Insights for Leaders Navigating
Visibility, Credibility, and Growth.
From media strategy to reputation management, we explore the trends shaping public perception and share the approaches that drive measurable results for growing brands.
I recently came across an article that gave name to a practice I’ve relied on for years: timeboxing. At its core, timeboxing is the act of assigning a task to a fixed period of time and scheduling it in a calendar. Timeboxing takes a typical to-do list and transitions it to a calendar, which gives a visual representation of the time investment allotted for each task and is a practice that helps boost productivity immensely.
According to the article by Marc Zao-Sanders, CEO and co-founder of Filtered.com, timeboxing is an effective form of time management for the following five reasons:
- It focuses our options
Traditional to-do lists can easily overwhelm us because they compile everything competing for our attention in one place. When we timebox, we narrow our tasks to manageable items, spread over several days, weeks or months. - It balances the simple and difficult tasks
We are naturally drawn to simpler tasks, which can leave us bottlenecked later when the more difficult tasks can’t be put off anymore. By timeboxing, we can create a balance of simple and difficult tasks and ensure we meet all our deadlines without exhausting ourselves. - It creates time for “less important” tasks
We are rarely drawn to important-but-not-urgent tasks, like setting aside time for learning. However, these sorts of tasks are equally valuable. When we timebox, we can assess our needs ahead of time and create space for them in our calendar, so they don’t get overlooked or put off later. - It ties a task to time
To-do lists on their own lack the essential context of the time required and available to complete them. When thinking about adding a task to a calendar, it’s necessary to envision how much time it will take. When planning our workload, we can better assess what additional deadlines we can meet if we can visualize the time we actually have available. - It acts as a commitment device
Calendars can help keep us honest, especially if they’re shared with our team members. If all of our work is in our calendar, colleagues can see it. This visibility enables team members to check that our work schedule aligns with expectations and that our availability aligns with theirs, which helps schedule meetings or check-ins.
Timeboxing also acts as a record of the work we’ve accomplished. Often, we get so wrapped up in our day-to-day that we forget what we did that week or in previous months. Looking back can feel like a blur. By timeboxing, we have a comprehensive journal of everything we’ve done. When we approach a performance review, for example, we can more easily recall and evaluate what we’ve contributed.
With timeboxing, Zao-Sanders notes:
“ … you will be substantially more productive. Parkinson’s law flippantly states that work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion. Although it’s not really a law (it’s more of a wry observation), most of us would concede that there is some truth to it (especially as it pertains to meetings). A corollary of this observation in practice is that we often spend more time on a task than we should, influenced by the time that happens to be available (circumstantial) rather than how long the work should really take (objective). Disciplined timeboxing breaks us free of Parkinson’s law by imposing a sensible, finite time for a task and sticking to that. Although it’s hard to precisely quantify the benefits of any time management or productivity measures, this is clearly enormous. Just take a commonplace example: do you habitually take two hours (cumulatively, often drawn out over multiple sessions) to complete a task that really could have been done in a single, focused, time-boxed hour? If the answer is yes, then your personal productivity might be double what it is right now.”
I utilize timeboxing in both my professional and personal calendars. It is a practice that has helped me manage my stress and productivity during some of the busiest chapters of my life. It gives me autonomy over my time and workload, which helps me feel more in control of my professional and personal life.
In my personal calendar, I take it one step further by color-coding. Color-coding helps to differentiate my priorities and send me visual cues of when various types of activities will begin and end. I currently use seven colors that represent a wide range of activity, from work, to play, to exercise and church-related responsibilities. That way, when I look at my calendar, I can tell with a glance the events I have going on that day and week. I can clearly see where work ends and errands begin, and where errands end and socializing begins. When planning my week, the colors help me get a sense of what other activities I can group together to cater to the mood I anticipate being in after their completion. For example, getting work done on my car may align with returning a shopping item.
Getting the hang of timeboxing can feel tricky at first, but it certainly pays off in spades. As we practice estimating how long a task will take, our skills will improve, and in turn, we can find more time in our days.
A few weeks ago, my Communiqué colleague AnnMarie wrote an excellent blog post about leveraging data in storytelling. The post was inspired by the New York Times and the work its journalists are doing tracking and analyzing the data related to COVID-19, and it contains some terrific reminders for PR professionals as well.
Following up on this topic, I came across another Times article about using data in storytelling that I found to be helpful. Appearing in the Tech We’re Using section, it’s titled, “In Data Journalism, Tech Matters Less Than the People.”
I found this article to be helpful and a great companion to AnnMarie’s piece for its reminders about the importance of combining the stories of people – as individuals – with the data or its insights.
Ben Casselman, an economics reporter for the Times, explains the data might provide you with insight about trends, but talking with an individual will be of more help. He cited an example from 2018 when he was working on a story about investors purchasing single-family homes and was using data from millions and millions of real estate transactions. The data was evidence of the trend, but the story behind the trend was better illustrated by focusing on one home and talking with people, in this case, the investor who fixed it up, the family who eventually bought it, and others who unsuccessfully bid on it.
Given this insight, I think the primary lesson for marketers and communicators is as follows:
- Compile the data set and analyze it, or find someone who can help you analyze it. If you’ve got basic math skills but are not an expert in statistics or adept in statistical programming, find someone to assist you. In the past, when we’ve needed help this this type of work, we reached out to Creative Circle, a talent hiring firm, and they helped us find a freelance data scientist.
- Develop graphs and charts to help you spot the key trends. These can be done initially in Excel, and then later, if you decide you need images to accompany your story, you may want to have a graphic artist illustrate them and make them attractive and easy to digest for readers.
- Identify a specific example that you can highlight to better tell your story. And as you think about the story, don’t forget about the narrative arc. Your story should have a beginning, rising action, a climax, falling action and resolution.
If you consider the above example of investors snapping up single-family homes, it’s easy to imagine what that arc might look like:
- The beginning might be the investor coming across an ideal single family home to buy.
- His or her work to fix it up would be rising action. During this stage of the story, there might be conflict. For instance, contractors might not show up, or costs for flipping it might be more than anticipated.
- The climax would be the completion of the home and putting it up for sale.
- Falling action would be the sale of the home.
- Resolution would be the new family moving into it and the investor making (or losing) money on the deal.
The next time you’re looking to leverage data in telling your client’s story, think like the New York Times data journalists and remember, as Ben Casselman says, “At the end of the day, data isn’t the story; people are the story.”
For more on Ben Casselman and the technology he uses, check out: In Data Journalism, Tech Matters Less Than the People
A rendering of Spaceflight’s Sherpa-FX vehicle. Image courtesy of Spaceflight Inc.
In mid-July, our client Spaceflight Inc., the leading satellite rideshare and mission management provider, announced its plans to launch its next generation orbital transfer vehicle, Sherpa-FX, on a fully dedicated rideshare mission with SpaceX. Spaceflight’s Sherpa-FX is the first innovative orbital transfer vehicle and will be the debut vehicle in the company’s Sherpa-NG (next generation) program. The vehicle can execute multiple deployments, providing independent and detailed deployment telemetry, and flexible interfaces, all at a low cost.
In early August, the company published two more announcements. One focused on a variety of new initiatives that will continue to improve the company’s ability to offer an unprecedented amount of flexibility to its customers. The second announcement revealed an exclusive partnership agreement that will enable propulsion capabilities for a later generation Sherpa vehicle.
In our work with Spaceflight this year, we have been focused on demonstrating how the company uniquely provides launch flexibility through its comprehensive offering of launch services. In addition to speaking opportunities and pitches, announcements play a key role in our public relations strategy. These announcements demonstrate key steps Spaceflight is taking to further its ability to create launch flexibility. The innovative solutions and partnerships revealed through the releases provide key proof points that clearly illustrate how Spaceflight is tackling one of the industry’s biggest problems (delays and schedule changes) and delivering on its promise to enable launch flexibility.
The announcements garnered coverage in key industry and technology publications. Below are a handful of articles that resulted from the announcements. Congratulations to the Spaceflight team on the impressive momentum it is generating around its new initiatives, capabilities and services.
Spaceflight Coverage
- Spaceflight Inc. debuts new orbital transfer vehicle for satellite rideshare rocket launches – TechCrunch
- Spaceflight Reveals Sherpa-FX Vehicle to Fly Aboard SpaceX Mission – Via Satellite
- Sending Something to Space? Book Your Launch Now in Spaceflight Inc. and Avail Their Latest Offers – The Science Times
- Satnews Perspectives Video Interview with Curt Blake, CEO, Spaceflight – Satnews
- Benchmark to provide propulsion for Spaceflight’s Sherpa-NG – Space News
- Benchmark Space Systems Merges Tech with Tesseract, Signs Green Propulsion Deal with Spaceflight – Via Satellite
- Spaceflight reveals array of launch initiatives for smallsat customers – Satellite Pro
For many organizations worldwide, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we work. We’re more reliant on collaboration technologies than ever before.
The pandemic has forced an abrupt dislocation of how employees work, how customers behave, how supply chains function and even what ultimately constitutes busines performance. With a sudden shift to a remote workforce a new era of leadership is emerging.
One of the most important skills leaders have to develop is facilitating interactions to succeed in a changing environment. Findings from a McKinsey & Company report indicate that continuous learning in the workplace must become the new norm and that leaders need to work on “enabling the best in their people, rather than commanding it from them.”
This shift requires leaders to move away from telling their teams what to do and instead empowering employees to be self-organized.
A recent Forbes article highlights takeaways from the McKinsey report and four practices that will help leaders become more agile: connect, attend, respect and empower.
Connect during crisis
With the turbulence of today and the uncertainty of tomorrow, leaders have a unique role to play in alleviating fears and demonstrating care while maintaining a connection to purpose. Connection reduces stress, increases the sense of purpose and drives innovation.
Defining what the purpose of your team is can help employees connect their actions to that purpose, beyond being profitable. Checking in with your team frequently to see how each of them feels they are contributing to it can help spur active engagement and intent.
Communicating with your staff regularly and consistently, will both provide routine and ensure a safe space. To increase engagement, the Forbes article suggests leaders should reduce meetings to 30 minutes or less and invite every single member to speak up.
At Communiqué PR we have a daily, 30-minute morning meeting where everyone briefly reports on their action items for the day, we collaborate on projects and, when time allows, we even manage to quickly check in on personal activities. While some people may see this as a painful exercise, I personally look forward to it. It helps me get organized for the day and provides a much-needed sense of connection with my team – who I miss dearly and have not seen in person for more than five months.
Actively attend to your clients and your employees
Feeling safe is a basic human need, and a crisis will challenge this need, especially if there is a lack of communication. Leaders must embrace the role of an observer and help coach team members. While communicating critical updates is crucial, active listening is even more important.
As leaders, we must balance our intensity and desire to perform with compassionate attention to our employees’ needs. Being more mindful of another’s stress and their tension points before they impact the business requires us to boost our emotional intelligence.
The Forbes article encourages leaders to create a safe place to make mistakes and to establish an environment where employees feel comfortable asking questions.
Respect: Every employee matters
A leader’s job is not to cheer up their team or tell them what to do. The focus is more on building trust, providing support and offering flexible options to accommodate different needs. Now more than ever, empathizing with employees helps leaders determine how to best assist them.
These actions can be simple. Some companies that used to provide snacks and beverages at the office are sending care packages to employees’ houses. Other companies are providing flexible schedules.
Another tactic is to do more frequent one-on-one meetings instead of, or in addition to, regular team meetings. Especially when work is remote, feedback through email or, even worse, no feedback at all can damage employees’ motivation. The Forbes article suggests that concrete positive reinforcement has to be continuous, while negative feedback has to be straightforward and provided sooner than later.
Empower teams and unleash their strengths
After several months of working remotely, some employees have honed the ability to collaborate and be successful virtually while others may still be struggling. During challenging times, some leaders immediately gravitate to a micro-management style. However, the Forbes article encourages leaders to empower employees instead.
Encouraging associates to set up goals and to be owners of their own work can empower and inspire employees to take a more active role in their decision making and ultimately their success. When leaders empower their employees, they will become sensors to help detect and independently deal with issues in the future more quickly than if you had to do it all by yourself.
A new leadership era
In the age of continuous evolution, as cited in the Forbes article, leaders need to learn new skills: “Connect with them and their purpose more intentionally. Attend more actively than ever to detect unforeseen issues. Respect and value their skills, their personal needs and also their differences. And last but not least, empower them to decide how to do their work remotely with less supervision. It is just the beginning of a new way of leading.”
It was a tale of two Washingtons, and a tale of two teams.
On July 23, two professional sports franchises launched significant branding announcements. One was a temporary rebrand of Washington, D.C.’s NFL franchise, the now-monikered “Washington Football Team,” for the 2020 football season. The other was the launch of Seattle’s new NHL team, the Seattle Kraken, which will debut in 2021.
Shortly after each announcement, feedback poured in from media members and sports fans across the internet. Below, we take a look at what was well received with these unveilings and where there may have been room for improvement.
The Seattle Kraken
Let’s start with the positive. After nearly two years of research, the NHL Seattle ownership group boldly moved forward and selected the Kraken – a mythical, tentacled sea-monster – as its team name and mascot. With the announcement, the group unveiled the Kraken’s branding, logo and story behind the name.
It was a daring and risky move, although, for the most part, the Kraken name was warmly received. A Seattle Times poll showed 61% of respondents loved the name. NBC Sports Washington and SB Nation each published glowing reviews. There were detractors, as some felt the mythical creature didn’t provide strong ties to the Pacific Northwest. Seattle Times columnist Larry Stone admitted he didn’t care for the name, though added he loves the logo, color scheme and uniforms.
However, there was a thorough process behind the name selection, which is what warrants the most praise. The NHL Seattle group solicited input from its 32,000 fans, conducting 50 “listening sessions” and sifting through more than 1,200 potential names. In addition, the name was selected with a sense of place in mind. Seattle has a maritime history, and the Kraken brand aims to “honor the Puget Sound waters.” The primary “S” logo that will adorn the Kraken jersey serves as tribute to Seattle’s last professional hockey team, the Seattle Metropolitans.
The NHL Seattle group certainly went big and bold in naming the 32nd NHL franchise with a moniker that is nautical and captures a mystique. The name is undoubtedly unique and interesting, and many Seattle fans eagerly await the day to jubilantly shout “RELEASE THE KRAKEN!” at home contests.
The Washington Football Team
Now for the challenging. The decisionmakers for the Washington Football Team had their work cut out for them for the rebrand of their franchise, formerly known as the Washington Redskins. For years, there were calls from Native American groups and community members for the team to change its nickname, citing racist undertones. But it wasn’t until several key sponsors – including FedEx, PepsiCo, Bank of America and Nike – recently requested the team change its name or they would pull sponsorship that a branding change materialized. Following these developments, the response was swift and a temporary rebrand was announced, with a permanent rebrand expected to follow.
The rebrand as the Washington Football Team was met with approval by many longtime critics. The Washington Post reported several politicians who had criticized the prior nickname voiced their support of the change, as did the advocacy group Rebrand Washington Football. Many fans on social media, however, were less than enthused, with some calling the interim name “rushed and generic.” An opportunity may have been missed, as sportswriter Frank Isola commented on Twitter, by not adopting the moniker “Washington F.C.”
It’s certainly an unenviable position to be in, with no shortage of critics. Fortunately, fans can look forward to the permanent rebrand of Washington’s Football Team, and there are models for what works in naming a franchise and appeasing a fanbase. We can only wait to see how the permanent branding process unfolds. Until then, those of us in Seattle will eagerly await to “Release the Kraken!”
On the heels of LGBTQ+ Pride Month and amid the continuing Black Lives Matter movement, it is important to take a look into the power our language has to either include or exclude others. Understanding and using inclusive language is essential to creating spaces that support a more diverse workforce. Inclusive language better recognizes humanity and respect for our colleagues and allows them to bring their full authentic selves to the workplace.
In her article, “How to Use & Promote Inclusive Language at Your Organization,” Caroline Forsey, a staff writer for HubSpot’s marketing blog, defines inclusive language as language that “avoids biases, slang, or expressions that discriminate against groups of people based on race, gender, or socioeconomic status. Inclusive language allows you to resonate with more audiences by speaking and writing in more impartial ways.”
Often our implicit biases enter the workplace and manifest in the ways that we talk about people. Learning about inclusive language shines a light onto these biases as we learn the ways that our language creates a barrier to the success of others.
Here are five ways you can make your language more inclusive:
- Refer to a theoretical person as “they” instead of “he” or “she” – This is a best practice to begin to disassociate gender from traditionally gendered professions such as doctors and engineers. In addition, this is particularly important when speaking to colleagues about their romantic partners to avoid assuming their sexuality.
- Ask individuals for their pronouns to avoid guessing – Misgendering, or placing the incorrect gender on a colleague, can make the workplace feel like a hostile environment. Asking everyone, including cisgender people (whose gender identity matches their sex assigned at birth), to share their pronouns helps to create a more welcoming space for non-cisgender coworkers.
- Use people first language – People first language addresses the humanity of an individual before the other qualities about them. Examples of people first language are, “people with autism,” “people experiencing homelessness” and “people of color.” “People should be referred to as people as often as possible,” says Cristi Hegranes.
- Stop using mental illness as an adjective – Mental health should be regarded seriously, and not downplayed as a descriptor for weather that changes rapidly or the urge you have to clean everything in your office. Applying mental health in this way trivializes these diseases.
- Do not tell women and non-white coworkers they are “well-spoken” or “articulate” – While you may be impressed with their job performance or public speaking abilities, these adjectives perpetuate misogynistic and racist stereotypes of these colleagues as less educated than white men.
As we move to make changes in the ways we address and talk about others, it is important to recognize missteps and act to quickly correct them. This list of five changes to language only scratches the surface on the ways we can make our language more inclusive to people of different identities.