. Ships don’t sink because of the water around them. They sink because of the water that gets in them. Be careful who you let into your head.
  And finally…
6. When life pees on you, remember the words of Billy Connolly who said, “Todays rain, is tomorrows whisky.”

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