Random Acts of Kindness giving just plain rocks.

Free water for lunchtime runners/walkers in Lexington SC

A little background: A few weeks ago, we challenged 25+ teams at the company by giving them an amount of money to spread kindness and generosity in their local communities any way they liked. They simply had to commit a Random Act of Kindness. The teams worked together to come up with ideas and make them happen.

And did they ever!

Here’s what I liked most:

• Holy smokes, what great creativity! Our teams and offices came up with amazing and original ideas to surprise folks in their community. We didn’t get ideas pre-approved and they still were all different from each other.
• Working together for good. Need I say more?
• I loved that many employees reported that their random act recipients were somewhat skeptical. Well, of course they were! When do you get anything free these days thanks to the kindness of a stranger? I think we rocked their world a little.
• Different is good. And sometimes we do the same things over and over because they feel safe and easy. But they aren’t as exciting and challenging. I love that this project took people out of their comfort zones.

There’s much more we could tell. But I’m guessing you’d rather see the action for yourself, so I’ll let a few photos speak:

Handing out fruit to workers in Charleston, WV, over lunch!

Flowers for nurses and staff at local hospitals in Madison

Paying for parking in Lansing

Toys for children in a hospital near Santa Rosa

I just sat down today with a co-worker and started discussing all of our fun summer plans for the office, and already we’re feeling a little behind schedule (never fear, it will all get done!). Perhaps it’s because it’s been a busy spring. A fun one, actually. Lots of great stuff happening here, including … 

… our Random Acts of Kindness event (have you been following our tweets on @meadhuntcareers?)

… and we just gave out four scholarships to the children of four employees.

… and we’re hiring for a number of positions.

And much more. (Stay tuned for more posts) In the meantime, enjoy this transition to summer!

Madison, Wisconsin

Let me ask you this – have you ever been surprised by a stranger?

Over the past week, Mead & Hunters have been way-laying perfect strangers (in a good way!) with all sorts of things – overflowing flower vases, dog-walking, parking meter payments, bottles of water for recreational enthusiasts, free lunch for college students – you name it.

And this is just the beginning. Our company is pulling Random Acts of Kindness all over the country just to make folks smile. That’s it. We’ve been contributing to local organizations for years, but wanted to add this new element to our community giving program. We formed teams to work together to spend a set amount of money on random acts in the community.

Lexington, South Carolina

I must say, I am loving the creativity and community-feel created within our own offices as much as I love seeing the reactions from those surprised strangers!

We will talk more about this effort in the coming month, so stay tuned to see what we’ve been up to (and follow us on Twitter – @meadhuntcareers - to get more frequent updates!)

This year, we thought we’d add something else fun to this mix: a Random Act of Kindness event. We’ll have teams pulling together their ideas to commit an act of kindness in the community sometime in April. Employees are brainstorming as we speak.

So excited to see the results!

We’ll be publishing photos, tweets (@meadhuntcareers), and other posts to discuss what’s been going on in our locations so be sure to check back.

Happy weekend to you!

Pi Day pie, anyone?

Although this eerie weather pattern offers some concern for farmers I am, for now, happy to see those early blossoming tulips. It gives me hope that winter is behind us, for the most part. And around the company, we’ve been feeling pretty hopeful ourselves.

Busy planning our Spring community giving events.

Busy with recruiting.

Busy serving clients.

Group Leader David Mason serving up veggies - greens, of course!

Busy have some good old-fashioned fun.

In Madison this past week our main training room got quite the workout over the lunch hour as we had teams celebrate Pi Day (that’s right … on 3.14. With pies galore!) and St. Patrick’s Day. The St. Patty’s celebration is an annual tradition that, this year, came with a twist – our resident leprechauns were members of our leadership team, who served lunch to the 100+ employees who attended the event.

Yep, lots to enjoy about life right now.

We hope you can say the same. How are you celebrating this new season?

Organization

Last night, I got a call from a friend asking me if I was on my way to pick up her daughter for a class she has with my daughter.

I wasn’t.

In fact, I had totally forgotten about the class. Given that my daughter was ill the night before, we had only a few hours sleep, there was no school that day, and we had just arrived home from a meeting, I was way off my routine. I was juggling balls that day I normally don’t, and – inevitably – one was going to fall.

Life is like that. Generally speaking, I am very organized. It’s a skill that comes naturally to me (I actually enjoy it…strange, I know) but as my personal life and work life collide, I have to work much harder at staying on top of tasks to meet all the deadlines.

At Mead & Hunt, we employ professionals who naturally excel at organization and employees whose skill-set leans more toward “doing” than “planning to do.” But here are a few tips to help anyone who wants to improve their organizational skills:

1. Avoid procastinating. Period. I personally struggle with this. I tend to overcommit myself and when I am tossing too many balls in the air, I hibernate. I learned to accomplish tasks in small steps. Don’t avoid the assignment, just take it in pieces. Write down your goals in stages and check them off when complete.
2. Five-minute check-ins. Spend 5 minutes at the beginning of your workday to organize the tasks you need to accomplish that day. Take 5 minutes at the end of the day to review your progress and make or adjust plans for the next day/week/month.
3. Share and share alike. Delegate tasks for assignments. I know … sometimes it is tough to let go on a project when you want to make sure it gets done on-time, to your specifications. Find folks you trust and set your expectations. Then walk away. Check-in during pre-arranged milestones.
4. Be honest about your schedule. I always think every project sounds like something I can do. I get overexcited about the opportunity, but not realistic about my schedule. Then I am cramming, losing sleep, or missing deadlines. Don’t be like me! Take honest assessments about your availability before you commit to anything new.

Sometimes being more organized means taking time off to analyze the situation. In other words, if you need a vacation, take it. Come back refreshed and refueled. Come in on a weekend for a few hours to clean up paperwork or answer old emails.

Pretty soon, you’ll be a pro at this organization thing!

Communication

More often than not, a lot of issues at work can be resolved by attending to one key element – communication.

Pick up the phone, drop an e-mail, follow-up on an e-mail, send an IM, stop into the office for a chat, hold a meeting, send a text. But whatever you do – communicate. This is the best way to avoid misunderstandings, smooth over hurt feelings, and head off a concern before it becomes a problem.

Easier said than done.

The thing is, people fail to communicate because they think it’s not necessary or don’t feel like they have the time. Sometimes they aren’t sure what to say or how to say it. Here are a few tips that might help:

• Be clear and direct. Not only is this a time-saver, but it will also help you avoid misunderstandings. No need to be overly formal with your sentence structure. Concentrate on the message you want to send. For example, instead of saying, “It is in your best interest to review this contract and return promptly with any questions or concerns,” say “Please return this contract by Friday. Include any questions you have about terms.” Always be specific.
• Know your audience. Does the person you need to talk to prefer e-mail or a phone call? If you know the preferred method of communication, you will get a prompt response.
• Follow-up is key. Have you ever sent a message and wondered if it was received? Or how it was received? Have you ever met to discuss a plan of attack, and then left the meeting only to wonder about a few of the details? E-mail summaries after meetings are great. Phone calls after an e-mail are great. Make time for both!
• Every communication is important. No matter how small. Stop to chat to a co-worker for a moment. Send a quick “How are you doing?” message. Team check-ins during projects are great ways to keep conversation moving along.

These days, no news is not good news. Because we are constantly “messaged” in our world, we expect to hear from people often, particularly at work. When we don’t, our motivation is affected and we make assumptions we shouldn’t.

Communicate clearly, communicate often. That’s about all there is to it!

Adaptability

Life can change fast sometimes, can’t it? You could be in the midst of a project, working diligently with all going to plan … then plans change.

You could have a manager you love. There’s solid communication, great mutual respect. Then that manager gets a promotion, and you report to someone new.

How well can you adapt to these changes? The employee who looks at change as an opportunity to do more or to try something new will see the most benefit.

An employee who is flexible is also more likely to advance in his or her career. The last-minute nature of business requires quick, effective decisions; when you do this, you get noticed.

How is your behavior when things don’t go your way? When you hear the word “no” for something you’re passionate about? Sometimes you need to change your tactics, be patient, or develop a new idea. If you’re adaptable, this is no problem for you. At some time in life you’ve had to do this before: when a school final was changed, when a child got sick, when your spouse’s job required an unexpected move.

You adapted.

Bring this trait to your job – your boss will definitely appreciate it!

It’s so good to finally hear that.

At Mead & Hunt, we’re also hoping to hire some bright new talent this year (keep watching our website for career opportunities). Because “bright new talent” usually means innovative ideas, strong motivation, a desire to learn new tasks. Not that veteran employees can’t do the same – but fresh-out-of-college employees usually want to prove themselves and grow quickly. They make a great complement to our wise, experienced employees who have been in the industry longer.

If you’re graduating in just a few months (is it really already February?), our best wishes to you. To our friends at UW Madison, UW Platteville, and Michigan Tech – stop by and visit our team at the upcoming career fairs. We’d love to meet you and tell you more about what it’s like to work here. Ask questions, research our website, and show us your enthusiasm.

Because it appears things are looking up!

Our team will be at UW Madison on February 8, UW Platteville on February 15, and Michigan Tech on February 21.

Minneapolis employee Bob Frame accepts a publication award. In background is the event live in the Madison office.

We held a ceremony for our Technical Recognition Awards – honoring employees for excellent client service; innovative solutions; mentoring abilities; and for their efforts in making presentations/writing for publications that advance the work of our industry.

Despite our locations across the country, everyone connected online for an hour to learn who the award recipients were, and have a brief company meeting. In all, about 35 people were honored.

I enjoyed hearing excerpts from the nomination forms for these employees.

Madison's Ryan Meyer accepts his award from Andy Platz

It was especially great to hear the kind words of the employees who nominated their managers for mentorship awards. Or to see the innovative solutions valued by our team and their clients.

Congratulations to all who were nominated and recognized. You are doing great work!