Congratulations to Arizona State Credit Union

4 Time Winner of the Award for Workplace Excellence

Award for Workplace Excellence PHOENIX–(BUSINESS WIRE)–For the fourth time, Arizona State Credit Union has received the Peter Barron Stark Companies’ Award for Workplace Excellence. The award is especially significant this year as Arizona State Credit Union received an overall favorable response rating from its associates despite the difficult times facing the financial services industry and the down economy. The Credit Union maintained current associate programs and added several more allowing its already positive corporate culture to improve, a requirement for winning the Award for Workplace Excellence.

“It is with pride that we award Arizona State Credit Union with the 2010 Peter Barron Stark Companies’ Award for Workplace Excellence,” said Peter Stark, President of Peter Barron Stark Companies. “When compared to over 250 other organizations in our benchmarks, Arizona State Credit Union demonstrates their strong leadership and commitment to employee engagement and satisfaction. Many organizations talk about their desire to be a great employer. Arizona State Credit Union has put vision into action and their 2010 survey results are the proof.”

Read Arizona State Credit Union’s complete press release

Filed under: In the News, Peter's Blog on September 27th, 2010 No Comments »

What’s Wrong and Who Can We Blame?

When you feel like complaining or blaming…take action!

While standing in a feidl, two people are holding a red arrow and pointing it at one man - Peter Barron Stark “The best years of your life are the ones in which you decide your problems are your own. You don’t blame them on your mother, the ecology, or the President. You realize that you control your own destiny.”

– Albert Ellis

There has never been a better time to complain. The economy stinks. Raises are small…if at all. The stock market has been flat for 10 years. New business is harder to generate because many business leaders are scared and are hesitant to spend more money. Deflated retirement plans, or the lack of retirement plans, have added years of more work to people’s dreams. People are struggling to find work. Other’s have given up trying to find a job and are desperately trying to financially survive. Employee engagement is down as more and more people are asked to do a whole lot more with a lot less. When you think about it, if there has ever been a prime time to complain…it’s now!

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Filed under: Leadership, Peter's Blog, Vision on September 20th, 2010 No Comments »

How to Get Employees Excited About Your Business Vision

Most entrepreneurs dream of a staff that puts in long hours, devises creative ideas, and generally goes above and beyond their job descriptions. Here’s how to make it happen.

By Josh Spiro of Inc.com

It’s no secret that, as a business owner, your venture is your baby. It’s needy, it’s frightening, and you’re completely devoted to it. If only you could make your employees feel the same way. Well, at least the devotion part.

The first step to getting employees pumped about the company’s direction is to examine what employee engagement is. Peter Stark, a management consultant and the author of Engaged! How Leaders Build Organizations Where Employees Love to Come to Work, defines it as a state in which, “employees are connected both at the head and the heart and they are willing to give what I call discretionary effort, meaning willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done.” A lack of employee engagement can manifest in the form of poor customer service, low morale, and missed business opportunities.

On the flip side, if you can sell your employees on the company’s future and the importance of their role in it there are numerous advantages. “People are more likely to generate their own ideas, to contribute with enthusiasm, to keep slogging when it becomes unpleasant, and also to experience a sense of camaraderie and togetherness,” says CV Harquail, author of the blog authenticorganizations.com.

Read the full article to learn how to measure employee engagement, communicate your vision to employees, and scale engagement as your business grows.

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Filed under: In the News, Leadership, Peter's Blog, Vision on September 6th, 2010 No Comments »