In this Is This Mic On? We tackle the question of, “How do I reinforce culture for my team?” Read on to hear what SNP had to say about values-based actions—defining, acknowleding, and recognizing.

Dear SNP, 

Our team has been navigating a lot lately, from return to work to layoffs and reorgs. We’re just now settling into our “new normal” (which seems to change every three months). Our leaders have refreshed our values to reflect all these changes. I’m inspired by them and now it’s my job as a manager to get the team on board. They say it. They get it. But they’re not exactly living it (and you can feel it in their work…). People aren’t communicating. There’s tension in the work environment. It feels like I’m the only one beating the drum of our company’s mission and values. How do I get them to do the same, to live out our values, and to build a team of culture carriers? 

Best, 

Building culture

Dear Building Culture…

Define. Acknowledge. Recognize. 

Don’t let my succinct first line belie my internal struggle. This is a tough one. The context of your question makes your question that much more challenging. So I’m going to go on a little rant about why leaders might consider before tinkering too much with their values: 

Warning: values are foundational

Changing processes, structure, initiatives is hard. Sure, yes, I don’t mean to mitigate that. Changing values? That is changing the fundamental how-to for your team. The pillars from and off of which they know how to operate. The North Star for decisions and actions. It is the values that can help a team understand why and how organization, policy, and process changes have been made. Values can be the constant in a flurry of change. 

So by changing the values, you have a new challenge. Because now not only has the organization changed, the foundation has shifted. The beliefs have changed. So every leader and manager must invest time here. Which of course, finally brings me to your actual question. 

Demonstrating the values just…is

Demonstrating the values – the new values – is an every week, every day, every moment choice. It’s not words on a page, placard, or pinned post. It’s not a recitation. It’s not a circus proclamation of “and now, esteemed colleagues, you’re about to witness a daring example of living by the core values!” it just…is. 

Helpful, right? I can hear you muttering at your screen right now: “The answer is: It just…is?” 

It’s in the words we choose, the tone we take, the choices we make. It’s in the way we communicate a heavy message, approach a hairy problem, or make hard decisions. Demonstrating the values (or not demonstrating the values) has an almost tangible quality to them. So: Define. Acknowledge. Recognize. 

Define. Acknowledge. Recognize.

Define. What does living our (new) values look like?

What are the actions? Verbs + Nouns. If a value is creativity, define what that looks, feels, smells, tastes (ew, I know, scratch that) like by defining the action. Better yet, ask your team to define the actions. Create a conversation around the values, versus a presentation about the values. So, back to my example, creativity may beget more verbs like explore, introduce, invite. Then the noun may become specific to your functional team. That’s where you make it real. Talent acquisition may refer to candidates. Engineers to code. Marketing to copy. So there is your first to-do: create a space for your team to define the values in terms of actions. 

Acknowledge. Find the examples.

Now that you have the definition, spot them in the wild and include them in your own language. Let’s say a value is determination. Did one of your partner teams launch a complex project? Speak of it in the context of the value. Did your organization just have an all-hands? Ask your team where they saw determination in play. Remember: there are opportunities every week, every day, every moment to take values-led actions. There are just as many opportunities to look out for those actions, acknowledge them, and continue to make them real for your team. 

Recognize. Applaud what good looks like.

A cousin of acknowledge (and in some internet searches that I just did, they are synonyms), recognize is for your team. Recognition is a powerful tool. It’s specific, it’s personalized, and it’s timely. While it is a cousin to acknowledge, it’s a sibling to difficult feedback, sharing the same format: state the action and then give specifics. For example, if a value is humility and a team member recently acknowledged a mistake they had made and quickly amended it…maybe that is an opportunity for recognition. Now, you get to choose public or private. Written and/or verbal. Cookies and/or balloons (kidding, sort of). Based on the person and the situation, ensure you are recognizing examples of values-based actions. Show and tell and applaud what good looks like.

So, if you are a leader reading this, consider before you change your company values. It’s not unheard of and sometimes it’s necessary, just consider first. 

Managers, make it tangible. Define. Acknowledge. Recognize. You’ll inspire new culture carriers, with every week, every day, every moment. 

Struggling with where to start on culture? SNP can help. Check out our culture assessment service to help you find your culture baseline and set direction for your high-performing team.

The post Culture Carriers & How to Make Them | Is This Mic On? appeared first on SNP Communications.

The U.S. Surgeon General released an advisory, “calling attention to the public health crisis of loneliness, isolation, and lack of connection in our country. Even before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately half of U.S. adults reported experiencing measurable levels of loneliness. Disconnection fundamentally affects our mental, physical, and societal health. In fact, loneliness and isolation increase the risk for individuals to develop mental health challenges in their lives, and lacking connection can increase the risk for premature death to levels comparable to smoking daily.”

The average worker spends a good portion of their week at work. The work relationships and culture we engage with are incredibly important to our well-being and sense of connectedness.

So who better to learn from than founders? 

Founders are lonely. It’s the nature of the job. Naturally, when you start something new, on your own, that no one else has done before, it’s hard to find peers you can actually relate to. Founders have to take the extra step to overcome that loneliness. 

We talked to founders—on SNP’s podcast, Think Like A Founder—who gave us three pieces of advice for combating loneliness: 

• Find like-minded people. 
• Rebuild your support network. 
• Remember the vision. 

Read on to learn more…

Find like-minded people

“It’s very lonely being a founder, very lonely being a CEO…who do you talk to? Your friends don’t understand. They’re not founders. You can’t talk to your employees because you literally can’t share things with them. Nobody has the context to be able to understand the challenges and often even the successes. There is nobody to talk to. 

“So personally, I’m part of three societies of entrepreneurs called Founders, ICE, and Snowball. Everybody within those groups goes on retreats a couple of times a year and speaks a lot in between. We are all members of the same tribe of founders, which means that we all understand each other. We all live and share the same values. We can build friendships based on the journey that we are going through.

I cannot imagine going through this journey without the support that I get from my friends in these entrepreneur networks. It would be impossible. I wouldn’t have anybody to learn from because I wouldn’t know anybody who’d walked the path before me.”

— Theo Saville, Co-Founder and CEO of CloudNC. Listen to Theo’s Think Like A Founder episode here.

Lesson from Theo: Find like-minded people—people who understand your challenges and successes.

This can be at any level. From your approach to work to the work itself. People who can understand your challenges as well as your successes can make you feel seen, heard, and most importantly connected. Find people who can understand your unique journey. Lean on your colleagues a bit more when it comes to the ebbs and flows of work, so you can forgo loneliness at work.

Rebuild your support network

“I left my job in finance. And it’s this dynamic where you’re on your own sort of path…you’re putting in a tremendous amount of hours…it’s isolating. You don’t have the time to invest in your friends and family, and your support system can kind of suffer a little bit because you’re not nourishing those relationships in the way that you were prior.

“As I’ve found support systems along the way I’ve been able to balance it more. At the very least,  I’m starting to rebuild my support systems around people who really understand my priorities and why I’m so driven to do what I do and the sacrifices that I make.”

— James Connolly, Founder and CEO of Villa. Listen to Jame’s Think Like A Founder episode here.

Lesson from James: In times of change, sometimes old support systems break down. That’s ok. Build new ones.

Similar to what Theo shared, you should build those support systems around people who are experiencing similar challenges. Learn from them. 

Remember the vision

“I think there’s nothing better than being in control of your own destiny as a founder. That’s the truest form of it. There’s no one else. You don’t have a boss. There’s no one else to fall back on.

“But that’s like the greatest feeling in the world––that it’s just you and your team. We can make this happen. Freedom to be able to do what you’re passionate about is on one side of the balance. The other side is, it is lonely…it’s an enormous amount of responsibility. But that’s okay. That’s what you signed up for. That’s also what’s driving you to build the great thing that nobody else saw before you.”

— Alicia Jackson, Founder and CEO of Evernow. Listen to Alicia’s Think Like A Founder episode here.

Lesson from Alicia: Remember the vision. Connect to your why. Let that inspire you in your times of loneliness.

Because sometimes the changes that we make are an important stage in getting us to the next place we want to be. Whether it’s starting at a new company, a reorg, or a beloved coworker leaving. Embrace it. Know that it’s temporary. And find like-minded people and new support networks to help you along the way. 

Experiencing loneliness at work? That’s ok.

“People have to realize that loneliness is a part of it, and that’s ok.” — Maureen Taylor. 

SNP’s own Co-Founder and CEO knows best. Loneliness is part of the journey. You can’t avoid it. But you can act. What you do matters. 

Find like-minded people. Rebuild your support network. Remember the vision. 

We’re all just humans looking to build connection—at home, at work, in the world. Reach out. 

The post A Founder’s Guide to Loneliness at Work appeared first on SNP Communications.

Die Hard is not just an action-packed thriller; it’s also, at least in our opinion, a quintessential Christmas movie. Beyond the gripping storyline, explosions, and a shoeless Bruce Willis, this holiday classic imparts some pretty valuable leadership lessons that resonate in the corporate world. Read on for five leadership lessons from Die Hard and a strong case for why Die Hard has earned its rightful place on the list of unconventional Christmas classics.

Lesson 1: Adaptability in the Face of Adversity

Twinkle lights and Christmas trees aren’t exactly the backdrop you’d expect for flexing your counter-terrorism chops. But, John McClane took on the challenge anyway with very few details (and resources). And that’s what leadership is about, stepping up even in the face of unforeseen challenges and having the grit and adaptability to roll with the punches.

Lesson 2: Effective Communication is Key

If you want to survive unexpected implosions, take a page from McClane’s book––communicate early and often. Right at the start of the movie, he dialed 911, getting reinforcements on the scenes as soon as possible. Then, throughout the movie, he stays in touch with Officer Alan Powell, winning him over as an ally while giving him key information on the hostages and the severity of the situation. While McClane no doubt makes the herculean lift throughout, he still has people he can lean on for help. When everyone’s on the same page, that’s when you weather the storm safely (and keep Nakatomi Plaza from blowing up).

Lesson 3: Lead by Example

Ok, so maybe McClane was a “one-man army” most of the time. Yes, get everyone on the same page, but when you’re working at a break neck pace sometimes you have to charge ahead. Lead by example. To be an effective leader, you have to show your team what matters by doing it yourself. That’s where the inspiration starts.

Lesson 4: Stay Calm Under Pressure

Christmas carols and other holiday music might be the backdrop of many of your most stressful moments (hello holidays with loved ones), and it sure was for John McClane. Despite increasing stakes and bodily injuries, McClane manages to keep his head on straight. He does that by focusing on the task at hand, knowing the why, relying on his training, and keeping his sense of humor.

Similarly, when times get tough, leaders need to take it day-by-day, focus their team on the mission or purpose, be confident in their knowledge, and of course, create moments of connection and positivity for their team.

Lesson 5: Embrace Innovation and Resourcefulness

Whether it’s using a fire hose as a makeshift rappelling device or fashioning explosives from stolen goods and Christmas wrapping paper, McClane relies on his wit and resourcefulness to overcome challenges. Leaders need to embrace this same kind of resourceful, innovative attitude to guide their team through challenging situations. Focus on what you can do with the resources at hand.

Do McClane one better––get your team involved in figuring out the solution. When one door closes, don’t get stuck in the room…find the ventilation shaft.

Beyond Leadership Lessons from Die Hard: The Christmas Movie

Ok, SNP! Enough about leadership. Is Die Hard a Christmas movie? 

…Uh duh…

Not only are there Christmas festivities and decorations but there are consistent themes of redemption and togetherness. Plus if Harry Potter can be even tangentially Christmas related so can Die Hard. No further comments.

P.S. Please use this blog post as your official permission to re-watch Die Hard as a leadership learning and development exercise.

The post Leadership Lessons from Die Hard appeared first on SNP Communications.

How do you orient yourself at work?

Coming into a new company can feel like landing on the moon (you heard us right). The journey has gotten you pumped up, but when you take your first step on the moon’s surface, you feel, well, extra-terrestrial. 

Now, if you’re still at the same company but joining a new team, dealing with a lot of changes, or even coming back from an extended leave, you might not be feeling quite like Neil Armstrong but the sense of being out of place may still be there. (Like getting dropped off in a foreign country where you don’t speak the language. See? We’ve got analogies for everything). 

Whether you’re coming into a new workplace or just need a fresh start in your work, follow these five steps to get oriented. 

Step 1: Get acquainted with the culture 

Familiarize yourself with the company’s culture, starting with the core values, mission, and overall work philosophy. Figure out who your company serves and how…who are the customers? What do they really care about? Then, understand what the organization stands for, its long-term goals, and how your role fits into the bigger picture. Write all of this down so you can reference it. Use this information to guide your actions and decisions while also using it as a blueprint for understanding those around you.

Step 2: Understand your role and responsibilities

Gain a clear understanding of your role and responsibilities within the organization. Be able to answer these three questions: 

1. What do I do? 
2. What is expected of me? 
3. How does my work contribute to the company’s goals? 

And then make sure to familiarize yourself with processes, tools, and workflows that are essential to your role. When you know what you’re doing and can communicate it, you’ll work more efficiently and enhance your impact.

Step 3: Know your team and build relationships

Success in any workplace is built upon solid relationships. Take the time to get to know your colleagues – not only structurally (who reports to whom and who specializes in what) but also philosophically. Learn about their preferred communication styles, work habits, and collaboration preferences. This understanding will facilitate seamless teamwork and foster a positive work environment. Strong networks are great and important in getting the work done, and having fulfilling work relationships are also important in feeling settled and satisfied at work.

Step 4: Clarify the Vision

You likely already have a great grasp of the company’s vision after diving into its culture, now establish your own vision. What are your personal goals? What do you want to get out of this work? How do you want to show up for your colleagues? (More on goals in our article – 3 ways to achieve your professional goals this year)

Write that down in one or two sentences and be sure to connect it to the company vision. Understand how your daily tasks align with the company’s mission and values. This alignment not only provides a sense of purpose but also enhances your motivation and dedication to your work.

Step 5: Embrace Curiosity and Seek Help

No one expects you to have all the answers from day one. And at day 1,000, you’re still going to have questions. So ask them. Be open. Seek guidance when you encounter challenges. Embrace a curious mindset that drives you to understand processes, tools, and best practices. Remember that your colleagues are likely more than willing to share their expertise and help you overcome obstacles. Asking questions not only accelerates your learning but also showcases a proactive approach to problem-solving.

Orienting yourself at work is a continual process

One-moon landing does not make an astronaut. Ok, well, yes it does, BUT most astronauts go on multiple space expeditions in their lifetime. You will find new careers and search for new ways to love your current role many times over and as such, your journey of orientation and integration is a continuous process. Following these five steps can help you navigate your way through a new workplace or embark on a fresh chapter in your career.

The post 5 steps to orient yourself at work appeared first on SNP Communications.

Dear Smart Nice Pups (or People),

Things are ruff right now. Our pack has been put on a doggy diet. The treats were gone a while ago (bonuses) and now we’re on half a scoop of kibble instead of the full scoop (budget cuts). We have to, do more with less. But, our plans haven’t changed. We still have the neighborhood cats to scare away (KPIs to hit), sticks to gather in the front yard (revenue to make), and holes to dig (challenges to solve). 

As the leader of the pack, how do I break the news to them? And more importantly, how do we make do with what we’ve got? 

Best, 

Playing Ball on a Budget

Dear Playing Ball…

We’re going to put the pet puns aside for a minute, as this is a situation that can be terrier-fying. Ok, now, seriously, we’re putting them aside…

First: communicate everything, before, after and during.

Ideally, your team has been privy to what’s been going on in the company, with your customers, and in the macroeconomic climate. And how all of those levers affect one another. Health is not a secret. Your team – the company – needs to be trusted with the right information about the business. Now, of course, common sense prevails. Some of the most successful, innovative companies in the world are famous for their enigmatic approach to product development. This is not that. Share with your company what you can. For example, revenue against goal. And be honest. Your team can sniff out (it’s hard to shake the puns) nonsense. 

If there has been transparency, honesty, there is not the same level of news to break. It’s not happy information, don’t get us wrong. Bonuses are more fun to communicate than budget cuts. But it is not so much a surprise. Your team has been a part of the context. And perhaps are even at a point where they seek leadership to make a decision that changes the course of the numbers that they do see. After all, most people understand that you have to make more money than you spend. 

Now, include them in the solution.

We’ve talked about this before. The idea that managers often feel/think that they need to have all of the answers. They need to present the problem AND present the exactly-perfect solution. That’s nuts. And quite honestly, it doesn’t honor the creativity, smarts, and innovation that lives within your team. Ask them. Encourage them to be part of the solution. In your case, some of the decision has already been made – budget cuts. How to operate within this new environment – that can be for collective intelligence. So I say again: ask them.

With change and challenge comes opportunity. A time to re-prioritize or re-think. Get everything organized onto a dashboard––what is critical, what is necessary, and what is a nice-to-have. Maybe there are nice-to-have projects that can be officially put on paws (sorry) for the time being, creating a bit more room for some of the critical and the necessary. Focus on focus. And then ask your team what they don’t want to lose. What they want to work on. Maybe some of those nice-to-have projects – new products, new processes, new content – are actually passion projects that create energy. Let your team decide to put them back on the docket, and decide how to get them done. 

Finally, mindset.

Attitude, behavior, mindset. Get yours right. If you go into every conversation with your team apologetically, with a sense of burden and weight…that creates the culture. Approach conversations with empathy. Be ready to listen. And approach this next period of time with a sense of heliotropic optimism. Not delusion, optimism. Your team wants to see that you understand the challenge presented, and will model how you choose to operate within it. 

Handle budget cuts right to stay high-performing

You’re part of a high-performing pack (the puns are clawing their way back). This is a point in time, and you’re doing more than simply making do. Trust your team and communicate, clearly lay out the decisions, listen, and then invite them to be a part of the solution. Keep your focus pawsitive and don’t go to the bark side (oh no). Success is not far-fetched here. 

We gotta go, this is getting paw-ful..

Want to dive deeper into how to approach budget cuts for your specific situation? Read more about the benefits of 1:1 coaching and reach out to us.

The post Budget Cuts & How to Handle Them | Is This Mic On? appeared first on SNP Communications.

Gen Z doesn’t remember fun happy hours, long evenings in the office with coworkers to hit a deadline, and important presentations that either went great or poorly and what their colleague said to them afterward in the hallway. And while those who did work in offices hold those memories, they’ve forgotten what the actual day-to-day feels like. 

Sure, it’s great having more control over when you start and stop your day. And, if you need to make a last-minute doctor’s appointment you can push some meetings or even take them from the car. Most importantly, you have the space to work when you’re most productive and with fewer office distractions. 

But that doesn’t make missing being in person any less real.

In fact, Indeed surveyed people who started working from home during the pandemic and found that “50% of respondents still miss their commute), 45% miss in-person meetings and 73% miss socializing with their colleagues in person.” 

There are tangible benefits that we all miss out on working remotely, but especially for Gen Z folks who are just starting their careers, like…

• Getting to see more seasoned colleagues in action and getting support in building skills
• Creating relationships and a network through authentic, spontaneous interactions
• Finding a personal balance between work and life that enables all-around success

There will always be tradeoffs between Option A and Option B––whatever they are. But, when it comes down to where and how your team or direct reports work, it’s important to mitigate the obstacles. 

So take these three actions to help your team and Gen Z colleagues overcome the downsides of remote work.

1. Support Skill Development

For folks learning a new role, new company culture, and sometimes even a new skill set, it’s easy to overlook the nuance that gets lost in the virtual space. Getting advice or an extra pair of eyes when walking to your next meeting or by the water cooler doesn’t happen authentically anymore. Now imagine you’re a new hire, new to the workforce, new to your role…that’s A LOT to learn. A 2021 study from EY, for example, revealed that “while members of Gen Z are generally confident about their technology skills and their ability to land a job, many say their education didn’t prepare them to advance in their careers.”

As a leader or manager, you have to be intentional about creating learning opportunities for your team and organization. Learning needs to be prioritized, whether that’s offering a professional development fund, bringing in skill-focused trainings, encouraging mentorship, or sharing stories about the work being done. And it’s what people want, specifically, Gen Z. Lever found that 1 in 5 Gen Zers said they would stay at an employer that offers upskilling/reskilling.

But of course, all of that starts with understanding how your team likes to learn and what they want to work on. Be sure to start the conversation and then structure accordingly.

2. Encourage Building a Network  

Similar to the struggle of impromptu skill building, it’s also difficult to have moments of spontaneity that build lasting relationships and networks. Happy hours, working lunches, even work trips are fewer and far between. Not to mention the push to get in and out of virtual meetings often leaves the conversation surface-level, transactional, and all about work. 

You have to plan social interactions. We know that sounds weird, but it’s easy to let being behind a screen keep our relationships 2D. In fact, one study by JobSage reported that fully remote workers report 33% fewer friends at work.

So, create spaces for people to connect by setting up a regular virtual coffee chat or happy hour and then putting them into small breakouts for some quality time. 

Ask questions that go deeper than “How are you?” like: “What was your favorite part of this past weekend?” “What are you reading, watching, or listening to right now?” “What are you looking forward to most this week?” 

Finally, encourage 1:1s. The benefit of this remote, virtual world is that scheduling a 30 minute meeting or walking lunch is right at our fingertips. 

3. Establish a separation between work and life 

It’s no surprise that when you can work from anywhere, the boundaries between work and life become fuzzy. Now factor in that many of us work where we live and that boundary starts to look, well, invisible. Zippia found that 86% of employees who work from home full-time experience burnout and 45% of employees working remotely due to the pandemic reported working more hours than before. That lack of separation can lead to longer working hours, increasing stress and pushing folks to burnout. 

For your new coworkers, whether Gen Z or otherwise, who are eager to add value to the team, it’s increasingly important to help them develop boundaries and routines that allow them to unplug from work.

To do so, set rules of the road that outline how your team works. For example, “If we send emails after hours we make sure to clarify that we’re emailing when it’s convenient for us and that the recipient should respond when it’s convenient for them.” 

Keep open lines of communication, especially in 1:1s. Make sure you’re checking in with them on what’s on their plate, how they feel they are managing their workload, and most importantly whether they’re making time for activities outside of work.  

And above all, know the warning signs of burnout:

• Curveballs being treated as major crises
• Chronic low energy and exhaustion
• Getting sick more frequently
• Not recharging or relaxing
• Having a sense of inefficacy
• Feeling disengaged and being consistently checked out
• Cynicism is the norm
• Perfectionist tendencies
• Imbalance between work to-dos and work motivators

This isn’t just for them, but for you as well. You lead by example and if you’re burning out or blowing past boundaries, so will the whole team.

It’s all about intentionality

The name of the game here is being intentional:

• Offering skill-building opportunities tailored to your team 
• Creating space for your team to connect more deeply in a  virtual environment
• Maintaining healthy working habits and creating open lines of communication

By doing so you’ll be better prepared to navigate supporting the new workforce as well as new colleagues in the face of the obstacles remote and hybrid work present.

Being a senior team member takes responsibility. Read this blog for how senior team members can better serve their colleagues and live up to the title.

The post The Downsides of Remote Work: A Gen Z Perspective appeared first on SNP Communications.

Still not following? OK, so you like pie, right? We all (mostly) like pie. A good pie is a good pie, but it’s a good pie because of the quality of the ingredients and the skill of the baker, not solely because of its taste. 

The sum is pretty great but the parts have to be great too. 

So how do you make all those parts work together? 

What is a high-performing team? 

There are five key characteristics that define a high-performing team: 

• Psychological safety: Everyone feels safe in taking risks around their team members, and that they won’t be embarrassed or punished for doing so.
• Dependability: Everyone completes quality work on time.
• Structure and clarity: Everyone knows what their specific expectations are. These expectations must be challenging yet attainable.
• Meaning: Everyone has a sense of purpose in their work (i.e., financial security, supporting family, helping the team succeed, etc.).
• Impact: Everyone sees that the result of their work actually contributes to the organization’s overall goals

Helping your team cultivate these qualities is important, and clear communication is at the core of it all. Without communication, all of these pieces fall apart, down to the last email typo. 

The core of team communication in this hybrid world comes down to our conversations, emails, slacks, presentations, voice memos, you name it. And we’re getting them constantly. 

A high-performing team knows how to make its messages clear, actionable, and memorable for its audience to help everyone drive toward succes. To put it simply, they’re good at business writing.

But first, a high-performing team needs to know its audience. 

1. Know your audience.

A message means nothing if it’s not tailored to the person reading it. We often focus on our need to tell versus someone else’s need to know. 

There are 5 key questions to ask yourself: 

• Who is your audience/recipient? 
• What do they care about in their role (function, responsibilities, stakeholders they answer to, etc.)?
• What is the objective? 
• What do you want them to go do after hearing your message? (call-to-action)
• What are the key points to support your objective and call-to-action?

The prep might look like this. 

A lead engineer needs to give a Q1 update to her team and the Finance team. She might answer the questions as follows: 

Who is your audience/recipient? 

• Engineering team: VP of engineering, Directors, Fellow Senior Engineers, and a few entry-level folks
• Finance team: VP of finance, Directors, accounts payable teams

What do they care about in their role? (Pro tip – you’ll want to focus on the highest level in the room)

• VP of Engineering: Cares about innovative products that make the company competitive, Striking the balance between quality and cost efficiency, and ultimately, revenue. 
• VP of Finance: Cares about the ROI of projects and expenses, saving money, and generating revenue. 

What’s your objective? What do you want them to go do? 

• Increase available headcount either by reallocating existing team members or hiring new ones. (This could also be an ask for more financial support, for help aligning to a key message, even for help brainstorming key roadblocks).

What are your three key takeaways?

• Behind timeline
• Plan to get ahead
• Critical to competitive edge

Once you’ve thought about your audience, use what they care about to guide your main points.

2. Create an executive summary outline.

After you’ve clarified your objective and what your audience cares about. You can then dive into the content, starting with an outline. 

Here at SNP, we love threes. Studies have shown that people generally won’t remember more than 3 things (Forbes). But, we tend to share too much information when communicating and do it in a roundabout, non-linear way, making it hard to follow. 

So, the outline we like to use for presentations, emails, even wedding speeches is called the triangle. It keeps you anchored to three main points. 

The middle holds all of your audience information which guides your content. The outside is where you fill in all your content. A key takeaway is 2-3 words. It’s short, pithy, and what you hope your audience walks away with. The supporting points can be as long or as short as you need, the purpose is to put the details in the middle. 

After compiling your content, you can then tailor it to the format you’re sharing it in. 

3. Edit your content to your medium.

If you were presenting an executive summary you might take your key takeaways, turn them into a paragraph like this…

In Q1, XYZ Project is behind timeline. We have a plan to get ahead. It’s important to invest in this project because it’ll provide a critical competitive edge. 

We need your support in increasing the available headcount either by reallocating existing team members or hiring new ones. A number of roadblocks have put us behind timeline and a lack of team availability prevents us from testing the solutions to these problems. Our plan to get ahead depends on freeing up current team members, Peter and Jen, or bringing on two new contractors which would allow us to resolve these roadblocks in three weeks’ time. This would be a valuable investment because XYZ project provides a critical competitive edge to the company by enhancing our existing product, resolving current customer issues, and bringing in $500,000 quarterly in year one once launched. 

Again, XYZ Project is behind timeline but we have a plan to get ahead. To move forward and gain a critical competitive edge, we’d like your buy-in on reallocating team members’ time to focus on this project or providing financial support in expanding the team.

If you were turning it into a presentation you might add more to your supporting points and break each point into a slide with the necessary evidence. 

But most of us, we’re communicating important messages in email. 

Here are ten things to keep in mind when writing an email: 

11 email best practices for business writing

1. Put the most important information first
2. Use short sentences. Can it be <7 words?
3. Use short paragraphs (1 idea per paragraph)
4. Use the active voice (“We reached the goal” instead of “the goal was reached”)
5. Use action verbs and concrete nouns
6. Avoid jargon and clichés
7. Keep the tense consistent – have a reason for changing tenses
8. Show, don’t tell (follow a generalization with an example)
9. Use good grammar and proper punctuation
10. To check tone and a conversational style, say it out loud
11. Make sure you have an actionable and detailed subject line

Here’s what this looks like in practice…

Subject Line: APPROVAL NEEDED THUR, MAY 4th – Headcount Increase for XYZ Project

Hi all, 

For XYZ Project, we need your support in increasing the available headcount to solve current roadblocks and get ahead of timeline. 

• Roadblocks have put us behind timeline. 
• More headcount would resolve this in three weeks.
• This project provides us with a critical competitive advantage.

A number of roadblocks have put us behind timeline. A lack of team availability prevents us from resolving the roadblocks. 

By freeing up current team members, Peter and Jen, we can get ahead of timeline. We could also hire two new contractors for the duration of the project. With these added team members, we’ll resolve the roadblocks in 3 weeks.

XYZ project provides a critical competitive edge to the company. It enhances our existing product. It resolves current customer issues. It’s projected to bring in $500,000 quarterly in just year one once launched. 

Again, we need your support in increasing the available headcount to solve current roadblocks and get ahead of timeline as this project is critical for a competitive edge. 

Best,
Engineer

These skills seem basic, but when we encounter high-stress situations or quick turnaround times it’s easy to go with what’s simplest rather than what’s most effective. 

High-Performing Teams Put in the Effort 

High-Performing teams do the work. Period. Yes, they achieve great results, but it’s the effort they expend in between the start and achieving success to create psychological safety, to provide structure and clarity, to be dependable, and to illuminate meaning and impact that makes them high performing. 

Communication is the crux of achieving all of these qualities as well as success. 

Go back to basics. Understand your audience. Make your content clear with an executive summary outline. And then tailor it to your medium. 

Want to bring a Business Writing training to your team? Reach out to us at [email protected]

The post Business Writing For High-Performing Teams (Or Dummies) appeared first on SNP Communications.

Dear SNP, 

To be quite honest, I don’t know what’s happening. It feels like just yesterday I started my onboarding with my company. Shiny new email, complimentary company swag (I <3 my Yeti coffee mug), ready to grow my career, and then WHAM, I’m no longer the new kid and am now a senior team member? The people who showed me the ropes, who I look up to either moved on or are treating me like a peer. Sure, I’ve picked up a few things and I help out where I can, but I just don’t see myself as “senior”. What does it mean to be a senior member of my team and how do I step up? (Preferably without any dance battling) 

Best, 

Student to Senior 

Congratulations! You’re…senior! 

So after you politely say thank you, accept the applause, and take your proverbial seat at this imaginary convocation, you’re left thinking: what in the world does senior mean? 

Let’s first define it, as it’s directly related to a high-performing team. This means we’re off titles here. That’s a separate thing. Related, but separate. So the following missive is not about going from Director to Senior Director on your LinkedIn. That’s often to do with salary bands and levels and performance reviews and tenure.

Here, we’re talking about senior as a mix of opportunity, expectation, and mindset. And yep, on a high-performing, rapidly evolving team, senior may very well be implied after your first month.

You’ve spent 30 days listening, noting, and reflecting. You’ve found where the bathroom is (if you’re working from home and you just found it, well, there’s that). You’ve formatted your email signature. You’ve maybe even connected your email to your CRM account (you can show us how to do that later, we’re still figuring that one out).

Perhaps most importantly, you’ve got an understanding of your functional expectations. So now we can layer on the “other responsibilities” section of that job description all of which means: leader. 

Here are the three roles of that senior mindset and expectation that you can incorporate, adopt, and flex today…

3 Responsibilities of a Senior Team Member

1. Connect, and Create Connections.

If relatedness is a core trait of a high-performing team, the ability to foster relatedness is a trait that those team members must have. But “foster relatedness”? Who talks like that? Smartening that up to something we can take action on…it means connect and create connections.

Invest the time to get to know your colleagues. Participate. Join community events, initiatives, and conversations. Be interested in others. That Slack channel devoted to dogs? Share a picture of your dog. Be available, present, and accessible. Allow people to know you a bit more, creating a space for them to share more of themselves. 

At the same time, take the initiative to create connections. Introduce new team members to someone from another department – maybe because they live in the same region, share an alma mater, or maybe they both brew their own kombucha. Heard one thing in this afternoon’s meeting that may relate to another thing from that meeting you were in just this morning? Connect the dots and connect the people.

“Norman*, I heard your update this morning about the new e-commerce site design for the core software – connecting you to Bubba* who was just talking this morning about launching a similar site for our consulting services…thought there may be some interesting conversations/connections there.”

If it’s already known: great. If it’s a new place to uncover similarities and efficiencies that make the organization run better…well, that’s very high-performing, seniorly of you. 

*Note: Norman and Bubba are names of SNP dogs, and yes, they have been posted on the Slack channel. Because: Relatedness. 

2. Communicate.

“Internal communications” is part of all of our jobs, and a high-performing team member is also an expert communicator. Every one of us is communicating up, across, down, and around. While there are plenty of functions that can be outsourced or delegated, your voice is not one of them. So learn, practice, and become a student of communication.

Put time into clarifying and articulating your point of view. That means identifying your own blind spots or biases, and where you might need to search for more information. It very often means getting up and out of your day-to-day and considering the impact to teammates, cross-functional teams, and customers.

All of this senior-level thinking is the model you are expected to be for your newer team members, and you demonstrate that thinking by being able to communicate it clearly.

3. Clarify.

You’re now senior. We say again: congratulations! Now: ask the stupid (your words, not ours) questions. Have you heard people preface a question with “sorry for the stupid question…” or “maybe this is a stupid question…”? Yes, probably. You’ve maybe even led into a question with some semblance of that phrase. First, cut that out.

What a way to minimize your own leadership and communication even before you add content to the conversation. Second, absolutely, 100%, we-beg-of-you please ask whatever is coming after that statement. Ask the question. On behalf of yourself, your colleagues, and your team. Here are some situations where your new senior status has a no-restrictions license to drive for clarity. 

• Wrapping up a great meeting. Brainstorms! Ideas! Actions! Before everyone logs off and goes on to the next thing, ask: “Who is doing what?” (or – CAP, as we say at SNP: what is the Calendar, Action, Publish plan?)
• In a team discussion, digesting the all-hands content from last week, including EBITDA**, AOV**, and the CRM**? Maybe you know what that all means – if there are acronyms flying about, pause and clarify. For the newer team members (and maybe for some veteran team members/yourself, but we won’t tell anyone). 
• Preparing for a customer call with multiple colleagues (let’s say: an account executive, account coordinator, customer success manager, solution consultant, solution engineer, and product specialist). Clarify who-is-doing-what. Who is the OneVoice, the central lead of the conversation, opening, closing, transitioning, and facilitating questions? Who is running the slides? Who is pulling up the demo? Who is taking the notes? Who is sending out the CAP email? Winging it is not a strategy. And a senior team member will ensure that preparation and clarity happen. 

Being a senior team member is an implicit expectation, an incredible opportunity, and a leadership mindset.

So, there you have it. Seniority is an implicit expectation, an incredible opportunity, and a leadership mindset. You are a high-performing team member, now welcoming new colleagues onto your team. Now, go connect, communicate, and clarify. 

**And while we still have you: it’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA); average opportunity value (AOV), and customer relationship management (CRM…that we’re going to go connect to our email).  

The post Senior Team Member & What That Means | Is This Mic On? appeared first on SNP Communications.

DISCLAIMER: This book was read and reviewed from the perspective of Jaselin Drown – Strategic Account Manager and Content Marketing Manager at SNP.

Highlights: Book review for Set Boundaries Find Peace

4.5/5 Stars 

• Pros: Practical, Gets to the point, Matter-of-fact presentation
• Cons: Can be pretty personal at times
• Would I recommend this? Yes, it may get personal, but this will help you be a better person in and outside of work.

Key Takeaways 

1. “If you don’t like something, do something about it.”
2. Setting boundaries is a skill
3. There are three types of boundaries: porous, rigid, and flexible. 

“If you don’t like something, do something about it.”

The word “boundaries” gets people buzzing––people love it or hate it. At work, setting boundaries tends to get the misconception that it’s about saying no and that those who set boundaries don’t care about the work or their team. But, setting boundaries is more about managing your mindset than the people around you. 

Tawwab says in her introduction, “If you don’t like something, do something about it.” Boundaries are about taking responsibility. You have to be the one to own them and enforce them.

So when might you need boundaries? Tawwab lists out a few signs: 

• You feel overwhelmed 
• You feel resentful toward people for asking for you help. 
• You avoid phone calls and interactions with people who might ask for something
• You make commments about helping people and getting nothing in return. 
• You feel burned out. 
• You frequently daydream about dropping everything and disappearing. 
• You have no time for yourself. 

If one of those bullets applies to you, you may be thinking about changing jobs. Tawwab calls out that, that might not be enough to change the situation. You might get to your next job and repeat the same patterns.

Tawwab implores us to ask ourselves three questions before pulling the escape hatch:

• Have I tried setting any boundaries?
• In what ways do I contribute to this situation
• What can I do to make this situation healthier? 

Setting boundaries is a skill 

Ok so we haven’t quite answered the question, what does a boundary look like yet? 

Tawwab defines boundaries as “expectations and needs that help you feel safe and comfortable in your relationships.” (Page 5) 

Tawwab also lists out a few signs that indicate poor boundaries at work. 

I don’t agree with all of these. Sharing personal stories or issues in appropriate situations can help build relationships with colleagues. And, sometimes, as a high-performing team member, you might accidentally bite off more than you can chew or work during downtime. What is important is finding the balance so that you don’t end up emotionally dumping on your colleagues or getting to the point of burnout. Boundary setting is a tool to establish that balance.

To do that you need communication and action (page 13): 

• Communication: No one is a mind reader, people don’t know your boundaries unless you communicate them. And to communicate them you have to know what your boundaries are.
• Action: Uphold what you communicate through your behavior when your boundary is crossed, otherwise, that boundary will continue to be crossed.

Communicating a boundary

For example, if you’re at capacity with your workload and you get asked to take on a new project you might say…

“I won’t be able to take on more work right now. Happy to chat again once this project is complete later this month.”

Taking action

Now comes the hard part––action. Say the person who made that original ask tries to get you on the project anyway by inviting you to a sync after you’ve said you didn’t have the bandwidth. If you don’t enfore your boundary, then that person will know they can keep asking you for things when you say you’re at capacity. If you enfore it too strictly, you might ruin the relationship or discourage them from coming to you with future opportunities. SNP would say be curious and solution-oriented when setting a boundary.

RSVP no, then email the organizer/person who invited you and check-in…”Hey, I see I’m on this meeting. What were you hoping I could add to the discussion?” 

Figure out where there coming from first and assume positive intent. Say they then respond with, “Oh, wanted to keep you in the loop. Was hoping you could take on xyz responsibilities with the project.” This is where you reinforce your boundary.

“Thank you for keeping me in the loop. As previously discussed, I cannot take on more work right now. Happy to chat again when these projects that I’m working on are complete. If you see a solution that would work for both of us in the meantime, let’s talk it through.”

You recognize their good intent. You restate your boundary and offer your solution of a later time frame. And you close by keeping the conversation open to what other solutions they have in mind.

If that example felt lengthy, it’s because it is. Setting boundaries is a skill that requires consistent effort, practice, and perseverance. 

There are three types of boundaries: porous, rigid, and healthy

Now when you’re setting up your boundaries, there are three types to know about (page 10 – 12):

1. Porous boundaries are weak or poorly expressed and are unintentionally harmful. They lead to feeling depleted, overextending yourself, depression, anxiety, and unhealthy relationship dynamics. Think: oversharing, codependency, inability to say no, people-pleasing, dependency on feedback from others, paralyzing fear of being rejected, accepting mistreatment. 
2. Rigid boundaries involve building walls to keep others out as a way to keep yourself safe. But staying safe by locking yourself in is unhealthy and a self-protective mechanism meant to build distance. Think: never sharing, building walls, avoiding vulnerability, cutting people out, having high expectations of others, enforcing strict rules 
3. Healthy boundaries are possible when your past doesn’t show up in your present interactions. They require a clear awareness of your emotional, mental, and physical capacities, combined with clear communication. Think: being clear about your values, listening to your own opinion, sharing with others appropriately, having a healthy vulnerability with people who’d earned your trust, being comfortable saying no, being comfortable hearing “no” without taking it personally.

Be Solution Oriented

Again, SNP would add to all of this boundary setting: be solution-oriented. If someone is coming to you at work with an ask, assume positive intent and help where you can. For example, if someone is asking you for something after hours you could say something like: 

• I’m not online for the rest of the evening, but I can get it to you first thing in the morning.
• I’m doing XYZ right now, but I can be back at my desk at xyz time to send it to you.
• I can’t get this to you, but I talked to John, and he has some time to help you.

Of course, this involves a little extra work like checking your calendar, asking around to tap in colleagues, and also just being comfortable with saying no in order to show up at work better the next day, but that extra mile is what differentiates a high-performing team that supports one another. 

We may not all agree 

We may not all agree on what boundaries are or how they should be expressed. But, I think we can all agree that it’s our responsibility to do what we can, communicate with each other, and improve our situations while helping others.

As we said in our previous blog (a book review for How to Do the Work by Dr. Nicole LePera), there’s no quick fix. Practice, practice, persist. 

The post Book Review for Set Boundaries Find Peace by Nedra Glover Tawwab appeared first on SNP Communications.

In this Is This Mic On? We tackle the question of, “How do I create a culture of recognition?” Read on to hear what SNP had to say about getting into the details, knowing your team, and sharing at any level.

Dear SNP, 

We ended 2022 strong despite all odds. We had our offsites and planning meetings and committed to new actions. But it’s January now and the party’s over. It feels like there’s a lot of work ahead. I want to keep the celebration going and recognition leaves everyone feeling good, but what if there aren’t enough things to recognize? The big projects are kicking off and we’re getting into the thick of it. How do I keep a culture of recognition going all year round to help make our lofty goals stick and keep my team motivated? Also, what can I do to recognize folks without just using my words? 

Best, 

Recognition is rad 

How do you create a culture of recognition? Dear Rad…

Yes, the start of a new year means the party is over. But this is when the follow through on those commitments, both to the work and each other, matters the most. This is the time when you set the tone for the year ahead and cement the foundation for a culture of recognition. And it all begins on an individual level. As these projects lift off the ground, and successes big and small are realized, it’s easy to reflect upon them as a group or a delivery team. But go deeper. Dig into the details. What exactly did someone or some people do to reach the achievement? Citing specific examples makes the recognition more tangible to the person receiving it while showcasing their work can inspire and motivate a broader organization.

Keep It Personal

A culture of recognition is rooted in everyone’s desire to be seen (and heard). But! Not everyone wants to be recognized the same way. Know your audience. Some people want to see their name in glittering lights like on Broadway. A public shoutout, either written or in video format, in a communication channel or staff meeting is excellent. Meanwhile, there are others who would be positively mortified if the spotlight spun toward them. Sure, it feels great to be seen as the benevolent leader casting accolades upon someone for all to hear, but the person on the receiving end might much rather get a more private form of recognition. A handwritten letter, for example, could be a great way to communicate to that person that they did a job well. Don’t pass up or overthink moments to provide in-the-moment feedback as well. If there is an opportunity to shoot a quick email, take the time. Even a short, “great work!” with brief context explaining why can go a long way in boosting the mood of the person clicking through their inbox.

Know your power

As a leader, be cognizant of the power of your voice. This requires you to understand when it is needed, and when it is not. Recognition of good work should absolutely be acknowledged by those in leadership, but it can be expressed by others. In some cases, the words of affirmation may carry even more weight if you have another team member vocalize them. This inspires more peer-to-peer recognition, strengthening the culture you are responsible for leading.

Creating a culture of recognition comes from incremental but consistent changes. Click here for suggestions on how to do the work, from the book How to Do the Work by Dr. Nicole LePera

The post Celebration & How to Create a Culture of Recognition | Is This Mic On? appeared first on SNP Communications.