Labors of Love, and "'Sup With Social Media?"

Issue 46 – February 2016 www.facethemusicblues.com       IN THIS ISSUE Work vs. Fun Your questions answered…   Work vs. Fun It has come to our attention through observation and interactions with human systems that there is a certain polarized paradigm circulating about that merits our attention perhaps. It has to do with a distinction between work and fun/enjoyment/creativity/personal time. It seems a deep seeded belief that work is serious, and one puts their time in in order to support the rest of one's life, and sometimes take several days in a row (vacation) to have extra fun. In our particular industry of organization development we see our clients' expression of this paradigm. There is certainly some recognition that it's not great for it to be all nose to the grindstone, and so they include some "fun" time—team building exercises, golf outings (frustrating, but can also be fun...heheh), gambling nights, entertainment. The common thread is that any agenda item is one or the other (generally about 10-1 ratio of work to fun). Certainly I'm generalizing a bit to further the article, and part of our work is to encourage and enhance cultures that are incorporating enjoyment into work environments and processes. Many of the younger tech cultures and their accompanying generational folks get the value. Part of our context at Face The Music has always been opening the door for people to bring more of themselves to what they are doing at work—creativity, seemingly unrelated skills, humor...to up the authentic presence and reduce the intensity and complexity of the Work Mask one needs to bring to the job. What we do it is our song – our actions, emotions, the way we create our desired results – or not, how we speak, move, breathe, solve problems, celebrate success, deal with disappointment – you get it. We're all playing our songs: alone; in duets, trios, quartets; and sometimes in choirs & choruses. What song do people genuinely want to sing? Back to the agenda items of corporate events—what we've run in to since inception has been a need for our clients to see where we fit. "Boy this songwriting program sounds like fun! I guess it's a fun thing on our agenda." Well, OK. It is fun. And, stepping out of the polarized work/fun paradigm, we can accomplish some real progress on work themes, projects, and issues by engaging in this. The energetic, playful, and dynamic nature of the process serves to bring people together in reframing assumptions about what's going on, give perspective and detachment, take away some of the over-serious edge that issues can take on, and release emotions that have built up. And our savvy clients are using the process as a tool to make things happen. So bring that energy and enjoyment to the work, and move the ball down the field!   The Gizmo of the Month Nature Boy With the recent passing of the great David Bowie, it reminded me that he was connected to the Hudson Valley where he had a second home. Face the Music HQ is also located here. A few summers ago I used to see his wife, Iman, in my local gym. A friend and genius guitar player and composer, David Torn, who played on Bowies second to last record " The Next Day", also lives near by. David Bowie bass player Gail Ann Dorsey, yet another local, lives close to my studio and did some session work there a few years ago. She's has a deep groove on the bass and voice from heaven. We invite you to listen to Meeting Planner Blues. Gail sang soulful gospel-like background vocals on the track, and a not so hidden Hudson Valley treasure singer, Steve Riddick, sings the lead-all backed by the FTM house band. Thanks to Mr Bowie for all the great music!     The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with objects it loves. -- Carl G. Jung   Your questions answered… What's Different in Social Media from Three Years Ago? By Mitchell Goozé Well nothing really. And if you believe that, you've been asleep. Much has changed. The number of platforms is probably still the same, some have left and others have joined. And the hype about how you must be active on social media just gets louder ... mostly from consultants who want to help you craft and create an effective presence. Social media and your website are all part of your online presence and that is the primary way people engage with companies today. Ignoring social media today would be akin to not having a website 5 years ago, or not having a telephone 80 years ago. It's how people expect to engage. However, unlike the telephone, or even a website, there are a lot of social media platforms and choices, from blogs to Facebook, to LinkedIn, Instagram, etc. You can spend a lot of time and money trying to cover all your bases. The key today is engagement. Content is king, people are looking for you to provide them the information they need so they can make informed decisions before they talk with you. While that might not be practical, they want what they want, and you have to help them move through their buying process or they won't engage with you, leaving you out of the decision set. We can create columns and columns about the pros and cons of each platform and depending on questions, we might do that. In the meantime, remember this: depending on your audience up to 80% or more of people who interact with you online are likely doing it with a phone or other portable device, not a "computer." Make sure your content is readable on those devices.       What event, initiative or challenge do you have coming up that Face The Music can add value to?   To reach us: info@facethemusicblues.com           (845) 687-2100   www.facethemusicblues.com