Pit Sweat
I spent Thursday and Friday in Tampa at a Marketing Summit. It was incredibly awesome finally putting faces to all the names I see every day on emails. There's a bunch of change happening and reorgs going on; the summit was a cross between a brainstorm and a wishlist. Basically, if there's something you've always wanted for Marketing... say it now, or forever hold your peace.
They've brought in a consultant to be our acting Marketing BigBoss, whose number one goal is to usher us through change. We complained, he listened, and hopefully he'll be the voice in corporate that us pee-ons need.
The saddest part of the whole two days is that the HR person who they brought along to help us with the reorg, openly admitted that they can't hire people with the experience, education, and talent that we need for the amount of money that our company is willing to pay. It was partly validating.
In my talks with my boss negotiating my raise here recently I told her that I was being compensated below industry standard. And that even though she had already given me $5k more a year, I needed another $5k to be even close to the lower end of the spectrum. Note that I got the extra $5k ($10k total raise), but we all know that I could go some place else and make more.
Anyway, at the end of the summit there was an optional high-impact writing class that we could stay and take, which majority did. It was in this class that I accomplished my greatest feat yet --- I make the BigBoss' pits sweat.
We went through the basics of high-impact writing and then had an assignment to write a memo to our boss persuading him to adapt a new dress code. We were to assume that management had been discussing a change and that the memo would be our recommendations.
He gave us 45 minutes to write, and then started putting people's memos up on the projector screen (we all had laptops) to critique. The only rule was that you couldn't defend yourself.
He gave us the basic outline of a memo -- intro, background, recommendations, blahblah -- and said go. Then he took 3 or 4 volunteers to show. After they were finished, he called on me to put mine up there. No clue why me, but I suspect it was because I was so adamently quoting style guide and basic grammar rules when people started debating/critiquing others.
After reading my memo he stared at me big eyed and then said, "WOW!!" That felt good. The room agreed that I could write (well duh! hehe); it was reassuring. He said that the assignment was to be sure to hit your boss in the face, and that mine felt like he'd been in dryer with a dumbbells. He had no critiques to give me aside to add a couple of bullet points to break it up a bit. And that I could probably soften it up a bit considering it was going to my boss --- but that's known weakness of mine. I don't care that someone is my boss. If I've got a point, I'm going to make it like we're equals.
So yeah, I can't tell you how that good felt. To be sitting in a room with my peers and have everyone go, "Hot damn. This girl is good." --- Or as the BigBoss said, "My pits are sweating!! Seriously! I'm pitting out over here."
I dunno, it was just so incredibly validating. I feel good.
If anyone's curious, here's my dress code memo heh. And for the record, hell no do I want to wear formal business attire lol.
The dress code requires immediate attention. Management must revise the policy to include more formal protocols.
PCMarketing enjoys a relaxed corporate culture, but industry changes demand an updated look.
Given the industry restructuring, there is tremendous need to exhibit improved professionalism in the dress code.
Casual dress is no longer appropriate. Male employees will appear more proficient in business suits of muted colors and black or brown shoes. Concurrently, a business suit (pant or skirt), high heels, and panty hose will elevate the professionalism of our female staff.
Creating a new dress code is not enough, however; it also has to be enforced. Without buy-in from upper management and direct consequences for offenders, all implemented changes will fall flat.
Employees who dress better, work harder. Research has shown that changing from casual clothing to a business formal dress code can improve profitability by nearly 20 percent. Further, study groups report an increased willingness to trust someone dressed professionally. As an organization specializing in face-to-face sales, trust is everything.
As this company transforms from a local specialty to a global giant, our employees and corporate culture must change with it. PCM is rapidly exploring foreign clients who equate conservatism with competency. Ultimately, by implementing an immediate change, PCM will present a stronger face to new clientele and further gain more market share.
With the international summit in two weeks, management must inform employees of dress code changes as soon as possible. A swift change in policy, backed by upper-level support, is the only way this company can succeed in today’s marketplace.
-K-
They've brought in a consultant to be our acting Marketing BigBoss, whose number one goal is to usher us through change. We complained, he listened, and hopefully he'll be the voice in corporate that us pee-ons need.
The saddest part of the whole two days is that the HR person who they brought along to help us with the reorg, openly admitted that they can't hire people with the experience, education, and talent that we need for the amount of money that our company is willing to pay. It was partly validating.
In my talks with my boss negotiating my raise here recently I told her that I was being compensated below industry standard. And that even though she had already given me $5k more a year, I needed another $5k to be even close to the lower end of the spectrum. Note that I got the extra $5k ($10k total raise), but we all know that I could go some place else and make more.
Anyway, at the end of the summit there was an optional high-impact writing class that we could stay and take, which majority did. It was in this class that I accomplished my greatest feat yet --- I make the BigBoss' pits sweat.
We went through the basics of high-impact writing and then had an assignment to write a memo to our boss persuading him to adapt a new dress code. We were to assume that management had been discussing a change and that the memo would be our recommendations.
He gave us 45 minutes to write, and then started putting people's memos up on the projector screen (we all had laptops) to critique. The only rule was that you couldn't defend yourself.
He gave us the basic outline of a memo -- intro, background, recommendations, blahblah -- and said go. Then he took 3 or 4 volunteers to show. After they were finished, he called on me to put mine up there. No clue why me, but I suspect it was because I was so adamently quoting style guide and basic grammar rules when people started debating/critiquing others.
After reading my memo he stared at me big eyed and then said, "WOW!!" That felt good. The room agreed that I could write (well duh! hehe); it was reassuring. He said that the assignment was to be sure to hit your boss in the face, and that mine felt like he'd been in dryer with a dumbbells. He had no critiques to give me aside to add a couple of bullet points to break it up a bit. And that I could probably soften it up a bit considering it was going to my boss --- but that's known weakness of mine. I don't care that someone is my boss. If I've got a point, I'm going to make it like we're equals.
So yeah, I can't tell you how that good felt. To be sitting in a room with my peers and have everyone go, "Hot damn. This girl is good." --- Or as the BigBoss said, "My pits are sweating!! Seriously! I'm pitting out over here."
I dunno, it was just so incredibly validating. I feel good.
If anyone's curious, here's my dress code memo heh. And for the record, hell no do I want to wear formal business attire lol.
The dress code requires immediate attention. Management must revise the policy to include more formal protocols.
PCMarketing enjoys a relaxed corporate culture, but industry changes demand an updated look.
Given the industry restructuring, there is tremendous need to exhibit improved professionalism in the dress code.
Casual dress is no longer appropriate. Male employees will appear more proficient in business suits of muted colors and black or brown shoes. Concurrently, a business suit (pant or skirt), high heels, and panty hose will elevate the professionalism of our female staff.
Creating a new dress code is not enough, however; it also has to be enforced. Without buy-in from upper management and direct consequences for offenders, all implemented changes will fall flat.
Employees who dress better, work harder. Research has shown that changing from casual clothing to a business formal dress code can improve profitability by nearly 20 percent. Further, study groups report an increased willingness to trust someone dressed professionally. As an organization specializing in face-to-face sales, trust is everything.
As this company transforms from a local specialty to a global giant, our employees and corporate culture must change with it. PCM is rapidly exploring foreign clients who equate conservatism with competency. Ultimately, by implementing an immediate change, PCM will present a stronger face to new clientele and further gain more market share.
With the international summit in two weeks, management must inform employees of dress code changes as soon as possible. A swift change in policy, backed by upper-level support, is the only way this company can succeed in today’s marketplace.
-K-