Gary Ng

Happiness – Staying True to Your Core Values

admin — Mon, 27 May 2013 02:27:45 +0000

In this life, we all strive for happiness. Some set the goal of achieving happiness through their work, some through their relationships; others spend a lifetime searching for the key to happiness when in reality it has been within them all along. Perhaps, to be truly happy you have to accept and appreciate who you really are. Knowing what your core values are and living by them makes attaining happiness much easier.

Core values are the beliefs about yourself that determine how you interact with the world. There are so many situations in life that can challenge these values. In business for example, the more successful you are the more a down turn can affect you and your business. It is important to take action when these events occur to protect your interests. But more importantly, staying true to your core values will give you a deeper satisfaction knowing that you found the solution to the challenge while keeping your integrity. Business without heart, it is just profitability and revenue. It becomes a mechanical process that inhibits the creativity and personal ownership of your staff. For some people that is how they see their business and that’s what works for them. But if your business is your in alignment with your purpose and you are passionate about what you do, you know that your business is more than just numbers. Whether you are in a small to medium business or you are the CEO of a large corporation, it is up to you to set the tone and the level of expected integrity for your company.

Life has its ups and downs and businesses go through the same process. It’s the nature of the economy. When these challenges cross your path they will either stretch you and you will grow through them, or they can break you. It’s a choice. If you have certainty about who you are and why you do the things you do, you have a strong foundation to build your personal and business lives on. This makes getting through the rough patches easier.

What challenges are occurring in your life today? How can you find solutions to those challenges, whilst staying true to your core values?

Leadership – Enhancing Creativity, Taking Ownership

admin — Mon, 27 May 2013 00:56:34 +0000

When I think about the roles of managers, I reflect on the processes of the “top to bottom” approach of driving a team. In the past, the typical structure of a company was based on a hierarchy system that did not encourage employees to take ownership of their roles. This structure can lead to a decrease in creativity in your staff as well as diminishing their personal empowerment. This regimented hierarchy system is limiting and creates stagnation in companies. When you empower people who to take ownership of their role and be proactive in leading themselves and the team to success, you create strong productive leaders. Take the example of Mark Shapiro and how he turned the Six Flags Amusement Park chain around.

This amusement park chain was in decline. The reputation of the parks were such that rides were often closing to save on maintenance costs the employees looked like they would really rather be somewhere else. The customer service surveys that were coming in were very poor and the profits and revenues were reflecting that as well. Mark decided that he was going to take a look at the surveys and found that most of the complaints came in about the janitorial crews. Not only were people dissatisfied with the cleanliness of the park, but the attitudes of the cleaning crews were atrocious. Mark went to the employees and told them that he wanted them to compete with Disney. They looked at him as if he had lost his mind. But, he was serious. He wanted people to be able to come to their local park and have the most amazing experience at a price they could afford. So after speaking to the crews, he decided to become one of them for a week. During that time he spoke with his new employees and found that they did not take ownership of their roles and they felt greatly disrespected. They saw the customers of the parks as unappreciative and their work was a waste of time. Now the problem with that was; those same customers were the ones who were paying for their family’s educations, the food on their table, and the roofs over their heads. Mark made it clear to the staff, that their pay checks were written by the company, but they were funded by the customers. No customers, no pay.

Mark created a vision for the team but left it to the individuals to come up with better ways to serve the customers along with doing their janitorial duties. In the beginning, there weren’t any incentives offered, only that each employee could gain recognition for being a “super star” crew member. He set meetings with his staff to brain storm ways of creating a friendly, customer service oriented approach to keeping the parks looking spectacular. Of course, there was a bit of opposition from some of the employees, and if they could not take ownership of their new roles, such as walking with people to get them to a desired destination, or making sure they were giving out correct information, they were let go after a series of coaching sessions. But slowly, the new reviews started coming in and they were greatly improved as was the level of employee satisfaction. He used this model throughout the entire business, in all of the parks, and gave a dying business new life.

We are all leaders. There are moments in everyday when someone steps up, takes ownership of a conversation, or a project, and leads others to be empowered to do the same.

Where in your business is there a need for an influx of creativity? How can you empower your staff to take ownership of their roles and become leaders in their field?

Power to the People – Why Success Is In the Hands of Your Staff, Not Management

admin — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 05:59:02 +0000

Bureaucracy, red tape, delays and having to run everything through a succession of managers. It’s amazing that any work gets done these days! There are far too many organisations that have numerous management layers. Instead of promoting efficiency, it leads to confusion and lack of productivity. Team members are given a task and told to concentrate on it without any clue as to how it fits into the company’s overall goals. I learned long ago that layers of hierarchy only led to reduced efficiency which is why we have completely eliminated management structure and have instead created a workplace environment at E-Web Marketing that team members love. Here is how you can follow suit.

Establish a Team Culture

I have found that leaders emerge in every team and there is absolutely no need to ‘nominate’ a leader. Forget about titles and grow accustomed to the fact that small groups of people working together with a defined goal will be successful and productive. There is no need for a hierarchy as team members can choose their own titles and assess their own performance. This leads to increased growth and best of all, no time is wasted through the process of having to ‘report’ to someone!

Clearly Defined Goals

Creating small teams and giving each one a short-term goal helps staff realise that there is a clear objective they are working towards. The combination of clear goals and short windows of time means it is easier than ever before to measure performance level and learn from past mistakes. Each team will feel as if they are working for one another rather than a ‘boss’ and there will be collective responsibility for the project.

Reduce Rigidity

Although I founded E-Web Marketing, the last thing I want to do is impose a strict set of rules and guidelines. Treat team members as adults and not teenagers if you want the best results. E-Web Marketing staff thrives under the flexibility they are afforded which includes no strict working hours and vacation times. We measure productivity through work done not hours spent at work. Team members even have the option to work from home: Once they complete their task for the day, they’re free to do what they want.

Show Real Leadership

A real leader doesn’t scold staff members. Instead, he guides and supports them in a bid to steer them in the right direction. Rather than immediately coming up with a solution to a team member’s problem, pose some pertinent questions to help him find the solution himself as this helps him grow. In contrast, shouting at the staff member and giving him all the answers may help in the short-term but will do nothing for the company in the long run. Additionally, such conduct is only likely to lead to resentment.

At E-Web Marketing, we have thrown the rule book out of the window and conventional workplace ‘wisdom’ does not apply. Trusting team members and allowing them to grow has led to immense success so we must be doing something right! Get rid of management and usher in a new era of staff happiness and productivity.

Love to hear your thoughts on whether you think this would work in your business?

How to Emulate the World’s Happiest Country in the Workplace

admin — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 17:10:16 +0000

America has dominated the global economic landscape for a long time so it’s only natural that entrepreneurs in Australia and around the world would seek to emulate American work practices. While some of the techniques they use will help you accumulate more money, it appears as if they won’t do much for happiness in the workplace! American organisations have been accused of fostering a working environment laden with stress, anger and sadness and too many companies in Australia have followed suit.

I found it fascinating to learn that Iceland is deemed to be one of the happiest countries in the world to work in. Unsurprisingly, Icelandic companies follow the same principles we incorporate at E-Web Marketing. Here are some tips we can take from our Icelandic friends and please note that unlike in Australia where we get glorious sunshine for most of the year, Iceland’s location means it is dark and cold for much of the year which means these tips MUST be exceptional!

Encourage Outside Interests

Workplaces make the mistake of seeking to make their team members workaholics who care about nothing ‘but the job’. Outside interests are frowned upon and staff are not allowed bring their hobbies into the workplace, even just to show off to colleagues. In Iceland, companies encourage multiple interests as they realize that it prevents burnout and improves outlook.

Family

In countries like the United States, companies tend to view family as a distraction from work when it should be the other way around! In Iceland, companies offer generous maternity leave packages and also to pay for day care as a benefit. Workweeks are tailored around an individual’s needs because Icelandic organisations know that an active family life means a happier team member.

Foster a Sense of Community

This is precisely what we do at E-Web Marketing and it’s great to see that an entire country feels the same way as we do! While there is much to be said for individual achievement, it is important to recognise that the greatest success can only be attained with the help of others. At E-Web Marketing, we always acknowledge individual achievement but continually strive to help one another out because completing the project to the satisfaction of our clients is the #1 goal. Plus, it feels really good to help someone!

Health

The obesity epidemic in Western nations such as the United States is no secret yet companies encourage its growth by their failure to provide healthy meals. They expect team members to work long hours with little time to eat so the least they could do is have healthy meal options in the staff store. In Iceland, they eat fresh fish and organic vegetables but more importantly, Icelandic companies give staff TIME to enjoy a relaxing lunch. At E-Web Marketing, we understand the importance of good nutrition and give our team members the time to have a lengthy lunch and eat a healthy and hearty meal to recharge their batteries. We offer complimentary fresh fruits every day to our team. We even allow exhausted team members to have a daytime snooze because productivity should be measured in work performed, not hours spent at a given task.

Follow the above tips from the world’s happiest nation and reap the rewards of a healthy, happy and energetic workforce. In the end, your company will benefit and will also attract talented team members eager to be part of an organisation that cares.

What does your company do to inspire happiness in its employees?

5 Ways to Keep Employees Happy

admin — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 17:07:55 +0000

When we think of ways to keep team members happy, it’s easy to get carried away with ‘perks’. For example, Google’s corporate headquarters is famous for providing perks such as massages, medical care onsite and dry cleaning. While these are excellent benefits to have, when Google interviewed their employees, it found that team members valued things like having managers that took a genuine interest in the lives of their staff and being allowed to express themselves creatively.

In the modern era, a high salary and myriad of benefits is no longer enough to keep top team members happy. If it’s not about the money or perks, how do organizations keep their group happy? Read on for 5 important strategies that will keep star performers engaged and promote harmony in the workplace.

1 – Give Them Feedback

It is a mistake to simply wait for an ‘annual review’ to evaluate performance and give credit where it is due. One of the biggest issues staff members have with any company is that their managers do not provide enough feedback regardless of whether the comments are positive or negative. Statements like ‘good job’ or ‘not good enough’ are nothing more than empty phrases. It is important to give detailed feedback, whether it is positive or negative, straight away so the team member can either continue his excellent performance or rectify any mistakes he has made.

2 – Balance Stimulating & Dull Projects

Although we try to have fun at E-Web Marketing, we are aware that there are mundane projects that need to be completed. However, we ensure there is a balance between these less than thrilling tasks and projects that team members are passionate about. By doing this, your team will effortlessly get through the more bland aspects of their work in anticipation of the more exciting project. Additionally, you should always explain why the dull projects are so important to the company.

3 – Public Praise

Don’t just bring team members into your office and quietly thank them for a job well done, provide them with public acknowledgement as this serves to enhance the effect of the praise. When a staff member is praised in public, he will feel 10 feet tall and more motivated than ever as well as receiving kudos from his peers. At E-Web Marketing we have a Star & Props session every week where team members can nominate each other for a star. The nomination comes with a compliment or reasons why that person deserves a star. The stars can be redeemed for real rewards like movie tickets, sky diving and more. A heartfelt ‘thank you’ in full view of the team will do wonders for the recipient’s confidence and mood.

4 – One-on-One Meetings

Having weekly one-on-one meetings with team members is an excellent way to keep everyone up to speed with project status and goals whilst also enabling managers to provide detailed feedback. Initially, it may feel awkward but soon, all members of the group will become accustomed to the meetings and will relish the opportunity to speak frankly about any given work-related topic. Most organisations are guilty of neglecting staff with the only meaningful dialogue taking place during the dreaded annual review. One-on-one meetings help team members become more confident and more willing to speak openly. This can only improve job satisfaction and productivity.

5 – Encourage Independent Learning

Another major issue in the corporate world is lack of training. Aside from the initial training, few companies devote the time or resources to educating team members. This is a huge mistake because in my experience, having the ability to learn is a massive motivator. Businesses don’t realise that their staff learns much of its skills ‘on the job’ through independent learning as they are forced into it due to the lack of attention on the company’s part. At E-Web Marketing, we have a culture of education where team members are given the resources to learn on their own. The result is highly skilled individuals that feel enriched every single day.

Never assume that economic uncertainty or dangling benefits in front of peoples’ noses will be enough to keep them on board. We live in an era where team members expect to be treated as adults and desire respect and job satisfaction. Fail to provide them with this and you better believe that they will take their skills elsewhere.

Do you use any other methods of keeping team members happy at work?

Are You Successful in Life?

admin — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 17:05:45 +0000

What kind of person would you consider as somebody who is successful in life? For many people, the first stereotype that comes to mind is the successful businessman with a lot of financial freedom. What if this successful businessman worked around the clock and didn’t have time to foster deep relationships with other people or even look after his own health? Would you still consider this person as somebody who is successful in life?

I believe that a successful person is fulfilled in all aspects of their life, both professional and personal. This is the key to being happy which many people don’t realise until they reach their career goal then ask themselves “Now what?”. This is why at E-Web Marketing we want to help other people reach their ultimate goal in their career, relationships, family, health and other important aspects of their life through our “Success Series“.

The Success Series is a free monthly event for entrepreneurs to hear from featured guest speakers and then share ideas with likeminded individuals through networking. To kick-start our series we had one of Australiasia’s leading holistic nutrition specialist and weight loss expert Dr Libby Weaver (Ph.D) educate our guests on how to harness their body’s biochemistry and exposed her dynamic approach to weight loss and permanent attainment of good health.

Since 1999, Dr Libby has consulted and empowered all sorts of individuals from stay-at-home-mums to celebrities. She is a regular columnist for magazines such as Taste Magazine, Good Health Magazine and is the author of the best-selling book “Accidentally Overweight”. Her message and expertise has worked for thousands of people already which was what we wanted to bring to our Success Series guests.

Our most recent keynote speaker for the Success Series Event: “How to Win Friends and Influence People in the 21st Century” was Andrew Morello. Morello grew up with an entrepreneurial mind-set and started running dance parties from the early age of 15. This is where his lifelong exposure to the business and the property industry began which lead him to working in real estate, winning The Apprentice, working side-by-side Mark Bouris as Head of Business Development at Yellow Brick Road and starting a jewellery business venture with Bellagio & Co.

Through his experiences he realised the power of relationships and the opportunities they can create, or as he prefers to call it, the importance of “Shaking hands and kissing babies”. During the event he shared his three important steps to creating a raving fan out of anyone:

Prepare
Wake Up
Evaluate and Dominate

Morello also shared bonus tips on how to cultivate win-win relationships and how to harness knowing a lot about a little and a little about a lot to build ever-lasting relationships.

If you would like to attend our next Success Series event, subscribe to our newsletter on the E-Web Marketing website here.

E‐Web Marketing spreading Happiness, Success & Fun through charity

admin — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 16:56:35 +0000

My company’s vision is to Spread Happiness, Success and Fun (HSF) to everyone we encounter. This does not limit to only the people I do business with at E-Web Marketing. It could be someone I met in an elevator or someone I am sitting next to on the plane. The vision of HSF is something that is passionately embraced by the team of E-Webbers who work in a company environment that enables them to achieve their goals, and help others do the same.

So at the end of last year, E-Web was privileged to be invited to attend Triple Care Farm’s Graduation Day for 2012. Located in scenic Robertson, Triple Care Farm is a successful rehabilitation facility for troubled youths who have experienced challenges beyond their years including homelessness, substance abuse, mental illness and acute behavioural problems.

Triple Care Farm has a high rate of graduating students, with close to 70% of students graduating at the end of each year. The life changing program provides significant improvements in the future quality of life for students, many of whom go on to enter employment, ongoing training and education and over 91% are placed into stable accommodation. To be able to help these students who have persevered through the toughest environments to achieve Happiness, Success and Fun and then go on to smash their own personal goals is both rewarding and inspiring.

We were well represented by the E-Web Team who all volunteered to help with the set up of the graduation ceremony, cook the BBQ and serve the students and their family and friends on the day. Very proud of everyone who invested their time and energy in reaching out to those who need us. Can’t wait to do it again next year!

“Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.” Albert Einstein

admin — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 16:51:56 +0000

Many of us are lucky enough to spend Christmas and all year round under a roof with our families and loved ones. On the other hand, those at Mission Australia’s Charles Chambers Court are not so lucky.

The residents of Charles Chambers Court consist of men and women who have no home and no family to turn to. Many of them are elderly and without the proper living conditions are unable to look after themselves. Luckily, thanks to the kindness of Mission Australia, their Aged Care Facility in Charles Chambers Court is now keeping many people off the streets and in a safer home. They are provided with a warm bed, plenty of meals and a dedicated team of staff to provide the residents with proper care.

On the 15th of December 2012, E-Webbers spent their second Christmas morning tea at Charles Chambers Court to spread the holiday cheer. We arrived at Charles Chambers Court nice and early to serve pastries, cakes and morning tea essentials then spent quality time getting to know the residents and sharing a few jokes and stories.

Many of the residents had so many life stories, fun memories as well as photographs to share. It brought a smile on their faces knowing that they had people there just to share some tea and talk to and it brought a smile to my face to see every E-Webber sharing so much fun and laughter with the residents.

After some remarkable chats and photographs that we can cherish for a lifetime, we decided to give back to the less fortunate residents by providing them each with a care package for Christmas containing all the bare essentials they’ll need for their day-to-day. It was heart-warming to see so many faces light up and I’m so grateful that Mission Australia has provided these wonderful souls with a roof over their head and someone to look after them.

If you haven’t heard of Mission Australia before, they run many programs across Australia to help those who are unable to do so themselves. Giving back is the most rewarding feeling and there are many things you can do to help the less fortunate get back on their feet.

Christmas Celebration Continues

After Morning Tea at Charles Chambers Court, E-Web’s day of ‘Giving Back’ didn’t stop there! To add a little fun and games we split into teams of 4-5 people and each team was given $100 to use to spread as much Happiness, Success and Fun as possible to the Sydney Streets.

The purpose of the exercise is two folds.

For us to experience the joy of bringing happiness to someone other than ourselves
To challenge our ability to reach the maximum amount of people with limited resources.

Each team had to record or capture what they did with their $100 and by the end of the day the footage was condensed into a video to be played at the E-Webber’s Christmas Party that night at the Hyde Park Barracks Cafe.

It was so great to see everybody arrive at Hyde Park Barracks Cafe still so full of energy despite a full day at Charles Chambers Court and running around the City. After we all shared a few drinks and laughs, as a token of my appreciation I got on the microphone and thanked the E-Web Family as well as each E-Web Member individually. There were a lot of new faces in the family at this year’s Christmas Party but we’ve had such a tremendous year together that I had so much gratitude to express to each and every one of them. The contribution that we have made to society this morning as well as the constant care and dedication the E-Web Family has shown to their clients and to each other, is very heartwarming to witness.

Following my speech was the video montage of how each team spent their $100 budget to spread Happiness, Success and Fun. My team went around the City and gave away hundreds of colourful balloons to strangers for free, another team dressed up as Santa Claus and his elves and gave away candy canes – they instantly became an attraction for kids, families and tourists alike. The winning team that ended up getting the most votes for spreading the most Happiness, Success and Fun came up with the clever idea of putting together bundles of gifts and leaving them inside a mysterious large box with the sign “Free Gifts!”. When watching the video footage, at the beginning the passers-by were very skeptical and were hesitant to reach inside the box but once the Happiness started to spread, the laughter and fun quickly ensued. Seeing frowns turning upside down was definitely one of the highlights of our day!

For the remainder of the night we spent it on the dancefloor with our fantastic DJ. It was a really great way to end the year and we are all so excited for 2013!

Why E-Web Marketing was voted as one of the best places to work in Australia.

admin — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 16:45:06 +0000

E-Web Marketing was recently featured on Today Tonight as one of the best places to work in Australia. Take a glimpse into the E-Web office to see how fun, flexible and a relaxed work environment can do wonders to improve productivity and keep staff happy.

Can Flexibility Guarantee Productivity?

admin — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 16:42:46 +0000

Organisations with a high staff turnover need to take a long, hard look at how they operate. If you read my blog regularly, you will know that I am a major advocate of introducing fun, happiness and positivity to the workplace. Companies that don’t offer flexibility to their employees will quickly lose staff as the modern team member wants to contribute to the business but also seek freedom and flexibility in their work arrangements.

Flex For Success

Businesses that have inflexible work arrangements are losing quality staff and have difficulty attracting talented new team members, especially in a competitive industry such as I.T. But why is flexibility so important? When a company’s staff gets the freedom to choose the hours they work and where they complete projects, they automatically feel a lower stress level because they are in control. Team members often become stressed out because they feel a certain level of pressure as they are forced to stick to certain deadlines and hours where they must get the work done. Flexibility completely removes this barrier and helps staff to relax. Additionally, having the chance to work from home means less travel time which equals a greater level of productivity. With extra hours to play with, staff can choose to work at their usual speed and have more time off or work at a more relaxed pace to get the job done.

One of the reasons why E-Web Marketing is successful is because we show our commitment to making staff happier. We offer a number of flexible arrangements including working from home and flexible hours. We are also aware that staff can simply become tired at work and an exhausted team member is not a productive one. This is why we have a designated ‘sleeping room’ where staff can take a quick power nap and get right back to work when they are refreshed.

Instead of focusing on the ‘clock in, clock out’ timesheet method, we are more concerned with the final outcome. E-Web Marketing also allows the flexibility to outsource repetitive tasks such as data entry so that our team members can focus solely on the project aspects they are passionate about. There have even been occasions where our team members have carried out work while they are sipping pina colada on a nice beach in Thailand! A valued team member is a happy one and someone that brings this positive spirit into the workplace.

Flexibility Equals Productivity

At the end of the day, your company’s goal is to meet certain targets. Provide flexibility to your team and watch as your team members comfortably achieve these goals. I.B.M conducted an experiment where staff members were allowed to take as much time off as they wanted without having to provide lengthy notice as long as their assigned work was done. This was an incredibly popular decision and I.B.M benefited from heightened productivity and very low staff turnover.

While you don’t have to go down the road of ultra-freedom paved by I.B.M, you do need to take better care of your staff. Offering better payment will only succeed to a point because eventually, money ceases to be a motivating factor. What your team really values is freedom and the ability to live a chosen lifestyle. Inflexible organisations find that staff phone in sick regularly without necessarily being ill. It doesn’t take long for such individuals to say ‘enough is enough’ and leave altogether.

It has been proven that flexibility equals staff happiness which eventually leads to improved productivity. Rather than take advantage of the freedom you give them in a negative way, your team will actually use it as a motivating factor and work harder than ever before because they know a reward is waiting for them later on. When your team has something to look forward to, there is nothing stopping them, or you!

Have you heard of other interesting ways to create flexibility for workers?