As a born Calgarian, I’m familiar with the signs. I listened carefully this Spring when I heard from giants in the oil business say, “Oh, this won’t be nearly as long or deep as our previous recession.

 

The year 2015 has been a hard year for many. Who would have thought, even earlier this year, oil would dive below $40.00/barrel today? The same day of writing this article. As an individual who has an ear to the ground and actively chooses to listen, I could feel the ground shaking. As a born Calgarian, I’m familiar with the signs. I listened carefully this Spring when I heard from giants in the oil business say, “Oh, this won’t be nearly as long or deep as our previous recession. We will get through this short storm quickly.” Well, so much for listening.

Oddly enough, I feel blessed to have been exposed to major adjustments with workplaces for the past few years of my career. These experiences have provided me with some great workshop material. They have also prepared me to know how to stand-up and correct my direction for better focus on the end game and higher productivity. Adapting and adjusting can catch me off guard, especially when I see previous colleagues and friends go through the pain of having to adjust to a whole new career path. One they had never planned on taking. The truth is new beginnings truly allow us as individuals to look inward and realize we are responsible for our own intrinsic motivation. This genuinely makes sense and is much easier than relying on others to motivate us, especially since the leaders you may seek energy and motivation from may not have any idea how to motivate themselves let alone you.

While there is no app for that, there is a reason. Lack of motivation is disengagement at over 80%. No passion or feeling valued about what or how we contribute. Have you ever wondered if the leaders in your company even know what you really do? Now let me ask you, would it matter if you had been acknowledged and did know they valued your contribution? YES! We get energy from knowing we are making a meaningful contribution.

Your value is unique and complex and how you connect your skills and experience individually or with others could create new opportunities to shine.

Finding strength to pick yourself up and shift can be a challenge. A challenge we must meet! Your value is unique and complex and how you connect your skills and experience individually or with others could create new opportunities to shine. Companies have also been given a golden opportunity to ensure they walk the talk of that mission and vision statement and serve their employees, contractors, vendors, and clients purposefully. Companies who see those they work with internally or externally as strategic alliances recognize together we are always stronger, have the edge, overcome adversity, work smarter, and accomplish goals!

Graduating from the Certified Individual Motivation Map Practitioners Program (CIMMP) was a valued step I chose along my journey to helping others. I cannot say enough about the optimism I have gained. This is an outstanding program through Motivation Map Solutions which offers sustainable answers to move toward establishing much healthier, productive, and happier work-places. At this point, what could be better than to have the ability to know exactly the right way to retain our talent and to engage individuals so they feel they are the right fit after being recruited into the exact position where they will love what they do? This is the very reason I wanted to become a Human Resources Professional. I want to assist individuals, teams, and companies in the most proactive, reasonable, strategic, measurable, sustainable, and justifiable way possible. I want to help companies reach or exceed goals knowing each of their contributions is making an unquestionable difference everyday.

We don’t need a crystal ball to know valuing your employees with care, even during restructuring and regardless of the current employer market, will save your company’s reputation. For those who remain at your company right now, you’ve invested in these individuals, and they are your company’s internal drivers towards all business. Pay them fairly, but did you know, they’re not just there for the salary? Acknowledgement and fair pay goes farther than you think!

Let’s revisit how to leverage your team’s productivity, your company’s reputation reality, and yours and your employees’ responsibilities. Now is the time to build a strong treasured staff to withstand and survive when you need it the most. Are you up to the task? Find out in the second part of my article in the January 2016 issue of Oilfield PULSE.

We cannot change how the world and others around us decide to handle life. It is only through ourselves we can thrive and take the necessary responsibility to be decisive and fundamentally motivated about the stepping-stones we take to arrive for our next inspiring journey. Run with it, be open, and most importantly, stay true to you.

Wishing everyone all the very best this holiday season and a prosperous New Year full of assured possibilities for 2016.