Five Smart Tech Gadgets for the Home Office

Is your home office in the 21^st century?  Are you utilizing “smart technology” to make your home office smarter, safer, and more efficient? These five gadgets are worth looking into:

1.     Video doorbell.
A motion activated video doorbell enables you to see and even speak with visitors at your door—from anywhere. So even if you’re working at the coffee shop or on the beach—you can see—via the app—who is at your door.  When the “no solicitation” signs don’t work, and your day is constantly interrupted, this gadget is a must have.

2.     Smart Speakers

Certainly not new, smart speakers use wifi to sync with your electronics allowing you to use voice commands like play music, turn off lights, or even make the coffee.  Now if they could only make your lunch too!

3.     Smart Light Bulb

By no means a new concept, these $10 bulbs are dimmable and wifi-enabled. These LED light bulbs allow you to adjust your lighting from the app—or even from your smart speakers.  Great for when you don’t want to walk into a dark home at night.

4.    Smart Plug

This wifi enabled adapter allows you to shut off appliances—like your coffeemaker—remotely. No more burnt coffee.

5.    Remote Thermostat

Devices like Nest learn the climate of your home and adjust accordingly. If you’re like me and adjusting to AC, this is a must have.

What are your fav smart tech gadgets for the home office?

The remote work hiring process

Remote work is becoming mainstream. The benefits of remote work range from no commute (hello Angelenos!), to increased productivity, to happier and healthier workers, to flexibility and more. But what does the remote work hiring process actually look like? I spoke with Zach Montroy, Director of People & Team Strategy with Summit CPA Group about the remote work hiring process, and here’s what he had to say:

Andrea: What does the remote work hiring process look like? Where do you start?

Zach: The hiring process actually looks very similar to a brick-and-mortar company process. However, being a distributed firm allows us to be more agile in the process and we’re able to expand our possibilities. For example, we have the opportunity to recruit talent from anywhere in the USA, and we don’t have the added costs of relocation. The way we advertise for the job is different as well. We target a variety of markets and home in on areas of expertise by tapping into platforms such as LinkedIn, Indeed, Virtual Vocations, and FlexJobs.

 Andrea: Do you interview candidates remotely as well?

Zach: We do. Our team is in front of a screen interacting with colleagues and clients every day, so it’s a perfect filter. It’s important to see how candidates interact with the camera, and also how they handle the technology. We utilize the power of our team in every step asking candidates about their professional journey, how they live out our core values, what their core values are, and we test for things like emotional intelligence and job skills. For our Virtual CFOs, we do interviews in person as well.

Andrea: How does culture fit into the hiring process?

Zach: We take our core values very seriously and we work to live them out daily. We ask our candidates examples of how they live out our core values and what they look like to them. We’re “changing the way people think about accounting”– it’s at the core of who we are, and we need to ensure the candidates’ values align with Summit CPA Group. Studies have found that Emotional Intelligence accounts for 60% of job success so we test for that in our process as well. Emotional intelligence testing gives us a good sense of how the candidate will interact with others and how their emotions play into, and help manage, relationships.

Andrea: Do you require candidates to perform test projects?

Zach: We use case studies as a way to assess past performance and knowledge around the job. We ask candidates how they would approach situations. This allows us to see first-hand how the candidate will likely function in the environment.

 Andrea: What is the biggest challenge of hiring remotely?

Zach: If you had told me 10 years ago that I’d be hiring people without ever meeting them in person, I would have called you crazy. I think there is value in spending extended lengths of time with a candidate, but that can be done virtually as well. Spending an entire day with a candidate is really telling. Anyone can be in character for an hour or two, but throughout a day, you really see their personality and how they handle different situations. You lose a bit of that aspect with remote hiring, but we’ve really tried to compensate for this in our process to make sure we’re getting the right people on the bus and getting them in the right seats quickly.

Andrea: What’s the biggest opportunity of hiring remote workers?

Zach: Being able to pull from a larger geographic area. I can find the best of the best when I don’t have any geographic limitations. Remote work opens up opportunity for people with expertise who have “traditional work hour” limitations. We’re also helping people get their lives back. When we lived in Chicago, my wife commuted 3 hours each day. That was 15 hours of her week, GONE. It also helps team members be more efficient, I’m able to collaborate and be social, but working remotely allows our team members to focus when they need that space as well.

Andrea: What qualities do you see in remote workers?

Zach: Grit, resilience, adaptability, strong work ethic, integrity. The tech tools we use as a remote company are always changing, and at Summit CPA Group we are always embracing new technology. Our team must be comfortable with technology and with change. Self-discipline is huge. As a remote worker you must be able to shut it off. No one is going to show up with their best self if they are working 24/7.

How Remote Workers Can Minimize Distractions

This article was published on yonder.io on December 6, 2018.

Working from home allows tremendous flexibility and is a total work life balance game changer. It does, however, come with a few challenges. Distractions ranks pretty high on that list.

Minimizing distraction starts with setting boundaries for yourself and for your family and friends. While you might have flexibility with your working hours, it’s important to set dedicated work hours and communicate those hours to your internal team, clients, family and friends.  Stick to those hours—if not you will find yourself working 24/7 and getting burned out… or not working at all and not having a job.

I’ve found that having dedicated office space in my home is helpful in setting boundaries as well. When I’m in that area of my home, I’m working. The door is usually closed, as this signals to my family that I’m unavailable. They know that when the door is closed, they need to knock (or just leave me alone.) I often only close the door to focus when I’m on a call or deep in numbers or writing. Other times, I’ll leave it open, and my family knows I’m open for a break.

Taking breaks is key. If you are finding yourself becoming distracted, you may just need a break. A break can mean walking to the kitchen for a coffee, or wandering outside to get the mail, or taking a 15-minute stroll around the neighborhood. Whatever works for you is what matters. Take a real break for lunch. Do not eat lunch at your desk. Take snack breaks. Take water breaks.

Oftentimes, I hit the local coffee shop or the beach to work. A change of scenery is what I need to refocus and jump start my creativity. When I’m at home, I easily get distracted by household chores. Getting out of my home often helps me to focus on work and only work. Calendaring helps also.

I have a master calendar that reflects my life—it includes both work and personal. I have time blocked off to drop off/pick up my daughter at Montessori School, go to doctors appointments, and attend meetings. I even block gym time, lunch time, and break times. I live by my calendar, and those little ding dong reminders keep me on track and distraction-free.

Since I do work from home, I regularly receive FedEx and UPS deliveries that I must sign, however, the added distractions of sales people knocking and interrupting my work day became too much. I invested in an inexpensive “No Solicitation” sign for my front door, and now if I hear a knock, I know I need to answer it.

There’s a lot of construction happening in my neighborhood currently, and that means loud noise. I’m thankful that I invested in a pair of good wireless headphones not only for the video calls, but to block out noise when I need silence to concentrate.

It’s hard to concentrate when you have a cluttered desk. Knick-knacks, receipts, junk mail, Post-It notes, and bills on your desk are total distractions. Take a few minutes each evening before you sign off for the day to clean, straighten, and organize your desk. Simply clearing away the clutter from the day will help you end your day and separate work time from “going home” time. You’ll also feel great when you log on the next morning, and you have a neat and orderly clean slate in which to start.

I usually start my day reviewing my to-do list for the day and my calendar. Knowing how my day looks and what I need to accomplish helps me focus and minimize distractions. I schedule out the tasks that need to be completed for the day around my standing appointments. My work is deadline heavy. There’s always a hotel contract due, a client byline due, award submission or speaking engagement deadline, or a timely social media post. I always start with those deadline sensitive deliverables and go from there. If there are a few admin or “mindless” tasks, I’ll knock them out of the way first –it always feels good to cross off a few line items straight away. What’s your best advice or tip for overcoming distractions when you work from home? Tweet us @acannistraci to share your tips!

Straight from the horse's mouth

If you hear something “(straight) from the horse's mouth", you hear it from the person who has direct personal knowledge of it.  Your customers are the best source of trust and enthusiasm in your brand, products, services. Does your marketing toolbox include testimonials? It should.

Correctly using testimonials is an art. Too fake and fluffy—you run the risk of not being taken seriously. Prospects can see straight through fake testimonials. Also, a short and sweet testimonial (such as, “I love this service!”) recommends your brand, but doesn’t say much else as to why potential customers should choose your brand. Ask your customers to elaborate on why they love your brand, and what sets your brand apart. 

Request that your best customers provide testimonials with details that definitively describe key and unique benefits of your brand. Customers should focus on addressing a pain points that your services resolve. Testimonials should answer the question of why someone should use your brand.

What are your best tips for curating testimonials?

The Bottom Line On Professional Courtesy

It’s 2018 and the business world is constantly changing. People no longer walk around the office and talk to colleagues (many companies are distributed and workers are remote), and communication has become impersonal and technology-driven.

In my observation, people do not return messages in a timely manner (if ever), they send endless emails to communicate, and sometimes they become crickets. Professional courtesy seems to have fallen by the wayside. To see whether you have strayed from the basics professional courtesies, answer these five questions:

1. Are you reachable?

2. Do you welcome in-person visits with partners (or video chats if remote)?

3. Do you use the telephone/video chat to call people?

4. Do you answer the phone/video chat when it rings?

5. Do you return voicemails, Slacks, texts, email messages within 24 hours?

What’s your biggest professional courtesy pet peeve?

4 reasons you should NOT outsource your event to your office manager

Do you think outsourcing your event and meeting planning to your office manger, virtual assistant, or executive assistant will save you a whole lot of time and hassle? Think again.  Likely your office manager will likely be “winging it.” She doesn’t know the ins and outs of the meeting planning world. You will end up spending more time, paying more money, and be more involved than you really ever cared to be. 

Sadly, in many small and medium businesses the task of planning the company retreat or board meeting or conference is often assigned to office managers, receptionists, VAs and even sales professionals. This is a huge mistake as you are pulling their time, concentration and energy away from performing their own set of important tasks. Plus, you are creating a level of expectation and responsibility that, in all fairness, does not live under the scope of their job description. Contrary to popular belief, everyone is not a meeting professional.

A meeting professional knows what to do and what not to do and is 100% focused on your meeting or event. Professional meeting planners are masters of juggling details, people and priorities. They don’t get frazzled. They just go on with the show!

Still not convinced?  Here are four reasons to hire a professional:

1.    Office managers do not have supplier relationships.
Professional meeting planners have built deep relationships with suppliers. Once you tell your planner the basic essentials like goals, date, budget, number of people, she can get to work straight away for you. And I really do mean straight away. With just the minimum parameters, she’ll be able to rattle off at least a half dozens perfect hidden gems that she will send RFPs. She’ll spend minimal time researching because she knows the properties. And, did you know that most site selection services are complimentary. So you won’t be paying a dime to hire a professional planner to source and negotiate the perfect venue, for a great rate.

2.    Office managers do not know the intricacies of destinations.
Professional meeting planners know that if you want to your event in Napa, for example, you best stay away from the month of October. All suppliers have windows they need to fill, and a professional planner will find those windows and negotiate the best rates, concessions, and deliver you a cost savings report. (all complimentary, btw) A professional planner also likely has relationships with third-party vendors in most major cities, and can leverage those relationships to get you the best bang for your buck. The work closely with CVBs to review the calendar so to avoid such conflicts as city-wides.

3.    Office managers do not know the questions to ask.
You don’t know what you don’t know. Negotiating contracts is a very important part of meeting planning. Your office manager probably doesn’t know what attrition is or to ask for more than 10%. Professional meeting planners know all the questions to ask and to be sure certain clauses are included in the contract. These clauses are things as a CEO you aren’t even aware of or thinking about.

4.    Office managers are not meeting planners.
Did you know that the position of meeting planner made the Forbes list for the top 5 most stressful jobs in 2017? Meeting planning requires expertise in communications, preparation, management, logistics, marketing and crisis management too. Because, with events, last-minute problems and emergencies happen — all the time. A professional meeting planner does more than plan your event or meeting—she focuses on the branding, marketing, reputation and future success of your business.

Meeting planning is one of the most stressful jobs around, however, professional meeting planners know how to handle the stress — and deliver memorable experiences. Dumping that degree of stress onto an individual not equipped to handle it with grace under fire is simply bad for your event or meeting — and quite frankly, bad for your business.

    

My Marketing Arsenal: The Personality Profile

Using a DISC Personality Profile for marketing is one of the strongest tools in my arsenal. Knowing my personality type and that of my clients and colleagues helps me work more effectively. So much so, that I often recommend that clients implement the simple test as part of their team building.

Have you ever noticed that your thinking style, interests, and behavorial traits are different from your friends and colleagues? You may subconsciously interact differently with people based on their personality. You often, without thinking about it, customize your communications with people depending on how you know they process or work.

Everyone is different. As Mister Roger says, “You are special. There is no one else like you in the whole world.” Understanding your own thinking style as well as your colleagues is powerful –it will increase work productivity, teamwork, and communication. It can also help you to recognize and express gratitude.

A great venue to discover thinking styles is a company retreat.  Company retreats are often organized to help team members bond in a more relaxed, casual, non-work atmosphere. There are many do-it-yourself training and developmental tools on the market that you can simply implement into your retreat agenda. Or, you can go as far as hiring a professional facilitator to administer the tool, and provide deeper color around the results.

So what are the four personality types?
Dominance, Inducement, Submission, and Compliance.

I’m a “D” and the adjectives used to describe a “D” are pretty spot on for me.

D=challenge, winning, control, dominance, bottom line

I=Approval, popularity, excitement, enthusiasm, breaking new ground

S-Stability, traditions, acceptance, support, encouragement, collaboration

C=Precision, order, logic high standards, clear expectations, independence

At a recent clients’ company retreat I was able to see first hand the true power and insight that a tool like this provides.  After the event, I spoke with a few of the attendees to learn how they immediately improved interpersonal communications, connected more effectively with co-workers, and understood what they needed to be most effective.  The feedback speaks for itself:

Darnell: “I am a C. It was nice to know to why I was clashing with certain people. Some D's tend to rub me the wrong way and I feel like I left the retreat with a better understanding of why and adding a little more grace to those people who aren't even aware of how they come across to different personalities. For example: If Pam's words and actions feel a little pushy and overbearing., I can step back instead of immediately being defensive or taking it personally. I can remember that Pam is a D and accept that she more than likely means no ill will, it’s just her take charge type of personality.”

Kristel: “I'm a D.  It helps sometimes to understand why some people think and approach situations completely differently from how you approach things.  I think it just helps explain some reactions to situations. Andrew and I are both Ds and so we will "challenge" each other often on things and he is very pushy about it.  That is his "D" personality coming out.  I'm sure he would say the same about me.  Knowing he is that way, helps to put it all in perspective (I can think of since I"m a "D" too, how would I react to that situation/question).  On the flip side, James is an "I", so he is not pushy but he is much more effective in sales type situations.  I try to pay attention when he talks about how he presents things because I think the "I" side of him can present that type of information much more effectively than I can and since I have to try and sell also, I try to learn as much from him as I can.”

This client continues to reflect back on this exercise, and takes into consideration the four personality types when making large company-wise decisions. I often hear the disclaimer, “Well, how are the Cs going to react to this? What will the Ds have to say about that?” It’s great that they continue to keep the different behavioral traits in mind when making company decisions.

What’s your personality type?

The Wheels on the Bus

Ground transfers are part of most meeting and events. Whether you are transporting to/from airport and hotel, team building activities, or dinners—there are many opportunities to not only brand and communicate your message—but also to engage your attendees. It’s always great to have a cooler of bottled water on hand and a basket of snacks. If my client has the budget, I’ll brand the bottled water—or even suggest they go green and provide everyone a branded re-usable water bottle for later use. Snacks are good too! A variety of sweet, salty, and healthy is important. I try to source from local vendors and introduce my groups to unique and tasty snacks that are made in the area they are visiting.

You have your attendees’ full attention. They aren’t going anywhere while the bus is moving. How do you take advantage of that? How do you make it a memorable experience? These three interactive games work best for smaller groups (under 50 people) and really well for company retreats.

Who Bowled in a League with OutKast in Atlanta?

Ahead of your program, ask each attendee to provide three “secret” facts about themselves. On the bus drive, read the fun facts and have attendees guess who it is.  Attendees will not only get to know each other better, they may connect over similar interests.

I Got the 1981 Motley Crue Album. 
Ask attendees to bring an old CD or DVD that they no longer want/need. Collect all the items and redistribute on the bus ride.  It’s really fun to see peoples’ different music and movie preferences. You can even try to guess who “donated” your new gift.

I Love Your Purple Squirrel Hat!

Ask each attendee to bring a crazy hat. Do not define “crazy”—let them decide how they define “crazy.” Attendees can wear their crazy hats on the bus—it’s a great ice breaker and even better for photos once you get to where you are going!

How do you use ground transfers as a marketing opportunity?

Nobody is Too Busy; It's a Matter of Priority

We all have the time we need. We always have. We simply have to decide how we want to use it. I decided last fall that I wanted a new challenge for 2018. I wanted to transform my 43 year old post baby body. My daugher would be turning three in April, and I would be turning 44 in August. No time like the present!  As someone who already worked out four-five days a week, stayed active playing sports, ate relatively healthy, and meal prepped, I knew that I'd have to make drastic changes. I hired a coach. Not just a coach. I hired a seasoned figure competitor who has competed in over 13 competitions starting when she was 40.

On January 8, 2018 with 14 weeks out, I started an intense training program that put me in the gym twice a day: one session of cardio for 30-60 minutes a day, plus one 60+ minute weight lifting session a day. I also followed a very strict meal plan --weighing to the ounce my foods. I get bored fast with food, so this was a challenge. (There are only so many different spices for chicken, fish, and eggs.) I continued to meal plan and prep, cooking everything from scratch for myself and my two year old daughter. We only ate whole foods: fresh veggies and berries, bananas, egg white omelettes, chicken, fish, quinoa, brown rice, and once a week early on, I was allowed one RX Bar... the only pre-packaged food I ate (although they are 100% whole food protein). Towards the end, however, the carbs were cut, the fruit was cut. I was left with canned tuna fish--which actually excited me. 

What did I need to give up for this to happen?
Alcohol.
Chocolate.
Work/Personal Travel. (except for one short biz trip to NYC)
Eating out. (except on a few rare occasions, see above)

I continued to go out with friends, but I didn't eat or drink. It's a challenge to eat out when on a strict meal plan. All the money that I normally spent on eating out went towards protein shakes, supplements, vitamins, and grocery shopping. I was at the grocery store and fish market almost daily.

The result? After 14* weeks of training, I competed in my first National Figure Committee competition, dropping over 20 pounds, and losing 8% body fat -- without compromising other aspects of my life.

Oh, did I mention that during this time I was a single Mom, and an entrepreneur running a successful business?  Since all my family lives back on the East Coast, I had no help. *And for nearly two of those 14 weeks I was in bed (yes, actually in bed for 20 hours a day) with the flu--only up to take my daughter to/from school. 

So next time you say you're "too busy to make your own chocolate cake," remember this: We all have the same number of hours in the day. How do you choose to use yours?

"Every once in awhile we need to challenge ourselves; set crazy goals, and fulfill them. When you say you don’t have time to make a cake— I say we all have the same amount of time. What you chose to do in that time, is up to YOU". -- A.Cannistraci

Employee Spotlights: A Marketing Strategy for Effectively Engaging and Connecting (Part 1/5)

AUGUST EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT

Do you love your job? We spend 40+ hours working every week, it’s important to not only love what you do, but enjoy who you do it with. Collaboration with co-workers is crucial to drive business results. And when you have a good relationship with your co-workers, life—and work—is better.

If you work for a company that has over 50 employees, you might not know every person, because you may only interact with a few people. And, if you work for a distributed company, you don’t even have the option of “bumping into co-workers at the water cooler.”  You probably need that interaction the most. There are several strategies for effectively engaging and connecting employees, even if remote:

1.            Company Retreats

2.            All Company Meetings

3.            Social Hours

4.            Group Meals

5.            Employee Spotlights

Employee spotlights are engaging and a simple way to connect people at your company. People always want to hear about other people. It’s human nature. andgreat recently implemented a monthly employee spotlight with one of our distributed clients. Each month, a different team member is chosen. The key is to not choose the people everyone is already familiar—but to choose people that are newer to the company, or work in a department or areas that are not afforded much interaction.

Questions. Some of the questions can be light-hearted and fun, and others can relate back to the company and their specific role. This should be a fun exercise for the employee. A good number of questions is 8-10, as a few questions may be “passed” by the employee. Here are a few sample questions from which you can pull:

Are you messy or organized?

What is your role at the company?

Where is your favorite place to eat?

Where do you go to unplug?

Where did you work previous?

Interview. Conduct an in-person/video interview so you can get hear real time answers with more detail. We use the caricature headshots as the featured image. It’s fun to have a visual of who you are reading and it lends to a more consistent look over the Blog as well.

Publish. Publish the Spotlight on your company blog and promote via social media. Key: Don’t forget to promote to the internal team, i.e., the entire company. They too should be sharing it on social media, re-tweeting, liking, etc. Employees should be your biggest fans.

Repeat. Be sure you are asking employees to comment internally on Spotlights. Slack is a great tool for that. It’s important to release Spotlights on a regular schedule so you create a culture of anticipation and recognition. The first of the month is a good time.

We’ll dig deeper into the other above strategies in future posts, so check back often. We’d love to hear what are you doing to engage and connect employees.