by Belinda Lui | Dec 11, 2013 | Business Success, Latest
As Heraclitus so succinctly put it, “The only constant in life is change”. As people, some of us struggle daily in order to adapt to the changes that life thrusts upon us. As professionals, the same theory applies. The workplace, the marketplace, even the avenues in which we conduct our business are changing at rapid speeds – so how do we stay on top of it all? How do we ensure that we are doing what it takes to be ahead of the game?
There are probably plenty of ways, but I’ve compiled a list that has helped me stay relatively successful with change, in work and in life:
1. Know your strengths and weaknesses
With a Type-A personality, I like to believe that I can do anything and everything; under budget, on-time, and better than anyone else can. It’s humbling to discover, however, that failures are blessings in disguise. They teach you how to be better. If you learn from your mishaps, you will sooner recognize where you sink and where you swim.
2. Persistence
Failing at things is a good thing. Success doesn’t look like smooth-sailing; it looks a whole lot like multiple do-overs, learning from your mistakes each time. The discovery step on the road to success and embracing change, is probably my favourite. Keep failing until it works. To quote the late Nelson Mandela, “Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again”.
3. Motivation
Realizing that nothing stays the same for very long, it isn’t ideal to remain idle in anything that you do. Even when you’ve mastered a skillset, you must remain motivated to stay current with emerging trends. What motivates you? For me, it’s working in a position that continually challenges me to be better at what I do, no matter what that may entail. Figure out what motivates you and keep reminding yourself of this when things seem unbearable.
4. Work/Life Balance
What’s that? With the uprising of Social Media and Technologies, you’re almost always connected to your workplace. It’s important to keep your work life and your personal life separated, however, even if that means putting your SmartPhone somewhere where you won’t be tempted to respond immediately. You can set aside dedicated time slots throughout the night to check work e-mails but it is easy to get carried away when these boundaries are not clearly defined.
Change is inevitable, but hopefully this list gives you some insight on how to more readily embrace it.
What are some of the ways that you deal with change?
by Belinda Lui | Dec 9, 2013 | Business Success, Latest
I was shown a video last night that I wanted to share with you: found on the VICE website, this video shows a man, Sun Jifa, who lost both his hands during a fishing explosion. He couldn’t afford prosthetic hands – so he made a pair for himself out of iron. His bravery and perseverance in overcoming this devastating accident is already worth mentioning – but what makes this story an even more encouraging one is that he now dedicates his life to making prosthetic arms for the less fortunate in China. It’s a story about overcoming challenges.
Overcoming challenges isn’t only about helping yourself, but to help those around you overcome them as well.
He doesn’t do it to make money – he charges his clients a minimal amount (that is usually given to the clients from Government aid) so that they can continue working to sustain a family. He does it because he knows what it feels like to be handicapped and not be able to afford the things that can help him lead a normal life.
We can all take a page from his book when we consider the bravery and perseverance required to overcoming challenges; in the workplace and in life.
Oftentimes, it is easy when faced with a challenge to turn and run the other way. Adversity is a gift, if you can appreciate the lesson. I agree that it is easier to see a difficult boss, a daunting task, or even a conflict with a colleague as a deterrent to going in to work with enthusiasm – but perhaps facing these challenges with tact and dedication will prove fruitful in the end.
Taking it a step further, if you can turn your challenges into doing good for those around you (offering encouragement to a colleague, taking on extra projects to relieve your teammates, even research possible new developments to give back to your community) then you might just find yourself a happier person, more successful and fulfilled in the knowledge of the betterment of yourself and overcoming challenges.
I hope the story of Sun Jifa serves as an uplifting motivation for you on this gloomy Monday morning, and for every time you feel as though there is a challenge too difficult of overcoming.
To watch this video, click here.
by Miriam Hara | Nov 26, 2013 | Latest, Marketing
Who would have thought? The year 2013 and holiday greeting cards are a thing of the past. Or are they? I believe that sending out holiday greeting cards may be perceived as a blast from the past: I refer to it as retro marketing. I also happen to believe it’s a good thing… on many levels.
We all know that retro is running with a “1960”s style and design and making it contemporary. I like being thought of as retro.
At the risk of being obvious, retro marketing takes that idea and applies it the the principles of marketing.
Making a way of communicating or reaching out to business partners that is so “60’s, and making it contemporary and hip…again! An old fashioned way of saying” hey remember us….see what we can do”.
For as long as I have been in business, this time of year, I have always looked forward to receiving holiday greeting cards. Those of us in the creative, marketing and advertising fields, have always gone the extra mile to show how creative we can be. I always thought that our clients – existing and potential – business partners and contacts enjoyed seeing what we could come up with…. year after year.
A few years ago, we had this great internal debate on whether we should go the digital route, to showcase our digital savvy-ness… Some felt that sending a traditional paper greeting card made us look passé and not keeping up with the times. Others felt that a card went so much further in establishing our relationship with the recipient and showcased our creativity for all to see… There were good points made on both sides.
So what did we do? We did what we do best…we pondered the challenge creatively…. and brainstormed. Why does this have to be an either or scenario? Why couldn’t we do both? So, we sent out our creative Holiday Greeting card… and added a digital components, which was beautifully designed and executed for people to register online… and for each registration received, we donated funds to the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation… another retro marketing initiative!
I believe that this time of year is personal… and having a card to open with a personalized message in that card says a great deal to the person on the receiving end. Let’s admit this…most of us get so many emails that sometimes we miss a few… rushing about to get through them all. Business, in spite of its speed and ever increasing demands, is still very much about the personal. Taking the time of the hectic, and making the time to be personal… is well, retro marketing at it’s best, don’t you think?
Will you go retro marketing or not this holiday season? Do you dare? Let me know!
by Belinda Lui | Nov 15, 2013 | Latest, Management
Project management is the ability to manage projects, and it is a true artform.
It seems like such an easy task to do, but it isn’t. In today’s fast paced environment, staying on top of the many demands, isn’t as easy at is sounds. True, some industries are more hectic than others, however, all industries have been impacted by the speed of business. We’ve all heard how “Time is Money” – and it doesn’t make it less true just because you’ve heard it a million times.
This is especially true in a billable hours setting when reporting time-spent on work is an integral part of your business. Clients trust that a business will not undercut them and lie about how much time it took to complete a task, but they also expect that the company they hire will manage projects in the most efficient and cost-effective manner.
This is where being organized comes in: you can be smart, fast, sales-focused and all that jazz – but none of it matters if you can’t stay organized. So before getting certified as a PMP, here are some tips on how to be an excellent Project Manager and manage projects effectively, effortlessly:
1. Understand The Project Intimately:
It is crucial to truly understand the task at hand before delivering any promises to your client. There are several elements that come into play when you are organizing a successful project: budget, logistics, time, labour, suppliers, vendors, revisions, etc. Ensure that you have a grasp of what is involved in order to execute a more seamless project.
2. Create A Workback Schedule:
Working backwards seems unnatural – but when you consider the only inflexible element, the deadline of the project, then you’ll understand why everything stems from there. It will also give you a better idea of how much time you actually have for every deliverable that needs to happen before the deadline.
3. Expect The Unexpected:
Murphy’s Law had it right – if something bad can happen, it will. When you are planning a project, expect that there will be several rounds of revisions; a supplier may not deliver on time; the printer will malfunction. My point is: give yourself some wiggle room in case something (and it probably will) bad happens.
Being proactive rather than reactive is a good skill set to have when you need to manage projects. Anticipate that things will go wrong and always stay on top of every task. Project management is an integral part of being successful, regardless of your position or industry. Manage projects or they’ll manage you.
What are some of the effective methods you have used to manage projects successfully?
by Lisa Wedmann | Nov 14, 2013 | Business Success, Latest
Developing successful client relationships has never been “easy” work. At 3H, we have had the privilege of having worked with some great clients over the last 25 years. It’s always a pleasure… at least mostly! We have had the opportunity to create successful campaigns delivering on our promise of always putting out awesome creative and, quite frankly, it feels great. Sure, we may have bumps and challenges along the way but when everything is said and done clients are genuinely happy about the success of the job.
And when our clients are happy, we at 3H are very happy campers.
When on time and on budget does not mean success… or does it?
Conversely, we’ve probably all worked for that other type of client. The one who is never happy. For them, it’s not enough that you bring the project in on time and on budget and that you produce some awesome result. It doesn’t matter what you do, they won’t let on that you did a great job. But really do they need to say it?
Client Relationships and the secret to make your client happy.
There’s a secret that’s saved our sanity countless times. There is a simple way to keep your client happy and to confirm mutual success. It’s called success criteria. Success criteria is a group of objectives used to define tangible business outcomes on which the success of the project is judged. Success criteria is used to establish what makes the project completion successful and to confirm that you have met your goals. Success criteria is defined at the beginning of the job. It establishes the definition of success of the project.
Defining success criteria is simple: Be specific.
There is one simple question you must ask your client in order to define your success criteria. “When and how do we know we’ve done a great job?” It’s the answer to this one question that will tell you what it takes to make your client happy and your project a success.
That’s easy, many say just increase sales. But that’s not good enough of an answer. You must be able to measure success criteria. So instead, you need to quantify the statement. It must be measurable. Agree that when you increase sales by 5% then the project is a success. But don’t stop here. Even this measure leaves you open to risk. You must include a time measurement. Increase sales 5% by the third quarter.
Success is obvious and your client is happy.
In order to know where you stand and keep your client happy, define success criteria at the beginning of every project. At the end, you can meet with your client and both agree that your project was a success.Your client will know that you met your objectives and you will know where you stand. There is no question or doubt.
Your client is successfully happy whether they tell you or not… and that makes you happy too!
