Pegine’s Motivational Times Newsletter:

Title: Is Everybody Happy?
Copyright Pegine Echevarria, MSW 2004

Date: April 04 Volume 5 Issue 4

Recently I met with several companies who wanted me to assess their culture and their environment as it relates to employee effectiveness. I no longer am surprised when a company that proclaims to be having high levels of employee satisfaction has in fact a dry, sterile atmosphere. Some places can be deadly. People get comfortable in their environments and aren’t aware of the impact the environment is having on their productivity. Employee satisfaction surveys assess where people are NOW, not where they could be, if there were some changes in the environment.

Before I assess an organization, I review their mission, values, and statements regarding their employees and leadership. Many mission statements talk about supporting employees and making a difference in their employee’s lives. They talk about customer service “if our employees are happy, they will make our customers happy.” Yet the environment that these employees work in makes one feel robotic. When employees begin to look like the walls – plain and uninteresting – you begin to lose the connection with your team members, your customers and eventually you lose profits.

This issue is about the environment in your office. Does it make your employees happy? Does it help them think and function better? How about your personal space? Does it make you happy? Are you thriving in your environment?

I am definitely not a designer or artist. My aesthetic level on the DiSC Profile is so low it is almost non existent. If I notice an environmental issue that will effect the team environment or productivity, then it must really need help. So often I see small things that can make a world of difference, like a blank wall that can have a beautiful picture or motivational poster, a coffee dispensing system that gives employees a choice (instead of 10 hour old coffee). These things don’t cost a fortune, but they can reap a fortune by increasing satisfaction and productivity.

Thank you in advance for forwarding this issue to your staff, co-workers, business associates and anyone interested in increasing productivity, increasing their ability to achieve, and increasing their ability to manage and be part of an effective team! I am dedicated to the personal and professional success of each and every one of you!

If someone sent this newsletter along to you and you would like to subscribe,

Please go to http://www.pegine.com to start your own subscription!!

You can also email mailto:info@pegine.com and write “I Subscribe”

Thank you for referring me for: Conferences, Facilitation needs, Team Building Events, Coaching and Consulting Projects

Your all access pass to your potential!

With you in mind,

Pegine

____________________________________
~In this months e-zine you’ll find~

• Pegine’s Thought of the Month

• Quote of the Month

• Try-its – Simple Steps for Magnificent Rewards

• Kick Butt Actions – Strategies to make an impact

• News from Pegine
____________________________________
~Pegine’s Thought of the Month:~

Most people don’t notice their environment. Then something changes – a new picture, the color of a wall, or a new machine. It is then that they realize how the environment was holding them back.

Pegine Echevarria, MSW
____________________________________
~Quotes of the Month:~

Humans, like animals, interact with and respond to their environment far more than we are aware of at the conscious level.

Kevin Hogan
____________________________________
~Try-its: ~

According to Feng Shui expert Vicky White, here are some try its that you can use in your office, so that you take ownership of your environment and make yourself feel happy and comfortable at work.

CLEAR THE CLUTTER IN YOUR OFFICE
Clutter is anything unfinished, unused, unresolved, tolerated or disorganized. When you clear your clutter you create space for new things and your energy and creativity will increase. (I’m working on this one.)

Clutter is like emotional constipation - it bogs you down. Filing cabinets need to be regularly purged and desktops kept clutter free.

BUY A HEALTHY PLANT
A plant will bring life into your workspace and will also absorb toxins in the air. (If you are like me – Pegine- you will have to buy a plant every week because I forget to take care of them. Chia plants work for me!)

CREATE A NOURISHING VIEW
What do you see when you look up from your desk? If you see a brick wall, this could explain why you feel stuck! Paint the wall a color you love, hang a favorite painting or poster. Make sure what you see as you are thinking, uplifts you and nourishes your creativity.

PLACE YOUR DESK IN THE ‘POWER’ POSITION
The ideal placement for your computer and desk is in a position that allows you to see the door of your office. If this is not possible, you can restore good Feng Shui by arranging a mirror that gives you a clear view of the door. A small convex mirror designed for use on car side mirrors can be purchased and stuck to the edge of your computer. cost – about $3.00.

Copyright 2002 Vicky White. All rights reserved. Vicky’s email is Vicky@LifeDesignStrategies.com
____________________________________
Pegine’s new six CD success series is now available on line.

This six CD set will raise your level of success. Each CD provides you with the information and know-how to be more effective in your career and life. You'll be able to listen to the CD's in the comfort of your Team Pegine T-Shirt and also receive For All Our Daughters, by Pegine Echevarria, both included free with your 6 CD set order - a $25.00 savings!

$119.70 (shipping included) Order the 6 CD set http://www.pegine.com/order.cfm with free book
____________________________________

~Kick-butt actions: ~

1. Look at your company’s mission statement and value statement.
2. Look at your office. Really notice the entrance, the cubicles and the offices. Are they well marked? Are there plants? What colors are used?
3. Look at the restroom areas. What can be improved?
4. Notice the placement of your desk and how your surrounding area is being used? What can you add?
5. Once you have made a note of the things that can be improved, share your thoughts with your boss, HR person or team leader. Once discrepancies between environment and mission statements are pointed out, most companies make the effort to make things right.
6. If not – do what you can to make things right for your coworkers and for yourself.
____________________________________
~Communication Tip from Pegine:~

Here is a list that is Just for Fun or for when you run out of things to talk about during a networking event (PS I received this from my mom, who received it from someone else, who received it from someone else and so on…).

1. Money isn't made out of paper; it's made out of cotton.
2. The 57 on Heinz ketchup bottle represents the varieties of pickles the company once made.
3. Your stomach produces a new layer of mucus every two weeks; otherwise it will digest itself (eeww).
4. The Declaration of Independence was written on hemp paper.
5. The dot over the letter 'i' is called a "tittle".
6. A raisin dropped in a glass of fresh champagne will bounce up and down continuously from the bottom of the glass to the top.
7. A duck's quack doesn't echo ... no one knows why.
8. 40% of McDonald's profits come from the sales of Happy Meals.
9. Every person has a unique tongue print.
10. 315 entries in Webster's 1996 Dictionary were misspelled.
11. The 'spot' on 7-UP comes from its inventor who had red eyes. He was albino.
12. On average, 12 newborns will be given to the wrong parents daily.
13. During the chariot scene in 'Ben Hur' a small red car can be seen in the distance.
14. Warren Beatty and Shirley MacLaine are brother and sister.
15. Chocolate affects a dog's heart and nervous system; a few ounces will kill a small sized dog.
16. Orcas (killer whales) kill sharks by torpedoing up into the shark's stomach from underneath, causing the shark to explode.
17. Most lipstick contains fish scales (eeww).
18. Donald Duck comics were banned from Finland because he doesn't wear pants!
19. Ketchup was sold in the 1830s as medicine.
20. Upper and lower case letters are named 'upper' and ‘lower’ because in the time when all original print had to be set in individual letters, the 'upper case' letters were stored in the case on top of the case that stored the smaller, 'lower case' letters.
21. Leonardo da Vinci could write with one hand and draw with the other at the same time (so multi-tasking was invented).
22. Because metal was scarce, the Oscars given out during World War II were made of wood.
23. There are no clocks in Las Vegas gambling casinos.
24. The name Wendy was made up for the book Peter Pan - there was never a recorded Wendy before!
25. There are no words in the dictionary that rhyme with: orange, purple, and silver!
26. Leonardo Da Vinci invented scissors. Also, it took him 10 years to paint Mona Lisa's lips.
27. A tiny amount of liquor on a scorpion will make it instantly go mad and sting itself to death.
28. The mask used by Michael Myers in the original "Halloween" was a Captain Kirk mask painted white.
29. If you have three quarters, four dimes, and four pennies, you have $1.19. You also have the largest amount of money in coins without being able to make change for a dollar (... good to know ...).
30. By raising your legs slowly and lying on your back, you can't sink in quicksand
31. The phrase "rule of thumb" is derived from an old English law, which stated that you couldn't beat your wife with anything wider than your thumb.
32. American Airlines saved $40,000 in '87 by eliminating one olive from each salad served in first class.
33. The first product Motorola started to develop was a record player for automobiles. At that time, the most known player on the market was the Victrola, so they called themselves Motorola.
34. Celery has negative calories! It takes more calories to eat a piece of celery than the celery has in it to begin with. It's the same with apples!
35. Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying.
36. The glue on Israeli postage stamps is certified kosher.
37. Guinness Book of Records holds the record for being the book most often stolen from Public Libraries.
38. Back in the mid to late 80's, an IBM compatible computer wasn't considered a hundred percent compatible unless it could run Microsoft's Flight Simulator game.
39. Astronauts are not allowed to eat beans before they go into space because passing wind in a space suit damages them.
__________________________________________________
Pegine Echevarria has worked with people in a variety of settings, from infant and toddler centers to corporate headquarters. She observed how many opportunities people have and how they may ignore them, or learn to use them to create more successful and fuller lives - in other words - to be leaders in their own lives. She has worked with individuals, teams, sales forces, students and corporations. Pegine identifies the actions, thoughts, beliefs, policies and procedures that prevent companies from increasing their employees’ productivity, individuals from having the success they deserve and teams from being effective. Pegine's expertise lies in:
 Identifying the nuances that stop success
 Developing success strategies that enable individuals, teams, sales forces and corporations to reach their full potential.

Pegine's has over 15 years of experience as a nationally recognized expert on success, leadership, and teambuilding, and 30 years of experience in the workplace, ranging from corporate America to public service. Mark Victor Hansen of the Chicken Soup Series calls Pegine the "WOW of WOWS". She is ranked as one of the top two motivational speakers of Hispanic descent in the country.

Pegine shares her expertise through her consulting projects and in her interactive, fun keynotes, workshops, and teambuilding programs. She is an author of success, leadership, and teambuilding books and audio products.

Contact (904) 280-8806 or info@pegine.com
____________________________________
To unsubscribe please email: info@pegine.com mailto:Pegine@pegine.com in the subject section write “Unsubscribe”

Pegine Echevarria, MSW, copyrights all material on this site. Information from this site may be reprinted or quoted by members of the media, provided a specific credit to Pegine Echevarria, MSW is included.
This site designed by Herbin Consulting©