Work Hard, Play Hard

Just yesterday I attended an event for the Alpha Omicron Pi alumnae of Macomb County, Mich. Sitting over plates of spaghetti, I overheard women around the table reminisce on old college memories. “Time goes by all too fast,” they almost said together in unison. And, then they advised me to live up every second.

While growing up, I recall other people offering me the same advice. In fact, I was told this so often, I almost became fearful of growing up. I was convinced these words of wisdom meant fun couldn’t exist in adulthood.

As my own college graduation approached, I began to view commencement as a commemoration to the fun I had. I settled with the fact the fun times had ended as I began my job search – until I started at Eisbrenner PR. What I’ve discovered is life here is anything but boring.

I’ve already had Koosh ball fights, Hanson dance parties (check out the video on the Eisbrenner PR Facebook page) and breakfast made by vice president, Steve Blow. I never anticipated the amount of laughter and fun I’m having now.

This fun doesn’t discredit the amount of hard work everyone contributes. In fact, everyone here provides quality work and simply has a good time doing it. They work hard so they can share silly moments filled with Koosh balls, dance moves and omelettes.

So fear not, there’s fun after graduation. I’d love to hear your story of how you intertwine work and play. Together we can grant some peace-of-mind to other college graduates and dispel this terrible rumor that fun doesn’t exist in the workplace.

Raise Your Hand & Ask

Reflecting back on my education, I’m convinced everything you need to know is taught in kindergarten. I realized this after reading an excerpt from Robert Fulghum’s book, “All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten.” “Wisdom,” as Fulghum put it, “was not at the top of the graduate-school mountain, but there in the sand pile at Sunday School.”

Believe it or not, we were all taught life’s biggest lessons at an early age. We left kindergarten knowing it was right to share, apologize and treat other people the way you’d like to be treated.

One lesson that has continued to guide me well past kindergarten is the notion that there’s no such thing as a stupid question. While growing up, I was constantly told by my teachers to ask questions, no matter how elementary the question might seem because questions are essential to learning.

This lesson has continued to reiterate itself, as I begin my career. Just as I was taught in kindergarten, I’ve found the basis of learning starts with a good question. However, in my internship, I’ve found the best lessons come with asking the right questions.

Jodi Glickman Brown, a communication consultant at the Harvard Business School, offers some advice on asking the right questions. Through the Harvard Business Review’s blog, The Conversation, Brown offers three steps to asking for help. Brown suggests by following these steps, you will show your colleagues what you already know, even if you are calling to question what you don’t. Here’s how you do it:

1. Start your question with what you know.
Before resorting to the simple question, “how should I do this?,” present the information you’ve already obtained. This starts by doing research and understanding the task at hand. Brown says, “Give the other person an idea of what you’ve completed to date or what you know already and then proceed to explain what’s outstanding, where or how you’re struggling, or what you need help with.”

2. State the direction you want to take and ask for feedback, thoughts or clarification.
In your dialogue, propose the course of action you think should be taken. By formulating your own opinion, you may be able to develop the right choices on your own in the future. From there, the individual helping you can provide proper feedback or offer suggestions for an alternative approach.


3. If you don’t know the direction to take, ask for tangible feedback.
If the answer still remains unclear, ask where you can find it on your own. Ask for tools that may show you the answer, such as past examples or templates. Another option, says Brown, “Is to ask for a referral to someone who has worked on a similar initiative or project in the past.” This referral can offer insight, advice and tips based on their past experiences.

Just as Brown has demonstrated, the key to learning is in the questions we ask and how we ask them. By asking questions the smart way, you’re guaranteed to not only impress your coworkers, but learn something valuable in return.

Share with me your questions about communication and we can uncover the answers together. If you’re still hesitant, please remember, “There’s no such thing as a stupid question.”

Transparency

Transparency.

This word has received a lot of attention lately. Though, it hasn’t been so much about who is using it, but who hasn’t. From the recent sentencing of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to the controversy surrounding the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, a lack of transparency may partially be to blame for creating bad reputations.

These cases and many others are creating a demand for transparency among businesses and organizations of every size. This thinking is establishing an environment of accountability and is encouraging open communication between all invested stakeholders, which in turn is creating a more honest, open approach to business practices. At the 2010 Public Relations Society of America Michigan Conference, Peter Shankman even said, “Transparency has become the new pink!”

I’ve learned this whole transparent train-of-thought can easily transfer to my day-to-day activities as I take on new projects at Eisbrenner Public Relations. In the short time I’ve been here, I’ve already found that open communication is vital to my team’s success. The dialogue between my teammates and I upon receiving an assignment must include the logistics (who, what, where, when and how) and also the obstacles I may need to overcome. Whether these obstacles include a timing conflict or difficulty comprehending something, they must all be addressed. Ultimately, a transparent discussion helps efficiently produce something everyone can be proud of.

As I continue my internship, I aim to carry this lesson out on a daily basis. I also pledge the counsel I provide to my clients and bosses during my entire career will reflect this lesson of transparency.

Do you have any life lessons or stories to share about transparency, or maybe some helpful articles?