On Wednesday, October 2, the Webolutions team hosted their third Women in Executive Leadership event of the year, inspiring leaders from a variety of industries to discover how they each leverage their own personal and professional brands. More than 20 Denver-area executive women each shared their thoughts and empowered one another to discover how their brands, values and culture have evolved.

What’s Behind a Personal and Professional Brand?

Webolutions began the roundtable by asking the audience “What is your professional brand, and what is your personal brand?” Women executives mulled over this question, often listing their personal and professional brands as the same thing. It was simple for Denver-area leaders to list their business tasks as their business brand, but there is more to it than that. One attendee said it is important to believe in developing your personal brand first before identifying your professional brand. She said your personal brand is who you are and how you grew up. Another attendee mentioned that a personal brand can be centered around family, kids and how you are perceived in that role.

Other attendees took a more universal approach in how they approach their personal and professional brand. “My brand is who I am,” said one leader in the non-profit industry. “There is no ‘oh, who is she today.’ My brand and myself are consistent.” Webolutions also added to this statement, saying that each employee is a living example of a personal and professional brand. “Do you walk to represent your company brand, or not,” said one of the organizers.

Aligning Brands with Culture

As attendees analyzed their personal and professional brands, Webolutions shifted the conversation and asked attendees to identify how their values reflect their brands. Many women executives said their brands are in lockstep with their values. “When you operate in clear values, it’s easier to find alignment,” said one attendee. “To get to a place of values, start with love and passion,” said another executive who works in the financial industry. Many women professed to lead with love, heart and personal relationships, and they would take more time with clients, get to know them on a personal level and really invest in them as people. “The alignment of culture and values comes together when we say we are who we say we are,” said one attendee. 

While these values may materialize in their role, many attendees have expressed the struggle of expressing their brand with a workplace that doesn’t reflect a solid culture and values. “Stress is when your values clash with your workforce,” said one attendee, noting the significant source of tension between a worker and a boss is when personal and professional brand values don’t align with the company values. Some Denver-area executives have even mentioned that they have had to resign from a job immediately, without a backup plan, because their values have differed from their workplace. “I was told by a former boss that ‘lying is a coachable trait.’” said a woman executive in the non-profit health care industry. “I couldn’t work there anymore.”

Reputation Management and Brands

The final discussion of the Women in Executive Leadership Roundtable revolved around maintaining personal and professional brands. Many attendees agreed that when values and morals are held in high regards, brands are less likely to be destroyed. “When my values are peppered with integrity, they are less likely to become tarnished,” said one woman executive in the consulting industry. Another attendee said bravery was a character trait that she held close to her beliefs, citing not to be scared when faced with challenges and difficult decisions.

However, some attendees shared their experiences of their brand being tarnished. One attendee opened up about a very serious situation in which she was accused of something she didn’t do by one of her subordinates. “I had to keep my balance and keep my cool, even though I was frustrated,” she said. This not only tarnished her brand to higher-ups, but also to those other team members that reported to her.

Another example of maintaining brands is the use of social media. Some advice? “Live life as if what you’re doing will go to print,” said one executive in the IT consulting industry. And when that executive received a negative post on social media, she said she talked directly to the person who posted that comment. “They are probably just mad at you and need to have a conversation.: Many executives agreed that when social media threatens a personal and professional brand, the best approach is to stick to what you say and believe and you won’t be damaged. “You need to be in alignment to ‘walk the walk, of the company,” said one Denver-area leader.

Do you know executives for whom a Webolutions Executive Roundtable would be a positive experience, whose perspectives would be valuable for our attendees? Please refer them by completing this brief form or sign up for our next event.

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I keep going back, and there are endless reasons why, but here are just a few:

• I could never get enough of loving, appreciative dogs. They are always so happy to see me!
• There is a sense of purpose and gratification knowing I’m an important fixture in their organization. The DFL could not function without its 1,400 volunteers, and the staff shows their appreciation for that.
• It’s great exercise! I am usually exhausted by the end of my shift (and my step counter is usually off the charts), so that is a definite plus on what could otherwise be a super lazy day for me.
• I’ve made lots of new friends, and get to hang out with people who share a similar adoration for animals and their welfare. We love our work and it is apparent in every person I meet there, and it’s not because we are being paid for it (because we aren’t), but because it enriches our lives in so many other ways.

I’ve reaped so many rewards from this, so I encourage anyone to become a volunteer whenever and wherever you can, and if you say you don’t have the time, I bet you do. I started participating back when we had a houseful of kids (5 of them) and I’ve always worked a full-time job during the week. Yes, it definitely cuts into my weekend, but to me it is so worth it, and my family has been supportive from the get-go.

The Dumb Friends League takes a comprehensive approach to their volunteer staffing. They require a commitment, starting with a minimum of 3 hours per week, for at least 6 months, plus training for each shift that interests you. This is not the place to volunteer if you want to just try it out, or participate once or twice a year, or whenever the mood hits. There are many places you can do this, though, some ideas are:

• Sign-up to work an event around town. There are a multitude of 5k or 10k races around town, or fundraising events in Colorado where you’ll just commit to that one day. Go to https://www.raceplace.com/ find a race you are interested in and click on the event’s website. Often you will see a Volunteer tab, or you can contact the race coordinators to get details.
• Volunteer at your kids’ school (or your grandkids, if that applies to you). It can be so fulfilling to help out the teachers and students, and the kids are always proud to have you there. You are a rockstar for the day!
• It is popular to volunteer at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter during the holidays. This can be very rewarding for a family to do together as an alternative way to appreciate the holidays, although, it may be difficult to find a facility that needs help since this is a very popular activity.

Volunteering can be so rewarding to those who have retired and suddenly have so much time on their hands. It gets them out of the house, combats depression and really gives a person a sense of purpose. On the flip side, I would encourage parents to “start ‘em young”. Get your kids involved in service when they are in their youth, and they will continue as adults. It made me happy that my children attended the Douglas County school system, because part of high school graduation requirements is to complete 20 hours of community service. They weren’t too thrilled with this at the time, as I recall, but it opened their eyes to so many opportunities to help others. So far, I have never heard of anyone who has regretted volunteering!

Get started by clicking this great link to find the best volunteer opportunity for your tastes: http://createthegood.org/ Log in and see what is available. I hope you get inspired to get out there and help others!

Oh, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t say “Don’t shop. ADOPT!”

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It has long been recognized that plastic items take a long time to biodegrade. In fact, plastic can stay in landfills for up to 500 years before breaking down completely. That’s longer than your lifetime, your kids’ lifetime and your grand kids’ lifetime. Is that plastic straw really worth it? These items are also a danger for our sea life. Have you seen the pictures of sea turtles with a straw protruding from their little snouts? It’s heart-breaking. The sea turtle is now the poster child for the anti-plastic straw debate — and that is a good thing. We need to understand how unnecessary they are for most people.

Let’s educate ourselves on what is really going on. We throw our trash in the trash bin, and the nice trash people take it away for us. We wipe our hands off smugly and go back to our lives, but that isn’t the last of your trash. Even if you are dutifully recycling, there will still be tons and tons (and TONS) of plastic items in our landfills. What can we do as individuals to stop this nonsense and still have the creature comforts we are used to?

Reduce

Let’s talk about plastic:

Straws

• There are many reusable alternatives available that are washable — and convenient. Metal (we just got metal straws at the Webolutions office, and they are very sleek.) There are also bamboo straws, paper straws and even pasta straws have shown up in an Italian restaurant in Wisconsin. and they are a big hit.
• Of course, the disabled can continue to use the plastic straws they need, because these are critical for their specific needs, this should not even be up for debate. But, with Starbucks eliminating their infamous green sippers by next year, it will reduce straws in landfills by 1 billion per year! And this is just one company. Marriott hotels are also removing plastic straws from their 6,500 hotels within the next year, which is another billion straws and one-quarter billion plastic stir-sticks that won’t be piled up in the trash.

Other Single-Use Plastic Items

• So many items are used for a matter of minutes and then thrown away. Plastic grocery bags are used on average for 12 minutes before being thrown away.
• Plastic utensils –these are convenient for picnics and parties, so we don’t have to do dishes after the festivities, but again, they are used for only minutes before being thrown into the garbage can.

We need to reduce the amount of plastic we use, and not depend on just throwing everything in the recycle bin. Some ideas:

• Let’s all just stop buying plastic water bottles, right? There are so many alternatives for reusable water bottles (and much more attractive and functional). If you are serving water at an event, put out a big pitcher with reusable cups. People are apt to feel more special, anyway.
• Buy your milk or juice in paper cartons instead of plastic jugs.
• Shop at warehouse stores (Costco, Sam’s Club). You will get more product with less packaging.
• Use canvas bags for your grocery shopping. They are prolific, hold a lot more than their plastic counterparts and are washable.

Reuse

If you do have to use plastic items (let’s face it, it would be difficult to go completely “zero waste” in our culture.) There are fun and useful ways to reuse items that you would normally throw away or toss into the recycle bin.

We have a Webolutions Pinterest account and I’ve created a board dedicated to the Reuse of Plastic Items. Check it out: https://www.pinterest.com/webolutions/reuse-plastic-items/

What are your ideas? Share them on our Facebook page.

Recycle

You may think you are doing a great job of recycling, but 25% of the United States doesn’t recycle. And many items are recycled that shouldn’t be or must be removed due to contamination. Contaminates in the recycling process increases the overall cost, can damage the sorting equipment and devalues the recyclability of the items put in the bin.

I found a great reference site for recycling guidelines:

https://www.denvergov.org/content/denvergov/en/trash-and-recycling/recycling/what-can-be-recycled.html

A quick summary:

Bottles & Cans – Aluminum, glass bottles, plastic bottles, aerosol cans (I didn’t know this), all emptied. Metal lids may be recycled, but must be removed

Boxes – flattened, paper towel tubes, semi-clean pizza boxes, (NO paper cups, plates or books).

Paper – newspaper, magazines, food and beverage cartons emptied. (NO used tissues (eww), or used paper towels (I didn’t know this either) paper napkins.

Plastic – kitchen, laundry, bottles, and containers emptied (NO bubble wrap, candy wrappers, plastic flower pots, chip bags, grocery bags, “K-cups” or individual coffee creamers)

There really is a garbage crisis, and we all need to join together to keep our planet clean enough to live on. It’s a team effort. What have you done to help the planet today?

The post The Big Debate: Why Do Plastic Straws Suck So Much? appeared first on Webolutions Digital Marketing Agency.

This can be:

• A Big Trip – A week or more to a faraway destination. This takes a lot of planning ahead of time. Research shows that the excitement of even just planning a vacation helps boost your immune system.
• A Short Trip – A 3-day weekend, or a road trip. If you don’t have a week, take a few days to see the sights in your own state or a neighboring one.
• A Staycation – Stay home, but relax while sipping a cup of Golden Bloom Coffee, play, or tackle a big project that you’ve really wanted to get done.

Admitting that you are burnt out and need a vacation does not imply that you don’t like your job. Vacation is meant for you to recharge, forget about your career for a while and do things you possibly haven’t been able to do lately. We are better employees or business owners when we take a break from the constant worries and issues of the company we work for. Especially for those people who own their own business.

Ask many a CEO and they will say they don’t have time to take a vacation. And, when they do go somewhere it’s usually a trip to visit family, an “oblication”, because otherwise they wouldn’t take the time to be gone from the office. But, the truth is, everyone does better when they are present at work IF they manage to get away periodically to reset the brain and get recharged. Even the boss.

A few things NOT to do:

Overtime Overkill

Really try not to kill yourself with overtime prior to your trip, so you can get every little thing done. It is certainly worthwhile to get some of your work done ahead of time, so you can really check-out for a bit. If you are lucky enough to have someone in the same position at work as you are, make a deal with them to cover each other’s duties while out on vacation. Then make sure to do it for them when they go somewhere! Also, make sure you let your clients know that you’ll be out. They won’t pass judgment, more than likely they will be envious, and they will know to ease up on the phone calls and emails while you are gone. Also, set your out of office message on your email.

Buffet All-Day

Don’t completely ruin your eating habits while vacationing. I know this seems like a great time to just go all-out and eat and drink everything in sight, but you will come home regretting your debauchery. If you’ve been watching your weight, or sticking to a healthy eating plan, try and stay somewhat within those guidelines. Of course, have that poolside Pina Colada if that will truly make you happy, but you don’t need to have 10 of them. Also, make sure you drink plenty of water on vacation. Even if you are so good at drinking enough water during your work week (wait, let me take a quick chug from my S’well bottle) sometimes we forget our good habits while on vacation.

Serial Photographer

Don’t feel like you need to take pictures of everything and everywhere you go. Try to enjoy the moments without a camera/cell phone in front of your face (see digital detox, below). Your brain will remember all the good times and you can always Google a picture of the Napali Coast if you can’t remember what it looked like. But, trust me, you will remember it.

Ready to Kick Back – A few things to do:

Digital Detox

Make sure to do a digital detox. This means leave your cell phone/tablet in your hotel room safe or at least have it turned off in your backpack or purse – and only use it in case of emergency (and really, just in case of emergency! Checking Instagram does not qualify as an emergency). This will probably be the biggest hurdle, we are so used to having our phones either up to our faces or at least next to us or in our hand always. Look, where is your phone right now? Yep, told you. Enjoy your destination and your companion(s) company.

Ditch the Alarm Clock

Sometimes there are planned activities that you need to get up early for, but otherwise, sleep until your body naturally wakes up. It is a fabulous feeling and don’t be concerned you will sleep all day, more than likely, you won’t. Your body’s internal clock has been used to getting up when you normally do for work, so don’t be surprised if you wake up right around your normal alarm time. Close your eyes and relax, go back to sleep if you want!

Catch Some Z’s

Conversely, don’t stay up way past your normal bedtime too often, you’ll just be out of whack once you get home. A few late nights of dancing and cocktails won’t hurt you, but don’t make it a nightly habit. You will regret it once you get home and are ready to get back to work.

Fitness Fun

Remember to get exercise on vacation. Don’t go to a beach and then literally sit on the beach all day. You need to get up, swim or just splash around in the water. Hike, walk, or dance to keep your brain happy and burn off some of those extra calories you have been consuming. Hotels almost always have gyms, and resorts often have fun watersports to engage in.

Add a Plus One

If you can, take an extra day on the end of your trip so you can get back to your normal routine at home. Wash your dirty clothes, mow that overgrown lawn and hit the grocery store. You’ll be ready to dive back in at work the next day without stress.

I don’t know about you, but I work to live not live to work. Make sure you have balance in your life and you’ll be a happy and productive employee.

Now shoo! Get that vacation planned and GO RELAX.

About Webolutions

At Webolutions, we believe in inspiring success. And, we know that success in business extends to personal success. For 24 years, we’ve helped hundreds of businesses and organizations thrive. We believe in an all-in approach and can help with everything from websites to branding to culture. Interested in learning more? Call 303.300.2640 or contact us here.

The post How to Take a Guilt-Free Vacation appeared first on Webolutions Digital Marketing Agency.

Go Shorter

First things first, don’t declare grand resolutions that will last the WHOLE YEAR. You’re just setting yourself up for excuses to put it off as soon as you fall short. Once you fumble you’ll say “Well, I guess I’ll wait until next year since I’ve blown it.” And thus, here we are again, right where we were at the end of last year. If you make your resolutions in shorter increments, you have a better chance of hitting those goals and making new, even more challenging ones as the year goes on, regardless of setbacks along the way. How about a daily or weekly resolution? The idea is to make improvements in your life, not create more stress and guilt. If you are going to execute a plan to change something, make sure it is attainable.

The 1%

A wise (crazy buff) personal trainer once told me that if you make a 1% change each week, theoretically you could have made a 52% upgrade to yourself by the end of the year. Even if you miss a few weeks, you’re still looking at being 50% better by the time next December rolls around!

Get Specific

Along with these ideas, you’ve got to get specific. General declarations are pretty easy to cop out on without trying too hard. “I want to lose weight,” for example, is one of the most commonly made (and broken) resolutions year after year. Wouldn’t it be better to say “I want to lose 5 pounds in the next month,” (or three months, no one’s judging!)  It’s not so vague so that you procrastinate until November (and we all know that’s a bad time to start a diet!) Hitting specific goals will help you continue on your weight loss crusade throughout the year.

Power in Numbers

If your plan is to exercise and get fit, there is power in numbers (honestly, there’s power in accountability partners or groups for any resolution you may be looking to make.) Pick several people to work out with. For example, I joined a group last January, for a “6 Week Fitness Challenge” and there are five of us who are still in the group today working out three times per week, way past the 6 weeks that we set as our original goal. Sadly, if you pick just one person to team up with, it is much easier to skip a workout if your buddy is sick or out of town. A great group to join is headed up by our own John Brackney, called Webolutions Revolutions He will keep you on track, and you’ll have fun too!

Be Kind to Yourself

Above all, be kind and more patient with yourself and you will achieve what you’ve set out to accomplish. Whether you vow to lose weight, get fit, clean up your debt or quit smoking, take it day by day and you will still be making strides by summertime.

Right now, I just need to spend more time reading books and less time watching Netflix. (Oh, but wait, season two of The Crown is on…)

About Webolutions

At Webolutions, we believe in inspiring success. Whether its personal, professional or recreational, we believe in succeeding together. For over 23 years, we have helped thousands of businesses and individuals achieve there goals. Looking to make 2018 amazing for your business and marketing? Give us a call at 303.300.2640 or Get Started online.

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Take a look at some pictures on Webolutions Flickr account from the wonderful breakfast.

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