I hope you were able to make the best of the Summer of 2020 despite its very real challenges and that your head and heart are ready to drive your business forward as we enter September. I like to use the last two weeks of August as a “rest, reflect, plan” period and this year that timing worked well for me. I’ve hit post-Labor Day with gusto and am excited about the opportunities coming into my world.

Here are a few of the content capsules that caught my attention over the last few weeks that I want to share with my fellow business leaders today:

• Is your company a prime target for ransomeware? This from Data Breach Today will answer that and other questions about this growing plague:
• I recently mentioned I’ve been accepted into Chief. I’m meeting my first “Core Group” on Thursday and am very impressed with this organization. Check out this amazing article on female leadership and empathy. I love how it talks about the need to institutionalize empathy and make it a corporate value shared by all. It posits that by doing, female leaders will be enabled to better focus on their jobs, rather than walking that ridiculous fine line so many of us know all too well. (I don’t need to walk it as much as a leader in a private business, but there are still times I feel it beneath my feet).
• Anthropologist, Grant McCracken, in an interview with Debbie Millman, states that designers create and interpret culture. These print ad designers brought inspiration and creativity to the corporate world. Check out their amazing work.
• Do we need to meet people in person to work better with them? New research shared by The New York Times.
• What’s a “digital first” business environment and which companies seem to be getting it right? This from Fast Company.
• Heads up! 76% of workers say they have higher expectations for prospective employers than they did 3 years ago according to new research from the Edelman Trust Barometer report. Oh, there’s more. A lot more. You really need to read this.

Do Good Spotlight on: Kids in Need Foundation 

Kids in Need Foundation (KINF) believes education is the gateway to empowering students to reach their full potential. Since 1995, they’ve provided the school supplies and learning resources needed to help kids in need and their teachers. KINF is the only national nonprofit to focus its efforts on the country’s most underserved schools, those with an enrollment of 70% or more participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP).

We learned a lot about KINF this week and donated to help stock classrooms and fill back-packs. You can help too, find out how here.

Thanks for reading—we hope this issue was helpful. Please remember to point us to not-for-profits to feature—and donate to, we’re always on the lookout for great organizations that deserve shout outs and support. Enjoy the rest of the week!

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I hope you’re meeting the goals you set for yourself and your team for this year. Is anything going particularly well that you thought would be more challenging? What do you credit with that upswing? I’d love to hear what’s working and if you’re finding ways to apply those strategies elsewhere in your organization.

Here are the articles that caught my attention as a business leader this week that I wanted to share with the other business leaders in my network:

• Still sitting too much? I’ve been popping out of my seat every 20-30 minutes to keep moving around as a step to getting healthier. I found this article about back pain that might be helpful to you or someone you know from the folks at Lose It! Here’s another one from Dr. Cindy Lin, MD for CNBC.
• Jeanne Meister writes about trends shaping the future of work, and she’s got a great piece in Forbes: The Future of Work is Employee Well Being.”
• Sure, your work from home offices are pet-friendly, but now that companies are navigating the “back to the office” scenarios, will bringing pets to work take a leap forward as part of wooing employees back? This piece from Time has lots of trends, stats, and other perspective-information info.

DBE’s Go Good Spotlight is on: Women for Women International

World organizations are rushing to help the people of Afghanistan as the conflict continues to unfold. Caught in the turmoil are women whose lives are much less in their own control there than in other parts of the world. DBE was moved by their stories and made donation this week to Women for Women International, prompted in part by Chief’s support of this organization. You can help too. Learn more and if you’re moved to, please donate here.

That’s it for this week, short issue but hope it provided some good insights and tips. Enjoy the rest of the week and stay well, stay strong, stay focused!

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How are you doing? There’s a lot going on out there, and probably a lot going on in your own sphere too. Try to keep your focus on the things you can influence, and if there are a lot of those, maybe focus on one or two at a time. It doesn’t look like the world is going to get easier anytime soon, and you owe it to yourself and the people in your sphere to stay optimized.

Here are a few pieces that helped me, inspired me, made me wonder, or all three:

• There are all kinds of creative and Fast Company’s 2021 list of the most creative takes that to new heights. How can you not be inspired by these folks? Here’s the full list.
• Paywalls are increasing. What will they mean for access to information and hearing beyond the echo chamber?
• Speaking of paywalls, try to Google the title in the link if you don’t have a subscription to see if you can get to it as a freebie. This is a fascinating read from The Wall Street Journal about professionals who have two full-time jobs but no one at either company they work for knows about the other. Sleazy in some cases, where they’re not actually working much for either company, deserving of a major hat tip where they pull it off and everyone wins. Most cases are in between, but I couldn’t stop reading so I had to share:
• Do business leaders distort the truth? When? How? Is it okay? Is it expected? This Harvard Business Review piece does a great job of pulling the threads to those questions: (Again, if you don’t have a subscription, try Googling the title and “Harvard Business Review” to try for a freebie view of the article.)
• This article by Marcel Schwantes for Inc. says there are 3 ways to tell if you’re a better leader than you may think. How’d you do?

Do Good Spotlight on: Doctors Without Borders

Since 1971, Doctors Without Borders brings medical aid where it’s needed most. It is an independent, neutral, impartial organization whose mission is simple: save lives. Since it’s founding, DWB has treated tens of millions of people. We are proud to feature this organization this week and donated too. Here’s where you can learn more and explore ways to support them.

Oh! I recently was accepted into Chief. I’ll let you know how it goes but according to the members I know, it’s phenomenal. Looking forward to it! In the meantime, stay well, stay strong, stay focused!

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Yes, no matter how much you may want to deny it, it’s already August. How are you tracking to the goals you set for you and your organization?

I’m sharing items that caught my attention this week that I hope will engage your business-leader heart and mind, along with two spotlights that you may find interesting.

The first spotlight is on a new client of Owlthena’s parent company, Digital Brand Expressions: Viggi Corporation. The story behind the invention of the Vidget is on the website, we’ve got a summary below for you. I think you’ll love the entrepreneurial spirit and passion that shines through everything Viggi does.

Our other spotlight is on a not-for-profit, 10,000 Degrees, that helps disadvantaged students not only get into college, but to succeed through gradation, and go on to help others.

This week’s theme is “flexibility and perspective.” You’ll see it play out in so many ways in our features below. Enjoy!

DBE Client Spotlight on: Viggi Kids

What if there was a chair designed to help kids expend energy while staying seated, facilitating focus and learning? There is! It’s called the Vidget, and it was created and developed by Sandra Turner, CEO of DBE’s client Viggi Corporation. The Vidget is completely manufactured in the US and is fast becoming the furniture you’ll see not only in classrooms for kids with ADHD, but in mainstream classrooms too. And now, Vidgets are making their way into families’ home study areas and playrooms too.

Vidgets are made of solid, molded plastic, are designed to rock side to side without tipping over, and come in a wide variety of colors and sizes. In fact, they start as small as 10 inches and go up to the sizes you’ll find in college libraries. If you’ve got people in your family that like to move while learning or playing, check out the Vidget. Added coolness: flip it and it’s a desk; flip it again and it’s a stool; flip it again and it’s a seat again. Awe-some!

News For Business Leaders:

• Stephanie Davis is a Google executive in Singapore. She typically has 40+ hours of meetings a week, yet still has time for yoga, hiking with her husband, and other fun activities that keep her fresh and strong. What’s her secret? She has a few, including booking time—in her calendar—for meeting prep and follow ups. Here’s more (try Googling this if you can’t get in without a subscription, you may have “free” articles available).
• I was shocked when an executive friend recently shared that their boss wanted to revoke working from home completely once it felt safe to do so. When my friend tried to remind the boss that her department, comprised of primarily younger workers, had hit every goal working through 2020 and so far this year too, working completely remotely, and that she worried people would leave without the flexibility to continue to work from home, her boss fell back on the old, “They are lucky to have jobs, they won’t go anywhere.” So much has changed about how people look at the role of work in their lives, and in such a short time, I’m wondering how much any of us has really factored enough of it to make elevated decisions about options for ourselves and our teams. This piece by Art Markman for Fast Company brings perspectives into a clearer lens. I hope it helps you and those in your sphere.
• Are you familiar with “false polarization bias?” that’s the assumption that people with opposing views dislike you. It’s a global phenomenon and this Harvard Business Review article delves into it and how it affects the workplace. You know we don’t like to plop a problem in your lap without offering solutions and this article takes the same tack.
• There’s all kinds of research emerging fast and furiously about how just taking a quick break every 20 minutes during the work day reduces stress, decreases the chance of getting diabetes, and more. So, with that in mind, here are some easy stretches you can do from pretty much anywhere. You’re welcome ?.

Do Good Spotlight on: 10,000 Degrees

Supporting educational equity, 10,000 Degrees helps students from low-income backgrounds to get into and then graduate college. But that’s not all. This not-for-profit has an even bigger mission to help those graduates in turn help their communities. We love what they’re all achieving and so we are honoring them all with this shout out and a donation this week. Here’s where you can learn more (and donate too).

I hope this week’s article gave you a few new perspectives and aided in your mental and physical flexibility. Have a great rest of the week and enjoy the weekend too!

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I hope all is well and that you’re keeping your focus for you and the people who rely on you at work and at home.

This week we’re introducing a new feature: the DBE Client Spotlight. We’ll periodically share what our clients have been up to and encourage you to check them out.

New Feature: DBE Client Spotlight

If you have a pool, you may want to visit the website for DBE’s client Water Tech Corp. They design and manufacturer cordless, pool-cleaning robots and other technologies that make pool-cleaning time short and sweet for you and your family. Explore here.

News For You, a Business Leader Intent on Growth

I hope you enjoy this week’s issue of What’s Hot Wednesday for Business Leaders as much as I enjoyed pulling it together for you.

• Cool tech! We’re testing these out at DBE and we’ll let you know what we think after we do, but we thought, why wait! Isn’t this device cool? It easily adds 2 more screens to your laptop. Now you can work with multiple screens away from your desk!
• Here’s a great segment of the podcast “The Dan Nestle Show.” Dan’s talking with his guest, Michael Piperno, about key strategies for improving business communications. Great info there. And they also talk about their “career paths,” and if you’re coaching those new to their careers, the look back Dan and Michael share is sure to be helpful. They share insights to how the choices they made at various junctures can look like a “path” from the outside, but rather than a clear path, at the time each move felt more like a steppingstone and that over time, it looks more like a thread, with a common theme. Loved it and couldn’t wait to share it with you.

• What do you think of this: Ryann Holmes, Chairman and Co-Founder of one of our favorite platforms, HootSuite, shares in this post about a cool program by Shopify. It’s a business starter kit for kids. Such a great idea.
• And this from Fast Company: when you need new talent, revisit the talent already on your team.

Do Good Spotlight on: Charity Water’s Tiny Heros

Kids are doing inspiring, heartwarming, and over-the-top incredible things for clean water, so Charity: Water created an annual award to celebrate these “Tiny Heroes.” They recently announced the six winners for this year and are sharing those kids’ stories. Fascinating! These kids helped raise $1.8 million, benefitting over 45,000 people. Read about them, their projects, and how to help this organization that’s helping us all with water-sustainability projects and technologies. We donated to Charity: Water this week and encourage you to consider doing the same.

That’s the shares for this week. I hope the rest of your week is a good combination of fun and productive. Catch you next week. In the meantime, enjoy!

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An eclectic mix of articles I want to share with you this week. On productivity, taking cues from geniuses, New Yorkers continue the 7 PM cheer, the energy in words, and more. Oh, and two not-for-profits are featured in our do-gooder section this week:

• 26 productivity apps voted 2021’s best (so far) by Fast Company.
• Succeed by taking notes from geniuses.
• Just for fun (Subscription) [Pro tip: subscription required, but if you haven’t used up your freebies for the month, Google the article title and see if you can get to the article that way.]
• Could Gen Z Free the World From Email? (Subscription) [Pro tip: subscription required, but if you haven’t used up your freebies for the month, Google the article title and see if you can get to the article that way].
• Perfect number of hours to work per week? Wired’s got thoughts.
• Have you heard about Chief? It’s an organization for executive women. I joined recently, looking forward to all the benefits, including lots of amazing events and opportunites to connect with like-minded leaders. I’ll share more as I get more into it. For now, color me excited!
• Speaking of networking and connecting, here are tips on goals you’ll want to commit to before you continue your outreach.

Do Good Spotlight #1: INT-O

We recently learned about INT-O and couldn’t wait to share with you. International Optimism Yellow (INT-O Yellow) is a color with a cause. It was developed as a platform for participation and collaboration between: Pantone, artist Uncle Riley, UMEWE and YOU. It was conceived as a tool to explore Optimism and positively impact reality.

Learn more here, it’s so cool!

Do Good Spotlight #2: Passage Theatre

Passage Theatre Company in Trenton, NJ is committed to creating and producing socially relevant new plays and arts programming that deeply resonate with and reflect the community. Through professional productions, educational programs, and community engagement, they present diverse perspectives and new voices that inspire audiences and invigorate the art of live theatre. We donated to help them progress on their mission and you can too. Learn more about Passage Theatre here.

I hope you were inspired and informed by the articles shared this week and check out the Do Gooders too. Have a great rest of the week, enjoy!

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Lots to share for the business leader in you:

• Burnout is having a major impact on our employees and leadership too. Vistage highlights the signs of burnout and offers suggestions for recognizing and if possible, doing a 180.
• Are you factoring “the Great Resignation?” We’ve been talking about the shifting perspectives of workers and progressive companies, with the future being a more equitable exchange rather than the historical “company=benefactor, worker=lucky to have a job.” Here are several articles that outline what’s going on right now from a bigger picture perspective to help you with your mindset and decision making:
  • From Axios: “The Age of Career Jumpers.” Here’s a tidbit: “What’s happening: The pandemic has caused a crisis of burnout and pushed millions of people to reconsider what fulfills them at work. Of the workers that want to switch jobs or fields, 50% say they are looking for higher compensation, 34% want more growth opportunities and 24% are tired of working on the same things, per the survey.”
  • From Ad Age. (Subscription required.)
  • From Tech Republic. Here’s a taste: “The risk is that executives will decide that defining the hybrid workplace is too difficult and revert back to old habits. Kropp said that all of the data shows that employees are higher performing and more productive in hybrid work settings.”
  • And from NPR. Here’s a quote from a worker, Jonathan Caballero, “I think the pandemic has changed my mindset in a way, like I really value my time now.” There’s more, a lot more…
• McKinsey put out an article this week on “The growth triple play: Creativity, analytics and purpose.” One of their key takeaways is companies who are leveraging even just one of these capabilities sees growth rates of 6%, and when they hit the trifecta, growth rates 12% — 2.​3x that of their peers who have not developed these capabilities.

Do Good Spotlight on: Jason Raynor

Gun violence hit close to home for DBE/Owlthena this past week when Daytona Beach, Florida officer Jason Raynor was shot in the head in the line of duty by a seasoned criminal. It was all recorded on Jason’s body cam. A week later, Jason is still fighting for his life with the bullet lodged in his brain until his system stabilizes enough for a positive surgery outcome. We have team members who know Jason personally and this week’s do good shout out goes to Jason and his family, along with a donation to the GoFundMe set up to support him and his family, who flew to Florida and are staying by his side while he endures a medical coma awaiting surgery. Good energy and prayers are great donations too. Thanks…

I hope this week’s issue helps you with your planning for the near future. Have a safe and productive rest of the week.

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Just a few stories to share in this week’s What’s Hot Wednesday for Business Leaders. I took some much needed PTO last Friday (riding waverunners at the Jersey shore) so wasn’t as “plugged in” as I typically am. Still, here are pieces that caught my attention that I wanted to share in the name of progress:

• In honor of our new federal holiday, here’s a fascinating piece from Fast Company for all you allies out there. It’s a combination of quotes, interviews, and multimedia segments about how the tech industry is (or isn’t) making strides regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Uncomfortable conversations, those driven by friction, are needed says Rhett Lindsey, CEO of recruiting platform Siimee, is a recruiting and hiring platform that connects job seekers and employers through a 1-to-1 matching experience that eliminates the human biases that often occur early in the hiring process.
• This too is from Fast Company. It’s by Code2040 leaders Mimi Fox Melton and Karla Monterroso and about getting over the fear of conflict that stymies us from having the productive conversations that are often friction driven.

• Forward-thinking, forward-acting Hootsuite (social media management platform) announced it’s closing down for a week in July so that ALL employees can take a break to focus on mental wellness and health. Here’s more about what they’re doing, why, and how. As society and business work to de-stigmatize the need to keep our minds as healthy as we keep our bodies, you’ll be hearing a lot more on this topic. If your company is doing something noteworthy, or you know of a company that is breaking down the silence around mental health, please share with me so I can share with our readers.
• What’s the rarest type of employee, and how many does your company have? Bill Sanders talks about Adam Grant’s research for CNBC. Are there ways you can encourage your takers and neutrals to get in the spirit of giving?

Do Good Spotlight on:  National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)

We’ve been donating to this organization for years and wanted to put it back on your radar too. The nation’s resource for issues of missing and sexually exploited children, The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation whose mission is to help find missing children, reduce child sexual exploitation, and prevent child victimization.

Since 1984, NCMEC has served as the national clearinghouse and resource center for families, victims, private organizations, law enforcement and the public on issues relating to missing and sexually exploited children.

You can learn more as well as donate via this website (the donate button was malfunctioning earlier this week—if it’s still wonky, you can donate via their Facebook Page too).

I hope you enjoyed this week’s e-briefing and that the rest of your week is smooth sailing. Enjoy!

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This week is a hodgepodge of stories that caught my attention plus an invitation to listen to my recent conversation with Michael Piperno on his Comvia podcast. Our do good spotlight shines on a mom-mentoring organization whose heart is always in the right place, and can you believe it’s the middle of June already???

• What a blast I had talking with the ever-wonderful Michael Piperno, communications expert and coach extraordinaire and now a podcaster too. As is always the case when Michael and I chat, the conversation takes on a life of its own and Michael leads us to fascinating places. If you’re interested to know the back stories on how Omotenashi evolved here at Owlthena’s parent company, Digital Brand Expressions (DBE); why DBE is drama-free; and one of my most-treasured “better late than never” lessons, tune in to our conversation. You can listen on all the major podcast platforms or here. Enjoy! I know I did!
• KPMG interviewed CEOs to get their take on what “normal” will look like for businesses. You won’t want to miss this.

• Don’t fall for it! Scams are abundant and this Techlicious article talks about one where webmasters are told their site has images that are infringing on someone’s copyright. Clicking to learn more does not go well. Be sure to share this you’re your team, these scams are vicious! Here’s more.
• Zahira Jaser nails it for The Harvard Business Review with this article about respecting middle management done right. IMHO, I thought a lot of companies struggled following the 2008 recession because they wiped out their middle managers as part of their cost saving measures. What they did in large part was to eliminate their teachers, gurus, and operational streamliners who knew how to get things done and who taught those coming after them. Here’s a great quote from the article, and there’s lots more where this came from: “It is time to reunite leadership and management in one concept, and recognize middle managers as connecting leaders. This concept recognizes that every leader is also a follower, and every follower is also a leader.” Preach!
• The U.​S.​ data privacy landscape varies greatly from state to state and now Colorado just enacted the Colorado Privacy Act (CPA). Learn how it can affect your business in this Venture Beat article.

Do Good Spotlight on: EmpowerHER

This is beautiful, an organization providing mentoring “moms” to young women (18-24) and girls who have lost their own mothers. As the website explains, losing her mother can have life-long impact on a woman, going well beyond the milestones others may think about and trickling painfully into many aspects of her life. The EmpowerHER mentor moms help girls and young women transition into adulthood with guidance and support. We donated to help EmpowerHER do its thing and we encourage you to take a look at how you can support them too.

That’s it for this week, I hope you enjoyed the issue and that it created a few good sparks for your business brain. And remember, if you have a not-for-profit you’d like us to feature, let me know.

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June is well under way. How’s the month going so far? It’s good to be seeing friends and family again, with more reunions in the works. Still find myself being careful out of habit and precaution, e.g., that mask is still on walking to a table in a restaurant—but I’m in the restaurants again…and I’m back at my gym too.

I hope you’re finding re-entry smooth too.

Below are shares I wanted to make to help feed the part of you working so hard to make business work well:

• There’s a digital agency I’ve respected for years and years and I’m now watching them implode because the management is failing to tackle the very same things Travis Bradberry talks about in “9 Bad Manager Mistakes That Make Good People Quit.” These rules apply to all organizations, and with everyone being so worn out by the twists and turns of the pandemic, I thought it would be a good time to say, hey, please check in with your team. And I mean, really check in with them. I find through my coaching leaders often think they are having the right conversations (two-way, real exchanges) with their people, but their team members would say otherwise. Why? Because leaders are tired too, and it’s easy to miss the signs that your team needs something else from you. Take a pause and really check in.
• On the topic of real conversation, have you heard about appreciative inquiry? It’s the practice of working from the positive to get to the heart of challenges and help your team make business aligned changes that last. I learned a lot about appreciative inquiry recently from Kelly Stewart, president of The Positive Business. You can learn more about it here, including how to connect with Kelly to explore how this process can work for your business.
• As we begin to gather again socially and for business, do you find you in-person communications skills are a little rusty? How long should small talk last? How do you politely end a conversation? Adam Connors of NetWorkWise has great advice in this post.

Do Good Spotlight on: NOVA (Network of Victims Assistance)

We learned about NOVA through “Women Who Care-Bucks County.” NOVA provides a safe and child-friendly environment in which staff, law enforcement, child welfare, prosecution, victim advocacy, medical and mental health professionals collaborate to implement effective, coordinated investigations of suspected child abuse.

Here’s where you can learn more. As always, we donated to NOVA as this week’s spotlighted organization and encourage you to consider donating too.

That’s a wrap for this week. I hope the shares were helpful. Let me know if I can help you in any way, and in the meantime, stay strong, stay focused, and rock on!

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