Advise me on your organization/ project management skills

September 30th, 2008 • 2 comments Ideas & Innovation, On my mind...

My job mostly involves thinking/ consulting and being held accountable for it. Knowing my client’s problems, understanding the landscape and offering possible solutions that will meet the clients objectives. Of late, I’ve been tasked with work that involves a teensy bit of project management/ execution: problem solving on the go. And not million dollar client-related problems, but more simpler, where do I order bevrages and snacks from (food services or wholesale!)? Should we purchase the product first or the storage/ containers first? Should I invoice first or order first?  Little things like those that left me flustered!

In the workforce, I’m used to feeling on top of my game or at the very least in control of situations assigned to me. In my personal life however, my sister and my fiance will attest to me being quite a disaster in the kitchen and the wardrobe. I organize and then re-organize stuff in my wardrobe a million times trying to out-do myself and get better – only to get flustered and end up with a result that does not please me. Sometimes, even giving up half-way. Not a particularly proud moment, but I’ve been trying very hard to address this.

And this really really confuses me. I’m not boasting, but I think I’m good at my job with a ridiculous desire to continue to get better at it. Why is it that then I’m not so good or so confident about the little tasks? I get flummoxed and boom! My self-esteem plummets.

I am certain this is a weakness and I’ve decided to mend it. I tried a little technique today and it seems to be working for me. Upon being assigned a task that is outside my comfort zone, I first write it down. And then I think and list out the steps that need to be done to achieve the given task. Once that is done, I then think through each step and try to imagine the most efficient and productive method to get it done. Wrting helps me. Listing helps me. Once I see the entire task broken down like that, I feel much more confident and in control. Now, I know people who do all this in their head and get on with the job without a worry. But this process is helping me overcome my weakness right now and try to stay more oganized.

The major drawback is that I end up wasting a lot of time. But maybe that’s a part of the process?

I wanted to ask you – any tips/ tools you would recommend to help a rightbrained slight scatter-brain like me overcome this weakness? How do you stay organized? And how would you advise me? What has/ has not worked for you?

Palin reminds me of Dolores Umbridge

September 26th, 2008 • On my mind...

This stormy weather outside is inspiring dark thoughts inside my head today…

For those of you unfamiliar with Umbridge, she was the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher in Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix. It is unanmious opinion that Umbridge’s era at Hogwarts is ‘characterized by cruelty and abusive punishments against students.’ Stephen King called her the greatest make-believe villain to come along since Hannibal Lecter.

She scared me. Really, she did. By the end of the book, I hated her and was mighty pleased when she suffered the consequences.

And ever since I saw Sarah Palin get up on that podium and accept her nomination, I’ve felt the exact same way I felt about Dolored Umbridge when I was reading the book. These women are completely different: real vs. fictional, Ex Ms pagent vs. ugly toad, etc etc- but the feeling they inspire in me is eerily and disgustingly similar.

I am an American citizen now and I pray, pray that our fate is unlike those of Hogwarts children under Palin. I get a feeling like she will strip us of our dignity by acting like a blubbering fool – I fear that she will make us utterly powerless if she steps into the President’s role. Argh. I respected McCain and thought of him as a smart, stable dude. But his pick of Palin makes me question his judgement.

I am going to vote and by god that one vote will make a difference!!

Come see me speak :D

September 16th, 2008 • 1 comment Life in the big city

I’m a little shy of self-promotion, but come watch me and a bunch of other smart, incredibly clever women speak at this month’s She Says Event. The theme this month is: three reasons that makes a killer idea successful. Confirmed Speakers thus far include: Allison Mooney of Fleishman-Hillard and Gill Linton of The Joneses

See the invite below for deets and RSVP info. (Its free!!)

The Body Shop needs better customer service training

September 14th, 2008 • 9 comments Marketing/ Advertising

I had a terrible and almost terrifying experience at The Body Shop store today. I love their products but after this incident, I am probably never stepping foot in their stores ever again.

Taking advantage of their annual sale, I shopped for a bunch of products. A few hours later, back in the car, I realized that I had paid for 5 products but received only 4. I assumed that the employee who rang me must have forgotten to give me my 5th item. I went back to the store and told the manager what had happened.
The manager rudely replied back saying he cannot give me a free product and that I would have to come back the next day to talk to the employee who rang my sale.

I politely explained I wasn’t asking for a free product but just the product that I had paid for and not received. I also told him how I don’t live in the vicinity and it is going to cost me more to return to the shop the next day than the price of the product.

At this point, the manager should have simply told me that he is sorry for my inconvenience but he would be glad to give me a call tomorrow when the employee gets in and have me come in and take my product. Instead of executing his customer service duties, he said to me, are you sure you didn’t just drop it or leave the product somewhere? This enraged me. I asked the manager directly if he was insinuating me of trying to cheat the store.
I have worked in retail before. Usually, when an employee forgets to give the customer all the products, they always account for it and let their managers know. This particular employee had not done that.

I further asked the manager, what if this employee quits tomorrow? Does that mean I am going to be stiffed of my money? And the manager said, yes. It is his word against yours.

I told the manager that I had worked in retail before and I know they keep employee phone numbers on file. I asked him if he’d mind calling the said employee and asking him about it. The manager again, in a very uncooperative manner said that he would do no such thing. And then, he asked me to leave his store. He threatened to call the security on me.

So I asked him to ahead and call the security. I said I needed to speak to someone higher than him anyways. He made the call. While I waited at the counter for the security to arrive, the manager disappeared in the Body Shop store room. He emerged two minutes later, came up to me, picked up a product and threw it in my bag. For a second I didn’t understand what just happened. And I asked him that. He said that he had called the said employee who was responsible for my sale and the employee confirmed that he had indeed forgotten to give me my product. And so the manager, THREW the product in my bag.

I just didn’t know how to respond. I was so taken aback by this manager’s behavior that I walked out of the store without glancing back at him. But then I remembered that the security was on their way. So I returned back to the store to meet the security. I lodged a complain with them and I intend to take this matter up with The Body Shop.

First, the manager accuses me of lying. Then, instead of calling the said employee when I requested him to, he absolutely refused to help me out. Lastly, when he realized that I was right and was indeed stiffed of a product I had paid for, he THREW the product in my bag and didn’t even apologize!

I’m not stupid. I understand retail. I understand he had to confirm with his employee but shouldn’t a retail chain like The Body Shop have a better system in place? What if the employee had forgotten or denied having forgotten to give me my product? It would be his word against mine and ultimately, I’d be stiffed of my money.

This entire ordeal cost me 45 minutes of my time and not to mention, the distress ever since. I keep playing the scene again and again in my head. How could he threaten to call security on me?! On a customer that his store had cheated by not giving all the products in first place?

I have always loved The Body Shop but this experience had left just such a bad taste in my mouth. It’s 3am and I am still so upset. I am writing it here because I don’t know how else The Body Shop will hear about this. Oh btw, when I returned to ask the store manager his name so that I could lodge my complain, he asked me to get out of his store and he refused to give me his name.

Companies that don’t understand customer service shouldn’t be in the business of retail at all. I used to work for Bath & Body Works and their products may not be of the same quality as The Body Shop, but atleast they understand how to treat customers.

FYI – The value of the product I had returned to collect was $5. And the only reason I had returned to collect the product was because they don’t make it anymore and I was lucky to have found it in a sale.

**Update:  The Body Shop got back to me immediately this morning. They tweeted me and asked for my phone number. An hour late, Director of Customer Service called me and spoke to me for 20 minutes. She listened to my ordeal patiently and was just as surprised and shocked by my experience. I told her that I love The Body Shop and I understand that this experience was probably an anamoly but nonetheless, I had to inform The Body Shop because I don’t want anyone else being treated this way. She was amazing about the whole thing – she took down the location, date and time of the incident and told me as next steps, she will be getting in touch with the District Manager and through him to the Manager who treated me this way. She said, this will absolutely be addressed.

I didn’t and will not reveal the store location here. My intention is not to get the Manager fired or have him lose his job. But my intention is for him to acknowledge and realize that he was very unprofessional and disturbingly unpleasant with me. This is a tough ecoonomy and we are all doing our best to hang on to our jobs. I work in the client-servicing business too and I know that now, more than ever is the time to notch up on customer service. I just don’t want any other customer to be treated this way by that Manager.

Anyways, I am glad that The Body Shop listened and took the time to call me and placate my distress. I love the company and will continue to support their products. So Body Shop  – thank you once again, for listening.

Authonomy – Crowdsourcing for books.

September 10th, 2008 • Ideas & Innovation

Spotted on springwise.com – Authonomy is the output of the innovative minds at Harper Collins Publishing house. My mout is salvaiting with the idea of reading the books / excerpts already posted on this site! It is crowdsourcing for books. People/ Writers write about 10,000 words of their novel and upload it on this site. Readers will then read what they find interesting and vote on it. The top 5 books that receive the most votes will be read by the editors at Harper Collins! And well..from there on. .who knows what can happen?

For a writer, the writing part of the book is almost the easiest part. It’s the publishing that kills the spirit. This site, if anything, provides motivation for writers to get published. I’m very interested in seeing how this turns out – many such publishing models have come and gone and failed, but this model with the backing and commitment of a major publishing house behind it might just work.

What makes The Twilight Saga so addictive

September 9th, 2008 • 5 comments Culture Briefings

Having moved here at age 18, I lacked the cultural literacy that my counterparts and colleagues already possess by the mere virtue of having grown up in USA. In most professions it may not make a difference, but in the media industry (marketing/ advertising/ journalism) it is crucial to understand and be informed about the psyche, the cultural imprint of the quintessential ‘American’ experience. Now that is the educated, intelligent reasoning I give myself for what I am about to reveal.

In reality though, it is for none of the reasons above that I do what I do. It is simply because I enjoy it – it is an indulgence and I fervently crave it: The young adult media.

I am obsessed with media/ entertainment. Period. But I am supremely obsessed with media and entertainment packaged specifically for the Young Adult market. I am 25 and I shamefully admit that I am obsessed with the 17-year old immortal Edward Cullen, the vampire protagonist of The Twilight Series. I read all the four books (Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn) and the Midnight Sun excerpt made available on Stephanie Meyer’s website. The story is the obvious mix: love, danger, high school – how could the story not be successful? But there are two main reasons why I think this is a cult sensation.
Storytelling: The storytelling is potent: teetering on the edge of eternal love and danger, the book’s premise is riveting enough to keep the readers flipping page after page to move with the story. Harry Potter and LOTR created worlds outside of the normal human realm that made them universally appealing but the Twilight Series has created a parallel world that seems to exist within the confines of the normal human world as we know it. She has taken ordinary everyday people, placed them in the midst of life-threatening danger and made them blissfully unaware about it. Sheer brilliance. I have to concede that I don’t admire Meyers for her writing – she is masterful storyteller.

Edward Cullen: Edward Cullen’s character takes the prize. His rich history, (born in the 1900’s!) his supernatural powers,(mind-reading) his wisdom and chivalrous attitude, his cars,(Volvo, Ferrari, Ducati)  his strength, his looks, his intelligence, his talents (piano) and his intense devotion to the love of his life (Bella Swan) – Edward Cullen is the fantastical fabrication of every young girl’s dream love. He epitomizes perfection – and impossiblity. Nothing wrong with him, except that he is a vampire which at that (teenage) age is interpreted more as fascination and intrigue than danger. Now you package that into four 500 page plus books and tell me why girls will not dream of him, crush over him or wish he were real!?

Teenage years are as it is difficult to live through- what with the complexity of relationships, self-awareness, sexual awakenings and first loves. And that young love at its most potent, primal and purest form is what Meyers has captured in this book. Latching on the fact that teenagers evaluate love interests differently than adults, it comes as no surprise that Meyer’s Bella falls for Edward.

Twlight Series is an impossible, drug-like state – hard to let go off and wake up from. The impending release of the movies will fuel this mania further, but slowly as I wake up from Meyer’s brilliant imagination, more of the world will succumb to it. No doubt, she is talked of in the same sentence as J.K Rowling.

Working Class Studio – make money and art.

September 9th, 2008 • Ideas & Innovation

I find it very hard to resist beautiful stationary – especially writing books. Yesterday while I was at Barns & Noble to pick up the last of the Twilight Series, I chanced upon this beautifully designed journals (see picture below) by a new company, “Working Class Studio.” Turns out, the studio is an innovative output of Savannah College of Art & Design. From the website, “Working Class studio is a product development venture of the SCAD that cultivates and promotes the work of talented SCAD students, alumni and faculty artists.” What an amazing concept. It reminded me of the Design Manifesto I had stumbled upon of Central Saint Martin’s College.

By launching this division, SCAD, a strictly creative and fine arts educational institution, is displaying more business sense than even the best B-Schools. Instead of teaching/ preaching creativity for creativity’s sake, SCAD is taking it a step further and teaching creativity for productivity’s sake. I’d like to wager a guess that participating students emerge as smarter business-men and women, and not just better creatives. Great call, SCAD!

Obsession

September 8th, 2008 • Culture Briefings

Addicted to the Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer. The writing is strictly okay – but the storytelling is excellent. Can’t wait for the movie!

The Ink Pad, NYC

September 5th, 2008 • Life in the big city

I chanced upon the coolest little gem of a store today – one of those New York things that you wouldn’t know existed without happenstance.

The Ink Pad is a tiny, rusty little store near Meatpacking District (22 West 12th Street) that is solely a collection of lovely, ancient little ink and letterpress stamps and all kinds of colored and textured ink pads. I was at the store to pick up something for work, but I couldn’t resist buying a few stamps for myself. I bought a little “J” adorned in a classic Victorian script, and the words “dream” and “imagine.” How perfect!

Maybe I should order blank Moo cards and just stamp these words on the front… But I know I shall be returning to the store soon.

Oh and the next weekend, Sept 13th, marks their 10 year anniversary (can you believe this store has been in NYC for that long!) and they are celebrating it with a full day of make-n-take classes. If I wasn’t at Interesting NYC, I would have most certainly been here.

I’m going to go play with my new stamps !

*Photo Courtesy

If you are interesting…

September 4th, 2008 • Culture Briefings, Life in the big city

…….then come to Interesting New York! I’m helping the cool folks at Open Intelligence Agency (David Nottoli) organize Interesting New York and we’ve got an amazing line-up of speakers who are talking about everything from fan fiction to New Orleans to ping-pong.

It is very un-conference like – the speakers are everyday people and each “talk” will be short, succinct and involve no marketing speak at all. What more could ya ask for ?

I’d love to have talked about something interesting – but what can I say -I am more interesting behind-the-scenes than infront of it! (right now atleast)

The tickets are super cheap: $35 only! So you should most certainly come. Buy yours here.

Invitation to a feast

September 3rd, 2008 • Culture Briefings, Ideas & Innovation, Life in the big city

Well, one of its kind really.

A few months back, my paths crossed with All Day Buffet and I joined them in their efforts to make social innovation mainstream. You probably know of All Day Buffet from its ridiculously successful Cause for Drinks event. If you haven’t been to one yet – you should.

Mike, Jerri and I have been fervently at work in creating a one-of-a-kind conference on social innovation aptly titled “The Feast.” It is on October 16th at the Scandinavia House here in NYC. What is the point of another conference you may ask. And I agree. Like you, we are pretty much tired of the same kind of conferences, that bring together the same speakers and the attendees and do not achieve much.

That is precisely why The Feast is so different. Our speakers are evocative and have each harnessed the power of creativity to propel social change in their respective industries. Dr. Despommier of the Vertical Farming fame, Dale Jones of PlayPumps and Tom Szaky of TerraCycle are just a sampling of the great minds we have bought together for the day.

The conference is less about ideas and more about actions. In gathering the world’s leading creative mavericks, entrepreneurs, revolutionaries, radicals, and innovators together we intend to inspire action to change the world. Our hope is to leave you high on possibilities with a new menu of connections to get it all done.

I hope you will support our vision and buy a ticket or two and come to the conference. I promise you that it will be money and time well spent. And totally worth it.

Please email me/ leave a comment if you are a member of the press and want a press pass. I look forward to seeing you there.