Let’s Discuss
As we are getting more and more information from multiple resources how do we filter what gets our attention and focus on what matters the most.

EMG 30-Second Rundown
All of us are bombarded each day with so much information that you may begin to wonder how to get anything done that you really need to. With that said this is only going to get worse as time goes on. There will continually be new ways of getting information, communicating with your team or clients, social networking sites, etc. Each person has to take the time to figure out what works for them in terms of organization and being able to cancel unnecessary noise which comes in the Read the rest of this entry »

With all of the recent buzz surrounding Sarah Palin’s new book “Going Rogue” I thought I would post a little something about the importance of ALIGNMENT within an organization. This is NOT a post about my thoughts on the book…or my thoughts about Mrs. Palin (although I am sure I could post something VERY interesting)…it is really about the nature of preventing rogue behavior within an organization improve communication and overall results.

Recently I went kayaking in the Long Beach marina and while I was paddling around I admired the row-boats that passed me by with about a dozen or so “rowers” listening to the captain of their ship calling out when to row. It was clear with each stroke the team intently LISTENED and followed in synchronization with their row propelling their boat faster and faster. This is a clear example that alignment within an organization takes a leader, listeners, and a common goal. If you want to go faster everyone must all row in one direction toward a common purpose, listen to their leader, and look to the finish line with purpose!

Alignment is more than just rowing in the same direction. For example, I have personally experienced great things happening when emotion is paired with intellect. I like to call this alignment of the right brain and the left brain. When creativity and passion are aligned with business and strategy one can be unstoppable. Sometimes this type of alignment occurs within a group or even better within one person.

Alignment is critical to success and it is what I strive for each day within myself and with my teams and company!

Here is to alignment…and NOT going rogue.

If you live in Southern California, then you’ve probably heard about the Orange County Great Park which is being built on the former El Toro marine base in the Irvine/Lake Forest area. This park is going to be huge at about 2x the size of Central Park in New York.

The OC Great Park is going to be eco-friendly, which we love to hear at EMG. They will be recycling materials from the demolition of the old marine base to build new roads (concrete from runways), bridges (redwood from old hangers) and more. Other green initiatives include recycling water, renewable energy (solar power), habitat restoration and energy efficient transportation options throughout the park.

Phase One has just been announced and is going to be completed sometime in 2011 with many features available in 2010. The best part for us EMGers is that this phase is going to include part of the sports complex which includes soccer fields, as well as a bigger field for general use (football anyone?). Future phases will include tennis courts, baseball fields, skate park, and even a bowling green. This will be a great place to spend our lunches.

I even read an LA Times blog post that said that next year will be Wild River’s last season (for real this time) and that a new water park might open in the great park in 2011.

You can see a picture of the master plan here:
http://wiki.ocregister.com/@api/deki/files/70/=greatparkplanmap.gif

The preview park is currently open where you can take free rides in one of the world’s largest tethered helium balloons. It’s definitely worth a trip if you haven’t been yet.

One of my favorite social media “twitterati”, Amber Naslund (@ambercadabra), recently posted a blog titled “What would you not compromise on”. I think the answer to this question will provide a lot of insight into a person and the type of company they keep (or work for, in this case).

In an effort to keep your attention, I’ve decided to keep the list to 7. That may seem short, but the truth is the more I think about it, the more things come to mind tangentially. 7 has always been a good number for me and limiting myself to 7 will force me to really consider my own compromises. These are in no particular rank order.

1. Trust

   Without trust there is nothing. Not in business and certainly not in life. This was the easiest of the 7 to come up with.

   I trust those I work with to work to the best of their capabilities, tell the truth and I hope that they expect the same from me. I trust that a client has the resources and desire to conduct a project with my company, and they trust me to deliver our consultation based on their desires and budgets. My clients trust me to tell them what is and is not possible within their budget and timeline and if they sign with us they trust me to deliver. That is the only way our relationship work now and that is the only way I can see them working in the future.

   Violation of this trust means that we are done. It shows me that you do not respect me or our relationship enough to be honest about it and that will never fly.

2. Business Integrity

    

   If the company has done it before I will tell you. If I have done it before somewhere else, I will tell you. If this is a new avenue for me, I will tell you and explain why my past experiences will lead to our success. That’s what you can expect from me.

    

3. Family Time

   My son just turned 1 and learned how to climb up on the couch by himself, and how to slide off the couch (feet first please, safely) on his own. There is no equivalent work task, project or client win that will EVER equal watching him smile when he did that. Work is fun and important but I have to keep it in perspective of the things in my life that I love.

4. Loyalty

   Loyalty from me is built after the trust has been established. If I trust you to deliver quality work on a certain time frame and you come through for me, I promise you that will not be the last time we work together. Far too many people take delivery for granted. I am not among them. Work with me and help me to deliver a quality product and you have will help and a reference for life.

5. Flexibility

   I know how I work best, and it is not plowing through 8 hours and going home. I take breaks during the day to mull things over, collaborate and rearchitect. I respond to emails at night and create presentations early in the morning or late in the evening when the office is quiet. I appreciate the ability to take an afternoon off after we have been cranking on delivery or to take a mental health day as needed. These options and flexibility make me a better, more dedicated employee and allow me work under the most optimal conditions for me.

6. Belief in myself

   Our business is constantly in flux. We are in the arena where if you have done something once you are an expert, if you have done it twice you are the guru. I have seen that his can lead to a thought pattern where you have to follow what those who are boasting themselves the loudest have done.

   What we do is not easy, but that is no reason to think that we cannot do something new and do it better than what is out there now. That is what is exciting about our work and makes me want to come in to the office every day. I believe that we can learn from what is out there and challenge the so called experts, using what I know, have researched and experienced.

7. Enjoyment

   We all know that work is work and that some days are better than others. So when I say enjoyment I don’t literally mean every hour of every day, but as an overall trend. If I am not enjoying my work, the space, the people, the challenge, the camaraderie, it might be time to move on. But I have to think of these as a set that I can choose from at different times. I don’t expect to enjoy all at once, but as long as there is something I can derive enjoyment from and look forward to, then I know I’m going to be all right that day.

When I was in fifth grade my teacher walked in one day and announced to the class that she was going to be making everyone peanut butter & jelly sandwiches. The whole class cheered but I could tell from the look on her face that there was a catch. She then revealed to us that she would be making each of us sandwiches but they would be made based on instructions we gave her. The task was to take as long as we needed to write down instructions on how to make a PB&J.

I sat at my desk methodically (yes I was methodical at 10 years old) thinking of how to make a PB&J. I thought of removing the lids from the jars, taking two slices of bread out of the bag, picking up the knife and so on. I wrote out each step very carefully as I prepared the famed sandwich in my head.

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Last July we arrived at work to find a huge colony of bees congregating on a  beam outside our office door.  There must be something about our building that bees like because today we were revisited with an even bigger colony of those little devils.

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Here at EMG, most employees are running dual monitors. This helps to improve efficiencies by giving them more screen space to layout multiple windows and programs. I highly recommend the investment for anyone who multi-tasks with many programs. I find it so useful I’m considering a third monitor, but that is a conversation for later.

One problem I’ve always found was working with Microsoft Office Excel 2007. For some reason, when you open multiple excel spreadsheets (.xls or .xlsx) it opens one containing window for all of them. It does not create separate windows for each spreadsheet like Word 2007 does for documents. This is especially bothersome when running dual monitors because it is really hard to organize windows and properly use the space you are given.

If you find yourself with this same problem, you are in luck. I’ve found a simple way to open multiple excel documents, each contained in their own window.

Here’s how:

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There are several features that contribute to EMG’s most favorable professional environment: beautiful business/pleasure balance, casual dress, cool-and-oddly-cozy-hundred-year-old-lima-bean-factory location, healthy snacks of plenty, monthly team building events, etc. But the defining aspect of EMG’s refreshing and charming atmosphere is the team and its diversity. Team EMG is made up of 31 very unique individuals from an array of diverse backgrounds. In our creative environment, individuality, originality and even eccentricity are not only permitted, but fully encouraged. As a marketing agency that prides itself in being innovative and cutting-edge, we’re well aware that molds and boundaries need their limitations. Within weeks of working here, every employee quickly finds that they are at liberty to truly be themselves, 100%. And in the presence of such openness to diversity, we all learn how to communicate with, understand and genuinely appreciate one another - which, in many ways, has very much made us (oh dear Lord, I’m going to say it) a family.

Mid April brought us the paragon event in which EMG’s rich diversity is both highlighted and celebrated - our annual Earth Day International Potluck. On top of promoting the implementation of everyday green initiatives (bringing in plants for the work area and reusable dishes in lieu of paper products), each team member brought in a homemade dish that reflected their cultural background. During the course of a 2 hour lunch break smack in the middle of our work day, we got to know one another a little better through great conversation and the enjoyment of a variety of appetizers, entrees and desserts that gave us a more personal perspective of our colleagues. Read the rest of this entry »

Last week at the National Association of Graduate Admissions Professionals (NAGAP) annual conference in New York City, EMG gave away a pair of tickets to see the highly rated and extremely popular musicals Wicked and West Side Story.  Conference attendees were mailed a mock ticket for each show with a special number on the ticket a few weeks before the conference. By bringing that mock ticket to our booth, attendees were able to check if their number matched the seat number on the real tickets to instantly win the pair. If their number didn’t match, attendees were able to drop their business card for a drawing at the end of the day if the winner had not claimed their tickets. Congratulations to Fareza Khan from St. Thomas University School of Law for winning the pair of Wicked tickets and also to Jennifer Philpot from the University of Louisville for winning the pair of West Side Story Tickets. We hope you enjoyed the show!

How many of you watched Susan Boyle sing on Britain’s Got Talent? At first glance, most music executives or talent scouts would have probably said no and not given her a second thought. However, thanks to the TV show and to others like it, individuals like Susan Boyle are given the chance to show their talent before they can be judged by their looks or appearance. Thank goodness for these types of shows because the woman can sing!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

There are so many people who judge by appearance and so many people don’t really get the opportunity to show what they can do. In today’s employment world, it can be very much the same. As an HR professional, I have seen so many managers choose final candidates based on who was most physically appealing, who appeared to be more professionally dressed, or who fit in more with the group. While these things may be important to some extent, I must say that these should not be the basis for choosing a candidate. At the end of the day, a candidate not only has to be able to perform the job, but also has to be able to adapt and grow with the company as it changes and grows just as an artist has to be able to perform and sell records for his or her record label.

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