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Bring magic to your life with gratitude.

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Bring magic to your life with gratitude.

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Someone recently asked if I had any stress in my life.  They went on to expand that I never seem to sweat things and have actually been given the nickname “Zen Jen.”  My response:  with ever increasing pipeline goals, three children 6 years old and younger and a spouse that is shaping the future of America – I got stress.  One way I combat stress is by expressing thanks and showing gratitude.  Research shows the more you give recognition (when it is actually deserved) you will lead a healthier, happier and less-stressed lifestyle.

A colleague in Europe shared her appreciation for how I “bring magic to the team.”  What a flattering and kind compliment.  I like to think of it this way:  strong leaders mentor, encourage and empower teammates to go out and make the magic happen.  Magic comes when you care about people – serve and empower them.  It’s really that simple.

At a recent Quarterly Business Review (QBR), I ended my presentation with positive quotes I kept in my journal that sales reps had said about marketers on the team.  Reminiscing on the good the team was empowered to do not only offered encouragement to the do-gooders but also encouragement for me on the results leaders get from the power of praise and expressing gratitude.

Expressing gratitude can lead to more optimism, but thankful people should never shy away from the negative. Robert Emmons, a gratitude researcher and psychology professor at the University of California, says that “while we often associate gratitude with focusing on the good and avoiding the bad, the key to leading a thankful life is embracing setbacks as part of your overall journey.”  How do I interpret this and apply it in my leadership style?  Celebrate the wins and analyze the losses.  Losses are negatives that need to be embraced and learned from.  Always keep your win count ahead of your loss count….but never fear losing or negative situations.  Those situations make us wiser and drive us to be better.

Why write about gratitude?  One chapter of my professional life is quickly coming to a close as I move on to another opportunity.  I can’t help but reflect on the last three years and study what went well and what went not so well.  Lately I’ve noticed I am becoming a slight hoarder.  I keep things that many would probably trash.  While cleaning out a desk drawer I found a stack of thank you notes from the last several years.  Notes from vendors, friends and colleagues.  Reading those cards reminds me how much empowerment and encouragement really does leave an impact.  An impact that builds confidence levels, respect and trust amongst a team….amongst a family.  Shining a light on gratitude will always take you further then dwelling on weaknesses.  One thing I’ve recently changed in my vocabulary (thanks to John Gordon’s The Carpenter) is saying “I get to….” Instead of “I have to….”  It is amazing how changing one little word in a phrase we use often can greatly impact how we view things and find appreciation in situations that may not always be ideal.

As I embark on a new adventure later this month I can’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude.   I am thankful for a family that has supported my career progression.  I am thankful for leaders giving me opportunities to grow and expand my skills.  I am thankful for my inner circle of professionals (that has grown in three years) that make me a better leader every day.  I’d encourage you to express more gratitude and I guarantee you will see the magic unfold right before your eyes.

Lessons From The Playground.

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playground

We took our family to the park this weekend to get outside and enjoy cooler temperatures. I was sitting on the park bench (basking in the sun) when my daughter asked to play on the swings.  I told her to run through the jungle-gym tunnel and I’d meet her on the other side.  As I walked around the tunnel, I noticed she stopped running half way through.  She saw an unexpected opening to the left.  Instead of continuing her sprint through the tunnel – which was a straight shot to the swings – she climbed out the middle opening and around the top of the tunnel.  It took her much longer to get to the swings.  She had to climb the steps out of the tunnel and then balance walking over the tunnel.  I asked her why she did not keep following the path directly to the swings.  She responded, “Mommy, it was more fun going the long way to the swings.”

When is the last time you took the path less traveled? In our professional lives we often forget how rewarding it can be to go on a journey that may not always be easy.  A journey that takes us away from day to day routines and pulls us out of our comfort zones.  My 4 year-old reminded me how important it is to take the path less traveled to a) keep life interesting b) stretch myself to be the best I can be and c) live life with zero regrets.

Keep Life Interesting – Never Get Old

Throughout my career I have been pushed by a handful of great leaders to step up and challenge myself. They encouraged me to take on new responsibilities and explore areas I never would have considered if I had not been nudged.  I recently heard Nina Vaca (CEO of Pinnacle Group) speak at the Colorado Technology Association’s Women in Tech Conference. She shared to never get old, just get tenured.  My interpretation of this is to never lose your curiosity.  Explore new areas to keep yourself in the always-be-learning mode and cash in on the experiences.  I find when I’m learning, life is much more fascinating (and fun).

Stretch Yourself – Be Curious

The digital team I lead is a curious team. They are full of new ideas and networks to pursue and test.  One of the best digital leaders I work with encouraged me to approve a new Google program.  That Google program generated some much needed demand – that helped build pipeline rather quickly.  As leaders, we must always encourage ourselves and our team to take risks and be curious.  Try something new, take a different path.  You will never know if a new program you go out on a limb for – will pay off and score you a homerun if you don’t take risks and channel your inner child-like curiosity.

Live With Zero Regrets – Be Gritty

For the longest time I had a pinned Tweet on my Twitter account that referenced being a leader who lives with no regrets and takes chances. Grit: Lead when no one else follows. Make mistakes, look like an idiot and try something new without even flinching.  One of the biggest fears amongst adults is not taking enough chances and living with regret.  I certainly know it is one of mine.  I once had a manager share they had an opportunity to work for a start up in Silicon Valley that was offering them more equity options than salary. They turned it down and regretted the decision.  Especially when that little start-up (Ebay) exploded 3 years later.  Take chances.  Be gritty and have zero regrets.

Summary and Thank You Ava

My daughter thought she might miss out on something by not exploring that hole in the tunnel on her way to the swing. Despite it taking longer, she still chose the path less traveled and had a ton of fun along the way.  It always amazes me the lessons we can learn from our children if we pay close enough attention (thank you my adventurous Ava).  I am in a fantastic life season right now and really enjoy seeing my daughter’s sense of adventure and curiosity grow.  This whole experience reminded me of the ending from Robert Frost’s, The Road Not Taken: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.

Coffee, Chicken and Software – all winning big with personalization.

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This morning I made time for the drive-thru at Starbucks.   When I pulled in, the line was incredibly long.  I decided to be patient and as a result was car number 12.  The line moved quickly and I had “Jen’s chai tea latte” in hand, after about 4 minutes of waiting.  The barista was warm, kind, quick and called me by name – my kind of service.  I noticed on her screen it said something to the effect of “be kind, be personable – make their first experience of the day wonderful and memorable.”  I’ve had similar experiences at my go-to lunch of choice, Chick-fil-a.  Being called ma’am and hearing please, thank you and my pleasure Jen – always puts a smile on my face upon exiting the drive-thru line (and is a big reason why I return).

Both of these organizations understand the value behind a positive customer experience.  They know how special it makes us feel when they use our name and good manners.  These positive experiences reminded me how fortunate I am to work with a talented group of sales and marketing professionals that understand the power behind exuding a personalized, helpful experience for buyers.  We’ve recently gone through social selling training where the most successful sellers know how to personalize messages that make a buyer feel valued and willing to take the time to chat.  How do we know this?  We closely track our results (thanks to Salesforce.com dashboards), daily.

In February we implemented a different type of buyer-engagement approach in our marketing and business development efforts.  Many have heard me use the term Smarketing; which simply means when you start thinking in terms of Sales AND Marketing and not Sales VERSUS Marketing – winning gets easier.  By personalizing our messages to buyers and serving up an experience that brings trust and value to buyers, we have exceeded our appointment setting goals by 48% over the past 90 days.

Marketing a challenger brand has many hurdles, but we have not let that stop us from transforming our team into a value-driven organization that understands how to win when you personalize the buyer’s experience.  It isn’t rocket science and we certainly have kinks in our processes that we continuously work on, but hearing that sales bell ring more and more – reminds me we have made the right decision to focus on the buyer’s experience and ensure they feel valued and trusted the very first time we engage them.

 

Cowbells and Culture. Why we ring the bell.

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We have brought back the sweet sound of the cowbell. For those that sit near it, we apologize for the excess noise it brings to our open desk floor plan. But in actuality we are #SorryNotSorry. Why are we not sorry? Every time it rings, it means more opportunity is generated for the business. Opportunity in two forms: 1) Deals for the company and 2) Positive reinforcement for the sales and marketing culture.

As I prepare for an upcoming trip where I’ll be speaking about Smarketing, I am reminded how the magic really does happen when the marketing and sales organizations align. Hearing that cow bell ring, tells the broader business the two teams are becoming one and joint efforts are paying off. Self-doubt can sink in very quickly when prospecting results do not arrive quickly – whether you are a marketer or a seller. Countless hours are invested in marketing programs designed to generate pipeline. Multiple outreach efforts, loads of rejection, mountains of no responses….can all lead to self-doubt. But those that choose to persevere, succeed. Succeed by growing more pipeline for the business and encouraging one another that each meeting we set, each call we connect with, each social response received gets us that much closer to hitting our goals.

Best-selling author Jon Gordon says it best, “Being positive won’t guarantee you’ll succeed. But being negative will guarantee you won’t.” The next time you hear a cow bell ringing, stand up and give that seller some positive reinforcement – and know the bell helps generate positive energy needed to build confidence levels and create a healthy culture. Positivity is a competitive advantage.

Smart People Inspire Me. But can infographics inspire?

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Fact: infographics are on my mind.  Talking to smart, confident people inspires me.  Let me clarify: I define smart people as subject matter experts that understand confidence is arrogance under control (thank you Walter Bonds).  They are such a joy to speak with and learn from.  When I start a new project I like to reach out to my smart people and get their 2 cents.

When I started researching the “punch” infographics add to a marketing asset I found my smart people had varying opinions.  Several shared they felt infographics are best used when serving up powerful statistics. Others felt good digital storytelling (cool name I love for infographic), with heavy pictorial elements, can really pack a punch.  One thing is for sure, well-made infographics are 30 times more likely to get read than text (Source).

Historically, I have only created infographics that hone in on 3-4 points that show statistical data supporting each point.  But to be honest, mine have had minimal clicks and views. When I spoke to social media smart people, I was told a mistake I made was not taking that infographic and making 2-3 social grams out of it.  Social grams are more — you guessed it — social media friendly, even easier to digest and share than a traditional infographic.  I’m currently taking a stab at storytelling infographics that are still easy to digest but have relevant imagery to drive home specific point(s).  In addition, I have added a few social grams into the production mix to see if that helps the asset perform better.

My friends over at The Dialog Lab are helping me on this latest project and convinced me to give social grams a go!  So as my son says, “green means go” — I am going for it!

Here goes nothing! Cross off my bucket list “create a therapeutic but helpful marketing blog site.”

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Writing has never been therapeutic to me.  Until now.  I am a good writer as it is in my blood as a marketer. I am hoping to enhance my overall professional writing skills with this blog site and share what I learn (which makes me happy – achiever and learner).  I like to tell stories.  Stories are experiences and experiences are what we learn and grow from.  This blog will focus on a variety of things.  From current marketing projects I am working on professionally (as much as I can share), to conversations I have with friends that stimulate a marketing idea, to ideas I feel have merit and have either researched or just decided to go rogue and put them to the test.  I’ll share good and not so good results.  Feel free to comment, like and share what I am sharing. Cheers to me — for crossing an item off my bucket list!