Tuning in to Y Station: Stepping Up Our Game
Dig into the books, podcasts and blogs that offer our team everyday inspiration for stepping up our game and crumbling the mental blocks that keep creativity at bay.
Chosen by Alana Williams, CEO
I have read the same gossip blog—Lainey Gossip—for coming up on two decades. And the reason is because it has and continues to challenge thinking around pop culture: how it reflects our society and what it says about us. In service of “Stepping Up My Game”, I continue to learn (and relearn) about EDI and privilege and this blog post is one that got me thinking about how that applies to my work environment – specifically, in this case, the impact a low salary level has between one that comes from or is supported by wealth and one that isn’t. When a job is considered prestigious, is it exclusionary to pay a low salary? When ‘everyone’ wants that job, but not ‘everyone’ can survive on the salary offered, is it fair?
While this is a far from home example – working for a luxury lifestyle brand in California – there are many workplaces in our own backyard that I’ve heard friends say they’d “die to work there, it must be so cool” and where the cool factor and job perks are used as a means to justify a low salary and burnout hours. So while, say, free tickets to a game or cake day are awesome, what do you do if the paycheque can’t cover your rent?
Chosen by Ann Gordon-Tighe , Strategist
In the heady days of my youth, I was a very confident public speaker and performer - I performed in theatre and dance productions with ease, and had no trouble giving presentations to my peers. As I got older and the world expanded, insecurity crept in; I found myself apologizing for taking up space (still do!) and less confident in my ability to present to colleagues, clients and others.
A mentor recommended The Well-Spoken Woman, which covers the basics of public speaking in terms of posture, speaking and visual presentation. Some of it is a little old-fashioned, and the book focuses on women as a whole without much investigation into the intersectional components of how women are perceived. Nonetheless, the tools outlined in this book have helped me boost my confidence - even by not having to think about how I will stand when presenting takes away a source of anxiety. I'd recommend this book for anyone (regardless of gender) who wants to reflect on the way they interact with space and audiences while presenting.
Chosen by Chris Henderson, Chief Strategist
My favourite resource on persistence, teamwork and leadership is the book “Endurance” by Alfred Lansing. It’s not only a thrilling book, but it’s a great study on how to act in a crisis. Shipwrecked in the most remote and harshest place on the planet, the crew of the Endurance looked to each other, used their resources effectively and took a few calculated risks to save the life of every single crew member. It’s a great book on reacting to the worst possible circumstances to get the best possible result (except for the ship. The ship sank.).
Chosen by Jenny Black, Digital Strategist
There’s nothing that grinds the gears of a digital marketer more than the assumption that we spend our workdays “playing” on social media. While digital marketing spans far beyond the confines of captions and hashtags, social media is the one area of focus where it’s crucial to stay up to date on the always-evolving features, algorithms and best practices that impact your cross-channel success.
The Social Minds podcast by Social Chain not only keeps me in the loop by breaking social media news, but also challenges me to work outside of “rinse and repeat” social strategies with real case studies and marketing’s brightest minds.
Chosen by Anthony Fisher, Junior Associate
In this Tedx Talk, Rosabeth Moss Kanter discuss three important career steps that a professional should take: inclusion, influence, and impact. I found this video, like most Ted Talks, to be engaging and informative. It also made me rethink how to measure professional success and achieve professional development goals. She also provides insight into some of the challenges women and minorities face in the workplace.
Chosen by Dayna Tumbach, Project Manager
Hurry Slowly is a podcast hosted by Jocelyn Glei. It’s about creativity and productivity through the act of slowing down. Jocelyn interviews artists, deep thinkers and entrepreneurs. Each episode, the listener gains actionable tips on things like increasing productivity, cultivating engaging communities, and time management. I would recommend the episodes titled: “Asking Better Questions” and “Productivity Shame”.