Welcome to Momentum's monthly newsletter, The White Space! My continued goal is to offer solid business advice, thought provoking articles and information on upcoming events. Your comments on what I publish and your suggestions about things to publish are welcomed and support the creation of an interactive experience expanding the white space.

If at any time you wish to be removed from my list permanently, please click on the SafeUnsubscribe™ link at the bottom of this email. And if you like what you see, feel free to share this newsletter with your colleagues and associates by clicking on the Forward Email link in the same location.

If you're a new subscriber and ever wondered how we came up with the name for this newsletter, here's the story.

- Paul Cooperstein


Practice Safe STRESS

While it is no news that we live stressful lives, the surprise is how well we adapt to dangerous levels of stress while remaining oblivious to the effects. While work without stress may not be realistic, paying attention to how it adversely affects our businesses and more specifically our balance sheets may help us focus on reducing stress and increasing the bottom line.

Here are examples of stress that have cost my clients big….

New employee was hired but was not given a thorough or ongoing orientation process.

• Result: The employee was uncomfortable in their role within the organization and left the organization after only 2 months.
• Cost: An estimated $16,000 is associated with employee turnover.

• Result: Employee productivity reduced by 30% over 6 months while they adjusted to the demands of the new position.
• Cost: 30% of $47,000 / 2 = $7050 + Countless hours of management time spent attempting to cure this (40 hours x $150 = $6,000) before I spent several hours ($2,000) listening to the people and suggesting a new course of training. (Minimum cost $15,050).

• Result: Work had fallen through the cracks. People look to leave “on time”. Loss of pride in their work, lost productivity, management time, absenteeism.
• Cost: Assume 15% loss of productivity of 11 workers in this division for 2 years (15% loss of 11 people at $45,000 = $74,250 per year or $148,500 over the two year period not including management time).

So why is it so hard to pay attention to operational stress in our own companies?

In fact, most of us do see the signals very early on and we make some real efforts to remedy the symptoms. All too often they quickly seem insurmountable and too intangible to grasp.

However, very few of us ultimately choose to remedy the root cause, because that involves us facing up to our own incompetencies; and “business” doesn’t typically encourage engaging in a process of introspection when there exists the easier choice of anger and resentment and ineffective action or inaction. Instead we accept the high turnover, wasteful production levels.

We do this because these issues live in the White Space. That’s the space where things that we can’t clearly see or understand elude us and cost us. There are steps that we can take to work our way out of this darkness.

Here Are 5 Steps for practicing safe stress:

1. Pay Attention - Know when you have crossed the line from safe to unsafe stress.
2. Have Fun!!
3. Find three things to compliment the people you work with every day.
4. Make your internal communications regular, informative and regularly offer an opportunity to “step back” and talk about what you do.
5. Make people in your organizations are doing the things they like to do most and that the company is giving people what they need to get the job done.

Each month I pose a question to my readers and ask that they actively participate in open dialogue with me. This month’s question is:

What area of your business causes you the greatest amount of stress?

Remember, I welcome your thoughts and comments on the subject. Please feel free to contact me at paul@businessmomentum.org or at 617.328.7333.


How to Have Your Best Year Yet

Join us on Thursday, February 17, at our offices in Marina Bay for a special Lunch & Learn Presentation presented by Paul Cooperstein of Momentum: How to Have Your Best Year Yet. In this luncheon seminar you will learn to identify what you really want to accomplish over the next 12 months and begin to create a path to achieve those goals.

Best Year Yet is an annual planning and implementation system that produces RESULTS year after year. The Best Year Yet system teaches companies and the people within them to generate their best year yet, year after year. We create an atmosphere where each member of the team is encouraged to participate in an environment of open, honest cooperation and communication. Together we develop a plan, which is original and personally crafted by your employees and we work together to bring the plan to life over the next 12 months. Clearly stated we work together to accomplish all of the goals the group sets for the forthcoming year. Get ready for your Best Year Yet!

Finding & Choosing the Right Business Partners

Join us on Thursday, February 24, at our offices in Marina Bay for a special Lunch & Learn Presentation: Finding and Choosing the Right Business Partners. Any business needs to carefully examine and consider the partners and associates that they choose to work with. These decisions are even more critical in start up situations. Working with the wrong partners or associates can cripple a business. In this luncheon seminar you will learn the critical factors to consider before working with another person or company; questions you need to ask yourself when making these evaluations, key conversations you should have with potential partners, identifying when the time is really right to work together and identifying how benefit and burden should be shared.

Registration Information

Both workshops will begin promptly at 12:30 pm. There is a $25 charge to attend and lunch will be served. Our offices are located at Marina Bay, 500 Victory Road, 2nd floor, North Quincy, MA 02171. Upon arrival, please check in on the second floor at the Amity Insurance reception area. Parking is available onsite at no cost. Please RSVP to Valerie McSorley at Avant Garde Events at 617.935.9040 or via e-mail at Valerie@AvantGardEvents.com.


We help businesses make more money and help those businesses and the people in them create the necessary skills to create a MOMENTUM that is sustainable. We get clients excited about their business and help them face the day's challenges with COMMITMENT, PASSION and MOMEMTUM. Finding that zone, developing that zone, sustaining that zone, that is what MOMENTUM is all about.

Here's a list of real world deliverables you should recognize instantly:

• Executive Coaching
• Operational and Business Planning
• Goal Setting and Follow Through
• Management and Leadership Training
• Partnership Facilitation (before, during and after)
• Retreat Facilitation
• Dispute Mediation and Resolution
• Internal Corporate Communication strategies