The Quill – November 2017

Quill Tip

This month’s tip is to all of you business owners with employees out there.  I want to recommend a book by Daniel Pink called Drive.  Drive draws some interesting conclusions about what motivates us as human beings, particularly as it relates to compensation.  Compensation is very important to employees, but surprisingly it is not what truly motivates people.  You have to pay your people what they are worth, consistent with the market place, but the interesting conclusion that Pink makes is that paying people more is not likely to increase their work effort.  In fact, what truly motivates employees is unrelated to their compensation structure.  People are more motivated by internal factors than by external drivers. Once basic financial needs are met, people are more motivated by

1) Achieving Mastery; and
2) Having a sense of Autonomy/self-direction; and
3) A driving Purpose.

Pink says that the old notions of carrots and sticks simply do not work in the modern work place.  Instead, people want to be really good at what they do.  We have an innate desire to grow and develop – to become really good at something.  As Leaders of each of our Teams, it is our job to teach our employees so that they can feel that sense of Mastery over their respective jobs.  Employees do not want to be micro-managed.  They want some autonomy to do their jobs in a way that works for them.  According to Pink, studies have shown that perceived control is an important component of one’s happiness. Lack of free-will and choice reduces a person’s vitality. Having a sense of autonomy has been shown to have a powerful effect on performance, attitude, job satisfaction, and causes less burn-out.  As Leaders we have to be open to the thoughts and preferences of our employees about how best to structure the work environment.  Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, people want to work for an organization that is bigger than their selves.  Passion behind a meaningful purpose makes us more motivated and engaged.  This could take multiple forms: it could be that the organization donates to a charity or just the feeling that one gets from being part of a great team

I encourage you to read Drive, but importantly, I encourage you to take some time to think about your business and what may be the most important asset that we business owners have…our employees.

Where In The World Is The BT Koozie?

The Barrister’s Title koozie was spotted at South Mountain State Park camping this weekend – half frozen – along with Sales Coordinator, Summer Hogan! The BT koozie is proving to have quite the social life! It’s 5 o’clock somewhere!

Like our Facebook page to see the other places our BT koozie has traveled!

Riddle

What were the wishbone’s last words?

Email your guesses to Summer.

The answer to last month’s riddle was: October.

A Time To Be Thankful!

November represents that time of year for us Americans to ponder the things that we are thankful for. Generally speaking, that times comes later this month and often involves: being surrounded by family and friends, pondering how your belly got so full and whether there is room in there for another slice of pumpkin pie and drifting off with a football game on in the background. All of those things make Thanksgiving my favorite holiday of the year. I personally, and we at Barrister’s Title, have much to be thankful for this year. Being in the real estate services industry, the rebound of the housing market has been something that all of us have been grateful for to be sure. (If only we could get more inventory!!!) The stock market keeps going up; our economy is going full throttle; and employment is extremely low. And while there has been some controversy surrounding NFL players and their venue for expressing protest, I’ve not heard a single person say that they did not appreciate the fact that we live in a country where a person can voice their disagreement without fear of being thrown in jail, or worse. And whether you agree with the sentiment, or the means, or not, that is something to be extremely thankful for. We hope you all have a wonderful Holiday. (Go ahead and eat that other slice of pie.)

sb

THANK YOU!

We at Barrister’s Title are so happy to announce that with your help we were able to donate over $9,200.00 to Earlier.org from a portion of every order we received in October! We were even able to beat our donation amount from last year.

So Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!! The business that came through our door last month went to something so much bigger than us and we could not have done it without your support!

We are truly honored to have such amazing and generous clients!

Barrister’s Title Family Food Traditions

It’s that time of year again and one of our favorite parts of the holiday season at Barrister’s Title is FOOD. We thought it would be fun to share a few holiday food traditions from our families to yours. Enjoy!

About ten years ago, my new bride and I visited my Mom for Thanksgiving. I only get to see my Mom every few years and when I do, I beg her for some traditional Italian cooking. So, when we sat down for our Thanksgiving feast, I was not surprised that the first dish was antipasto with some Italian bread. Now, since this was not my first rodeo, I knew not to get too full on the antipasto (which is really hard to do!!!). Sure enough, some spaghetti and meat balls followed the antipasto. Then we were in for a real treat, because after the spaghetti and meat balls, the breaded chicken cutlets and salad came out. (Yum!) I AM REALLY FINDING MY GROOVE NOW. Then my Mom walks in with. . .wait. . .what’s this. . .a traditional American Thanksgiving Feast?!?!?!?! I mean turkey, stuffing, yams, the whole 9 yards. THIS WAS THE FOURTH COURSE!!! By the time the cannoli (Italian pastries) came out, I thought I was going to die. The pumpkin pie almost put me over the edge. This is the way the Italians do Thanksgiving! It was awesome and vomit-inducing all in one. It was definitely something to be thankful for.
~Sal Balsamo

We always have two different types of dressing/stuffing. Each one represents my parents families. My moms is a sausage dressing that is an Italian tradition and my fathers is a bread stuffing. I love them both equally and Thanksgiving dinner wouldn’t be the same without them both!
~Christine Bruns

We HAVE to have Turkey for Thanksgiving and I always make cranberry chutney, even though no one eats it except for me!
~Maria Houghton

My Dad started a tradition (years ago) of making this creamy & delicious potato soup with chunky veggies, sausage & shrimp. We typically enjoy this around lunchtime, but it’s usually requested again as a side for the main event. You can never have too much of a good thing, right?!
~Landis Sinnett

My Thanksgiving Family must-have is the CANNED cranberry sauce. You know, the ocean spray kind. And it must have the mold-lines from the can still on it, and presented on a fancy plate. My mom always makes “real” fresh cranberry sauce, but she is the only one who eats it.
~Julie Merrell

Devil eggs are our family favorite! Here is the recipe:
6 large eggs
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
2 chopped pickles
Mix mayo, mustard, cayenne & pickles. Stuff the eggs and garnish with paprika
~Tiffany Storms

Like our Facebook page for some of our favorite holiday recipes!

Meet The Family

Amy Mills
Underwriting

amy@barristerstitle.com

Amy is originally from New Port Richey, Florida, having re-located to North Carolina in August of 2016. She has a wealth of experience with real estate having previously worked with both settlement attorneys and Title Companies in the State of Florida.

Amy is the proud Mother of three wonderful children and is blessed with three grandsons. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family, camping, hiking and visiting theme parks.