May is Teacher Appreciation Month in the U.S.  Across the country, classrooms celebrate by showering their teachers with special breakfasts or lunches. I know this only because a close friend of mine is a teacher, and in May she received four free breakfast extravaganzas on behalf of her school’s PTA, complete with chocolate chip pancakes (am I the only one suddenly thinking about switching career paths?). But as enticing as the food sounded, I got to thinking about some of my own childhood teachers.

My favorite teacher was Mr. Muzzey, my ninth-grade math teacher (I bet not many people can say that about their own math teachers!). He was tough, and learning to do things his way was not easy. Talking with my friend about him made me think back to my first few months at Mad*Pow. I always knew that his class had left an impact on me, but never took the time to figure out exactly how.

The more I thought about it, though, the more I realized that what Mr. Muzzey taught me – no, the way he taught me – was directly related to how quickly I became comfortable at Mad*Pow. Within my first week, I was put in charge of analyzing Mad*Pow’s progress margins. The goal: to make our resources as productive as possible. I surprised myself with how fast I caught on; but of course, there was something I didn’t realize – it would have taken a lot longer had it not been for a certain ninth-grade math teacher.

It was decided – Mr. Muzzey deserved a letter.

Dear Mr. Muzzey,

I’ve never considered myself as someone who enjoyed math, or was particularly good at it. The calculus class I took with you senior year was the last time I did math on a regular basis. Yes, I took a statistics class in college, taught by a graduate student who clearly had better things to do than teach sophomores. But then I started my job at Mad*Pow. My title was Operations Coordinator, and I quickly found out – much to my horror –  that math was going to be a part of my daily life.

In 21 years of teaching high school math, I’m sure you’ve dealt with your fair share of students who have rolled their eyes about the practicality of algebra, geometry, and calculus. I’m even willing to admit that in those first days of ninth-grade, I too, may have rolled my eyes one or two times. My 15 year-old self was pretty sure she had a solid handle on the things she would and wouldn’t need to do well in the world, and math fell into the latter. My 15-year-old self was also sometimes wrong.

On the first day of ninth grade you explained to us that ALL of our work was to be shown, for each problem, done neatly and step by step (one step per line.) For each of our 20 problems you expected us to use at least half a sheet of notebook paper, which meant by the time I was done with my homework I would have consumed at least five (if I used both sides of the paper, as you instructed) sheets of paper. It seemed like a lot of work for something I would never need. Who in their “adult life” spends time solving for x, I thought? Needless to say, I was not bursting at the seams to bust out that night’s homework.

Before you jump all over me, understand this. I know algebra has its place in every-day life. Like in such conundrums as: I have twelve guests coming for dinner; I want to make pies for desert; if each pie has eight pieces, how many pies do I need? I admit it – that pesky little x is useful in situations like these. But 15 year-old me had something a little different in mind, something more along the lines of a math nerd sitting in a cubicle all day, completing complex algebraic equations, ream after ream of paper cascading off her desk. A practical thought? No. But when was the last time you met a practical 15 year-old girl?

Here comes the chance for you to give me a big, fat “I told you so.” It took eight years, but I’ve now realized just how much you taught me.

At Mad Pow, one of my first tasks was to create a bi-weekly margin project report for our various projects. My boss had set up a spreadsheet to track this progress; all I had to do was import the data. Low and behold, curiosity got the better of me. I realized there was a good chance I’d have to talk about the data, and that understanding the calculations behind it might help me do this. So I copied the lengthy formula onto a piece of paper, writing the name for the data that was referenced in each cell. Then I pulled the actual numbers from the first row in the sheet and did the math out myself to run the equation (well, with some help from my handy TI-83 – the same one I used in your very classroom.) Step by step, I worked out what was being calculated and what it meant. By the end of the equation I had filled an entire sheet of copy paper with each step of the problem.

Sure, I could have saved myself some time and just asked my boss to tell me what the formula was doing, but it was important to me that I could figure it out myself (no one’s ever accused me of not being independent.). Over the last two years, experience has taught me how to interpret the data even better, but it wouldn’t have come as quickly without the skills I learned in your class. By forcing us to solve equations line by line, you taught us so much more than algebra. You taught us how to analyze our thinking around solving the problem. This is exactly what I did when I pulled the formula out and did it by hand. By filtering the data line by line, I could understand the mechanics behind the calculation; see what pieces of the “puzzle” were most important, and where the cause and effect relationship lied.

It frightens me to admit it, but I kind of like math now. To be responsible for that – for imparting not just facts, but also a new way of thinking is a reward you should treasure. It’s something I’m thankful for everyday. Now, I know how to approach a problem, as well as how to understand my missteps and successes. These lessons probably apply to things I haven’t even begun to realize. Most of all, thank you for teaching me how to kick ass at my job.

Sincerely,
Amy E. Wolfe
Class of 2004

Recently I came to the realization that I am a grownup. Maybe it’s because I watched the movie Grown Ups and maybe it’s because I just purchased my first car (all by myself!) Never-the-less it was a sad, scary and intimidating moment.

I am now at an age where making big life decisions are completely up to me. This sudden realization felt different somehow, than say, the realization at 18 that I was an “adult”.

The recent purchase of my first car got me thinking about other things I could buy (and yes, dog, boat, and horse all crossed my mind.) Animals and toys aside, a more substantial notion came to mind. If I truly wanted to, I could purchase my first house. And that is when it struck me. I am a full blown adult, who has to make full blown adult decisions about real-life situations.

With all this thinking about my own adulthood, I started to wonder about what adulthood might mean to a company such as Mad*Pow. The central question I came up with was:

How do you know when a business has reached “adulthood” and how can that change the culture within the company?

At the ripe old age of 11, Mad*Pow Media Solutions LLC has already proven itself as a growing and maturing business. The company has risen to the occasion several times, making it through a recession where we were named to the INC 500 List. In the last year, we’ve added 15 amazing minds and opened two new offices in Boston and Louisville.

At our recent Lobsterbake, COO Brad Honeyman challenged us to reflect on our business.“Growth is incremental. That’s why it’s important to take a minute and look back at where we were last year.”

Right there at the picnic table it hit me; The central concept of holding on to the culture within a company. You can’t understand growth, without using a benchmark to compare data.

When you’re so close to growth, it’s hard to see just how much has changed unless you take the time to pause and look back on a specific date in time. If you’re a parent, you might not realize how much your child has grown in the last year until you look at a picture of them.


<Mad*Pow, 2010>

The importance of looking back is two-fold. It helps illustrate how far you’ve come.


<Mad*Pow, 2008>

In addition, I’m reminded of the importance of knowing where your “roots” are. There are about two years between these two photos; can you see the major change in the two photos? If you didn’t see the extra twelve people in the photo from 2010 I suggest you promptly make an appointment with an optometrist (had we taken a photo of the company at this year’s Lobsterbake there would have been an additional ten people.)

Twelve people in one year, that’s an increase of 52%. If you take the time to consider how that could affect a company, here’s a quick summary. More people mean more projects, which technically can lead to higher annual revenue and as a side effect, a larger presence at events.

However, with rapid growth you risk losing what makes your company unique. For us, it’s undoubtedly our culture. When co-founder Will Powley started Mad*Pow in 2000 one of the things he wanted to create was a great work atmosphere where employees were comfortable enough to have fun while still being the amazing innovators that produce great work for our clients.

What he couldn’t possibly have seen then, was what Mad*Pow would look like with 35 full time employees, spread across three distinct geographical locations.  

Maintaining that original je ne sais quoi of company culture is difficult with differing leadership and work force dynamics in each location. However, culture doesn’t have to be duplicated at each location, as long as the general company vibe is followed. For each location, the challenge is interpreting what that philosophy means to them.

The good news for us is that maintaining the culture that makes this company such a unique and awesome place to work is a top priority for the business’s leadership team. Mad*Pow’s leadership achieves this in many ways, including a monthly meeting designed to bring all three locations together, via phone and video. During this meeting we chat about new hires, upcoming events and anything else that’s important or entertaining. Additionally, bi-weekly project recap meetings allow teams to share finished projects with the entire team.

Those two meetings, along with the annual holiday party, lobsterbake and pumpkin carving contest are all examples of how we stand united as one company. With three different locations we have also fostered an individual office culture at each location (and no, this isn’t a bad thing.)

Each location has created its own unique interpretation of what Mad*Pow means and how they capture that spirit within their office.

The Boston office does yoga once a week. It’s not a mandatory event, but those who would like to participate are more than welcome (though I’ve heard you might feel awkward if you’re on a call and happen to glance over and there are five people working on downward-facing-dog.)

In Louisville, Jason and David work in arts and crafts. For example, they will paint the deck of a skateboard with what they think Mad*Pow means. These decks are going to be hung on the wall in the office and the plan is for each new employee to paint their own deck to add to the wall.

Portsmouth is also dabbling in the arts. Each visual designer is working on some artwork to decorate their workspace. In User Experience they recently re-arranged their area to turn it into a more collaborative environment, complete with a rolling white board for spontaneous creative sessions. Up here in Account Services, well, we like to laugh, loudly (though sometimes annoying it is who we are.)

We may not be able to work under one roof, but in some way we all embody the spirit of Mad*Pow. We use an instant messenger for quick intra-office communications (and to keep long email chains from clogging inboxes.) I’m not saying that Mad*Pow is exactly the same as when it first started, or when the photo from 2008 was taken. It would be impossible not to change, especially with the growth we are experiencing. As I said earlier, change and growth are a part of life (and very important to the life of a business), but that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice who you want to be. Everyone at Mad*Pow, including people in leadership positions (which are most responsible for steering the ship), make a conscious effort to keep the original spirit of the company alive. That is how we succeed.

When the Louisville office opened, it was nowhere near as glamorous as the open house in Boston. But Jason and David invited us in, via an emailed video tour of the space. So even though we couldn’t be there with them, we were all still a part of it.

If you take away one thing from this blog let it be this: The importance of knowing who you are (both as an individual and as a company) is vital to your overall success. It will never be easy, it’s work to build a culture and it’s work to maintain it when things are changing and the everyday ho-hum of getting shit done gets in the way. But ultimately it’s worth it and your company will probably be a better place in the end. People who WANT to go to work will always be more productive than an employee who secretly has a picture of you they throw darts at.

Have you ever recieved an awful inter-office email, designed to suck the life out of you? They're a million miles long and are so boring that by the time you're done with the first three paragraphs you're already looking for an excuse to stop reading ( I think I hear a paper jam coming...I better get on that!)

In an effort to help you avoid being the author behind such workplace bores, here are five tips for constructing effective and entertaining inter-office emails.

1. Know your audience
This may sound pretty basic, but most people forget who their audience is. If you work in a conservative office, show some restraint, not everyone wants to know that Lindsay Lohan is on her 20th rehab stint. However, if you have some wiggle room, I say go for it.

2. Keep it light
This is especially important if you’re going to ask people in the office to do something, like say, hand in a monthly expense report. No one wants to read an annoying email, period. Who wants to give someone what they’re asking for when their email is terse and offputting? When it comes to office emails, you can catch more flies with honey. Some situations require you to be a hard ass. It's ok to give them a little taste, but don’t go crazy.

3. Be concise
Keep it short. Even funny long emails are tedious to read. Get to the point. The goal of the email is not to distract your audience, but to tell them what you need in a quick and effective manner.

4. Give deadlines
Don’t be afraid to set deadlines. If you need something within a specific time period, say so. No one is going to get mad because you need something. Oftentimes, coworkers need deadlines to keep them on schedule.

5. Add a graphic
You’ll never realize how important (and useful) a graphic can be until you’ve used them (especially if you’re going for high entertainment scores.) I’m not talking state of the art graphics either, a good piece of clip art often times does the best job (who would have thought it), and you can always find something online. Also, never be ashamed to show off your paint skills (what design team wouldn’t want to see your magical touch with the sophisticated tools of MS Paint?)

The choice is yours. You can be boring, annoying and lengthy, or you can be fun, entertaining, and concise. I may not always be right (much to my dismay), but I'm confident in my ability to produce some of the best inter-office emails this side of the moon.