I’m excited to have another article posted on Forbes! My Daily Muse article, “4 Things You Didn’t Know to Put on Your Resume” is on ForbesWoman today, under the “Leadership” section. You can view my other articles on Forbes here and here. Make sure to check out all the talented writers at the Daily Muse as well!
A Real Person
When I was a senior in high school, we had show choir rehearsals in the summer. My partner dropped out of show choir, so I was left trying to dance alone. My freshman brother is a pretty talented singer and dancer, so I asked him to stand in until the director found me a new partner, and he agreed. After the first rehearsal, we’re driving home, and he says to me, “Ashley, you’re like, a real person! Boys flirt with you, and you have friends, and you tell jokes… it’s like… wow, you’re a real person!” I found this to be hilarious, and a bit confusing, as I’d had boyfriends and friends over to the house several times throughout high school. I “got it” when I realized that my PARENTS are real people! (Trust me, THAT was a shock to the system!) I’ve noticed it before, but some recent interactions with my Big Boss made me realize that he’s a real person, too.
I think sometimes we put the boss on a pedestal, thinking they’re this far off, aloof person with whom we can’t interact like “normal people”. And, in some companies, that’s true. My Big Boss is the CEO of our parent company, so he’s incredibly busy and important. I always feel like I need to get to the point when I need his sign-off on something, and generally, when he says, “jump”, people say, “how high?” But he’s not a power monger at all. In fact, he’s a pretty regular guy, and he’s not all business, all the time. He always makes a point to ask how I’m doing and how my MBA classes are going, and he’ll usually relate some kind of story from his time pursuing the MBA. He’s told me funny stories about his kids, and he jokes with the other VPs and C-level managers. On one business trip, I was having a meeting recap with my direct supervisor, and my Big Boss walked past on his way back from the gym. He sat down in his shorts and tennis shoes and talked strategy with us for an hour. His insight was really helpful, and he took a lot of my ideas in stride, which made me feel great about contributing to a conversation that could have gone way above my head.
I think realizing that the boss is a real person, too, is helpful in the workplace. Realizing that you’re all on the same team, you’re all trying to make your way in the business world, and you all have families and lives outside the office builds camaraderie, and increases productivity. I know I’m much more willing to make sacrifices for a boss that I can relate to, and a boss that seems to be in the trenches as well.
JC Penney Downs Discounts
Pants: JC Penney
T-shirt: Target
Blazer: Target
Scarf: Target
Flats: Payless
Like the outfit? Click here for more details!
A classmate of mine asked for my take on the new JC Penney strategy, and after a discussion with my dad about the strategy, I decided to do a little hands-on research. JC Penney is the king of huge discounts, all the time, on all their items… at least, they were. This article details their new strategy to drop prices across the board to an “everyday value” price. They’re also moving to whole numbers, instead of the $19.99 or $29.99 prices, the tags will now read $20 and $30 respectively. So, what’s my take on downing the discounts?
My initial reaction was that the everyday value price was a smart move, but the whole number pricing was a bad move. When you’re in the dressing room (I use this example since I most frequently buy clothes instead of other items from JCP), you know the price on the tag is not the price you will actually pay. However, there’s no uniform discount, so you can’t really remember if the $69.99 dress is 40% off or 50%. Then there’s the extremely rare occasion where the item isn’t marked down at all. So, you pick out all the items you like, and then circle back through the aisles to try to determine how much money you’re actually spending. This is particularly important and frustrating if you’re on a budget, since the discounts drastically reduce the prices. As a marketer, I’m also frustrated that you’re trying to anchor me to a price that’s MUCH higher than I actually think the item is worth. I know full well I’m not willing to pay the price on the tag, and I know full well I won’t have to pay the price on the tag, but even with all my insight into this scheme, I still battle my human brain. And, my human brain automatically considers the number in front of my face, no matter how ridiculous it may seem! So, I don’t appreciate the mind games, JC Penney, just give me a price!
Now, JC Penney is giving me the price, but since they’ve trained me to reject the price on the tag, it’s quite difficult to break that habit. I took several skirts into the dressing room, and I had to force myself to consider the price as stated. I was happy to pay the $25 listed, but I felt like something was wrong about paying “full price” at JCP, even though the price was less than the amount that I valued the item. Again, all my marketing know-how pales in comparison to good ‘ole human instinct. The whole pricing was also a shock to the system. It’s one little penny, but for some reason, the price of $25 instead of $24.99 just made me feel a little off. Again, you’ve trained me to think I’m paying less than $25 by constantly knocking off the penny, so again, you’ve made me feel like I’m paying full price at a place that shouldn’t ever receive full price for an item!
The other issue with the whole pricing, is that they picked some odd prices for rounding. Signs with “$6 and up” or “37 and up”… what? At this point, you’ve now triggered my $10 price point or my $40 price point, but I’m not willing to pay $10 or $40. Again, I can analyze it to figure out why this bothers me, and rationalize that it’s silly, since I won’t actually have to pay $10 or $40. But still, had you told me $5.99 and $35.99, you’d trigger the lower price point that I am willing to pay. Further, the whole pricing just feel cheap, and JCP is trying to bill itself as quality. Again, it has very little to do with how much I actually value an item, and how much I’d actually be willing to pay for the item, and much more to do with how I feel during the buying experience. And, JCP is trying to make you feel better during the buying experience, as their competitive advantage and value-add. But they haven’t made me feel better, they’ve just made me spiral into a marketing nerd analysis of why I would normally be fine buying the $25 skirt, but today, it feels funny! (Granted, I’m a HARDCORE marketing nerd, so the general public probably doesn’t go through such analysis while buying, but the research has shown that the points mentioned above do affect people, whether they know it or not. So, sans crazy marketing rabbit hole, people might choose to abandon the purchase altogether!)
Long story short, this strategy has some major pitfalls to overcome, and it’ll be an interesting case study once the new wears off. How do you feel about the new strategy? Like the outfit? Click here for more details!
Featured on The Daily Muse
I’m contributing to the Daily Muse today, with an article about some interesting additions to your resume. I’ve contributed to the Daily Muse several times, on topics about business school and office dilemmas. You can see all of my articles here.
The Daily Muse is an excellent site aimed at young professional women (there’s some great articles for men, too!) They’ve assembled a wonderful team of talented writers, so make sure you browse through the rest of the site!
Transfer of Power
Well, readers, last week was just crazy, with 12 hour days for work, and homework and class after hours! I’m back to a slightly less hectic schedule this week!
My husband and I had a discussion recently about the transfer of power, inspired by his reading of “The History of Western Philosophy” by Bertrand Russell. He posed the question, “If a Senator dies while in office, who should get to replace the Senator?” I responded that we’ve got a process for that, but ultimately, it’s whoever the public elects. Then he asked, “If a man dies, who should get his estate?” I responded, his wife and children, or whoever he wills it to. We started talking about how monarchies used to transfer political power through blood, but now, political power is transferred through votes. However, we still transfer economic power through blood.
However, in today’s society, the golden rule is more true than ever: He who holds the gold makes the rules. Wealthy people wield significant power over the political arena and everyday lives of common people. Take a look at the housing crisis and the economic recession, and you’ll see that the government can’t change fortunes as effectively as the wealthy. Rich people contribute to PACs, lobbyists, and individual campaigns, their stock holdings can make or break a corporation, and their disposable income can fund entire cities! Why, then, do we still allow this type of power to be transferred through blood?
I posited that a wife and children had to make sacrifices for the man to become so rich, and that there are a lot more checks and balances in place to ensure that the heirs don’t hurt others with their wealth. My husband commented that the owner of a nuclear power plant shouldn’t just automatically pass that ownership down to a child. What if the child was evil or incompetent? Wouldn’t that be as bad as a king leaving the kingdom to his inept eldest son? To me, there’s a board of directors, a managerial team, and shareholders (or, in the case of nuclear power, government regulations) to ensure that the heir can’t inflict harm via their inheritance of such a company.
We talked about some pros and cons of the transfer of economic power through blood, and I’ve presented a few of the points we discussed. In short, will economic transfer of power eventually go the way of political power?
Uniforms and Symbols
Dress: JC Penney
Blazer: NY & Co.
Boots: Ross
Necklace: Claire’s
Like the outfit? See more details here!
I spent some time with a friend and her military buddies this past weekend, and they started talking about the new uniform requirements for new members in the squadron. This conversation, combined with discussions about power and influence during my Organizational Behavior classes, made me think about how clothes help you be “in” the group.
The military members commented that there wasn’t much to be exicted about when they first joined a squardron, but they were really excited to wear the orange shirt. To them, the orange shirt signified that they were part of the squadron, and everyone knew what an orange shirt meant. I feel this way about my badge to enter the building, particularly when I’m out in the world. People may not know my role in the company, but when they see that badge during the workday, they know I’m employed at a place that is doing something important enough to identify and screen outsiders. It makes me feel important to wear my badge, and makes me feel like I’m part of something special.
Having something to make your employees feel “in” is a huge motivator, and contributors to overall work satisfaction. And, it can be something as simple as a company shirt! We talk a lot about group dynamics in my OB classes, and the fact that feeling “out” makes people look for other opportunities. Companies need to make their employees feel like they belong, like they’re valued, and like they have some skin in the game. I know some people dislike dress codes, but I think having a high standard of dress or uniform makes people feel like the company cares. It also demonstrates to customers that you care about all the details of professionalism, not just selling your product. What uniforms or symbols make you feel like part of the team? Like the outfit? See more details here!
Will Power
We all have aspirations, and for some, those include being a model or celebrity. For me, those aspirations included being a professional singer, so I was willing to sacrifice a lot of time, money, and tears to achieve that dream. I started thinking about will power, and wondering if it takes more power to say, “no”, or more power to keep pressing on when everyone else is saying, “no”.
In an effort to pursue my dream in high school, I joined a modeling and talent agency. A friend of mine had heard a commercial or received a flyer about an audition at a hotel ballroom, so I decided to go as well. Even then, I was incredibly skeptical of agencies, wary that they only wanted to scam me out of my money. This agency had a great hook: we don’t get paid until you get paid. Pretty classic pitch, actually. The problem was that, in order to even go to a call, you needed a book of headshots. As I was not trying to model, I thought this was stupid, but it’s what you had to have to see the casting directors. And, we had to use their photographer, because he knew EXACTLY what the directors were looking for in the photos. After over-paying for the photos, we had to pay for a weekend at a hotel for me to perform for the directors (along with thousands of others, scheduled to sing on stage one after the other). I was excited to get a few callbacks, until I realized that the callbacks were for a voice teacher and a stage teacher. Most of the performers got similar callbacks. In short, after nearly a grand spent with a “free” agency, I stopped returning their calls.
Timeshares are supposed to be a lucrative offer. You get to vacation in gorgeous locations, make tons of money back on your investment, and generally allow you to “get in on the ground floor of an amazing opportunity!” A lot of people fall prey to the free breakfast, offers for a cruise in exchange for just 30 minutes of your time, and the beautiful beach-front property that you have the ability to purchase before anyone else!
Both of these situations test your will power. They test your knowledge that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. In the case of the agency, they had one shining success story, and for an ambitious high school girl, that’s all it took. Surely, I could be their next success! The timeshares have one or two outstanding ROIs to report, and once again, everyone thinks that surely, they’ll be the next big millionaire after making such a wise (and oh so unique) investment. These are examples of marketers (albeit, very clever and successful marketers) using their powers to fleece people. They push every emotional button, and use every social construct to pressure you into doing something that you know in your mind to be wrong, even though your heart really wants to believe in the “magic”. I’ll admit, I fell for it once! Maybe that’s why I want to use my will power to be an honest marketer, with customers who feel great about the solution I’ve described to them?
OB Student Observations
I attended my first week of classes for this semester, and I noticed some interesting patterns.
First, students in general are so much more open than people in the professional world. Maybe this is just the people I’ve met in the professional world, but I’m always struck by how quickly people show their hand and make assessments in an academic setting. Particularly in the Organizational Behavior class, all the students “get” each other pretty quickly. The ice breaker activity on the first day was to choose a partner that you didn’t know, and introduce them. The questions included asking about their biggest accomplishment or proudest moment, and their biggest failure or disappointment. Digging deep, right off the bat! I walked into that class without knowing anyone, and by the end of a 3 hour session, I’d formed a semester-long group that I already feel very comfortable with. This type comfort seems to take much longer in professional settings I’ve experienced.
Further, it was interesting that so many more people were comfortable speaking to the class than in my accounting class. It’s odd, because this OB class is required for most of the programs represented in the class, so there’s not a higher concentration of marketing nerds that just enjoy presenting. Maybe it’s the class setting, and the fact that the ice breaker was informal, as opposed to the accounting class with a formal presentation for a grade? Either way, most of the people in the class stood up to speak, made eye contact with the audience, and spoke loudly and clearly throughout their introduction. The accounting presentations involved reading a notecard in a soft voice, with heads buried behind the card or the computer screen. HUGE differences that made me feel more confidence in my peers after leaving class last Wendesday evening!
So, I feel this semester is going to get the gears turning in my head, and I’m excited for the synergy that I believe will happen between my classes and my work days. It’s good to be back in a class with people that are open and articulate, so we’ll see if my first impressions hold true as the semester progresses!
Happy Friday!
It’s been a great week of productivity at the office and mental stimulation for the fourth semester of my MBA, and I’m ready to kick off the weekend! Here’s what I’m reading:
For the cube dweller, via Daily Muse: Think Outside the Cube
For the internet generation, via Wikipedia: English Wikipedia SOPA Blackout (note that the blackout is over, but check out their standing on SOPA)
For those with New Year’s Resolutions, via Mr. Money Mustache: How To Be Slim
For the presenters, via Seth’s Blog: Your Voice Will Give You Away
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Your Best Self
Yesterday, I was exactly the person I want to be. You ever have those days? The days where you come home and you reflect on the day, and realize that you were the best version of yourself? I love those days! On the surface, you think those days are easy to come by, but when you dig down deep, you realize that you’re often settling for something less than your best self. So, how do you become your best self?
For me, I’m usually my best self on days that involve productivity and creativity at work, mental stimulation and challenge, and success in one of my hobbies. Again, on the surface, it sounds like an easy formula that everyone has. But for me, it’s not just about “getting work done”, it’s about the unique combination of creativity, variety, and project completion. It’s not just about “reading an intellectual book”, it’s about making the gears turn in my brain, and seeing connections explode across all my functional knowledge. It’s not about “attending rehearsal” or “going to the gym”, it’s about fine-tuning my talents and body, and making a break-through. Yesterday was that, the perfect storm of planning and execution to be my best self.
I arrived at the office by 7 am, to accommodate leaving early for class. I completed some website content updates, and then sat down to design a new ad… and the ideas were flowing. I finished 7 mock-ups in about an hour, and I would have been satisfied with any of them being approved! Then I headed to my first class session for my Negotiation and Dispute Resolution class, where I formed what I think will be an exceptional team for the group project. After checking out the requirements for the group project, I nerded out on the drive home about game theory, the science of lying, access to information, and all the intersections between those subjects. My mind was basically exploding with ideas by the time I reached my front door, and I’m still coming up with new facets this morning! When I arrived home, I changed clothes and headed to a kick-butt boot camp. After boot camp, I came home and hung out with my husband, telling him about all my ideas and projects and generally sharing my zest for life with the person I love most. I even ate healthy meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner yesterday!
I came into the office this morning completely invigorated and ready to take the day by storm. Already, I’ve received information for two new projects, and I’m a ball of energy as I start to work on them. I feel like I’m going to have another day of being exactly who I want to be. The difference between my best self and anything less than my best self is astounding. It may not even be noticeable to outsiders, but I can see, feel, and experience the intense focus, productivity, creativity, and satisfaction that comes from being my best self. This is what it’s all about. The career, the education, the opening night, the sore muscles… it’s all for those days when I’m the best version of myself.
Consciously Corporate 