Compassion. Humbleness. Kindness. These days to be confused with weakness, fragility, or vulnerability… but that couldn’t be further from the truth. We all have heard the age old saying, “a little kindness goes a long way,” but how often do we remember to bring that mindset to our workplace?

In these times, when change is one of the only constants, many companies are feeling the pressure to think differently; to move at least parallel, if not ahead of, the trends. It seems necessary to stay competitive and relevant. But, what happens when your team is functioning in the status quo or the days of yore? Thinking about PalmPilots instead of Apple Watches?

In a previous post, I talked about a company one of my friends works for that is struggling to engage its employees in the face of a culture that isn’t necessarily interested in playing along. Our first thought was to find some recognition solutions that might be more palatable to their employees than their current efforts. You can read those ideas here.

I'm not one of those people who gets overly excited about the holidays, but I am a big ol' sap when it comes to the traditional TV specials. I also like to create a themed tree every year, and a few nights ago, my two—perhaps only—holiday passions collided. As I was finishing the last of my paper flower ornaments, I also had one eye on Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Although I have seen it multiple times, I perked up when I heard the mean voice of Hermey's boss, who was chiding Hermey for his lack of interest in making toys.

And the winner is...

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BAUDVILLE!

OK, OK, just kidding – but I tell you what, we are coming out with some fantastic trophies and awards.

One of my favorite parts of my job is being "behind the scenes" for much of the product development cycle—from the first idea, to the drawings, to the samples, all the way to the final production! Though I have absolutely nothing to do with developing new products, except a few "that's awesome" or "nice works" here and there, I have a front-row seat to our designers and creative team at work, every day. (Perks to working in the creative suite!)