What we do…

Posted on February 9, 2015 by Zack Clark in Communication, Leadership, Organizational Culture No Comments

Answering the question of “what do you do” seems like such a simple task, though many business professionals struggle to answer this question. It can help to think, in advance, of what do I really want people to know about me? Do they care? Remember, titles mean nothing – especially if they are vague. If I answer with a single word or phrase like “account manager” what do they know? When coaching individual clients, or teams of developing leaders we challenge each to think about the services they provide to others, to personalize it, and to make it fun. Maybe something more like ” I help solve complex issues for my clients” – certainly will open more questions than “Account Manager”. In our offices we are working on refining some of our website text to better answer the question “What do you do?”; we started by updating this quick 3.5 minute animated video which highlights what we do, why we do it and some of how we do it. What do you think?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzbhDr_dXGc

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Happy New Year! Apps and tools to keep up productive and connected

Posted on January 5, 2015 by Zack Clark in Communication, Tips & Tricks No Comments

During the holiday break I was able to spend a good amount of time connecting with friends and family, which can be challenging in the daily balance of shuffling kids to and from activities, business travel and volunteer activities. As I connected during this period of time, a common question was how I used technology to keep me connected to my clients, business, family etc while on the road, so this post is dedicated to answering that question – my favorite apps and tools that help me stay focused on running two very unique businesses, mentoring students, leading a volunteer board of directors and raising two kids:

1. Syncplicity
We have been using Syncplicity as a file-sharing service within my companies since 2008 and love the service. The service allows us to all have access to shared files and folders across all our computers and devices. Each consultant working on a client project has simultaneous access to all files associated with that client – PPT files for training, org assessments, coaching calendars / schedules etc. The Syncplicity App takes it to a new level – allowing us to edit and share docs from our mobile devices. Now, when a client asks for a copy of a document and I am running between flights, I can create a shareable link to the file and email that to the client. Dropbox has take a ton of market share and become more the household name the past few years in this space, and while i cant comment on value of one vs the next, I can say I love Syncplicity.

2. TurboScan
Think PDF scanner in your mobile phone. I primarily use this on business trips to scan receipts into one multi-page PDF file. Long gone are the days of sorting through piles of paper receipts to reconcile business travel. Once each trip is complete, I email the PDF to myself, or my assistant, for proper filing, billing etc. The app goes way beyond capturing receipts – it will scan full sheets of paper into PDF documents. I have used it for client contracts, capturing notes about curriculum design and countless other single-page scans on the fly.

3. LinkedIn Connected
I just started using this one, and so far I love it. It supports much of my theories of how to keep a network alive by prompting you to reach out to people in your network. I never believed in networking, particularly in the digital space, as being a numbers game – it has to be about authentic connection and interaction that you build and maintain an active network. Something as simple as saying “Happy Birthday” to a connection can re-start a dialogue or conversation which keeps the true relationship and network alive. My advice in using the app – personalize it. Don’t use their canned messages.

4. Evernote
This one might actually be my favorite, and most used app. Syncing notes between my phone, iPad, and Macbook is simply amazing. I always have my entire notebook at my fingertips. I use this app to write client notes, to keep track of project task lists (even this list of apps, started on Evernote in my iPhone sitting in a Starbucks). What makes it even better? Shared notebooks!! You can give access to a notebook to other contributors and have a collaborative group note. I share notebooks with colleagues and even my wife. Amie and I have a shared notebook that either of us can access from our multiple devices that allow us to organize trip planning, kid schedules, holiday gift lists, packing lists for trips etc.

5. Google Plus
First, I never did figure out all the ins and outs of Google+ as a networking tool, but I LOVE it for photo back up and photo sharing. As a father of two really cute kids, and one who likes lots of adventure, I take a TON of photos each year. Historically they mostly sit on my hard drive, organized by folder by month and event. This year I started using Google+ Photo Auto backup, which automatically backs up all photos on my computer. (It took a while to index ~80,000 photos) Now, through the Google+ app on my phone or through the website those folders are organized to events which can be shared with friends. The service is free each year provided you allow google to downsample the photos to a low resolution version. The photos are yours, and are private until you share them with friends. Now, I will share events with friends or family who were at the event, or with proud grandparents. I use the app on my phone to show off how cool my kids are – with access to 10+ years of photos all from my phone!

More than just a management geek, I am a tech geek too. I would love to hear your ideas / thoughts / recommendations on apps too.

Authored by: Zack Clark, MBA

Zack is a Senior Consultant and one of the founding partners at Five Degrees Consulting. This is a blog we share between several of the Consultants at Five Degrees, guest authors and colleagues. We work with companies large and small on People and Organization strategies. Our work specializes in organizational development, leadership effectiveness and executive development. With a focus on working with leaders at all levels to create an intentional corporate culture, we help organizations increase employee engagement, energize working teams, develop critical leadership competencies and enhance strategic communications for more information about our services, please connect with us.

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Where Do Good Ideas Come From?

Posted on September 6, 2013 by Five Degrees Consulting in Communication No Comments

Ideas are everywhere, but many companies, and leaders struggle to get their teams to speak up and share ideas. Why? Some employees may feel it isn’t worth it, that their ideas are not good enough or valuable. Or that surely, someone “smarter” than them would have already done it or suggested it. Perhaps, they don’t feel comfortable making suggestions or challenging the process.

As a leader there are several things you can do to solicit ideas. Here are a few:

Ask. Sound simple? It is. Try it. But when you get a good idea, find a way to celebrate it – publicly. When you get a bad idea, or one that could never be implemented, don’t shut it down. Ask more questions. Understand the idea or spirit behind it. Let the presenter be heard. And Celebrate it – publicly!
Suggestion box (really just another from of asking) – I have seen companies set up digital and analog versions of this. Some work, others don’t. Just setting up the box isn’t good enough, and the downfall of the process when it doesn’t work. You need to design a vetting process – maybe as simple as a select group of people to filter each idea, ask the presenter more questions and formalize the process of getting a sponsor somewhere in the organization. Creating a vetting process helps everyone involved feel engaged and a part of the future.
Focus group meetings – Schedule a meeting with a handful of staff to meet with at least one member of management. Encourage feedback on processes and procedures. Maybe something isn’t working quite as well as you hoped, this might be a good time to figure out why. We met with the owner of one of the top ski resorts here it Utah. Once a month, he schedules a group of his line staff to come in and meet with management. At least one member of management is required to be there. If he is traveling, he makes sure to send someone else, etc. He told us that some of the best ideas have come from those meetings.

When an employee is hired, they bring their whole body and mind with them. It is up to us as leaders to get that out of them, and to have them use all the tools they bring with them. If ideas aren’t floating around and being harnessed, encouraged, vetted and implemented it is time to look at culture. What is missing?

Authored by: Zack Clark, MBA

Zack is a Senior Consultant and one of the founding partners at Five Degrees Consulting. This is a blog we share between several of the Consultants at Five Degrees, guest authors and colleagues. We work with companies large and small on People and Organization strategies. Our work specializes in organizational development, leadership effectiveness and executive development. With a focus on working with leaders at all levels to create an intentional corporate culture, we help organizations increase employee engagement, energize working teams, develop critical leadership competencies and enhance strategic communications for more information about our services, please connect with us.

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Put Down the Keyboard and Pick up the Phone: Why Email Sucks

Posted on June 10, 2013 by Five Degrees Consulting in Communication No Comments

It just took me 12 back-and-forth messages to set up a very simple meeting. I now cannot help but consider how much faster it could have been done if the other person and I could have had a 2 minute phone discussion. Certainly we would have arrived at the same conclusion, but in a much faster time frame.

Which leads me to my point – as convenient as it might be, email is not the best form of communication for complicated information, for personal correspondence or for any message which might have an emotional component.

Clarity of Message – Even the best of writers may struggle making some points in a written, email acceptable format.

Importance – Email can be ignored, delayed, lost in transmission. When the message has urgency or importance behind it, nothing helps the receiver understand the importance like hearing it directly from you.

Emotion – The reader cannot see our smiles, cannot hear the intonation of the comments and may be lost with the spirit of the writing. A sentence that may deliver necessary levity or seriousness when spoken lacks the intended punch when written.

People like to connect to other people. Email can be so impersonal. Next time pick up the phone, you might be surprised at the result.

Authored by: Zack Clark, MBA

Zack is a Senior Consultant and one of the founding partners at Five Degrees Consulting. This is a blog we share between several of the Consultants at Five Degrees, guest authors and colleagues. We work with companies large and small on People and Organization strategies. Our work specializes in organizational development, leadership effectiveness and executive development. With a focus on working with leaders at all levels to create an intentional corporate culture, we help organizations increase employee engagement, energize working teams, develop critical leadership competencies and enhance strategic communications for more information about our services, please connect with us.

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