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Working The Favor Bank: Ten Ways To Grow Your Network And Get Things Done

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by Robert L. Dilenschneider, author of “The Ultimate Guide to Power & Influence: Everything You Need to Know“

“Networking” is a misunderstood concept. We tend to think of it in terms of small talk, faked enthusiasm, and self-serving schmoozing. Great networkers, we assume, are aggressive movers and shakers with a knack for selling themselves. Actually, they are heartfelt helpers who understand how the favor bank works.

The most successful people I know have their own networks, which they cultivate like a precious rose garden. They do this by thinking first where they can do some good, knowing that later — sometimes much later — there will be reciprocity.

Navigating this balance of give and take is what I call working the favor bank.

I think of networking in terms of ‘favor banks’ — coined by Tom Wolfe in his novel The Bonfire of the Vanities. The book is satire, but Wolfe’s point about favor banks captures an essential element in how the world of influence works.

It boils down to this: Help other people, and they will be more willing to help you. You make a “deposit” into the virtual favor bank, and later you will inevitably make a “withdrawal.” Just be sure when you make that withdrawal, you do so elegantly and graciously so that everyone wins.

While the concept is simple enough in theory, putting it into practice may require some guidance. You might say, “How could I ever help XX, when I really need them to help me first?” But there’s almost always a way for you to make a deposit in the favor bank, and those deposits will almost always come around to help you in the long run.

A few tips:

1. Research industries and leaders you are likely to meet.

Have something to talk about with them that will convey your knowledge and interest. And most of all, be prepared to listen.

2. Be strategic and thoughtful about where you can do the most good.

This requires advance planning, a realistic view of your gifts and abilities, and a dose of discernment. Don’t spread yourself too thin. Find a way to focus your talent and energies. It’s not about doing ten things just for the sake of doing them; it’s about doing one (or maybe a few) things that have a real impact.

Having a reputation for doing good can pay dividends and helps communicate what your values are. This is a crucial step toward eventually building relationships with power players who share those values.

Frank Bennack, the CEO of the Hearst Corporation for more than 28 years, leveraged personal relationships based on pro bono activities to close “the deal of the century” to buy a piece of ESPN and set the stage for Hearst’s pivot to cable networking.

Of course, power plays like this are way down the road…but you’ve got to start somewhere.

3. Start the relationship off with a deposit, not a withdrawal.

Remember, working the favor bank means playing the long game. Be patient and have faith that your turn to make a withdrawal will, eventually, come back around.

4. Find ways to make “free” deposits.

Learn how to trade in know-how, intellectual capital, and sweat equity. Senior executives get a lot of mileage in their community through leveraging their company’s contribution program. But what if you’re just a young manager without a wad of money to give away?

Let’s say you are a rising executive, and you want to make your impact felt with a politician. You know you can’t make a heavyweight financial contribution. But can you help them in designing their fundraising strategy? Can you spend your evening hours researching a particular topic so they can write a blockbuster speech? Just be sure the candidate’s positions won’t bring embarrassment to your company.

Or, let’s say your community hospital can’t afford a financial analysis function, but you hear that the trustees (who are also the most powerful community leaders) blame serious operating problems on a lack of good analysis. Can you step in and offer your expertise pro bono to troubleshoot the problem? For managers at every level, there is a way to leverage intelligence and ingenuity for impact far beyond your apparent rank.

5. Support the rainmakers — those people who can bring new clients your way…

When Rabbi Arthur Schneier, one of the most influential people in New York and a human-rights activist, called me on a Sunday afternoon and asked whether the company where I worked at the time would help lead an earthquake-relief effort in a country on the border of Europe and Asia, it took me just one second to say yes. First, it was the right and humane thing to do. Second, it paid off handsomely in how the company was regarded. And third, it answered a rainmaker’s call. If you want to maintain an active balance in the favor bank, jump when a rainmaker calls.

6. … but also those powerful people who feel antagonistic toward your business.

I’m talking about special-interest leaders, columnists, politicians — anyone who can be a big-league aggravation. It may sound counterintuitive, but without undermining your business objectives or compromising ethics, do every possible favor you can for those people. It’s done every day by top managers in the Fortune 500. Deposit regularly and heavily in the favor bank.

7. Maximize the impact of your deposits with a personal follow-up.

Let’s say you’re called to assess a candidate for a senior management job at an up-and-coming manufacturing firm. You provide a strong recommendation and are told she’s at the top of the list. Fine. Now leverage that by immediately calling the candidate and telling her she’s likely to get the job. Who do you suppose the candidate will think helped cinch the position?

8. Be smart about managing your growing list.

You must prune your list but never cut people off entirely. The more people in your network, the more opportunities are created for you. One way to manage your growing list is to make categories — contacts in the energy industry, the media, the nonprofit fields, for example. 

9. Stay in touch. This isn’t a one-and-done activity.

Cultivate your network and keep your name out there through tools such as newsletters, letters to the editor, and op-eds. Make them informative, useful, succinct. Avoid overpowering the inbox, however. Any of us in business receive more emails in an hour than we could possibly read, even if that’s all we did all day long. Make your message a must-read.

10. Advertise your favor-bank balance (but be discreet about it).

In a speech, you might hear an executive say, “When the local elementary schools needed Chromebooks for remote learning, we were glad to donate some to help equalize education. It was nothing less than an investment in the community and our children.”

This soft-sell advertisement amplifies power and influence. Of course, it must be done discreetly and with caution so as to not oversell. And most of all, it has to be true!

If all of this sounds a little manipulative, don’t worry — it’s not. It’s simply a way of practicing the timeless concept of reciprocity.

Looking for ways to help others does eventually result in their helping you, but that’s not the real payoff. It cultivates a mindset that not only leads to rewarding relationships but also helps you grow as a person. The more you help others, the better person you will become, and the more you’ll experience a sense of fulfillment.

 

Robert Dilenschneider 2

Robert L. Dilenschneider, founder and CEO of The Dilenschneider Group, is one of the world’s foremost communication experts and leadership coaches. Dilenschneider has authored 18 seminal business and career development books. He has counseled major corporations and professional groups around the globe and is frequently called upon by the media to provide commentary and strategic public relations insights on major news stories.

 

Seven Essential Characteristics Of Highly Successful Individuals

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Success is a concept that is highly sought after, yet its achievement remains elusive for many. While there is no one-size-fits-all formula for success, there are certain common characteristics that tend to be present in individuals who have managed to achieve their goals and make a significant impact on the world around them. These characteristics encompass a diverse range of attributes that contribute to personal growth, professional accomplishments, and overall fulfillment. See how you stack up with these characteristics. Soon, you and others like you will be getting Colorado Springs small business loans to get your dreams off the ground.

In this article, we will delve into seven important characteristics that are often associated with highly successful people.

1. Vision and Goal-Setting.

Highly successful individuals possess a clear vision of their desired outcomes and a strong sense of purpose. They set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals that serve as roadmaps toward their aspirations. This proactive approach to goal-setting not only helps them remain focused but also instills a sense of direction that guides their actions and decisions. Successful individuals understand that a well-defined vision combined with actionable goals serves as a foundation for their journey to success.

2. Resilience and Perseverance.

Obstacles and setbacks are an inevitable part of any journey toward success. What sets highly successful people apart is their ability to bounce back from failures and continue pushing forward. They demonstrate resilience in the face of adversity, using failures as stepping stones rather than stumbling blocks. By cultivating a mindset that views challenges as opportunities for growth, they develop the determination and perseverance required to overcome hurdles and keep moving toward their goals.

3. Continuous Learning and Adaptability.

Successful individuals understand that the world is constantly evolving, and they embrace a mindset of lifelong learning. They actively seek out new information, skills, and experiences that enhance their capabilities. This commitment to self-improvement enables them to adapt to changing circumstances, stay ahead of the curve, and seize emerging opportunities. Their willingness to step out of their comfort zones and explore new avenues is a key driver of their success.

4. Time Management and Productivity.

Time is a finite resource, and highly successful individuals recognize its value. They prioritize tasks, delegate responsibilities, and manage their time efficiently to maximize productivity. By focusing on high-impact activities and minimizing distractions, they ensure that their efforts are channeled toward tasks that align with their goals. Effective time management allows them to accomplish more in less time, creating a ripple effect of success across various areas of their lives.

5. Networking and Relationship Building.

The adage “It’s not what you know, but who you know” holds true in the world of success. Building strong relationships and a robust network is crucial for accessing resources, opportunities, and collaborations. Successful individuals understand the power of connections and invest time in nurturing professional and personal relationships. They leverage their network to gain insights, share knowledge, and open doors that might otherwise remain closed.

6. Self-Confidence and Positive Mindset.

Believing in oneself is a fundamental characteristic of successful individuals. They maintain a positive attitude even in the face of challenges, knowing that self-doubt can hinder progress. Their self-confidence is not only an internal driving force but also radiates outward, influencing how others perceive and interact with them. By focusing on their strengths and achievements, successful individuals foster a mindset that enables them to overcome self-limiting beliefs and reach their full potential.

7. Passion and Hard Work.

Passion fuels the fire of success. Highly successful individuals are deeply passionate about their pursuits, and this passion propels them to put in the necessary hard work and dedication. They are willing to go the extra mile and invest significant effort into their endeavors, often putting in long hours and consistently pushing their boundaries. This unwavering commitment to their passions enables them to not only achieve their goals but also inspire those around them.

While success may be defined differently by each individual, certain characteristics consistently emerge as defining traits of highly successful people. From a strong vision and goal-setting to a resilient mindset, continuous learning to effective time management, networking to self-confidence, and passion to hard work, these characteristics intertwine to create a roadmap for success. By cultivating and embodying these attributes, individuals can pave their way toward personal and professional accomplishments while leaving a lasting impact on their lives and the world at large.

 

 

Smart AI Will Consolidate Industries & Workplaces: Who Wins?

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by Edward D. Hess, author of “Hyper-Learning: How to Adapt to the Speed of Change“

Smart AI is here, and it will impact every business. No one will be exempt.

That raises two existential questions for every business: (1) Will it learn how to effectively use continuously advancing Smart Technology to optimize its performance better than the competition? and (2) Will it learn how to transform its culture and educate its work force to optimize the highest levels of human cognitive, emotional, and behavioral performance in order to create Highly Adaptive Learners who can continuously learn – unlearn – and relearn at the fast pace of technological change?

Companies that are unable to adapt and compete at the speed of change will run a high risk of being consolidated. Consolidation will occur across industries. When I asked ChatGPT “What Industries do you think have the highest probability of consolidation?” It answered: “Telecommunications; Healthcare; Automotive; Financial Services; Retail; and Energy and Utilities”.

In reality, every business will be at risk because Smart AI can help businesses perform better, faster, and more efficiently. Winning companies will be those that have transformed their way of working-enabling their employees to become Highly Adaptive Learners which enables them to effectively use Smart AI. That new methodology will include using deliberate daily practices and tools that will enable employees to continuously learn and perform at continuous increasing high levels of human performance cognitively, emotionally, behaviorally, and collaboratively.

Success in the Smart Technology Age will in most cases require a completely different way of working; a different way of leading; and a different approach to human development as compared to what exists in most businesses today.

Let’s look at it from another approach. If your business has tackled incorporating AI into your business, what types of human skills will be hard to automate?  Excelling at those skills should lessen the possibility of a business being consolidated.

For the near future these three types of skills will be hard for Smart Technology to automate:

  1. Thinking in ways in ways that Smart AI can’t: critical thinking, innovative thinking, going into the unknown and figuring things out; making complex decisions in situations where there is not a lot of data or where there is a lot of uncertainty; making moral decisions; and emergent thinking.
  2. Excelling at building caring, trusting positive emotional relationships with others that enables the highest levels of collaboration, exploration, and learning.
  3. Excelling at doing trade jobs that require lots of human dexterity and iterative diagnosis of the problem and iterative trial and error approaches to solving the problem.

Unfortunately, many people in the workforce today lack these skills and many businesses have not put in place company-wide human development practices and tools to develop those skills.

So, many businesses must adapt and become a Highly Adaptive Learning Organization (HALO). A HALO means becoming  a very humanistic developmental learning organization using proven scientifically and philosophically based  practices and tools designed to help every leader, manager, and worker at all levels of the organization to be on their “Journey to Best Self”  so they can bring that best self to work every day in pursuit of being able to create value in ways that Smart Technology can’t and to accelerate the speed of value creation by optimizing the use of Smart AI.

The human goal is to continuously achieve higher levels of performance emotionally, cognitively, and behaviorally. That happens when humans have developed a Quiet Ego, a Quiet Mind, a Calm Body, and when they have learned how to: Manage their Emotions by Generating Positive Emotions and by Managing their Negative Emotions; and when they excel at being a Reflective Listener; Critical Thinker; and being able to build Caring Trusting Positive Relationships that enables the highest levels of Collective Intelligence.

We are in a New World – the world of Smart AI. Every person and every organization will be impacted and challenged to develop a New Way of Working that enables the highest levels of human performance. There will be winners and lots of losers – what will you be?

 

Edward D. Hess is professor of business administration, Batten Fellow, and Batten Executive-in-Residence at the Darden School of Business and the author of “Hyper-Learning: How to Adapt to the Speed of Change“. Professor Hess spent 20 years in the business world as a senior executive and has spent the last 18 years in academia. He is the author of 13 books, over 140 articles, and 60 Darden case studies.

 

Finding Balance Before Burnout

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by Monica Yates, host of the Feminine As F*ck Podcast

Tell me if this sounds familiar…

You’re going about your day and as you’re taking care of one task, you’re thinking about three others. You’re reminding yourself constantly of all the things you haven’t yet crossed off your list, which feels like it’s never-ending. You’re juggling so much, whether it’s a career, motherhood, partnership, family, intimacy, household, health, planning, organizing… For most of us, it’s (nearly) all of the above. It’s easy to become quickly overwhelmed.

This spiral of infinite roles we as women play is dizzying. On the one hand, we’re so great at it because we can multitask like no one’s business. However, on the other hand, it’s exhausting and can make us feel like we can never catch a break.

Answer this question honestly: Have you thought to yourself, “I can’t handle this much longer.” And if so, how often? Friend, if you’ve thought this to yourself even once, that’s one time too many.

We females are hardwired to want to conquer the world, yet we’re not biologically built to do it without the right support. It’s just not possible to run a business, manage a team of people, and balance our personal life all at the same time. We may feel that we have to, but realistically, trying to keep all of those balls in the air at once will cause burnout. In the long term, it’s just not sustainable.

So where does that leave us in today’s modern society? We have to get resourceful and figure out systems and balances that work for us. I’m talking about individualized support from you for you. Most of us don’t have a village of support that has our back, and so we have to be that for ourselves. We have to make ourselves our #1 priority because no one else is going to.

You are the village.

Let’s take a step back, though. While that may sound empowering AF — and if you felt empowered by it, listen closely. That part of you that felt empowered by that statement is the very part of you that has been hardwired to think that you have to do more to be more successful. I’m here to drill it into your mind that that is simply not true. Yeah, some people work better with a lot on their plate and thrive under pressure. If that’s you, then great. Giving yourself the space to figure out what you need is where you’re going to find your power.

Your value isn’t based on how much you accomplish, or how hard you work, or how exhausted you are. If you’re killing yourself to get projects in, work an “acceptable” amount of hours, and manage a team and their projects, then you’ll inevitably hit a wall. It’s time to learn how to relieve the pressure that you’ve inherently learned to put on yourself and understand how to execute differently to lead from the feminine — meaning you get to have it all with no burnout.

Let this serve as your nudge, that it’s possible for you and for every other woman reading this.

***

Listen to Monica’s podcast episode on burnout and women’s mental load here.  

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monica yates

Monica Yates is a trauma healer, feminine/masculine embodiment coach, and period expert. She is also the host of the Feminine As F*ck Podcast (more than 1.6 million downloads) and runs a business helping people from all walks of life get into their magnetic feminine energy, feel safe letting men lead, heal their cycle and be free of the trauma and energetic blocks that hold them back from living their dream life.

 

Selling A House ‘As-is’ in Central Florida? Here’s How We Buy Houses Companies Can Help

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Selling a home is usually a lengthy process, lasting about two months depending on market conditions. But when the market is hot, as it is in parts of Central Florida, the timeline to sell can be faster. For example, as of April 2023, the average time for a home to reach pending status in Orlando was 13 days. But there is still a lot of pre-work to get a home ready to sell, even with shorter sale times. If you need to sell your home fast, there are ways to eliminate some of the steps and get the job done faster. One of the best strategies is to cut down on the time it takes to make repairs, pass inspections, and get through the negotiations that will lead to a final sale, by selling a house ‘as-is.’ This option isn’t for everyone as you are most likely to get less for your home at sale time, however if you do want to go that route, We Buy Houses companies in Central Florida can help. 

We Buy Houses Companies Defined

When a home is bought for cash, there are a few types of buyers who are likely behind the purchase. There are buyers who want to live in the home and can afford to pay for the home without a mortgage. Then there are companies who buy homes as a business such as iBuyers, fix-and-flip investors, and buy-and-hold investors. iBuyers are instant buyers that you can work with online to sell a house ‘as-is’ such as Redfin Now and Knock. Buy-and-hold investors are less likely to buy a house ‘as-is’ as they tend to look for homes to become rental properties. Fix-and-flip investors are the most likely to buy ‘as is,’ as their business model is to buy homes for under market value and sell them for more.

The Benefits

If you need to sell your home fast ‘as-is’ the benefits of using a We Buy Houses company are clear as you can get the job done quickly with cash in hand. Aside from saving time, the process will also be less complicated with fewer negotiations, communications, and contingencies to consider. You also won’t need to hire a real estate agent or pay commission fees as you can list your house online yourself.

The Drawbacks

We Buy Houses platforms may be convenient, but the solution isn’t for everyone. When you use one of these platforms, whether selling your house ‘as-is’ or after making repairs, you will bring home less money. The convenience of not having to hire a realtor, make repairs, stage your home, and market it, comes at the cost of less money from your sale. Flippers, for example, might offer you 50 or even 70 percent less than a home’s market value. But if you want to move on and not have to worry, then the lower sale price might be worth it.

If you have a home with a lot of wear and tear and you need to sell it fast, We Buy Houses companies are a solution worth considering. 

 

The Importance Of Financial Empowerment For Formerly Incarcerated Individuals

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by Trent Griffin-Braaf, CEO & Founder of Tech Valley Shuttle

Few returning citizens have the knowledge and skills to make good financial decisions while reintegrating into society after being incarcerated because kids from underserved populations usually don’t learn about finance at home. Their parents and grandparents don’t know this information themselves, so they can’t teach it, and their school districts don’t provide that sort of education, either.

Currently, many banks and credit unions approach returning citizens after their release from prison, talk about “financial wellness,” and offer $200 in credit toward starting a new bank account. But true financial wellness is only possible when people understand the fundamentals of money and can build on this solid foundation.

For this reason, financial institutions and communities should begin their education efforts much sooner and expand their curricula.

Financial ignorance is a setup for failure

Large demographic groups in the US don’t understand money and how it works. When you live in a capitalist country and lack this basic knowledge, it’s a setup for failure. That’s why it shouldn’t come as a surprise if individuals from disenfranchised or underserved communities — like returning citizens — struggle more than other parts of the population.

For instance, since many people from underrepresented communities don’t understand credit scores, interest rates, and predatory lending practices, they may make poor choices regarding credit cards and loans. According to Youth.gov, “Absent suitable consumer protection and school-based K-12 financial education, youth in low-income households as adults can fall victim to scams, high-interest rate loans, and debt.”

The solution is to provide basic financial education.

Money 101

An appropriate Money 101 course for underserved populations in general and returning citizens, in particular, would cover the origin of currency, what money is, and how it works.

Credit rebuilding programs would be especially useful, as these would help explain why credit was created, how it operates, the importance of good scores, and the additional expense of paying interest. Courses should also assess the student’s own credit in real-time and give appropriate counseling based on the findings.

In addition, students should receive help putting together an action plan that supports their goals. Armed with practical, step-by-step guidance, they could learn to budget, save, monitor their status, and track their progress.

Debt management would be another important component. By handling their existing debt more effectively, they could keep their credit utilization at an appropriate point. In some cases, they could even get things taken off their credit report.

Following the right routines for financial success

A good financial literacy course would also investigate what successful people do with their money, as well as how anyone can follow the same routines and structures. When returning citizens understand retirement planning and life insurance — not to mention world trade, the stock market, and diversified investment portfolios — they become much better prepared to succeed in their lives after prison.

This kind of education would help individuals elevate themselves out of poverty and attain a new position in life. When people become financially prosperous, they gain more control over their time, which is our most valuable resource. Personal wealth also brings opportunities that can turn into additional resources, as well as access to community leaders, which I consider freedom.

The community in general benefits as well, since prosperous citizens pay more in taxes and make more positive contributions to society.

Teaching a captive audience

Currently, financial institutions wait to approach people until they are released from prison, which means they miss out on a huge opportunity. People who are incarcerated do nothing but sit in jail — they are, quite literally, a captive audience.

Moreover, many incarcerated people have access to tablets with apps and educational materials. If training videos on financial matters existed, then they could watch them for hours every day, mastering these skills and bettering themselves. They also have the time to get clear about their future goals and develop a financial plan.

Imagine if a bank or credit union created a curriculum and started to put information on these tablets. They could sponsor the course, insert, their name into the materials, and promise a credit for opening a bank account with a job-offer letter. When the student returns home, guess who they’re going to bank with?

This strategy would be much more effective than attempting to compete with other financial institutions for the returning citizen market, which is why financial institutions should expand their outreach to individuals who are incarcerated. They should also include successful returning citizens like myself on their corporate boards, since we can give them an important perspective they are currently missing.

Empower people to reintegrate successfully

The current lack of financial education for underserved populations like returning citizens does little but set people up for disaster. Conversely, basic financial education empowers individuals to establish a productive life and achieve financial prosperity.

That’s why financial institutions and communities should help incarcerated individuals understand money as the first step toward their future reintegration.

 

Trent Griffin-Braaf

Trent Griffin-Braaf is the CEO & Founder of Tech Valley Shuttle and GB Logistics. He is the largest BIPOC employer in New York State and The Capital Region. As a formerly incarcerated person, he is leading the way for other employers to learn how to become an employer of choice for returning citizens, single parents, and veterans.

 

Evolving Mindset, Thriving Business: Your Path To Seven-Figure Revenue

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by business coach, author, and speaker Jennifer Dawn of JenniferDawnCoaching.com

Are you dreaming of hitting seven-figure revenue milestones for your business? It may seem like an unattainable goal, but it’s entirely possible with the right strategies and mindset.

In this article, we will explore six crucial tips to help you navigate the path to seven-figure success in business, covering areas like shortening the learning curve, sustainable growth and work-life balance, hiring and firing wisely, implementing the Profit First, nurturing an evolving mindset, and aligning actions with financial goals.

1. Shortening the Learning Curve.

Every successful entrepreneur knows that continuous learning is the key to growth. Shortening the learning curve involves gaining knowledge from experienced mentors, industry experts, and educational resources. Invest time in attending workshops, webinars, and networking events to connect with like-minded individuals who can offer insights and support. Avoid the mistakes of others by learning from their experiences and applying those lessons to your own business. A commitment to lifelong learning will help you adapt to market changes and keep your business relevant in a dynamic environment.

2. Sustainable Growth and Work-Life Balance.

Growing your business at an unsustainable pace can lead to burnout and poor work-life balance. Set realistic goals and milestones to achieve sustainable growth and maintain a healthy personal life. Focus on expanding steadily while ensuring that your operations can handle the increased demand—delegate tasks to capable team members and empower them to make decisions. As your business grows, don’t forget to take care of yourself by dedicating time to hobbies, family, and personal well-being. A balanced life will make you more productive and focused when tackling business challenges.

3. Hiring Slow, Firing Fast.

Building a solid team is essential for business success. Take your time in the hiring process to find candidates who possess the required skills and align with your company’s culture and values. Thoroughly interview, conduct reference checks, and even consider trial periods to assess their suitability.

On the other hand, if you realize that an employee is not the right fit, don’t hesitate to make tough decisions. Firing fast may seem harsh, but it prevents potential negative impacts on team morale and overall productivity.

4. Implementing Profit First.

Profit First is a financial management system prioritizing profit allocation over revenue allocation. In traditional accounting, profits are calculated as revenue minus expenses, but Profit First flips this model by putting profit first and allocating expenses accordingly. The strategy involves setting aside a percentage of revenue as profit, ensuring a more disciplined approach to financial management. This method encourages businesses to operate efficiently and achieve profitability while keeping expenses in check.

5. Nurturing an Evolving Owner Mindset.

As an entrepreneur, your mindset is crucial to your business’ success. Embrace a growth-oriented mindset that embraces change, innovation, and continuous improvement. Be open to feedback and be willing to pivot when necessary. Surround yourself with supportive individuals who challenge and inspire you. Stay adaptable and resilient, as entrepreneurship is a journey of ups and downs. Remember that setbacks are opportunities for learning and growth.

6. Aligning Actions with Financial Goals.

Your actions and decisions must align with your financial goals to reach seven-figure revenue. Regularly review your business plan and assess progress towards your targets. Track key performance indicators (KPIs) and use data to make informed decisions. Avoid wasteful spending and focus on investments that will drive business growth. Reevaluate your strategies regularly and be prepared to pivot to stay on track.

Achieving seven-figure revenue requires dedication, discipline, and a clear roadmap. Shortening the learning curve, sustaining growth while maintaining work-life balance, hiring and firing wisely, implementing Profit First, nurturing a growth mindset, and aligning actions with financial goals is critical to success.

Remember that success may not come overnight. Still, with perseverance and a commitment to excellence, you can reach your business’s financial goals while enjoying a fulfilling work-life balance.

 

Jennifer Dawn founded Jennifer Dawn Coaching and created the Best Planner Ever. Jennifer is a serial entrepreneur who has grown two multi-million-dollar businesses and is a successful speaker and author. She is also the host of the top-rated podcast Happy Productive with Jennifer Dawn.

 

6 Common Cybersecurity Mistakes Employees Make

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Cybersecurity issues are worsening daily, particularly for companies that depend on data to serve their customers and clients. Today’s cybercriminals target any kind of organization, including small businesses, large companies, and government agencies.

While most companies invest a lot of money in cybersecurity solutions to protect against external threats, human error concerns can easily go unnoticed. Unfortunately, human mistakes pose the biggest threat to an organization’s cybersecurity efforts.

Here are six common cybersecurity mistakes employees make.

1. Using weak passwords.

One of the most common cybersecurity mistakes employees make is using weak passwords. Life is a bit easier when you only have just one simple password to remember. However, reusing weak passwords in multiple accounts can lead to easier exploitation by hackers. Weak passwords are easy to guess and are one of the simplest ways to break into a company’s system. Apart from a strong password, using multi-factor authentication can help a company add an extra layer of security against hackers.

2. Falling for phishing scams.

Most data breaches in the workplace are a result of phishing scams. This occurs when employees click on malicious links or download attachments in phishing emails, exposing their companies to disastrous ransomware and other malware attacks.  

Phishing attacks trick employees into revealing sensitive information, such as login and credit card information. Therefore, businesses, both small and large, should conduct regular cybersecurity training to educate their employees on how to identify phishing attempts and the actions to take in case they encounter suspicious messages or emails.

3. Connecting to unsecured public Wi-Fi networks.

Public Wi-Fi provides a convenient way to work when on vacation, at the airport, or in a café. Remote workers or employees who travel frequently for business can also use public Wi-Fi to work on the go.

Nevertheless, using unsecured public Wi-Fi connections can pose considerable risks to a business’s sensitive data. Employees who connect to these networks without proper security measures are vulnerable to hacking and unauthorized access. Attackers can also use public Wi-Fi networks to install malware on cell phones or laptops of staff who have enabled file-sharing on their devices.

Companies should advise employees to avoid using public Wi-Fi networks to connect to corporate systems without a secure network to fight cybercriminals. Fortunately, there is a host of VPNs that can be highly beneficial. Using a strong VPN when accessing your company’s networks or transmitting sensitive information allows you to encrypt data and prevent it from possible intrusion or theft.  

4. Neglecting software updates.

Updating company software with patches or updates provided by manufacturers is often neglected, but it’s a vital step. Hackers stay on top of the latest news about known vulnerabilities in popular software. Therefore, the IT team should stay ahead of the attackers by protecting company resources and installing the fixes.

NIST recommends setting devices that access the company network, including mobile phones, to automatically update operating system software and other programs. Remote workers should also regularly install security updates to their routers to protect against external threats. Ensure your remote workers know how to update router firmware and company-provided devices and send them reminders on how and when to do so.

5. Using unsecured personal devices to access company data.

Using unsecured personal devices such as laptops and mobile devices to access sensitive data can unwittingly compromise a company’s security. Unlike company-provided devices, which are patched regularly, employees’ devices might contain loopholes and vulnerabilities, making them an easy target for hackers. To prevent this, companies must implement policies that prohibit the use of unsecured personal devices and impose the use of company-owned devices that have proper security controls.

6. Lack of proper data backup.

Failing to back up essential data regularly can cause ruinous consequences such as downtime and data loss in case of a system failure or cyberattack. For instance, ransomware can deny user access to files on their computer.

Since the malware will encrypt these files and demand a ransom payment for the decryption key, a company has to pay the attackers to regain access to their files if it doesn’t have a recent backup. Employees should regularly back up data to secure offline storage to ensure critical information can be retrieved in case of a security breach.

Endnote

Human errors are one of the major problems in ensuring the security of company systems. Cyberattackers more and more often choose to get into the company network by exploiting the employees instead of hacking into the system directly from the external perimeter. Ensure you properly educate your employees about security and the risks involved to reduce cybersecurity breaches and protect your sensitive data.

 

The Value Of Values

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by Michael Lenox, author of “Strategy in the Digital Age: Mastering Digital Transformation“

What is a responsible leader to do? There is no simple answer. Your values as an individual and organization ultimately guide what actions you feel are appropriate. This is the reason that we place values at the top of the Strategist’s Challenge. They are your north star. Your guiding light. They determine which competitive positions you feel comfortable pursuing and which you do not. Which competitive actions to take and which to avoid. While your strategy may constantly adjust to meet evolving market needs, your values should be eternal. If your values do not align with a given market opportunity, maybe it is time to look for a new segment in which to compete.

Too often, managers fall back on bromides such as “doing [whatever] maximizes shareholder value.” To be clear, maximizing shareholder value is not a legal restriction about what is required of you as a manager. Managers are required to be fiduciaries to their shareholders. Technically that means they are required to be trustworthy and transparent in their actions. Yes, shareholders can direct their capital elsewhere or even remove leaders with whom they disagree, but that does not permit the manager to avoid value-based decisions. Even reasonable guidance such as “maximize profits while not engaging in illegal activities” gets murky when a company can actively influence and shape the legal environment it operates in through lobbying and other forms of persuasion.

Thus the pursuit of profit does not absolve the manager of making moral decisions about what activities are consistent with their values and which are not. Many well-intentioned managers have found themselves going down the slippery slope of moral relativism: “Our customers love our new service based on their personal data, I know it is a little unseemly, but what if we grabbed a little more personal data so we can improve the service even more!” Just because you can leverage data to provide a new product or service, does not mean you should.

The digital age presents many moral challenges to leaders. What data is acceptable to collect and to what ends should it be applied? How much uncertainty, and potential bias, are we willing to accept in our predictive algorithms? How much autonomy do we want to concede to machines? Do we concern ourselves with the loss of jobs in our organization due to the automation of workflows? How much responsibility do we assume for users of our platforms? Do we view certain users as partners, employees, or independent contractors? What are our responsibilities to each? How do we wish to play in the “nonmarket” arena? Do we feel that all actions are fair game? Or are there limits to what we are willing to do to gain an edge or to win a stakeholder battle?

With regard to this last point, leaders need to recognize that your nonmarket strategy is part and parcel of your overall strategy. You cannot separate the two. With a group of colleagues, I contributed to a paper titled “CSR Needs CPR”—in other words, corporate social responsibility needs corporate political responsibility. Beyond the clever title, the point was that companies that espouse a set of values on their company website and then engage in political behavior counter to those espoused values risk subjecting themselves to charges of hypocrisy. Even worse, as individuals and organizations, they demonstrate a lack of integrity — either a failure to live their espoused values or a failure to espouse their true values. It is beyond my role to tell you what your values should be, but recognize that your values matter. True leaders are authentic in their espoused values and work to build organizations and cultures that are aligned with them.

 

*Excerpted from Strategy in the Digital Age: Mastering Digital Transformation (Stanford Business Books) by Michael Lenox

 

Michael Lenox

Michael Lenox is a business consultant and professor at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. He has authored numerous books and articles on innovation and sustainability. His newest book is “Strategy in the Digital Age: Mastering Digital Transformation“.

 

[Interview] Monica Yates, Feminine/Masculine Embodiment Coach And Podcast Host Of Feminine As F*ck 

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Monica Yates 2

Monica Yates 2

Monica Yates, feminine/masculine embodiment coach and podcast host of Feminine as F*ck, runs a business helping people from all walks of life get into their magnetic feminine energy, feel safe letting men lead, heal their cycle, and be free of the trauma and energetic blocks that hold them back from living their dream life. She has been featured in Vogue, Glamour, Men’s Health, and more.

Yates recently spoke with YoungUpstarts and shared her insights on personal development.

Describe your background, how it led you to create your life coaching business, Monica Yates Health, and how you came to dive into the topic of feminine/masculine energy. 

I grew up in Australia in what would be seen as an idyllic childhood — my parents are still together, there was always food on the table, and I went to good schools. So naturally, I thought I didn’t have any trauma.

I didn’t realize that getting into bad situations with boys, binge-drinking, and hating my body wasn’t normal. It was the way in which I felt validated by men, which later resulted in me hating men.

This is an important part of my journey as my hate towards the masculine showed up in my hustling, burnout, horrendously painful and heavy periods, missing periods, and toxic relationships. But because I didn’t have any MASSIVE traumas (or so I thought), I never thought to look at it.

My period went missing after coming off the pill back in 2015 and I dove head first into understanding my cycle after realizing a missing period was not a blessing — it became a host of health/hormonal issues for me.

I got my period back four weeks after beginning a new relationship, despite trying all the herbs possible for MONTHS prior. So, I became obsessed with looking beyond just the surface of food and supplements for healing your period, and found the world of femininity/masculinity. Changing my diet and supplements got rid of my heavy periods and pain, but it wasn’t bringing my period back after the pill… so I knew I had to look deeper.

My awful relationship with my femininity meant that I shunned the most feminine part of myself, and I became a cold masculine woman because I thought that’s what “cool” and successful women do. But my boyfriend at the time woke me up to the fact that a masculine man is not turned on by a masculine woman.

Plus, I’ve always been obsessed with helping people, giving advice (when asked of course), and understanding health and psychology, so when I found out that coaching existed back in 2016 I knew this was going to be my thing. The idea of seeing patients clinically for nutrition or psychology didn’t feel like it would really change someone’s life… so I made up my own thing. I started my bachelor’s and certification, and started heavily researching everything to do with physical, emotional, and mental health.

What keeps women from embracing their femininity? 

There are a few key things.

Number one: they don’t feel safe to be feminine. This often comes from a bad relationship with men.

Two: we live in a world where hustle culture and embodying “Miss Independent” and the “cool girl” archetypes are idolized. As a result, women follow in those footsteps thinking that they will be more successful, get more respect, or be happier if they’re receiving external levels of success. This then puts them heavily into their masculine energy because they’re going against their hormonal needs — slowing down more, resting more, and not being in such a stressful environment (men’s hormones are completely different and allow them to handle stressful environments for longer).

Three: It’s a lot of social conditioning. Overactive feminism has basically meant that women feel like they’re being “unmodern” or unempowered if they want to be a stay-at-home mom (for example) and embody what’s seen as stereotypically feminine.

How does the feminine/masculine dichotomy play out in the professional world? Can you share an example from your own experience? 

The dichotomy exists because women think that the only way to be successful is to be hyper-masculine. But at the same time they deeply want (especially in their relationship) to be led and taken care of. And they don’t want to have to make all the decisions.

And so there’s these two polar opposite things that women feel like they can’t have, as they feel the two can’t exist in harmony.

For myself, before I was embodying feminine leadership, I definitely wore burnout as a badge of honor. And I thought it showed that I was successful — that burnout showed I was working hard enough.

And whilst I really enjoyed working and I still enjoy working… at the same time, all I wanted to do was relax for a whole day and have a man protecting me, rather than me having to protect myself all the time.

What’s the repercussion of off-kilter masculine/feminine dynamics for men? 

Men lose their sense of purpose and they really don’t feel like they know where they’re providing, especially in relationships these days because women are very much, “I can do it all myself”. It really makes men feel like they don’t have a place, they’re not needed, and they’re not important anymore.

Additionally, there’s been this “lazy man” archetype that’s really come through in the last few years, which is a result of women doing everything themselves and not trusting men. And so men have learned that they can be lazy because, “she’s gonna do it all herself” and she’s gonna be the man.

It results in men that are in this wounded masculine of being a boy and not a man, essentially.

And it doesn’t actually bring them any happiness. Maybe they have the illusion of happiness because they don’t have to think as much… but ultimately, when a man is on-purpose, and protecting and providing, he feels like he’s achieving and he feels like he’s fulfilling his role as a man in the family or in society.

So, when we see these men that are not upholding healthy masculinity it really shows that they have completely lost touch with how good it feels to be a man and to show women that he is a safe place for them to put their trust in.

Tell us what it means to be a “period whisperer”?

So basically, since the start of this business, I’ve had this incredible gift of being able to get women’s periods back. Every single client that has come to me missing a period and wanting to get it back has gotten it back, and I call myself a period whisper because in the beginning, it really just felt like magic.

Now I can tie it to all the trauma healing and feminine embodiment we do in our work.

But still, to this day, it’s incredible to me how I get these women’s periods back after years of having no period and every doctor giving them no hope — and then they come to me and it comes back.

Why is it important for women to align their lives according to their cycles?

Because it creates longevity, sustainability, and a sense of connection to your body.

It feels like you’re not working against yourself. It feels like you’re not trying to compete with a man, and it feels like full acceptance of your own limits.

And in the end, you actually end up getting just as much done (if not more!) because you haven’t burnt yourself out. You’re doing it in a way that is supporting your body.

What is next on the Monica Yates Health agenda?

So much! I have my LA pop-up event this October, and my long-awaited book is launching at the beginning of next year, which is really exciting.

I’m also celebrating my dream wedding in 2024! So many big and exciting things are in the works, it feels incredible.

 

Aspiring Influencers: Don’t Lose Sight Of These Six Simple Truths About Social Media

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by Robert L. Dilenschneider, author of “The Ultimate Guide to Power & Influence: Everything You Need to Know“

No doubt about it: Social media is a powerful force. It can make — and break — fortunes. That’s why if you’re a business owner, a leader in charge of corporate messaging, or simply an individual looking to create a personal or professional brand, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by its looming presence. In fact, too many people try to build their whole “influencing” strategy around what works on social media.

Don’t do that. In fact, it should be the other way around. Pinpoint your message and what you really need to accomplish, and then formulate a social media strategy to match. This involves critical thinking and maintaining perspective. It also means knowing what social media is good for, and what it isn’t.

For example: Social media is a great way to make meaningful connections with contacts and develop new ones. It can keep you on top of trends and public opinion. It can spark new ideas. It can generate more traction on media coverage. It can most definitely shine a spotlight on your work and company and enhance the brand of both.

That said, social media is not a magic wand. In fact, it can backfire spectacularly. Rather than growing your influence, you can dilute it, and rather than engaging people, you can alienate them.

Here are six insights to help you simplify (and demystify) the process:

1. Clarity always beats complexity. Before you post anywhere, ask yourself, What am I really trying to achieve?

Start by thinking critically about what you’re trying to do, who you need to do it, and what might influence them. Gaining clarity on these issues might be tougher than you think, but it’s absolutely necessary.

When clients are having trouble figuring out how to get their idea or project moving, I tell them to first grab a blank sheet of paper. Then I say, ‘In two to three sentences, write what you want to do.’

Some people would rather turn it over to staff to come up with a fifty-page report, but you have to be able to distill it down to its essence before you can pitch it to others. You need to figure out who the decision makers are and decide on the most productive way to reach them. And social media won’t always be the best way.

2. Prioritize real-world relationships. They still mean something.

Even in the “age of social media,” leveraging personal relationships is often the best way to get the job done. In many instances, social media can’t compete.

A client came to me the other day and wanted to get a big project moving — he wanted social media. I said, ‘There are seven people you need to reach, including one in government and one in media. Get your argument in front of those seven people. They are the ones who count for this project.’ He did not use social media. Instead, he found unique ways to reach out to each of the seven. He was successful.

3. Don’t spread yourself too thin.

Identify what platforms you need to be working on, and tailor/focus your approach. Remember: Social media is a broad term. It includes everything from social networks like Facebook and Twitter to media-sharing networks like TikTok and YouTube to professional groups like LinkedIn. Don’t try to master them all.

Be realistic about what fits best with your goals and narrow the scope. For example, you might decide to be on LinkedIn for personal contacts and Facebook (now under the parent company Meta) and/or Twitter for personal and corporate branding.”

4. Don’t flood the feed with meaningless posts.

People care about quality, not quantity. Put some thought behind your posts. Make sure they have real substance and advance the brand you’re trying to create. Doing otherwise can dilute your influence rather than strengthening it.

5. Social media is an ever-shifting landscape. Pay attention.

Be on the lookout for new platforms that may have a more optimal reach to your customers, clients, and potential new ones. At the same time, be aware when one platform is getting a reputation for stodginess or, conversely, unchecked controversy or conspiracies.

6. Be careful. The lines between “personal” and “professional” are blurred — and there’s nothing you can do about it.

For all its benefits, social media invites public scrutiny. What you say online (even if it’s on your “personal” account) lives forever and may just come back to bite you. Jennifer Sey is a cautionary tale.

Sey was in line to become the next CEO of Levi Strauss & Company. She was a twenty-year employee who was the chief marketing officer before her promotion to global brand president in October 2020 — the first woman in the position. Their profits doubled under her leadership, she says, and she was being vetted for CEO. Then suddenly, she quit, rejecting a million-dollar settlement. What went wrong? As the headline of a New York Times piece put it: “She Was a Candidate to Lead Levi’s. Then She Started Tweeting.”

Sey’s tweets were critical of school closings during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. After she moved her two young children from San Francisco to Denver, where schools were open — and explained why in tweets — she was invited to appear on Laura Ingraham’s Fox News show, which gave even greater exposure to her views. Some Levi’s employees complained — and, apparently, the company found her vocal positions problematic when it was trying to set pandemic policies to keep employees and consumers safe.

The lesson here is not that we should delete our accounts and go silent. It’s simply that navigating the treacherous waters of social media takes a comprehensive and complex knowledge of how what you will be saying could affect you, your coworkers, your company, and the market.

There are no guarantees in social media. But by keeping these truths firmly in mind, you will create a best-odds approach for success.

Social media cannot be ignored; it will get even more impactful as we go forward. It’s a powerful tool. Know how to use it — and make it work for you.

 

Robert Dilenschneider 2

Robert L. Dilenschneider, founder and CEO of The Dilenschneider Group, is one of the world’s foremost communication experts and leadership coaches. Dilenschneider has authored 18 seminal business and career development books. He has counseled major corporations and professional groups around the globe and is frequently called upon by the media to provide commentary and strategic public relations insights on major news stories.

 

3 Essential Tips For Choosing A Video Production Company

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There’s no doubt that video production is a hot topic today. With the growing popularity of social media and the Internet, it’s never been more important to tell your story well in a way that gets attention — and makes people want to watch more!

But what does that mean for you? If you’re not careful, all those hours of expensive video production will go to waste because you didn’t choose the right company. You need to know how to pick the right company for your needs. And there are some vital things you should keep in mind when choosing a video production company.

Here are three essential tips for choosing a video production company:

1. Check Reputation.

The critical thing to note about a company’s reputation is that it should be based on the quality of its work. A good video production company will have a solid reputation for providing high-quality videos. You can learn about a company’s reputation by checking out reviews online, asking other people who have used them, and checking out their website.

If you want to hire someone who has been in business for a long time, it is best to look for companies that have been around for at least five years. The longer they have been in business, the better their chance to build up their reputation and develop good client relationships.

Another essential thing to consider when looking at a company’s reputation is whether or not they offer discounts to customers who refer new clients to them or provide referrals themselves. If they do, this could indicate that they are looking out for other people’s interests rather than just doing what it takes to make money themselves.

2. Customer Service.

Customer service keeps clients coming back and can make or break the relationship. A good video production company will be able to provide excellent customer service, but how do you know if they are?

Most companies have customer service policies to ensure clients are happy with their experience. Some even go so far as to have dedicated teams of customer support staff who are available 24/7. If your company doesn’t have this type of policy, it’s time to start thinking about implementing one!

Here are some tips for choosing a video production company that offers excellent customer service:

Ask questions. You should always feel comfortable asking any questions you may have, but here are some specific ones that will help you determine if the company has enough resources available to answer them:

How many employees does your company have? This is especially important if you plan on making significant investments or hiring new employees for your business. A company with plenty of resources can help you save money by letting them handle things like accounting or bookkeeping instead of having someone else do it themselves.

3. Licensing.

Another thing you will want to consider when choosing a video production company is its licensing. You want to ensure that the person you hire is licensed by the state where they are located. Licensing laws vary from state to state, so you need to know your potential employee’s licenses before agreeing on a job offer or contract agreement. Having this information means more clarity later down the road if there is ever an issue with someone needing to be appropriately licensed or something like that comes up later in their career as an employee of your business!

 

Maximizing Quality Assurance Budgets: Practical Tips For Cost-Effective Testing

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by Ran Rachlin, co-founder & CEO of Ubertesters

In today’s highly competitive business landscape, organizations are increasingly relying on quality assurance (QA) to maintain their competitive edge and deliver exceptional products and services. However, with limited budgets and tight deadlines, it becomes imperative for companies to maximize their QA budgets while ensuring comprehensive testing.

In this article, we will explore some practical tips to help organizations maximize their QA budgets and achieve cost-effective testing.

1. Prioritize Testing Efforts.

One of the key aspects of maximizing QA budgets is to prioritize testing efforts based on the criticality of the system or application under test. By carefully identifying and prioritizing the most critical functionalities or areas, organizations can allocate their budget and resources accordingly. Focusing on high-risk areas and critical functionalities ensures that the limited resources are effectively utilized to mitigate potential risks and ensure product reliability.

2. Outsource QA Team.

Outsourcing testing activities can be a cost-effective solution for organizations looking to maximize their QA budgets. By partnering with a reputable outsourcing provider who specializes in QA, organizations can tap into specialized testing expertise without incurring the overhead costs associated with hiring and training in-house resources. Outsourcing testing activities also enables flexibility in resource utilization, allowing organizations to scale their testing efforts based on project requirements.

3. Test Automation.

Test automation is a powerful tool that can significantly reduce testing effort and cost while improving efficiency and accuracy. By automating repetitive and time-consuming test cases, organizations can accelerate the testing process, allowing testers to focus on more complex scenarios that require human intervention. Automation not only reduces the overall testing time but also minimizes the chances of human errors, thereby enhancing the overall quality of the product.

It important to note that implementing automation in the QA process may initially incur higher short-term costs due to factors such as hiring automation QA engineers, tooling, infrastructure setup, and training. However, in the long run, automation has the potential to significantly reduce costs.

4. Implement Risk-Based Testing.

Risk-based testing involves identifying, assessing, and prioritizing risks associated with the system or application under test. By utilizing this approach, organizations can allocate their QA efforts and budget proportionately to the areas with the highest identified risks. This enables efficient utilization of resources and reduces the necessity for exhaustive testing of low-risk areas, thereby saving both time and money.

5. Embrace Agile Methodologies.

Agile methodologies, such as Scrum or Kanban, promote iterative development and continuous testing. By integrating QA processes within the development cycles, organizations can ensure that bugs or issues are detected early on in the development process, reducing costly rework in later stages. Agile methodologies facilitate prompt feedback loops, allowing testers to continually refine their testing approach and address any emerging risks or challenges.

6. Use Crowd Testing Services.

How to improve your QA process in software testing? Use Crowd testing services before each major release and enjoy the power of the crowd. What are the advantages? You can choose as many testers as needed to perform particular tasks, check your product on various devices, operating systems, and environments in real-life conditions, and bring the entire testing process to a higher level. Since crowd tetsing platforms operate on a global level, they have vetted testers in many countries, thus, allowing you to test in any geography.  Crowd testing allows you to scale up or scale down your QA team just when needed and therefore control your budget wisely.

In addition, one of the advantages of crowd testing is the provision of a dedicated project manager who significantly reduces client management overhead, allowing you to focus on core activities while ensuring effective coordination and communication throughout the testing process.

7. Measure and Optimize.

Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics to measure the effectiveness and efficiency of your testing activities. Regularly monitor these metrics and use them to identify areas for improvement and optimization. By analyzing these performance indicators, you can make data-driven decisions to reallocate resources, optimize processes, and streamline your QA activities.

Conclusion.

Maximizing quality assurance budgets while ensuring comprehensive testing is a critical aspect of successful product development and delivery. By prioritizing testing efforts, embracing test automation, utilizing open-source tools, implementing risk-based testing, embracing agile methodologies, outsourcing non-core testing activities, using crowd-testing services, and investing in continuous training, organizations can achieve cost-effective testing without compromising on quality. These practical tips provide a roadmap for organizations to optimize their QA budgets and deliver high-quality products and services to their customers.

 

Ran Rachlin is the co-founder & CEO of Ubertesters, the global leader in crowd testing services. Ran has massive global experience, managing and leading new initiatives from inception to implementation and significant sales as well as managing large global organizations in different countries. Ran is a speaker in several industry events and is known for his unique view of the QA and testing world. 

 

Stop Waiting For The Perfect Time To Start A Business

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by James Harold Webb, author of “Redneck Resilience: A Country Boy’s Journey To Prosperity“

Failure rates are high for entrepreneurs, but a common trait of those who succeed is identifying opportunities for growth that lie within the challenges.

That’s what I’ve done while finding success in multiple industries as an entrepreneur and franchise owner. Whether you’ve started a business or bought a franchise, at some point – often early on in the venture – you reach a fork in the road that may require more risk, such as a change in products or services, expanding a territory, and hiring more people.

Entrepreneurs who do their homework, have a solid plan and keep an open mind will see opportunities in tough times – where others do not. Therefore, people who are serious about succeeding should not let scary financial times drive them away from starting a new business venture or continuing one.

There’s no perfect time to get started, and risk and challenge are common along the journey. Here is how entrepreneurs and franchise owners can develop an eye for opportunity and grow their business, even when times are difficult.

Factors for deciding when risk makes sense.

When sales are tepid and the business itself and/or that particular industry has been trending downward, that can be the right time to explore new markets. There’s less competition when segments of the business climate are struggling, and also, an innovative new concept may impress investors and fill a consumer need.

Focus on your business’ purpose.

COVID caused a reset for many businesses. Others weren’t as prepared to be flexible and adaptive and, as a result, didn’t survive. Focus on who you are serving and in what ways you are serving them. How can you serve them better? What changes will that require?

Don’t buy into the trend of “work-life balance.”

For entrepreneurs who are a long way from reaching their financial goals, including an exit to a lucrative sale, there is no such thing as work-life balance. When you’re exhausted and have had enough of the day, send two more emails and make two more phone calls. The only thing you can always control in business is your hustle.

Keep believing in your be-your-own boss dream.

Everyone who chooses the entrepreneurial journey has been told “it won’t work” more times than not. Don’t listen to them or to your negative inner voice. And remember, gratification comes from doing the work you want to do and being in control of the decision to do it how, when, where, and with whom you choose.

 

James Harold Webb is author of “Redneck Resilience: A Country Boy’s Journey To Prosperity“. His career in radiology saw him rise from a technologist to becoming a leader in the industry as the entrepreneur of several companies. After over 40 years in the medical field, Webb focused on the fitness sector, owning and overseeing the management of 33 Orangetheory Fitness® franchises throughout North Texas.

 

5 Things You Should Know About The Recruiting Technology Revolution

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HR software

by Jeremy Schiff, Founder and CEO of RecruitBot

More than 30 years ago, people started posting resumes and job descriptions on the internet, and the recruiting profession has never been the same since. Once again we’re in the midst of a transformative shift, driven this time by the impact of technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, and automation. This is exciting news for recruiters and job seekers alike, but a great deal of uncertainty remains as we enter this new era.

Here’s what is important to know.

1. Technology won’t make recruiters obsolete.

At the end of the day, recruiting is a deeply human profession. If you work in the talent industry, you rely on your intuition and expertise to form meaningful connections with other people, understand their emotions, and cultivate lasting relationships. This is something robots simply can’t do well – and won’t be able to do for the foreseeable future.

Furthermore, while AI is a useful tool that can make recruiting more efficient, it will always require actual humans to develop, train, and determine how and when to apply it effectively and fairly. Just a few years ago, Amazon famously scrapped an AI-powered recruiting tool because it began showing bias against female candidates. It took human intelligence to know there was a problem – and take steps to remedy it.

2. Your job is going to change.

That being said, there’s no question that technology will fundamentally impact how recruiters and other talent professionals spend their workdays. Since AI, machine learning, and automation can eliminate or reduce repetitive, laborious tasks like reviewing resumes and manually personalizing emails, people have more time to spend on aspects of their jobs where they can really add value – in ways that only humans can.

For example, recruiters can devote more hours per day to reaching out to high-quality candidates, getting to know talent, and working to fully understand hiring managers’ unique needs. They can focus on crafting compelling messaging, unearthing outside-the-box talent, developing initiatives that promote diversity, and sharing best practices across their organizations. The more they dedicate their time and energy to these higher-value pursuits and projects, the more their employers and clients will fully appreciate their contributions – and their salaries and job security will continue to grow as a result.

3. There’s a difference between AI and machine learning.

Machine learning algorithms reverse-engineer ideal candidates and provide increasingly accurate suggestions over time, based on feedback from a recruiter, hiring manager, or anyone else using the platform. This is vastly different from AI, in which all human users can expect similar results based on decisions made at the outset by a developer – so everyone who searches for “software engineers in San Francisco” sees the exact same talent pool.

With machine learning, the model adapts to your needs and preferences by taking in two types of input: candidate data and the feedback you provide about each individual. Based on your previous decisions, it makes predictions about which candidates will be a good fit for the precise role you hope to fill. This adaptability is especially beneficial when incorporating sales recruiter tips into the recruitment process. By leveraging insights specific to the unique challenges and opportunities in sales roles, recruiters can use machine learning tools to fine-tune their searches and recommendations, ensuring they identify candidates who not only meet the job’s technical requirements but also embody the interpersonal skills and sales acumen essential for success in these positions. This means that the more candidates you rate, and the more targeted your sales recruiter tips are applied, the better your suggestions will be – and the more tailored to your exact needs.

4. It’s essential to watch out for AI “snake oil.”

These days, technology and software providers want everyone to know that they’ve incorporated AI, machine learning, and automation into their platforms. But if you’re on the buyer’s side of the equation, it’s important to dig a bit deeper and investigate these claims. Ask vendors how the technology works behind the scenes and be wary if they won’t divulge details because their software is “proprietary.” You should be able to understand exactly how a vendor’s models assign weight to different attributes and change those weights based on your decisions – and have it be explained to you in simple terms.

It is also recommended to question vendors about their approach to understanding and mitigating biases that can make the recruiting process less fair and equitable. A vendor should take precise measures to address this problem and tell you about them – with the understanding that while data-driven approaches can’t eliminate bias entirely, they have the potential to do it better than humans.

5. An end-to-end solution can help maximize your recruiting efficiency.

An online recruitment software should solve for every pain point at every stage of the recruiting process. This includes recruiters, recruiting agencies, hiring managers, and founders being able to find ideal candidates with help from machine learning and working in close collaboration with anyone on their hiring team.

In addition, having access to outreach tools to auto-personalize messages, follow up with prospects automatically, and ensure that emails actually reach their intended destinations. And finally, leveraging in-depth analytics to ensure that their messaging and tactics evolve along with the market.

 

Jeremy Schiff is Founder and serves as CEO at RecruitBot. Jeremy began his career by earning a BS and Ph.D in Applied Machine Learning from UC Berkeley. While working at OpenTable, Jeremy saw first-hand the opportunity to transform the way that recruiting works through machine learning and automation, and founded RecruitBot in 2017 to spearhead the mission to revolutionize how to find, engage, and optimize engaging top-talent.

 

Take Care Of Your People

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by John Baldoni, author of “Grace Under Pressure: Leading Through Change and Crisis“

Values are the by-product of purpose — our why. Purpose sparks our vision — our becoming. It develops our mission — our doing. Purpose catalyzes us to achieve, but it does not say how we can achieve. Many people achieve greatness by acting more as a bulldozer than a tractor. A bulldozer flattens. A tractor pulls. In the former, the bulldozer steamrolls obstacles, even people. In the latter, a tractor drives ahead, drawing others in its wake.

There is a way to make purpose more compelling and appealing. We call it grace, a catalyst for the greater good. Purpose is not inherently full of grace. Instead, it is powered by ambition, drive, and ego. Those are positives when they are used by a true leader, one more interested in bringing people together than in steamrolling opposition.

How Grace Transforms Purpose: Grace complements purpose. If purpose is our why, then grace becomes our how—the way we do things here. Grace shapes the values that bind members to one another. Values underscore people feeling wanted. They believe they have a stake in the outcome. They know they belong. Grace transforms an organization into a community. Grace is inherent to the human condition. Some might say our DNA includes it because we, as humans, true to our tribal nature, are inclined to help those closest to us. Grace, however, knows no biological kinship; it creates spiritual kinship. We are connected to others.

Think About Mutual Benefit: An organization without grace is one where people feel fearful, uncertain, and perhaps unloved. Without grace, there can be no community. There may be an organization, but there is no connection. People feel they do not belong. An organization with grace becomes a community. A community shares ideas, collaborates more closely, and endures hardships. It knows sacrifice for the greater good. It is rooted in purpose. Its members understand what the organization wants to achieve and they are committed to working toward the vision, accomplishing the mission, and embodying the values they espouse. Organizations are administrative. They are formed to do something. They are artificial constructs. At the same time, because they are human creations, they can be made better. They can become communities where people feel they belong and can contribute to something greater than themselves.

Enabling Grace: Grace facilitates our connections to one another. Grace complements psychological safety. When people feel safe, they can speak their minds, share their thoughts, and work cooperatively and collectively. Psychological safety encourages collaboration. With grace, we do the following:

  • Put others first.
  • Listen before speaking.
  • Look for problems to solve.
  • Encourage people to speak out.
  • Instill hope in the face of adversity.
  • Drive out fear.
  • Act with courage.

How Leaders Inspire During a Crisis

We look to our leaders for inspiration. Always in times of trouble, we look to those in authority to provide direction. The challenge for leaders in such times is to project a sense of self-control in the face of the uncontrollable and calmness in the face of anger and rage.

One example of a leader who exemplified what it takes to inspire others in a time of crisis is President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine. Vladimir Putin had been threatening to invade Ukraine since Russia took over Crimea in 2014. Zelensky, a former comedian and actor, was elected president in 2018 after his predecessor, essentially a puppet of Russia, was overthrown. The shadow of Russian aggression hung over his leadership, but he did not flinch.

President Zelensky, whose most famous acting role was that of a schoolteacher who becomes president, has risen to Churchillian heights. Throughout the invasion, he remained in Kyiv and spoke to his fellow citizens daily. And like Winston Churchill, he has appealed to the outside world for help and enlisted their aid in defense of his nation. Throughout the crisis, Zelensky assumed the role of a leader through his presence. It seemed the “role of a lifetime.” Zelensky fit the part, not through artifice, but through his commitment to remain in Kyiv. Specifically, he did the following:

Project concern:  Russia has much more weaponry and troops than Ukraine. Prior to the February invasion, Zelensky let his country and the West know the severity of the situation. However, he did not tone down in his rhetoric. He hoped for and spoke about avoiding conflict till the actual assault began. In fact, he was critical of the United States intelligence bulletins that predicted war. He was concerned about the economic consequences about possible war

Listen fiercely: Zelensky knew the courage of his people. They were not about to bow to Russian aggression without a fight. Zelensky listened to their hearts, which were reflected in his words and actions.

Project courage: Zelensky rallied his people against the Russian invasion of his country. Zelensky posted videos of himself remaining in Kyiv and standing with his people. We also saw videos of him meeting and mingling with his troops. Despite being the number one target of the Russians, Zelensky stayed in Kyiv during the assault on the city, regularly giving updates on the siege and vowing to remain in the city. “The fighting continues in many cities and districts of our state, but we know that we are protecting the country, the land, the future of children.”

Praise your people: Zelensky embraced the role of his countrymen. He praised their courage. “We won’t put down our weapons,” Zelensky said. “We will protect our country because our weapon is our truth and it is our land, our country, our children and we will defend all of it.”

Not every leader — including those cited above — gets it right every time, but good leaders keep focused on bringing people together for a common cause. “We must always take sides,” wrote Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel. “Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” Leaders inspire others to take action because it is the right thing to do. This righteousness emerges from the shared values integral to the vision and mission of the organization.

 

*excerpted from “Grace Under Pressure: Leading Through Change and Crisis” by John Baldoni

 

John Baldoni is an internationally-recognized keynote speaker and author of 16 books that have been translated into ten languages. John established a career as a highly sought after executive coach, where he has had the privilege of working with senior leaders in virtually every industry. John is the author and host of two online leadership courses: “Leading through Change & Crisis” and “Leading with Resilience + Grace” for Methods of Leaders/100 Coaches.

 

Tips For Staying On Top Of Your Health In College

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There is no doubt that staying on top of your health in college is a requirement for multiple reasons. It enables you to effectively manage stress, promotes optimal academic performance, and establishes lifelong healthy habits. By prioritizing your health, you’re investing in your overall well-being, both during your college years and beyond. A healthy student leads a balanced life involving not just academic achievements, but also ample social interactions, proper nutrition, and physical activities.

In this article, we present some practical tips for prioritizing health in college. If you’re in need of some advice or inspiration, keep reading!

Physical Activity and Mental Wellbeing

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Alongside a balanced diet comes the need for physical exercise. College campuses typically have a variety of athletic facilities to explore. You don’t have to be an athlete to avail these facilities. Regular workouts can provide several benefits – from maintaining physical fitness and boosting mood and energy levels to even improving academic performance. Trying out different types of exercises like aerobics, strength training, and yoga can add an element of fun and keep you motivated.

While physical well-being is important, maintaining mental health is equally crucial. College can be a stressful period, with the pressure to excel, homesickness, and the challenges of navigating new relationships. Many students, especially those pursuing degrees at academic-intensive institutions like a Christian university, may benefit from mindfulness activities like meditation, journaling, or merely quiet time away from gadgets. Choosing a Christian university can be beneficial for many students who value spiritual development or a Christ-centered education.

Keeping Up With Medical Requirements

College students should pay attention to their medical needs. This may range from getting vaccinated before arriving on campus, to dealing with common conditions like a cough, cold, or even homesickness. Most colleges have health centers that can provide basic medical services. However, a health center may not cater to all health needs.

For example, regular dental check-ups are often overlooked by students. Dental ailments can cause enormous discomfort and distraction, disrupting well-being and academic life. Visiting a dentist, like this dentist Pickering, can enable the doctor to diagnose and treat dental issues before they become severe. Also, ensure that you have a good health insurance plan. Most colleges offer student health insurance, but you need to understand what is covered and what isn’t. Having an insurance plan can greatly ease the financial burden of medical care.

Making Healthy Food Choices

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With college often being the first stint towards independent living, students must foster healthy eating habits. It starts with making smart choices in the campus cafeteria, which can often mean bypassing the pizza line for salads and roasted entrees. At times, a college meal plan, though financially economical, might compromise nutritional variety. In such cases, a blend of the meal plan and stocking up on healthier options like fruits, whole grain snacks, or nuts in the dorm room can help.

Also, experiment with cooking. Start small with simple and quick breakfast recipes or midday snacks. Learning to cook is not just a survival skill for a student out of home, but it also allows control over the ingredients and portions. Moreover, it’s a wonderful mindfulness activity to distract from everyday academic stress.

Getting Enough Sleep

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In the whirlwind of academic responsibilities, socializing, and other activities, sleep often gets compromised. Yet, it is integral to maintaining your health, particularly in college. Lack of sleep can lead to a decrease in focus and productivity, and increased susceptibility to health issues. Strive to maintain a regular sleep schedule, even on weekends.

Creating a sleep-friendly environment in the dormitory can aid in better sleep. This might involve noise-canceling earplugs, sleep masks, or some calming pre-sleep routine like a warm beverage or reading. Avoiding caffeine close to bedtime and turning off gadgets at least an hour before sleep can also promote sound sleep. Even with the best efforts, if sleep concerns persist, do not ignore them. Please seek professional advice as it could be a symptom of a larger health concern.

As you can see, maintaining health in college is not just about warding off sickness. It involves a holistic approach to taking care of physical, mental, and emotional well-being. With a balanced diet, regular exercise, adequate medical care, and enough sleep, students can expect not only a successful academic life but a foundation for lifelong healthy habits. If you follow the advice in this article, then you can trust that you’re taking the best possible care of yourself.

 

How To Deal With An Ambivalent Boss 

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by Vicky Oliver, author of “Bad Bosses, Crazy Coworkers & Other Office Idiots“

Unless you’re exceptionally lucky, you’ve had to cope with an ambivalent boss or manager somewhere along the way — someone who could be friendly and supportive one day, and then demeaning and cruel the next. Just like “frenemies” who are fickle in their expression of friendship, ambivalent bosses provoke distinct consequences for employee performance.

It’s unnerving not to know whether to brace yourself or extend yourself in your dealings with an ambivalent boss. In fact, research shows that ambivalent relationships are more harmful to our psyche, and even our physical health, than those we can easily categorize as negative. After all, with undeniably cruel people, you know what to expect and can try to avoid them entirely. But when there’s no predictability in how the boss will behave, the stress becomes nerve-wracking.

As a result, performance often suffers because workers walk on eggshells. Trust evaporates and disengagement permeates.

When you’re in a position in which you must deal with an ambivalent boss, here are some ways to cope:

1. Develop a thick skin.

Sure, we all love praise and appreciate constructive feedback, but if a comment from a superior is nothing more than mean-spirited, it can be difficult to preserve your confidence and know how to proceed. If you generally hear positive feedback from others on your team or higher up the hierarchy, try not to focus exclusively on the negativity coming at random times from your ambivalent superior.

2. Look for underlying causes.

The ambiguous behavior often can be attributed to your manager’s own lack of confidence. When the behavior manifests as hurtful instead of helpful, it may come from a perception of professional competition. While the biting remark or the stinging email may take you aback, try to get a sense of the manager’s state of mind and what might really be bothering him.

3. Accept the good/dismiss the bad.

The conflicting signals that the ambivalent boss sends are difficult to decipher. Being cheered on in one interaction, then cut down in the next, only intensifies the confusion. Try not to agonize over the Jekyll and Hyde behavior. Learn to accept the support when it’s offered without longing for it. Chances are you are not a perfect person either every day. Remember that to err is human, to forgive, divine.

4. Take the high road.

Consider that your manager may have his own stressors at work or in his private life that express themselves in fickle behavior. Lower your own expectations of what you can gain from the relationship and, for your own well-being, keep at a healthy distance. Try to set up strong boundaries between you and this person. Don’t work over the weekends. Don’t come in early to the office. If you work at a company that has hybrid schedules, try to come in on days when your boss won’t be there.

5. Confront the behavior.

Before the stress of uncertainty reaches a breaking point, let your boss know that the on-again/off-again approval and support is taking its toll on your state of mind. Relay a recent example. Ask outright how you are supposed to interpret the mixed messages. Share your hope that the relationship remains positive, but advocate that, because of the dedication with which you approach your work and the contribution you make to company goals, you deserve constructive feedback from your superior (and hope that he is open to hearing some as well!).

Like having a frenemy, dealing with an ambivalent boss can feel like tiptoeing through a minefield. Train yourself to carve an alternate path where you can feel confident with each step you take.

 

Vicky Oliver is a leading career development expert and the multi-bestselling author of five books, including “Bad Bosses, Crazy Coworkers & Other Office Idiots” and “301 Smart Answers to Tough Interview Questions“. She is a sought-after speaker and seminar presenter and a popular media source, having made over 901 appearances in broadcast, print and online outlets.

 

Why An Engaged Team Will Give Your Growth Journey Their All

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by Sam Smith, founder and former CEO of finnCap Group and author of “The Secret Sauce“

Lack of engagement is more long term than lack of excitement, and more likely to be a problem. People can be engaged without being super-excited, though lack of excitement can be an early warning sign of lack of engagement, so you need to be alert to it. Non-engagement can move from something that sounds passive to something quite disruptive. People who are not engaged are picking up the phone to a headhunter, they’re not turning up to things, they’re starting to think more negatively about the company.

You can sometimes spot non-engagement at town halls or group meetings, when people are looking out of the window, but you are more likely to get an early warning if you’re present in the office and chatting to people, noticing if anyone doesn’t seem to feel part of things. It’s not always about who doesn’t volunteer for something or doesn’t seem keen; that might be disengagement with the process rather than the company.

Listening is the key to spotting disengagement

If you talk to people regularly and ask good questions, you can find out what makes them happy and what might become a problem before they become disengaged. If you check that they are aware of their strengths and weaknesses, you can help them play to their strengths.

Listening is also a valuable tool. You can learn a huge amount from being in meetings and doing a lot more listening than talking. Notice who is quiet, who wants to say something but can’t, learn what excites and annoys individuals. Listening can be one of the best tools for improving your performance as a CEO.

Motivation differs between people

Some people are fully engaged as you grow because growth excites them, and they want to grow, too. Others might not like change, and might be less engaged five years in, and perhaps feel slightly less relevant as you scale. Is there a way you can make them feel part of things, perhaps by changing their role or title, if not keeping them in the seat they were in before?

If someone seems not to be working at full power, or perhaps a few people, it’s easy to get annoyed, but I usually found it helpful to reflect on whether I had found out what their driver was, what motivated them and what else might be going on in their life. Motivation is personal to the individual, so your employees are not going to automatically share your motivation. You have to do the work to understand each individual on a deeper level, or train your managers to do it so that they get beyond simply saying, ‘That person is not working hard today.’

Disengagement with the company can be related to someone’s concerns about the direction their career is going in, or fear that a manager who they don’t like will never leave. It might be a time in their life when all their friends are getting promotions and pay rises but they’re not. You won’t know any of this unless you spend the time and effort having those conversations.

People are won’t always speak out about feeling dissatisfied

Some people will tell you that they’re not engaged if you ask them directly (although women are less likely to do this), so they might reveal a reason that you can address, like a lack of career progression or feeling that they’re not in the loop, or you might learn something you didn’t know about them.

The more you and your managers can understand each individual and make them feel valued, the closer to the best version of themselves they will be, the less you will need to manage them in future, and the less likely it is that you will need to lose them. Try to work out the point at which the person became disengaged and whether you could have made a difference. If their lack of engagement is because they don’t like your business or your strategy, perhaps you can’t do anything about it, but the sooner you find out the better.

Tacking disengagement is worth the effort

You have to invest time and money in your end goal of making everyone feel valued and helping them maximise their potential, which includes training managers to be empathetic. You have to have many conversations, which are, of course, time-consuming for you as the leader and easy to put aside when you have a lot going on. Think, though, of the emotional cost of managing people out and the financial cost of recruiting to replace them, and a little effort starts to seem like a much better deal.

If you have an engaged team and you create a great place to work, they will give your growth journey their all and make it fun. Your holy grail is for everyone to be the best version of themselves. If you can achieve that, then you will be in a great place and you’re likely to grow fast.

 

Sam Smith is founder and former CEO of finnCap Group and author of “The Secret Sauce“. Under her leadership, finnCap became a leading advisory firm for the business of tomorrow. Sam is now an adviser to scale-up businesses and a non-executive director on the board of Sumer Group Ltd.

 

Unlocking The Power Of Hashtags: How An Instagram Hashtag Generator Can Fuel Growth

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An Instagram hashtag generator could be one of the simplest tools you can use to enhance your online presence, and reach new customers.

Today, Instagram is one of the most valuable social media platforms available. Not only does it have a massive audience of over 1.35 billion people, but the channel also boosts some of the highest engagement levels of any platform.

Unfortunately, standing out and reaching the right audience on Instagram can be challenging. You don’t just need to create amazing content; you also need to use the right hashtags to ensure your posts are reaching the most relevant people.

With effective hashtags, you can instantly boost your visibility on Instagram, increase your engagement levels, and power Instagram growth. An Instagram hashtag generator can help you find the most effective tags for your needs.

How An Instagram Hashtag Generator Works

On Instagram, hashtags are a valuable resource. They help the platform organize and position content in front of specific audiences. Plus, they can assist businesses in building lucrative communities.

You can even use tags to encourage customers to create and post user-generated content for your campaigns. However, constantly finding new, and trending hashtags is difficult and time-consuming. That’s why leading companies in the social media world created hashtag generators.

An Instagram hashtag generator uses intelligent algorithms to rapidly suggest dozens of relevant hashtags for any social media campaign. With most tools, all you need to do is enter a keyword specific to your business, industry, or product.

free hashtag generator

The system will then automatically produce a variety of trending, unique, and niche hashtags for you to add to your Instagram captions. It’s as simple as that. You can even save hashtag lists to use later.

Best Practices For Instagram Hashtags

An Instagram hashtag generator can provide the inspiration and guidance you need to select fantastic hashtags for your videos, photos, and Stories. However, you’ll still need to make sure you’re using the tags the system generates effectively. Mastering hashtags on Instagram often requires commitment, creativity, and practice, but there are some best practices you can follow, such as:

1. Creating A Branded Hashtag For Your Business

Branded hashtags can be an excellent way to make your business stand out. They essentially give you a way to rapidly increase brand awareness, drawing attention to your business name, the name of your product, or a specific tagline or slogan.

They’re also an excellent way to inspire your customers. Tags like @Nike’s “#JustDoIt” hashtag encourage customers to connect with the brand, and post stories relevant to the company.

A branded hashtag can even help you to monitor customer sentiment, and collect insights into what customers are thinking and feeling about your brand.

2. Avoid Using Banned Hashtags

Instagram is constantly evolving. Meta (the parent company) is constantly looking for new ways to make the platform more inclusive and user-friendly. This sometimes means restricting the use of certain hashtags that could damage the user experience.

Even accidentally using a banned hashtag could significantly impact your company’s ability to grow on the platform. Instagram will hide your content from view, even if you’ve included a number of other, popular tags in your caption too.

It’s worth keeping a close eye on the changing lists of banned hashtags on Instagram, and altering your strategy to avoid getting penalized.

3. Use Location-Based Hashtags

The best Instagram hashtag strategies often involve using a variety of different types of tags, from trending hashtags like #TBT, to niche tags such as “TechStartup”.

One of the best ways you can improve the potential of your hashtags, and reach a higher-quality audience, is to leverage location-specific, or “geographical” hashtags. These are tags linked to a specific location, such as #LosAngeles.

With these hashtags, you can show your commitment to your community, provide insights into your brand origins, and reach a more specific local audience. Location-based hashtags are particularly useful for companies with physical brick-and-mortar locations.

4. Encourage User-Generated Content

Studies show that content generated by other customers (or users) is considered the most trustworthy on social media platforms. If you can showcase other customers using your products, you can build a more credible brand image, and potentially increase your sales.

There are various ways to encourage your customers to post more user-generated content. Creating a branded hashtag and sharing it with your audience is a great first step. You can ask customers to use the tag whenever they create a video or post related to you.

There’s also the option to run competitions and contests, asking customers to share user-generated content with a specific hashtag for a chance to win a prize. You can even ask your customers to @mention you when sharing these posts.

5. Use The Right Number Of Hashtags

Finding the right number of hashtags to use can be one of the trickiest parts of creating a compelling Instagram campaign. Instagram recommends using 3-5 hashtags in every post, to avoid overwhelming your audience, and improve your reach.

However, some companies find that using anywhere up to the full 30 hashtags can be an excellent way to boost their visibility. There’s no real one-size-fits-all strategy here.

The best way to determine how many hashtags you should be using, and which tags generate the best results, is to check your Instagram Insights. You can use the reports generated by Instagram for behind-the-scenes insights into which of your posts deliver the best outcomes.

Making The Most Of Instagram Hashtags

If you’re not using an Instagram hashtag generator yet, you could be missing out on a simple and effective way to improve your social media reach, and engagement levels. The right hashtags will improve your visibility, increase the ROI of your campaigns, and strengthen community relationships.

Plus, they give you an excellent opportunity to encourage customers to create user-generated content you can use in future campaigns.

If you’re ready to upgrade your Instagram marketing strategy, a free hashtag generator could be just the straightforward tool you’ve been looking for.

 

Six Ways To Deal With Rejection In Sales

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by Rana Salman, M.B.A, PhD and author of “Sales Essentials: The Tools You Need at Every Stage to Close More Deals and Crush Your Quota“

It’s an unfortunate fact. If we’re in sales, we’re going to experience rejection. Many times. We can’t win a new account if we don’t take the risk of pitching it–which comes with the potential for losing. It’s part of the job!

Of course, that doesn’t make it any easier when people hang up on us during a cold call, yell at us for interrupting their day, or tell us we lost a huge deal after working on it for months. The truth is, rejection stinks.

The Psychological Impact

What makes it so awful? It has to do with our brains. For example, rejections that entail uncertainty about the future (such as potentially not meeting quota because of losing a large forecasted deal) can cause sales reps to experience anxiety and lower self-esteem. Plus, losses perceived to be unfair trigger anger.

But the psychological impact of hearing no actually goes deeper than that. It hurts.

A study from UCLA’s Dr. Naomi Eisenberger showed that the brain processes rejection along the same neurological pathways as when we have a physical injury. If you hear colleagues talking about the pain of losing a sale, they actually mean it.

So, what can you do instead of wallowing in rejection? I have a few ideas.

Coping Mechanisms for Rejection

As someone who has faced plenty of rejection over the years (and observed others getting rejected), I fully understand the psychological ups and downs that come with a career in sales. With my experience, I’ve accumulated a list of strategies that help cope with the pain of hearing no. I am not a licensed therapist. If the pain of rejection overwhelms you, seek out the support of a qualified professional.

Here are six ways to help mitigate the psychological impact of rejection in sales.

  1. Adjust your expectations
  2. Identify the reason for the loss
  3. Don’t take it personally
  4. Stay focused on the long-term relationship
  5. Concentrate on the next deal
  6. Adopt a positive mindset

There’s no way around it – if you’re in sales, you’re going to experience rejection. How you handle it will determine whether it tears you down or fuels even greater success in the future.

*excerpted from “Sales Essentials: The Tools You Need at Every Stage to Close More Deals and Crush Your Quota by Rana Salman, pp. 27-29 (McGraw Hill, June 2023)”

 

rana salman

Rana Salman, M.B.A, PhD is a renowned expert in the sales industry who is transforming the performance of sales teams worldwide as the founder of Salman Consulting, LLC. She is also the author of “Sales Essentials: The Tools You Need at Every Stage to Close More Deals and Crush Your Quota“.

 

7 Tips For Supporting Employees Struggling With Personal Issues

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We all have personal struggles from time to time. We may have children with behavioral difficulties, spousal disagreements that weigh heavily on us, or deaths of close friends and family members that disrupt our lives for weeks, if not longer. And sometimes, these issues bleed into our professional working lives.

If you have an employee struggling with a personal issue, you may notice their performance decline. They may not act like their usual selves, and it can cause new conflicts in the working environment.

The best approach, as a leader, is to treat employees with personal struggles with sympathy, respect, and any meaningful support you can provide. So what are the best ways to support employees dealing with personal struggles?

1. Actively Listen.

Broach the subject tactfully and be prepared to actively listen. Some employees will be reluctant to open up, and some will certainly prefer to keep their issues as private as possible. But some employees will be open to talking to you, and they’ll be glad to have an opportunity to vent or get support.

During these conversations, it’s important for you to ask lots of open questions and let the employee do the talking. You may be tempted to give them advice, or assume that you already know what they’re going through, but this could make matters worse; you’re usually better off sitting back and listening, especially if the employee is upset.

2. Recommend Options.

Depending on the situation, it may be appropriate to recommend options for help or support. For example, ABA therapy has an excellent track record of helping children with ASD overcome their behavioral difficulties. Marriage counseling could be an effective source of resolution for couples going through a dispute. And support groups are indispensable for coping with grief, overcoming addiction, or dealing with trauma.

If you do recommend options like these, be as specific as possible. Generic statements, like “you should get help” aren’t useful. Provide the names of institutions, phone numbers, or websites when possible.

3. Respect Privacy.

Always respect the privacy of your employees. If your employee opens up to you, don’t talk about their issues with other people. Additionally, if and when you have conversations with this employee, keep the door closed and keep the conversation off the record.

4. Give Space (and Time Off).

Many employees will benefit from additional space and time off. Don’t hover over them and don’t ask them to have a deep conversation with you every day. Instead, let them deal with their own issues on their own terms, and recommend that they take time off to address this issue.

5. Set Expectations.

While it’s important to be sympathetic and helpful to employees going through personal issues, it’s also important to remain a firm leader and ensure the productivity of your team. To this end, you should set proactive expectations so your employee knows what you need from them.

  • Performance. Grief and personal issues can impact anyone’s work performance, but this should still be temporary – and not catastrophic for the business. If your employee is making egregious errors, make it clear that they need to remove themselves. If their performance is below expectations, make it clear that they need to improve by a specific time.
  • Time off. How much time off is too much? What’s an appropriate amount of time to take off? Don’t encourage your employee to take personal leave, then reprimand them for taking too many days off; be consistent.
  • Interactions. Your employee probably won’t be their usual self if they’re struggling with something at home, but make it clear that you still expect them to engage politely and respectfully with other people at the office.
  • The future. It would be nice to say “take as much time as you need,” but this isn’t realistic in some scenarios. Consider working together with your employee to set a timeline for recovery.

6. Ask What Else You Can Do.

People deal with their personal issues in different ways, and not everyone needs the same kind of support. If you want to provide additional assistance to your employee, don’t insist on whatever you think is appropriate; instead, ask them what else you can do.

If there’s nothing else you can do, just make it a point to check in regularly.

7. Treat Your Employees Equally.

Part of being a fair boss means treating your employees equally. If you’re going out of your way to help this employee with their personal struggles, you should make the same effort for your other employees if and when they go through personal struggles. Avoid being seen as playing favorites.

Personal struggles of employees do have the potential to disrupt your business and interfere with your goals as an organization. But if you remain patient, understanding, and supportive, you can expedite a return to normalcy and simultaneously support your employee in feeling better.

 

6 Ways Hosting An Industry Event Will Benefit Your Business

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Successful businesses run deeper than having a solid product, a large customer base, and excellent customer service; they put work in with other players in the industry to establish their presence and form meaningful connections.

Although there are many suitable events for you to attend, there’s nothing more beneficial than hosting your own.

1. Boosts Brand Awareness.

Business growth and brand awareness go hand in hand. While hosting your industry event, your guests will become familiar with you, which will lift your brand’s status higher. When you interact with other people at your event, you have the opportunity to talk about what your brand is all about and how you could benefit them.

If you rely on talking alone at your event, your brand may not stick in everyone’s mind because you won’t have time to talk to everyone deeply. Therefore, you should have marketing signs posted by Easy Signs, which will have your content ready within 24 hours and they deliver anywhere in the USA.

2. Creates Unique Opportunities.

When you have fellow industry players in one space, you have the chance to seek out new opportunities. For example, you may find new clients, partnerships, sponsorships, and helpful contacts for the future. All of these will contribute to your business’s growth, which is what hosting an industry event is all about.

As well as inviting fellow businesses, you can host an event for jobseekers, which could help you secure fresh talent eager to work at your company. Alternatively, you can give career-thirsty people a look at what working at your business is about, which may boost applications when you next post an opening.

3. Allows for Exchanging Ideas.

Running a successful business can be challenging because there’s more than one way to do it, and you may find that someone at your industry event has methods that will make your operations smoother. By hosting a networking event, you’re actively encouraging the exchanging of ideas, which may just help you to reach your next milestone faster and more efficiently.

4. Helps Build Social Skills.

Having great social skills is an essential part of running a successful business, so make sure you’re getting in practice wherever possible. By hosting an industry event, you’ll have the opportunity to speak publicly and see how other entrepreneurs communicate, which will help boost your confidence. When you can command a room at your event, you’ll stand a better chance of leaving a lasting impression.

5. Provides Business Insights.

Knowing how your business is performing is essential for growth because it tells you what areas to work on. By hosting an industry event, you will have a chance to speak to others and get a clear picture of how you are doing. With this unique feedback to inform your growth strategy, you will know which strengths you already have, and which weaknesses need improvement.

6. Generate Revenue.

If you can bring an element to your event that’s sought-after within your industry, you could charge admission and bring in a little revenue. For example, you may be able to have a thought industry leader talk at the event, which will encourage people to attend. If you do choose to sell admissions to your industry event, simply use a platform like Showpass.

Hosting an industry event gives you the opportunity to get in front of your peers and form meaningful connections, which are bound to help when it comes to future growth. If you pitch your event correctly, you’ll leave your guests looking forward to the next event, and they may even spread the word for you.

 

Privacy Is Security: How Businesses Can Earn Trust While Handling Individual Data Online

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by Paul DeLeeuw, Head of Interactive Oversight at ddm marketing+communications

To understand how intertwined online privacy and security have become, consider the humble company-issued laptop. The device might only be given to a new hire after he or she passes a series of mandatory security clearances. Some employees will be asked to provide a fingerprint or facial recognition to use their laptop at all. At a minimum, a unique password is required at sign-in, and that password must be changed out periodically. The parameters of the employees’ online experience are predefined to limit exposure to suspicious websites. Two-factor authentication is required to access sensitive information. Then, when the employee leaves the company, they must hand over the laptop. Any access privileges they gained are revoked, as if they had never joined the company in the first place.

To insist on strict security protocols like these from a potential business partner is not too much to ask in 2023, when defining your organization’s boundaries for security and privacy is ― or should be ― the name of the game. Limiting your employees and clients to security risks is the first rule of doing business online. Following that rule is easier said than done, but it begins with a basic principle: privacy is security.

Imagine you’re about to go on vacation, and you need someone to watch your house while you’re away. Your neighbor next door is nosier. They’re always giving you mail that “accidentally” got delivered to them. Your neighbor across the street is quieter and keeps to himself. Which of the two would you ask to keep an eye on your house? The nosy neighbor seems a bit riskier ―  will she poke around and take something? ― while the neighbor across the street seems more likely to bring in the mail, then leave. He’s never seemed interested in the details of your life. If you’ve ever been in this situation, the idea that “privacy equals security” should be intuitive.

Similarly, if you visit a website and it asks for a lot of personal details, at what point should you draw the line? There are no hard and fast rules, but the answer boils down to trust. To convert potential clients and customers, they must first trust in your ability to limit their risk by safeguarding their private data.

New focus on security

To get a rough estimate of the value of individual data, consider the $1.3 billion payout Meta (the parent company of Facebook) recently agreed to in a class-action lawsuit settlement as a result of sharing users’ personal data with third parties. The revelation of Facebook’s data-selling habits sparked a “Great Privacy Awakening” that ultimately moved legislators in Europe and California to pass laws requiring websites to disclose to users whether their data is being shared with third parties, and offer the ability to opt-out of data sharing altogether.

With greater public awareness of the corporate data-sharing landscape came fear. If your online business habits routinely require inputting names, addresses, credit card numbers, and other personally identifying information, some might draw a drastic conclusion: don’t share anything with websites that have no value to you. If that seems overcautious, here are some practical guidelines to keep your data ― and those of your customers and clients ― safe:

1. Always look for a “lock” icon on your browser bar.

This indicates the website you’re visiting encrypts its traffic. In effect, the data it’s interchanging between your server and its computer needs to flow through a lot of different column pipes. Observing these strict protocols helps keep your data private and the interaction secure.

2. Never use the same password twice.

Password managers like OnePassword, MacOS/iCloud Keychain, and Google Chrome’s own built-in manager allow users to store thousands of unique passwords, effectively eliminating the need to remember more than one. When you do not re-use passwords, if any one password is compromised, it will affect only one protected website/account.

3. Use 2-factor authentication whenever possible.

Many websites support a variety of 2-factor authentication tools, which effectively require you to confirm on multiple devices that you’re trying to log in to a site. The power of this protocol is well-documented; 2-factor authentication could have saved the former President of the United States a breach of his Twitter account.

4. If your device offers some kind of biometric ID – facial or fingerprint recognition – use it.

The data they use to scan you is far more complex than a 4-digit unlock code. Then go into your device settings, and set a more complex (but memorable) device passcode. I think of my phone as my offboard brain – it might have more sensitive data about me and my contacts than any other device.

5. When dealing with financial institutions, review their security protocols when you first open an account.

They should require customers to verify any large withdrawals by answering an automatic phone call and speaking to a live customer service agent. Ask them about their fraud prevention procedures. How do they verify credit card transactions, and what is their dispute process? This extra step can safeguard against fraudulent transactions. It’s easier for hackers to steal your username, password, and/or email address than to gain access to your phone number.

6. The services you use are obligated to tell you if your personal information has been compromised.

However, it’s easy to lose track of these notifications if you don’t act on them immediately. Like reviewing your budget, or spring cleaning, you should periodically check a service like “Have I Been Pwned” and look up your email address to see if your data has been released in a security breach. If you see that a breach has exposed your password, change it – and see #2 for using a password manager to both remember it, and keep it secure. I made myself a recurring reminder to check this every 6 months.

If a breached service you’ve used in the past offers you an identity protection package – take it. They wouldn’t offer it if the information that was released wasn’t highly sensitive.

A question of trust

Any online security method you use boils down to a common principle: trust. In the case of a financial institution, your reason for trusting it with large amounts of money (or not) are obvious.

The reasons for using a reputable email server might seem less obvious, but consider the example of Microsoft Office. It uses background tools that will allow an IT expert, auditor, or lawyer to see who logged into your email account, where they were at the time of access, how long they were logged in, and what they did while they had access. This information can then be shared with law enforcement to help determine if the hacker committed a crime. On the other hand, law enforcement can also subpoena Microsoft to get access to this data – something to bear in mind for how you operate your business, and how you share data over email.

The same principle applies to password managers or 2-factor authentication platforms. You can trust the established players in these spaces with your personal information because you can be more confident they will keep your data private. They should use multiple layers of security that make it difficult for hackers to access an individual’s private information. When in doubt, reading the privacy policy is a basic first step toward establishing trust in their process. The policy’s verbiage should be unique, not copy-pasted from that of a reputable company ― never screenshotted, making it impossible to highlight the text. News of any data breach and how it was handled will also reveal how well these platforms keep their users’ data secure.

Establishing trust on an institutional level is not as straightforward as one person reading a privacy policy. When two businesses begin a relationship that involves sharing customer data, it is common to perform risk assessments and security questionnaires to establish trust. As in the example of the company laptop, it’s important to know how long a business keeps past customer and client data on file after their relationship is severed. The answer will reveal a lot about how they value security and privacy. Written privacy policies are important here, too. As a general rule, longer and more thorough privacy policies are more trustworthy ― but they should be read by someone with legal experience. Some of the basics that apply on an individual level apply to business practices too, like which email client they use and whether 2-factor authentication is required to log in to company social media accounts. The more critical the data you’ll share, the more you’ll want to assess and verify the policies and procedures a company follows – something like a SOC 2 Type II document can go a long way, because it will document a company’s security and privacy controls using the SOC 2 criteria, and it’s audited by a reputable third party.

The future of privacy and security

As the cat-and-mouse game between hackers and security providers evolves, keeping pace can make a person dizzy. One new wrinkle is AI. When viewing a privacy policy online, search the page for the phrase “as an AI language model.” It’s a common series of words generated by many AI language models, which are increasingly being used to create privacy policies; a policy drafted and reviewed by a human lawyer (i.e., the thorough ones) will not include this phrase.

When it comes to online security, establishing trust will only become a more important focal point of any business relationship. That means increased vigilance on the part of individuals, even if that means something as simple as changing out your passwords more frequently. Privacy and security will be forever intertwined, so always be mindful of who has access to customer and client data. That basic principle will go a long way.

 

Paul DeLeeuw

Paul DeLeeuw is the Head of Interactive Oversight at ddm marketing+communications, a leading marketing agency for highly complex and highly regulated industries. As a tech lead, Paul provides business process and data automation solutions within the healthcare, financial services and manufacturing spaces.

 

The Art Of Presentation: Mastering The Packaging Game

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In the fiercely competitive market of today, a product’s packaging often holds the key to its success. From attracting the consumer’s attention to creating brand recognition, product packaging is the first real interaction a consumer has with the product and as such, organizations recognize its instrumental role in selling a product. To fulfill numerous functions, packaging design requires considerable thinking, planning, and execution.

But how does one master the packaging game? Keep reading to find out.

The Power of First Impressions

They say never to judge a book by its cover, but in the world of marketing, the cover is king. The initial appearance of your packaging is often the deciding factor for consumers, especially when choosing between similar products. An attractive, eye-catching package design can draw in customers and make your product stand out amongst competitors on crowded shelves—an essential asset in today’s saturated market.

While the design is important, it’s equally essential that the packaging reflects the brand’s identity. A coherent brand image across all platforms, including packaging, helps build a memorable impression on consumers. It’s through this impression that customers begin to associate qualities they value, like reliability or innovation, with your brand.

A perfect example of making a strong first impression is Apple’s minimalist, sleek, and elegant packaging, which instantly gives customers a sense of high quality and luxury. This imprint pays dividends as customers are willing to pay a premium price for the brand’s devices, underlining the psychological impact effective packaging can have.

Tech Advances in Packaging: Automatization and Customization

Technological advances have seeped into packaging design in impressive ways. Computers and online tools allow for increased design accuracy while reducing errors and costs. Automated systems, like a shrink label machine, can boost efficiency and decrease damage by applying shrink labels at high speed and with precision.

Moreover, robot-assisted machinery and 3D printing have opened the doors to personalized and custom packaging. Brands can create packages that match the customer’s lifestyle and even chart their own course by introducing innovative packaging solutions that make them stand out.

Technology in packaging isn’t just limited to design and production. Innovations such as QR codes and augmented reality integrate digital experiences into physical packaging, creating interactive brand experiences and engaging customers in ways previously unimagined.

Functionality and Design

Beauty, as they say, is in the eye of the beholder. This couldn’t be more accurate when speaking of packaging designs. A design might look nice, aesthetically pleasing, but if it’s not functional and practical, it can prove to be disastrous. Good packaging design is not all about appearances, but it’s also about practicality, offering a user-friendly experience.

The purpose of packaging is to protect the product while making it accessible. It needs to endure the rigors of transportation and storage while still maintaining its appeal when it’s in a customer’s hand. Consumers do not appreciate having to wrestle with packaging to get to the product they’ve purchased or having to deal with unnecessary waste.

Take for example Amazon’s frustration-free packaging initiative. By reducing packaging size and making packages easier to open, Amazon has successfully improved its customer’s unboxing experience while also being environmentally friendly. Their efforts in pairing practicality with appealing design have become an industry standard.

Material Matters

When it comes to packaging, the material you choose is a crucial factor that should not be overlooked. Not only does it play a role in protecting your product, but it also has a significant impact on the overall aesthetic appeal and perceived value of your brand. The right packaging material can make your product stand out on the shelves and leave a lasting impression on shoppers.

One important consideration when selecting packaging material is the level of protection it provides. Different products have different packaging requirements. As we’ve mentioned, it’s essential to choose a material that can adequately safeguard your product during transportation, storage, and handling. For example, fragile items may require cushioning materials such as bubble wrap or foam inserts to prevent breakage, while perishable goods may need packaging that provides insulation or moisture control.

In addition to protection, the choice of packaging material also contributes to the overall branding and image of your product. The material selected should align with your brand values and target audience. For instance, eco-friendly and sustainable packaging materials such as biodegradable plastics or recycled paper may appeal to environmentally conscious customers, showcasing your commitment to sustainability. On the other hand, luxurious and high-end brands may opt for premium materials like high-quality cardstock or custom-made boxes to communicate their brand value and exclusivity.

The material you choose for your packaging plays a significant role in protecting your product and reflecting your brand image. By carefully selecting the right packaging material that aligns with your product, target audience, and brand values, you can enhance the overall appeal of your product, attract customers, and create a memorable experience for customers.

Legalities and Regulations: Navigating The Rules

While designing the perfect packaging, it’s equally important to consider packaging regulations. These rules vary from country to country and product to product. They include everything from listing ingredients and stating nutritional facts concerning food products, to displaying government warning messages for harmful products such as cigarettes.

An easily overlooked factor in the packaging design process, failure to adhere to these regulations can lead to product recall, fines, and potentially devastating reputational damage. While it’s necessary to push boundaries in packaging design, it must be done within the legal framework and ethical guidelines.

Another legal aspect lies in obtaining trademarks or copyrights for unique packaging designs. Trademarks protect the distinctive features of your packaging, such as logos, brand names, or symbols, which differentiate your product from competitors in the marketplace. By registering a trademark, you gain exclusive rights to use those elements, preventing others from infringing on your brand’s identity.

Similarly, copyrights can protect creative and original aspects of your packaging design, such as artwork, illustrations, or graphical elements. Registering a copyright grants you legal ownership of these visual components, ensuring others cannot replicate or use them without your permission. This is particularly important in industries where packaging plays a significant role in brand recognition and consumer appeal.

However, obtaining trademarks and copyrights for packaging designs involves a complex process. It requires thoroughly researching whether similar trademarks or copyrights already exist, as well as ensuring your design is truly unique and meets the legal requirements for protection. Consulting with an intellectual property attorney can be extremely helpful during this process, as they can guide you through the legal intricacies and advise you on the best course of action to safeguard your packaging design.

Conclusion: The Successful Packaging Recipe

As we’ve seen, successful packaging is a combination of several factors: appealing visual design, practicality, and environmentally-friendly materials must all work harmoniously. Brands must also keep in mind the legal regulations and be open to technological innovations. A well-designed package communicates the brand’s personality, creates a strong connection with the target audience, and provides an unforgettable unboxing experience.

Overall, packaging is a core element of a product’s identity and plays a critical role in marketing. While mastering the art of packaging is no easy task, the effort can be rewarded with increased brand recognition, improved customer loyalty, and ultimately higher sales revenue. The packaging game, when played right, can truly make or break a product’s success.

 

Crisis Is a Given. The Key Is How You Handle It.

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by Robert L. Dilenschneider, author of “The Ultimate Guide to Power & Influence: Everything You Need to Know“

Every leader hopes they never have to face a public relations crisis. That’s unrealistic. Any company that puts itself out there — no matter how cautious and how diligent its people are — can and likely will experience a mishap. Sometimes those mishaps are minor; other times they have deadly consequences.  And thanks to the always-on nature of today’s media, how you handle your (inevitable) crisis will determine whether your reputation is destroyed or preserved… and in some cases strengthened.

The key to good crisis management is three-fold: preparedness, responsiveness, and transparency.

Crisis management is not just about handling the situation once it has happened. It’s about foresight, anticipating potential crises before they occur, and having a robust plan in place to address them effectively when they do.

The preparedness piece, of course, comes first. My colleague Jonathan Dedmon — who wrote a crisis communications chapter in the 2022 book The Public Relations Handbook, which I edited — recommends putting together a small and agile core team, taking inventory of past crises (to determine if they might recur), imagining future possible crises, and putting together a written plan for each.

In a crisis, every second counts. Quick decision-making, clear communication, and a unified message can make the difference between a company that survives and thrives and one that takes a serious hit to its reputation.

With that in mind, here are a few things TO DO and a few things NOT TO DO:

DO: Tell it all and tell it fast.

Some crises take hours, and some draw out for months. In the early stages, “the best strategy is to tell it all and tell it fast”. Be disciplined and know that nothing happens automatically. Making sure the core team is on the same concise page is very important, as mixed messages hinder the company’s ability to navigate the crisis.

EXAMPLE: Johnson & Johnson Extra-Strength Tylenol Crisis

Johnson & Johnson’s handling of the Tylenol crisis remains the gold standard on what to do and is a case study still taught four decades later. Seven people had died in the Chicago area in 1982 after taking Extra-Strength Tylenol capsules that had been poisoned with cyanide. What set the company apart was how they responded: They recalled 31 million bottles of those capsules and replaced them all with a safer product free of charge.

The outcome was Johnson & Johnson barely lost market share and customers. After releasing their tamper-proof packaging — which changed the industry — they rebounded well, even if it did cost them almost $100 million.

The point is this crisis could have been lethal, yet they were able to turn it into an opportunity to rebuild public trust instead of lose trust by getting out in front of the story, and putting their customers and public safety first instead of trying to spin the story.

Besides moving quickly and transparently, make sure your message contains a heavy dose of empathy. As Dedmon writes: “It is a generally accepted rule that the best messaging has a strong emotional component versus simply a logical and rational argument.”

A few more tips:

  • Talk from the viewpoint of your audience and to their self-interest.
  • Avoid jargon and euphemisms. An explosion is not an incident.
  • Tell the truth, even if it hurts. Don’t be defensive.
  • If the media gets something wrong, correct it immediately.
  • Never say, “No comment.” If the information is private — say, about personnel — explain the reason. Then find something else to say.

DON’T: Try to escape accountability at the expense of your customers’ well-being.

EXAMPLE: General Mills Shrimp Tail Incident

In March of 2021, podcast host and comedian Jensen Karp tweeted a photo of what he said he found in a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal: two shrimp tails. After offering to send Karp a replacement box of cereal, the social-media team tweeted that those weren’t shrimp tails; they were cinnamon-sugar clumps.

Keep in mind that Karp’s tweet had included a photo, so thousands could see for themselves that the “accumulation” looked exactly like shrimp tails. As can — and does — happen in the Twitterverse, a flood of ridicule and memes followed. Soon, the shrimp tails leapt from Twitter to news stories in publications such as the New York Times, Washington Post, and Business Insider and broadcasts such as Fox News and CNN.

The social media team for Cinnamon Toast Crunch should have responded with the alacrity and seriousness appropriate for a matter of consumer health, even if it couldn’t verify the contamination or quickly trace how it might have happened. In fact, one manager responded that it couldn’t have happened in his facility, which sounded like passing the blame, not reassuring customers.

Bottom line: Instead of the ridiculous explanation of accumulated cinnamon sugar, General Mills could have responded by recalling all the boxes sold at Costco, where Karp had purchased his cereal. Stories like this live on via the internet, and if you Google “Cinnamon Toast Crunch,” you’ll see lots more sordid details.

DON’T: Try to spin the story or be dishonest.

EXAMPLE: Volkswagen Crisis

While Johnson & Johnson’s handling of the Tylenol scare is a model for the right way to address a scandal, Volkswagen provides the wrong way. They were accused by the EPA in 2015 of deliberately violating the Clean Air Act through software that permitted their cars to pass emissions tests that without the software would not. No one likes to be misled, and that includes the EPA.

The company executives bungled the response. They first lied about it, then later admitted they knew. Then they moved to lay off 300,000 workers. Although probably unrelated, the perception of it was that employees were being fired to make up for the loss in profit. In response, consumers took to social media to charge the company with deliberately deceiving them.

It takes a long time, if ever, to repair this type of damage to a company’s reputation and to rebuild trust. In contrast to the Tylenol scare, Volkswagen’s executives’ response made things entirely worse.

DON’T: Tweet “thoughts and prayers” or give another canned response…

EXAMPLE: Amazon Tornado

In December of 2021, a tornado ripped through an Edwardsville, Illinois, Amazon warehouse, destroying it. Six people died. But instead of an immediate and appropriate response, Jeff Bezos’ first acknowledgment of the tragedy came as a tweeted statement twenty-four hours later and came across as insincere. The lesson learned here is that any statement’s wording is crucial. Part of Bezos’ tweet was “our thoughts and prayers are with their families and loved ones,” but apparently unbeknownst to Bezos, the phrase “thoughts and prayers” has become an overused line by politicians and others responding to mass shootings and other mass casualty incidents.

… And CERTAINLY DON’T: Leave the door open for more trouble!

EXAMPLE: Amazon Tornado (Part 2)

After the Edwardsville crisis,  Bezos started his own tornado that would rip through Amazon and the country at large: Word came out that Amazon workers were allegedly forced to continue working through tornado warnings. OSHA investigated and found that Amazon had met the minimum standards, but it ultimately has remained a stain on the company’s reputation to this day. (It seems clear that when deadly natural disasters threaten, “minimum” isn’t good enough!)

DON’T: Panic and overreact.

EXAMPLE: Chilean Grapes Versus the FDA

In 1989, the FDA came down on grapes imported from Chile — after being fed an anonymous tip. The FDA inspector in Philadelphia made a special examination of a miniscule portion of the hundreds of thousands of tons of fruit brought in daily. Two grapes in 600,000 crates were found to be injected with cyanide.

The FDA commissioner was about to ban the sale of Chilean grapes when a lawyer called me to help the Chilean government deal with the impending crisis.

We went to work quickly and made sure the Chilean government was able to present a single, consistent position to the Department of Commerce, the Federal Trade Commission, and the FDA. We reinforced with the FDA the risk of inappropriately submitting to terrorist demands. The real villains were unknown, but the victims would be the American consuming public and the fruit growers of Chile.

Fortunately, the danger to the public was not real. If it had been, we would have handled the situation differently. We were able to convince the FDA to lift the ban, and then broadened the field of information to include the trade, the industry, consumers, and the media, and demonstrated the absurdity of being bamboozled by two grapes in 600,000 crates. We were careful, however, to never try to dismiss the public’s fear directly.

Finally, never dodge the media. If the crisis is a tragedy, then reporters will have to write or broadcast stories no matter what. You can’t completely control the narrative, but you can make sure the company’s message is heard.

Build relationships with the media long before a crisis occurs. Know the journalists who cover your industry. Feed a reporter something interesting (not self-serving) going on in your company or industry. Tip them off when a big announcement is about to be made, such as a change in leadership or relocation of headquarters. Answer calls and emails. Building trust in the good times will prove a valuable foundation in a time of crisis.

 

Robert Dilenschneider 2

Robert L. Dilenschneider, founder and CEO of The Dilenschneider Group, is one of the world’s foremost communication experts and leadership coaches. Dilenschneider has authored 18 seminal business and career development books. He has counseled major corporations and professional groups around the globe and is frequently called upon by the media to provide commentary and strategic public relations insights on major news stories.

 

Green IT: Why The Next Era Of Enterprise Technology Is Sustainable

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by Robyn Rawlings, Director of Integrated Campaigns and Content Marketing at Webex by Cisco

Just a few decades ago, sustainability was not a business priority. Today, most companies understand  the importance of sustainability, both from a business and social responsibility perspective.

So, what’s changed?

Today, companies are relying on technology to power their workforce’s efficiency and productivity more than ever. Carbon footprints have greatly increased in the process. According to researchers, information and communications technology alone will comprise almost 14% of the world’s total carbon emissions by 2040 — up from just 1.5% in 2007.

Realizing that our devices improve productivity at the cost of the environment is a uniquely challenging double-edged sword. Businesses are eager to reduce that impact while leveraging the benefits of technology.

The question is, how? That’s where the concept of green IT comes into play.

What is Green IT?

Green IT — otherwise known as green computing — is the practice of designing, manufacturing, or using technology in a way that limits its harmful effects on the climate. This includes everything from choosing environmentally friendly materials to reducing energy consumption and electronic waste.

Green IT is an enterprise-level commitment to lessen the environmental impact of technology as much as possible.

And, more businesses are taking on this commitment. According to a Gartner study, CEOs ranked sustainability in their top 10 strategic business priorities for the first time in 2022. Many respondents even place sustainability on the same level as brand trust in terms of its importance as a competitive differentiator.

Indeed, numerous forces are compelling enterprises to adopt greener business practices. A recent survey found that 98% of consumers believe brands have a responsibility to make the world better, and 40% say they prefer to buy sustainable products over others.

The survey also suggests three areas of opportunity where CIOs can take the lead when going green:

  1. Implementing a holistic insights program to measure and drive sustainability
  2. Leveraging an environmentally friendly tech strategy
  3. Driving transparency and accountability across the value chain

These areas fall neatly within the domain of green IT. By auditing your company’s technology stack and strategizing ways to implement eco-friendly initiatives, you can effectively support sustainability in both your own operations and those of your business partners.

Benefits of Green IT

Organizations with sustainability programs in place report a number of resulting advantages, including:

  • Cost savings: Reducing energy consumption and e-waste can translate into money saved. In fact, Gartner reports that 4 in 5 business leaders say sustainability helps them reduce operational costs.
  • Improved reputation: Consumers are looking for mindfully sourced products from organizations that value the environment. At least 60% are even willing to pay more for products with sustainable packaging. Implementing green IT strategies can underscore your commitment to sustainability and help drive positive business outcomes.
  • Compliance: Regulators are increasingly cracking down on ecologically damaging business practices. For instance, the European Union recently implemented restrictions on single-use plastics, prohibiting their sale across all member states. Adopting green practices can help you remain in compliance with changing regulations and avoid fines and legal repercussions.
  • Reduced carbon footprint: Perhaps the most impactful benefit of green IT is its ripple effect on the environment. By using technology more efficiently and reducing waste, organizations can drastically reduce carbon emissions overall.

Examples of Green IT strategies

Green IT has the potential to benefit both your business and the environment. But what does it look like in practice?

Let’s explore seven examples of green IT strategies you can implement to better support your sustainability goals.

1. Telecommuting and hybrid work.

With fewer employees working on-site than ever before, travel to and from the office has reduced.

Implementing a hybrid or remote-first work policy can potentially reduce your employees’ vehicular carbon emissions. Of course, this also raises the question: How do you keep distributed workforces connected and collaborating?

To overcome the distance, many enterprises are leaning on cloud-based solutions, such as video conferencing and cloud calling platforms. These tools allow team members to communicate as if they were together in person without skipping a beat.

2. Cloud sustainability.

Gartner defines cloud sustainability as the use of cloud computing to achieve environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals. By utilizing cloud services, companies can eliminate residual impacts associated with on-premises systems, such as cooling and compute power.

Take data centers, for example. It’s estimated that traditional data centers consume over 205 terawatt hours of electricity every year, which is more than the annual energy usage of Taiwan, Ireland, Denmark, or South Africa. Most enterprises replace them every few years, growing their carbon footprints in the process.

Cloud data centers are a more sustainable option. Many are run on renewable energy and serve multiple clients at a time, consolidating compute power and maximizing utilization rates. This reduces idle capacity, resulting in greater energy efficiency across the shared infrastructure.

3. Hot desking.

Offices aren’t as busy as they used to be now that employees are working from home at least part time. Consequently, workspaces — and the resources used to power them — are going to waste.

Hot desking is an office setup where desks are not assigned permanently but booked as needed by employees. This approach to shared workspaces can help reduce the energy required to heat, cool, and light office spaces.

4. Sustainable hardware procurement.

According to the World Economic Forum, 80% of a product’s environmental impacts are linked to decisions made during design. For this reason, many business leaders are looking for sustainably sourced hardware with energy-efficiency built in.

Sustainable procurement involves purchasing devices that are environmentally friendly and buying from vendors with sustainable practices. From low-power servers and notebooks to smart lights and video conferencing equipment built with a circular design approach, manufacturers are offering more eco-friendly products.

5. Centralized IT management.

One of the best ways to further your ESG goal is to truly understand your technology stack top to bottom. The only problem? Many enterprises don’t have visibility into energy consumption, emissions, and other key performance metrics.

Business leaders should prioritize vendors that offer these insights inside a single pane of glass. With full visibility across the entire organization, you can monitor estimated energy consumption, track emissions over time, and report progress to customers and stakeholders alike.

Better yet, with data at your fingertips, you can jump into action and identify areas of improvement.

A greener, cleaner future

Sustainability is more than a buzzword. It’s a mission. As sustainable practices rise up the corporate agenda, it’s clear that the next era of enterprise technology will be greener.

By implementing environmentally friendly technologies and sustainable practices, businesses can not only reduce their own carbon footprint, but also be on the forefront of positive change.

 

Robyn RawlingsRobyn Rawlings is a successful marketing leader with over 20 years of experience in enterprise software and software-as-a-service (SaaS). She is currently Director of Integrated Campaigns and Content Marketing at Webex by Cisco, a leader in cloud calling, collaboration, and customer experience solutions.

 

Harnessing The Power Of Performance Reviews

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Welcome to “Harnessing the Power of Performance Reviews,” a definitive guide designed to empower individuals and organizations with effective strategies for navigating the performance review process. Whether you’re an employee seeking guidance on approaching your review or a manager aiming to conduct impactful performance evaluations, this comprehensive article offers valuable insights to help you extract maximum benefits from this critical practice. By implementing the recommended tips and techniques outlined in this guide, you can unlock the potential of performance reviews to drive personal and professional growth, foster development, and enhance overall productivity.

Prepare to embark on a transformative journey that will empower you to make the most of every performance review opportunity.

Prepare for Success: Research, Gather Materials, and Practice

Preparing for a performance review is essential to ensure a successful and productive discussion. Here are key steps to help you prepare effectively:

  • Review Previous Feedback and Goals: Review any previous feedback or goals discussed in prior reviews. Reflect on your progress, accomplishments, and areas for improvement. This will help you assess your performance and identify key performance indicators and examples of performance goals to discuss during the review.
  • Gather Relevant Materials: Compile any supporting documents, such as project reports, performance metrics, or client feedback, that demonstrate your achievements and contributions. Having tangible evidence can strengthen your case and provide a foundation for meaningful discussions during the review.
  • Reflect on Challenges and Solutions: Consider any challenges you have encountered throughout the review period and the steps you have taken to overcome them. Reflecting on your implemented solutions showcases your problem-solving skills and demonstrates your commitment to growth.
  • Practice Self-Evaluation: Engage in self-reflection and identify your strengths and areas for development through a self-evaluation. This will enable you to discuss your achievements confidently while acknowledging areas where you can improve. Being self-aware is key to taking ownership of your professional growth.

Present Yourself Professionally: Dress Appropriately, Arrive on Time, and Maintain a Positive Attitude

Approaching your performance review professionally sets the tone for a constructive and respectful dialogue. Consider the following points:

  • Dress Appropriately: Dress that aligns with your workplace culture and conveys professionalism. This shows that you value the review process and take it seriously.
  • Be Punctual: Arrive on time for your performance review to demonstrate your commitment and respect for the scheduled meeting. Being punctual sets a positive tone and shows that you value the time and effort of yourself and the reviewer.
  • Maintain a Positive Attitude: Approach the performance review with a positive mindset. Be open to feedback and maintain a constructive attitude throughout the discussion. Remember, the purpose of the review is to help you grow and succeed in your role.

Offer Specific Feedback: Provide Concrete Examples and Actionable Suggestions

One of the keys to a successful performance review is providing specific and actionable feedback. Use the following strategies to enhance the impact of your review:

  • Offer Specific Examples: When discussing achievements or areas for improvement, provide concrete examples to support your points. This adds credibility to your feedback and helps the reviewer understand the context and impact of your actions.
  • Focus on Behaviors and Results: Instead of general statements, focus on specific behaviors and outcomes. For example, rather than saying, “You’re a great team player,” you could say, “Your ability to collaborate and share ideas during the XYZ project contributed significantly to its success.”
  • Balance Positive and Constructive Feedback: While it’s important to highlight strengths and achievements, it also addresses areas that need improvement. Provide suggestions for development and growth, ensuring your feedback is balanced and actionable.
  • Be Open to Feedback: Embrace Constructive Criticism and Demonstrate a Willingness to Learn and Grow

When setting performance goals, it’s essential to consider key performance indicators. These indicators provide a measurable way to assess your progress and success. For instance, if one of your goals is to improve customer satisfaction, a key performance indicator could be achieving a minimum % satisfaction rating of 90% on customer surveys.

During your self-evaluation, take the time to reflect on your accomplishments and areas for improvement. Identify specific examples of performance goals that align with your aspirations and growth areas. These goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) to ensure clarity and effective progress tracking.

Sustain Growth and Progress: Maintain Ongoing Communication and Act on Feedback

The performance review process doesn’t end with the meeting. Follow these steps to ensure continued growth and progress:

  • Reflect on the Feedback: Reflect on the feedback provided during your performance review, including insights from your self-evaluation. Consider how it aligns with your goals and aspirations. Use it as a catalyst for personal and professional growth.
  • Develop an Action Plan: Create a plan to address the feedback and capitalize on your strengths. Set specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals, using examples of performance goals to clarify your objectives and align them with key performance indicators.
  • Seek Support and Guidance: If you require support or guidance to achieve your goals, don’t hesitate to contact your manager, mentors, or colleagues. Collaborate with them to create a supportive environment that fosters growth and continuous improvement.
  • Maintain Ongoing Communication: Regularly communicate with your manager to provide updates on your progress, seek feedback, and discuss any challenges or roadblocks. Establishing open lines of communication demonstrates your commitment to growth and development.

Conclusion

In conclusion, performance reviews present invaluable opportunities for individuals to foster personal and professional growth. By implementing the strategies outlined in this guide, including identifying key performance indicators, conducting a self-evaluation, and setting examples of performance goals, you can confidently navigate the performance review process, ensuring effective preparation and engaging in constructive dialogue. Remember to approach the reviews professionally, provide specific feedback, and be open to constructive criticism. Embracing performance reviews as stepping stones toward improvement and success is crucial. Now armed with these valuable insights, it’s time to harness the power of performance reviews and utilize them as a platform to drive growth, development, and enhanced productivity. Embrace this transformative process and unlock your full potential for success.

 

Smart Tips For Charitable Donations

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In an era when societal challenges are mounting, the act of charitable giving has taken on new significance. Not only does it support vital causes and fosters a sense of community, but it also brings personal fulfillment by aligning our actions with our moral compass. Contributing to non-profits offers a chance for each of us to make a positive impact on the world.

Modern technology has transformed the landscape of charitable donations, making it easier than ever to contribute to non-profits. The advent of software for nonprofits has simplified the donation process, opening doors to a wider pool of potential benefactors. As we discuss the importance and best practices of charitable giving, let’s consider these digital innovations that are reshaping the philanthropic landscape.

Grasping the Core of Charitable Giving

To be an effective donor, a thorough understanding of the cause and the impact of your contribution is crucial. In this segment, we’ll examine how to align with the non-profit’s mission and evaluate the change your donations bring about.

Aligning with the Non-Profit’s Mission.

Before deciding how to donate, it’s crucial to understand the mission of the non-profit you’re considering. Charitable donations should align with your personal values and causes you’re passionate about.

Researching the non-profit’s mission, goals, and initiatives can provide clarity about the impact of your contribution. This alignment not only fosters a deeper connection with the cause, but also ensures that your resources are put to use in a way that resonates with your beliefs.

Impact Evaluation.

Donations can transform lives and reshape communities, but the impact of your contribution depends on the effectiveness of the non-profit organization. Rigorous evaluation of a non-profit’s track record and its ability to deliver on its promises is a vital step in the contribution process.

In examining the organization’s reports, impact assessments, and financial statements, you can gain insights into how your contribution will be used and the change it will bring about. In doing so, you’ll be contributing not just generously, but wisely too.

Essential Factors in Charitable Giving

As you embark on your charitable journey, several considerations can guide your actions. This part discusses the tax implications of donations, choosing the right method to donate, and the role of donation platforms for nonprofits in facilitating contributions.

Donations and Tax Implications.

While the primary motivation for giving is to contribute to a better world, it’s also important to understand the potential tax implications of charitable donations. Most jurisdictions offer tax deductions for contributions made to non-profits, effectively reducing the cost of giving. The specifics, however, can vary depending on your location and financial situation.

Consult with a tax professional to gain a clear understanding of how your charitable donations can benefit you at tax time. While this may seem daunting, it is a valuable step in making the most of your giving.

Selecting the Donation Method.

A key decision in the process of giving is choosing the right method for your donation. From traditional cash donations to more complex instruments like stocks or bonds, the options are manifold.

Factors to consider include your financial situation, the nature of the asset, and the non-profit’s capabilities to handle various forms of donations. Understanding these dynamics can help you make a choice that maximizes the value of your contribution and aligns with your personal convenience.

All-in-One Donor Portals.

The introduction of all-in-one donor portals has revolutionized charitable giving. These platforms simplify the process of donating by consolidating all the necessary steps into a single interface. Donors can now research organizations, make a contribution, track its impact, and manage their giving portfolio all from a single platform. These portals have made charitable donations more transparent, accessible, and efficient.

Using Donor Portals Effectively.

All-in-one donor portals have not only simplified the donation process but also provided tools to enhance the impact of your giving. These platforms offer a wealth of information and resources, such as impact reports, financial transparency, and customized giving suggestions.

Learning to navigate and use these features effectively can optimize your philanthropic journey. This empowers you to make informed decisions and helps you visualize the impact of your charitable donations to non-profits.

Regular Giving and Non-Profit Efficiency

Charitable giving is a commitment that can be planned strategically for maximum impact. In this section, we’ll look at the benefits of a consistent contribution schedule and the importance of understanding a non-profit’s efficiency.

Implementing a Giving Schedule.

When it comes to giving, consistency can often outweigh quantity. Establishing a regular giving schedule can help non-profits plan their initiatives better, ensuring that resources are always available for their cause. Many donor portals offer automated, recurring donation options.

Utilizing these features, you can create a lasting impact with minimal effort, demonstrating that regular giving is not only beneficial for the non-profit but also convenient for you.

Understanding the Efficiency of Non-Profits.

While all non-profits aim to make a difference, their efficiency in utilizing resources can vary. To ensure your contributions make the most significant possible impact, it’s essential to understand how efficiently a non-profit operates.

Evaluating factors such as the ratio of funds spent on programs versus administration, the organization’s financial health, and its accountability practices can provide valuable insights. This scrutiny ensures that your donation is utilized effectively, further amplifying your contribution.

Charitable giving, whether a simple act of generosity or a carefully planned strategy, can make a profound difference in our world. Understanding the mission and impact of non-profits, considering the tax implications, choosing the right contribution method, and effectively using all-in-one donor portals are essential components of this process.

As we harness the power of digital technology to streamline and enhance our giving, let us remember the fundamental goal of our contributions: to uplift, to support, and to foster a better world for all. Armed with the right knowledge and tools, each of us can become a catalyst for positive change, shaping a brighter future through our donations.

 

The Virtual Reality Industry And Its Future

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virtual reality goggles

virtual reality goggles

by Vasily Petrenko, CEO of Another World

Virtual Reality Videogaming is something once talked about only in science fiction books and then only spoken of with a mystical, far-off tone. Far from science fiction, Virtual Reality is a rapidly expanding entertainment industry with increasingly sophisticated equipment and gaming arriving on the scene nearly daily.

We are seeing the development of a new era of entertainment and gaming right before our eyes, where the player is more immersed than ever before. It is an exciting time to be involved with this industry for sure; one just has to have an understanding of the field and an enthusiastic approach for the future.

How Has VR Developed?

VR has been a topic that’s attracted a great deal of attention since the first VR headsets, like the original Oculus Rift, first dropped onto the market over a decade ago. There was tremendous excitement then, and VR already had a solid fanbase, although it was in its infancy.

That being said, there has always been an eye for what’s next in VR, and companies have consistently developed more sophisticated experiences and games as computer processing power has increased and technologies have improved. Now there are games being developed that are genuinely interactive versus just a headset being used to simulate a virtual world.

From a business perspective, this is an exciting time to be involved in the field as this technology expansion and utilization of VR technology continues to surge. A dedicated developer can create entirely new consumer experiences that will be unparalleled by anything else on the scene.

How The Industry Is Changing

There are several hurdles that need to be overcome in order to reach the true potential that VR technology has to offer. Most important is creating an interactive game versus simply creating another cookie-cutter experience like we have seen developed alongside many of the significant headset releases.

This is where the idea of combining virtual reality with large-scale spaces is becoming more and more attractive. Instead of having a small space in someone’s home, a virtual reality course is assembled in a suitable building, much like an Escape Room in size. Then players equip their VR gear and work their way through a pre-arranged course that has been designed specifically to match the environment of the game they’re playing.

Not only is this a fun and unique experience, but it also harkens back to the days of the arcade, where everyone would gather, and the sounds of gaming and excited laughter would echo throughout the entire building.

Far from a lofty goal, these types of environments have already been developed and enthusiastically embraced by excited players looking to experience a new horizon of entertainment.

The Next Steps

The crucial part of developing this field is further understanding how to achieve the ultimate goal of creating unique games for consumers without sacrificing quality or player experience in the name of producing something faster.

More than a few AAA game developers have pushed to release games faster than they should have, much to the ire of the player base. For a developer, taking the appropriate time to develop a game showcases a passion for the craft. Additionally, it demonstrates to the players that the company is committed to releasing high-quality content for them to enjoy.

Many traditional gaming companies still need to remember that the player experience is the most essential part of their products. People don’t want to do the same experience over and over; instead, they are looking for a new and memorable experience, something that VR offers in ample supply.

How Will This Change The Entertainment and Gaming Industries?

VR is going to be a game-changer when it comes to interactive entertainment. This technology is the worst it will ever be today and will be leaps and bounds better tomorrow. People will be able to jump, run, slide, and explore through virtual worlds, with dozens of other people joining them on their journeys.

These games, developed with care and attention to detail, indicate a shift in the industry from big-name series being the mainstay of gaming. Now, the future lies in creating these virtual experiences that people can explore and enjoy that will remind them of the first time they picked up a controller.

That feeling of magic, of wonder, will be what captures the future of gaming and its associated audiences. Virtual Reality is the final frontier for video games and entertainment, and the future is looking bright for those who want to make their mark on such a fantastic industry.

 

Vasily Petrenko, CEO of Another World, is an entrepreneur and business development professional with over nine years in the entertainment business. In 2014, Vasily opened the first Escape Room in his city. Shortly after, he began the company based on creating and delivering Escape Rooms worldwide, with dozens of operational locations currently operating.

 

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