In today’s digital world, we are more connected than ever before, but most of our communication is conducted through texts, emails, and other impersonal forms of communication. How do we ensure that we are creating and nurturing meaningful relationships extending beyond our phone screens?
Connect rather than consume.
The internet is a great way to communicate with those around us, but we can easily spend more time scrolling through social media than talking to people. Be intentional with the time you spend online! Challenge yourself to connect with your friends on social media through messages and comments, rather than just scrolling and double-tapping. Social media can be a great way to communicate with those near and far but can also be a huge time drain.
Call someone.
Pick up the phone and call someone! More than other forms of communication, phone calls allow us to connect deeper with those we can’t communicate with in person. Phone calls allow for spontaneous conversation that simply doesn’t happen when texting or emailing. In our latest episode of the Hello Frances Podcast, we make our case for using the phone. Listen to it if you need convincing.
Put down your phone.
We believe screen-free time is essential! When your face isn’t staring at a screen, you have the opportunity to spark up a conversation with those around you. So, make a commitment to yourself - for your own well-being - put down your phone and take in the world around you.
Is the phone call dead? Should we primarily communicate through text messages? What about email? We’re here to tell you that the phone call is still alive, and in this episode, we state our case of why it should still be a part of your daily life. In our heavily digital world, phone calls allow us the human connection that we need to build genuine relationships. Do you still talk to people on the phone regularly? We encourage you to pick up the phone this week to connect. You might be surprised to see where the conversation leads you. What do you think of this week’s podcast? Shoot us an email at he***@********oy.com to let us know your thoughts.
Can’t keep up with the constant algorithm changes and latest updates on your favorite social media apps? You aren’t alone. We know how important social media is for small businesses, and staying up-to-date on the updates can be a full-time job in itself. To help you keep up, here’s the biggest news in social media from the last quarter.
Facebook Updates Ad Reach Estimates, Moving Away from Specific Audience Projections
What’s this mean for you? Your organization’s analytics will start to look a little different. Facebook is now showing a broader range for your post reach, rather than more specific numbers.
Facebook Launches Audio Hub in the U.S. for Podcasts, Live Audio, and Short-Form Clips
With substantial growth in audio content, Facebook is now joining the game with rivals for podcasts, Clubhouse, and TikTok. If you are in the podcast business like us (shameless Hello Frances Podcast plug here), Facebook is now another audio platform you’ll want to consider.
Facebook Announces New Tools for SMBs, Including Video Calls and Expanded Appointment Bookings
You can now call or video chat with your customers directly from your organization’s Facebook page! Although these options have been open to individuals for some time, businesses can now utilize these features as well.
Instagram is Adding ‘Collabs,’ New Music Features for Reels, Desktop Posting, and More
Small businesses, rejoice! You can now post to Instagram from your desktop. This is a feature that users have begged for, for quite some time. Instagram now provides new desktop tools and more.
Instagram Adds New Data Analytics to Provide More Performance Insight for Marketers
Instagram has also recently revamped some of its analytics, giving more information about post reach, engagement, and audience demographics.
Instagram Now Lets All Users Share Links in Stories via Link Stickers
For years small businesses have envied Instagram accounts with more than 10,000 followers because they could share links in their Instagram Stories. As one of the most utilized features on Instagram, the ability for everyone to now share links is a game changer!
LinkedIn Pages Can Now Publish Long-Form Content
We know long-form content takes a great deal of time and effort to create. With no character restrictions for LinkedIn company pages, you can now put that blog-style content in front of more people on LinkedIn!
LinkedIn’s latest updates gear more features toward a post-pandemic work environment, including more transparency for workplace options. Also, the platform now has a customizable competitors section where businesses can see where they stand amongst others in their industry.
The CEO of the Emerald Coast Autism Center, Heidi Blalock, and the Executive Director of the Emerald Coast Autism Center, Stacy Berryman, join Shantelle on the podcast this week. They share their story of pursuing their purpose to bring a full-time school for autistic children to our community. They share the story behind starting the school, their vision for the nonprofit’s future, how they have continued to expand, and an upcoming event you can attend to support the organization’s future plans. As Frances Roy Agency’s pro bono client for the year, we are thrilled to work with the enthusiastic team at ECAC. If you’d like to join us in supporting them, donate here.
In our latest Hello Frances Podcast, Shantelle shares what she is currently prioritizing as the President of Frances Roy. We know that owning a business means you are constantly juggling an infinite number of projects and tasks, but how do you decide what’s most important for your organization? We use these 5 strategies to ensure we are optimizing our time and putting our energy into what matters most.
Eat the Frog.
We’re sure you’ve heard this saying before, we are reiterating it because it’s true! Eating the frog simply means getting the most daunting task of the day completed first. If you have something that has been lingering on your to-do list for too long or it is sticking around in the back of your mind all day distracting you from the task at hand, just get it done! Completing these tasks frees up your mental space, allowing you to feel accomplished and ready to tackle the next project. Oftentimes, these undertakings actually take less time than anticipated and are not as bad as we thought them to be.
Delegate.
As a business owner, the number of daily tasks never ends, but you can eliminate some of them by delegating. We know this is hard in the beginning, but trust us when we say that it is absolutely necessary for your business to thrive. Start by getting rid of the tasks you don’t enjoy doing. If you dislike certain aspects of your position, it’s easier to give those up at first than those that bring you joy. If you do not have team members to delegate to yet, consider outsourcing to a trusted professional.
Time block.
As Shantelle discusses in our latest episode of the Hello Frances Podcast, we suggest consistently blocking time on your calendar for yourself. Whether this time is for you to work out, recharge mentally, or work on long-term goals, setting aside personal time is crucial for a business owner to thrive. Without prioritizing this, business owners can feel burnout and like they are spinning their wheels without getting anywhere. This time is crucial for your business's long-term success.
Say No.
We want to help others succeed, especially if we are intrinsically motivated by purpose, but we simply can’t do it all. Learn to say no to opportunities that are not financially viable for your business, that are not a right fit culturally, or that you simply do not want to do. By reducing the number of projects you dedicate your time to, you open up more time to focus on what you enjoy and what is most important to you and your business.
Turn off notifications.
Yep, we said it! We know how hard this can be as a business owner, but even doing this for a few hours a day will open up so much free time. Decide an appropriate time frame to disregard all nonessential calls, texts, emails, and social media notifications and let those around you know that you will be unavailable during those times. Turning off notifications allows you to have uninterrupted time to focus on what matters most.
What strategies do you implement to maximize your time? Let us know what you have found to work best!
Sometimes it’s helpful to have some insight into what other business owners and entrepreneurs are prioritizing. Shantelle dives deep into three topics she is focusing on at the moment. Listen to the full episode to learn more about how she is ensuring our hybrid team is engaged and connected, how she manages her calendar to make sure she has time for herself, and what she includes in the business succession plan she is currently crafting for Frances Roy. Did you like this episode? Let us know! Email us at he***@********oy.com to chat.
Here at Frances Roy, we seek motivation and inspiration through books, movies, podcasts, music, magazines, blogs, and so forth. Creativity presents itself in many forms and we harness that creativity through these exposures. By sharing our team RWL’s with you, we hope to extend this inspiration and offer it as a platform for contagious creativity. As we present our individual RWL’s, we ask you to share your own RWL’s with us. Where do you find creative inspiration?
Shantelle P. Dedicke, CMP
President/Chief Creative Officer
R: The Female Persuasion: A Novel by Meg Wolitzer, Rebecca Lowman, et al. In Her Studio Magazine August September October 2021
W: Boardwalk Empire (HBOMax) | Truth Be Told (Apple+) | Ted Lasso (Apple+) - ROY KENT! ROY KENT!
L: Calm App Meditations
Hillaree Durso, Senior Director of Content & Marketing
R: Who Moved My Cheese? By Spencer Johnson, M.D.
W: NFL (first year playing Fantasy Football) and Bachelor in Paradise
L: ON Purpose with Jay Shetty Podcast (Great Episode: Gabrielle Union ON: Vulnerability & Turning Your Weaknesses Into Your Superpower)
Janae Erickson, Art Director
R: Escargot by Dashka Slater (Author), Sydney Hanson (Illustrator)
W: Halloween Baking Championship
L: 3 Point Perspective: The Illustration Podcast
Kelsey Doar, Marketing Manager
R: Atomic Habits by James Clear
W: Maid
L: The Everyday Dietitians podcast
Jodie Warner, Research Coordinator
R: Until Brew by CC Monroe
W: Dancing with the Stars & football
L: Crime Junkie & Theory Podcast
Gregory Dedicke, Digital Marketing Specialist
R: "Real World Python" by Lee Vaughan
W: Marvel's "What If...?"
L: The "Sci-fi Scapes" playlist on Spotify
Kayla Koger, Design & Social Media Coordinator
R: nothing currently!
W: Manifest on Netflix
L: Crime Junkies Podcast
Nicole Malley, Events & Content Coordinator
R: Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne
W: Chicago Med
L: Dark History hosted by Bailey Sarian
In our recent Hello Frances Podcast series, we discussed the different types of intrinsic motivation. Inspired by Dan Pink’s book Drive, we talk about the inherent motivators of autonomy, mastery, and purpose.
Leaders need to know what motivates their employees. Do they want to have control over their lives and work? Are they constantly trying to enhance their skill set? Do they desire a greater purpose? It’s quite possibly a mix of more than one, but no matter the motivator it’s vital to know what drives your employees to feel inspired to do their best work.
While intrinsic motivation is vital, companies cannot discount the importance of extrinsic motivators as well.
Extrinsic motivators are those that come from outside influences. These include awards, compensation, workplace benefits, and more. For a thriving workplace, businesses need to prioritize both extrinsic and intrinsic motivators to have satisfied employees.
Businesses that only focus on extrinsic motivators will often find that these can lose effectiveness and lead to burnout. Only fixating on intrinsic motivators leads employees to feel undervalued. Discovering a balance of both among all employees is key to a healthy workplace.
We’ve talked about discovering the Enneagram types of your employees and learning more about their strengths, weaknesses, and communication styles, but learning what motivates individuals is just as important. It helps tailor your leadership style and approach for different personality types, generating a positive work environment. Those that are deliberate in their approach with motivators tend to see happier employees in the workplace.
Learning motivations inspires loyalty and trust and creates a better relationship all around. We encourage you to uncover your employees’ motivations to set your team up for a bright future!
Shantelle and Hillaree wrap up our Hello Frances Podcast series on intrinsic motivation with a discussion about purpose. Those motivated by purpose care about the work they do for the sake of giving to a mission bigger than themselves. Those driven by purpose often find themselves drawn to nonprofit work, feeling successful when they contribute to the greater good, and often have a hard time turning work off. Are you motivated by purpose? Listen to the full episode and let us know what you think by sending us an email at he***@********oy.com.
Daniel Pink’s book Drive inspired our Hello Frances Podcast series on intrinsic motivation. Pink’s book discusses the motivators of autonomy, mastery, and purpose. Our latest podcast episode on mastery discusses the importance of utilizing goldilocks tasks to move toward greater mastery. Goldilocks tasks are the ones that are neither too easy nor too difficult for your employees. According to Pink, if a task is too easy, employees will grow bored and if it is too difficult, an individual will become frustrated or anxious. So how do we keep satisfied employees? By making goldilocks tasks a priority in the workplace.
Allow your employees to choose their tasks.
As we talked about in our podcast on autonomy, giving your team members freedom in the workplace will lead to happier, valued employees, lowering turnover, and increasing your organization’s retention rate. Individuals that have a choice in their work and the skills that they are seeking to master will be happier with their position. Giving employees the time and energy to work on projects that they are excited about will allow them input to choose tasks that are not too challenging and not too easy - tasks that are just right for them.
Talk to your employees about the skills they want to improve.
According to James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits, “The human brain loves a challenge, but only if it is within an optimal zone of difficulty.” When leaders talk to their team members about what they want to work on, employees will feel that they can share their outlook on tasks, whether they are too easy, too hard, or the perfect fit. Open communication with team members ensures that they feel supported when taking on difficult tasks. Candid conversations are the only way to guarantee your employees are challenged, growing in their position, and happy with their trajectory in the workplace.
Individualize your approach.
A goldilocks task for one individual will not be a goldilocks task for another. Make sure that you take an individualized approach with your team members to ensure you give the appropriate tasks to each person. Tailoring your method of leading will help when assigning the perfect tasks to the most appropriate member of your team. We know a one-size-fits-all approach rarely excels in the workplace and when dealing with goldilocks tasks are no different.
James Clear said it best “The Goldilocks Rule states that humans experience peak motivation when working on tasks that are right on the edge of their current abilities. Not too hard. Not too easy. Just right.” Does your organization prioritize these learning opportunities for employees? What results have you seen from goldilocks tasks? We’d love to hear your perspective. Send us at he***@********oy.com to chat!
