North Coast Media, LLC

How to make a good impression at your office party

By Diane Sofranec | Managing Editor, Pest Management Professional

Office parties offer a unique opportunity to make a good impression. If you look and act professional, your colleagues and managers will see you as an asset to the company.

Too often, employees ruin their reputations at office parties. These tips will ensure your coworkers never discover you can’t hold your liquor, you like to dress like a tramp, or you think your boss is hot.

Behave yourself. Conduct yourself like the valued employee you are. Don’t even think about telling offensive jokes, puking all over the place, or hooking up with your office crush in the bathroom. Engage in polite conversation, avoiding politics and religion. Ask about holiday plans, keeping in mind people celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanza. And don’t complain about work; this is the one time of the year your coworkers will want to skip the subject.

Be friendly. Make an effort to chat with coworkers you see regularly but are too busy to get to know. Better yet, introduce yourself to colleagues you haven’t yet met. Cultivating new contacts now may make it easier for you to advance your career later.

Don’t overindulge. Although your company is picking up the tab, an office party is not the place to drink and eat as though you’ve just ended a hunger strike. Go easy on the food and especially, the booze.

Dress appropriately. By all means get festive, but don’t go overboard. Keep it tasteful and classy. Wear clothes that are suitable for a work event because that’s what an office party is.

Give thanks. Take a moment to personally thank your boss and/or the owner of your company — for a great year, for throwing a holiday party, for the holiday bonus if you’re lucky enough to get one. Don’t put it off; do it just as the party gets underway. You may miss your chance if they duck out early or are deep in conversation.

Don’t miss out. Maybe you would rather spend the evening with your cat and the latest issue of People magazine, but those in charge of the party will notice you’re not there — and that won’t be good for your career. Make an appearance and stay long enough to ensure your coworkers see you there.

Attending your office party can be fun if you think of it as a way to give your reputation a boost. Be professional and maintain your composure at all times. If clients are invited too, that’s all the more reason to keep your behavior businesslike.

Staff Book Review: Uncontainable

By Bill Roddy | Publisher, Landscape Management

In 2014, Kip Tindell, chairman and CEO of The Container Store, published the book Uncontainable. It’s the story of how Tindell’s passion for organizing things and delighting customers helped build The Container Store from a single, 1,600-square-foot store in Dallas in 1978 into a thriving business of 75 locations throughout the U.S. today.

This book is an extremely fast read, taking the reader through the company’s values-based foundation principles. The first few chapters provide background information on how Tindell came to open his first location. The following chapters explain the seven “Foundation Principles” in detail with wonderful stories and examples of how each principle is put into action each day within the walls of each store location.

The seven Foundation Principles are:

1. One great person equals three good people
2. Fill the other guy’s basket to the brim; making money then becomes an easy proposition
3. Man in the desert selling
4. Communication is leadership
5. The best selection, service and price
6. Intuition does not come to an unprepared mind; you need to train before it happens
7. Air of excitement

While reading, it’s easy to see why The Container Store has been so successful at delighting its customers, its suppliers and each of its employees. It’s no surprise they’ve been ranked in the “Top 100 Companies to Work For” by Fortune Magazine for 15 consecutive years.

I highly recommend any business owner or manager with an interest in creating a positive culture for your business or team to add Uncontainable to your reading list.

Friday Favorites: LP Gas

Best of 2015, as picked by the editors

The issue: LP Gas, August 2015

Selected by: Editor-in-Chief Brian Richesson

Looking back on the past year and thinking about the work we did at LP Gas magazine, I’d have to pick August as my favorite issue.

And that’s not just because we featured my waist on the cover, with a handgun holstered to my belt. It’s because we took a controversial topic suggested by a reader and turned it into a successful cover story. For that, I credit Megan Wilkinson, our associate editor, who surveyed our readers, conducted interviews and assembled a comprehensive package on whether retail propane operations have concealed-carry policies in the workplace.

Turns out, about 25 percent of propane retailers we surveyed have an official policy. Whether that’s for or against allowing employees to carry during work hours, for or against allowing weapons on company property, these retail propane operations have a policy in place for their employees and/or customers. The article helped answer the questions: Why did some retailers choose to implement a policy? If they don’t have a policy, would they consider one? We’d love for you to take a few minutes and read the article. Let us know what you think, and let us know what other key business topics we can explore in our pages.

This August issue was a team effort. LP Gas Managing Editor Kevin Yanik organized the photo shoot and also modeled the guns on his waist and ankles; photographer Martin Eisert made these pictures shine; and our design team, led by Kim Traum, put all of the pieces together. I also can’t forget Ryan Bockmuller, business development manager for North Coast Media, who allowed us to use his guns for the photo shoot. Bockmuller helped those of us less knowledgeable about the weapons to strap them correctly to our waists and ankles. It’s also worth noting that he stressed safety throughout the entire process.

This August issue preparation really was a memorable experience. I wonder what 2016 will bring.

5 things to do at work before 2016

By Bethany Chambers | Digital Operations Manager

It’s mid-December, and your workdays before the end of the year may be counted on one hand. With all the balls you’re juggling for the holidays, like the stings of lights that already burnt out and the hard-to-find gift for your pickiest loved one, something’s got to give.

And that something is usually work productivity.

It’s a common scenario in every workplace in America this time of year, and it’s at odds with the stark reality that many businesses count on end-of-year sales and new-year planning for success. If ever there were a time for efficiency, now would be it. In what days you have left in the office before you take off, set yourself up for a fresh beginning in 2016 by taking these simple steps.

1. Clean up that desktop clutter.

Whether you’re a tchotchke collector or a paper-piler (or in my unfortunate case, both) go ahead now and rid yourself of all the things you don’t use or don’t need. If you haven’t even shuffled through that stack of papers in the corner of your desk in 2015, throw it away. You won’t miss it. If you consider this an unconventional filing system, invest in some colored folders and start organizing it into an actual filing system. Now you have room for tasteful decor…and all of the papers to come.

2. Now, clean up that virtual desktop.

Your computer crashes a lot; things seem to be running slow. Before you blame IT, take a moment to ask yourself: Could I be the cause of this technological meltdown? Chances are the answer is “yes.” Are there so many files on your desktop that you don’t remember what your wallpaper is? The first step to a happier computer (and therefore a happier you) is to delete old and unused files, and put everything else in files that make sense. I personally keep everything in two folders – “To Do” and “Done.” Simple as that.

3. Back up your devices.

Save yourself the heart-stopping disaster that is returning from a long relaxing holiday to find that your computer won’t start, and all of your files are lost. If your company doesn’t have a protocol for automatic backups, make sure you take the time to do it yourself on the server, an external hard drive or USB drive (which is a good idea if you might end up doing some work on days off anyways).

Same goes for backing up your smartphone and tablet (and your work smartphone and tablet, if you’re a multiple device-carrier).

Think of the shame of losing all those selfies. Oh yeah, and the important stuff. One caveat: Make sure company policy doesn’t prohibit you from copying files or taking documents home.

4. Get your schedule together.

Being out of the office for a week or more can lead to that disorienting experience where you return and wonder: What was I supposed to do next? A lot of people make a New Year’s resolution to get organized or be better at time management. At work that means choosing a calendar app for your computer, phone or both that you’ll stick with and scheduling recurring annual projects, January to-do’s and weekly meetings before the ball drops. I’m a fan of the standard Google calendar, where I can label and share events with different work teams and sync my phone and computer, but there are lots of other calendar options out there for Android, Apple, Mac and PC.

5. Start mapping your grand plans.

You have the momentum, now, during the most festive time of the year; don’t lose it! Mind-mapping is a fun and visual way to brainstorm and plan for all those 2016 goals. For content producers, it’s a way to storyboard a long feature. For salespeople, create maps of how your contacts are connected or where prospects fit into the picture. No matter the project, it helps to organize your thoughts. Again there a lot of mind-mapping apps out there (I like Scrapple) or you could use an organization tool like Trello, which is current go-to for obsessively creating to-do lists and boards of ideas.

Professional land surveyor writes GPS-focused column in free e-newsletter

CLEVELAND – November 30, 2015 – GPS World magazine announces that professional land surveyor Tim Burch has become a regular contributor to the Survey Scene monthly e-mail newsletter. Survey Scene is available free to members of the surveying community. It covers a range of topics involving the use of GPS in survey, construction, mapping, and allied fields.

Burch’s first column for the newsletter was “Challenges for Small-Town Surveying,” and he plans future columns on topics such as surveyors’ roles in precision agriculture, updating monitoring methods to static and RTK GPS, reconnaissance and recovery of USCGS/USGS/NGS benchmarks, and legislation governing surveyors’ use of UAVs (drones).

With 30 years of professional land surveyor experience, Burch is now Survey Department Manager at Chastain & Associates in Decatur. Illinois. He also serves as Secretary, Board of Directors, National Society of Professional Surveyors.

Burch joins David Zilkoski as co-contributing editor of the Survey Scene e-newsletter. Zilkoski is in the midst of a five-part instructional series in the newsletter on “Establishing Orthometric Heights Using GPS.” Zilkoski is CEO of Geospatial Solutions by DBZ in Salisbury, North Carolina. He retired from his position as director of the National Geodetic Survey with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, where he worked for many years.

The Survey Scene e-newsletter appears on the first Wednesday of each month. It provides the latest news and views for surveyors and mappers using GPS and other satellite positioning systems. It has a circulation of 14,000+ from across the U.S. and around the world. Subscription is free, available at www.gpsworld.com/subscribe.

Burch and Zilkoski also collaborated on an opinion poll, “What is the biggest challenge facing surveyors using GPS/GNSS in the field?” Results were published in the December issue of GPS World magazine and in the December Survey Scene e-newsletter.

The first cut is the deepest: A perspective on starting a journalism career

By Grant B. Gannon | Associate Editor, Golfdom

The end of November marked my first anniversary as a full-time journalist. I have been told by veteran reporters that I will not learn more than I did during that first year. To summarize all that I gained during this year into one blog post would be impossible. So I’ll stick to some of the highlights.

Finding a job

My journey as a professional journalist didn’t start with my employment at North Coast Media but when I sent my first applications and cover letters for jobs back in the spring of 2013.

Journalism jobs are not easy to get, and I had to start with jobs that I didn’t see myself doing forever but were great experience, including working as the stats guy for a newspaper sports department and taking temp jobs. Nothing will make you appreciate your degree more than when you can leave behind temp agency work for the comfort of a full-time career with your own desk.

It was more than 18 months after I graduated before I started my current position. That time forced me to learn the value of patience.

You have to really love the work to stay in journalism, and one of the biggest tests was finding my current job.

Fieldwork and travel

I have been very lucky this year to travel eight times to cover events and meet our readers. Those opportunities to get away from my desk have been the best learning experiences as a journalist — and where I’ve learned the most about the industry.

The biggest thing I have taken away from the events is that you need to have a camera or phone ready at all times. You don’t know when the perfect person or situation will come along for a linchpin interview or great photo.

When it comes to traveling, if you are going to fly more than four times a year (for personal or business) you should invest in TSA Precheck. It costs $85 dollars and lasts for five years – but the amount of time and stress it saves cannot be assigned a value. TSA Precheck members don’t have to take off shoes, belts or light jackets or remove laptops from bags to pass through security.

I am the type of person who gets anxious while waiting in the security line, and TSA Precheck solves that issue for me. I recently traveled to Orlando, Florida, and before my return flight I passed through security in less than five minutes. That’s what I call fast.

What they didn’t tell you in school…

Free stuff is a gray area. During journalism school you probably had an ethics class that taught you it wasn’t OK to accept meals and gifts. I remember applying that lesson while still in school when I received two T-shirts, which retailed for less than $50, while covering an event. I was applauded by one of my teachers in class for returning the shirts.

Fast forward to an event I attended this year where journalists were provided meals, drinks and a “swag” bag that included, conservatively, $100 worth of merchandise and electronics. I did not register soon enough to receive that bag, but other media members readily accepted. In the professional world, turning a blind eye to free stuff is the norm. Whether you agree with that or not, there is no journalism jail for taking free swag bags; you have to make that call for yourself and it may not be so black-and-white as it was in ethics class.

AP Style changes. If you follow AP Style religiously you know major changes have been made recently. That doesn’t mean you will be following them in a new job.

Individual publications have rules that you will have to memorize. For example, Golfdom has not adjusted to the new rule that all U.S. states should be spelled out.

Mistakes happen. Finally, first-year journalists are going to make mistakes, maybe even a big mistake. This fact has been hard for me to come to terms with.

Throughout school you may have been able to avoid running a dreaded correction, but it will probably happen in your first year as a professional journalist.

The best advice I can give is to move on and learn from the mistake. It’s not the mistakes that will define your success, it’s how you handle and rebound from the mistakes.

Although I may not learn as much in my second year as I did in my first, I will be constantly evolving as I continue my career. The skill I want to improve on the most is time management, so I’m better able to juggle everything that comes with this crazy career that is journalism. That, I suppose, is a blog for next year.