Enterprise Social Media Help
Optimize executive engagement
The digital landscape and technology has changed at lightening speeds and our behaviors adapted to grow and learn the latest tools needed to drive a successful career. This leaves a vast majority of people living in a world that is always powered on and faced with fear of missing out [FOMO]. But how does one adapt without sacrificing what matters most?
For starters, there needs to be boundaries and commitments that are tied to both personal and professional goals. Without a vision, the course of the year will lose itself spinning out of control with no mini-wins tied to levels of achievement. The plan doesn’t have to be a 3 or 5 year journal, but something that is realistic to journey through a short period of time, then branch out as each goal is attained.
To help attain proficiency and stay motivated, executives can share their outlook at the beginning of each year with their executive assistant. This step is pivotal in carving out the time in the weekly schedule to focus on the areas that will bring the most value throughout the day.
Keep in mind that there are different levels of engagement for executives that are shaped based on the structure of the organization and size. The CEO’s balance of engagement externally should be higher because they are charged with overseeing strategic initiatives wherein an SVP’s internal engagement will be higher to strengthen the employee value proposition.
The executive assistant can leverage the outlook calendar tools to assign categories to the calendar posts so that all meetings can be tracked for the amount of time that the executive spends in the areas that are tied to their overall performance. Of course, the categories for internal and external engagement will vary based on the organization’s charge of business. However, there are two categories that can apply to all executives to start with—external and internal engagement. Looking at the role of a CEO, their external engagement will be the driving factor in performance for the company so their ratio may look like 60% external vs 40% internal. And the role of an EVP in marketing may also have the same ratio because of the relationship build they need to maintain with external partners as well as committing to a regular social media schedule. Learn how to create outlook categories here. And to help create a social media content calendar, check-out the array of resources posted by Hootsuite here.
The earlier in the year an executive gets started on developing an engagement plan and track the journey, the executive assistant can pull engagement reports directly from outlook that will reveal whether or not time carved out each week demonstrates commitment to what matters most. Overtime, there will be less FOMO because the ares that make a difference in living life will intrinsically balance out.
Bolden the culture of kindness and bring on something new
Over the years we have invested and committed to a wide variety of activities that include external engagement efforts, giving back, community programs and virtual events. This last year we recognized that there is significant opportunity not only in our traditional approach in social responsibility, but also in giving back to the communities we live and work in as we face the challenge of the pandemic—we all have the ability to build on the foundation that delivers long-term value in our communities to bolden the culture of kindness.
We need to ignite the passion of giving back to make an impact where it matters—strengthening the core of our inner most values, not only in our professional lives but personally too, will develop the culture we yearn for.
As we enter into the new year, look for the opportunities to help those in need. The travesty of 2020 will eventually be behind us, but there will be the lingering impact to our lives for months, possibly years to come. Being part of the difference doesn’t always come in the form of money, it can be devoting your time to listen, to teach or mentor and there are many programs to get involved with to provide meals for those who are home-bound at this time.
Keep in mind as we journey into 2021, the past does not determine our future because we have the power to change our behaviors and tap into calls to action that aim at fostering good in our lives and communities. For instance, there are limitations on the way we live at this time, but it doesn’t mean that we have to stop living our best life. The time we have now at home, can be a start to a new beginning by fueling our brains with ideas and different ways to not only pivot but also adapt to a refreshed normal or family favorite throwback like reinventing drive-in movies!
Technology has consumed our lives and shifted our mindsets to all things digital that blocks [or starves] our ability to reach the depths of our creative imagination—many ideas 30 plus years ago were shaped in sandboxes or swinging in the park. Change doesn’t have to be about inventing a new product or building the foundation of a business from scratch, it can be taking a craft or a hobby and turning it into a powerful force of kindness—virtually connecting with seniors to get them moving indoors will not only create positive energy but happiness that fuels longevity.
Extending your spirit and heart beyond FaceTime, Instagram, Twitter and streaming can transform the future that will move our communities forward and foster social responsibility in the world. Pause for a moment, put the mobile phone down and pull out the jigsaw puzzle, then let your mind flow freely to visualize your future—refresh your way of thinking to bring on something new and add that sparkle of color back to your life!
Remote Workforce Existed Years Before the 2020 Pandemic
great ideas are born no matter where you work
Back in 2015 when asked in a job interview or development discussion, ‘where do you see yourself in 5 years’, more likely the answer was not ‘working from home’. However, a vast number began to want flexibility to work where they want and when, increasing the remote workforce pool in 2018–the study by FastCompany reveals the numbers. This propelled organizations to adopt flexible work arrangements and used it as a compelling option to attract top talent. Eventually best practices were developed and people managers were trained on how to manage remote teams. What’s interesting is that when workplace flexibility started to take shape, the trending hashtags today #youareonmute, #canyouhearme or #canyouseemyscreen, were not mainstream. Why? Everyone committed to finding ways to work together no matter where colleagues worked.
Fast forward to 2020 and organizations are faced with navigating through new norms but forgetting that employees were encouraged to work from home to help balance their mental health as they dealt with long commutes, extensive travel or long office hours. It worked many years ago and FastCompany highlights some interesting facts in their article: No, remote work isn’t a “new” perk—it’s been around for about 1.4 million years. But why the struggle now?
There are millions of people thrusted outside of their comfort zone without a choice–working from home was never part of their career plan. This results in negative behaviors to surface from fear and/or shake up of their normal routine. And extroverts are struggling yet introverts are in a new found bliss as they face lockdown and restrictions–everyone deals differently which brings a plethora of emotions with no escape. This article by The Sydney Morning Harold gives a glimpse into how introverts and extroverts are coping during this time.
As the world starts to figure out ways to try to get lives back to normal, organizations are revamping the office layout and guiding employees to return to the office. Keep in mind that before the pandemic, everyone was traveling and meetings were crammed into schedules extending the typical 9:00 – 5:00 daily grind. The Doodle report provides some great insights into the importance and state of meetings.
“It long has been argued that “there’s no such thing as a ‘good’ meeting, only ‘great’ meetings or meetings that are a waste of time.” Source: Forbes Article
Taking this into consideration, there’s opportunity to delve into the behaviors vs the tools, environment and resources. And finding middle ground to breeze through the day and promoting flexibility plays a key role in self-care and mental health. For the introverts, they don’t want to feel pressured to return to the office and the extroverts are anxious to leave behind the blurred lines between work and home. These helpful tips from the CNN business article, are worth giving a shot to help manage through virtual meetings–they are here to stay because the remote workforce is not going away.
It doesn’t matter where you work, however, it is how you choose to show up no matter where your physical being is. Achievement is more about what internally drives you to journey through your professional roadmap–the only roadblock to reach your destiny is you. Don’t let any one thing or person stand in your way to overcome challenges or limits in life. For those seeking inspiration and ideas to fuel their professional juices, check-out Elevate, by Robert Glazer.
In closing, keep in mind that not everyone is built the same and we are all unique in what shapes us. This is what creates a diverse world in which we do our best to optimize life to the fullest and realize that people can thrive regardless of where they are.
Your future: Visualize It & Own It
Never apologize for who you are!
Our lives adapt to environments because our situations are subject to change. And the way we do business is currently taking shape as leaders respond to the unfolding worldly events. Bringing us to the realization that the nature of our work is where we get stuff done versus where we are physically. Your unconscious mind remains to be the fabric of your being and behaviors weave into daily tasks no matter where you carry out your job.
We are faced with unprecedented times that are forcing shifts in the economy resulting in people to reflect on what lies ahead, not only in our professional lives but personal lives are taking a hit too. The wave of change is amongst us and the readiness to prepare for the next steps is stretching the planning phase because we have to hit the ground running to catch up to the intense movements that are causing the paradigm shift. This may bring on fear and trigger emotions that are unsettling which compounds the mental capacity throwing our minds into overdrive.
In order to try to overcome the overwhelming circumstances, take a moment to reflect and look beyond the worldly events. Draw upon mechanisms you can put in place to enhance your career or finally follow your passion, then execute without pause–learn how companies are transforming and how you can too.
I’ve learned a lot from my on screen persona, most of all how liberating it is to no longer apologize for who you are. It’s never about overcoming self-doubt. But rather embracing that your unique perspective and skill set can make a valuable contribution to any situation.
Sarah Rafferty ~ Donna Paulsen on Suits ~ Source USA Network
Check-out, Decoding Disrupters, to discover a new path and learn how a fresh mindset can unleash a future you are destined to flourish in. Keep in mind, there’s only one road block to success–YOU! Be all you can be to level up, deliver on amazing ideas, create order out of chaos but most of all take care of YOU!
In closing, never apologize for who you are. Bring your full authentic self to everything you do, approach your job with confidence, learn from mistakes and always keep moving the needle forward. Lean in now, and you might be surprised that you will find the inner strength to break down the barriers that held you back from creating the ultimate future you are destined to lead.
Adopting a new way to work
The Workforce 2020 white paper introduced transforming to the future of work and the work design options organizations will offer to employees to reduce complexity. Who knew that March 2020 would pivot a number of organizations to advise their employees to work from home should their current role provide that flexibility to do so.
Leaders and people managers are experiencing first hand a virtual environment if they have not previously been demonstrating with their teams. This then brings organizations to think through options to maintain a cohesive team while navigating through unchartered environments while keeping the regular flow of business operational at the same time.
Depending on the size and scope of the team, these options may not be ideal but provoke the mind to think through adopting a new way to work virtually and remain connected.
- The daily stand-ups can be switched to a quick chat with the team using Microsoft Teams, Slack or Salesforce Chatter.
- Turn training into live online virtual classrooms with Crowdcast.
- If the teams gathered for random happy hours but are limited to conversing in public at this time, the team can host an online virtual game with Kahoot.
- Host a virtual coffee break in the morning or afternoon.
- Keep teams up-to-date with video messages using Adobe Spark.
- Need a new conference provider to offer video interaction, check out these options published by Snack Nation.
The McKinsey & Company article “The CIO’s moment: Leadership through the first wave of the coronavirus crisis” outlines the challenges leaders are facing while navigating through unprecedented times.
As employees shift their work behaviors, many of them are confronting what can seem like a dizzying array of tools with little experience of how to use them effectively. As one CIO confessed, “ensuring adoption of new tools and protocols has been the most frustrating part of the process so far.”
Executive assistants [EAs] can research and offer new ways to work to pivot teams in a direction they may discover to be useful as they find themselves working in a different environment. Whether it be at home or social distancing at work, there are methods that can ease and balance processes to still get things done.
EAs are adept at being resourceful due to the number of varied requests that come through on a given day. When disruptions surface, EAs can be leaned on to guide their executives during a time of unknown to ease the challenges in workplace environments. There are numerous virtual team resources available and here’s a couple of guides to get EAs started to think through alternate methods that can be adopted in the near term but also sustained as teams discover a new normal: Slack: The ultimate guide to remote teams and Microsoft teams: Staying productive while working remotely!
#WeCanDoBetterByWorkingTogether
Optimize technology for global teams
Executive assistants can play a pivotal role in reshaping the way teams work
The workforce of the future is upon us and a pivotal time for executive assistants [EAs] to help redefine the way teams work. As more corporations are identifying themselves as technology companies, they are investing in the right tools and resources to motivate their workforce to disrupt the globally diverse tech world.
EAs are at the frontlines to help global teams thrive in the industry by seamlessly evolving with technology that is reshaping our personal and professional lives.
For instance, the workforce is disciplined to create presentations, print hard copies for meetings and firm up logistical needs. In today’s environment, if we applied ‘technology’ thinking behind this process, the possibility of what we always depended on can change.
Where can the EA play a role in adapting to a new process to navigate through a new way to perform at the speed technology is emerging? The EA is in a position to assess the environment based on the current processes and determine which areas can be improved. As an example almost all teams have a scheduled meeting, some gathering as frequently as others depending on the size and scope of the team. But one thing that remains a common thread is the download of information. With the onset of various collaboration platforms, meeting software and functional standups, EAs can amplify the shift toward transforming the digital workforce thus introducing tools that could offer solutions to visible experience gaps.
There’s a number of productivity tools and resources globally adopted based on capabilities required to go digital, but here’s a short list to learn what could be of benefit to optimize and automate a process to elevate the team’s performance.
- Canva
- Confluence
- Diligent
- Image Think
- Jive
- Kanban boards
- Microsoft teams
- Monday
- Mural
- Sharepoint
- Smartsheets
- Trello
The above is by no means an exhaustive list of tools but a start to thinking through the patterns in the office that could be revamped for greater impact not only for the employee but for the organization as a whole. For a comparison of products, visit Capterra to discover more resources.
With a lens to the global culture, EAs are not only specialized in overall office management, but can also help make a difference to reshape the way teams work and pave the way for businesses to adapt to the digital workforce that over 100 companies are striving for.
