Juno, my favorite non-blizzard

As part of a committee I sit on in the media & advertising industry, I was scheduled on a Sunday evening flight to New York for a 36-hour trip to attend meetings at Time Warner Center in Columbus Circle. It’s no surprise that I love New York City, and was not only excited to travel there but honored that my job was financing my trip out there. This insinuated and required that I would add value to the meetings in-person and share a report afterward as part of my client service role.

Seeing friends I know out there would only be an added bonus. Traveling on business can be a grueling experience where you have little control over your schedule, flights and time – but I had faith that in the off-hours I could stay awake an extra hour or two to grab a meal with friends. 

Sunday morning, an influx of travel alerts about Winter Storm Juno flooded the news, terrifying the Northeast and cancelling trips everywhere. While I was walking out the door with packed bags Sunday morning, my department head texted and emailed me to consider the risks and potential weather delays of traveling. A tough decision to make, I decided to move forward – vigorously threw three extra outfits and extra contacts in my bag and took an Uber to O’Hare.

Immediately after arriving, Tuesday’s agenda was cancelled, and shortly after – so was my flight. Thankfully, the trip’s purpose of Monday’s session remained true so there was reason for me to be there, but the next few days were not in my control. I could work remotely on Tuesday, and would fly out eventually. Flights opened during the Monday session, and with the most amazing teamwork exhibited, a colleague re-booked my flight for the first available flight on Wednesday.

View of NYC from my hotel, Le Parker Meridien

The storm itself was underwhelming. Only about six inches of snow fell in Manhattan, and I would go as far as to say NYC public transit shut down prematurely (but cautiously). While I was working remotely, so were my friends since their offices shut down - so we got to enjoy our first snow day of adulthood together! What a week it was, and now I can't wait to go back. 

Birthdays are the best

Even companies have entered the birthday marketing game - which I noticed when waking up to three emails wishing me a Happy Birthday none of whom are actual people!

Birthdays in the corporate world aren't boring, after all! My friends at work on both of my teams threw a surprise party with champagne, Sweet Mandy B's cupcakes, hummus + chips, bricks of cheese and baklava!

Who knew that candles with colored flames are a thing? 

Free food at work

I'm not crazy, research proves this out! According to this Mashable article on boosting employee morale:

A survey by Seamless revealed 60% of respondents say having food at the office makes them feel more "valued and appreciated." In addition, 40% say that having food in the office reduces personal stress levels.

Working at a media agency, there are plenty of things you never have to pay for in everyday life because they are continuously delivered to the office. Some of these include:

• Office supplies,
• notebooks,
• chapstick,
• mints,
• movie tickets,
• candy, and most of the time - 
• lunch. 

Even if the food is not the healthiest option, it does reduce stress and make me feel valued (or lucky) that I can save some money by eating at work. If there is anything I have learned in the past year, moderate the amount and type of office food you eat to not overload on carbs or sugar. With the holiday season coming up and plenty of sweets around the office, it's time to be careful! 

Invision: app visualization

My co-worker Lauren and I participated in an internal work competition earlier this summer where we pitched a mobile application. My intern buddy told us about a tool called Invision that he used in an app development competition, and it changed our whole presentation for the better.

Invision lets you upload images or screenshots (think: Powerpoint slides) and add clickability function to allow for an interactive demonstration. You can use it on a computer or mobile device, so when you walk through an idea the audience can understand how it would work live. A significant amount of the features are free, and a one-month and one-year subscriptions are reasonably priced if you plan on using it for more than one project.

Additionally, it lets you send the link to the web app to anyone via email or text, so the app mockup actually downloads to your phone. If you need to visualize your idea or make something interactive, check this out.

Empty inbox

An empty inbox is one of the greatest feelings ever #accomplishments

Outlook inbox view, even it puts a smiley face

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

Screensharing tool works wonders

When I started work, one of the department heads often scheduled meetings with a link to a site called Join.me. Without having to worry about the technological woes of call-ins, WebX's and video conference calls, Join.me is a screensharing tool that simply lets you share what's on your screen (the entire thing or just one window) with up to 10 users for free.

It was incredibly useful while working with a remote manager, and continues to be useful today. Whether I am helping a sister with a resume from 1,000 miles away, instant messaging someone within my own building about a presentation or on a conference call, Join.me saves a lot of explanation time by showing someone what you are discussing. Try it out!

Acquisitions

Amidst all the acquisitions in today's business world, it's good to see a reputable company like Procter & Gamble deciding to cut them when it seems smart. Good for P&G! 

Why to work at your company's headquarters

At lunch with one of my former professors, we were discussing livable cities and companies in advertising and marketing headquartered there. It wasn't until then that I realized all the benefits I receive at work because my company's Chicago office is our headquarters.

Just a few examples:

1. Accessibility to higher leadership
Although authority figures travel a lot, both the president and CEO label Chicago as their main office - as does the majority of our managing board. Whether you are in a meeting or just an elevator with someone, you can always access those that run the company in some form or another. 

2. Learning opportunities
From brown bag lunches with individuals within the company to other company visits, there is always an emerging topic in media being addressed, measurement solution presented or industry issue to learn about. Other companies often come in to "schmooze" us with tutorials and put themselves on our radar, so it's nice to be in the center of that.

3. Free lunch
I'm not kidding! Groceries and food are not one of my main expenses because I have so much free food at work. From  free Kellogg cereal for breakfast every morning, lunch meetings and vendor dinners, I have gotten to try many Chicago restaurants that I otherwise couldn't afford :).

A photo of my company's headquarters in the Leo Burnett building at 35 W Wacker. Source: Wikipedia

Dual screens: a lifesaver

The best thing I've done for focus and productivity at work: set up two screens as monitors.

My desk at work

When I started working in August, I was lucky to be greeted with a laptop and desktop, but had the same image appear on both screens. I used the laptop to walk around the office for meetings and the desktop while I was sitting down and wanted the big screen.

My busy time started to die down and I had some extra time, so I called our IT desk to set up the dual monitors. They set it up and showed me how it works, and you can drag various documents, programs or applications from one straight to the other. For example, I can look at one Excel spreadsheet on the laptop and a larger spreadsheet that I'm populating on the desktop.

I thought it would take some adjustment, but it has actually done wonders for my level of focus and attentiveness to a project at hand. When items are on one screen, I have multiple documents, work email (good old Lotus Notes), Gchat, our work instant message program called Sametime) and presentations open - and any message can pop up. With separate screens, I can remain focused on a project on the big screen - and drag over distractions like email, Twitter and instant message to the other and look at them when I choose. It's been great! If you have two screens - I highly recommend you set it up! 

Monopolies of tomorrow

This morning in the news, I read about the finalization of a merger - Men's Wearhouse acquiring Jos. A. Bank. In just the past few months:

• Facebook has purchased WhatsApp
• Omnicom & Publicis Groupe applied to merge 
• Office Max & Office Depot merged 
• American Airlines & US Airways are merging 
• Comcast is attempting to acquire Time Warner 

These mergers and acquisitions are not all focused in one line of business; they are across various industries.

What does this mean for business when today's workforce has seen every big company attempt to become a monopoly? Apple, Google and Facebook already dictate a lot of the Internet and data marketplace. What will happen when companies continue to consolidate into mega-companies?

Sure, mergers are not new. And we know the FTC spends plenty of time investigating regulation and business effects before passing these joint agreements. But today's workplace knows something new and different than the notion that if you are a startup, you are not successful if you're not acquired for billions. While that remains true, it now applies to large companies. If you are an established company and are not investing in smaller businesses, big-scale partnerships or buying companies out, you are also not successful. We'll continue to see how these monopolies affect our future as employees, businesspeople and consumers.

Cultural shift in America

I was at a cross-platform advertising conference through work where a case study was presented for Taco Bell, as the campaign of the year. 

The presenters started by setting the scene and explaining how our generation is part of a cool, cultural shift in entertainment and influence. 

Here was some of the support: 

In the United States these days, guacamole is served at parties and sushi is sold at gas stations, not just ranch dressing with chips.

Hip-hop collaborations are more popular when someone of another culture is included. A Justin Bieber song alone is not popular, but when he partners with Ludacris or Big Sean, the song ratings skyrocket off the charts. Nelly and Florida Georgia Line's "Cruise" was an example from last summer.

Our palettes are moving from American to ethnic. When you go out to dinner, you don't just go to a casual dining restaurant or chain- everyone asks what type of food you're in the mood for and skews toward that (Asian, Mexican, Thai, Lebanese, etc). 

This shift from general market to total market culture is only going to continue through 2014. It's an interesting thing to think about as we grow up! 

The reality of business travel

As a research analyst, I wasn't expecting to travel for work. I'm not a consultant. I quickly learned that between conferences, in-person visits and meetings to clients, campus recruiting and remote employees,  I would travel more than I anticipated. Here are some notes on the reality of business travels - the pros, cons and additional realities.

The pros

• You get to see different cities. Sometimes for long, and others for a very short period of time. 
• Because of corporate deals with hotel parent companies, you're often staying at very nice hotels. My favorite part is checking out the hotel amenities- free omelets for breakfast, pools and hot tubs, etc. 
• Having in-person interaction with the people you are often emailing is always a nice refresher. 
• There is a lot of extra dead time so I get to do a lot of reading - books, audiobooks, magazines, newspapers and more.
• You get to expense your food. I used to feel bad doing this, but a friend recently shed light to the situation by explaining it in these terms. You would not be in that city if it weren't for work. So work will pay for you while you're there. So what beats eating free for a week? 
• Frequent flyer points and hotel rewards are collected and add up quickly, that you can use for personal trips in the future. 
• Taking cabs and car services is fun, so you can relax, catch up on email and not have to navigate where you're going. 

The cons

• Think of all of the work you get done in an eight to nine hour day. Then, think of getting it done, as well as all the emails and requests that come through, during after-hours when meetings or sessions are complete. Business trips require you to squeeze a lot of work in at night, so it's expected that you stay up late and I sometimes feel back on a college schedule with homework. 
• You don't get to exercise. Sometimes hotels have gyms, and sometimes they don't. But I've found myself taking the stairs instead of escalators at the airport just to feel like I'm getting physical activity. 
• Delayed flights kill you, and I often am am enraged on the tarmac when you are back home (or waiting to take off) but can't yet leave. 
• Overall, you're not in control of your own schedule since you're not paying for you to be there. 

The "It is what it is"-isms

• You represent your company, not yourself, when you are traveling on business. So if you roll your eyes at someone, talk on your phone on the plane or do something embarrassing, people won't make fun of you - they'll make fun of you as a member of the company you work for. 
• Sometimes you're working across time zones, so when it comes to co-workers or friends/family, you have to be careful when you contact them. 
• You get your hopes up every time it says "Free wifi" and it doesn't work. 
• You get to know airports and the different gates, as well as the restaurants, restrooms and fast food by them. I was once in the Detroit airport for a quick trip and there was a broken towel dispenser in the bathroom, and when I flew back in the next day, the towel dispenser was still broken. 
• Drivers and other people are listening to your conversations. One time the cab driver heard me on the phone trying to write something down, and turned on the lights. Very observant. 

O'Hare Terminal 3- the American gates. I've gotten to know it here very well.

Hanging out in the hotel hot tub 

Window seat views are great

My car service in Detroit spoiled me!

Conference call woes

Last month, I published this post on tips for surviving mega-conference calls.

This week, my roommate shared a comical YouTube video that brings to life everything I mention - and really paints a picture of a conference call. Since I spend a few hours a week on conference calls for work matters - whether it be developing research plans, listening to webinars or simply receiving a status from my client's media partners, it's affirming to know that the rest of the business world notices the same nuisances.

Enjoy!  

Tips for surviving a mega conference call

In the business world, I quickly learned that large conference calls are often held with many constituents to a business to touch base on various projects.

Funny occurrences include people speaking over each other, forgetting to take your phone off of mute so no one can hear you respond, hearing background noise when people forget to mute themselves (ex: barking dogs, someone's keyboard, someone eating, etc) and having an actual meeting over the conference call by calling in with 3-5 people in a room, muting it and mocking those actually having the meeting.

So what are some tips to get by these crazy experiences as to not make them miserable wastes of your time?

• If you're listening on mute, pay enough attention to respond
• When you do respond, make sure you un-mute your phone so the call can hear you.
• If you're in an area with a lot of background noise (i.e. an airport), warn the call beforehand so they don't judge you. 
• Avoid being in settings like the airport mentioned above (and other public spaces) when possible. 
• When calling in from a large room, don't forget to ask questions and engage the remote audience - there is a reason you're including them. 
• It's sometimes awkward, but reach out by mentioning their names and asking if they have any questions and are following along.
• Pause every ~5-10 minutes and make sure everyone can see the presentation or Webinar. It assures that everyone is still on the call, still attentive and doesn't have a frozen sound or screen. 
• Don't trash talk the call or people on it ever; you'd be surprised at how often this happens and how often they forget to turn on mute. 

Good luck!

Effective planning: a "secret to success?"

Sometimes, I wonder what the world has come to when news and articles online have to write up that a COO's "path to success" is holding effective meetings (see: this OpenForum article). Is this something new? Are that many individuals in the weeds with a lack of effectiveness and efficiency that this even needs to be reported?


Don’t get me wrong, Sheryl Sandberg is one of my corporate role models and I respect her views, work ethic, how she manages her role at Facebook and manages others.

My takeaway of the article is that Sheryl cares about others’ time and is forward-looking by discussing action items and next steps. She moves on and avoids clutter, not needing to save agendas from meetings and touch-bases that will never be brought up again.

I'm upset rather than inspired when seeing articles like this because I'm sure many corporate leaders user these tactics; this isn't a "secret to success." Have so many leaders in corporate America been unproductive that the media needs to highlight when someone is?

While Open Forum and 99U (where this was published) probably have good intent in posting such items, I urge reporters to look into more interesting story angles for America's businessmen and women. Furthermore, I hope business leaders don't drag out their meetings and that reporters' impression of them is productive regardless, so someone's effective meeting strategy doesn't have to be framed as mind-blowing news.

TIPS: Sending emails in corporate America

This semester, I'm the teaching assistant for a course I took in 2011 called Management of Strategic Communication. One of the memorable class periods is a lecture called Writing for Business, where our professor gives us tips on business correspondence and writing points-of-view in a company setting.

The tips include using headlines, subheads and bullet points to break off important information, writing brief emails and using subject lines to your advantage. This LinkedIn article that I found immediately after the lecture actually reflects a lot of the points we learn.

After running a Career Fair last week and reaching out to numerous recruiters at companies across the country, we developed the science of sending email to someone working in corporate America. Here are some of the tips I've learned in my correspondence with working professionals.

1. Be mindful of the time of day you send an email.
With the Career Fair, I informed liaisons that they were only allowed to send correspondence between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, or else the message would get lost in the receiver's inbox. A lot of office people receive daily wrap-up emails, so the message you thought of at midnight might sink to the bottom of the pile because of morning news. We always had luck catching people during business hours, sometimes even receiving a response in minutes as the person cleans out his or her email.

2. Send it at a good time of the week.
No one answers a work phone call or email you send them on a Friday. If you send something on a Monday, it might get answered by the end of the week but gets drowned into a to do list. I try sending all messages on Tuesdays when people are at their desk and on their game.

3. Tell the addressee how you got their email address if they don't know you.
With large companies making everyone's email address their first and last name, it's not difficult to figure out how to get in touch with someone at a company. But if you want to be on their urgent list and receive a response, you have to give them a connection as to why they should respond to you. I've made a point to always include what my relation is to the addressee to guarantee a response and not seem creepy. If you get their name from someone else, say that. If you found them on LinkedIn and have a mutual friend, say that. Establishing the connection is important!