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How are things going? As the end of 2021 approaches, I’m grateful for my support network that helps me as I’m navigating the uncharted waters of running a business and a busy life in these tumultuous times.

• One of the best things I’ve done this year was to join and increase participation in several groups for like-minded businesspeople. My groups are: Chief, Growth10 for Agency Owners, The Trusted Referral Network, and The Connective. Oh, and there’s Lunchclub for ad hoc, one-off connections. It’s great to know there are people who I can reach out to with questions for whom I can likewise share perspectives and inputs. These groups are all top-of-the-funnel connections sparkers for me, and I get so much out of each of them. I’ve worked hard to manage the time commitments for the meetings as well as the follow-on discussions with various members. It’s been a win for me in 2021 and I’m looking forward to improving my “systems” around these groups next year.

• As I’m writing this, I’m listening to a Chief webinar with Adam Grant as the guest speaker. He’s talking about an experiment where salespeople were encouraged to have lunch with one another. Within 4 months, those who lunched with other salespeople earned 24% more revenue than before the experiment. Why? Because they exchanged more information that was collectively helpful. How can you apply this finding in your world?

• Adam Grant also talked about the importance of inviting and encouraging people to provide you feedback. He said, “How I respond to feedback influences how much of it I get in the future.” I thought that was smart. He went on to give tips on making it easy for people to give you feedback, to show them you will honor it and not get defensive. He demonstrated making an observation about himself with which someone could easily agree, for example, he said, “I feel like I rambled a bit there, didn’t I?” and invited the person talking with him to give open feedback about that observation. He also offered the idea of prompting feedback with a 10-point system: “I’m always looking to improve, how was my response to your question in terms of succinctness? Was a closer to 1 or 10?” He said people will rarely go to the extremes on the scale and it gives you an opportunity to then ask how you could do better, without sounding like a perfectionist needing assurances. He’s brilliant and the webinar was just one of the benefits of Chief and other organizations that facilitate connection.

Do Good Spotlight: Passage Theatre of Trenton

We tend to spotlight–and donate to–charities that focus on improving lives through health care, education, and support services. This week, we’re showcasing Passage Theatre for its contributions to the arts for Trenton and the surrounding area.

Passage Theatre Company 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. Each production is a shared experience that audiences can carry into the world and use as a catalyst for inclusive conversation, connection, and change in the community.

We donated this week and here’s where you can learn more (and donate too).

• Are you paying your workers enough to live on? This Fast Company article shares tools and references to help ensure you’re providing optimal wages for your business and your employees.
• I’m a big fan of recycling and at first was disheartened by the article about fails in recycling programs for packaged goods companies, with a sour mention of a local company that I’ve long been a fan of Terra Cycle. But in thinking about it, the situation is that the initial programs didn’t work, not that they can’t work with tweaking. And the tweaking is definitely worth it. So, in the interests of sharing what is a good intention that needs good minds to improve it, enjoy this read.

• And speaking of flipping a situation, could the great attrition become the great attraction? Read this from McKinsey Quarterly and please let me know what you think: If you do nothing with this article other than look at “Exhibit 5” . . .  you’re welcome ?.

Okay, that’s it for this week. Remember, we feature and donate to not-for-profits with each issue so if you have one that’s near and dear to you, shout it out for consideration. I hope the rest of your week is outstanding and that your weekend provides whatever it is that will keep you in the flow!

The post Niki’s Notes December 8, 2021 appeared first on Digital Brand Expressions.

Hi,

The leaves are changing, and the smell of pumpkin spice is everywhere. Even if it’s not your favorite season, enjoy walks in the crisp air, pull up your chair to a firepit, and enjoy a warming drink (or two) with good friends.

We were a bit short on content to share last week and have made up for it this week, so let’s jump right into the list of content sets I thought you’d enjoy as you lead your team through the challenges of 2021 with compassion, EQ, and with your sights set on the future:

• How many of “you” do you bring to work every day? According to this article by Roxanne Fequiere from Chief about the work of Ritu Bhasin, only your adapted self should be showing up. As a leader, bringing your adaptive self-empowers your team to bring their best business selves too.
• Facebook released another deep dive report into small businesses and the effect of the pandemic. While there has been some recovery, there are still ways to go.
• Everyone has blind spots, and leaders are no exception. I had a situation many years ago with a toxic manager who reported to me. They were well behaved in my presence, not so when I was not in the room, so I didn’t realize there was a problem until team members bravely approached me about it. I had no idea what they were going through and will always be grateful they trusted me to listen to them. If you think it can’t happen in your company, you’re already on a path to major headaches. This Harvard Business Review piece by Mita Mallick talks about what to do when your employees are being “gaslighted” by their manager.
• I saw this article about how a teen’s TikTok video accidentally disrupted surveys by the survey platform called Prolific. And then coincidentally, I met someone from a new kind of survey platform for businesses called RAADZ. The basic premise is they use gamification techniques and rewards to survey employees or consumers about what they think others think, rather than asking the respondents what they themselves believe. I’m still getting my head around their process and the outcomes, but it’s intriguing so I wanted to share it here.
• The New York Times introduces Jonathan Malesic’s essay with the header: The Pandemic reminded us: We exist to do more than just work.” The essay is entitled, “The Future of Work Should Mean Working Less,” and it talks about the various reactions people everywhere are having about work and what work means to them. The dignity in work. The lack of appreciation for work and workers. How people do—or don’t—internalize work. It’s wide ranging and there are lots of alarms being sounded that you will want to be more aware of than you may already be. There’s no such thing as “business as usual” and this piece does a great job of amplifying many voices. We need to be listening…
• If you plan on spending more of your rediscovered time with friends, have you really checked in on your friend count lately? Think about it for a moment…do you have a lot of great connections but not so many you would call friends? How do you make friends as an adult? This article from Fast Company talks about why our close friends tend to be people we met in our earlier years and why it’s a challenge to add meaningful relationships as we get older. If you’re yearning for real friendships beyond your business connections and current social circle, especially if you’ve recently relocated, Art Markman offers 3 great strategies.
• Has your business been impacted by the childcare worker shortage? If it hasn’t yet, it may be. As hourly workers in many industries begin to make strides for better wages, those industries are pulling workers from daycare and elder care. This is putting added strain on working parents. This piece in the Washington Post does a good job of outlining what’s going on. If your business relies on hourly workers, directly or indirectly, you’ll want to stay on top of this trend.

Do Good Spotlight on: HealthLink Dental

We learned about this organization through our association with 100 Women Who Care (Bucks County), a network supporting charities. HealthLink Dental is a free dental clinic serving uninsured, low-wage earning adults and veterans in Bucks and Montgomery Counties in Pennsylvania. We donated and here’s where you can learn more about the good works being performed by HealthLink.

I hope this issue got you thinking in new directions or deeper into important angles you were already considering. Please let me know how you’re doing, feel free to suggestion not-for-profits for us to feature in upcoming issues, and remember: Stay Strong, Stay Focused, Stay Successful!

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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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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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I hope your week is going well and that you get caught up before the weekend…

Here are a few items I wanted to share with your business leader heart and mind in case they spark insights you can incorporate into what you’re doing for your stakeholders:

• Oh No! Charlie Bit My Finger is exiting YouTube to become an NFT. Why am I sharing this as business insight fodder? Did you imagine NFT’s before they were a thing? I didn’t, but now that we know about them, where does that lead our entrepreneurial, innovative minds?
• What’s your intrinsic value to your connections, and how can you use it to build your network? Adam Connors has answers.
• Have you heard about companies where employees decide each other’s salaries? I’m fascinated by how decisions are made and how people feel about them. Here’s the story.
• The future of middle managers is already happening, from what I can see “…organizations will have to rethink traditional career paths, and begin to offer development tracks that enable individual contributors to advance without necessarily taking on people-management responsibilities.” How about you? Here’s the rest from Harvard Business Review on that topic.

Do Good Spotlight on: Maya’s Mission

We recently learned about Maya’s Mission and wanted to share this with you…
The world suddenly lost an amazing girl last year at the age of 13, and to continue the work she started, her family created Maya’s Mission. This not-for-profit’s goal is to ensure marginalized children and young adults across the world are exposed to STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, math) to create a path forward for themselves and others.

To honor Maya’s birthday on April 27, Maya’s Mission is partnering with Adaptive Sports Foundation to provide micro-grants for adaptive athletes to learn to ski or snowboard. Grants applications are being accepted until June 4, 2021. Find out more here, consider donating as we did, and pass it along!

I hope this issue got you thinking in new directions, or deeper on a particular path.

As we wind down the week, let’s all remember on Monday to honor those who gave their lives in military service; there are many Americans who are still grieving those losses. Please keep that in mind as you enjoy the weekend that starts our summer fun. Gratitude is a good goal that takes it all in.

Thank you.

The post OWLTHENA WHAT’S HOT WEDNESDAY MAY 26, 2021 appeared first on Digital Brand Expressions.

Hi!

How’s this week going? Can you believe it’s May? I’m totally in denial but that doesn’t make a bit of difference because…it’s…May!

This week’s What’s Hot Wednesday for Business Leaders is a mixed bag…items that jumped into my awareness that I want to share with you:

• What if you could know what 200 chief HR Officers and other HR professionals were thinking about the current state of talent? Ta da! You can! Follow this link to NetWorkWise to download their super informative survey results, just released.
• I was invited to be a founding member of a new organization supporting women in paid search. It’s called Women in PPC. This week I’m sharing their interview with me. It was a thought-provoking (for me) combination of walking down memory lane and being grateful for my “here and now.” Let me know what you think…
• This one isn’t so much about “business” but about innovation. You know I’m always intrigued by people who can see something the rest of us have missed. So without further ado, this piece from Phys Org about nano flashlights to detect viruses.

• I read. A lot. I also skim great news summary sources daily. Here are two I’ve come to really appreciate to stay on top of general news that people tend to talk about:
  • The Skimm: in your in-box around 7 a.m. ET on weekdays. Learn more and then subscribe if it’s your cup of tea. It’s free.
  • Join1440: super concise reads with links to bigger stories, weekdays, shows up in your in-box. Free.

Do Good Spotlight: Hollaback

We heard about Hollaback when someone talked about it on Facebook. Have you ever been a front-line witness to harassment and didn’t know what to do to stop it? This organization helps people who want to step in when it’s appropriate to do so with awareness and confidence. In their own words, “Hollaback is a global, people-powered movement to end harassment — in all its forms. We believe that we all deserve to be who we are, wherever we are.”

We liked what they’re about so we’re highlighting them today and we donated too. Here’s where you can learn more.

That’s it for this edition. Have a great rest of the week and Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there!o

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The warmer weather and cloud-free skies are making me feel more energized these days. How about you? Well, this week I’ve got some short reads designed to take your mind to even more positive places: oh, the possibilities. Take a deep breath, hold it, exhale, do it again, and then enjoy these notes on happiness, connections, and showcasing your uniqueness.

• I don’t know about you but I was ready for The World Happiness Report on how we’ve weathered the pandemic and what’s getting us through. One key finding: happiness is local. To me, part of the message here is that we can influence others around us to stay positive by staying positive and spreading that vibe. And be open to receiving the positivity when you feel yourself starting to slip: reframe and regain. There’s a lot more in this info out of Berkeley, check it out.
• Should you consciously try to change the caliber of your network? You know the answer is going to be yes, just ‘cause I’m asking. Next question: how do you go about it? Here’s a game plan and the “why” from the networking master, Adam Connors in a post for his free e-briefing, NetWorkWise.
• As business leaders, have you seen job candidates using some of the new features on LinkedIn talked about in this Fast Company piece? Do you think using some of this new tools to upgrade your LinkedIn profile can help you and your company?

Do Good Spotlight: National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NMEC) & Amazon Smile

This e-briefing from Owlthena has featured NCMEC in the past and we’re always impressed with how they leverage the latest technologies and strategies for working with law enforcement and others to keep kids and teens safe from predators. We donated again this week and suggest you check out the good works they’re doing. Perhaps you’ll choose to make a donation too. Learn more here.

And while we’re on the subject of helping others, did you know that you can set your browser to go to Amazon Smile instead of Amazon to make your online purchases? What’s the difference? Nothing as far as your shopping experience goes. But everything to a charity you support. With Amazon Smile, you choose a charity that Amazon will donate to every time you make a purchase. You shop and purchase as you’ve always done. The only difference? When you’re in Amazon Smile and make your purchase, a portion of your purchase price goes to your charity. Seamlessly. How much does it cost you? Nothing. What better way is there to donate to a favorite not for profit?  Here’s how to learn more about Amazon Smile.

Here’s to more spring-like weather, lots of sunshine, and a great rest of the week!

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Anyone else noticing the sun is in the sky noticeably longer a month after the winter solstice? I know, I know, it’s still not long enough, but it makes me happy to know spring is two months away, not four! This week’s What’s Hot Wednesday for Business Leaders is a mix of stories that caught my attention for various reasons over the last week or so. I hope they make you think a bit, as they did me. Here you go:

• Curious about Clubhouse? It’s a new voice-only social media service. @MauraBrandology does a great job explaining what it is and who it’s for, so take a look at her sharp summary here.
• This is a loooong article by Jill Lepore from the New Yorker about work in the US. It’s a little bit history lesson, a little bit philosophy discourse, a little bit psychology review, and if you can stick with it, quite eye opening. Let me know what you think. Honestly, I skimmed it because, well, it’s loooong, but I wanted to share for the insights it offers.
• You know I’m a fan of round up lists, so this share won’t be a surprise…Business Insider’s list of 35 of the most powerful women in 2021.
• Is this the year you’re really going to try meditating more? Well, if yes, you’ve got lots of company, and this list of apps to help you, from Vogue, is wonderful. I’m also using the Hatch these days and loving that too—it helps me fall asleep to soothing sounds and tranquil lighting.

• This article from Harvard Business Review asks if women are better leaders during a crisis and goes on to answer with results from 360° reviews. Personally, I don’t know that it’s fair to say women are universally better, but I do believe that when female and male leaders display traits that are typically thought of as feminine, as the article points out, e.g., “communicates powerfully,” “collaboration/teamwork,” and “relationship building,” everyone wins.

Do Good Spotlight: Ronald McDonald House of Central NJ

Dr. Adam Naddelman of DBE client Princeton Nassau Pediatrics is now on the board of Ronald McDonald House of Central NJ. If you’re not familiar with the work of Ronald McDonald House, let us share they are a top-rated charity that supports families going through the nightmare of having a hospitalized child. The Central NJ group is expanding their house in New Brunswick and we are more than happy to lend our support with a donation we made this week. Here’s where you can learn more and donate too.

I hope the rest of the week goes smoothly and that you stay safe as we continue to move through troubling times to better times ahead. Let me know if you want to catch up by phone, Zoom, or if we’re near each other, a socially distanced “walk and talk” in a nearby park. In the meantime, stay focused and stay strong for you and the people who count on you!

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