by AMA Knoxville | Mar 4, 2022 | Luncheons | Programs
Holly Yalove, president of AMA Knoxville, welcomed participants to our first in-person event of the new year, hosted by Axle Logistics. AMA Knoxville brings together marketing minds from Knoxville and surrounding counties for professional development, networking, and educational opportunities. The chapter also invests in future marketers by awarding scholarships to marketing students at the University of Tennessee with our Eagle Endowment. Holly recognized the AMA board of directors, volunteers, and annual sponsors (Slamdot, Colby’s Photography, Larson SMB Consulting, and HumblePod) who make these events possible.
In addition to sponsoring the Eagle Endowment, AMA Knoxville works with the University of Tennessee’ Non-Credit program to offer an AMAK Marketing Certificate with course topics including:
- Marketing Fundamentals
- Branding Essentials
- Digital Marketing Management
Visit utnoncredit.com to learn more or register for these exciting courses.
About the Presenter
From being named a top Freight Brokerage Firms in North America to a top Workplaces, Shawn McLeod’s top negotiation skills have propelled him and Axle Logistics to industry success. Previously vice president of logistics, Shawn McLeod was promoted to president in July 2021. With his demonstrated history of working in the transportation/trucking/railroad industry, he’s skilled in negotiation, operations management, freight transportation, freight, and sales.
Axle Logistics is a non-asset based, third-party logistics (3PL) company with a focus on providing safe, reliable, advanced logistics services – Truckload, LTL, Intermodal, and Warehousing – to a wide variety of customers throughout the continental U.S., Canada, and Mexico. By providing specialized customer service, a unique overall philosophy and approach to management, Axle is a leader in the logistics industry.
What is Negotiating?
Simply put, negotiating is merely a discussion aimed at reaching an agreement. A negotiation may take place between buyers and sellers, an employer and prospective employee, or in everyday life between two or more people socially with the goal of reducing debts, lowering the sale price of a house, improving the conditions of a contract, or getting a better deal on a purchase (i.e., car, house, etc.). Whether you realize it or not, negotiation is an unavoidable part of our daily lives.
Negotiating holds the key to getting ahead in the workplace, resolving conflicts, and creating value in contracts.
Top Negotiating Skills include:
- Communication
- Active Listening
- Emotional Intelligence
- Expectation Management
- Patience
- Adaptability
- Persuasion
- Planning
- Integrity
- Rapport Building
- Problem Solving
- Decision Making
Preparing for a Negotiation
It’s imperative that you go into each and every negotiation prepared. A lack of preparation can easily lead to an unfavorable outcome. There are a few steps you should take as you prepare for each negotiation:
- Do your research: Evaluate all sides of the negotiation and consider both your goals and the opposition’s goals
- Know your priorities: Determine what is most important and where you are willing to compromise to achieve the desired outcome
- Consider the opposition: Assess all the potential oppositions and have supporting examples to drive your position home
- Know when to walk away: Not all business is good business and you have to know when a negotiation is no longer worth your effort
- Keep your timeline in mind: Find a sweet spot between rushing a negotiation (potentially leaving something on the table) and dragging it out (potentially losing that deal to competition)
Conflict Resolution
Conflict resolution is a way for two or more parties to find a solution after a disagreement. Within the 3PL space like Axle Logistics, conflict resolution is utilized daily. Uncontrollable circumstances present themselves each day which at times cause conflict. Navigating these conversations to find a resolution as quickly as possible not only preserves positive client and carrier relationships but increases the ROI on that individual’s time.
It’s a fact of life that between any two people or groups, conflicts are bound to arise over time. The key, especially in business, is recognizing those conflicts and working expediently to resolve them in a way that satisfies both parties to the best of your ability.
Thanks for joining us! If you enjoyed this event, we’d love to see you at our upcoming luncheons and events including:
Keep an eye on our Eventbrite page for more information on upcoming events: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/ama-knoxville-4371428287
by AMA Knoxville | Jan 21, 2022 | Luncheons | Programs
Holly Yalove, president of AMA Knoxville, welcomed participants to this virtual event. AMA Knoxville brings together marketing minds from Knoxville and surrounding counties for professional development, networking, and educational opportunities. The chapter also invests in future marketers by awarding scholarships to marketing students at the University of Tennessee with our Eagle Endowment. Holly recognized the AMA board of directors, volunteers, and annual sponsors (Slamdot, Colby’s Photography, Larson SMB Consulting, and HumblePod) who make these events possible.
Meet Our Panelists
Lygia Karagiozis is a junior Marketing major, minoring in Advertising and Public Relations, with a collateral in Entrepreneurship. She serves as the President of the University of Tennessee’s American Marketing Association chapter and the Vice President of Creative Marketing for VOLthon (UTK’s Dance Marathon). Off-campus, she is the lead marketing intern for the Knoxville Greek Festival at St.George Greek Orthodox Church. In my spare time, she enjoys volunteering at the local Children’s Hospital and traveling to new cities, states, and countries.
Grace Caldwell is the Vice President of AMAze for the American Marketing Association at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She’s a Junior with a Marketing Major, a Psychology Minor, and an Entrepreneurship Collateral. She is the Vice President of the Collegiate Entrepreneurship Organization here at UTK as well, and she’s a member of the Haslam Student Advisory Council. She loves networking so please connect with her on LinkedIn! She’s always looking for more opportunities to develop her leadership skills.
Chole Pigue is originally from Franklin, TN. After graduating UTK with a degree in marketing, she transitioned from an internship into a full time role with Big Slate Media. Her role with Big Slate Media includes digital marketing strategy, account management, and production assistance. In my spare time she likes to hang out with her dog Copper!
Cindy Raines brings over 40 years of integrated marketing communications experience to the Haslam College of Business. She teaches in the college’s undergraduate, graduate, and executive education programs. Her areas of focus include integrated marketing communications, strategic planning, traditional and digital media, media relations, branding, positioning, and packaging. She has successfully built and advised organizations across a variety of industries — including education, consumer product goods, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, athletics, and real estate.
Raines earned the Lee and Allison Herring Endowed Teaching Fellowship in Marketing, Keally Excellence in Teaching Award, Dean’s Award for Excellence in Executive Education, UT Phi Eta Sigma Outstanding Faculty Member Award, and Osborne Award for Excellence in Service. She is a UT Tennessee Learning and Teaching Innovation Center Faculty Fellow and the faculty advisor for the award-winning UT chapter of the American Marketing Association.
Raines has won numerous Addy, Telly, Communicator, and Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) awards for creative excellence, including a PRSA Best of Show for national media relations.
About the Event
Do you have questions about marketing internships? Whether you’re a marketing student looking for an internship or a company representative interested in adding an intern to your team, our expert panel – including two students who have interned before, one graduate who secured a job at the business she interned at, and a professor with years of experience matching businesses and interns – answers burning questions about their experiences with internships and what they’re seeking.
Please note: panelist responses are summarized
Q: Moving from an internship to full-time employment, what do you and the business seek?
CP: First off as a student, one of the main things that I looked for was compensation. Depending on a student’s financial situation it can be difficult to take on a great amount of responsibility without receiving some pay to live on. When I was looking for internships, I didn’t seriously consider any unpaid internships. I feel that structure and routine is important in an internship. When interns are initiative-driven without being given specific, measurable goals and given training in areas they might not be familiar with, employers set them up for success.
Q: In today’s environment, I’d love to hear your experiences on remote internships and tips for success
CP: When it comes to remote internships, standard routines, schedules, meeting times, and structure are SO important! Especially when you can’t be face-to-face with your interns this helps them to develop their at-home workflow and manage their time and responsibilities/expectations.
Q: In today’s environment, I’d love to hear your experiences on remote internships and tips for success
GC: My roommates and I have all held internships and jobs over the past few months and I can say it’s a challenge to balance all aspects of my life. Especially in pandemic times and working remotely, there are more opportunities for miscommunication so it’s important to keep in touch often and keep interns in the loop. I’ve even seen people drop their internships due to confections and lack of organization on the part of the employer
LK: Communication is absolutely key! Having your employer in constant communication is highly valued by students. I’ve been lucky to have good communication with my employers and this has helped me structure my semesters and my life. From a student’s perspective, time management and prioritization is the biggest challenge. Grace and flexibility on the part of the employer is a valuable resource as well, as student schedules can change regularly.
Q: Cindy, would love to hear onboarding tips! How do set up that type of structure Chloe spoke on and get interns up to speed without it being a major, daily time-suck for FTEs managing the intern?
CR: I hear a lot of students say that they didn’t really do much of value in their internships or that clear goals weren’t set for them. The biggest value an intern can provide to your company is giving you something that provides value back to you. So put together a plan to start. For the intern to provide the highest value, it’s going to require some up-front time on your part in planning what they’ll do. Then be clear about your expectations and give them the tools they need to succeed.
Q: There’s a common myth that the best internships are with high-profile companies. What are your thoughts on interning with large corporations vs. small- to medium-sized businesses vs. startups vs. nonprofits?
HY: At the marketing agency I owned, we certainly weren’t a huge organization but we valued our interns and were heavily focused on providing them with education and experience that would open doors for them. Many intern positions went on to become full time positions in my agency and when I interviewed job candidates I looked for a lot of those same skills that we taught to our interns.
CP: My first internship was with a company that averages ~$15 million and I actually preferred my internship with a startup which eventually turned into a full-time position with the company. You can find just as much value and learn just as many skills if not more at a startup that will be applicable in the corporate world. In many corporate internships you can often find out more of what you don’t want in a full-time position.
CR: I see many students now interested in the nonprofit world and wanting to give back. More often than not, nonprofit internships will be unpaid but the students are looking to get more back out of the experience than money.
GC: Honestly I would prefer to work more with a smaller business because I like the more personal feel! I have learned so much from some of the issues we face with working on projects with the small businesses in the area and it has taught me so much more than just marketing! It’s amazing to see how entrepreneurial / intrapreneurial I can be through the marketing world.
If you enjoyed this event, we hope to see you at our February in-person luncheon as Shawn McLeod’s speaks on top negotiation skills that have propelled him and Axle Logistics to industry success. Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-art-of-negotiations-tickets-199346238967?aff=ebdsoporgprofile
by AMA Knoxville | Nov 17, 2021 | Luncheons | Programs
Holly Yalove, president of AMA Knoxville, welcomed participants to this virtual event. AMA Knoxville brings together marketing minds from Knoxville and surrounding counties for professional development, networking, and educational opportunities. The chapter also invests in future marketers by awarding scholarships to marketing students at the University of Tennessee with our Eagle Endowment. Holly recognized the AMA board of directors, volunteers, and annual sponsors (Slamdot, Colby’s Photography, Larson SMB Consulting, and HumblePod) who make these events possible.
About the Presenter
Samantha Lane is a time management guru, with past work in advertising, public relations, higher education, and wellness. In 2014, she experienced a life-changing surgery that shifted her perspective on life. After years of juggling full-time careers and passion-based side-hustles, Samantha started Origami Day to help others bring balance to their busy lives. She now teaches individuals and companies how to be present in life while being more productive through tested strategies and proprietary tools. Samantha holds a BS degree in Public Relations from the University of Tennessee and an MBA from King University. When she is not helping others make the most of their time, Samantha spends her days enjoying life with her loved ones.
Have you ever stopped to think that how you spend each day is how you spend your life? If you are not happy with how you are spending your days, read on! Samantha’s top 3 time management tips for work-life balance will help make a change in your life with tactical next steps.
Top 3 Time Management Tips for Work-Life Balance
You might have heard the phrase “how you spend each day is how you spend your life.” This is true for each of us, but became especially clear to Samantha when she experienced life-threatening medical complications that made her face her mortality. She realized that she wasn’t happy with how she was spending her days and set out to make some serious changes.
The tenets of her approach to a balanced life include:
- Work may be a necessity, but life is the priority
- We can be present in life while still being productive
- We are happier and more productive when balanced
- Time is finite
With these principles in mind, Samantha created a three-step system that we can all implement into our daily lives to find a more peaceful and purposeful balance between work and life.
Tip #1: Prioritize
When everything is important, nothing is. We cannot do everything and certainly cannot do everything well, so we must decide which tasks are most worthy of our finite time resource. We must prioritize. But how do you know what to prioritize? First, you must set a goal for yourself. Keeping this goal in mind will allow you to determine which tasks are priorities and which are not.
For peace and productivity, you must prioritize and decide what is the most valuable way to spend your time. Talk with your family, supervisor, etc… about where they hope to see you focus your time and consider the following in your decision:
- Performance Metrics – What is it that you are being graded on? Prioritize those things that will move the needle and be the most impactful way to spend your time
- Eisenhower Urgency Matrix – A useful tool to help you determine which things in your life are urgent vs. non-urgent and important vs. unimportant
Tip #2: Plan
Planning is a way for us to work better. Through planning we can accomplish more with less effort and utilize things like flow where outputs exceed inputs. Create your days strategically to get more done in your days with less time. A plan creates intentionality, which helps you become proactive instead of reactive.
Samantha recommends dedicating time on a specific day every week to do your planning for the coming week and avoid the “Sunday scaries” that many of us know all too well. For her, Friday afternoons are a dedicated plan time. She does a weekly wrap-up to ensure she’s completed everything she needed to do during the past week, schedule her next week, and then move into the weekend with a sense of peace.
Samantha also shares how she recommends planning to make the most of your time:
- Start with what you know – Begin by marking off time that you already know you’ve committed to or tasks that are required (both personal and professional).
- Then add what you hope to do – What additional tasks do you need to do? What other things would you like to do during the week? What would you like to get ahead on?
- Digital reinforcement – Samantha believes there is value in paper planning because digital calendars give you the opportunity to plan infinitely and we do not have infinite time. But because we live in a digital world, this reinforcement is helpful. For example, if you have a meeting, you might send a calendar invite with the Zoom link to other participants and add it to your own calendar as well.
However you choose to do your planning, make sure that it helps you be more productive with intention.
Tip #3: Protect Your Plan
We know that plans are constantly changing but it’s important to protect the plan you’ve made whenever possible. When confronted about a plan change, ask yourself, “Does this need to be addressed right now or should I stick to my plan?” If your answer isn’t a HECK YES, it’s a no (or a not right now.) It’s up to you to decide whether the unpredicted need is something important enough to sacrifice something else in your plan.
Saying no isn’t something that comes easily for many of us, so in order to help us protect our plans Samantha provides the following tips:
- Let the person making the request say no for you. – Instead of meeting the request with an outright no, ask them if this is something that’s needed right now and if you’re the only person who can do it. In many cases, they’ll relent and find another way to fulfill their need.
- Practice! It’s not comfortable and most often, we are not confident in saying no. Learn to make it part of your dialogue.
- Use this resource from Origami Day to learn additional methods for gracefully declining a request
With these tips and techniques in mind, look at your own life and see how you can benefit from intentional prioritizing and planning. We can all benefit from a little more balance.
If you enjoyed this virtual event, we invite you to join us on Thursday, December 2nd for an evening of member socializing and networking! Our holiday networking social will also serve as a drop off location for Second Harvest donations in support of their mission to end hunger in our community. Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/holiday-networking-social-second-harvest-tickets-169100109981?aff=ebdsoporgprofile
by AMA Knoxville | Sep 22, 2021 | Luncheons | Programs
Chris Hill, the immediate past president of AMA Knoxville, welcomed participants to the first event of the new season. AMA Knoxville brings together marketing minds from Knoxville and surrounding counties for professional development, networking, and educational opportunities. The chapter also invests in future marketers by awarding scholarships to marketing students at the University of Tennessee with our Eagle Endowment. Hill recognized the AMA board of directors, volunteers, and annual sponsors (Slamdot, Colby’s Photography, Larson SMB Consulting, and HumblePod) who make these events possible.
As an announcement, an AMA-endorsed marketing certificate program is available at the University of Tennessee. To learn more or to sign up visit http://noncredit.utk.edu/
About the Presenter
Eric Eskey is Managing Director of Dark Horse Works and a Practitioner of the Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) innovation approach. Eric founded Dark Horse to serve change makers like you by encouraging innovation and defeating the hidden forces that resist it.
Eric is a 17-year, seasoned innovation practitioner and leader. In the past year, he’s partnered and advised at the senior level in significant innovation engagements with:
A mid-market finch company to place the right financial bets, beat their most powerful competitors, and decrease their time to market as they prepare for their IPO.
A Fortune 100 company to judiciously drive down their marketing costs and drive-up revenue by reframing their product marketing approach and capability.
A mid-market insurer to reduce client and employee churn, strengthen their culture, and drive down risk as they respond to the threat of disruption by InsureTech.
How Has Marketing Changed?
It’s no secret that the face of marketing has changed considerably over the years. In the 50’s, TV and print were the top priorities. In the 60’s, the idea of campaigns was introduced and was closely followed by the integration of detailed analytics in the 70’s. The 80’s brought developments in technology and a need for increased marketing complexity and efficiency. The role of marketing was broadened to include more strategy and segmentation with the introduction of the CRM in the 90’s. A digital and social revolution came about in the 00’s which ushered in the era of AI and big data in the 10’s. And now in the 20’s we are faced with the future of marketing – smart data. Marketing has moved from “telling and selling” to “engaging in dialogue” with the customer.
What Kind of Marketer Are You?
Marketing has changed more profoundly than any other organizational role. The shift is historic and to truly understand its impact we must clearly (re)define the role of marketers. The range of marketing responsibilities has become so broad that it’s easy to set ourselves (or our employees) up for failure if we aren’t clear about expectations.
There are three types of marketers in today’s organization:
- Strategist – This individual makes decisions about positioning and product
- Commercializer – This person drives sales through marketing communication
- Leader – This person does both of the above, delivering profitable growth and innovation
Regardless of which role you serve (or want to serve), your success depends on creating alignment. This alignment comes from an interest or goal that’s shared between marketers and their partners.
Because marketers are focused on generating demand, we place a high value on creativity, speed, and achieving goals. But our organizational partners may be more inwardly focused on stability and accuracy. We can meet in the middle where our common interests collide and put the customer at the center of it all.
Creating Alignment Through Customer-Centric Goals
To best serve our customers, marketers must work together with other team members or departments to meet the customer’s needs. The best way to accomplish this is by creating a set of shared, customer-centric performance goals that all parties strive to achieve. Before we start setting goals though, there’s a few things we must consider:
First, we must get the customers right. The word “customer” has an incredibly flexible meaning and although many companies claim that their strategies are customer-driven, they may not be serving the right customer. The strategic selection of a primary customer group defines the business and should be made up of those who can unlock the most value for the business – not necessarily the most revenue.
Next, we must get their needs right. We often ask ourselves, “Can we do this?” instead of, “Should we do this?” This narrow frame of mind unduly limits the options we consider and can keep us from seeing what our customers really want or need. To widen your view, invite the customer into a dialogue about their customer journey, desired outcomes, and obstacles and use that knowledge to inform planning and decision-making.
Finally, we must gather smart data. After broadening the pool of available options, we must choose the right ones to make a difference for our customers as well as our own business. At this stage we reality test our options with smart data we can trust and work hard to avoid confirmation bias.
The bottom line? Smart data is the future. Our role as marketers is evolving and as we face new pressures, we must be vigilant, avoid bias, and create alignment within our organizations to provide truly customer-centric solutions.
If you enjoyed this virtual event we invite you to join us next month on Wednesday, October 13 when we’re joined by time management guru Samantha Lane for a discussion on work-life balance, managing time, and setting boundaries. Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/top-tips-for-work-life-balance-tickets-169098625541
by AMA Knoxville | Jul 8, 2021 | Luncheons | Programs
Chris Hill, outgoing AMA Knoxville President, introduced our June virtual event and recognized the board members, volunteers, and annual sponsors (Slamdot, Colby’s Photography, Kroeger-Miller CPAs, and Humblepod) that make it possible for the chapter to continually invest in Knoxville’s marketing community.
The AMA Knoxville chapter works to bring together local marketing minds for professional development events and networking opportunities. The chapter also supports the next generation of marketers through the Eagle Endowment, a scholarship for marketing students at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
As an additional way to support the local marketing community, the Knoxville AMA chapter has partnered with UT’s non-credit program to provide AMA-backed certificate programs. Be sure to sign up for fall courses at http://www.utnoncredit.com/
Meet the Speaker
Combining over a decade of research-driven experience, her intuitive empathic nature and educational approach, Bonnie Casamassima guides clients on how to use the psychology of interior design and the healing science of nature within their everyday spaces to nurture their productivity, intuition and wellbeing. She is the Principal and Founder of Interweave People Place and an Adjunct Professor of Interior Design at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD).
Bonnie holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Interior Design from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and a Master of Fine Arts degree within Interior Design focusing on Biophilic Design and Environmental Psychology from SCAD.
She lives in Knoxville, TN with her partner and his two kids. She enjoys traveling, pottery, live-music and a good belly laugh. You can connect with Bonnie on Facebook.
Our Spaces Impact Our Well Being and Quality of Life
The EPA estimates that we spend 90% of our lives indoors – that means that 9 out of every 10 of our breaths are taken inside built spaces. And oftentimes, those spaces are drab, impersonal, and uninspiring (imagine an empty classroom or an office full of cubicles) and leave us feeling drained and lacking motivation.
This happens because our spaces impact us significantly in direct, biological ways. There’s a whole body of science behind those intuitive feelings we have about our spaces called environmental psychology. This discipline looks at how our environments affect us, the restorative properties our spaces can provide, and how we can design our spaces to best serve our wellbeing.
You’ve probably already been exposed to these concepts without realizing it. Anybody heard of Marie Kondo? Feng shui?
Bringing Environmental Psychology and Biophilic Design Into Our Spaces
Just like healthy eating or an active lifestyle, healthy built spaces can impact us significantly. By including biophilic design elements like plentiful daylight and natural materials, a variety of spaces have seen significant improvements:
- In classrooms, test scores were 7-18% higher and information was retained 20-60% faster.
- In offices, employees showed higher productivity and took fewer sick days.
- In homes, individuals felt reduced stress and increased restoration.
Take a moment to think about your own spaces. What spaces make you feel most supported?
How can spaces impact us?
We attach memories (and by extension, emotions) to the objects around us. In a split second as we walk by a trinket shelf, years of memories and emotions are being cued within us.
In this same moment, our amygdala is being engaged and can trigger our fight or flight response if these objects stress us. It can take a few minutes (or even up to 4 hours) for our bodies to return to a neutral, resting state once it’s been cued for this stress response.
This is why we feel so liberated when we declutter our spaces – we are removing objects that stress us on a subconscious level.
What can we do?
Listen to your intuition about what things do or don’t serve you and use insights to support you. Remove the things that cue stressful responses and replace them with things that invoke a sense of gratitude and serve our mental wellbeing.
Increasing Productivity & Wellbeing
Let’s take a moment to look specifically at the spaces in which we work. During any given workday we go through four different work modes: focusing, learning, collaborating, and socializing. You may mentally shift between these modes many times during a day and our workspace should support the way we work.
Our spaces are an ecosystem that should provide us diversity and the opportunity to move through those work modes and accommodate the best way we work. (For example, private desk spaces vs. coworking tables, opportunities to work standing or seated, etc…)
Take a moment and Imagine being in your favorite space in nature. Think deeply about how it makes you feel. That feeling is the goal of biophilic design – bringing the calm of nature into our built spaces and our daily lives.
How can we accomplish this?
There are many ways to bring biophilic design into your spaces, but we’ll focus on two important ones:
- Engage all senses
- Incorporate smells, sounds, and textures of environments that are most nurturing to you
- Biophilia means “love of life” and many people start working toward this by filling their home with plants but it doesn’t have to stop there. You can pull in natural, warm light, environmental colors, natural shapes and forms, etc..
- Think about organizing your space so that daylight follows you throughout your day. This supports our circadian rhythms to engage our production of serotonin.
- Security and zones
- Orient your workspace so that your boat is against a wall. If your back is exposed to the room, your fight or flight reaction is constantly being cued.
- Ideally, consider setting up your space to have a view out a window
- Create zones between functional spaces. Especially when working from home it’s important to create a separation between “home” and “office”. Area rugs are great for creating a divide and threshold between spaces in a single room.
Keep in mind that not every space using biophilic design will look alike. No matter what spaces you’re designing, listen to what resonates most with you and your community or organization. Then, use the insights we’ve discussed to integrate biophilic design.
To learn more, we recommend that you read 7 Remote Work Design Tips: Rock Your Productivity and Wellbeing, check out other articles and courses from InterweavePeoplePlace, and consider picking up a book off of Interweave’s recommended reading list below.
by AMA Knoxville | Jun 2, 2021 | Luncheons | Programs
The AMA Knoxville chapter works to bring together local marketing minds for professional development events and networking opportunities. The chapter also supports the next generation of marketers through the Eagle Endowment, a scholarship for marketing students at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Holly Yalove, president-elect of AMA Knoxville, introduced the event and recognized the board members, volunteers, and annual sponsors (Slamdot, Colby’s Photography, Kroeger-Miller CPAs, and Humblepod) that make it possible for the chapter to continually invest in Knoxville’s marketing community.
For those who may not be aware, The Knoxville AMA chapter has partnered with UT’s non-credit program to provide AMA-backed certificate programs. The next course will focus on digital marketing management and will be taught by Holly Yalove. Sign up now at http://www.utnoncredit.com/
Meet the Presenter
Leslie Beale is the founder and CEO of Profusion Strategies. She has two decades of experience in building and leading teams, developing and delivering employee training, and crafting and implementing process and efficiency improvements. She is certified as an executive coach with the International Coaching Federation and has hundreds of hours of experience in coaching and mentoring leaders of all levels in a variety of industries.
When she’s not working, you can find Leslie watching her sons play sports, hiking, or playing (bad) tennis.
What the Changing Future of Work Means for Today’s Leaders
As move away from quarantines and into the new landscape of post-pandemic work there are three critical questions we must ask ourselves:
- What current changes will shape the future of work?
- What hidden impacts are these changes causing?
- What do leaders need to do to adjust?
Over the past year we’ve been in a constant state of description, uncertainty, isolation, disconnection, and struggle. The disruption caused by COVID-19 was unprecedented in its speed and scope. In the shock of this disruption, we experienced an initial adrenaline-based response which was followed by months of uncertainty that have led to a lot of the change that we’re experiencing in the workplace today.
What Changes Will Shape the Future of Work?
Some changes may be more permanent than others, including:
- Remote work – Over the past year companies that had not previously considered offering remote work opportunities have been forced into this new work from home model. Almost 48% of the workforce may be remote at least some of the time, an 18% increase over pre-pandemic rates, and as much as 327% of the workforce may stay remote post-pandemic, with the number of remote workers doubling in the next 5 years. After experiencing success with remote work, many organizations are considering downsizing or significantly altering office footprint.
- Massive shake up in the talent pool – Voluntary turnover has made a big impact on the workforce with over a quarter of all workers saying they plan to look for a new job once the health crisis is behind us. Permanent changes in remote work will allow for broader talent pools as people “work from anywhere,” but remote work will also open up opportunities for your workforce to look elsewhere.
- Entering the age of “corporate social justice” – Over the past year new pressures and expectations have been placed on companies to responsibly impact and interact with the world.
- Increased demand for flexibility – This applies not only to flexibility with regard to remote work and childcare, but will also impact schedule flexibility as well with many employees questioning why it’s necessary to get their work done between the hours of 9AM and 5PM.
- Performance tracking – With remote work becoming a new part of the workplace landscape, employers must find new ways to track employee performance from a distance. Computer and keystroke tracking software is available, but can send a negative message to employees about trust.
- Fairness in hybrid teams – Employers must be ready to determine what’s fair and equitable between employees when some are working remotely and others are working in the office. Perceived disparities in work distribution can be detrimental to workplace morale.
- Demand for social support from employers – During the height of the pandemic uncertainty, the number of employers offering mental health support to their employees grew significantly. Rather than revoking these benefits, employers should expect to include higher levels of support in their benefits packages moving forward.
- Increased pressure for organizations to consider their brand as an employer – Because of the increased opportunities that come with remote work, your company is now competing for top talent with exponentially more other employers. Rather than simply posting a job offer, be ready to show employees that you offer a great place to work, professional development opportunities, support for employees, care about social justice, good pandemic response, etc…
How Do We Move Forward?
Company leadership has been, and will continue to be, stretched like never before when it comes to managing performance, handling conversations about flexibility, responding to demands for diversity, and so much more.
With so many added pressures it’s important that leaders learn to adapt.
Leaders are human. They’re tired. They’re worn down. And no matter what a leader is dealing with personally, they’re still responsible for their team. To continue to be an effective leader, they’ll need to take some time and work on themselves to broaden their perspective and build resiliency.
Leaders must also learn new ways to effectively manage their teams. The most helpful thing a leader can do for their team is provide clarity. Be clear with your goals and expectations, craft a cohesive vision for your team, and keep team members motivated to serve that vision.
Interested in Continuing the Conversation?
Leslie Beale and Profusion Strategies offer an invitation-only leaders forum to help build better leaders and help our best leaders continue to succeed. The next Leaders Forum will be held on June 23, 2021 at 9:00 AM. To request an invitation, email admin@profusionstrategies.com
