Want your team in the office? Give them a better view

When it comes to offering perks to get employees to come back to the office, research by Emmy van Esch, a management lecturer at the University of Auckland, found the most compelling reason to return was a nice view from the office window. The study found that views that are too busy, such as urban landscapes, caused stress, but "mystery" views, such as mountains, or "coherent" views like symmetrical skyscrapers, contributed to a feeling of well-being.

Put it into practice: Perks such as mindfulness training or gym memberships require employees to make time to show up, but finding ways to improve the view from your office window provides a passive way to create a sense of well-being, van Esch notes. "We often feel better when exposed to the outdoor environment."

The next time you're giving a presentation or need to remember numbers or other details on the fly, go old school and put all that information down on note cards, writes executive coach John Baldoni, and he includes four tips on how to build an effective deck. "Having them ready will free your mind to focus on what's important," writes Baldoni.

Put it into practice: Build your note cards by sketching out essential points, the data needed to back them up and a couple of personal stories to build rapport with your audience, Baldoni advises. "Before speaking to an audience of two or more, review the content. Revise regularly to keep them fresh."

While watching musician Jacob Collier create a sense of connection and common purpose with his live audience by teaching them how to sing in harmony with him during songs, Tia Over, a partner at Spring Green Communications, noted some techniques that leaders can use to communicate their message to employees effectively. First, choose a good "soloist" -- like the CEO or other manager -- to deliver the core message and then make sure that each team member clearly knows their role so they can "sing along," Over writes.

Put it into practice: When employees receive too many details -- especially if the information doesn't apply to them -- it can cause stress and frustration, making them sing "off key," Over notes. "Depending on the nature of the news that impacts them, not all information should be shared at once or with everyone."

"Leadership in an endurance sport," says Alistair Brownlee, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, and reaching goals is a matter of discipline, forming beneficial habits and enjoying the process to stay motivated. "I truly believe that you can't motivate yourself to do hard things every day to achieve a goal that might happen in two, four, or eight years unless you celebrate small achievements along the way," Brownlee concludes.

When a few old, weathered garden gnomes went missing at Kelly Blair's home in Canada's British Columbia province, he chalked it up to the thieves who had taken a canoe and some other items before. To his surprise, though, his gnomes were later returned by an elderly woman bearing an anonymous note from "The Gnome Restoration Society" that informed Blair that they had taken the gnomes to repaint and restore them to their original glory.

I have worked from home since 2011, and my current office has two big windows that look out onto our sunroom, which has a huge picture window with a beautiful view of our backyard. Our community has many trees, so my view is always lush and beautiful.

The last two in-office jobs I had at a local university were in windowless buildings. The last one was in a historical building called "The War Memorial" and it was like working in a bunker. In each of those jobs, I made it a point to take an afternoon stroll around the university campus and surrounding areas. The windowless environment felt suffocating.

Emmy van Esch's research found that people are happier in the office if they have a pleasing view, either from their own office or one they can frequently pass by or visit during the day. Certainly, not every office environment can offer the kind of views van Esch's study shows are best for well-being. Still, managers can encourage their team members to take afternoon walks or step outside more frequently for some fresh air and a change of scenery. Those afternoon walks left me refreshed and ready to get back to work.

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