Hong Kong LAMS.

A little LAMS from Hong Kong last week. I’m trying to remember why I thought it wasn’t all that different . . .

Innovation is alive and well.

That’s what they’re saying in Florida. While attending IIR’s THE Conference on Marketing www.theconferenceonmarketing.com in Naples earlier this week, I was struck by how many marketers have innovation on the top of their minds, the tip of their tongues, and all over their to-do lists. Speakers from GlaxoSmithKline to Pizza Hut to GE to author Malcolm Gladwell shared their thoughts around that increasingly ubiquitous word: innovation.

As we know, the most interesting part of the innovation conversation occurs when you dive below the word itself and start to explore what innovation really means to people and their organizations. From my conversations, here’s what it boiled down to: ideas and relationships.

Everywhere I turned people were talking about how to infuse new thinking into their organizations. From curiosity about emerging technologies and the future of social networking to insights around Chinese consumers, Prime Time women and Xoomers, marketers were gathering inspiration to spark their next great idea. Several speakers mentioned that the lion’s share of their current revenue comes from products and services that didn’t even exist 5 (or 2!) years ago. Marketers have made peace with the ever-increasing pace of change, and their organizations are seeing new ideas pay off in a big way.

While marketers looked for new ideas, innovation practitioners were talking about the importance of collaboration and they ways they are mining the collective intellectual capital within their organizations. From old favorites like collaborative workspaces, to newer ideas like proprietary web solutions innovators are intent on building an environment where the people side of innovation can thrive. Relationships were top of mind with innovators, who understand that great relationships – the kind that include authenticity, transparency, and debate – enable great thinking.

So, judging by what they say in Florida, innovation is alive and well. And remember—judging from recent political history—what Florida says goes.

Guess who's got the best job in Richmond?

That’s right; Play’s very own Jenn Ash will soon be spotlighted in the RTD for her great job. Read below for her submission – which she sent this summer. Congratulations, Jenn!

The Company – Play is a consulting firm that partners with Fortune 500 clients to help them think differently and develop growth and innovation strategies. It’s never the same thing twice, so it keeps it interesting. FORTUNE magazine, NBC, GE, the United States Olympic Committee, Coca-Cola are just a few recent clients. We get to help people enjoy their work and create new possibilities in non traditional ways. www.lookatmorestuff.com We are encouraged to take time out of our day to be creative in order to help other companies do the same.

My role – I am the Corner Piece. That’s right, I picked my own title to describe what I do and how I do it. I am a natural organizer, so I like to be on the front end of projects guiding people to finish. Hence, Corner Piece. I am the one of a kind assistant to all the consultants, so I get my pick of which account I help on. If NBC’s new project strikes me and I’ve got time, I help Yap look for digital media tidbits. If I want to generate some ideas for GE’s adventure through Miami, I’ll chat with Tim about hip places to take the group. I ring the triangle bell to gather everyone for the morning meeting where we trade weekend tales, pop culture news, and client updates. Then I compile all this into a spiel and spend time surfing the web to find cool reads to pass along to everyone for the day. Did I mention that I get to bring the happy hour drinks around? I get a little piece of everything from where I sit, so I’m in the know about all things Play and really feel like I can tell them what I think about where we’re going.

Why my job is the absolute best…

1. The environment – Settled into a cool historic warehouse in Shockoe Bottom, even the building has character. We’ve designed a space full of comfy couches, a four square mat, a ball cage, and a trampoline. I have my own ipod and speaker near my desk to play the music I want, all day. My desk is referred to as “The Bar” for its stylish wood service bar with stools for people to sit and chat. We’ve got dogs running around the office most days and no cubicles in sight. The only rooms with closed doors are the Lounge and the Shhhhh! Room, which is covered wall to wall polaroids of teammates and visitors. All in all, my space is hip to do good work.
2. All about the perks – Free downtown parking right out front. Hot breakfast every Wednesday (today we had blueberry pancakes). Radical Sabbatical – after 5 years you get an extra month of vacation to go somewhere and discover yourself. People have been everywhere from NYC to New Zealand to Italy. Dry cleaning delivery. $500 DELVE dollars a year – a budget given to me for anything I can think of to help me develop personally or professionally. Concierge service – owner Christine helps make our lives easier by running errands around town when we need a helping hand. Her job is to take care of our team. Flexible work environment – If you hate being chained to your desk, then you can work from home, a coffee shop, the river…just be reachable by cell.
3. The people – With 20 people, we are a close family. Everyone stays up on what’s going on in your life so we can celebrate or help out. When my car breaks down, at least three people offer to come get me. When someone goes on a trip, we throw a themed lunch. When I moved out of my parent’s place, I got a $50 gift certificate to help me buy new stuff. Our people really care about you and your life outside of work.
4. The culture – On top of cool people and space, we’ve got a good culture vibe. Thursdays at 5:30 we have Circus, a different fun event each time for employees and friends to kick back and enjoy each other’s company. We’ve done movies, wine tastings, jammed out to the Play band, you name it. Our “holiday work parties” hardly feel stiff when it’s a small group hanging out at Three Monkeys before going to someone’s house or Popkin Tavern. Next Friday, the ladies are having a Girl’s night in.
5. The work – We’ve done New York to Miami, Chicago to LA. Dubai, Budapest, and Chennai. While traveling is fun, bottom line we help companies do meaningful work. It’s a collaborative environment for every project, and you use every sort of expertise you have to come up with new content and ways of approaching business problems. If you can get the job done while having fun, all the better.

So that’s the tip of the iceberg. I am the envy of all my other entry level, just out of college peers stuck in front of excel spreadsheets, praying not to have to think during the day. I use my college education (Communication Studies and Business) all the time to develop new ideas and I’m right in the middle of the career I pined for in college. I go to HYPE events and chat up anyone who asks about the Play ball. I’ll have a good story when we get back on Friday, as the office is closed tomorrow so we can all volunteer for Habitat for Humanity.

Catherine Strotmeyer

Sabbaticals and Other Business Trends -- What are we seeing?

As a hook to Patty’s recent DaVinci quote about sabbaticals, I thought I would share a snippet from a story idea about sabbaticals that we have been pitching to select media. The snippet ties the rise in workplace sabbaticals to three trends. What else are we seeing in the marketplace? What corresponding tools and mechanisms can we suggest to the marketplace?

Sabbaticals aren’t just for academics anymore. Approximately 40 percent of large, 21 percent of mid-sized, and 16 percent of small companies offer paid or unpaid sabbaticals, according to a recent study by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). Just six years ago, only 15 percent of all companies offered unpaid sabbaticals.

The movement toward workplace sabbaticals is tied to three major business trends.

• Innovation is a priority. Running a company used to be about doing. Now, it is as much about thinking – more specifically, thinking of innovative new ideas that move the market and fuel business growth. Two-thirds of senior executives list innovation as one of their top three priorities for 2007; and it takes an inspired and creative mind to deliver innovation in today’s marketplace. Sabbaticals provide inspiration and fuel creativity for leaders who must deliver innovation.
• Time is the new workplace currency. Benefits managers now say that employees value time off as much or more than dollars. This is true for all generations of employees – from Boomers, who are looking for flexible ways to ease into retirement or extend their earning years – to the sixty-one percent of Gen-Xers who have either taken a sabbatical or express the desire to do so – to Millennials who cite time-off as a pronounced factor in determining acceptance of job offers.
• Career paths are becoming more flexible. In today’s flexible workplace where people change jobs frequently, there is less stigma around employment gaps and employers see value in personal development that comes from pursuing a passion, supporting a charitable organization, or gaining international experience–even via a backpacking trip through Peru. Taking time off is now part of the mainstream and employers realize that making it easy for employees to explore interests outside of work is a good way to build loyalty, increase retention and foster greater creativity at work.