WHO'S WORKING? This week, Bob talks about what works to make work more workable in summer.

How can employees stay motivated when it's 80-plus degrees, sunny and the pool or the golf course is calling? It's no secret that, for most of us, the temptation of a day at the beach makes it difficult to focus on work in the office in the summer.

But, through the years I've seen employees who work even harder in the summer. These are the same people who are anxious to move ahead and want to be recognized for their hard work. They use summer as the time to shine in the workplace. You can bet, during slow times, an industrious employee will be noticed!

These summer success stories have several things in common. They're self-starters who stay motivated, despite the weather. They diligently make daily "To Do" lists; they take short 15-minute summer breaks from the workday so they don't feel cheated out of summer fun (something as simple as a midday break for ice cream with an office mate); they'll suggest an outdoor meeting with a quick, written agenda to make sure the job gets done, while enjoying the summer air; or they'll take a short break to walk around outdoors, de-stress, and come back rejuvenated.

But, honestly I believe the obligation of employee summer motivation should be firmly in the employers' court. It surprises me when someone will say, "I can't believe productivity fell as low as it did this summer." My guess is they didn't prepare for the inevitable short-hot-summer-with-lots-to-pack-in before... (kids are back in school, Labor Day, leaves fall, you name it). Business leadership consultant and author Randy Harrington nails some employee incentives perfectly right here in a Fox Business News video where he discusses several ways to keep employees motivated in summer.

I also have several favorite management tips to maintain motivation during summer's heat:

A Simple High-Five -- We generally recognize individual achievement during our monthly meetings and make a special effort at our annual luncheon. Food always works. If there's a great team effort, reward them with an outdoor lunch or pizza at a local restaurant. Themed lunch menus for employees, like Mexican Month, have really taken off this summer.

Goaltending -- Set individual goals for the team, but make sure it's within reach and everyone can participate. It creates an atmosphere of healthy, competitive fun.

Condition the Air -- You’d be surprised how hard employees will work when they feel welcome and appreciated. At Shamrock, we create a positive atmosphere of acceptance, camaraderie and unity, so that employees feel motivated to do a great job.

ONE LAST THING...

Remember when you were a kid? How much fun it was to get up each summer morning and anticipate the day? Think of some simple ways to help your employees hold on to that anticipation of a fresh, new day. Surprise your crew with a 5PM Happy Hour. Offer the staff a healthy lunch every day the temperature goes above 90. Create some fun! After all, it's a short, sweet summer.

ARE YOU SIRIUS? This week, Bob offers tips on how to ramp up for business during the summer slump.

I got curious about why this time of year is called the "Dog Days of Summer", so I did what anyone who's curious does. I went to Google and found that the "Dog Days" are named for Sirius, the dog star that's brightest from early July through early September, when the heat of summer gets the best of us in the northern hemisphere. Webster's Dictionary refers to the Dog Days as a period of stagnation or inactivity. For various reasons, this period of stagnation or inactivity also occurs in business. People are on vacation, kids are home from school, and many businesses, whether intentional or not, tend to go into a more relaxed mode.

Business may work at a slower pace, so this may also be an ideal time to prepare for the upswing that occurs after Labor Day. Smart business thinking may be to use this time for things that fall by the wayside during the busier months; like employee training, updating websites, working on branding and other internal but important stuff that gets cast aside when business is humming.

Here's a short list to go from Sirius-ly slow to stimulating business during the Dog Days of Summer:

• Dive Into Social Media - I -- If you've just dipped a business toe into Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social media, go head first, full-on in. Set up your social media campaign for fall 2012 before it gets buried for another year. Check out some of the tools that make management of your social media easier, such as HootSuite or Roost. Need help? Call on an expert to get you started. Shamrock has a great team, in case you want to get it right, from the start.
• Dive Into Social Media - II -- Have your sales and marketing people check out Twitter and Facebook to see what your competition is doing, or to see what customers are saying about your company. Connect with your LinkedIn sources and give them a "first look" at what's happening at your company. Invite discussion with LinkedIn network sources.
• Phone It In -- The telephone still is, and always will be, a good resource for sales. Call a prospect. Ask how their summer is going. Invite a prospect to a baseball game or a cookout. At worst, you may have to leave a voicemail message just to say you're thinking of them.
• Hit One Out of the Park -- Networking is ongoing, regardless of the weather. The venue may change from a meal with potential customers at a warm and cozy restaurant to a neighbor's backyard barbeque, but summer's no reason to stop networking. Help your employees to have a good elevator pitch about your company -- and reward them for a homerun. A summer contest for best networking ideas can easily pump up the energy at work.
• Steam Up Your Website -- Often overlooked when work gets crazy, websites can get tired-looking quickly. Challenge your team to come up with ways to energize your website before the fall deluge sets in. Update your news link. Add a new blog post. Make people want to visit your new site!
• Start a Summer Book Club -- Excite your sales team with a new sales book to get their juices flowing for fall. Zero Time Selling, High Profit Selling, SNAP Selling, are recent books on sales that have generated great reviews.

ONE LAST THING...

Enjoy what's left of summer. We all need a little R&R this time of year!

HOT IN DALLAS. This week, Bob reports on the business climate in Dallas TX.

I'm not giving away any secrets by saying it's been a hot, hot summer. And, of course, it's hot in Dallas. But things are really heating up at Shamrock's Dallas office, thanks to the cool business strategies being lead by Dave Fechter, Shamrock's executive vice president of operations.

For the past nine months Dave's been recruiting a whole new sales team in Dallas. What was once a nice distribution center with zero sales presence has now become one of the hottest properties Shamrock owns, complete with 6 new sales reps who are geared up to sell everything Shamrock has to offer, from marketing and design to promotion to data management to telemarketing and, naturally, print and distribution.

Dave has recruited more than a handful of sales reps who've successfully proven that they have an entrepreneurial spirit and demonstrated their rarefied achievement to sell printing to a boat load of customers. Within the next couple of months, Dave hopes to recruit two more Shamrock reps in the Dallas market.

According to Dave, one big incentive for this powerhouse team is Shamrock's incentive package, which rewards entrepreneurship and hard work.

Dave also told me that another big selling point for the Dallas sales team is the cross-selling orientation at Shamrock's corporate headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio. When Dave told them they'll have a chance to meet with every one of our Cleveland-based general managers and they'll learn from these successful people how Shamrock has helped them achieve their own personal growth, Dave said "...that was the deal clincher."

ONE LAST THING...

I'm proud to give a big "high-five" to Dave who, with this growth strategy in Dallas, has brought in almost 30 new customers from Dallas. These are customers who are now purchasing more than our printing expertise. They're buying our creative work, our telemarketing programs and much, much more. Yes. It's hot in Dallas. But it's also very cool!

NOTHING PERSONAL: BUSINESS IN SWEDEN IS STRICTLY IMPERSONAL. This week, Bob looks forward to the Olympics countdown with a focus on the medal-winning Swedes.

Finally, I can grab a beer and get my fill of the global games of summer! The Olympics officially begin July 27th, and Sweden is set to compete in events ranging from Archery to Wrestling with a total of more than 20 events.

Here's an interesting fact I read on Wikipedia about Sweden and the Olympics: Sweden first participated in the Olympics at the inaugural 1896 Games, and has sent athletes to compete in every Olympics since, with one exception, the sparsely attended 1904 Summer Olympics. Sweden has earned medals at all Olympic games except for two, the 1896 Games and the 1904 Games. The only other nation having earned medals at every Olympic game since 1908 is Finland. In fact, the people of Sweden have a principle of “lagom” or doing things “just right” but not doing anything unnecessary.

So, are the people of Sweden as team-oriented in business as they are in sports?

According to Business Culture in Sweden, because the people of Sweden value community, egalitarianism and consensus-seeking, generally, in business, team spirit is important -- as long as the team follows the particular business' ideals. Ongoing buy-in for goals and objectives is highly important, so therefore, team meetings are often frequent and long.  And team members are accustomed to performing their individual tasks with little supervision from superiors. If there is too much supervision employees may see this as a lack of trust in their professional capabilities. I'd say team spirit is alive and well in Sweden.

SOME RULES OF ENGAGEMENT

Personal is Private

Overall, business etiquette in Sweden is more formal than in the U.S., but, less formal than some other countries. For example, upon meeting (unlike the U.S.), Swedes consider inquiry about a business associate's personal life to be, well, personal. So that discussions about home and family, as well as status and position, are usually not discussed.

The Art of Cards

Unlike some Asian countries that prefer business cards in their spoken language, Swedish business associates, who generally speak and understand English, have no problem with presenting a business card in English. But, Swedish business etiquette suggests protocol that includes taking a moment to study the card and then carefully placing the card in a wallet or briefcase. Never just take a business card and shove it in your pocket or write on it in front of others. That would be thought of as rude.

KEEP THAT YANKEE SPIRIT UNDER WRAPS

In America, we get brownie points for appearing confident in business. Not so in Sweden. In fact, the appearance of being somewhat reserved will earn you more respect than the appearance of being overly confident.

ONE LAST THING...

I'm not sure if I'll enjoy the games even more after researching some of the countries that will be in the summer Olympics, but I'll definitely be on the lookout to see signs of individual nationalism carry over   from business to sports etiquette among the individual teams during the summer games.

THERE ARE NO CASUAL FRIDAYS IN GERMANY, BUT THERE IS MORE FREE TIME. This week, Bob talks about the differences in business attitudes between Germany and the U.S.

As we get closer to the Olympics, this month we decided our focus will be on other countries. Today, I'd like to focus on my observations and reading about Germany.

One major difference I've noticed is, like many countries overseas, employees in Germany are more serious in the workplace, but it seems when German employees leave work they really do leave work behind, and enjoy their free time minus the glances at cell phones and work-related email messages. Maybe they understand the work/life balance better than we do.

I recently read some research compiled by Norbert Hedderich, a professor of German at the University of Rhode Island. 

In the late 1990s, Hedderich interviewed German engineers working in the U.S. and Americans working in Germany. He wanted to see how the two cultures were perceived by one another, and the differences that may cause some friction. The following is a sampling of his findings. If you'd like to read more go to http://www.dartmouth.edu/~german/German8/Typical.html.

CASUAL VS. FORMAL

The Americans interviewed indicated a more business-like atmosphere in the German workplace. Most Americans were quite surprised to see the lack of casual conversations about family and hobbies, which is so prevalent in the U.S. One American in a managerial position in Germany said, "...At home, I like the interaction with my team. Here, it doesn't seem possible. If I had this kind of relationship with team members in the U.S., it would be considered dysfunctional."  On the other hand, the more casual style of interaction among Americans was a pleasant surprise for the German employees. Germans also noted, with pleasure, a sense of welcoming into the culture and the feeling of having been made part of the group when working in the U.S.

THAT "YANKEE" ATTITUDE

Germans noticed more positive thinking and an upbeat attitude in the U.S. culture. One American said, "In Germany praise is the absence of criticism." Yet, in the U.S., Germans were confused when they were praised for what they thought were just routine tasks. Some of the German interviewees found that negative aspects of a particular assignment were not listed negatively, but were labeled as "items for improvement" or were dropped altogether. Reading several comments I got the feeling that German employees believe workers in America are "babied" rather than treated as responsible adults.

NOT SO FAST; THE DEVIL'S IN THE DETAILS

Most interviewees mentioned distinct differences, and some genuine friction, between Germans and Americans on the concept of pace vs. attention to detail. In the German firms, the planning process of a project tends to be long and very detail oriented.  The Americans thought Germans "...tested things to death."  On the other hand, a German personnel manager whose company had recently been purchased by a U.S. company said, "...The Germans plan far more thoroughly, whereas the Americans are content with having completed 80% of the planning."

Finally, when asked how Americans working in Germany should behave, the general consensus given by German employees was:

At Work:

• Don't attempt to impose American ways. Try to take in what you experience without immediately making judgments.
• Expect to work independently. You may see your supervisor less frequently than expected.

Outside of Work:

• Don't take it personally if initially people seem distant and reserved. It may be as difficult for you to get used to this as it is for a German visitor to the U.S. when asked by a stranger "How are you?"
• Since most Germans separate work and private lives more than Americans, don't count on getting together with colleagues after work. Instead, find people who share a common interest; join a club and from that, friendships will grow.

ONE LAST THING...

The above tips work well abroad. Even among companies in the U.S. there are localized and regionalized differences. A lot of these suggestions are also good when moving from one company to another. If fitting in with your new teammates is important, go slow. Analyze the lay of the land. Watch what others do and follow their lead. It's easier to accommodate local customs than attempting to change them.

WHAT IS IT ABOUT "TAKING ONE FOR THE TEAM" THAT BRINGS A SENSE OF OLYMPIAN-LIKE FULFILLMENT TO INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS? This week, Bob talks about the importance of the team vs. the individual in Japanese culture.

Naturally, there are some cultural differences between Asian countries, but all seem to believe in putting oneself second to the team, or group, for the betterment of all. I greatly admire that in Asian culture.

Japan is definitely among the Asian cultures that subscribe to the philosophy of the team vs. the individual. This is a good overview (Doing Business in Japan), but, in a nutshell, what's stressed within Japan's social and business etiquette is that teamwork and group cohesiveness are of great importance. In Japanese culture, the individual relies on the group for identity, and in business, the people place great emphasis on compromise and self-discipline for the sake of the team.

The Japanese, great proponents of teamwork, start with an advantage: their intellectual tradition isn't adversarial. Like the spirit of the Olympics, Japanese culture relies on the power of teamwork rather than an individual's reward to achieve its goals. Winning isn't a bad thing, but how one wins: with honor and respect for others, is very important.

ONE LAST THING... 

Asian culture is packed with reverence for teamwork. The Gung Ho! business model is based on the fundamentals of two Chinese characters forming the word Gung Ho, which translates to "Work" and "Together." This approach, according to its author Ken Blanchard, "... focuses on sharing of information; aligning purpose, values, and goals of people and organization; frontline decision making responsibility; and celebration of successes..."—in other words, teamwork. Japan has survived many upheavals, including wartime destruction, natural and weather-related destruction, and financial crises by practicing the philosophy of "work together."

We also practice the theory of Gung Ho! at Shamrock, and I believe that, as a company, like our Asian counterparts, we have survived through various upheavals these last 30 years, mainly because we rely on the work (and intelligence) of the team over the pride of one individual.

WHAT CAN THE OLYMPICS TEACH US ABOUT BUSINESS? As a prelude to the upcoming Olympics, this month Bob explores global cultures.

There's a different kind of competition in business than in the Olympics. In business we're expected to make or earn money. We compete based on the best price for the best product. I believe the playing field is more level in sports. In sports, we compete for the joy of winning and the thrill of the game.

That said, in the past 30 years, since I started Shamrock, offshore business has grown considerably, and how we do business abroad has also changed. Now it's not only important to start the deal, we also need to know how to seal the deal. That means taking a crash course in different work ethics, habits and family life of companies we wish to partner with before we even think about doing business with them. Sort of like the Olympics of business deals.

According to several blog posts shared with me by Shamrock employees, here are what I consider to be important Rules of Engagement with China:

5 BUSINESS DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CHINA AND U.S.

China, like many countries overseas, is much more formal in their business dealings than the U.S.

1. Social Structure - In China the social structure is formal and hierarchical.  You know where you fit in the structure and you abide by the rules.  In America, it is much more loose and informal.  It's not uncommon to see those of various social levels socializing with one another.  This doesn't occur in China.
2. Confrontation/Conflict - When conducting business in China or expecting an extended stay, it might be useful to know that the direct way that most Americans approach issues is not done in China.  Direct conflict or confrontation over issues is highly frowned upon.  Doesn’t matter that "the truth" needs to be spoken, respect and honor to each person supersedes "the truth".  
3. You Will Get to Know Your Business Partners - When doing business in China, be prepared for a lot of socializing.  Business becomes secondary as the parties get to know one another better.  If it delays a contract, that is perfectly acceptable as long as the correct social time is taken care of.  In America, the business is more important than socializing, and socializing may be sacrificed to get the job done if necessary.  Though, it appears that now recognition for networking is becoming more important in our country, too.
4. Downplay the Bravado - Humility is a practiced virtue in Chinese culture.  The success of one’s business or personal life is downplayed while in America successes are discussed with pleasure.  Most Americans in our fast business world consider humility a sign of weakness.  This can be an issue that hurts inter-cultural relations.  It's probably a good idea to err on the side of humility in the presence of business people in China.
5. Be Sensitive to the Time Zone - Most Americans are very time sensitive when it comes to meetings and deadlines.  Time means different things in Chinese business culture. The Chinese do not view time as an absolute but more as a suggestion.  Concern is not expressed for a meeting starting late or ending at a different time.  The same can be applied to deadlines.  If a report is due on Friday, we would be waiting for that report in our hands before end of business day.  The Chinese would not worry if it showed up several days later. (This may be a very hard lesson for Americans to learn since it's so counterintuitive to our culture.)

ONE LAST THING...  

While many cultural and political differences remain between the U.S. and China, we can all learn something from the dedication to strong family-oriented values, hard work and persistence that China uses to create smart business people. I believe that the more we know about our global counterparts the stronger we all will be in the global race for success.