Pivot Strategies

This month we're shining the spotlight on Senior Communications Consultant Ramona Richards as she reflects on her experience with Pivot. We're so thrilled you chose to share your talents with our team, Ramona! 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝗯𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗣𝗶𝘃𝗼𝘁? With a bachelor’s degree in marketing, I found it challenging to find marketing roles with no work experience after I graduated from college, so I started my career as an administrative assistant for a large energy company. I knew it would be a great way to get my foot in the door and start building my technical skills, while also developing transferable skills. I was then promoted to a customer service representative and that led to a role as a customer service manager with 12 direct reports. I loved the camaraderie and mentoring aspects of leading a team, while also building my writing skills by creating training guides, operating manuals, contracts, and sales scripts, among other fun writing projects. I gradually worked my way into marketing and communications roles with another energy company and I am proud to say that I have over two decades of communications experience working in the energy, financial services, and professional services industries. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁 𝗣𝗶𝘃𝗼𝘁? My favorite aspect is the diversity of working on different projects with amazing clients. I enjoyed working in corporate communications as an internal employee change communicator, but I was starting to become complacent in my role. I love change; change allows me to grow, become better at what I do, and stretch myself outside of my comfort zone to continue learning. As a Communications Consultant at Pivot, I’ve had the privilege of working on a variety of different projects that include developing strategies and deliverables for an SAP ERP implementation, HR transformation, annual benefits and well-being program development, global medical manufacturing intranet site, and the list goes on, for many Fortune 500 Global companies. In addition to the variety of projects and incredible client relationships, I have amazing Pivot colleagues who are always available for thought generation and are eager to share their learnings, best practices and tools. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲? I love having our adult children over for dinner to play games, shoot some pool and sing karaoke. I am a true Midwesterner and having lived in Ohio my entire life, I take advantage of spring, summer and fall by being outdoors, hiking in nature, boating with friends, touring Columbus on my husband’s Harley Davidson Street Glide to check out the endless dining and entertainment options, or cruising the town in our 1962 almond beige Corvette, which my husband inherited from his father.

🎉 We're excited to announce that Brendan Keenan ACMA CGMA has joined us as our VP of Finance! He is an accomplished senior finance professional known for his dynamic leadership and financial expertise. Brendan has a strong focus on managing budgets, forecasting and record-keeping to support informed decision making. When he's not in the office, you might spot him out for a run or spending time with his family. A native of London, Brendan is also a soccer fanatic, following his favorite football clubs back home in the UK. More about Brendan on our website 👇 https://lnkd.in/gfazXivY

🥪 The Pivot team recently was treated to a Lunch & Learn with our Communications Consultant Lauren Fisher. She shared strategies and advice with colleagues for working with clients on improving the content of their knowledge bases. Lauren reached into her archive of Office GIFs to highlight a typical experience users often encounter with a neglected knowledge base: 👎 Outdated or hard to find articles 👎 Content not written for the end user 👎 Difficult to read layouts So where do you begin? Lauren starts by asking herself "What does good look like?" Once she can answer that question, the work begins. 👍 Review current content and determine what works and what doesn't 👍 Repurpose when you can, rewrite when you can't 👍 Review drafts, upload approved content and track progress along the way Lunch & Learns are just one way we enable our consultants to share their passion for their projects and their craft (and put that GIF collection to good use). 👏 Thanks for sharing, Lauren!

🎉 We're so glad to welcome Katie Koranda as a Communications Consultant to our team! She has been with us for a couple of months and has quickly proven herself to be a talented communicator with a creative eye for visual storytelling. Whether working with our clients or collaborating internally with the Pivot Marketing Team on a photo shoot, she approaches her work with attention to detail and care. Outside the office, Katie is passionate about helping others. You will often find her at Juniper House, her spiritual direction space, where she specializes in helping people experiencing grief and loss. More about Katie on our website 👇 https://lnkd.in/gqwr8DHn

🎉 We're excited to announce the latest addition to the Pivot team - Patrick Leeney, our new Senior Business Development Representative! With his extensive experience and a proven track record of fostering strong long-term relationships, Patrick brings a wealth of sales expertise to Pivot. Recognize that voice? Outside the office, he is the announcer for the Burnsville-Minnesota Valley Figure Skating Club and the District 196 Figure Skating Team. Go Icettes! More about Patrick on our website 👇 https://lnkd.in/g3tkJ6nG

Have you read McLean & Company's 2024 HR Trends Report? If not, don't worry Pivot Client Lead John Nielson has you covered. John gives you his key takeaways and provides three ideas for quick wins when it comes to deciding what priorities to focus on: 1️⃣ Supporting corporate values among project teams 2️⃣ Provide clarity about long-term career paths for FTEs who join short-term projects 3️⃣ Be highly visible as a support partner throughout the project change journey Want to keep the conversation going? Join John and other HR professionals in Minneapolis at the next Leading Edge Human Resource Network (LEHRN) event to discuss insights and strategic opportunities like this next week on Oct. 3. These are likely hot topics at the HR Technology Conference & Exposition show this week in Las Vegas. If you're attending, we're curious to hear your thoughts on the keynotes and presentations. Let us know in the comments. 👇 #HR #HCM #HRtechnology #HRtransformation #HRleadership #employeeexperience #HRinsights

🎉 We're delighted to welcome Ashlee Hilzendeger to the Pivot team as our new Executive Assistant! Ashlee brings a wealth of experience in supporting executive teams and a knack for event coordination that will undoubtedly elevate our office operations. When she's not keeping things running smoothly at Pivot, she enjoys spending time with her nieces and nephew, all things health and fitness, and planning her next travel adventure. We can't wait to see the fresh ideas and energy you're going to bring! More about Ashlee on our website 👇 https://lnkd.in/gg3RrrvC

You know your team is stacked with talent and does valuable work, but does the rest of your organization? A question we often hear is "𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙙𝙤 𝙄 𝙗𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙 𝙖𝙣 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙮 𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙢’𝙨 𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙪𝙚?" Pivot's Communications Consultant Lauren Fisher recommends starting with a purpose statement. In her latest post on the Pivot blog, Lauren guides you through how to effectively share what your team does and why you do it. Using a purpose statement to describe your team's impact can help you: • Gain visibility • Create strategic connections • Secure funding For more insights and guidance on how you can build your purpose statement, check out Lauren's post. 👇

🔨 Some of our team members recently had the opportunity to spend the day volunteering with Habitat for Humanity of Minnesota. We learned how to use some new tools (the kind that comes with safety glasses), got our hands dirty and met some new friends. Pivot supports this wonderful organization that helps build safe, stable, affordable housing in partnership with people in need. Our team is grateful for the memories and impacts we've made, and we are already looking forward to the next opportunity! Thanks to Katie Koranda for her wonderful photos (and for working on the house too).

This month we're shining the spotlight on Client Lead John Nielson as he reflects on his experience with Pivot. We're so thrilled you chose to share your talents with our team, John! 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝗯𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗣𝗶𝘃𝗼𝘁? My professional mantra, "Think like a marketer, act like a change agent," sums it up! As a writer at heart, I started my career as a copywriter in the ad agency business, creating marketing campaigns for brands that wanted to deepen consumer loyalty to their products and services. I then evolved into the change-management space to help IT, HR, and other business leaders generate team loyalty to their new systems and processes to transform their organizations. (By the way, I still love helping people work through old loyalties to old systems! 😉) My recent work supporting a Pivot client's six-year SAP change journey and work with clients such as GE, PepsiCo, EcoLab, New York Life and many others through my own change management and communications firm, has given me a seasoned line of sight into the opportunities, complexities, and challenges of global organizations taking on global change. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁 𝗣𝗶𝘃𝗼𝘁? It's all about our values. Pivot values rang true for me on day one. Pivot clients share the same values. With those shared values in place, Pivot consultants and our client teams leverage our respectful working relationships to accelerate creativity, productivity, and inspired results. That's rare, in my experience. But it's the magic that happens when you partner with like-minded people, creating change that shines from the inside out, at all levels. I love striving for that every day. I know everyone at Pivot feels the same way. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲? I live in St. Paul, MN so there are welcoming city lakes everywhere to go for a quick, quiet kayak ride to take the edge off a hectic week. I also enjoy biking, hiking, and writing every chance I get. My wife and I love exotic travel: she's always trying to get me back to Tanzania! I try to volunteer as a driver for the VEAP food bank and a marketer for Leading Edge Human Resource Network (LEHRN), as often as possible.