Author: Grow Intentionly

I have what some might consider controversial thoughts about how we balance our work and our lives. And I can already feel my friends and coworkers staring me down, but hear me out.

At first glance, I may not be the poster child for what has traditionally passed for work-life balance: a hard and fast line between work-time and me-time. In fact, that line doesn’t exist for me. Here’s an example: My girlfriends and I have developed a little tradition of regular beach get-togethers. We’re there to catch up with each other, reminisce about when we were younger, and soak up some sun. So if they catch me fielding work calls during that time, they’re understandably annoyed. After all, I’m missing the whole point of going in the first place: to take a break from the daily grind.

Right?

Here’s the thing: I believe a good work-life balance looks different for each of us. What you consider healthy might not work for me, and vice-versa. And one major impact of the pandemic has been to open a lot of eyes to this perspective.

When I was working at the beach, I was still at the beach. That’s the beauty of work-life fluidity instead of a harsh separation between the two. Even if I was on work calls, I had the waves crashing as background noise and the stunning sunset as my view. And as soon as I closed my laptop, my friends were right there with me.

Obviously the beach-with-friends metaphor isn’t applicable to all of us right now. But what we can all relate to is that drawing that traditional, hard-and-fast line between our work and our lives isn’t so easy right now. In fact, it may not be possible at all.

Our children need attention—now more than ever, with virtual schooling and less entertainment options out of the house. Our emergency home repairs still need to be done, whether or not we’re on the clock. These things have always been true, but without physical separation between work and home, our industry is waking up to the necessity of a more fluid approach to that traditional “balance.”

And while I’ve always believed in that approach for myself, what a revelation it’s been to see it in action through the work of my team members during this time. In particular, I’m thinking about three women on my team who are also mothers. One is a single parent, watching her young daughter and working at the same time. Another has a toddler, a newborn, and a husband whose work pulls him away from home for most of the week. A third spends her days watching her two children and her nights tackling her work, while the rest of us are fast asleep.

Each one of these women is operating outside of the traditional 9-5 work day, and each one of these women is absolutely crushing it. As both a leader and a new mother navigating the best way to wear those two hats, I am in awe of these women, who don’t just straddle the line between work and life. They mold it to fit their needs, so they can best take care of their families and their jobs.

These women and others in our industry have a valuable lesson to teach us—both myself as a leader, and businesses as a whole. This isn’t a call for being available 24 hours a day, answering emails at 3 a.m. Nor is it a suggestion that all companies can operate with and offer their employees this same level of flexibility. But what we have right now, thanks to the changes brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, is an opportunity.

The massive shift to remote work has given my company—and on a smaller scale, my team—the chance to re-evaluate the way we work best, both individually and as a whole. It’s a chance we might never have had if the shelter-in-place orders hadn’t gone into effect, and we would be doing ourselves an incredible disservice not to take it.

Think about it this way: the rock star graphic designer mom on my team, working out of her children’s nursery during naps and between feedings? She wouldn’t be able to be on my team at all if we strictly enforced a 9-5 onsite workday. And I can say with certainty we’re better for having her. If we weren’t willing to re-paint a picture of how our world works and how we want to help our employees shine, we would be the ones missing out on amazing people and amazing opportunities.

It’s the same idea across the board: incredible talent might not fit into a rigid, 100% onsite work day or work week. Is it worth losing that talent to adhere to a strict schedule, if you have the luxury to be flexible?

At my company, we’re seizing this opportunity to show empathy to our employees, to listen to them, and, perhaps most importantly, to build trust and transparency across our organization. For my marketing team, that means turning our office into a collaboration lab—a place to go in and think and be creative, not a place to be tethered to a desk for eight hours. It means designated no-meeting days, so we can focus on creating without interruption. And it means continuing to find new ways to connect with each other, even if we aren’t physically together.

The pandemic is going to end. And when it does, it will be the companies that used this disruption as a catalyst to think progressively about the future that will thrive. This is the time to make the most of the change around us. Don’t let this moment pass you by without thinking about the doors we could open with a more flexible approach to our businesses and our coworkers.

Read the original article here.

As this conversation plays out in real time on social media, I see two general sentiments about continuing marketing efforts at this moment.

The first: “Don’t do it!” It’s not hard to find screen-capped examples of tone-deaf sales folks trying to solicit people, or unfortunately-timed campaigns, scheduled well in advance, that are stepping on rakes because they no longer address our day-to-day reality and needs.

On the other hand, there are many who say marketing shouldn’t pause, because the livelihood of their businesses matter to the economy right now and the products and services being marketed could very well help people get through truly unprecedented times.

I absolutely agree that marketing is still crucial, but your go-to-market strategy can’t look like it did a few months or even weeks ago. Right now, marketing isn’t about products or services.

It’s about people.

Doing my job as a Chief Marketing Officer during this crisis means taking everything I know about marketing execution and business goals, and examining it in the light of what our country and our people are enduring. Here’s what I’ve learned.

Review everything
Step one for marketers is to go over everything they’ve planned with a fine-tooth comb. Every tweet in the pipeline, every piece of campaign collateral or communication with your audience needs to be checked for tone. What is still relevant and timely, and what should you put on hold? Something that would have seemed assertive and upbeat before the pandemic might come off now as opportunistic and crass.

Your empathy has never been more valuable than it is now. Let it guide you: what is your audience dealing with right now? What are they feeling? Does your content exploit their emotions, or relate to them?

Focus on value, not growth
This is a time for building relationships, not chasing sales. Again, empathy should be your guide. Think about what your audience is going through, and how you can help. In my world, that means generating, retooling, and making accessible resources to assist our users in engaging with their own clients and prospects about market volatility. For an independent advisor, that might be something as simple as helping a client set up a food delivery service.

During these unprecedented times, marketers are bound to go beyond the call of duty to identify the new challenges their target audiences are facing, and respond with compassion, not opportunistically. Advisors struggling with the transition to remote work may resent someone leaping to make a sale. But they will appreciate a helping hand, which could take the form of complimentary offers, free tutorials or webinars.

Focus on solutions, not problems
Like a lot of CMOs out there, I embrace my competitive nature. It keeps me from resting on my laurels and it drives me to turn disruption into an advantage for my firm’s marketing efforts. But this is a time to tap the brakes on the winner-take-all hustle. It’s important to be humble about the problems we’re facing, because we’re all facing them. At my firm, we’ve shelved campaigns we would have executed in a heartbeat in different times – especially ones that focus on problems or pain points in the industry.

If your marketing efforts are pointing out troubles that are already self-evident to your clients or prospects, it looks like you’re rubbing it in their faces – or at best, trying to capitalize on someone else’s misfortune. Instead, focus on how you can help.

Whatever form your marketing takes during this time, be realistic about the response. A lot of businesses are reeling from the economic and human impact of the pandemic, even those lucky enough to make a seamless transition to remote work. Right now, people might not be able to implement everything you do or use the full extent of your services. But brighter days will come. When they do, your audience will remember the difference between the folks who offered a helping hand and those who just wanted to make a buck.

Don’t think about people in terms of the money that can be made off the back of a crisis. Right now, just ask yourself how you and your company can help.

Look for the next installment of this two-part series, coming soon.

Read the original article here.

For this year’s International Women’s Day, our team at Slice is proud to celebrate women across the marketing and communications industry through an interview series. Follow along throughout the week leading up to International Women’s Day to read about these inspiring women and their stories.

The first interview of this series if with Kelly Waltrich, the Chief Marketing Officer of Orion Advisor Solutions, a technology solution for financial advisors and firms.

How do you define your leadership?

For me, being a leader is about encouraging the members of my team to be the best versions of themselves, both professionally and personally. When people are motivated, ambitious, and excited about their jobs and the role they play in the success of our company, and in turn our clients’ lives, the more willing they are to give me 110% everyday. At the end of the day, I want to work with people who love what they do, who love their team, and who love the challenge of continually improving for the benefit of themselves, each other, our company, and the clients we serve.

How has your leadership changed over the years you’ve been working?

As the years have passed, I’ve become a more empathetic and compassionate leader. For me, leadership has evolved beyond the workplace to take into account what’s going on in the lives of my team members, to understand how that affects the way they approach their jobs, what motivates them and how they measure success in their role and ultimately in their lives.

Can you share a story that demonstrates a key learning for you in your leadership journey?

When I came to Orion, it was on the heels of building a strong marketing team from the ground up at my previous company. I wanted to replicate that success at Orion, but I quickly came to the realization that every business, despite surface similarities, is very different. Different demands, different clients, different challenges, and a different hiring climate made it impossible for me to approach building the Orion marketing team in the same way.

And I’ve found that’s a bigger lesson that also applies to developing individuals’ strengths, building marketing campaigns, and generating revenue. Just because something worked once doesn’t mean it will again: leadership requires not only persistence, but flexibility and awareness.

What role do you think marketing communications should play in the future of your organization or industry?

Long gone are the days when marketers were responsible solely for making things pretty. Today, marketing communications is uniquely positioned to drive the overall strategy of an organization.

Think about core marketing functions: ownership of brand. Ownership of voice. Ownership of creating opportunities for revenue growth. Ownership of the actionable efforts behind launching new products. Ownership of audience — demographics, challenges, hesitations, motivations.

There’s no better engine for the growth and overall success of an organization than a well-run marketing and communications team.

What do you think young women entering the marketing communications field should know?  What advice do you have for them?

What I don’t think a lot of people realize is that to be successful in marketing communications, you need to be equal parts creative and analytical. There was a time when most of what marketing did was subjective and qualitative. But in my opinion, in order to provide real strategic value, you have to be able to measure and prove the impact of your efforts.

So because marketing requires professionals to be a little bit of everything, you can’t ever stop learning. Resist complacency by immersing yourself in your industry, absorbing new ideas, taking risks, and continually disrupting your own thinking.

Finally, all marketers — but especially young women — need to have a strong voice. Develop it. Use it to relentlessly drive your business forward.

Read the original article here.

We’re pleased to present our latest installment in our feature series – “FintekNews Celebrates #WomenInFintech“. This week, we’d like to introduce you to Kelly Waltrich of Orion Advisor Solutions.Orion exists to help advisory professionals realize their vision for success. They achieve this mission by delivering best-in-class technology, investment services, and support solutions that empower each advisor to build their business on their own terms, through their three unique brands: Orion Advisor Tech, FTJFundChoice and CLS Investments.

NAME: Kelly Waltrich

TITLE: Chief Marketing Officer

COMPANY: Orion Advisor Solutions

WEB ADDRESS: www.orionadvisortech.com

1) What does your financial technology firm offer?

Orion provides innovative technology solutions for financial advisory firms. More importantly, we act as their partner, helping to improve their firm’s efficiency, strengthen their client relationships, and support their unique vision for growth. Our solutions include trading, billing, reporting, compliance, and client experience tools, as well as an open API that enables 100+ deep integrations with CRM tools, financial planning platforms, and more.

When I am explaining it to my family, I simply tell them that …our technology enables advisors to facilitate transparent and collaborative conversations with their clients to better help them achieve their financial goals.

2) What was the personal motivation for you to join your firm?

Company culture and the people were huge motivators for me. I’ve always looked to be part of companies that value an exceptional client experience above all else. This type of strategic focus not only ensures you’re innovating your offering to meet what your clients truly want and need–but it reinforces your marketing efforts with an army of clients who are willing to be advocates, promoters, and brand ambassadors.

Orion’s commitment to client experience spills over into the day-to-day work of the people who build our tech, support our advisors, lead our innovation and tell our brand’s story. I love the work I do, and I’ve found a team that I love to do it with.

3) As a business leader, do you feel any advantages/disadvantages in being female as you are 1) managing your business & team internally and 2) growing your business competitively?

Early in my career, I made the decision that my gender was never going to be something I used as a scapegoat for any struggles or as a rationalization for any of my success. Instead, I focused on plotting a plan with very specific steps for achieving my goal of leading marketing for a large, successful financial organization.

Along the way, I’ve also been lucky enough to work for male leaders who have supported my goals and prioritized diversity on their leadership teams, including Mike Durbin, Ed O’Brien, and now Eric Clarke.

4) Do you feel you are at a competitive advantage – or disadvantage – as a female fintech business leader– or neither?

In an interesting way, I feel like I’m at an advantage because unfortunately, there’s still a bit of a surprise element when women exhibit strong leadership capabilities — in other words, when we do our jobs. It shouldn’t be a surprise when we demonstrate these characteristics, but sometimes it still is.

5) Do you feel there are more women in financial technology leadership roles than in other business sectors? If so, why or why not?

When it comes to diversity in the workplace, I think overall, the fintech space is seemingly a little more modern and progressive than most other financial business sectors. But, while we do embrace women in leadership, there is always room to grow.

6) Do you think the trend will continue where we will see more women in leadership roles in fintechs (Yes/No) and why?

I think, yes… because I have great confidence the leaders across fintech, most of which I count as my friends — both men and women — to usher in the next generation of diverse industry leaders. And as a leader in my own company, I count myself among those responsible for creating a future that celebrates diversity of all kinds at every level of our organization.

Read the original article here.