Walk Into the Future

Tag: Teambuilding

  • 4th Annual Fall Fun Fest

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    “If work isn’t fun, you’re not playing on the right team.”

    (Frank Sonenburg)

    Work hard and play hard is an old saying but we are getting a lot of use out of it daily.

    My Walk into the Future provides multiple outlets for me to live life daily. I leverage this blog to record and share these adventures with my readers.

    The newest adventure was the 4th Annual Fall Fun Fest at work. We started this tradition back in October 2021 with an 80’s themed dance party.  I did not think my coworkers would dress the part or even dance at work, but I was wrong. Our folks know how to have fun and are always looking for the next time to party at work.

    It took a while to produce the 2024 theme for our event, but we decided to make this year Dynamic Duos with Karaoke. We never force people to join in, but it helps when Vice Presidents get into the event, dress in costume, and have fun. We also learned that a lot of our colleagues love karaoke and could not wait to sing at work again this year. FYI, participants did not have to sing karaoke as a duo, but several did. We continue to discover talented singers from around campus and this year was no exception.

    My VP (Beth) and I agreed to dress as the Saturday Night Live (SNL) Spartan Cheerleaders this year:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SErOdLSlpkE

    We agreed to become this duo back in June and ordered matching outfits via Amazon. Yes, we take this work party seriously. Beth insisted that we match completely so she purchased matching sneakers for me to ensure we were completely in character. 😊 Our routines did not have a karaoke theme, but we wanted to entertain the audience and get them ready to have fun. We planned to perform as the opening act before the singers got started with karaoke. Most people knew we were up to something but never imagined that I would dress as a Spartan Cheerleader and perform multiple routines in my outfit. Well, Beth continues to convince me to do things out of character and it is fun. 😊

    We started with a little skit to welcome everyone to the 4th Annual Fall Fun Fest. We incorporated memories from the previous 3 Fall Fun Fest activities. This was a fantastic way to break the ice for the group and gave us time to get into character. This skit led us to perform The Perfect Cheer which was made famous by Will Ferrell and Cheri Oteri as the Spartan Cheerleaders on SNL (starts at 3:36 mark:  https://www.tiktok.com/@matt.gizmo.yerke/video/7287395646066249002?lang=en)

    The karaoke machine kicked in once the Spartan Cheerleaders were done. Again, we have some talented folks on our staff and the singing was outstanding. Several folks hit the stage multiple times to entertain the crowd. We had to adjust the song format a bit when we kept getting songs from musicals. I have nothing against these types of songs but the energy level in the building went down with slow and dramatic musical songs. I will implement a party anthem only concept in 2025 to help keep the crowd moving.

    I am not sure of the theme we will have next year, but it should be another epic adventure for the team. 😊

    What do you do for fun at work?

    Irie!

    “It is not really work if you are having fun.”

    (Pierre Omidyar)

  • Playdoh into the Future!

    “If work isn’t fun, you’re not playing on the right team”.

    (Pinterest Pin)

    What’s your fondest memory of Playdoh?

    This is not a trick question but one I have been asking people in my orbit lately.  Why?  Great question!

    I purchased a can of Playdoh one day on a trip to Dollar Tree on a whim.  Thought it would be fun to have around the house and to make forms in between laying down tracks for the Walk into the Future blog. Well, after two weeks I had not opened the Playdoh and decided to take it to work as a simple distraction in between meetings. I placed it on my desk with designs to pull it out when needed to have a little extra fun at work.

    The first time the Playdoh came out was an impromptu meeting. My Vice President and another Associate Vice President were in my office catching up on things that happened on campus.  The meeting was sidetracked as soon as they saw I had Playdoh in my office.  We immediately grabbed a handful of Playdoh and started forming shapes.  The funny thing with this process is we had the most productive meeting we’ve had in a long time while forming Playdoh.

    I didn’t know if the Playdoh and productive meeting was a coincidence, so I doubled down and purchased more and brought it to work.  I let people who enter my office select their preferred Playdoh color and take it back to their offices.  I also let them know they have to bring their Playdoh back with them if they need to speak or meet with me.  Yes, I’ve mandated Playdoh play dates at work! 😊

    Again, I have been surprised with the productivity we have been able to get since Playdoh was introduced into the work environment.  I started as something we did in my office, but I started traveling to other meetings with a bag full of Playdoh.  I place the cans on the table and let my colleagues select a color and we form shapes while solving the world’s problems.  The shapes I created were not very artistic, but I quickly discovered I needed to step up my game because my colleagues have Playdoh skills.  I’ve watched folks make some outstanding shapes and characters during our sessions.  The productivity of our meetings remains high, and we are having fun with the process. 

    Here are a few of the shapes created in our sessions:

    So, why do YOU think Playdoh has been such a success in my work environment?

    My take is most of us were introduced to Playdoh at a young age and these happy memories translate directly to how we remember the smell, feel and form of Playdoh as adults.  Simple concept—Playdoh reminds us of a simpler time in our lives and we didn’t have a worry in the world.  These memories all come back to us as soon as we open a can of Playdoh in the work environment.  Happy people = productive people!

    I’m looking to purchase a larger selection of Playdoh colors to bring into the work environment.  It may seem like a small gesture, but our productivity has gone up and we are having fun with the Playdoh!  Not sure how long this phenomenon will last but I’m enjoying it daily! 😊

    What are your memories of Playdoh?

    Irie!

    “Work hard, have fun, and make history”.

    (Jeff Bezos)

  • Authentic Leadership

    IRSC

    “Leaders lead”.

    (Calvin Williams)

    Yes, I’m starting the Walk into the Future blog post by quoting myself.  I’m not on a power kick or displaying an extraordinary amount of hubris. 

    This simple quote—Leaders lead has become a hash tag (#LeadersLead) that I hope with takeoff on multiple platforms.

    I introduced Authentic Leadership and my training program to my colleagues at Indian River State College (IRSC) in June.  I’ve leveraged Authentic Leadership within my consulting role with multiple organizations to include the Seminole Tribe of Florda and the St. Lucie County Tax Assessors office.  These sessions are designed to help organizations create leadership development programs to enhance employee opportunities and organizational growth.  I’ve chronicled my Authentic Leadership philosophy and training program through multiple blog articles. 

    We have been talking about leadership development benefits for IRSC staff for a while.  Decided it was time to introduce Authentic Leadership to campus partners to jumpstart leadership discussions and development.  I went back and forth over the best way to bring Authentic Leadership to campus because this would put me in front of my direct reports, peers and campus leadership.  Sounds simple but each group would need to understand Authentic Leadership from different perspectives.  This was a challenge and one I accepted head on—to make positive things happen.

    I went to my consulting workshop library to determine which topics I would use at IRSC.  Talking with colleagues and staff helped me identify topics of interest that would benefit the audience I would engage.  Decided to introduce the Authentic Leadership Theory and focus on the four variables within the theory.  The next topic would dig deeper into the variable of self-awareness.  The final workshop explored the concept of empowered leadership and the impact within the work environment.  The workshop series consisted of Authentic Leadership (2 workshops), The Self-Aware Leader (2 workshops) and Empowered Leadership as the finale.  Each workshop had a virtual component so folks on multiple campuses could log in and watch the workshops live or later via the recordings. 

    Authentic Leadership (AL)

    This workshop explores the 4 AL variables:  self-awareness, relational transparency, internalized moral perspective and balanced processing.  The workshop attendees were introduced to each variable to provide context and then we got down to business of understanding how each variable impacts direct reports and the work environment.  Love asking attendees the magical question:  Who are you?  This helps them understand we all bring something different into the work environment daily and how these differences can be leveraged towards positive outcomes.  Love helping folks develop a better understanding of themselves and how this impacts the work environment.  Self-view is something most people don’t think about but should do on the journey to becoming effective leaders. 

    The Self-Aware Leader

    This workshop is a deep dive into self-awareness and the importance this variable has on effective leadership.  My overarching goal for this workshop is to force leaders to understand themselves (Who are you?) and start understanding the impact on direct reports.  Leaders who are not self-aware build direct reports who are not self-aware.  This has a negative impact on the work environment and limits organizational growth.  I added a group exercise for this session to have attendees engage with each other and share information to help them understand the levels of diversity within our work environment.  The homework from this workshop was for attendees to identify ways they can/should improve their leadership skills.

    Empowered Leadership

    The grand finale for this workshop series was Empowered Leadership.  We explored the definition of empowerment and how this impacts leadership.  Attendees were challenged to identify ways they have been empowered within the work environment and ways to expand this towards positive outcomes.  Homework from this workshop centers on leveraging new knowledge within the work environment to enhance client and staff interactions.

    I will explore the concept of introducing additional topics to my colleagues.  Will take a small break from leadership training and get back to the world of student retention and completion.

    What’s your leadership style?  What impact does it have on your work environment?

    Irie!

    “Let no one ever come to you without leaving better”.

    (Mother Theresa)

    Note:  Organizations can contact me to explore opportunities to bring Authentic Leadership training to their teams.

  • Student Success Karaoke

    Student Success 3

    (Prince, Luke Combs and Gwen Stefani)

    “If work isn’t fun, you’re not playing on the right team”.

    (Frank Sonnenberg)

    Work hard and play hard.

    How many times have you heard this phrase?  Do you agree or disagree?

    Well, my Walk into the Future journey provides a perfect dichotomy to both sides of this concept. I continue to seek adventures that allow me to maximize my personal time when I’m not trying to change the world one tree branch at a time.

    My work as Associate Vice President of Advising and Career Services allows me to impact a lot of people in positive ways.  There are days where I’m not the most popular person in the building based on decisions I must make as part of my daily duties.  This is a part of the business and makes my work interesting.  No two days are the same.

    I leverage my Organizational Psychology knowledge to build a team environment and culture to help the team thrive daily.  We have built in team building activities with cohorts to help our communication and ability to get positive results for our clients.  We started using the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) to enhance our internal communications and build on our goal towards positivity within the workplace.  The process to improve culture is an ongoing project and one I put a lot of effort into for continuous improvements.

    We started hosting a large Student Success activity during Halloween week back in 2021.  That year we put on an 80’s Dance Battle between one of my friends and myself.  It started as a simple joke, but the staff heard us talking and decided seeing older guys battle dance at work would be fun.  We turned this event into a full fledged 80’s party where staff dress in 80’s gear and we played music from the decade.  Fast forward and this was successful and we entertained colleagues from around campus.  Never saw so many smiles, people laughing and having fun at work. 

    Student Success decided to run this idea back for 2022.  We graduated to the 90’s with Music Bingo and a modified dance battle.  The intent was to engage folks in a different manner and still have music in the process.  We drafted dance teams and then had them battle in front of their colleagues to pick a winning team.  Our President got involved and handed out prizes to the winning team—we didn’t know he was going to do this.  Again, we created and hosted another fun and successful event that got the campus vibing and enjoying time with colleagues.

    My VP texted me over the 2022 Thanksgiving break with an idea for the 2023 fun activity.  Yes, we started planning the next event a full year in advance. 😊

    Her concept was to host a karaoke event and encourage staff to dress as their favorite artist.  This sounded good to me but did not fully process how this would work format wise, but we had a full year to bounce ideas and put the program together.

    Turns out Student Success Karaoke has been our most creative, ambitious, and entertaining event so far!  Did not realize how many folks enjoy karaoke and the ability to dress up at work.  We added a few wrinkles to the format where participants had to dress as their favorite artist and had to sing a song by that artist. 

    We had performances by Prince, Luke Combs, Steppenwolf, Billy Joel, Garth Brooks, Sia, Lil Nas X, Radiohead, Salt n Peppa, Gwen Stefani and Run DMC to name a few.  Everyone was dressed appropriately and had fun while entertaining the crowd.  This was my first-time singing Karaoke, and I was completely sober—no alcohol in sight! LOL. We had folks from every office on-campus in attendance and they all signed up to sing.  Some even hit the stage multiple times to show us how talented they were.

    We had three local food trucks pull up outside our building and provided folks with multiple lunch options in between our song sets. 

    Another successful event for the Student Success team!  This process may seem simple, but it goes a long way towards building the team dynamics that will allow us to grow and thrive together.

    Yes, folks are already asking us what we have planned for next year.  No idea at this point but it will be epic—I promise! 😊

    What do you do for teambuilding?

    Irie!

    “Where people aren’t having fun, they seldom produce good work”.

    (David Ogilvy)

  • Navy SEAL Museum (teambuilding)

    “No one can whistle a symphony.  It takes a whole orchestra to play it”.

    (Booker T. Washington)

    My Walk into the Future continues to expand and grow tree branches.

    I am always looking for ways to enhance organizational growth and find opportunities to thrive.  I am still active with my consulting projects and this work expands my ability to develop new ways to inspire my team to meet organizational goals.

    Teambuilding activities have been the springboard towards enhanced communications, better work production and overall success.  This is an ongoing process, there are more opportunities for the organization to grow, and teambuilding will be a driving force towards this goal.

    The national Navy SEAL Museum is in Fort Pierce, Florida.  This is a fun fact, and most people ask why.  The shores of Fort Pierce were utilized as a prime World War II training location to prepare troops for beach invasions.  The underwater demolition program was a key component of the training program and was a precursor to the Navy SEAL program we know today.

    What does this have to do with teambuilding?  Great question!

    Many folks on my staff knew the Navy SEAL Museum was in Fort Pierce but only a few had been to the museum.  I went for the first-time last year with a student organization and enjoyed the experience.  I shared this with a few folks at work and we discussed a team visit to share the history and do some team bonding.  It took a bit of scheduling and adjusting calendars, but we agreed on a date and time for the team visit.

    I did not have a preset idea of how many folks would come to the museum but was happy when 10 folks showed up with smiles on their faces.  This was a voluntary outing for the team, and they took time out of their weekend for team bonding—I was impressed!

    We got an introductory briefing by the museum staff, and this set the stage for the team to explore the multiple displays and artifacts within the museum.

    I did not know how the team would respond to being in a military museum, but they were very active learning the history of the Navy SEALs and campaigns they fought in.  The ability to touch the equipment and sit in an actual helicopter allowed the team an interactive experience while touring the museum.

    The museum has displays outside as well: boats, statues, and monuments.  We got some great pictures of one of the combat boats that was larger than most of us thought it would be.  The obstacle course was popular with other tour groups present but we only tried a few of the obstacles.  I tried the rope swing but sunk quickly into the sand—I traveled 3 feet before my momentum was broken.  Think we all had a good laugh at my lack of movement on the rope swing.  A few others took a turn on the rope swing, and they had better outcomes than I did.  I may have to go back to the Navy SEAL Museum to redeem myself on the rope swing.

    The visit to the Navy SEAL Museum is another step towards making our team stronger.  It was a great way to highlight the ultimate team (Navy SEALs) and how they come together to complete missions.  The importance of teamwork on mission outcomes was a great reminder for my team as we look for ways to get better daily.  Always looking for ways to get 1% better daily.

    What are you doing to become 1% better today?

    Irie!

  • 80s day at work!

    80s Beth and Calvin

    “If work isn’t fun, you’re not playing on the right team”.

    (Frank Sonnenberg)

    The concept of FUN at work comes up often when discussing how to keep organizations moving forward.  The quote above makes me laugh with the simplicity of the concept but it does have a place in the modern work environment.

    Organizations that do not allow their staff members to unwind and have fun are doomed to have unhappy people in the workplace daily.  I am not saying staff must be entertained daily but the concept of fun has shown to be an attractive variable for some well-known organizations.

    Google leads the way for work environment fun with nap pods, video games and ping pong tables available daily for staff members.  Who would not want to take a nap at work?  Genius concept!

    Texas Roadhouse is another organization that values fun at work.  It’s right there in the mission statement:  We are committed to our shared Core Values of Passion, Partnership, Integrity, and Fun with Purpose. 

    The staff gets to line dance multiple times during their shifts to some upbeat country music.  It is great watching the staff members dance with huge smiles on their faces while enjoying being at work.

    Well, if the Texas Roadhouse folks can dance at work, then why can’t I?  That is a loaded question but one that we recently overcame in my current work environment.

    Yes, there can be dancing at work! 😊

    A friend at work and I started joking a few months ago about having a break-dancing contest in the parking lot.  It was our little inside joke and it made us both laugh.  We would mention the dance contest passing each other in the hallway and occasionally feign a dance move.  A couple of our coworkers overheard us talking about break-dancing and offered we should have a dance battle at work—true story.

    This led to others chiming in that we should have the contest at work and dress the part.  The more this talk went on the more buzz the topic generated at work.  A final suggestion was everyone in the building should wear 80s gear and we should make it an event.  Please note, while at the FSU Career Center we had a Fantasy Career Day in October.  Staff members dressed in gear to represent their fantasy career—one year I went as a golfer complete with golf shirt, shorts, and a golf club.  This was the only time I wore shorts to work as a professional—it was great! 😊

    This concept was the catalyst for us to create an 80s-decade event for our division.  I went to my boss to let her know we were dressing in the 80s and her response was:  I am coming as Madonna!  I did not have to make a plea; it was as simple as that.

    The entire campus caught the energy, and the Fall Celebration Day was established.  The challenge went out to other divisions to dress in a preferred decade—we had dibs on the 80s.  The 60s and 70s were quickly grabbed by folks on campus and the celebration was on.

    We decided to go all in for the 80s and dress the part.  I was a frequent eBay shopper as I looked for the perfect 80s outfit to enjoy the day.  The great thing about the 80s is the multiple phases we all went through—so many great looks to choose from.  I went with the mid-80s Hip Hop look as a throwback to some of my favorite artists—Eric B and Rakim, DJ Easy Rock and Public Enemy.

    I was able to find multiple options for vintage Nike 80s track suit within my stated budget.  I was also able to find a fake (plastic) gold chain to accessorize my look.  A quick trip to Party City allowed me to complete the look with large rings for my fingers to really get that throwback look.  One of my colleagues had an old boom box at home and allowed me to borrow it for the day to complete my 80s throwback look.

    Fast forward to 10/29/21 and we produced old school flyers to pass out on-campus to promote the dance battle in our building.  We wanted to ensure we had an audience and allow everyone to join in on the fun.  There were several practice sessions so we could space out the dance battle and then bring in a few surprise guests—we kept the surprises close to the vest so it would enhance the event.

    We coordinated a three round dance battle to get the crowd pumped and generate fun, laughter, and anticipation.  The goal was to have fun!

    I won the dance battle coin toss and elected to have my friend lead off with his first routine.  We agreed to three rounds and then get silly with dances an old dude would do:  the sprinkler, starting a lawn mower and the robot.  The crowd got into each round and really enjoyed the process of two professionals making a fool of themselves at work—it was all for fun! 😊

    We finished our dance sequences back-to-back in a B Boy Stance.  We positioned ourselves directly in front of our VP—on purpose!

    She pushed us both out of her way as the Salt N Pepa classic hit ‘Push It’ started to play.  This was surprise #1 and she rocked it.  She had been practicing for two weeks to get her moves right and started out with the 80s dance classic, The Roger Rabbit—the crowd went wild!  We joined her after with a choreographed rendition from the Push It video—don’t think I have ever had that much fun at work.

    We got everyone in the building up and dancing with a classic Soul Train line.  It was fun to see others with HUGE smiles on their faces as they went through the Soul Train line multiple times.  I went through the line about 5 times since we were buying additional time for Surprise #2.

    We have a Performing Arts program on-campus and partnered with faculty to request a student flash.  The students practiced the Michael Jackson’s 80s classic Thriller dance to finish off our dance party.  I had our DJ adjust the music once I saw the students enter the building.  We cleared the dance floor and let the students take over.  They were a big hit with the crowd as they went through their Thriller routine—it was fantastic!

    The last part of our event was the Electric Slide!  Most of the folks hit the dance floor again as we did the Electric Slide—a great way to complete a dance party.

    I have not seen people smile so much at work as they did during our 80s day!  Several made a point to let me know this was the best day they have had at work.  The smiles and happy faces made dances in front of colleagues worth the effort.  Some have asked what we plan to do to top this event—I’m going to let someone else plan the next event, but we will continue to have fun at work.

    What do you do to have fun at work?

    “Work is either fun or drudgery.  It depends on your attitude.  I like fun”.

    (Colleen Barrett)

  • Who are you? Self-awareness

    Make Things Happen

    “Self-awareness is the golden key to making life changing decisions and sticking to them”.

    (Dr. Prem Jagyasi)

    Dictionary.com defines self-awareness as conscious knowledge of one’s own character, feelings, motives, and desires.

    Sounds simple enough but I like to explore self-awareness more when I conduct teambuilding exercises. Self-awareness is needed within the work environment and impacts how well the team functions.  We all bring different things into the work environment daily and need to understand how and what these things are.  I routinely ask the following question when I start the teambuilding process:

    Who are you?

    Take 2 minutes and ask yourself the question Who are you? multiple times.  Record each of your responses.  My examples to this exercise are:

    • Who are you?  Black man
    • Who are you?  Blogger
    • Who are you?  Leader
    • Who are you?  Running tourist
    • Who are you?  Son
    • Who are you?  Uncle
    • Who are you?  Mentor
    • Who are you?  Friend

    Now it is your turn—answer the question and record your responses—I will wait! 😊

    How many responses did you list to the question?

    The answers may surprise people you work with and maybe yourself.  There is not a right or wrong way to supply responses to the question.  The major point is everything you listed enters the work environment with you daily.

    This is an important point as we build teams and help staff members get to know others on the team.  I have used this teambuilding exercise multiple times to enhance the work environment and help with team growth. 

    The point of this process is to allow team members to fully understand what they bring to work. It also shows a new level of self-awareness and how we interact with others.  This exercise enhances team awareness and shows everyone they have more in common than they thought.

    True leaders can use this data to ensure they treat staff members as individuals and not let their self-awareness impact how they treat others. 

    Example:  I do not have kids–this should not impact how I deal with a parent who needs to leave work early because of a sick child.  Some people in leadership positions make decisions based on their worldview only.  This is a horrible way to lead a team.

    Authentic leaders understand how they are viewed and the impact this has on the team.  Self-aware leaders create more self-aware leaders. 

    So, I ask again—who are you?  How does this level of self-awareness impact your daily interactions?

    “What is necessary to change a person is to change his awareness of himself”.

    (Abraham Maslow)

  • Walking with a positive work environment (Repost)

    Walking with a positive work environment (Repost)

    (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)

  • Leading from a distance

    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

    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