How to Reclaim the 15% of Energy You Lose on Camera as a Moderator
You know how they say people look 15 lbs (7 kg) heavier on camera? Well, the same is true for your energy on camera, but in the opposite way. You will be perceived as having 15% less energy when on camera than when in person. This is due to the physical distance and the two […]
6 Easy Ways to Spice Up Your Zoom Calls
Raise your hand if you’ve used Zoom in the last 24 hours. Keep your hand raised if you’ve talked to family, friends, and coworkers all on Zoom in the last week! Yep, that’s what I thought. If you’re facing “Zoom Burnout,” you’re not alone. But for those Zoom calls that we must make, or that […]
Party for One – The Value of Social Proof
Sylvia is the kind of person that wants to make a difference. When she sees an issue, she takes action. So when it was finals week at her university and she knew everyone was going to be stressed, she woke up early and drew the words “Free Hugs” on a large poster board. Then, she […]
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 […]
Giving Feedback That Works
My supervisor and I were walking across campus after a meeting discussing an issue I was managing in the office. He didn’t agree with the manner in which I was handling the situation. He stopped walking and turned to me right in the middle of the campus quad. In a loud voice, he began to […]
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 […]
Throw Away Your To-Do List: Using Core Values to Navigate the Unexpected
Melissa’s TEDx talk was on Saturday. It was Thursday. We were discussing back and forth over whether the word “love” was the appropriate word for her closing line. We were on the verge of a nervous giggle fit, as the English language got less and less concrete in our minds. I was supposed to be […]