Hello, My Name Is Terrible

At the beginning of each month I run the numbers for the previous month's performance. Each month since I started the numbers have improved over the prior month... each month that is, until March. In March the numbers were below what was expected and below what I would consider acceptable. I wasn't sure what to do- this had never happened before. If you ever run into this situation I would advise that you review the following:

1. The Excel formulas themselves to make sure nothing got corrupted
2. Historical data to account for any normal seasonal fluctuations
3. Whether there are any company efforts that could have had a direct impact (marketing efforts, promotions, etc.)
4. What sort of external factors could have acted to shape the numbers 
5. Whether the reporting structure changed from the previous reporting period

But even after I checked all of those potential sources I still couldn't explain the numbers. So instead of trying to hide them and hoping no one noticed, I brought them to the forefront and I explained honestly that I did not know what was affecting the numbers. Usually I send the data to my manager and let her ask any questions she may have or give any feedback she deems necessary, but this month I felt it important to be proactive. I emailed her immediately and attached the spreadsheet. I explained that the numbers were lower than expected and that I was very disappointed and I asked to meet with her first thing the following day so we could try to figure out what happened and what our plan was going to be moving forward. She appreciated my directness and proactive response, and after meeting the following morning we quickly had a new plan in place to point us back in the right direction.

In case you ever find yourself in one of those meetings here's a list of things you'll want to have:

• Ideas
  You may not know definitively what is affecting the numbers but do you have any ideas of what the cause might be? If so bring them! Make sure you state them as "potential causes" or "possible reasons" and then present them to someone higher than you. Often times he/she will have a broader view of the picture and can help determine if any of those scenarios could be the culprit.
• Historical Data
  Data doesn't mean much if you have nothing to compare it to. By providing historical data you can provide scope. Should this have been your best month out of the year and you absolutely tanked, or should it have been an average month and you're just in a bit of a slump? Historical numbers will provide perspective.
• Plenty of Paper or a Fully Charged Laptop Battery
  Get ready to take notes. Write down everything. Seem engaged and actually BE engaged. This problem is not going to fix itself. Hopefully after some good brainstorming you'll have direction to help reverse the downturn.

In case you're wondering what the cause was, we set sales records for other services that we offer that same month, and our sales team is not unlimited. But this is not information that I would have known if I hadn't brought it to my manager.

If you've had a similar experience, feel free to share it!

Enter The Noob

Recently two new full time employees and a part-time intern joined our team. That's sort of huge because prior to this our team was a three person team. So essentially our team just doubled in size. Knowing that all these new people were starting was terrifying to me.

I don't like that in-between time after a candidate has accepted a job offer but before they've actually started because I'm always racked with anxiety. I find myself asking what will he/she be like? Will we get along? How will this affect my job duties? How will the team dynamics change? etc. All of these questions cause dread to build and build as I run through worst case scenarios in my head, so that when the new person starts I'm less than thrilled for him/her to actually be there and I think it shows. As a result, I'm going out of my way to be much friendlier and more welcoming. How? Here are some simple tips to help you out:

1. Go To Lunch
   Taking new people to lunch is very welcoming because it gives you the chance to break bread with them and get to know them personally! It's a gesture they'll really appreciate and never forget.
2. Ask Questions (And Actually Listen to the Answers!!)
   It's great to ask questions about people to engage them and make them feel like you care, but you're likely going to be spending a lot of time with these new coworkers so it's important to make them a priority. Think about it, you're going to be spending 40 hours with these people a week- you're practically in a serious relationship with them. Listen like you would on a first date!
3. Explain The Law of The Land
   Any workplace has politics and unspoken etiquette. Don't let the new people learn these the hard way. Obviously you don't need explain things that are common sense but if there are some quirky things about your office make sure to warn your new coworkers. For example, at our office there are a ton of matching mugs. A new person might think that those are for general use, when in reality each employee was issued a matching mug. Take someone else's mug and you could be in big trouble. Some mugs people have labeled with their names, and other mugs people have just memorized incredibly subtle differences so that they'll know which ones is thiers.
4. Be An Includer
   Explain inside jokes to new coworkers and make sure that you invite them to team events and meetings. Because they just started, new coworkers likely will not have weekly team meetings or special outings programmed on their calendars. Invite them ahead of time so that it doesn't look like you forgot about them when you're all running off something without them.
5. Set Them Up to Succeed
   Give new employees whatever training documents or helpful resources you have. If they are going to be sharing in completing tasks or projects with you make sure that they have all of the elements that they need in order to contribute. This also applies to knowledge! Give new employees the verbal explanations and support that they need to get the job done. 

 The sooner you can assimilate new employees into your workplace the better off your team will be. Going out of your way to get things off on the right foot initially will make the process smoother and more pleasurable for all parties involved; and... you might end up really liking them!

Win The Gold

During the Olympics my husband and I have been watching an insane amount of Olympics coverage. Being from the Northeast and growing up around these sports, we have a special fondness in our hearts for the Winter Olympics in general. One thing that struck me about this year's coverage of ski jumping was that the announcers kept reiterating that ski jumping as a sport is not particularly difficult to master physically- it is a sport featured around one simple movement. What makes ski jumping challenging and sets amateurs apart from the pros is the timing of that movement, and the strength with which it's held in the air. They explained, that the art of ski jumping is knowing when to lay out over your skis, and convincing your mind to stay there when everything inside you is telling you that you shouldn't be doing that. You are, after all, essentially jumping off a three story building chest-first to a steep snowy landing below. Convince your mind that that's totally normal and safe, and you're on your way to winning Olympic gold.

Sometimes work is like this. Sure, work is a heck of a lot safer, but there are times when your mind seems to be chanting "This doesn't matter" or "Focus on something else" or "Nothing could be more boring than this." I don't care how much you love your job, inevitably at some point you will find yourself wondering if you're making a difference, unable to focus, or trying to complete an annoyingly mundane task. (Note: If this describes the majority of your job maybe you should think about a career/job change, but for the rest of us this will happen from time to time.) It's times like this that set the regular employees (the amateurs) apart from the stellar employees (the Olympic gold medalists). Right, but how do you convince your mind that it's wrong? Just like athletes have different techniques, so too do employees. I tend to use the following tricks (the overall concepts are universal, and the examples are job-specific):

1. Break Big Tasks Into Smaller To-Dos
   
   I feel accomplished when I can cross something off, even if it's something small. I would rather have 8 small/medium-sized tasks on my to-do list than three big ones. So if I have a few major things I need to do I will spell the steps out and let myself cross them off as I go. This also helps you to think through the task and better budget your time throughout the day.
2. Look at the Bigger Picture
   Sometimes if I'm fiddling with small keyword bid changes I can get stuck in the "Does this 10 cents really matter?" trap. By aggregating that and looking at the bigger picture I can remind myself that it does matter to the company at the end of the day. If we can save 10 cents on 100 keywords, that's $10/day, or $3,650/year- on just ONE account. Sure, no one cares about $0.10, but $3,650? Now you're talking!
3. Rely on The Industry
   
   Sometimes it's easy to let yourself get away with doing less work. In my case, that would be something like "This account is small enough that match type and strength of long-tail keywords don't matter much." But, is that true or just what my mind is telling me so I can do less work? Look to the industry's opinions- industry standards would say that both match-type and long-tails are very important. Then you'll have your answer!

So get out there, conquer your mind, and win gold at work! What tricks do you use?