Next Stage of my Career

As of June 1st, 2021, I’ll be working at Bellomy as Senior Research Manager.  They’re a Marketing Research company based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, although I’ll be remote from Kansas City.

I want to thank several of my past bosses:

• Randy Crabtree at Elrick & Lavidge
• Cathy Allin and Alex Sodek at Decision Insight
• Kim, AnnMarie, Tracy, Jim and Michelle at The Kansas City Star
• Andrea Rowan at excelerate

I want to thank all those that helped me to this point in my career but here are just a few:

• Marilyn Donatello at Maple Woods Community College who helped a high school senior explore careers … yes, I picked Marketing Research as my career while still in high school
• Dr. Steve Parker, my favorite professor and advisor while earning my Bachelor’s Degree at Missouri State University
• Dr. Greg Allenby, my professor (Multivariate Analysis for Decision Making) during my MBA at The Ohio State University
• the folks at USDA Forestry Services, Worlds of Fun and The Ohio State University Medical Center for providing me with some of my earliest experience as a marketing research professional
• Bill Hartel at Hallmark Cards who shared the wisdom “If you’re not selling, you better be supporting someone that is”
• Tony Berg at McClatchy who was more than a co-worker or boss; he has been a true friend for several years now
• Kim Nussbaum for helping me launch MCDC/McClatchy LIFT, Kim Woods for helping me roll it out to all of McClatchy and Isaac Hindle for doing LOTS of work behind the scenes to keep it running for 6 years
• Adam, Anna, Sally, Andy, Tekle, Ilea, Brian and many more with whom I had the privilege to work at excelerate research
• Carlos Pelay for great collaboration on creating the Automated Research Tool (ART) that helped us make the continuous workflow a little more manageable
• Francis Lopez for being the sole survivor within the McClatchy Research+Insights team
• Kim and Vana as we tackled “other duties as assigned” including projects like Food Truck Friday, United Way, and Project Warmth Kansas City

I’ve already had a great welcome from the folks at Bellomy and want to thank Carolyn for guiding me through the interview and onboarding process. I am truly excited as I’m starting this next stage of my career.

Create your own luck.

It’s St. Patrick’s Day and some might be looking for the Pot of Gold at the end of the rainbow or seeking the luck of the Irish. However, you often need to create your own luck. And sometimes, the best way to find your own path is by helping others.

If you see someone with a need and you can help, do so. Whether it’s something you can do yourself or it’s an introduction to a colleague, you can sometimes help someone can what they need to succeed..

If you’re in a leadership role, invest in your team and help them to thrive. Actually, even if you’re not in management, you can still strive to help others to succeed. Perhaps your skills would be of use to a nonprofit that could not otherwise afford to do that task; your assistance could result in them helping others in need. And sometimes the simple act of helping someone can impact your attitude and lead you to having greater confidence. Or it can help you to meet other like-minded individuals that want to make a difference in the world.

So, do you feel lucky? Start out by being someone’s lucky charm. It just might lead to good things for you as well.

Connect!

Do I know someone with whom you’d like a connection? Is there a company you’d like to learn about? Have we worked together and you’d like feedback or a reference?

Let me know! We might be remote but we can still connect and provide a helping hand, even if it’s a virtual one.

Be part of the solution rather than part of the problem. Be the one that restores someone’s hope in humanity. Be the change you want to see.

Make these phrases be more than just words!

Speak out … Say Something/Do Something

I’m going to be off work for a week so the time away might give me some perspective.  One area of focus is my words and works (actions) … what I say and do matters.

I don’t often speak out and I definitely keep my political views to myself.  While I’ll continue to keep my political views to myself (after all, I work for a media company and occasionally consult with our newsrooms on projects) it’s important to “speak out” for others.

For awhile now, we’ve been “attending” Church of the Resurrection online.  On Thursday, the theme verse of the day was Proverbs 31:8-9

8 Speak out on behalf of the voiceless,
and for the rights of all who are vulnerable.
9 Speak out in order to judge with righteousness
and to defend the needy and the poor.

I thought this was a pretty fitting verse for these times.   Last Sunday, COR had a guest preacher. While Senior Pastor Adam Hamilton was a part of the service, he welcomed the Rev. Emanuel Cleaver III to the pulpit and he delivered a powerful message about it being time to Step Up.

So, I will work to do a better job to …

• Speak out for those whom society pre-judges.
• Speak out for those who aren’t being heard.
• Speak out for those less fortunate.
• Speak out for those that need help.
• Speak out for those younger and weaker.
• Speak out for family.
• Speak out for my world, nation, state, city and neighborhood.
• Speak out for God and the church.

Some are judged by the color of their skin or by their name before they even speak.  Some are judged by whom they love. Each person is unique so let’s them live that way.

Some are unable to speak up for themselves so let’s make sure their voices are heard.

Let’s lend a helping hand keeping in mind that while it’s better to teach someone to fish than to just hand them a fish, sometimes it helps to get through the immediate need.

I need to be an advocate for my family and friends.

I am a citizen in the United States of America and I live in Kansas City, Missouri.  There are times when the places I’m associated with make me proud and other times when it makes me cringe to think of how my home is perceived by others.

I’m a Christian.  Years ago, Adam preached about “When Christians Get It Wrong” and there are many times that our faith is known more for what we’re against than truly what we stand for as a faith community.  Let’s change the conversation to be about taking a stand and sharing love with the world.

My children are grown but I know that I still learn lessons from my Mom (and I’m 50) so hopefully I can still share wisdom and insight with my kids and also with my grandkids.

While I’m not working (no access until June 29th) I will once again interact with employees, co-workers and even management.  I need to speak to them and for them to make sure all voices are heard.

In my career in marketing and research, I also have a professional  obligation to make sure that the voices found in research findings reach those that need to hear it.

My mantra and tagline for years has been “Finding the Information that you Need” but that isn’t always going to be about what you think you need; sometimes, it’s the information that you need to know but didn’t even realize it

 

 

 

 

Lessons from Star Wars

May the 4th be with you.  Yes, it’s Star Wars day so I thought I’d blog about some lessons from the classic movie series.

• Throughout the Star Wars movies, we learn about the Jedi.
• They have a master and an apprentice.
• Sometimes the student becomes a master and takes on an apprentice of their own.
• You can use your powers/skills for good or evil and sometimes change your ways.
• When you teach others, your power continues beyond your own time.

One of my kids works in a formal apprenticeship where he is spending 5 years learning a skill from others.  I think that’s a great idea but we have less formal versions of that elsewhere.

From whom have you learned lessons about life, work and anything else?  And to whom have you shared lessons?  I recently finished reading a book Prepared: What Kids Need for a Fulfilled Life.  While the book was about high school and shaping curriculum to prepare teens for their lives, she also included a note in the final chapter about a former student coming back to say thank you and how it reminded me of all those that had impacted her along the way.  Have you thought about who helped you to get to where you are today?

And how you can help others?  I’ve recently been looking at LinkedIn recommendations (both those that have recommended me and those that I’ve written for others) and noticed one from someone I worked with over 20 years ago, thanking me for helping him out at the start of his career, even though I wasn’t his supervisor.  I realized that I was just helping him in a similar way to how Dr. David Geddes had previously helped me within the same company and that others had helped me in similar ways earlier in my career.

I recall another company where I was one of two leads; while I tended to take on new employees and show them the ropes, playing the role of patient teacher.  Later on, Brad would mentor them as they took on the next level of research and analysis.  He had a way of looking at data and seeing the story that would emerge which made me think of Neo in the Matrix.  However, my point is that we each had an important role to play and we could help those on our own team as well as someone else’s.   That holds true today, we have a group of leads and certain employees report to specific managers but we can all learn from one another.  And that includes times when the student becomes the master.

Of course, to quote a different movie series … with great power comes great responsibility.  So, if you’re going to teach someone a skill (whether it’s the force or something else) you might also want to include some context so that they don’t go to the Dark Side.

Also, the great Jedi don’t let defeat or death stop them from influencing others from beyond the grave.  If you teach someone else a skill or a way of thinking, it can impact them beyond the duration of your career or even your lifetime.

By the way, ‘The Mandalorian’ Season 2 is scheduled to be released in October 2020.   What lessons will “Baby Yoda” have for us?

 

Learning from Joplin, part 2

As mentioned previously, I recently went to Joplin on a Youth Mission Trip.  I previously blogged about the leadership lessons that I gained from the experience.  This time, I’d like to share some of the insights that I gained from the city and the people of Joplin:

A comment I heard a few times while in Joplin was that “Last summer was a Sprint; we’re now part of a Marathon.”  Lesson: while you need to take care of immediate issues, take a long-term view for your organization/life.

Lots of devastation took place in Joplin but the city is bouncing back and people are seeking opportunities to grow in new ways.  A woman we met was excited because Habitat for Humanity had helped her to have a new home, the first of her young daughter’s life.  St. John’s Hospital is wreckage and Joplin High School is essentially an empty field but they will rebuild and during the interim, they’ve carried on in other ways.  Medical patients went to another Joplin hospital, the Upper Classmen held classes in the Mall (that’s an experience to tell about in the future) and multiple congregations took turns in churches that are still standing.  Lesson: when bad things happen, you CAN find a silver lining.

While many stories exist of people surviving or overcoming the odds, that does not always happen. We also heard about many tragedies.  For some, it’s still difficult to talk about what happened to them a year ago.  We also had a youth sponsor share her personal story of loss; while it wasn’t in Joplin, she gave us insight into how people feel when their prayers are NOT answered and they do NOT get the result they’re seeking.  Years ago, a neighbor lost their teenage daughter to a car accident; when I asked my Pastor what to say, he advised to NOT say “I know how you feel” because (unless you’ve had that specific experience) you don’t know how they feel.  Instead, let them know you’re thinking about them (don’t avoid contact as they then feel isolated) and ask what you can do to help.  Later, when we lost Paul to a motorcycle accident (a friend who was more like a son) I realized how true that was.  Nothing anyone said would make the pain go away.  Yet, it was nice when friends from church dropped off food because it was one thing we didn’t have to worry about.  Basically, nothing makes the pain go away but it’s nice to know someone cares.   Lesson:  You don’t always have to fix every problem; sometimes, it’s best to just be there and to listen.

Due to the Joplin tornado, 161 lives were lost.  In their memory, the city planted 161 trees.  As you might have heard, we’ve had a bit of a drought this summer.  Therefore, one of the projects we were assigned was to water trees (not all of them – just those in the park assigned to us) so we had to take 5-gallon buckets and pour five (5) on each tree.  To make it a bit more complicated, there was only one (1) water spigot in our park.  So, we formed a fire brigade/assembly line.  We also started with the trees the furthest away so that as we got more tired, the job got easier.  Lesson #1:  when a big project is completed, is still needs follow-up to keep it going; Lesson #2: projects go more quickly when you work as a team; Lesson #3: tackle the most difficult part of a project first and it makes the rest go more smoothly

Another project that we did involved painting names on streets; the street signs and landmarks were blown away by the tornado so there was no way to know where you were unless the street names were painted on the pavement.  It wasn’t the most exciting project but it helped give direction to those traveling around Joplin.  Then, another day involved helping a charity that had nothing to do with the tornado but that had lost many of its volunteers because people chose to work in storm recovery; yet, they still needed help and we provided it.  Lesson: Not every project is as exciting but that doesn’t mean it’s not important.

Our final project was painting a house.  Another group had been painting there earlier in the week but we took their place during the final stage since their group wasn’t comfortable on ladders and that’s all that was left.  While our group wasn’t experienced, they jumped at the opportunity to paint and they embraced the chance to go up on the ladders and in the boom.  Lesson: sometimes a project needs to shift personnel; don’t pre-judge the abilities of your team – they might surprise you.

The experience from our week in Joplin led me to several insights and I hope that they be valuable to you as well.

Leadership Lessons from Youth Mission Trip to Joplin

During late July/early August, I spent a week in Joplin with my church youth group.  We were there as part of the Missouri Conference of the United Methodist Church’s series of summer Youth Mission Trips.  I have a few lessons learned from this Youth Mission Trip (and hope to share them through a series of blogs) but the first topic which I wish to blog about is leadership.

These youth mission trips are organized/led by youth in CCYM (Conference Council on Youth Ministries) – – this same group of youth also leads a variety of other youth events in the state of Missouri including WOW, an annual event in Springfield, Missouri.   While summer is primarily described as a Mission Trip and January is primarily described as a big concert, both also involve opportunities for fellowship and worship.  And while some youth are specifically organizing events, others step up through leading music, sharing their testimony by speaking or doing the tech stuff that’s often behind the scenese.   Lesson: leadership comes in a variety of environments and through a variety of talents.

I applaud these youth for their leadership and to Bev who has been the Conference Youth Director for longer than any of them have been alive.  They are gaining valuable skills that can be used now (while they are in high school) but also wherever their future leads them.  It also gives hope to the present and future of our church.  In the past, my church has had a few youth go through CCYM.  One of them (Brandon) is now answering the call to ministry.  Another (Andrew) was a delegate at Jurisdictional Conference (I can’t explain this adequately but this is a big deal as it’s somewhat like being a delegate to one of the political conventions that will be happening soon) and I’ve got to think that what they learned in CCYM helped them to develop their leadership skills.  Lesson: Share leadership opportunities and you will see the benefit both now and in the future.

It’s also interesting to see the leadership of our various church youth groups.  Church youth groups are sometimes led by a full-time Youth Pastor, sometimes by a part-time Youth Director (like me) and other times by volunteers.  Quick Side Note – I’ve heard it said that there’s no such thing as someone being a part-time youth leader; although you sometimes get part-time pay or no pay at all, youth leaders are working pretty much 24-7.  No matter which role the primary youth leader takes, there are always several other adult volunteers involved as well.  They bring different skills to the youth group.  Sometimes you have people who are best at organizing/making phone calls/recruitment.  Others are the ones that step up to prepare meals or drive youth to where they need to be.  Others are in a support role from a distance with lifting prayers and letting our youth are being supported from home.  Along these lines, our church’s Education Committee Chair (Nancy) organized several care packages for our youth and it was great seeing them react as they found out they got another one … although I’d say the trip to Andy’s Frozen Custard was the most popular.  Lesson:  Realize that it takes a variety of leadership styles and types of skills to be successful.  If you recruit a team that’s identical to you, you won’t be successful.

On Mission Trips, you often have additional volunteers that might not be active during other parts of the year but have skills unique to Mission Trips.  They are encouraged to spend their time TEACHING youth how to do stuff rather than just doing the work themselves.  On Thursday of our Mission Trip, we spent the day painting a house and interacted with a volunteer (from Lee’s Summit) who comes to Joplin 4 days per week and his role is to coordinate house-painting projects.  He went around and made sure everyone (youth and adults) knew the right way to paint, how to keep the paint from drying out and how to keep everyone safe.  Lesson: Teach skills to others including how to conserve resources.

Each night, the youth had Share Time where one person from each church/worksite would stand up front and tell the overall group “Where they saw God today” – I was impressed by our youth (Sophie, Madison and Remy) standing up to speak, especially since I’ve heard many times that public speaking is America’s #1 fear, even before death.  I was also impressed by other youth being willing to stand up to support the speaker.  Plus, the youth had a talent show.  During Share Time, the youth would often have seen God at work / have insights I’d missed.  And to hear these voices, all I can say is “WOW!”  I was especially pleased to see one of our youth (Madison) share her vocal talents along with 2 others she had just met.  I know next to nothing about music (despite 7 years of Orchestra) but I know that’s not easy to do.  Lesson: Be willing to step out / take a risk and also support others willing to do so.

I saw leadership in many forms during my week in Joplin and am pleased that I was able to learn from others.  How can YOU lead / learn?

Change in Leadership or Caught Looking Ahead?

Sometimes you need a change in leadership.  This week, the Chiefs fired their head coach and made Romeo the interim coach.  Take this poll as to the biggest surprise of the game:

Or did the result of this game have anything to do with the Chiefs?  Perhaps the Packers got caught looking ahead and planning a celebration of an undefeated season.   What do you think?

Go Chiefs!

DRiVE: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us

I am a bit ahead with my book club (having already read the books we’re discussing in Nov., Dec., Jan., and Feb.) so I’ve asked for suggestions on books.  A co-worker (The Star’s Sales Coach) suggested the book DRiVE which is about motivation.  Since I’m on vacation for the next week and won’t see him to discuss it, I thought I’d write down my reaction for him and my other readers, too, but mostly for myself.

One of the key areas it focused on was how you and others deal with Tasks, Time, Team and Technique.  He also suggested asking yourself to define your life in a sentence.  If you can do so, your life has a purpose.  If it takes a rambling paragraph, it doesn’t.  I’m not sure that I agree with that but it makes for an interesting conversation starter.

The author also suggests that at the end of each day you ask yourself whether you were better today than yesterday.  This reminded me of Ronald Reagan’s Presidential campaign where he asked Americans if they were better off than they were four years earlier.

So, think about how you managed your tasks, your time, your team and your technique.  Then ask yourself whether you were a little better than you were yesterday?

Well …

All-Stars of Business

I’m spending a couple days with some of the best & brightest minds in my line of work as part of the Scarborough Research Newspaper Advisory Council in Las Vegas, Nevada.  The group meets once per year to discuss how to make sure that the research is more than just data but instead is useful and actionable information.

I’m honored that they invited me to join this group and am enjoying the experience.  Since Tuesday happens to be baseball’s All-Star game, I thought it was a fitting analogy to think of this group as the all-stars of Marketing Research in the newspaper/media industry.  

When baseball players first make the All-Star game, it’s considered a great honor and they are sometimes in awe of those playing on the same field.  As they return year-after-year, the Veterans hopefully share some of their experience with the latest to make the team.  And each of them hopefully return with ideas & tips for their teammates back home.

Who are the All-Star’s in your business?  What can you learn from them?  If YOU are one of the veterans, are you taking the opportunity to share your wisdom and experience with others?

Congratulations to the baseball players named to the team (whether they were voted in by fans or named by managers) and also to those recognized in different industries as the all-star’s for what each of them do.  As one just named to the team, I hope that I live up to the expectations and make the home team proud.