Leadership – Page 7 – Walk Into the Future

Walking into 2021!

“Celebrate endings—for they proceed new beginnings”.

(Jonathan Lockwood Huie)

Happy New Year from the Walk into the Future blog!

Grateful to continue to write blog articles to express my thoughts and document life adventures. This blog started as a way for me to share with my friends and has evolved into a space for me to highlight a bit of creativity. This blog also provides a place to advocate for social change in the world—did not have this in mind when I launched the blog but there is no turning back now. My walk continues to expand so I am excited to see what new angles I can tackle in 2021.

2021 promises to bring new opportunities for us all. 2020 was a monster on multiple levels but there were opportunities for growth as well.

Happy to report I was able to meet all my 2020 goals except the number of half marathons I ran. Of course, COVID-19 was the reason the race season did not happen, so I am not upset I did not meet this goal.

I am in the process of generating my 2021 goals and look forward to working towards them daily.

My reading program increased in 2020 and I enjoyed exploring new topics and authors. I see this as an area I can expand in 2021. I fancy myself as a lifelong learner and reading keeps me engaged in learning new things and hopefully sharing these things with my tree branches. Please note, I am always open to your suggestions for books so send me a few—thanks!

The Rock N Roll marathon series has 6 races projected for in-person competition in 2021. My favorite race, the Nashville Rock N Roll half marathon is scheduled for April 25, 2021. My 2020 registration automatically rolled over so I can run in the race this year if I would like. I am not committed to running this or any race at this point especially if it means I must get on a plane to get to the race city. Will wait and see how the vaccination process impacts the spread of COVID-19 before deciding on this race. Would hate to miss Nashville two years in a row but this is the world we live in. The Savannah race is scheduled for November 7, 2021 and this may be a better option—we will see.

I will look at some smaller, local races to get my competitive fix. I am sure Track Shack in Orlando will have some races I want to run—the OUC half may be on my race calendar again this year based on location and safety measures.

I began the process of creating an Authentic Leadership eBook in 2020. Will look to put the finishing touches on this project in 2021. Wanted to share a few leadership principles in a different format to see if others would be interested in this project. It has been fun working on a new outlet for my thoughts and plan to expand the authentic leadership platform in 2021.

My leadership consulting is another area I want to expand in 2021. My work in 2019 had me positioned for a huge consulting year in 2020 but we all know the impact of COVID-19 on all industries. Will look to create an outreach program to reengage with organizations I have worked with in the past and generate new leads. Virtual programming and meetings became common in 2020 and see this continuing in 2021. This can lead to new ways to reach organizations and provide a consulting rebirth for me and others. Fingers crossed!

I am sure there will be other goals to add to my list, but these are a few I will work towards in 2021.

What goals do you have for the new year? How successful were you meeting your 2020 goals? Thanks!

“Every moment is a fresh beginning”.

(T.S. Elliot)

Leading from a distance

(Image by FelixMittermeier from Pixabay)

“Leading remotely makes the complex role of leading even more complex”.

(Kevin Eikenberry)

The year 2020 started with a bang for us all and the promise of a fantastic year.

The term 2020 Vision was used to highlight the promise this was going to be the year where vision became reality and positive things were coming.

2020 has been a lot tougher than most of us would like but there have been positive things to be thankful for. We must remember tough times now can lead to positive outcomes in the future.

One area of my Walk into the Future where I really needed 2020 Vision was after accepting my role in Fort Pierce and discovering my entire team was working remotely. Imagine moving to a new city during a pandemic, taking over a work environment and meeting your entire team on your laptop. Strange times but quickly discovered all my leadership training, speaking, and consulting experience were needed for me to make positive things happen.

I have read a lot of leadership books and written multiple articles on authentic leadership. There is not a manual on how to come in on day one and begin to lead a remote team. Trust me, I searched for that book for days!

You always want to make a great first impression, but it is tough to gauge your direct reports via a laptop screen. Things are progressing but I continue to learn new tools and techniques daily. 2020 Vision has morphed into a new mantra to remain focused and control the controllable.

Teambuilding

A first step to build a great team is to ensure teambuilding is a central focus to get everyone on the same page and moving in the correct direction. I have written about several teambuilding exercises we have completed (MBTI, The Energy Bus) and the need to help each team member grow professionally. We completed these activities in a complete physical distancing environment where staff members engaged each other via computers from separate offices. Let’s repeat that…we were together via a Zoom like application (Blackboard Collaborate), in different locations, and working on our teambuilding activities. Not ideal but it can be done.

Never imagined this was possible but got the 2020 Vision to try this and tweak as needed. We have been able to enhance team dynamics and maintain our physical distance from each other. I continue to look for interactive ways to engage the team using computer technology and ensure we have fun with the process.

Work schedules

2020 Vision allows me to understand the traditional concept of work schedules went out the window earlier this year. Not saying people do not have to work but the COVID-19 pandemic created a huge work from home dynamic. Jobs traditionally done within the office environment were rapidly transformed to work from home. This was a major change for everyone, and work schedules had to change as well. Gone were the typical 8 am – 5 pm work schedules since people had to juggle work, childcare, home schooling and a myriad of other tasks daily.

I learned quickly when staff needed time to take care of their home life. Also learned the work from home mindset is not the same for everyone. Some folks are just as motivated working from home as they were in the office. I came to understand that some are not as motivated working from home—human nature kicks in for these folks.

My role has evolved to ensure everyone can use the technology we have available to complete work assignments. We needed to create communication channels to check in without being overly connected daily. I am still learning and evolving in this area, but we are getting things done.

Mental well-being

My initial thoughts for this section was to write about helping my staff with their mental well-being. We do that daily but one aspect I continue to focus on is my mental well-being. My workouts and running program are great escapes for me from the daily grind of leading a team from a distance. This new world of work seems to always have someone trying to schedule a Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Blackboard Collaborate meeting—they never stop! ☹😊

Finally had to tell some coworkers to ask before just jamming a virtual meeting on my calendar. This is a constant reminder the world of work has changed—mostly for the good but there can be a bad side to always being connected. I work to connect with my staff daily to make sure they are doing well. I do not email, call, or text them after work hours to model behavior that honors a true work and life balance. Small steps!

I am still learning how to operate in this new world of work.

What techniques do you use to not be connected all the time? How has your 2020 vision changed from earlier in the year?

“Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something”.

(Plato)

Walking and the importance of networking

“It’s not who you know but who knows YOU”.

(Anonymous)

Dictionary.com defines networking as the action or process of interacting with others to exchange information and develop professional or social contacts.

This definition provides a clean view of networking but does not limit how it can be done. I have written in the past about several podcast episodes I have been a part of. Each episode was done to share a specific message to the audience and help their professional growth. I engaged in multiple in-person networking events (Orlando, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Tallahassee) prior to the COVID-19 pandemic with designs to meet people who could help me grow my consulting and speaking roles. So, as you can see, networking takes on many forms with the objective of connecting with others.

I got invited to speak on a local radio program last week to engage and speak with Fort Pierce community members about my new workplace and the work we do. Turns out the radio host is an Indian River State College (IRSC) colleague who happens to work on a different campus. We had not met prior to the event but knew of each other through work interactions.

I make a point to never turn down opportunities to speak about the great work we do for our students and alumni populations. The radio spot was a fantastic way for me to network with students, parents and employers interested in attending or coming back to IRSC.

The host for this networking opportunity works directly with underrepresented students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. She is always looking for new ways to engage students and members of the community on the benefits of higher education and wanted me to discuss how my office helps our students become career ready. Love being able to showcase the improved operations and services we are building. These new operational tweaks allow staff to reach more students and add value to the overall college experience.

I especially enjoyed participating in the radio program since I could speak directly to employers in the local Fort Pierce area who did not know they could recruit talent on our campuses. We are not hosting in-person events in the fall, but employers are able to post their openings for free with our office. We are in the process of finalizing our Virtual Career Fair platform and wanted to let employers know they have multiple access points to recruit on-campus. The radio program reaches our four-county service area and should enhance our reach to help employers understand how we can help them moving forward.

A secondary aspect of participating on the radio show was to let the community know enrollment for the fall semester is open and we are still recruiting new students. COVID-19 has had a major impact on college and university enrollments across the country and we are no different. Going on the radio allows us to let folks know we are here for them and want to share ways we can help with their success. Two-year colleges are very affordable and can be an excellent way to launch into a four-year degree if that is a goal.

The new term for me in this environment is UpSkill. We talk with prospective students and employers on the benefit of in-demand certificate programs to UpSkill their careers or improve staff outputs. This process is still new to me since I came from the four-year university model but UpSkill is a great way to impact local economies by training students to meet local career demands.

I am scheduled to speak on another radio program later this month hosted by the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and will look to continue to network to help the Treasure Coast grow. Excited to see the impact of these networking opportunities! 😊

What networking opportunities are you working on? How can networking help your organization continue to grow?

“Networking is the #1 unwritten rule of success in business”.

(Sallie Krawcheck)

Listen to the show here—I speak around the 5 minute mark: http://wjfp.com/ondemand-wjfp/player.php?wrspot=72816

Making a difference–the first 100 days!

(Image by Free Photos from Pixabay)

“If you are walking down the right path and you are willing to keep walking, eventually you will make progress”.

(Barack Obama)

Love starting Walk into the Future blog articles with quotes to introduce the topic for each week. The quotes are selected to get me into the right frame of mind to generate content my followers will enjoy. I try not to overdue my Barack Obama quotes but he provides inspiration on multiple levels and I can always find something generated by #44 to help me find the words to make a positive impact with my writing.

I am an avid reader and discovered author Robert Hargrave’s book, Your First 100 Days in a New Executive Job: Powerful First Steps on the Path to Greatness prior to taking my role in Fort Pierce. Decided to leverage my first 100 days in my new role to find ways to make a positive difference in our daily operations. The COVID-19 pandemic and the impact it has on normal operations was a huge challenge to me. I accepted my position at Indian River State College in March 2020 with hopes the pandemic would be mitigated during the summer and we would get back to what use to be normal workday activities. The COVID-19 numbers exploded over the summer and most of the country remained in a work from home mode out of necessity.

I did not let COVID-19 limit my focus on making a difference daily. Referred to President Obama’s quote daily and looked for ways to chip away towards the progress I sought. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. How do you make workplace progress? One project at a time.

My first 100-day point at Indian River State College was 7/28/2020. The Career and Transfer Services (CTS) team was not briefed on my 100-day plan but were key players to ensure we got the results I wanted us to gain. I take a lot of pride in being able to organize and execute action plans and set about getting a lot of things completed in the first 100 days.

Vision

One of my first tasks was to create and then share a vision for the CTS team. This process allowed me to educate the team on how we would work together to help generate wins for our operation. Robert Hargrove advises to seek out as many wins as possible in the first 100 days—it builds positive energy.

I went on a listening tour (virtual, phone, in-person) to speak with staff, colleagues, students, and faculty to understand the best way to partner with each of them. I learned a lot during these conversations (good and bad) and discovered who I needed to mend fences with. It was not important when the fences broke but it was my responsibility to get things moving in a positive direction.

The team conducted a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis to identify what we did well, our weak areas, improvement opportunities and organizational threats. This was an eye-opening experience for the team because they had never analyzed the operation at this level. I needed a full view of our operation to make the first 100 days productive.

We created action plans to mitigate weaknesses and threats (wins) because we could not grow without addressing these two areas. This process led to improved training, better communication, and improved team interactions. The SWOT analysis is a living document and will extend beyond the first 100 days but is a positive step.

We leveraged multiple teambuilding activities during the first 100 days to ensure our continued growth. We leveraged the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), created team values statements, enhanced professional development training, and got on The Energy Bus. Each initiative built on the previous one to help us all grow as team members.

This teambuilding process allowed us to create additional wins:

Produced a Career Ready Infographic
Created and produced a Resume Guide
Created and produced a Resume Rubric
Created and produced a Mock Interview Rubric
Created CTS branded PowerPoint template
Developed a CTS workshop library
Developed employer specific marketing

These are a few examples of our wins in the first 100 days—excited to add a few more wins as the team continues to grow together.

We continue to walk on the right path and progress is evident daily!

How do you measure your progress? What steps do you leverage to continue to move forward?

“Little things make a big difference”.

(Picturequotes.com)

Vote 2020!

(Image by Venita Oberholster from Pixabay)

There is still time to register to vote! Do not miss your opportunity to have your voice heard in the local, state, and national election process.

Registration deadline is October 5, 2020!

Thank you!

Have you registered to vote yet?

https://registertovoteflorida.gov/eligibilityreactive

https://www.usa.gov/register-to-vote

Walking with a positive work environment

(Image by Alexas_Fotos from Pixabay)

“Positive work environments outperform negative work environments”.

(Daniel Goleman)

Positive people make positive things happen is one of my favorite sayings to inspire people in my world. I created this as a mantra when I enter a work environment to help my team understand the mindset, we need to get positive results.

I was introduced to Positive Psychology during my course work and it remains with me daily. One premise of Positive Psychology is people want to lead meaningful and fulfilling lives. This could be on a personal or professional level. I like leveraging Positive Psychology within the work environment to show direct reports how our mindset influences work outcomes.

I mentioned in an earlier post, my daily response to how I am doing is to say fantastic. This is not a way to hide my true thoughts or feelings but a way to energize myself. I found by saying I am doing fantastic provides a new level of energy for myself and it can inspire others around me to join in on the fun. The word fantastic is not used very often in daily life so it makes people take notice and encourages them to get on The Energy Bus.

Now imagine if you had a leader who was always negative and never had anything nice to say. How would this person impact the work environment? I am sure this negative mindset would translate to everyone in the work environment and would not be a pleasant place to work.

Leaders must be cognizant how their energy (positive or negative) impacts the work environment. This knowledge will go a long way to build a positive work environment culture to ensure positive things get done daily. Sounds simple, huh?

It takes a while for this positive process to take hold within a new work environment. The speed of this process can be enhanced when everyone is ready to engage. One negative teammate can slow or aggravate the process, but this can be mitigated by the rest of the team pulling in the same direction. A new initiative for me is to follow Rule #6 from The Energy Bus—I have a sign posted that reads No Energy Vampires Allowed in my office in a prominent location. I will point to the sign when the tone of a conversation starts to become negative. I welcome different views and opinions but look to negate negative tone, language, or interactions. It takes time to eliminate the negative, but the goal is to move forward in a positive manner. I struggle sometimes because I want everything to head in a positive direction but also know things take time.

A positive work environment is a place where everyone can thrive, grow, and provide input. We spend a large amount of our lives in the work environment and I strive to create a space where we can work hard, laugh, and enjoy the process. Leaders who understand work does not have to be stressful create a space where productivity can be displayed daily. I have worked in places where people dreaded coming to work and I made a vow to never duplicate these types of environments when I reached the big seat. Well, I have been in the big seat for a while now and smile whenever one of my tree branches reach out and say they want to work with me again.

I am sure not everyone feels this way, but I have enough of these folks to form my own wolf pack. 😊 Still learning and growing but will continue to promote positive work environments because they are productive and fun. Imagine that, fun in the workplace! Guess Google, Microsoft and Apple understand what people want in the work environment. I do not have ping pong tables, yet, but play a lot of reggae in my office. Irie!

What do you see as the benefits of a positive work environment? How do you contribute to ensure your work environment remains positive?

“Positive anything is better than negative nothing”.

(Elbert Hubbard)

The Energy Bus—team building program!

(Image by Marek Studzinski from Pixabay)

“Thoughts are magnetic. What you think you attract”.

(John Gordon)

Dictionary.com defines teambuilding as the action or process of causing a group of people to work together effectively as a team, especially by means of activities and events designed to increase motivation and promote cooperation.

I have always been a fan of conducting teambuilding activities throughout the years to keep teams focused and pulling in the same direction. I have been fortunate to create teambuilding platforms at UCF and FSU to enhance our team dynamics and set us up to accomplish our work goals. Teambuilding is a critical component to organizational success and is necessary to remind each team member how interconnected we are daily.

I have leveraged the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) at every stop I have made since I left the Air Force. I find the MBTI an excellent way to understand team members’ communication style and allows us to adjust to how individuals prefer to communicate internally and externally.

My MBTI is ISTJ (Introverted/Sensing/Thinking/Judging) and is displayed on my desk to remind my team of my preferred communication style. Each team member gets a desk placard highlighting their MBTI to help them communicate with others and serves as a reminder we all have different preferences and work styles. One is not better than the other, simply different.

I was introduced to Clifton Strengths while at UCF. I was charged with building a teambuilding program for Career Center staff and Clifton Strengths provided us with a platform to build on the strengths of everyone on the team. We reached out and hired a certified consultant to come in and work with us to learn how to maximize team strengths so we could grow the organization. This was an eye-opening teambuilding experience for the group and has remained an integral tool for me when working to build my respective team dynamics.

Ice breaker activities are another great way to bring teams together and enhance socialization. The ice breakers used do not have to be elaborate but should have an element of fun while the team learns more about each other. The platform should enhance communication and help the team find ways to discover new things about teammates.

My latest teambuilding adventure was introduced to me by one of my new team members. She found out I am a huge reader and shared a leadership book from her library with me. I had never heard of the book but was intrigued by the concept after she explained the premise of the book. The full title, The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel your Life, Work and Team is an international best seller and the author, Jon Gordon is sought by organizations to share his Energy Bus knowledge and help people continue to grow. I watched several of his talks on YouTube to get a better understanding of his concept to determine if this was something I could utilize. He has a ton of stuff on YouTube so recommend taking some time to explore his work to see how it can help you and your team move forward.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=jon+gordon++

The book is an extremely easy read and reminds me of the classic, Who Moved My Cheese but in an actual work environment. I was impressed with how his concepts could be applied to my current work situation as I had to find new and inventive ways to conduct teambuilding while maintaining physical distancing due to COVID-19. Never imagined 6 months ago I would be able to implement teambuilding activities with team members in 8 different locations via virtual platforms. I chose the Energy Bus because the 10 rules identified are easy to follow and fit where I wanted to take the team. We must get creative with our work products now and needed them to understand we must pull in the same direction.

Leveraging the https://www.theenergybus.com/ site, I was able to send each team member a bus ticket to invite them onto my bus. It felt funny generating the ticket, but it seemed to excite people when they received the invitation. Most of the team reached out to ask if they needed to present their ticket at our scheduled teambuilding session. It was not required but a lot of them had their ticket ready just in case. 😊

10 Rules for the Ride of Your Life

You are the driver of the Bus
Desire, vision, and focus move your bus in the right direction
Fuel your ride with positive energy
Invite people on your bus and share your vision for the road ahead
Do not waste energy on those who do not get on your bus
Post a sign that says “No Energy Vampires Allowed” on your bus
Enthusiasm attracts more passengers and energizes them during the ride
Love your passengers
Drive with purpose
Have fun and enjoy the ride

We were able to go through the 10 Rules and discuss the impact each had on our new team adventures. I gave the team my view of the 10 Rules and how I planned to leverage each of them. We went around the virtual room and had each team member provide their feedback on each rule and how they would incorporate the rule daily. I was pleasantly surprised when one of my teammates asked if she could give a full rundown for ALL the rules. She did a fantastic job summarizing each rule and how it would be incorporated in her daily interactions. This set the tone for the rest of the teambuilding session and let me know we are heading in the right direction.

I am always looking for ways to get the team to the next level. Will continue to research teambuilding activities but highly recommend The Energy Bus if you are looking for ways to bring a team together.

What teambuilding activities does your organization use? How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted your team’s ability to gel?

“Your positive energy and vision must be greater than anyone’s and everyone’s negativity. Your certainty must be greater than everyone’s doubt”.

(John Gordon)

Always remember Rosewood, Florida

Justice

(Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay)

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”.

(Nelson Mandela)

Happy to see the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement continue to draw attention to racial injustices. The momentum gained after the George Floyd murder continues to lead people worldwide to protest injustices. It feels real this time, but I thought that after Rodney King, Trayvon Martin, Eric Gardner, and Michael Brown. Too many instances where black people are killed, and the justice system does not provide justice. Not trying to be cute with words here but most of these examples were seen on video just like George Floyd but no justice for black victims could be found.

Would like to say these are just isolated examples and America really treats black people well. Yep, we all know that would be a huge lie and I could not say that with a straight face anyway. America’s majority has treated people of color horribly and then try to convince us everything is okay. It is not and has not been okay for a long time.

Decided to go back in history and introduce Walk into the Future readers to Rosewood, Florida. Most people have never heard about Rosewood or the horror the black families endured there. It does not get the same press as the Black Wall Street massacre but is closer to home for me.

Sadly, I did not learn about Rosewood until the 1997 movie directed by John Singleton was released. I grew up in Florida and never heard a word about the massacre in a history or civics class. Rosewood is less than a two-hour drive from my hometown Jasper, Florida so it is equally shocking how close this type of mob/Klan activity was to my family.

I watched the movie and remember thinking this happened right down the street from my hometown. How is it possible I did not know about this? How could an entire town get wiped off the face of the earth and nobody said a word? This appears to be the American way. We condemn other countries and regimes for their atrocities and then hide ours from the public.

The movie stirred me to visit Rosewood in 1997 so I could see the place for myself. Sadly, the only substantial thing to identify Rosewood is a placard to let you know you are in the place where the town of Rosewood use to be. There are a few buildings there now but most of the things in the area are incorporated to Cedar Key, Florida. Felt weird being at the site of a massacre of black people but believe this was an important lesson to never forget the past so these things do not repeat. Like what is happening now; we cannot just let these injustices occur without responding in kind.

The BLM movement is here to stay, and we will need to remain vigilant to ensure human rights are respected for all. Keep learning and growing tree branches—we need you to make this a better world!

Learn more about Rosewood, Florida here: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jan/03/rosewood-florida-massacre-racial-violence-reparations

“The scars and stains of racism are still deeply embedded in the American society”.

(John Lewis)

Repost from August 20, 2020.

Irie vibes–control the controllable

(Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay)

“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them”.

(Maya Angelou)

Control the controllable is one of my favorite sayings. Do not remember where I heard it first, but it has been a way of thinking for many years. Try to leverage this saying when things appear difficult and I need to remind myself to trust the process.

I shared the saying in a LinkedIn post back in April and was pleasantly surprised with the number of views (900+), reactions (20+) and comments the post garnered. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we view normal and it can be easy to get overwhelmed with everything happening around us.

Dictionary.com defines control as the power to influence or direct people’s behavior or the course of events.

Control the controllable can serve as a positive mantra to help tackle difficult times and situations.

Take care of yourself

Taking care of yourself can be done in many ways. For some this may mean ensuring you make time to exercise. For others this can be done by eating a healthier diet. This combination is a critical aspect of controlling how you function daily. A key component some of us may have forgotten until now is the mental and emotional elements in your life. COVID-19 has made us view life differently and reveals the importance of mental health. The ability to seek and find clarity should be at the forefront of taking care of yourself.

Take care of others

Who are YOUR tree branches? Make sure you reach out to them to help them navigate this new way of life. Most people will tell you they are doing okay but keep checking on them. They will appreciate the effort and it helps you keep your tree growing. You can also reach out to people who are not tree branches; make someone’s day and become a mentor to help move them forward and provide some guidance.

Continue to practice physical distancing

The government and news agencies penned the term social distancing. Believe this connotation has been a problem from day 1. Most people had never heard of this term prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and it may have confused some. I like the term physical distancing because it says right in the title to stay away from others. We have got enamored with social media and everything that comes with it—think a lot of people could not understand what was really being asked of them when told to practice social distancing. Regardless how you address the term, physical distancing is something we have some level of control.

Create personal outlets

Look for personal and creative outlets to leverage the things you can control. The Walk into the Future blog has become a major way for me to express a creative side I really did not know existed. I get excited researching topics and then challenging myself to create an article someone else may want to read. Have no idea if anyone is really reading this stuff but I keep plugging away because it is something I control.

Running and weightlifting are other outlets I utilized to control the controllable for myself. Journaling outside of my work on the Walk into the Future blog has a calming effect for me. Most times when writing in my journal I can generate work and life ideas to implement later. Handwriting content in the journal also makes me slow done a bit and really think through what I want to write down. Always recommend journaling to anyone who will listen to me because it is an excellent outlet to express thoughts—try it! 😊

Reggae and the beach are other outlets I have available to me daily.

Open your eyes and your mind to see your outlets!

“The control center of your life is your attitude”.

(Anonymous)

Live, love and laugh

Life can be a compilation of good and bad. Let’s focus on the good and leverage the positive energy this mindset brings. Live daily, love often and laugh always! (I just made that up). 😊

What daily things are within your control? How do you maintain this control? Thanks!

“The moment you give up, is the moment you let someone else win.”

(Kobe Bryant)

Zoom into the Future

zoom

(Image by Alexandra_Koch from Pixabay)

“When in doubt, zoom out”.

(Reggie Watts)

I like starting Walk into the Future articles with a quote to inspire my thought process and get me going. Well, the quote above is the best I could find with zoom in it but has nothing really to do with this article. Forgive me but thought it was funny and had the appropriate word (zoom) I needed to move forward.

The last several months have been productive, exciting, and frustrating (COVID-19) but progress has been made daily. The Zoom application has become a popular way for the workforce to keep making positive things happen considering the COVID-19 pandemic. More people are using this platform to ensure daily operations and tasks are completed in this new way to go to work.

Zoom interview

My first foray using the Zoom application came back in February when I was introduced to it for a first-round interview. I have used Skype to interview for past positions and to interview candidates for openings on my team. Did not know much about Zoom but found the process a lot more seamless than the Skype application. Simply receive an email with a link, click on the link at the appropriate time and you are meeting with the folks on the distant end. Zoom provides the capability to host multiple people in multiple locations so this appears to make getting a team together to interview candidates a bit easier than Skype. I am sure there are still uses for the Skype platform but thought Zoom took pressure off me as the candidates since I did not have to test my computer/software as in the past.

Zoom team meeting

Leveraged my newfound appreciation for Zoom by hosting my first team meeting with my new team at Indian River State College prior to starting work. Again, COVID-19 has most organizations working remotely to avoid large meetings and practicing physical distancing. I wanted to get a head start on teambuilding prior to moving to Fort Pierce and Zoom was the perfect application. We were able to host 10 people in 5 different locations (physical distancing) and build a team foundation to help us find ways to ensure students, faculty/staff and employers continue to receive world class customer service. I have talked with tree branches who are using Zoom but found it to be an even better platform than described.

Zoom work process (onboarding, team meetings, teambuilding)

Realize there are several who will read this article who have been using Zoom for a while. I am just getting my feet wet and see so many useful ways to use this platform even after we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Staff on satellite campuses can continue to participate in meetings, workshops, and teambuilding activities without having to drive to the main campus. There will be times when they need/want to be present, but Zoom can save time and driving to and from the main campus. Also, see the benefits of conducting one-on-one sessions with distant students, employers, and staff. Just getting my thoughts together but I am sure I will leverage Zoom to find ways to ensure our students have the best employment opportunities available. Zoom appears to be setting the pace for a new world order! Stay tuned as I will continue to share how I am zooming into the future. 😊

How does your organization use the Zoom platform? Do you have tricks of the trade you can share? Thanks!

NOTE: Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Blackboard Collaborate are three platforms I am actively using at work. The three platforms are easy to navigate and provides similar functionality.

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