There are some simple phrases that will help any employer and employee work together to achieve their joint goals. However, these phrases are not often clearly stated in books or articles pertaining to leadership. Therefore, instead of thumbing through pages of the latest business books or searching the web for these phrases, just keep reading.

If you’re the EMPLOYEE:

• “What do you want me to do?”
• “How am I doing?”

If you’re the EMPLOYER:

• “Here’s what I need you to do.”
• “How are you doing?”

Believe it or not, it really is this simple. Just keep using these phrases on a regular basis until the project is completed.

As an employee, think of how often you’ve started working on a project without asking these two questions. “What do you want me to do?” and “How am I doing?” How often have you been in the middle of a project and thought about asking these questions, but you just kept silent?

As an employer, think of how often you’ve given an assignment without using the first statement, “Here’s what I need you to do.” And then following up with the second statement after the work has begun, “How are you doing?”

Perhaps you could send a copy of this article to your employer or an employee in your organization. After you send the article, take a few moments to exchange these phrases with the recipient. Keep exchanging the phrases during the assignment or project and you’ll be amazed at how much you will both achieve.

If you’re reluctant to send the article to someone, you can simply begin using these two phrases with your employer or employee. It won’t take long before you will be working together more effectively to achieve your goals.

Would you like to demonstrate how much you care for others by doing something that’s easy to do?

It’s called the Sundown Rule. I discovered it a few years ago when I was conducting a training session for some Walmart employees at their headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas. The training session had concluded and the Walmart Training Director and I were about to leave the Walmart headquarters for a quiet dinner to discuss the events of the day. As we were leaving the Training Director’s office, he paused and said, “Just a minute. I need to reply to an email. I don’t want to break the Sundown Rule.”

I watched him return to his computer and take about twenty seconds to click a few computer keys. As soon as he finished, he said, “Okay. We can go now.”

Two things immediately came to mind. First, how could he reply to an email in only twenty seconds? Second, what in the world is the Sundown Rule? During our dinner conversation, he answered both questions.

Regarding the Sundown Rule, it seems that Sam Walton was a stickler for not procrastinating. He lived by the philosophy, “Why put off until tomorrow what you can do today?” This was especially true when it came to responding to customers, vendors and employees. He was fond of saying, “People know you care when you follow up quickly with answers to questions and concerns.” Over the years, this came to be known as the Walmart “Sundown Rule”—Strive to answer requests by sundown on the day you receive them. You can be sure that they take this rule seriously. By the way, this rule only applies to requests received during office hours in order to allow employees to spend their time away from the office with family or friends.

So how did my friend answer an email in only twenty seconds? It was easy. He simply typed, “Thank you for your email. I will give it some thoughtful consideration and respond to you tomorrow.” By doing this, he was assuring the sender that he had read the email the same day it was sent and that he intended to reply with a thoughtful response the next day.

I’m perplexed at why so few leaders are not willing to take the time to practice this very simple principle. How many times have you sent an email to someone during business hours and after 24 or 48 hours you still haven’t received a response?  How does it make you feel? Now, here’s the more difficult question. How many times has someone sent an email to you during business hours and 24 to 48 hours elapse before you respond? Ouch!

The Sundown Rule is a great way to demonstrate to others that you care. Give it a try. You’ll be amazed at the results!

While driving down the freeway in Houston earlier this week, I saw a large billboard hosted by a local trade school that caught my attention. In large white bold letters it proclaimed, “Train for 7 Months and Weld for Life.”  In smaller letters, it provided the name of the trade school and contact information.

My initial response was, “Wow! Thanks a great deal.” All you have to do is invest seven months of your life, and probably some financial resources, and you can have a job for the rest of your life. Not a bad payoff. Bottom-lline—Investing in yourself brings rewards. 

For many of us life and work seem to get in the way of our investment in ourselves. As I coach leaders in both profit and non-profit organizations, I continually hear, “I’ve been so busy with my life and work that I don’t have time to do something for just me. Someone else always needs something from me.” If you’re struggling in your life or career, you’re probably not investing in yourself.

When we invest in ourselves, we receive “appreciating benefits.” It’s like building a solid and secure foundation upon which one can build a fulfilling life and career.

So the question is, “How are you investing in yourself?” Perhaps you could read a book or attend a class and learn something you’ve always wanted to learn. Leisure Learning Houston has a number of short-term and low-cost classes that can help you learn something new. Maybe you can take a long walk, listen to some music or pick up that musical instrument you haven’t played for years. You might even want to get some exercise or some much-needed sleep.

At ReWorkMe we are dedicated to helping individuals and organizations in achieving their life purpose by investing in themselves. Contact Us and let us know how we can help you invest in yourself.