Unlimited PTO

Unlimited PTO

Unlimited PTO seems like a great idea, and if it is, in fact, Unlimited, it is. I have a slightly cynical view on this topic because Unlimited PTO was a solution to the Business problem of carrying over PTO on a balance sheet. And, studies have shown that it’s resulted in less time off for employees. In short, the idea was not born out of the employees’ needs and has not benefited them. It does have potential, however. If you are a manager or leader, you must ensure your team takes time off (for their mental health). If you are an individual contributor, it is your responsibility to take time off. For both parties, it is best to be clear on what that looks like and how the work gets done to make it happen.

Learning: If you are interviewing for a new job and the company offers “Unlimited PTO,” it’s worth a moment for you to ask what the average person in your role would take. If the answer is “Unlimited,” then you move on as you are asking for easily quantifiable data. If you have a current job, plan out your time at the beginning of the year and discuss it with your manager.

References and Resources

Unlimited vacation seems like a dream. Here’s why it’s not as great as it sounds by Jo Constantz and Bloomberg; Type: Article

Avoid the Hidden Costs of Unused Paid Time Off by Ian Cook/Visier; Type: Article

Does this resonate with you? What are your thoughts on “Unlimited PTO”? We’d love to hear from you.

Make Sales, Not War

Make Sales, Not War

Have you ever noticed how violent the language in Sales is? Kevin murdered it…just killed it this quarter. We’re going to annihilate the competition. And so on. Such violent rhetoric has been around for a while, and not just in sales – in 2011, Steve Jobs declared a “holy war” against Google. In the 90s, the Big Consulting firms recruited like this: “We hire two kinds of people — hunters and skinners. Hunters bring in the kill, and skinners turn the kill into food.” We can change. We should take a stab at change. Don’t you think?

Learning: Competition is healthy, as is a desire to win, but do we really have to kill each other to ensure market dominance? We are talking about Marketing technology, NOT a Tom Clancy novel.

References and Resources

The Violence in Your Business Language Diminishes You and Your Company from Moshe Engelberg/Inc; Type: Article

New study reveals the powerful and bizarre effects of using violent rhetoric at work from JD Harrison/Washington Post; Type: Article

Does this resonate with you? Have you seen any change in Sales language away from violence? We’d love to hear from you.

No, No, Not Your Baby

No, No, Not Your Baby

“Your Baby is Ugly” is an unbelievably strange business phrase that essentially means, “Your tool or application that you are so proud of is pretty bad.” It’s a strange one. What makes it even stranger is that it’s really only used in the context of someone proudly showcasing their ability to make the hard choices, as in, “I’m not afraid to call our baby ugly.”

Learning: Can we all agree that Babies should be off-limits to business jargon? Especially if bathwater is involved or it involves a baby’s qualitative features. Some business jargon is better than others but try (please) to avoid this one.

References and Resources

Calling Their Baby “Ugly” by Operational Excellence Society; Type: Article

Does this resonate with you? Have you ever heard someone actually use this phrase? If so, we’d love to hear from you.

Focus Is Every…

Focus Is Every…

There is a lot of noise in the working world. Managing the onslaught, from Slack to Teams to Email to Texts to everything else, is critical. Below are three ways to control the noise and boost productivity.

  • Time Blocking: Set aside two times daily for updates and reprioritize.
  • Turn off notifications to limit distractions.
  • Focus on essential tasks first.

Learning: Distractions block your quality and productivity – Limit them and control them (as best you can).

Have you figured out how to manage the noise? If so, we’d love to hear from you.

Moments Before the Big Meeting

Moments Before the Big Meeting

Murphy’s Law is like that ex-boyfriend who appears out of nowhere at your most vulnerable moments at work: the moments before big presentations, conference calls, deadlines, and interviews. Chad just pops up in those moments and cooly says, “Hey!” Don’t blame Chad; it’s Murphy’s Law – what can go wrong will go wrong.

Learning: Be kind to yourself if something goes wrong in a key moment. It happens so often that it has a name – Murphy’s Law.

Does this resonate with you? Have you ever experienced Murphy’s Law? We’d love to hear from you.

The Invisible Truth

The Invisible Truth

“Transparent” has recently been used interchangeably with “authentic.” I think it’s an odd one because no leader is going to be “transparent.” They should share ‘the why’ for any critical business decision, but no one should expect any leader to share everything.

Learning: When change comes, it’s natural to want more information, but if your leader or boss is giving you ‘the why’ of a business decision, that’s the best place to start. Aiming for “full transparency” is often just a delay tactic. If you are a leader, there is much more to an authentic leader who builds trust and credibility than being “transparent.”

Does this resonate with you? What are your expectations of Leadership in sharing key business decisions? We’d love to hear from you.