2025 Jan-Feb RETA Breeze

from myself? I think. I think some more. I think again. I listen. I know I show up, and I don’t steal sh*t. I hope that makes me a good teammate and employee. How bad would it to be, to work with a team that didn’t have these core values? I can’t imagine spending my day, making sure none of my teammates stole the printers or staplers. To me, this means that people problems can be fixed rather easily. Don’t despair and don’t give up, just fix it. Knowing where to start, what to do, and what not to do are the hard parts. This one is important to me. How can I expect those around me to enjoy being in my presence, or working alongside me if I am a pain in the butt to deal with? I start everyday (at least at work) with a positive attitude and a redbull in hand. I want to know what I need to improve within myself or within my control to help others. You have to be approachable! Wow, this one is huge. I wish everyone would use this in their life every day. It would solve a lot of issues. To me this slide says “Don’t stir the pot. Fix it or stay out.” If you’re unsure, stay out of it. My grandmother Florence used to say “Don’t be a negative Nancy”. I’m not sure who Nancy was or why she was so negative, but I did strive not to be a negative Sarah. This one is so hard to do. It’s hard to be positive when everything is so hectic. Luckily, I’ve got a teammate, Katariina, who is always positive. She gives me inspiration. Even when things are getting crazy, she is always so

FINE TUNING THE PEOPLE MACHINE “SIMPLIFIED!”

Fine Tuning the People Machine is a presentation that was originally presented some time ago, but recently was revised and presented at the RETA Fort Wayne Chapter Meeting. The message is clear: Take care of your people, be a good employee, be a good leader. I thought it might be a good idea to tell you what it means to me. This is one of those presentations that may mean different things to different people. I love those. But they can also be confusing. So here are my thoughts. I’ve incorporated the presenter’s slides and added my notes. No work experience is perfect, but we can make it better. If we like our work environment, we can love it. If we hate our work environment we can like it, maybe even love it. No situation is hopeless. We have the power to change our environment. Wow, this was enlightening. What should expectations be? What should our employer expect from us and what should I expect

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