Power of Punishment; Simplicity Upgrade; Air It Out; 3rd Quarter Theme?

"…keeping you great" 

HEADLINES:

"Focus & Simplify" —
when Michelangelo was asked how he created David out of stone his response was
"It's simple; I just removed everything that doesn't look like David." It was
this famous line that inspired the Q2-Q3 Theme "Focus and Simplify" for online
media firm

BGT Partners. Notes CEO and Co-Founder David Clarke "He (Michelangelo)
removed what was not essential to achieve perfection. This is a very meaningful
statement and permeates not just how we think and what we do – but how we live."

Growth Brings Complexity
— continues Clarke "BGT is growing bigger and more complex. We need to
consciously beat back the tide of complexity, inefficiency, and bloat, and
decide if what we are doing is the simplest way to achieve the best results." As
such, Clarke has asked everyone in his company, throughout each project, to ask
themselves if the process they are following is absolutely core to the goal of
the project. If not, they are to question it with their manager or operations
team."

Simplicity Upgrade
— seeking a "simplicity upgrade", until the end of 3rd Quarter (September)
associates can go to an internal webpage called BGTDamnand share ideas for
simplifying their collaboration, communication, process, or technology.
Specifically, Clarke asked employees to:

Think
and Question. Is what you are doing most effective?

• 
  
  Can ten hours of research be resolved with one client phone call?
  
• 
  
  Do we need three concepts or just one really great one?
  
• 
  
  Are the features we are creating, creating clutter and confusion?
  
• 
  
  When a client sees our work, do they get it right away?
  

"Air it Out" Meetings —
Concludes Clarke in a note to employees "Please, please submit your ideas via
BGTDamn, talk to your managers, talk to me! Between your manager, myself, your
daily huddles, department weekly meetings in my office, BGTDamn, and the 'air it
out' monthly lunches, there's no excuse for you to keep any ideas, concerns,
questions to yourself. Share them so we can address them and act on them,
helping BGT evolve."

Power
of Punishment

— not all themes need a positive reward. Nashville-based Parthenon Publishing
is using a "Wheel of Shame" to encourage people to use their project management
system called 5PM. Punishments have included (links are to short videos):

• 
  
  Jacky working
  the corner (no, not like that) while holding up a sign that said "Honk if you
  love 5PM until she got a honk. (She managed that in about 10 seconds.
  Because she is a professional.)
  
• 
  
  Ashley reciting an original poem about 5PM during huddle.
  
• 
  
  Joe participating in huddle fully
  mummified (and quite dizzy from being spun around while wrapping).
  
• 
  
  
  Bobby singing all of his huddle answers. (Mr. Stark has a little vibrato
  in him, it turns out.)
• 
  
  
  Carlton taking a smoked oyster & clam juice shooter.
  

Tripled Usage — notes Ashley Akin, Senior Content Strategist, in her blog
"The first week we implemented this system our 5PM usage tripled and our
mistakes diminished by some equally ridiculous percentage (we weren't keeping
track of mistakes before, but we know we were in failing territory). Making the
process accountability-driven, yet fun and communal, made us successful. So the
next time your employees are having trouble making it work, don't reward them
with donuts when they deliver; let them get creative and dole out the
punishments to those who don't. Nothing renews a person's commitment to company
protocol like eating a diaper full of oatmeal." Yuck – but effective!! Thanks
for their Gazelles coach Andy Bailey for sharing.

COACHING:

Need helping implementing the Rockefeller Habits?