blogging4jobs

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Struggle and Friction, Excellent! Posted: 13 Sep 2011 04:29 AM PDT My daughter has a writing assignment this week in her sophomore level English glass.  It is to be a personal narrative and it is to demonstrate an embarrassing moment in her life.  After my daughter was telling me about her assignment, she turned to me and said, “I’ve never had an embarrassing moment…”  Incredulously, I think I asked, “Are you kidding me?” As we strained to come up with something, I laughed internally, for I have had so many embarrassing moments, they cannot be numbered.  Life is full of opportunities to fulfill a level of stupidity you didn’t think possible or to display the utter lack of grace.  Embarrassing moments provide chances for growth. It seems I have growth opportunities practically every day. I think the trick is to master the "getting out” of the embarrassing moment and using it to your advantage.   I occasionally direct local theater and while it would be ideal if actors never forgot lines or their blocking, it unfortunately happens.  When this occurs, it is usually a lesson for all involved.  I love when actors are able to find their way out of a seemingly impossible situation, and get a scene back on track, so the story continues to flow or is not lost. The same thing can be said for developing flexibility in how we work.  Work projects rarely go exactly “according to plan“.  Far too often, outside forces present themselves or unknown facts are discovered that must be included or dismissed in order for a project or assignment to continue successfully on its way.   It is usually in the surprises where we find delight in our work and even “the better way”.  That is how it has been for me, anyway. Struggle and friction drive creativity and that newly-exposed creativity is where the most brilliant solutions lie.  The wheels turn and a new path is revealed.  It happens in tech development, in pharmaceutical breakthroughs, in cooking recipes, and even in company management.  I have learned that unless you are launching a space shuttle, “according to plan” typically means boring or doomed to failure. Embarrassing moments teach, but will you learn? Struggle and friction drive creativity, but will you produce? “Innovation distinguishes between the Leader and the Follower.” – Steve Jobs Rayanne Thorn, @ray_anne is the Marketing Director for the online recruiting software company, Broadbean Technology.  She is also a proud mother of four residing in Laguna Beach, California, and a contributor for Blogging4Jobs.  Connect with her on LinkedIn.

Pop, Dazzle, and Wow Posted: 13 Sep 2011 04:17 AM PDT This week I’ve been traveling across Oklahoma meeting with different facility managers and conducting interviews as part of my work with a client.  We are building a series of communication channels to reach groups of employees who work in independent facilities where a singular message from both their facility managers as well as corporate leadership is a challenge.  The client is not alone in their mission.  In fact, I’ve never worked for or with an organization couldn’t improve their internal communication whether from front line managers to senior level leaders, communication is what drives productivity and engagement among your workforce. While internal communication in most organizations is almost always a priority, an effective strategy is rarely implemented that makes a difference.  Boring corporate memos, CEO videos plastered across your corporate portal, quarterly earnings figures litter email inboxes and bulletin boards at most organizations.  And yet, it isn’t really effective. One manager’s point of view really resonated with me.  Her strategy when it comes to communication is simple yet effective.  She calls it, “Pop, dazzle, and wow.” POP Your message has to pop.  Grab the attention of your audience and resonate with them.  Communication among your staff is not unlike traditional forms of marketing, it must insert itself into the conversation and demand their attention.  This quick pop could be in the form of mobile communication through a text message or a quick morning meeting to start the day.  Small information that makes an impression can resonate and stay with your audience for an hour, a day, or even a lifetime. DAZZLE Because other forms of marketing and communication are competing for your employees attention, dazzling them helps not only to support the message but generates conversation among peers, customers, and fosters that workplace grapevine.  And isn’t it nice to fill the grapevine with positive mojo for a change? WOW A wow workplace involves employee acknowledgement, recognition, and a culture that focuses on rewarding others for a job well done.  And today during my visit, I saw just that.  And it made me proud. These Pop, Dazzle, and Wow moments in the workplace are so important especially when you consider that  76% of adults work more than 40 hours a week, and ten million work more than 60 hours a week.  We’re spending a lot of time at work crunching numbers, writing reports, and delighting customers.  And our managers should be delighting and injecting fun into our workplaces to drive a magical, delightful, and enchanting workplace experience. What are you doing to “pop, dazzle, and wow” your workplace?  What really works? Before you get started wowing your workforce, take a look at the infographic below.  We’re married to our work.  Isn’t it time our work starting giving back?   Photo Credit Business Insurance & GoVirtual.

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