Effy McNicol on LinkedIn: So onboarding is just about wrapped up. Time to get down to the nitty… (2024)

Watch out, world-- Rachel Valentine, CCSP, and I officially made our podcast debut! Thank you so much to the for having us as guests-- recording this episode with one of my favorite people was a great kickstart to my 2024! If you want to learn more about the work we are doing in the Shocker Career Accelerator, check out the newest episode of the Learning Out Loud Podcast!

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When I started watching a roundtable discussion from the early writers of The Simpsons, I wasn’t expecting a really great lesson in company culture.The discussion included Conan O'Brien, who also worked as a writer on SNL. He talked about the difference between the two writers rooms:The SNL writer’s room was competitive. There were limited opportunities to get your work showcased, so everyone was looking out for themselves.The Simpsons writer’s room was collaborative. Everyone was working together to put out the highest quality episode. If someone else came up with a good joke, everyone was excited because the episode was better.At a startup, everyone should be working together to put out the highest quality product. People shouldn’t feel like they need to push their ideas forward because it might be the only chance they have to shine.Instead, employees should be encouraged to work together to answer the question: how do we build the best product?Link to the video in the comments - there are a few other good lessons in there!

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I realized that stand-up comedians are way better at Agile than any tech company. Here’s why and what I think we can learn from them:I listen to a ton of standup comedians. I’m absolutely love great comedy specials, podcasts, and seeing live shows when in NYC and LA. What I’ve learned about them is they are constantly testing instead of writing jokes in a black box, they test live.They go out with their best material on stage to test. They test 7 nights a week. If the joke doesn’t get a laugh they toss it (constant feedback and iteration). They have direct customer feedback, and it’s way more terrifying than sending out a release, it’s either taken well or you bomb.The final product is a special that has been performed hundreds of times in small shows until the kinks are worked out. They reach perfection through hundreds of micro-changes in the public. If they think it’s a good joke (or feature) but the audience doesn’t think so, they only test it for a night and they don’t hang on to their favorites just because. They would be booted from the stage eventually.Not only are they working alone, but they work constantly in groups to write, get feedback, and get comments on how to make it better..and they don’t do it in traditional meetings. These are collaborative sessions just as all creative work should be done. Most put jokes on cards and put them on the wall to see what should stick and what’s not funny.I think we all can learn from the frequent public feedback to get to the heart of what’s the best product. We could also learn from other creative industries and have meetings like creative people rather than like corporate companies.When do you have the most creativity? and how often do you get feedback on your work?#standupcomedy #creative #feedback #meetings #workshops #innovation

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👀 #DigitalTwin #Recruiting #TheSkillworkForumhttps://lnkd.in/dJiwCvQAMindset is everything! 💡 Tune into our newest episode: 'The Power Of A Positive Mindset.' Discover how the right attitude can transform challenges into opportunities. #PositiveMindset #TradeTransformations

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Struggling with shyness in the tech world? 😳We know that for many testers, stepping into the spotlight can be a daunting task. But what if there was a way to channel that introversion into influence?Our latest episode, titled "From Shy Introvert to Influential Tester," dives deep into this very topic. Raj Subrameyer, a once-reserved individual turned industry luminary, shares his story of transformation.Discover how he overcame challenges, embraced personal branding, and led successful QA teams. Tune in for a dose of inspiration and a roadmap to finding your voice in the tech sphere.👇👇👇https://lnkd.in/gjiWF4Nb#testingcareer #softwaretesters #QAInsights #careertips #testguildpodcast

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Can we all agree to ditch the drama of managing a team and zone in on what actually matters: trust and accountability?Leading your crew like a boss is about bringing stability and consistency to the table...and drama's not invited to this party. When you're as predictable as the plot of a Lifetime rom-com, your team will trust you because they know what to expect from you. They know what's up, no tiptoeing or decoding needed. Just pure, unleash-your-genius, get-sh*t-done freedom.There's no "hack" to nailing this - establishing trust is a marathon not a sprint, and you've gotta start from the get-go. This week's episode of On The Up & Up is all about real, no-BS tips for building trust and accountability with your remote team. It's not as complicated or woo-woo as you may think... and believe me, your future team will thank you!

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📣 NEW EPISODE: Rob Zambito of Success Scaled 📣 Invariably, when you speak to someone in CS about Rob Zambito, the first comment that almost always comes back is,"He's a good guy"....and I couldn't agree more.I wouldn't say that I've known Rob for a very long - but the time we've spent both on Zoom and in-person has always been extremely high-quality, funny, impactful, personal and full of great questions.This is the same approach Rob takes with all of his clients at Success Scaled, where he advises seed to B-series companies on CS strategies. He asks A LOT of questions and puts together a good picture of current-state before digging into solutioning.This is also what makes him a phenomenal guest for this episode of the show because he has seen A LOT of stuff work - and a lot of stuff not work!In this episode, we talk about:➡ How his background in ‘consumer psychology’ has helped him in his CS ventures➡ The parallels between the hospitality/service industry and being a CSM➡ Using the ‘lunch break test’ to help identify what should and can be automated➡ CS teams, if structured correctly can and should be catch-all➡ CSMs should know about any interaction their customers have with the company - tickets, ideas submissions, community events, course completions, etc.➡ Part of the digital remit should be focused on providing CSMs with easy access to customer data & telemetry for use in engaging their accounts➡ Onboarding is an amazing first place to focus on digitizing as it is the most formative stage of the journey➡ Rob’s approach to providing guidance and feedback to his clients in a productive manner➡ Successful onboarding will have customers ready to expand immediately➡ Approach your daily routine from the standpoint of scaling and making your everyday more efficient➡ Don’t wait for leadership to design your own efficiencies as an IC➡ Setting aside an hour per day to hone in on work that is meaningful to you➡ Incorporate celebration into your digital flows➡ Leveraging user data to really figure out the opportunities that exist within a customer➡ Set the right expectations early when implementing digital motions➡ Don’t build a community until it starts to build itself.Communities can swing wildly between ‘crickets’ and ‘group think’, so building them must be done so cautiously( ⬇ Links in the Comments ⬇ )Shoutouts:➡ Ryan Johansen➡ Mickey Powell➡ Lauren Salanitro#dcsp #digitalcustomerexperience #digitalcustomersuccess #customerexperience #customersuccess

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#100daychallengeWhat are some examples of people making a living by having conversations?- Talk show hosts like Joe Rogan and Bill Maher make careers from having conversations- Podcasters like Chris Williamson with Diary of a CEO use conversations to build followings- Many people create value and earn income simply by having dialogues with others- Conversations can lead to flywheel effects where ideas build on each other in interesting ways

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🎙️ Exciting New Episode Alert! 🚀Join me on 'The Sam's Show' as we unravel the nuances of Problem Solving and Product Management. 🤔💼Discover why understanding this distinction is the key to career success. Whether you're an aspiring Product Manager or looking to boost your Problem Solving skills, this episode is a must-listen.Tune in now for valuable insights:Spotify link - https://lnkd.in/dRei5YeVGoogle podcast link - https://lnkd.in/dtZgrBicLet's elevate our careers together! 🌟#ProblemSolving #ProductManagement #CareerSuccess #TheSamsShow #Podcast

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I've been away from my Horizons team for a few weeks 😬Fear not, I made the best use of my time. Digging deep into new concepts and ideas to drive growth and support my team 🧙♂️Here are the topics I've been working on:👂Advanced listening techniques😲How to build team mechanisms 💯 Raising the bar when hiring 🤯 Cognative dissonance🔭How to build team vision Next week I will share my reading and podcast list. How do I introduce and measure these initiatives 🤔Come on, let's go 🚀🚀🚀 #team #share #growth https://lnkd.in/e93JNJdi

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