The Perk

We can't quite believe we're saying this, but: The Perk is SIX years old this month! 🎉🎉🎉 Sometimes, it still blows our minds 🤯 that Leah, a CPA-turned-VP of People Ops at a startup, was laid off from that VP job on a Tuesday six years ago (on maternity leave, no less! 😬) & started The Perk the very next day. (On the other hand, it's Leah, so it doesn't really surprise us at all.) 😎 Every business has peaks & valleys, & The Perk is no different. During COVID, 90% of our business evaporated overnight. 🙁 We worked hard to pivot & rebuild. Today, we're eight people strong (hi Leah, Dan, Steph, Emily, Isabel, Jess, Corie, & Gina!). 💪 We've worked with clients across the United States. And, we're pretty proud of that NPS score. 🙌 And through it all—regardless of the ups & downs, we've lived our Core Values all day, every day. ❤️ We're always over here, turning it up a notch, doing our best to wow our clients, celebrating everything 🎊, & committing to wild & measurable success for the teams, leaders & organizations that are part of our orbit. 🚀 So, while it blows our minds that The Perk is here & has not only survived but thrived, it doesn't surprise us. Organizations deserve incredible leaders. ☺️ Leaders deserve to be incredible leaders. 👏 This is work that's SO needed, & we can't wait to see how we grow in the NEXT six years. Hopefully teleporting is invented by then, so we can REALLY change the world. 😉 Tagging a few people who have been by our side since the beginning: Emily Smith, Tom Foti, Natalie Healy #ThePerk #CelebrateEverything #BusinessAnniversary #CheersToSixYears

While we're known for helping companies build better cultures & leaders, we're also pretty proud of being able to partner with culture-related organizations to make an impact, too. 🎉🎉🎉 One of our FAVORITE partnerships is the one we have with CultureCon. CultureCon is right here in our backyard of Madison, Wisconsin, & we've been partnering with them for several years now. Zach & Nick, you've created something incredible, & we're so thrilled to be a part of it—both then & now. 🤗 CultureCon is so special because it's one of the only conferences we've seen dedicated to helping people become cultural change agents within their organizations. 🙌 We LOVE ❤️ their belief statement: "We believe everyone deserves the opportunity to work within an inclusive & inspiring organizational culture." Talk about the best mic drop ever! 🎤 This year's CultureCon is set for later this week: August 28 & 29. Tickets for the in-person event itself is sold out, but there are still virtual live stream tickets available—head to their website (linked in the comments below) to get yours! Jess is volunteering at CultureCon & we're excited for all of the goodness she's going to soak up. We might even share a few of her takeaways in a future LinkedIn post! 😎 Anyone in the Perk-iverse heading to CultureCon? If so, let us know, & Jess will make sure to say hello! 👋👋👋 Will you be at CultureCon, Samantha Schwartz, Cara Bechen, Carey Vollmers? If so, let us know! #CultureCon #CultureCon24 #CompanyCulture #LeadershipDevelopment

Here's a stat that will blow your mind (& not in a, "whoa, so cool" way 🙃): According to Mercer's 2024 Global Trends Report, 81% of employees are at risk of burnout. That means that more than 8️⃣ out of 🔟 people feel symptoms of chronic stress to the point where it's impacting—or likely to impact—their work performance. 😬 Now, think about the number of people in your organization. A little scary, huh? 👻 You know what else is scary? What happens to your brain 🧠 when you're under chronic stress. Stress makes it hard to control your emotions 😭. It decreases cognitive functions—making it hard to concentrate, think creatively & make decisions. When we think about burnout, we often think about it as a solitary thing: something we need to deal with on our own. Actually, leaders have more control over team burnout than you might think! In our latest blog 🔗, we give six strategies for fostering a burnout-free 🚫 zone: https://lnkd.in/gcRy6-hK What's worked in terms of helping your team proactively avoid burnout? We'd love to hear from you, Josh Anderson, MBA, PHR, Jenna Trepanier, Saige Diedrich. #NewBlogAlert #BurnoutPrevention #LeadershipCoaching #PreventingBurnout

🚨REMINDER: Join us TOMORROW (Thursday, August 22!) for a combined Culture Community/Forward Fest virtual event. 🙌 Our own Leah Roe, CPA, CPCC, PCC will be presenting "From Setbacks to Comebacks: Mastering 💪 Resilience Against All Odds." Here's the thing that often gets mixed up about resilience: Resilience is how you recharge ⚡️, not how you endure 🥵. And this workshop is designed to rewire your thoughts around resilience, especially during challenging times. We'll be diving into core of resilience with insights from thought leaders, showing you reflective to map your resilience journey, & putting forth actionable strategies to tap into your adaptability, support networks, & well-being. Whether you're facing personal obstacles or professional hurdles, this session will equip you with the tools to navigate adversity with confidence & grace. 😎 To register for this month's Culture Community/The Forward Festival event mash-up, head here: https://lnkd.in/gejDd4Pq Who will be see at Culture Community tomorrow? Aubree Martin, PHR, SHRM-CP, Stacey Harmon, Bruce White, what about you? #ForwardFest #CultureCommunity #Resilience #VirtualEvent

✨We are in some pretty exciting times in leadership transformation.✨ Currently, there are two different industries that we're doing a lot of work in that are rethinking their leadership. First, in manufacturing, we're partnering with some of the oldest companies in the game—over 100 years strong! They're reimagining leadership for a new era. The skills that brought them success in the past won't carry them forward in today's dynamic world. It's all about embracing growth mindsets, empathy, & emotional intelligence to navigate the evolving landscape. Second, in the world of CPA firms, where work-life balance & sustainable leadership are becoming paramount. It's no longer about burning the midnight oil during busy seasons—it's about nurturing teams year-round, ensuring their well-being & fostering environments where everyone can thrive. What changes are you seeing in your industry? How is your organization rethinking leadership?

Something we talk a LOT about at The Perk are dreams. We don’t mean “dreams” as in, “Whoa! I had a weird dream last night!” (Well, sometimes we talk about those, too.) Or, “Ooh! I really want to win the lottery!” (That is a dream, to be sure, but it’s not the kind of dream we're talking about.) We mean, DREAMS. Those wants & desires that you feel in your bones & your heart. The things you feel like you were made to do, created to bring to life. The aspirations & ambitions that breathe life into EVERYTHING you do. The ones that make you feel like an MVP of your own life. In our latest newsletter, we're delving into what our individual dreams have to do with culture & leadership—and how to do a little bit of dreaming with and alongside your team. (We also talk about our team's individual dreams, too!) Read more below ⬇️

Does your team speak the same language? 🗣️ Language is one of the most important parts of any workplace culture. It's the way people communicate with one another, build relationships & create a sense of community. It's not just about being able to get things done with efficiency & economy, it fosters feelings of group identity & solidarity 👯♀️. In today's always-on, remote/hybrid environment, our culture is built, sustained, & evolved through so many channels like Slack, Zoom, Asana, conference rooms & happy hours🍻🍹. With all of these channels, we'll ask: what does your special, "insider" language sound or look like? 👀👂 Ours? We're kind of into...silly geese. 🤪🪿 If something is a little "off," it's "goosey." If we make a mistake, we "goosed it." People can be caught "goosin'" or "acting like a silly goose." ☺️ A shared language not only helps your team connect, it can also align with your values. For us at The Perk, being silly geese is right in line with so many of our Core Behaviors: Be Vulnerable First & Often, Admit You Don't Have the Answer & Celebrate Everything. When something's "goosey," it's an invitation to play & collaborate. To ask for help. We love what Jess did to remind herself that it's perfectly okay to goose it: changed her title to "Certified Silly Goose" on Slack. ❤️ Does your team have an internal language? Tell us about it, Ashley Schulenburg, Lauren Shaffer, Jay Thomsen! #SillyGoose #TeamLanguage #Communication #Collaboration

Delegation! Happy Friday!

Today, we're introducing you to one last member of The Perk team: Gina Lisenby! 👏👏👏 Gina is a Leadership Coach & Culture Consultant here at The Perk. She's all about making sure people are heard, seen & valued—it's one of the reasons why she fits in perfectly here. 🥰 As a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach, Gina coaches entrepreneurs, human-centered leaders & individuals to tap into their personal resourcefulness, potential & identity, further expanding their capacity to learn, grow, & achieve results. Gina's mission is to help more people live with purpose, make an impact & define life on their terms. 🙌 She's also certified in Conversational Intelligence, a communication methodology based in neuroscience & works with leaders & teams to help them experience greater connection 🔌 & shared success—just by elevating the quality of their conversations. 🗣️ Gina says one of the most meaningful acknowledgments she has received is being called a “people-whisperer." (We've seen this gift in action, many times!) ❤️ She's also the reason we get to say that The Perk has a satellite office in the South: she resides in Knoxville, Tennessee with her partner John & dog 🐶, Ladybird. Gina, you're AMAZING. We're so happy to have you with us at The Perk! 🎉🎉🎉 Tagging a few people we know LOVE working with Gina: Fancher Sargent, Wendy Butler, Chloe Humphrey, CPA. #ThePerk #MeetTheTeam #BestTeamEver #CelebrateEverything

We're big fans of the DiSC 🥏 behavior assessment at The Perk. We often use it with teams who are looking to understand 🧠 individual behaviors & the ways they adapt those behaviors to the workplace. Did you know that the universal language of DiSC can also be applied when it comes to generational communication styles? 📣 Navigating generational differences at work—especially when it comes to communication 🗣️ —has never been more important. As Gen Z starts to outnumber Baby Boomers & start to take on significant roles in their workplaces, it'll be important for leaders to find effective ways to manage a multi-generational team. 🔗 In our latest blog, we take a look at how leaders can use the DiSC assessment to bridge the generational gap, giving you: ✔️ A deep-dive into DiSC and how it can be leveraged to manage generational differences ✔️How to apply the insights we see from DiSC assessments across generations ✔️ Why it's critical for leaders to recognize & celebrate the diverse perspectives each generation brings to their work For the full article, hop over to our website: https://lnkd.in/eCPdKtvP (If you're looking to conduct your own DiSC assessment, don't hesitate to drop us a line. We're DiSC nerds in the BEST possible way. 🤓) What kinds of generational shifts are you seeing in your own team & leadership? Let us know, Haley Davis, FPC, Sara Hurtgen, Jeff Lyczak! #DiSCAssessment #CommunicationTips #WorkplaceGenerations #GenerationalShifts