An Amazing Experience

By naomisimson | Published: December 21, 2009

This is my ninth RedBalloon Christmas... And so far it has been the most exhilarating. The numbers are way up on last year. All the planning, preparation and investment means that things seem to be going smoothly. No chaos. The team has it all in hand. We are so much bigger now that there are people to do all the right things at all the right times.

Our retail locations, at Myer, Target, Dymocks and Westfield Bondi and Chatswood are making a new business for us in an off line world. The online retailer going into traditional retail. A very exciting development. To change gifting in Australia forever we need to be where people are purchasing gifts, hence the move to retail including gift cards in Australia Post, Big W, Woolworths and many others.

Every day we seem to be breaking new ‘world’ records... number of people spoken to, emails answered, experiences delivered, and numbers visiting the website. I see now the investment we have made in building enterprise level robustness into the site has more than paid off.

It is the investment in the team, however - that is delivering the most unbelievable Christmas. We did not let up on any of our programs during 2009, no matter the gloom and doom in the papers. We have many new people who are experiencing their first Christmas at RedBalloon - there is an air of excitement - of camaraderie, a shared sense of achievement.

And I just got the best Christmas gift that any employer could receive. Hewitt has accredited RedBalloon as one of only five Best Employers in Australia for 2009.

Thank you - Thank you - Thank you to all the RedBallooners, especially the Employee Experience Team,  our customers, suppliers and amazing supporters. It really is an amazing experience.

Casey and Megan the Employee Experience Team - cooking a little breakfast for the team

Casey and Megan the Employee Experience Team - cooking a little breakfast for the team

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3 ideas to reduce employee Christmas disconnect

By naomisimson | Published: December 17, 2009

I'm wishing I had a dollar for every time someone told me they had had a tough year this year.  ‘So glad to see the back on 2009’. People are saying that they have worked harder than they have in years yet ‘Christmas bonuses are long since a thing of the past, and salary reviews for next year are not yet certain’.

So the question I have been putting to business owners and leaders is ‘how are you making your people feel loved this festive season? What are you doing to breath positivity into the new year? How are you saying thank you?’

Straight after Christmas comes new year... And many people will make a new years resolution to find an new job. We've seen research that says upward of 30% of people were waiting for the upturn before making a career change. The media is reporting signs of recovering and optimism is beginning to emerge. This is the time that some employees have been waiting for - the grass is beginning to look greener.

Resignations traditionally spike at the Christmas break anyway. This year is likely to be worse. It may well be too late. If people have already ‘mentally checked out’ it will be difficult to bring them back to the fold. So now is the time to get people thinking positively about the new year, to let them know that they will be appreciated. To really get to work on aligning people to the purpose of the business. This investment may take a while but it will repay itself well and truly in time for Christmas 2010.

So be proactive about the Christmas ‘disconnect’. Here’s a few things you could do:

  1. Managers need to be with their people, (leading from the trenches) understand the world of the people they manage and authentically thank them for the specific contribution they made. Understand the employee experience – what is it really like to work there.
  2. Have fabulous things for people to look forward too. And I don’t mean increasing their targets or asking more from them. Let them know how you plan to celebrate and have some fun with achieving even small wins – make sure that they are achievable.
  3. Establish ways to listen to your team (and not just at the Christmas party when a few too many beverages have been consumed)

And remember one last little piece of wisdom. SMILE, and have a laugh. It is okay to have fun in business, to be yourself, and people want to hang around a place where people are having fun (and achieving results)

As the leadership team goes so goes the rest of the organization.

So you have the power to put the ‘Merry’ back in Christmas, and then they will show up again for another year.

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Leaving Home.

By naomisimson | Published: December 11, 2009

In the past eight years since founding RedBalloon, we’ve created several businesses along the way and they all have lead to other greater things.

One of the businesses that we invented was to solve a particular ‘problem’ that we had at RedBalloon - some 30% of our customers are self purchasers, another words they really like the activities we offer and want to do them themselves. Friday afternoons were frantic as people called our customer experience team wanting to know if they could book an activity for the weekend.

At the same time we were approached by two separate but large travel agency groups - saying that the wanted to include RedBalloon activities in their ground content offering - however a voucher system would not work for them - they wanted real time booking ability.

We saw this as a business opportunity to grow another business. So we invented GoDo.com.au - a real time booking engine for activities in Australia and New Zealand. We already had the relationship with the best activity suppliers in the country, and because of that relationship we built an intranet which enabled suppliers to publish their availability in real time. This had never been done before anywhere on the planet. The technology won awards for it’s innovation. It is an amazing aggregator and resource for Australian tourism.

We then took this technology and embedded it into the major tourism sites in Australia: Lastminute, Virgin Blue, Stayz to name just a few GoDo gives activity suppliers an online voice way beyond what they could do individually. We did not try to build a brand for GoDo - it was about the cleverness of the technology to aggregate supply and demand.

There is a brilliant opportunity for this technology to operate in markets other than Australia and New Zealand. It is amazingly flexible and exciting platform. But I knew, as did my business partner that there was an organization who would take this business to the next level. I am so committed and excited by RedBalloon and what it is doing - GoDo has much bigger potential.  It should have the opportunity to capitalise on its full potential. And new ownership will allow it to realize this opportunity. I wanted to do it all, but alas I was not the best person to continue to grow GoDo at the pace it could. There is a fabulous committed team that have made GoDo amazing, they too are looking for career and growth opportunities.

But when you build something, work with the team - believe in what you’re doing, to find the best next place for a business and it’s technology can be a challenge. We needed to find someone who had the vision and resources to truly capitalise on what has already been created.

So today Wotif.com announced to it’s stakeholders the acquisition of GoDo. It is such an obvious fit. Both businesses are focused on tourism and travel, both businesses are entrepreneurial and innovative - there is a wonderful cultural fit. And I know that the business goes to a place where it will truly thrive, beyond what we could ever do for it.

I’m sure as an entrepreneur I still have many more businesses that I will start... the ones that I have started in the last eight years since founding RedBalloon have all come from listening to customers, seeing an opportunity and going for it.

One thing that I know has put us on this amazing projectory of growth has been the single minded purpose we have - supported by an amazing team. We are all aligned to the business of giving amazing gifts.

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Press Release – Sale of Go Do Pty Ltd

By naomisimson | Published: December 11, 2009

Wotif.com Holdings Limited (Wotif Group) today announced it had entered into an agreement to acquire all the issued shares in Go Do Pty Ltd (GoDo) from RedBalloon Pty Ltd (RedBalloon)

Established in 2006 as part of the RedBalloon Group, GoDo provides a real time online booking service for "things to do" in Australia and New Zealand.  GoDo sells these activities direct via its website (godo.com.au) and via a network of affiliate sites and third party distributors.

With more than 1,000 suppliers providing 2,000 plus bookable activities, GoDo is a leading operator in the activities market place.  Products are extremely diverse ranging from theme park passes, day spas, cooking classes, skydiving, hot air ballooning and V8 racing, to name but a few.

RedBalloon CEO Naomi Simson said “We are pleased that the GoDo business has been acquired by Wotif Group, a world class entrepreneurial organization operating in the travel space. There is a great cultural fit between the businesses and offers great synergies for both parties.

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Employer Worst Gifts ever

By naomisimson | Published: December 7, 2009

Given that Christmas is fast approaching.. most businesses have organized what they are giving their people now, but sometimes I shake my head in disbelief as people share with me how thoughtless or simply dumb some employers are about giving a gift. People have worked harder this year than they have in years – and for most there will be no Christmas bonus. So a well thought out gift will make the difference.

Recently we surveyed 3000 employees about the “best” and “worst” gifts they had ever received and why.

Here’s what NOT to do:

Effort versus reward imbalance and offensive to employees

  • “A sparkly nail file for working hard, my manager’s heart was in the right place but it was a strange ‘reward’ to receive for working my butt off”
  • “A mars bar for the anniversary of working with the organisation. It made me feel unappreciated”
  • “Microwave popcorn and one bottle of sparkling to share amongst 10 people to celebrate major account resigning”
  • “For my five years of service – a choice of a wallet, a $5 bottle of wine, a plastic picture frame, playing cards and 2 other pieces of garbage – what an insult”

Tacky

  • “A taco bell watch for 5 years of service and a letter misspelling my name”
  • “Being told at Christmas time that I should be giving my employer a Christmas present to demonstrate my gratitude for working for him”
  • “A pen that didn’t work”
  • “$5 Itunes Gift Card for Christmas”
  • “Herb sachets from a channel promotion”
  • “20c pay rise”

Not so much the reward but the way it is delivered

  • Certificates with misspelled names
  • Sarcasm
  • Little thought
  • Obvious mistakes and generalist one size fits all approach

Standardised clutter

  • “Gold spoon – who needs that?”
  • “A magnetic trophy with paper clips – it can destroy a hard drive in seconds”
  • “A kettle – the qualification criteria was too strict just to win a kettle”
  • “A video history of the company – not personalised, again focusing on the company and not focused on you"
  • “Bath salts, don’t have a bath and they smell awful”
  • “A daggy cap, it was pretty ugly and not really my thing. I couldn’t even give it away”

No recognition/ reward at all feel like another number or disregarded

  • “Christmas Ham – I am a known vegetarian”
  • “Box of chocolates – I am a diabetic”
  • “Tickets to footy - don’t use them”
  • “Dinner at boss’ house”

Please take a moment to think about what employees (and family and friends) really want... And authentic gift that shows true appreciation will make the new years employee engagement so much easier.

What is the worst gift you ever received from your boss (or best if you want to tell someone how great they are)

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Times are Changing

By naomisimson | Published: December 3, 2009

I'm in the process of upgrading the technology that runs this blog.

To continue to get the email to the blog you must fill in the form below.

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Fill it in now... I have much I continue to learn and experience and am always happy to share. (You might receive two emails as we transition to the new site for a few weeks) Thanks for your patience.

Thank you.

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Defining Employee Engagement

By naomisimson | Published: November 26, 2009

image0011

It all depends on how you view the world... at least we know where getting somewhere when the conversation becomes mainstream.

Love it.

Posted in Reward & Recognition | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The next generation will have it's say

By naomisimson | Published: November 25, 2009

at-school_2

Presenting to 150 fifteen year old girls is probably one of the tougher gigs that I have had. Not helped by the fact that my daughter said just before I left home... 'Don't be embarrassing - and they really aren't interested in all ...

I looked at these young women and thought what would I have liked to have known all those years ago? I showed them a photo of my girlfriends and I at the same age. This started the conversation - instead of a mother, CEO and old woman - they now saw that I too had started my journey in the same place they are now.

I shared with them about the difference between accountability and responsibility. I gave them vivid examples of leadership versus management. But more than anything, I wanted to leave them with the message of persistence. Of not giving in.

I've met people throughout my journey - all of which have added to who I am now. Even the most horrendous manager taught me how I did not want to be. I said: "When I'm running the show it will be different."

Entrepreneurs are like clown punching bags - we keep getting dealt a blow (we never know where from) but up we get and keep going. We never give up. There is no option of when should I quit. We have only one way forward - towards achieving our purpose.

Our purpose engages others in what we are up to. It is the people around us that will make it happen (as my colleague Megan said to me yesterday - "I'm the detail in your devil"). Persistence is a key ingredient. And being passionate about what we do everyday is a given. (Going into business just to make money is not very inspiring to anyone).

These young women were eager to hear my story, and had many questions. But I left them with one thought. To follow their dreams single mindedly, that it is wonderful to bring our femininity to whatever we choose to do... (we don't need to act like blokes). That by the time they are my age I would like to see that the public company boards in Australia are representative of the communities they serve.

Perhaps some of the young women I met today, will be part of that amazing revolution yet to take place in the board rooms of Australia (I just hope we don't have to wait 30 years to see it happen).

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Let the numbers speak for themselves.

By naomisimson | Published: November 19, 2009

We've finished the report from our recent survey and we heard from 3,053 employees on how well their managers and companies perform when it comes to recognizing and rewarding them, and what the impacts are. We also uncover the secret to what employees really want.

It might be worth downloading the full report

Below are some of the key findings... But the biggest outcome I got from reading the results - is we are not finished yet. There is so much work to be done. Engagement is a journey that many organizations are just starting - and have a long and rocky road ahead of them. We need to support managers with tools, training and strategic imperative.. to make recognition as important as commercial rigor - they are of course one in the same thing. 

Key Findings:

Praise is not frequent enough - One in five employees does not receive any praise at all or at best, it only happens once per year. And 62% of managers are rated as "Poor" or just "Satisfactory" at delivering specific and timely praise.

Managers are driving employees away - 52% of employees say not receiving recognition would contribute to them leaving a company.

Managers don't know their people - two thirds of employees are convinced their managers don't know what motivates them to be more productive.

Recognition means the most from the manager - Close to half of employees surveyed want to be recognised directly by their manager on a one-on-one basis.

Only one in three companies were rated as being "Excellent" or "Good" at rewarding and recognising their employees.

Employees want to receive rewards that involve spending time doing activities and sharing experiences with friends or family (55%).
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Where does the entrepreneurial drive come from?

By naomisimson | Published: November 16, 2009

Probably one of the questions that I get more than ever is 'How?'

  • How did you come up with the idea?
  • How do you do it?
  • How do you stay passionate?

The question that drives me though is 'Why?'  It is the why I do what I do which makes me bound out of bed every day (even in the ninth year).

I was interviewed recently for by Andrew Warner from Mixergy who interviews entrepreneurs from all over the planet to try to determine what drives them... In case your interested in my response... below.

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