Happy Accidents Lessons From ‘Permission to Screw Up’
4 Ways Every Employee Can Contribute to Company Culture When it comes to building a great company culture, there’s a lot at stake. Businesses known for their positive workplace environments are more attractive to potential candidates, have lower turnover rates, and have more productive employees. But as the old axiom goes, “There is no ‘I’ in ‘team,’” and a great culture can only be built when everyone in an organization is dedicated to doing their part. Here are four things any employee can do to help create a great work environment. Get to know people. All relationships, whether professional or personal, are impossible to maintain without investing the proper time. So, get to know your coworkers! Ask them about their pets, kids, hobbies, families, travel plans, and more! Invite new or quieter coworkers to have lunch or coffee with you. You might be shocked at how that kind of camaraderie is contagious, and you just might even make some new friends. Celebrate others! We all want to feel celebrated
By Using These 5 Tactics Marketing Leaders Can Drive Value
T here are natural-born leaders, and then there is Kristen Hadeed. In her book “Permission to Screw Up,” Hadeed makes no bones about the fact that when she started her award-winning business, Student Maid, she had no idea what she was doing. In fact, Hadeed never intended to start a business at all — she just wanted a pair of jeans. “Permission to Screw Up” is not an ordinary business book, and Hadeed is not an ordinary entrepreneur. While many guides written by CEOs come across as self-aggrandizing or portray success as a straightforward process, nothing about this book makes leadership look easy. In a sitcom, Hadeed might resemble the hopelessly clueless boss Michael Scott from “The Office.” But in real life, she learned from her many mistakes to become someone her employees could be proud to follow. Hadeed’s story begins during her college years when her parents refused to buy her a $100 pair of jeans. She found a way to earn the cash herself through an advertisement for a cleaner on Craigslist. Soon, she realized she could make more money by starting her own business and paying others to do the sweeping and scrubbing. And, as many entrepreneurs would tell it, the rest is history. But Hadeed made more than her fair share of mistakes along the way, perhaps most notably when 45 of her 60 workers quit at once due to poor working conditions. Then there was her failure to confirm her business name wasn’t already trademarked and the resulting lawsuits. Her blunders continued with an almost comically non- confrontational management style and costly hiring mistakes. Once, the company even paid employees 100 times their regular salary — oops. Most business books would omit or gloss over these errors, and Hadeed admits in her book that she did the same in her first draft. But she ultimately realized that approach was more than dishonest — it did her readers a disservice. Student Maid didn’t eventually obtain an industry-leading retention rate despite Hadeed’s mistakes, but because of the lessons she learned from them. “Permission to Screw Up” portrays a decidedly millennial perspective on the workplace. Hadeed leans into and smashes apart the negative stereotypes that have followed her generation since their first days in the workforce. She’s also unafraid to make jokes at the expense of her age group and overall provides a fresh perspective.
The business world has shifted multiple times since the pandemic first arrived over two years ago. Businesses across the country have tried countless strategies to ensure they can keep up with the competition. Those that are successful not only keep up but set a new standard for their industry. Although digital advancements and changes in the world of business have been ongoing for decades, there has been rapid acceleration throughout the past couple years. This has provided the perfect opportunity for marketing professionals to prove their value and show that when done right, marketing can drive sales and growth. For marketers, it is not enough to say what you think will work. You need to prove it through analytical data. This includes looking at your customer needs, the priorities of your business, and your company’s digital agenda. When you build a strong strategy bolstered by these three important areas, you will drive growth and create value for your business. If you’re a marketing leader in your business, there are things you can do to help drive value. Below are five ways to help you get started. Understand that marketing drives revenue. In the past, marketing was costly and it was one of the first departments to lose funding due to budget cuts. Now, marketing is seen in a new light — essential to sales. It’s important that marketing leaders realize this and take full advantage of marketing opportunities. Research, social media, and search engines will help you explain to others why marketing is so valuable in today’s climate. Not everyone lives in the world of marketing, though. Break it down to the simplest terms so everyone at your business can see the positive results that come with your strong marketing strategies. Lead the team to build a better customer experience. When customers choose to shop with a business, they don’t care about what’s going on behind the scenes.
when we do a truly excellent job or experience a big life event. While these efforts to celebrate individuals are typically led by management, they don’t have to be! You can take the initiative to celebrate your coworker’s birthdays, work anniversaries, and milestones all on your own. Show up for others.
Everyone needs a little extra support from time to time. Whether your coworker is going through a bereavement process, battling a bout of illness, or experiencing familial stress, stepping up to help them get through the day means a lot. Now, that doesn’t mean you should be a martyr who allows everyone to dump their work on you, but when possible, lending a helping hand can make a real difference in someone’s life. Be the example. It’s one thing to talk about how important a healthy work environment is, and it’s another to embody it. So, start walking the walk! Stop working through your lunch breaks, use your PTO, and set appropriate boundaries with supervisors when necessary. By stepping up to the plate and becoming an example for your colleagues, you can illustrate the importance of prioritizing your personal well-being. By putting these four tips into practice, you can start building a happier, healthier, and more balanced company culture — not just for yourself, but for your coworkers as well. Now that’s what we call being a team player.
This book is easy to read, and there’s no five-point plan to memorize. Hadeed instead focuses on simply telling her story and what she learned while making mistake after mistake after mistake. And her lessons don’t only apply to entrepreneurs. Anyone who has to work with other people can take something away from her journey. As an interesting footnote, Hadeed disbanded Student Maid in 2021 and reimagined it as Student Made, an organization dedicated to teaching leadership skills to the rising generation. Based on what we’ve read here, we can’t wait to see where this latest project leads and what lessons Hadeed learns along the way. “He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” –Luke 10:2 (NIV)
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