Creating an Engagement Dashboard for Your Organization
For two years, I sat on the board of the NY Entrepreneurs’ Organization as the Head of Member Engagement. At my first board meeting, I asked the group for some prior data on member engagement. My aim was to find a baseline level of engagement which I could use to build goals for the future. […]
Energy Flow: The Importance of Modeling Success in Group Settings
Recently, at a training I ran with a group of leaders, I was told ahead of time that a few people were going to be coming in late due to prior commitments. While typically not a big deal, this quickly became an issue for this group. The entrance door must have been attached to a […]
Get in the Habit of Giving Praise With Your Team
It was easy to see the smiles exponentially light up around the room as the co-workers gave each other praise for various things. Even the thickest skinned member of the team couldn’t help but smile when a co-worker thanked him for supporting her with an RFP coming due. The team of hard-nosed marketers turned into […]
Tips for Time Management in Your Busy Season
Here at Swift Kick, August is our busy season. It is such a crazy time that even the word “August” brings chills up our spines and butterflies in our stomachs. Tom and Melissa are out speaking while Sabina, Jay and I are running the show behind the scenes. Think Wizard of Oz…but with less flying […]
Even Top Talent Needs Their Manager – 3 Things You Need to Do as a Team Leader
“First, I stopped canceling meetings 10 minutes before the start time because I felt too “busy.” I previously had thought my employees would understand because I am the CEO and had a lot on my plate. Now, instead of hiding behind that excuse, they are my priority.” Excerpt from The Fast Forward Mindset* by David […]
Retreat Planning: Tropical Ocean Getaway
With summer finally here, the Swift Kick team’s retreat was aptly themed “Tropical Ocean Getaway.” With a theme like that our key goals were to give everyone that island relaxed and tropical vibe all day and keep stress and tension down. “The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net with […]
Stop Talking About It: 4 Clear Ways to Actually Create a Motivating Workplace Culture
Marie was in her first professional job. One of her first projects was to create a new program offering from the ground up that she was to oversee and maintain. Excited about the project, she jumped right into the research and planning. She expected to be reporting back to her boss with results and progress […]
Our Tried and True Schedule for a Quarterly Strategy Retreat
Handing out pennies in Union Square, seeing a show on Broadway, riding an aquatic themed carousel, playing board games, eating bugs, and visiting a cat cafe. At some point in time, Team Swift Kick has done all of these strange things during a quarterly strategy retreat. But strategy retreats are more than just surprise activities; […]
The Danger of Keeping Negative Nellies on Your Team
Devin ran a real-estate management firm and his team was very close. They celebrated everything from birthdays to anniversaries together. From the outside, you’d assume they were the perfect team, but danger was just under the surface. Devin was actually running a team that was about to rot from the inside out, all because of […]
The Importance of Creating Your Secondary Family
When I was 11, Mom got the call that Gram was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. In that moment, Mom promised that she would never put Gram in a nursing home. Two weeks later, Gram moved in. For the next seven years until she died, we spent our days dressing her, feeding her and chasing after her […]