employee engagement

Just Another Day in the Park – Setting a Team Intention for 2025

January 21, 2025 by Jeff Leave a Comment

TY Park that is. A gem in Hollywood, Florida with an amazing lake, paths and so many stunning, beautiful, huge, old Southern Live Oak trees. You can’t even attribute a value to the shade they provide here in South Florida, where during our 8-9 months a year of summer like weather, the shadows they cast are so very, very welcome.

In an effort to change the dynamic at my “day gig” we’ve released ourselves from the bondage of a weekly staff meeting, and replaced with a brief, weekly summary to the staff on Mondays, real-time, brief department meetings, AND a quarterly/seasonal ½ day staff retreat in a place of nature, beauty, awe or wonder.

We bring some tasty nibbles and usually good coffee. We start with an ice breaker for about the first hour. This most recent gathering each staffer was asked to express 3 moments of success from their past. Personal or professional, “big”, or “small” didn’t matter. Significance, impact…were key. This gave everyone a chance to reflect upon what those moments were, why they mattered, why they were successful etc. And, to allow everyone at the picnic table to see how the humanity in each of their peers, and the uniqueness of each individual. And how unexpected some of these moments to memories were. When you talk about team-building, there are a million different things that can mean. Here at THE Song Team, music, and songwriting are typically the means to an end. But there are a ton of cool things you can do. Axe throwing and a pitcher of beer? Great. Building bikes for under-served youth? Amazing. The list goes on and on. But one thing that all team-building has in common is that we are supposed to come out the other side of whatever program…with at least a small “pool of light” shining on better understanding of one another, improved communication chops..with BIG emphasis on true or active listening. This year, I am promising myself that I want to be the last in the room to speak as much as possible. Maybe that will help me learn more, and be a better leader.

Back at TY Park, I asked the team to look ahead 3 months to programs, events, initiatives, goals and ask questions, or express concerns wherever there is uncertainty about how certain things are set to unfold.

What are the logistical hurdles
Where do we stand with marketing
Who plays what role
Which opportunities for success on which to focus
When/Timelines
What is our vision looking ahead

We work intimately with one another, typically within the same four walls…and that atmosphere can get stale emotionally, mentally, physically…which can create a dynamic of inertia and acceptance. Even cynicism sometimes. Therefore, it’s incredibly important to me that we get OUT of that space together once in awhile…

One thing I’ve learned since this time last year, is that certain team members really and truly value their personal time away from work, and therefore any “team-building” programs need to be during regular business hours. So, I shut the office down for duration, or perhaps bring in a volunteer to answer phones. But I get it. While I’d love an occasional happy hour with the team after hours….that just doesn’t work for some of them. And for me, it’s got to be all or nothing. The entire team, or none of them.

I wish you a productive, happy, healthy, focused and grateful 2025.

Blessings, Jeff

Songwriting and Team Building at Home 615 Recording Studios in Nashville

May 5, 2023 by Jeff Leave a Comment

Here is a testimonial from our most recent client. We had a successful teambuilding program held in Nashville, Tennessee.

Eggs, Architecture, Songwriting and teamwork

June 14, 2015 by Jeff Leave a Comment

How are these seemingly different worlds all connected? Culinary, designing buildings, creating great songs…working as an effective team mate or “co-idea generator?” I’ve been toying with the idea for some time, and in browsing through an interior design magazine at the book store the other day (looking at kitchen design of course) it came to me. Teamwork is such a cliche, but think of how a team in the fast-paced, high pressure kitchen of a 5-start restaurant work together on their products and services. Think of the teamwork involved of building the brand new, World Trade Center on that tragically, historic spot. Think of the fact that the average number of writers to collaborate on a #1 Pop song today is 4. That’s a lot of teamwork! So cliche? I don’t know, but I like my eggs well done, scrambled with cheese…any kind of cheese.

1. Opportunity to be influenced by a different process

Each songwriter has their own natural songwriting process. Sometimes these processes work very well, but other times there is much room for improvement. One writer can get stuck “inside their own head or vision too easily.” Co-writing is a great opportunity for you to improve upon your own process by seeing how another approaches the same song – what works and what doesn’t work – and to adopt some new writing techniques. This same benefit exists in any organizational or workplace environment. Being influenced by a new process and/or new ideas often leads to creation of new creative solutions. Try it today, take your ad campaign concept, architectural design, new recipe for your food truck and throw them out to the team. See if they improve upon your “masterpiece” through constructive collaboration. Now, what if your work in progress seems stuck? Well…….

2. One man’s garbage is another man’s treasure

Songwriters who have been at their craft awhile have songs they either dislike or can’t finish that a songwriting partner may see something in, therefore turning a potentially “lost idea” into something unique and special. You scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours. Every voice at the table has something unique to offer, providing we truly have open forums. Your “throw away song” could be a hit tomorrow, and your “lost idea/invention/service or product development project” could be the next i-phone or Post-it notes…IF you open up your doors and let someone else in to help shine the light on your creation, look underneath the hood and help you to turn coal into a diamond. Maybe this process will help you adjust the way you work or view your own methods and…..

3. Open new doors to try new things and create new sounds

Just like your own process, every songwriter develops their own style and sound. Working with another songwriter can help you to see things in a different light, and to possibly try new things that you may not have otherwise even thought of, helping you to achieve a new, different sound. OR, it may teach you (if you are open to learning) a new way to achieve the desired result. Hit song, new smart-phone app. Etc..etc…

4. Critiques are more effective

An important part of the songwriting process is to critique your work, to find out what may be helping the song to strive, or what may be holding it back from succeeding, and to tweak it’s structure for the better. Doing this yourself is important, but working with a co-writer offers you the opportunity to put a new set of eyes on the song and to actively and openly discuss all parts of the song. Again, this may lead to seeing things differently and help you to open new doors to tweak your song (or not tweak your song) for the better. So, if you’ve come this far, please remember, you stand to gain nothing at this part of the game by saying you’re open to critique, but not actually listening to feedback from the other truly with an open heart and ears.

5. It can be fun, helping your creativity to flow!

While some songwriters prefer to do it themselves because their songs may be deeply personal and/ or introspective, there is no doubt that a collaborative effort can be fun and exciting. Working with another offers the opportunity to piggy-back off each other’s excitement and energy which will show in the music. The same can be said for grabbing a white-board, some markers and a designated time for brainstorming each day within the confines of your own field/business. Or for that matter at home! What if while working together in the kitchen on a Sunday morning, you and your better half in this casual setting… brought up one “problem” and focused together on the solution. What would that look like? Could you have fun with it? Could the ebb and flow of the cooking and clearing process jog your creative juices? Come on, brewing the coffee, scrambling the eggs….seems perfect environment of “Getting things done” in a non-threatening setting to achieve one solution to at least “Try” for the week ahead right!

Okay, go make it happen. Create one solution this week, improve on one idea or product/service, open your ears to the others around you. You’ll be amazed at what happens.

A Lesson from Google on Keeping Your Employees – (Sharing from Adam Vacarro)

February 14, 2014 by Jeff Leave a Comment

Google’s decision to place senior vice president of advertising (and employee No. 16) Susan Wojcicki at the helm of YouTube offers an important lesson about retaining employees.

Re/code reports that Wojciki had recently had some of her responsibilities on Google’s senior executive team split with fellow SVP Sridhar Ramaswamy. Moving on from Google wasn’t out of the question. “Wojcicki had been interested in running her own thing [and] had also been a recruitment target for a venture capital or perhaps a CEO role,” the website reports.

Google’s dilemma–a high-performing worker wanting to give her leadership skills a whirl–can come up at any company. You might not be able to hand your employees the keys to a brand as powerful as YouTube, but you can let them scratch their itch by letting them launch their own projects under your umbrella. In other words, you can retain your top talent by encouraging a culture of intrapreneurship.

I know, I know. The term is one that causes many business owners to roll their eyes. It’s been found in the pages of Inc. since the 1980s, but rarely is it clear exactly how a small business with a distinct focus can realistically expect to let every employee chase her dream.

A few months back though, I was able to interview the leader of an Inc. 5000 company–Kansas-based marketing firm DEG Digital–about the company’s dedication to encouraging intrapreneurial endeavors. Among the feathers in CEO Neal Sharma’s cap: More than half of all DEG employees have a different title than the one they were hired with by the end of their first year at the company.

Sharma related the story of then-DEG web strategist Cara Olson, who years ago told him she wanted to leave the company to launch her own email marketing startup. Sharma listened to her idea, then asked her whether she’d want to stick around and launch the project for DEG. Eight years later, Olson manages 30 employees, and email marketing is one of the company’s biggest business units.

Weigh Your Interests

The obvious and important caveat about Olson is that she didn’t want to start a recipe blog or open a coffee shop. It’s unlikely that Sharma would have let her do so on DEG’s time. She wanted to start something that made sense for DEG to have under its umbrella.

So it’s important to clarify that for small businesses, an intrapreneurial initiative should be judged on its fit with your company. Sharma says he tries to approach every employee-pitched project as a venture capitalist would, thinking about the kinds of returns it could ultimately net DEG. At the same time, it’s necessary to weigh how well you can afford to lose that employee.

In the case of Wojcicki, Google’s brass clearly didn’t want to lose her. She’s been with the company since some of its earliest days; the company even operated out of her garage for a time. Putting her in charge of YouTube keeps everybody happy.

Google’s experience with Wojcicki doesn’t perfectly mirror DEG’s with Olson, but both drive home one obvious, yet easy-to-forget point: One key asset you have in your effort to retain top employees is, when reasonable, to let them do what they want.

Is Your Workplace Environment Stunting Collaboration and Innovation?

July 5, 2013 by Jeff Leave a Comment

Recently, our team participated in a songwriting/team-building program with a Fortune 500, Financial Services Company. We were very excited to be working with a new group of driven, talented individuals.On this day, we were part of a full-days “technical” training. We were the “Grand Finale”-Non-industry related part of the program. We were there to shake things up, and help shift the thought processes of those in the room from their normal, linear thinking norms.

We were challenged to work in a room, where the layout was, well let’s say not ideal so as to encourage collaboration. A primary goal with our programs! Set up class-room style with long, thin rectangular tables. All attendees were facing forward. Nearly all had laptops in front of them, rather than the round tables we typically prefer. So, what did we do?

Well, we “re-arranged the chairs on the Titantic!” We shut down the lap-tops. We asked those in attendance to move the tables around. Rather than row upon row of faces turned towards “us” at the “front” of the room, we NOW had 4 “pods” or “Squares” of attendees facing each other. Eye contact. Everyone was now able to see lips moving when a colleague was speaking…contributing to the conversation.

NOW, we were set to work together in individual teams, and as a collective whole. And everyone chipped in. Beautiful.

So, what can you do within the “walls” and WITH the walls of your organization to better promote innovation through collaboration?

Are there actual physical barriers which you as leadership can consider “bringing down?”

Are there systemic barriers, or parameters that might be easier to change than you think?

Conversely, are there systemic barriers or policies, which despite how difficult change may appear to be…STILL need to change?

What can you do right now? Within 3 months…6 months…12 months to better assure that all voices at the table have a say in creating and/or finding solutions?

Let’s think about it….Then, let’s do something about it.

Emdeon Team-Building/Songwriting with Karen Taylor-Good!

June 20, 2013 by Jeff Leave a Comment

Recently, we facilitated an intimately sized songwriting/team-building program for Emdeon’s IT department. The VP’s who attended this program are charged with blending personnel and systems from an old company, with parts of a new company, new personnel, and new systems.

With Grammy-Nominated Songwriter, Karen Taylor-Good at my side, we convened in the collaborative workspace that is C3 Consulting just south of downtown Nashville. Tackling both the challenges of A) A company in today’s fast-changing healthcare industry, along with the B) The challenges faced by a company in the process of merging the “old with the new”, is a formidable challenge.

However, as we often find…the steeper the hill, the more opportunities we have to improve… the longer view vision we tend to have, which leads to a big picture focus. This is especially good when dealing with such complex issues. If we “can’t see the forest through the trees”, then being strategic in our implementation of new engagement systems, new professional development goals etc. becomes quite a bit more difficult.