Holistic Steps to Heal Your Home Business

Holistic Healing for your business, hmmm, what’s that!

While looking at stress management and holistic healing for busy executives, it occurs to me that large corporations offer more holistic approaches to healing individuals and business problems than small and medium-size businesses normally do.

Anderson Sky

My experience in Fortune 100 companies over the past 20 years shows corporations interested in workforce diversity and respect, cooperation in place of competition among team members, and empowering employees to take ownership of their work. Companies pay a lot of attention to stress management to keep the organization functioning at the required fast pace. There are frequent communications to employees, departments, and teams to help them realize their contribution, their tiny cog, is IMPERATIVE to the success of the company overall.

The best corporations participate in “bring your daughter to work day”, have family picnics or annual get-togethers, encourage celebration and recognition for work well done. Many companies have private “nursing rooms” and some have chair massage therapists come in for employee appreciation events. Some offer family-friendly policies such as flexible schedules and comp time for traveling.

More and more companies are hiring consultants to implement the use of social media and worker-friendly tools and technology. Corporations are using collaborative software to communicate within teams, companies are implementing department and individual blogs (with similar usage policies as their e-mail policies). Companies are rolling out team style management training where team members take turns facilitating meetings and developing leadership skills.

Employers are recruiting “risk takers” and people who speak up not just “yes men and women” who may have held a high place in yesterday’s companies. Company policies no longer pay out weeks and weeks of vacation time, you are encouraged to take your vacation and get away from the company once and a while.

I have seen employers offer a complete package of personal enrichment workshops because a happy employee is more productive. Both employers and employees see the benefits of employee retention and staying with companies who “care” about the workforce. This is becoming commonplace and will be necessary to retain tomorrow’s workforce.

If you are a solopreneur or home-based business, be sure to offer yourself the same benefits as the large corporations. Put some dollars in the budget for self-improvement seminars or outings. Books and DVD’s abound on the topics of stress management and studies have proven that a rested and relaxed worker is far more productive than a harried and scattered one.

Take a holistic approach to heal your business: If your business is suffering, take some time out for reflection and give yourself some breathing room. Take some time out to evaluate the health of your business … diagnose where it has been and where it is going. Don’t be afraid to re-structure (even if you are the only employee); the big companies do it all the time. Taking a new, refreshed focus on your business practices can bring about cost savings and renewed enthusiasm for you — which results in greater profit and new customers.

You could just work harder, faster, but that is the way to a heart attack, not the way to healing yourself and your business.

5 Steps to Healing for Your Business:

1. Analyze what needs healing in your business — be specific
Processes? Procedures? Growth challenges? Communication?

2. Research possible treatments to heal your business — many solutions are available
Document what you are doing right and repeat. Outsource certain things. Better software / tools.

3. Plan and Implement 1 or 2 treatments right away — not too many at once
Begin with one improved process or skill and continue until you master it.

4. Don’t give up — stick with your plans
Continuity is key. Modify the processes if needed, but don’t give up.

5. Take the time to document lessons learned — learn from previous behavior
Keep a business log with goals and steps to meet goals; document and celebrate achievements.

Take a good look at the ways you can heal your business.